Taliban austerity was cast aside when its ambassador to Pakistan cracked a joke at Australia's expense Monday.
The envoy Abdul Salam Zaeef could not resist a smile when asked by an Australian reporter at a press conference what the Taliban thought about the prospect of Australian special forces joining US and British elite troops in Afghanistan.
The smile became a laugh as he replied: "I think America is the superpower, America is enough for Afghanistan, there is no need for Australia to come."
Zaeef is the Taliban's only ambassador serving abroad as Pakistan is the only country that still recognises the militia. He gives regular press conferences in Islamabad which normally concentrate on condemning the United States -- Islamabad, (AFP)
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