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Taliban defend Osama bin Laden, insist ‘no proof’ he was behind 9/11

The Taliban are still staunchly defending late terrorist Osama bin Laden — refusing to accept his role in the cowardly killing of nearly 3,000 defenseless people on Sept. 11, 2001.

The group’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, responded with a large eye roll when NBC News‘ Richard Engel pointed out that the Afghan “war started when Osama bin Laden, as a guest of the Taliban, organized 9/11.”

“There is no evidence. Even after 20 years of war, we have no proof he was involved,” Mujahid insisted of bin Laden, who personally bragged about orchestrating the plane attacks.

“When Osama bin Laden became an issue for the Americans, he was in Afghanistan,” he said casually when asked for assurances that Afghanistan would “never again be a base for terrorism.”

“Although there was no proof he was involved, now we have given promises that Afghan soil won’t be used against anyone,” said Mujahid, who was surrounded by enforcers brandishing assault rifles as he gave one of his first-ever on-camera interviews with Western media.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said “after 20 years of war, we have no proof [Osama bin Laden] was involved.” Rahmat Gul/AP

He was pressed further by Engel, who noted that “it sounds like, even now, after all this,” the Taliban were “accepting no responsibility” for harboring the al Qaeda killer.

“There was no justification for this war. It was excuse for war,” the Islamic militant group’s chief talking head claimed.

Bin Laden’s name emerged almost immediately after the 2001 terror attacks razed the Twin Towers, and the 9/11 commission report confirmed that the “9/11 attack was driven” by him.

Osama bin Laden took credit for the 9/11 attacks in a 2004 video rant warning that the US was not safe from “another Manhattan.” CNN via Getty Images

Bin Laden himself took credit for the attacks in a 2004 video rant warning that the US was not safe from “another Manhattan.” He was killed in a raid by US Navy SEALs in 2011.

“God knows it did not cross our minds to attack the towers but after the situation became unbearable and we witnessed the injustice and tyranny of the American-Israeli alliance against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, I thought about it,” bin Laden said.

“As I watched the destroyed towers in Lebanon, it occurred to me punish the unjust the same way [and] to destroy towers in America so it could taste some of what we are tasting and to stop killing our children and women.”

Osama bin Laden’s name emerged almost immediately after the 2001 terror attacks and the 9/11 commission report confirmed that the tragedy was driven by him. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The invasion of Afghanistan was ordered by President George W. Bush after the Taliban refused to hand over bin Laden and dismantle terrorist training camps.

But the ousted militants quickly regained control of the troubled nation this month after President Biden’s decision to pull out remaining US troops.

“The withdrawal is almost finished,” Mujahid told Engel. “These are our happiest moments.”

Zabihullah Mujahid said the Taliban promised that Afghanistan would “never again be a base for terrorism.” Hoshang Hashimi/AFP via Getty Images

World leaders fear that the Taliban will once again harbor terrorists, including al Qaeda. The United Nations has warned that the two Islamic groups “remain closely aligned and show no indication of breaking ties.”