Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar expressed Friday his sadness over the death of Abu Musab al- Zarqawi, the al-Qaida leader in Iraq.

In a statement read to journalists by a purported Taliban spokesman, Omar said "I and all Muslims of Afghanistan's resistance are very sad by the martyrdom of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi."

Zarqawi was killed in a joint U.S.-Iraqi raid Thursday in Iraq as U.S. F-16 war planes dropped two bombs on him.

However, "Zarqawi's martyrdom will not weaken the Iraqi resistance as this is a national resistance, any youth can become Zarqawi," Omar said in the statement, adding

"Zarqawi has left behind thousands of youths who will even accelerate this resistance."

On Thursday, Afghan President H.E. Hamid Karzai called the death of al-Zarqawi a "severe blow for terrorism and a major success in the war on international terrorism."

Source: Xinhua