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U.S. faces 'absolute defeat,' Taliban leader purportedly says

A U.S. Marine runs for cover after his unit comes under fire in Afghanistan's Helmand Province on Wednesday.
A U.S. Marine runs for cover after his unit comes under fire in Afghanistan's Helmand Province on Wednesday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Message, purportedly from Taliban leader Mullah Omar, says U.S. faces defeat in Afghanistan
  • "Nothing will change that even if you send more troops," message says
  • Message posted on the Afghan jihadi online magazine Al-Somod
  • President Obama set to announce U.S. troop strategy for Afghanistan on Tuesday
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(CNN) -- The United States and its allies are facing "an absolute defeat" against the Taliban in Afghanistan even if additional troops are sent, according to a message purportedly from the Taliban's elusive leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar.

In a transcript of the message posted Wednesday on the Afghan jihadi online magazine Al-Somod, the Taliban leader purportedly says the "realities in Afghanistan are simple."

"You and your allies are facing an absolute defeat, and nothing will change that even if you send more troops, no matter what your strategies are, because the logic of force will have no impact on the mujahedeen and you will never be able to control the Afghan people by physical force or by your satanic hypocrisy," the transcript says.

CNN could not independently confirm the authenticity of the report, which appeared in Arabic and in Pashtun.

The transcript continued: "Let it be known that your hostile policies have created a new world of enemies who will fight against you, and the earth is narrowing around you and you will always live the life of all bitterness and sorrow, because the policy of force and tyranny cannot and will not be accepted by anyone."

The message comes days before President Obama is set to announce the U.S. troop strategy for Afghanistan.

In a Tuesday speech, Obama will explain why the United States is in Afghanistan, its interests there and his decision-making process, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

The president ordered more than 20,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in March. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, reportedly has called for up to 40,000 more to wage a counterinsurgency campaign against the Taliban, the Islamic militia originally ousted by U.S. military action in 2001.

There was no immediate response from Washington to the message.

A previous message said to be from Omar was released in September, saying the fight against foreign forces "is approaching the edge of victory."