Al-Qaida's military commander rejects US claims

The US is lying when it claims to have smashed the al-Qaida terrorist network and to have broken the back of Taliban forces in Afghanistan, the group’s military commander said Friday.

‘‘Bush lies to his people when he claims to have destroyed the al-Qaida group and broken the ranks of the Taliban. The whole world laughs at his lies,’’ said Ayman el-Zawahri in a television broadcast.