Mullah Omar, the shadowy figure who leads the Taliban, has issued a statement saying his group is winning the war in Afghanistan.

As a means of getting his message across to Afghanis, he posted a message on Wednesday night on jihadist websites, saying Afghan fighters are winning the war and Americans are wasting lives and billions of dollars.

The Taliban leader stated that the Americans would soon leave Afghanistan and warned them not to hurt civilians on their way out.

Mullah Omar has not been seen in public since the Taliban were driven from power in Afghanistan following the US invasion.