U.S. President George W. Bush dismissed a new offer from the Taliban Sunday to hand over Osama bin Laden to a third country if the Americans stopped bombing Afghanistan.

A senior Taliban official also repeated an earlier demand that the U.S. provide evidence that bin Laden was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S.

The Taliban's deputy prime minister, Haji Abdul Kabir, outlined the offer to reporters in Jalalabad, while air strikes on Taliban targets in Afghanistan continued for an eighth consecutive night.

The village of Karam
The village of Karam

The capital of Kabul was again the target of U.S. attacks on Sunday. Witnesses reported seeing jets over the city, along with anti-aircraft fire.

"If America were to step back from the current policy, then we could negotiate," Kabir said. "Then we could discuss which third country."

U.S. President George W. Bush quickly rejected the offer: "There's no need to negotiate," he told reporters. "They are harbouring a terrorist."

On Saturday, the Taliban's supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar declined Bush's "second chance" request to hand over bin Laden. Omar said he would not "hand over anyone."

Washington has consistently refused offers to negotiate with the hardline Taliban regime, saying their leaders must unconditionally hand over bin Laden and his associates in the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Western reporters tour Jalalabad

Fifteen western journalists were in Jalalabad Sunday for a Taliban-guided tour of what the regime said was the results of U.S. air strikes.

Jalalabad has been a key target because it's believed to be home to several bin Laden training camps.

The group of foreigners also visited the village of Karam, where the Taliban said up to 200 people were killed by the air strikes on Thursday alone.

Some villagers accused the journalists of spying for the U.S. government and scoping out potential targets.

The reporters saw close to 20 fresh graves marked with pieces of gray slate, bloodstained clothing, and bomb craters. Rotting sheep and goat carcasses were scattered about the village.

Residents said more bodies were buried in the mountains, taken as people fled the attacks.