"Hundreds more" suicide bombers are poised to strike against NATO forces in Afghanistan in a massive spring offensive, a senior Taliban commander said.

In an interview aired Wednesday on Britain's Channel 4 News, Mullah Dadullah also said Osama bin Laden is alive and in contact with Taliban leaders.

Dadullah said he had not met bin Laden since the fall of the Taliban regime after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. He said the al-Qaeda leader, believed to be hiding near the Afghan border in northwest Pakistan, met outsiders rarely.

"Only his comrades see him; we exchange messages with each other to share plans," Dadullah said. 

'He's not yet martyred'—Taliban military commander Mullah Dadullah on Osama bin Laden

"We also go to the battlefield together. We actually meet very rarely, just for important consultations. It's hard for anyone to meet bin Laden himself now, but we know he's still alive.

"He's not yet martyred. Such information would be easy to get — his comrades stand shoulder to shoulder with us. They keep us informed," said Dadullah, commander of Taliban operations in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan and a trusted associate of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

The authenticity of the information could not be confirmed. Channel 4 did not say how it had obtained the footage.

NATO commanders have said they believe the Taliban plans a spring offensive against alliance troops in the country.

The United States and Britain recently announced an increase in troop deployment to the Afghan mission .

More than 2,000 Canadian soldiers are serving in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar region. Since the mission started in 2002, 44 Canadian soldiers and one Canadian diplomat have been killed.

With files from the Associated Press