London ? Osama bin Laden is firmly back in command of al-Qaida and the group is digging in for guerrilla attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, an Arab journalist with close ties to the militant’s associates said Tuesday.

Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, said al-Qaida associates recently told him the network had regained confidence after facing intense U.S. bombing and was ready to fight U.S. troops over the long haul.

“Al-Qaida were shattered during the U.S. bombing, so it was difficult for bin Laden to stay in control. Now they said he is fully in command again and they have regrouped and are organized again,” Atwan told Reuters.

“Al-Qaida people say they are relaxed now and they will fight a war of attrition against U.S. soldiers,” added Atwan, who interviewed bin Laden in 1996 and keeps in contact with his associates and followers.

Bin Laden was in good health and “safe” and was planning new attacks on the United States, he was told, but his whereabouts were not disclosed.

The United States launched strikes on Afghanistan last year to flush out al-Qaida and hunt down bin Laden.

Atwan said that the al-Qaida and Taliban had re-established links that were severed when the United States began its military campaign in Afghanistan.

“They are working together again. They are organizing,” he said.

Bin Laden’s associates told Atwan that the Saudi-born militant was well, “safe” and planning new attacks on the United States. They did not say where bin Laden was currently living.

“My sense is that he will time any new attack to coincide with a U.S. attack on Iraq. He would want to capitalize on this to appeal to the Arab street, so he will probably delay any attacks until the United States moves on Iraq,” said Atwan.

“He will probably want to be seen as the only Arab standing up to the United States when the United States attacks Iraq.”