-News for Thur. 04 April & Fri. 05
April 2002 US:
al-Qaida, Taleban Still a Threat in Afghanistan
VOA
News 5
Apr 2002 15:34 UTC

The U.S. military
says leaflets are circulating in eastern Afghanistan offering rewards for
killing foreigners connected with the U.S.-led international campaign against
the Taleban and al-Qaida terrorists.
U.S. military
spokesman, Major Bryan Hilferty, told reporters at Bagram Air Base near Kabul
that the leaflets were found in the Shahi Kot valley of Paktia province. He
said U.S. special forces patrolling the region also came under rocket attack
last week, but there were no casualties. The area near the Pakistani border was
the site of last month's fierce ground battles against al-Qaida and Taleban
fighters.
U.S. officials say
the rocket attack and the leaflets are indications that al-Qaida and Taleban
forces remain active in the region and continue to pose a threat to U.S.
forces, local citizens and journalists.
In a separate
development Friday, International peacekeeping commanders sought an explanation
from Afghan authorities as to why they were not told beforehand about an
alleged threat against interim leader Hamid Karzai's life.
Interior Minister
Yunis Qanuni said more than 300 people were arrested in Kabul in the past few
days, and about 160 were still being questioned. The commanders said they were
there to protect Kabul and the interim government, and if there was any
possibility of a coup, they should have been told about it.
Afghan officials also
said they had strong evidence linking the plot to the hard-line Hezb-e-Islami
group led by former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar - who is a vocal
opponent of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. The group has denied any
connection to the alleged plot.
Some information
for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
Email this article to a friend.
Printer Friendly Version
|