From: Abe Rein (ARein@sorosny.org)
Date: Tue Apr 01 2003 - 15:48:51 EST
SCORES OF TALIBAN, INCLUDING HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS, ARRESTED IN
AFGHANISTAN...
Ghazni Province Governor Assadullah Khaled claimed on 31 March that 80
members of the Taliban -- including Sayyed Shahidkhayl Akhond, who
served as deputy minister of education under the Taliban regime, and
Asadullah Sadozai, former commander of security zone No. 6 -- have been
arrested in ongoing sweep operations in Ghazni, Radio Afghanistan
reported. Khaled added that the Taliban's and Al-Qaeda's bases in Ghazni
have been destroyed, but that elements loyal to the two organizations
enter Afghan territory from Waziristan in Pakistan's North-West Frontier
Province. Furthermore, he said those elements are financially supported
by sympathizers in the Pakistani cities of Karachi, Quetta, and
Peshawar. Khaled said the arrests were made by Afghan military forces
without any involvement by U.S.-led antiterrorism coalition forces.
Khaled said the prisoners are in custody in Ghazni and will not be
"handed over to any foreign country," Radio Afghanistan reported. AT
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