U.S. forces secured two compounds Wednesday in Bamiyan taking al Qaeda suspects into custody and questioning a group of Taliban prisoners.
Ummm... Actually, it doesn't say if they were al-Qaeda...
CNN Correspondent Nic Robertson reports the following from Bamiyan:
Go to it, Nic!
ROBERTSON: It all began unfolding here about seven hours ago [midnight EST]. About 12 or perhaps a few more U.S. Special Forces operatives came to a compound in the city of Bamiyan here. They were accompanied by perhaps about two dozen U.S. service personnel in regular Army uniforms. They went into a compound; they secured the compound area. They left and then a few hours later came back to the same compound.
That's kind of a confused account, Nic. After they secured the compound area, did they all leave, or did some stay behind to make sure it stayed secured?
They took out two men from that compound. Both men had plastic bags over their heads. Both men were shuffling along and had their hands apparently tied behind their backs.
Ummm... Judging from the descriptions, I'd say they were prisoners. What do you think, Nic?
We are told, according to local Afghan officials here, that both men were Pakistanis -- they were non-Afghans. It is not known yet how senior they were, either in the Taliban or the al Qaeda organization.
Hmmm. Pakkos, are they? Well, they could be jihadis. Could be Talibs, for that matter, since a lot of them came from Pakland. Could be al-Qaeda, since they recruit world-wide, though the Paks don't appear to be at the very top of the list of their smart boys. Or they could be Qazi's provocateurs, meeting with the locals, which might constitute an unwarranted fiddling with the internal affairs of a sovreign nation. Or they could be ISI guys, which would really fire up the Afghan powers that now be. Bamiyan's Hazara country, and if they were Paks the Hazaras probably turned them in as soon as it was safe. They'll also probably disapprove of any breathing holes in those head bags.
But as part of the operation here in Bamiyan, the U.S. Special Forces and Army operatives also went to another compound. This was a prison compound where there's approximately 30 Taliban Afghan prisoners being held there. They went through this compound, they photographed every one of the prisoners, and they also took a hair sample.
Ahah! They're operating on some sort of concrete information and they're looking for specific people. Who do you think they are, Nic?
The prisoners we've talked to said they took a hair sample from the side of their head.
The hell you say?
They were all questioned about their names, about where they were captured, about how long they had been in detention. Approximately half of those prisoners were taken away, and just a couple of hours ago they were all loaded onto Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters and taken away out of Bamiyan, we are told, to Bagram air base, which is the main operational base of part of the U.S. forces here in Afghanistan.
Hmmm... Took over a dozen of them with them? WHO THE HELL WERE THEY, NIC?
CNN: Give us the latest about what you're hearing about any potential sightings of Osama bin Laden and any other key al Qaeda leaders.
Well, I don't think it was him they took away. Do you? Really, now?
ROBERTSON: We asked some of the detainees in the prison, had they got any information about Osama bin Laden? They said, "Look, no, we shouldn't be here, we're just poor Taliban fighters, we were forced to fight, we have no information, we don't even know about the nationality of these other people who were arrested."
What'd you expect them to say, Nic? "I'm a big-time bloodthirsty terrorist? I'm a Taliban Founding Father?" If you're actually in jug, it becomes tough to get information, so maybe they should be asking you.
Sheesh. Thanks for the information, Nic. 
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