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| Afghanistan |
| Chaos in Afghanistan |
| 2001-09-29 |
| Guardian Unlimited Observer In Khost last week, local tribal chiefs ordered their tribesmen to obey the Taliban's request for 10,000 men. The tribesmen, who all have guns, turned out armed only with sticks and asked the Taliban for weapons. The governor, Maulana Abdul Rauf Arif, was too unsure of their allegiance to hand any out. Elsewhere along the Pakistani frontier, local people in Paktia and Paktika provinces have told the Taliban that unless the Arab fighters associated with Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda group are withdrawn from their towns and villages they will refuse to obey any of the government's orders. About 50 Arab families have been evicted from their longstanding bases around the eastern city of Sorobi, according to refugees coming from Afghanistan. The Taliban have been forced to set up roadblocks to prevent Afghans fleeing major cities - in direct contravention of their orders. According to refugees, hundreds of people were yesterday being stopped at one checkpoint set up near Pul-e-Sharqi prison, a grim complex built by east Europeans on the road east of Kabul. Many of those fleeing are trying to escape the press gangs to which the hardline Islamic militia have resorted to fill the ranks of their army. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |