| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan |
| Abdul Haq captured and killed |
| 2001-10-27 |
THE American-led campaign in Afghanistan yesterday suffered its darkest day, when a key anti-Taleban commander was captured and hanged after a dramatic chase near Kabul. The execution of Abdul Haq, a veteran Mujahidin commander trying to lure defectors from the ranks of the Taleban, came as the coalition against terrorism suffered a series of setbacks. The reverses prompted the Talebanâs supreme leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, to call for 72 hours of worldwide protests by âthose Muslims who feel that holy war is part of Islam . . . to support the Taleban point of viewâ. Mr Haq was compromised as he carried out his secret mission on behalf of the deposed King Zahir Shah in Taleban-controlled areas south of the capital. The Taleban said that they had been following him ever since he crossed the border from Pakistan on Sunday and decided to capture him. Mr Haq, a renowned rebel commander during the Soviet occupation who was wounded 14 times and lost his right foot, was surrounded with 50 followers in the town of Azro. The Taleban claimed that he used a satellite phone to call for American air support and a fighter bomber and helicopter gunships attacked the Taleban positions, wounding several fighters. Mr Haq then tried to flee on horseback across the same rugged terrain where he had once fought the Russians. But he was captured and taken to a Taleban stronghold. A short time later he was hanged. âThe Taleban have killed Abdul Haq along with two other people,â Abdul Himat Hanan, an Information Ministry official, said, citing a ruling by Afghanistanâs ulema, a gathering of religious leaders. âAnyone who assists the United States is liable to be killed.â He claimed the Taleban knew in advance that the 43-year-old former hero of the Mujahidin had left his home in exile in Peshawar, Pakistan, and that he was caught after Taleban intelligence was tipped off by villagers. âWe had secretly surrounded the place for two days where Haq was hiding with his supporters,â Mr Hanan said. âUS helicopters bombed the Taleban to enable Haq to escape but we were able to capture him when he tried to leave at 2.30 this morning.â Mr Haqâs nephew Izatullah and another commander, Haji Dawran, were also said to have been killed. Both Mr Haqâs family and the former Afghan monarch King Zahir pleaded for his life, saying he was in Afghanistan on a peace mission. However their appeals were unsuccessful, with reports that the Taleban airwaves âcrackledâ with congratulations at the news that he had been captured. His brother, Haji Abdul Qadir, said: âI can only say that when someone is extremely angry, like my brother was against the Taleban, they sometimes lose control and head to their death.â Mohammed Yousuf, another of Mr Haqâs nephews, said that after the commander had been hanged his body was sprayed with bullets. US officials said early today that an unmanned Predator spy plane equipped with Hellfire anti-tank missiles was sent to help Mr Haq. The Predator, which was in the area, fired missiles at the Taleban, hitting some of the fighters, before returning to base safely. The death of perhaps the most influential opposition Pashtun commander will undermine efforts to form a credible post-Taleban government in Afghanistan. He was seen by the US and Pakistan as a leader who could rally the powerful Pashtun tribes in the Talebanâs heartland. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |