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| Afghanistan |
| Afghanistan arrests top official of ousted Taliban |
| 2003-07-10 |
| Afghan authorities have arrested a senior official of the ousted Taliban and seized a large quantity of bomb-making material in a raid in the restive southern province of Kandahar, the provincial governor said on Thursday. The man, a brother and aide of former Taliban defence minister Mullah Obaidullah, was seized in a house in Kandahar city, said governor Gul Agha Sherzai. "We captured him and with him we seized about 1,200 detonators," he told reporters in Kabul. "Lots of equipment for explosions and some 50 light and heavy machineguns." Even for Afghanistan, that’s a bit excessive for a personal gun collection. He did not name the man or say when he was arrested. Obaidullah was second in command of the hardline Islamist Taliban government, which was overthrown by U.S.-led forces in 2001. Sherzai said the arrested man had said Obaidullah lives in Quetta city in neighbouring Pakistan. Where else? Quetta was the scene of a bloody attack on a Shi’ite mosque last Friday in which 53 people were killed. Sunni militants are believed to be responsible, although Pakistani officials suspect a "foreign hand" -- either India or Afghanistan -- was involved. The Kandahar governor said some other top Taliban officials, including one of its commanders, Mullah Dadullah, were active in Pakistan. "He is moving from one place to another," Sherzai said of Obaidullah. "Mullah Dadullah is there...Their big people are there." Yup. |
| Posted by:Steve |