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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Arabs sent home from Afghan hunt |
| 2004-12-15 |
| A group of Arab businessmen visiting Afghanistan on a rare bird hunt have been detained by US troops and ordered to leave the country. The men, including at least nine Qataris, were arrested at the town of Spin Boldak near the Pakistani border. They were held for two days by US troops, who released them on Sunday without charge. The group were visiting Afghanistan to hunt the rare houbara bustard, considered an aphrodisiac in the Gulf. According to a border police official in Spin Boldak, Abdul Raziq, the group was ordered to leave Afghanistan on Monday. US forces found nothing against the men, but told them they would not be allowed to hunt protected species, reports said. The men had planned to travel to the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan to hunt the houbara bustard with falcons. Falconry is a traditional pursuit for wealthy Arabs, who once set out on horseback for expeditions but now usually travel by off-road vehicle. The houbara bustard has been hunted almost to extinction in the Gulf states. |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |