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Haqqani becomes Taliban deputy supremo
The remnants of the Taliban, forced out of power in Afghanistan in 2001, will stage a new wave of attacks against US-led coalition forces in the south and southeast of the country this spring, a man claiming to represent the fundamentalist militia told AFP on Friday. In an interview in the south-eastern city of Khost, the man, who has previously proved himself a credible source of information on the intentions of the militant group, also claimed that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, were both alive and in Afghanistan. Bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri “are alive and both are in Afghanistan, in different places”, Mohammed Saiful Adel told an AFP journalist in an interview in the city of Khost, close to the border with Pakistan.
If AFP can find those guys, why can't we? Perhaps we should have our intel track reporters?
A former leader of the anti-Soviet Mujahaddin fighters, Jalaluddin Haqqani, “has taken on the role of deputy leader of the Taliban,” the Taliban spokesman said. “He is playing a key role in our movement and is responsible for all the military operations,” he added. “Haqqani is personally leading the operations in Paktia, Paktika and Khost,” said the spokesman, referring to three southeastern provinces. More than 100 armed Taliban have gathered in a remote mountainous region in southern Afghanistan, officials said Friday, sparking fears of an imminent attack in the area. The remnants of the ousted Taliban regime have gathered in Zabul province, in southeastern Afghanistan, local official Hajji Hashim said. In recent months south and southeastern Afghanistan have witnessed attacks against US-led coalition and Afghan forces in the area as well as violence against aid workers and civilians.

“On Thursday more than a 100 armed Taliban from Arghandab, Khak Afghan and Dai Chopan gathered in the mountains of Mazin,” Hashim, the town’s deputy governor, told AFP on Friday. Hashim said he went to the governor of Zabul province in the capital Qalat to discuss the situation but was told, “there’s no big threat”. However, there are only 70 or 80 troops guarding Mazin, making the town outnumbered by Taliban forces should they attack. “If the Taliban attack us we can defend ourselves and call headquarters for support but we are not capable of attacking the Taliban,” Hashim said. The men responsible for the gathering are believed to be Mullah Qahar and Mullah Ghafar, well-known Taliban commanders in the region.
Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-02-21
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=26647