Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Former Taliban Minister Captured in Central Afghanistan
Afghan government troops on Monday captured a former minister of the ousted Taliban regime in central Afghanistan's Oruzgan province, a governmental official said.
Afghan government troops on Monday captured a former minister of the ousted Taliban regime in central Afghanistan's Oruzgan province, a governmental official said.
Mulla Ahdul Razaq, Taliban's minister of commerce before it wasthrown out of power in late 2001, was arrested by Afghan soldiers after fierce fighting during an joint operation with US-led coalition forces, spokesman of neighboring Kandahar provincial government Khalid Pashuto told Xinhua.
The operation began three days ago by US special forces and allied Afghan troops from Kandahar, about 400 kilometers south of Kabul, to hunt down fugitive Taliban and al-Qaeda members, believed hiding in mountainous areas near the Pakistan border.
About 20 Taliban fighters had been killed and more than 30 others captured so far during the operation, Pushto said.
Meanwhile, about 80 suspected Taliban members were arrested on Monday in Ghazni province of central Afghanistan, about 80 kilometers southwest of Kabul.
Among the arrested, believed having sneaked into Afghanistan from across the Pakistan border, was a former deputy education minister of the ousted Taliban regime, according to Ghazni provincial governor Asadullah Khalid.
He said a raid operation was carried out on Monday in his province by the Interior Ministry on intelligence tips, adding that the search and arrest operation was still going on.