Taliban troops on Uzbek border

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 7. The Taliban has claimed to have deployed thousands of fighters along its border with Uzbekistan in preparation for the possible offensive by the U.S. and its allies as a retaliation for refusing to hand over the Saudi fugitive, Osama bin Laden, the main suspect in the September 11 strikes.

The reinforcements along the Uzbekistan border were needed after reports came that the U.S. was sending troops to the Central Asian Republic, the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) said.

``We have deployed our forces there at all important places. This is a question of our self-respect and we will never bow before the Americans and will fight to the last,'' the AIP quoted a Taliban official as saying. The official said 8,000 fighters had been sent.

`No case against Osama'

The Taliban on Sunday reiterated its stand on Osama. It is ready to try him in Afghanistan after sufficient evidence was produced against him in an Afghan Court.

``There is no case against Osama in Afghanistan. That is why he could not be tried by the Taliban. If the Americans claim that Osama is involved in terrorist activities, then they should formally register a case in Afghanistan,'' the Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Abdul Salam Zaeef, told journalists in Islamabad. ``We have repeatedly asked Washington to give us evidence, but they have failed to do it,'' the Taliban envoy said.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Attacks unwarranted,say clerics
Next     : U.S. national, another, killed in Saudi blast