Afghan Taliban Might Consider Prisoner Swap

Yahoo! News ^ | September 9th, 2001

[freedom_from_socialism]

KABUL, Afghanistan (news - web sites) (Reuters) - The foreign minister of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban was quoted Sunday saying the hard-line movement might consider swapping eight detained foreign aid workers for an Islamic militant jailed in the United States.

But Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil, quoted in the Taliban's Shariat Daily, stressed that the trial of the aid workers, accused of promoting Christianity, would first have to be completed. ``The authorities and responsibles of the Islamic Emirate (of Afghanistan) will deliberate about such a request, and after consideration and research, a decision will be taken,'' he was quoted as saying.

``But above all we need to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court (in the trial),'' he added.

Islamist sources outside Afghanistan said last week the Taliban might be willing to free the eight aid workers if Washington allowed the ailing Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, jailed for life for planning guerrilla attacks, to go to Afghanistan.

Relatives of the blind Muslim cleric said they had written letters to both the hard-line Islamist Taliban and the State Department in Washington.

Four Germans, two Australians and two Americans, all from German-based Christian relief agency Shelter Now International (SNI) were arrested with 16 Afghan colleagues five weeks ago on charges that could carry the death penalty.

Judges completed the fifth day of the trial Sunday. The detainees appeared for the first and only time so far on Saturday and said they were innocent of proselytizing.

Muttawakil said the Taliban had not received an official request for the proposed prisoner swap.

``We have heard this news (exchange) through the media that his family has asked the leadership of the Islamic Emirate and similarly proposed to the American authorities,'' he said.

``First we should wait for the decision of the Supreme Court of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the American authorities have not contacted us in this regard,'' he added. ''The request requires clarification and comprehension. We have not been in touch with the Americans about this.''

Sheikh Omar, the spiritual leader of Egypt's main militant group a-Gama's al-Islamiya (Islamic Group), was convicted in 1995 of plotting to blow up the World Trade Center and bomb the Untied Nations.

There has been no comment from Washington.

[freedom_from_socialism]

Why is the White House silent? They did same in 2000 when Indian Airlines was hijacked to Afghanistan. The Indian government had to free some terrorists for the hostages. Now they are doing this to us? It's time for these rats to taste the poison.

[AM2000]

"we don't negotiate with terrorists"..

but i bet we will this time ;)

[truth_eagle]

This is the real reason for the trials.

Let's swap 100 cruise missiles for the aid workers, delivered directly to Taliban Headquarters. No wait..not generous enough. Make that 200 cruise missiles.

[freedom_from_socialism]

"Taliban Headquarters" You mean mud bunkers? ;^)

[TightSqueeze]

Let's swap 100 cruise missiles for the aid workers, delivered directly to Taliban Headquarters. No wait..not generous enough. Make that 200 cruise missiles.

I agree, we can’t change policy over a few dumb aid workers. If the ruling Taliban push the issue and the only choice is to surrender Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman or watch them execute the aid workers. We should before sending the 100 cruise missiles, publicly execute Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman in direct defiance to these terrorist thugs. Blood is the only thing these people understand, lets make sure that more blood is spilled on their side.

[AM2000]

...delivered directly to Taliban Headquarters

Taliban power is so spread out (physically) that it would be almost impossible to really hurt them with missiles, unless we were willing to cause civilian casualties, which I assume we are not. The only real way to deal with these people is on the ground, and they know (and we know) we don't have the balls for that (yet).

[2sheep]

might consider swapping eight detained foreign aid workers for an Islamic militant jailed in the United States.

Reasonable would be getting the 8 foreign aid workers out and exchanging them for the 450+ fake refugees sitting in the ship off the coast of Australia.  Lessee now...why do they want the one Islamic militant out?  So he can kill more people or train more children to kill more people.  Never compromise with evil.

[Ranger]

In reading another article I noted that the two females from the U.S. were from Baylor, which many of you know is in Waco, Texas and very near Bush's ranch. If the Taliban, and they probably will, convict these people in a show trial and sentence them in some ridiculous manner, it will be like hitting the fundamentalists in the U.S. right where they live. It won't be tolerated in the U.S. plain and simple.

What to do about it? Bush could never trade Sheikh Omar for these christian aid workers. He wouldn't. He couldn't.

He could instigate some long over due payback on Ben Laden and the Taliban leadership where they live, but I doubt that would be effective or satisfactory. Ground force incursion seems almost impossible, especially, with Pakistan in the penalty box.

One option following blistering but largely ineffective missile attack might be to take the leash off Israel and let them chase Arafat out of the PA controlled territories. Let's the Israeli's blast the Iranian nuclear program while the U.S. does the same for Iraq.

Still it doesn't get the aid hostages out of Afghanistan.

And where does Saudi Arabia come out in all this? Do they support the U.S., the Taliban or stay quiet and pretend not to notice the rumble of war in the distance?