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Pathans won't hand over al-Qa'eda 'guests'
Electronic Telegraph ^ | January 19, 2002 | Philip Smucker in Khost

Posted on 01/18/2002 4:36:14 PM PST by Map Kernow

PATHAN tribesmen loyal to the Taliban and al-Qa'eda in eastern Afghanistan are sheltering "hundreds of Osama bin Laden's fighters" in a mountain region known as Zarmat.

A string of mud-brick, highland villages between Khawar, in Logar province, and Zarmat, in Paktia province, represents one of the largest pockets of remaining al-Qa'eda members in Afghanistan, Pathan tribal sources said.

Most of the fighters are Arabs and Chechens who fled from the al-Qa'eda base at Tora Bora when it was attacked by US troops and anti-Taliban Afghan fighters in December.

Afghan officials in Khost said that several dozen US Special Forces soldiers had made a foray in the Zarmat area earlier this week.

Their efforts to hunt down al-Qa'eda members were, however, rebuffed by Pathan tribal leaders who, although mostly royalists, do not want to see the foreign fighters and their families killed.

Local tradition dictates that the al-Qa'eda "guests" must be protected by the locals or be given "safe passage" out of Afghanistan.

Pentagon officials have given warning that al-Qa'eda could be regrouping in the region and have complained of the lack of co-operation by Pathan tribal leaders in the hunt for al-Qa'eda and Taliban fighters.

Some tribal leaders met yesterday to discuss how to assist the American hunt for the al-Qa'eda fighters, but they gave warning that the current US military strategy of using the ethnic Tajik and Uzbek-dominated Northern Alliance forces in the fight would not succeed.

The Pathans said that the US government should have learned from failed efforts to capture bin Laden during the battle for Tora Bora - a battle in which Northern Alliance forces eventually led the final assault on the cave complex.

The Kabul government's minister for tribal and frontier affairs, Aman Khan Zadran, said the US military had called on fighters from Afghanistan's northern provinces to fight against remaining Taliban forces in the Pathan area, a move that was raising ethnic tensions and accomplishing little.

"As long as the Americans are paying out to the Northern Alliance and ignoring the Pathans, their fight near Zarmat won't succeed," he said.

A delegation from the Zarmat governor Badshah Khan arrived in Khost yesterday to try to rally support for a Pathan-led push to oust the remaining al-Qa'eda fighters.

Mohamad Sharif Sarhady, who led the delegation, denounced Saif Ullah, the Paktia governor, as an appointee of the Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

"He is surrounded by 13 cronies who have been managing a human smuggling route out of Afghanistan into both Pakistan and Iran," he said.

A Pathan tribal leader, Mr Sarhady said the route through Pakistan - which he claimed had been used by bin Laden - was more pricey than the route to Iran.

He said al-Qa'eda money usually paid for passage."There was an Iranian government representative in nearby Gardez who personally approved a list of 63 al-Qa'eda members who were permitted to enter his country," he claimed.

Iranian officials in Kabul have categorically denied any government involvement in the smuggling of al-Qa'eda members - though they admit that al-Qa'eda members with money have bought their passage into Iran.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Why al-Qa'eda chose Afghanistan as its base.
1 posted on 01/18/2002 4:36:14 PM PST by Map Kernow
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To: Map Kernow
I imagine PATHAN = Pustan
2 posted on 01/18/2002 4:39:15 PM PST by KQQL
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To: Map Kernow
"As long as the Americans are paying out to the Northern Alliance and ignoring the Pathans, their fight near Zarmat won't succeed,"

What's the problem here?

3 posted on 01/18/2002 4:40:12 PM PST by RightWhale
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To: Map Kernow
Solution: Pick a village. Ask politely that they turn over their "guests". When they refuse, kill every living thing in the village. Go in and remove the Al Qaeda bodies. Leave the Pathan corpses to rot. Pick another village...
4 posted on 01/18/2002 4:40:39 PM PST by Redcloak
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To: KQQL
I imagine PATHAN = Pustan

Correct: "Pushtun"..."Pashto"...I've seen a lot of spellings...

5 posted on 01/18/2002 4:49:11 PM PST by Map Kernow
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Comment #6 Removed by Moderator

To: Map Kernow
thanks .
7 posted on 01/18/2002 4:51:10 PM PST by KQQL
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To: RightWhale
Old British saying during the Raj:

"You CAHN'T buy Pathan loyalty....but you can BLOODY WELL RENT IT."

8 posted on 01/18/2002 4:51:12 PM PST by Map Kernow
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To: Redcloak
Solution: Pick a village. Ask politely that they turn over their "guests". When they refuse, kill every living thing in the village. Go in and remove the Al Qaeda bodies. Leave the Pathan corpses to rot. Pick another village...

But...but...

What would the Red Cross say...?

9 posted on 01/18/2002 4:52:20 PM PST by Map Kernow
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To: seamole
Time to modernize the culture.

Gotta get 'em "Holiday Inn Express."

"Well, Usama, we got you at last!...Wait a minute!....Y-you're not Usama bin Laden...!!!!"

"No...but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!"

10 posted on 01/18/2002 4:55:44 PM PST by Map Kernow
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To: seamole
Like a lot of things beign written these days this report doesn't make much sense. Gardez in eastern Afghanistan is a hell of a long way from Iran.
11 posted on 01/18/2002 5:00:05 PM PST by gaspar
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To: gaspar
Like a lot of things beign written these days this report doesn't make much sense. Gardez in eastern Afghanistan is a hell of a long way from Iran.

Actually, the report says Gardez is "nearby" Kabul and the Pakistani border, and that an Iranian rep is stationed there. I don't see why that doesn't make sense.

12 posted on 01/18/2002 5:03:03 PM PST by Map Kernow
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To: Map Kernow
sounds like we need another round of "taliban bingo"

B-52...

13 posted on 01/18/2002 5:04:41 PM PST by hoot2
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To: hoot2
I agree--whatever the custom of "hospitality" of these tribesmen, we don't owe the guys they're harboring any favors. So they can make a choice: either they give up their "guests," or they have us "drop in" for a while as well.

You know, "unexpectedly."

14 posted on 01/18/2002 5:09:15 PM PST by Map Kernow
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To: Map Kernow
Well, this is a pretty simple thing to solve. The interim government should send notice to all the governors that the annual distribution of budget money will be distributed based on the amount of cooperation the American's have received. Those areas who's governors have cooperated the most, will receive the most money, those who have cooperated the least, will receive little or nothing.
15 posted on 01/18/2002 5:29:17 PM PST by McGavin999
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To: McGavin999
Well, this is a pretty simple thing to solve. The interim government should send notice to all the governors that the annual distribution of budget money will be distributed based on the amount of cooperation the American's have received. Those areas who's governors have cooperated the most, will receive the most money, those who have cooperated the least, will receive little or nothing.

Not a bad idea, especially when you consider that the money will be coming from us anyway!

16 posted on 01/18/2002 5:36:05 PM PST by Map Kernow
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To: Redcloak
I guess we can try your moderate effort for awhile.....if it dosn't work, we may have to resort to nasty methods.... Bwwwwwaaaaahhhhhaaaa!
17 posted on 01/18/2002 5:41:05 PM PST by pgobrien
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To: McGavin999
Well, this is a pretty simple thing to solve. The interim government should send notice to all the governors that the annual distribution of budget money will be distributed based on the amount of cooperation the American's have received. Those areas who's governors have cooperated the most, will receive the most money, those who have cooperated the least, will receive little or nothing.

If they were motivated by money, they would have already turned in the "guests" for reward money. If they don't have the "$25 million dollar guest", they would still try to negotiate for the best possible price for the "guests" they do have.

The suggestion in post #4 is the best way. Since they enjoy having guests so much, perhaps a half dozen visits by Miss Daisy Cutter would be in order. They just don't realize how dangerous it is to entertain terrorists, but if we just give Daisy 8 to 10 chances to explain it to them.

Come on, let's "Give Daisy a chance!"
18 posted on 01/18/2002 6:05:24 PM PST by e_engineer
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To: Map Kernow
Yep, and considering it will probably determine the distribution for years to come.........
19 posted on 01/18/2002 6:17:15 PM PST by McGavin999
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To: hoot2

Greetings to our tribal friends, from beautiful Diego Garcia.

20 posted on 01/18/2002 6:23:18 PM PST by dighton
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