<

Anti-Taliban Fighters Trade Fire
Monday, December 24, 2001
(11:26 AM ET)
By Christopher Torchia
Associated Press Writer

Ullah, an aide to Haji Gulalai, intelligence chief in the post-Taliban administration of the southern city, said by telephone that U.S. soldiers, who have set up a base at the Kandahar airport, were not involved in the attempt to capture the pro-Taliban Arabs.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- AP
Afghan tribal forces traded fire with armed al-Qaida fighters convalescing in a hospital in the Afghan city of Kandahar in a bid to subdue the Arab gunmen, who have been holding out in their ward for weeks, an official said Monday.

The fighters, who are believed to be linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network, had said they would kill themselves if anyone tried to take them from Mirwais Hospital, where they were held in a second-floor jail section once used by the Taliban for political prisoners.

Hospital officials had said the men were armed with grenades and pistols and had threatened to blow themselves up if anyone other than the medical staff approached them.

Sporadic fire was reported inside the hospital during the operation late Sunday and Monday.

One of the Arabs was captured Sunday night and the other eight remained holed up in the hospital, where they were brought by comrades before the surrender of the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar earlier this month, said the official, Nusrat Ullah.
(More: DailyNews.Yahoo.com News Source)
2001 © The Associated Press.

Dan