Pakistan Reportedly Arrests 40 Taliban Suspects

July 18, 2006 -- A report says Pakistani police have arrested about 40 suspected Afghan Taliban militants in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan Province.

The Reuters news agency report says the arrests, including of some men who held official positions when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, were made late on July 17.


The report quotes Chaudhary Mohammad Yakub, Baluchistan's police chief, as saying 142 Afghans have been arrested in Baluchistan over the past two days, most for not having the proper identification documents.


(Reuters)

Afghanistan And Pakistan

Afghanistan And Pakistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (left) with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad in October 2005 (epa)

ACROSS A DIFFICULT BORDER. The contested border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is some 2,500 kilometers long and runs through some of the most rugged, inhospitable territory on Earth. Controlling that border and preventing Taliban militants from using Pakistan as a staging ground for attacks in Afghanistan is an essential part of the U.S.-led international coalition's strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan. Officials in Kabul have been pointing their fingers at Pakistan for some time, accusing Islamabad or intelligence services of turning a blind eye to cross-border terrorism targeting the Afghan central government. Many observers remain convinced that much of the former Taliban regime's leadership -- along with leaders of Al-Qaeda -- are operating in the lawless Afghan-Pakistani border region.... (more)


RELATED ARTICLES

Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflicts Continue

Karzai, Musharraf Spar Ahead Of Bush Meeting

Musharraf Says Taliban Could Spark Pashtun 'National War'

Afghan Minister Attacks Pakistani Support For 'Terrorism'

Historical Context Of Afghan-Pakistani Relations

Afghanistan/Pakistan: 'Inseparable Twins' In Need Of Separation


ARCHIVE

RFE/RL coverage of Afghanistan. RFE/RL coverage of Pakistan.



SUBSCRIBE

For weekly news and analysis on Afghanistan by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report."