/ 1 January 2002

Pakistan sheltering al-Qaida fighters, says Newsweek

Pakistan appears to be sheltering some Taliban and al-Qaida forces on its territory while allowing US forces to hunt others down, Newsweek magazine said in a report released on Sunday.

The magazine, in its issue due out on Monday, said top Taliban leaders recently attended the funeral of a former anti-Soviet guerrilla fighter under the watchful eye of a Pakistani intelligence officer, who allowed them to leave unmolested.

Among them was the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, Abdul Rahman Zaid, and a top Defence Ministry official, General Jalil Yousafzai, Newsweek said.

The magazine said other Taliban and al-Qaida leaders were living comfortably in cities such as Quetta and Peshawar. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden also is believed to be hiding inside Pakistan.

”Osama is a true patriot, and despite their all-out efforts, the Americans are unable to catch him and never will be able to,” ex-Taliban Defence official Mualvi Agha Jan told Newsweek.

The newsweekly quoted US officials as saying Pakistan — a key US ally in the war on terror — is still hunting down key al-Qaida leaders.

”The number of US personnel in Pakistan — CIA, FBI and special forces –would astound you,” a senior Pakistani diplomat told the magazine, speaking on condition of anonymity.

However, an administration official told the magazine US operations in the country remain constricted, especially as tensions rise with India over Kashmir. – Sapa-AFP