Taleban kidnap 50 Afghan cops

KABUL. March 28. KAZINFORM The Taleban claimed on Sunday that it kidnapped 50 Afghan policemen in northeastern Afghanistan - part of the insurgents' murder and intimidation campaign against anyone affiliated with the US -backed government; Kazinform refers to Arab News.

Also Sunday, a NATO service member was killed in a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan, the coalition said. No details were released about the death, which raised to 94 the number of international troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year.

Militants ambushed the policemen Saturday afternoon after being tipped off that they would be traveling in Kunar province, Taleban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in an e-mailed statement to reporters. The policemen from Nuristan province had just finished their training to join the Afghan National Police, he said.

Kunar provincial police chief Gen. Khalilullah Ziayi confirmed that militants stopped four vehicles in Chapa Dara district and captured several dozen men. He did not know the exact number and said it was unclear whether all were members of the Afghan National Police or prospective recruits.

In the past, the Taleban have apprehended other policemen in Nuristan and other parts of the country, but then released them if they promised not to work with the police or the Afghan government, Mujahid said. This time, top Taleban military commanders in eastern Afghanistan will decide the policemen's fate after assessing the situation on the ground, he said.

At a news conference in the capital, Lutfullah Mashal, a spokesman for the Afghan intelligence service in Kabul, said security officials have arrested seven militants who were planning to conduct attacks last Monday in conjunction with Afghan new year's celebrations. He said all seven of the militants, including three teenagers suspected of being would-be suicide bombers, are linked with the Haqqani network, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda; Kazinform cites Arab News.

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