Osama has 2 Dozen of Uncle Sam's Would-Be Puppets Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Puppets on a String.... They'll Swing. [So, Commander in Chief: Go Take Command. Maybe they'll let you choose the color of your rope!] http://www.myafghan.com/news.asp?id=1040190953 BBC: Reports from Afghanistan say the Taleban has captured 25 supporters of a top aide to the exiled former king. The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press agency (AIP), which has close links to the Taleban, said execution orders had been issued for some members of the group and they were expected to be hanged today. The rebels - followers of the influential Pashtun tribal leader Hamid Karzai - were seized after a clash in Uruzgan province. Mr Karzai, who slipped over the border a few weeks ago to rally support for the king's proposals for a loya jirga or grand assembly to choose a future government, earlier said his forces had begun fighting the Taleban in an area north of Kandahar. Another supporter of the king, Commander Abdul Haq, was killed by the Taleban while on a similar mission inside Afghanistan. Press reports had suggested that Mr Karzai suffered a similar fate, as the Taleban warned that they would kill any envoy of the king found on their territory. Safe and well Speaking to the BBC earlier, Mr Karzai had confirmed that he was safe and well. He and his forces had been surrounded by Taleban troops, he said, but had managed to fight them off. He said they were attracting support from Pashtun tribal leaders, one of whom said the rebels had captured 12 Taleban soldiers. But AIP quoted Taleban sources as saying that their troops, acting on a tip-off, attacked a hideout in the district of Dehrawut on Thursday night despite attempts by US helicopters to rescue Mr Karzai. Four rebels were said to have been killed and several others wounded in the fighting. Influential Correspondents say it is not clear how many fighters might be backing Mr Karzai but there is no doubt that he is a highly influential figure. He comes from the same clan as the former Afghan king and is a powerful Pashtun tribal leader in his own right. He is well educated and speaks English fluently. He served as a deputy foreign minister in Afghanistan's first mujaheddin government in 1992. When the Taleban erupted onto Afghanistan's political scene in the early 1990s, Mr Karzai initially supported them. However, by late 1994 he had become suspicious of the movement, fearing it had been taken over by people under the control of Pakistan. Recently he has been one of the Taleban's most outspoken critics. After the death of Haq, he is regarded as one of the royalist camp's best hopes for rallying support. - Article added at 3:05 AM (CST) on 11/2/2001. * and, the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1632000/1632965.stm Friday, 2 November, 2001, 08:30 GMT Taleban 'capture southern rebels' Reports from Afghanistan say the Taleban has captured 25 supporters of a top aide to the exiled former king. The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press agency (AIP), which has close links to the Taleban, said execution orders had been issued for some members of the group and they are expected to be hanged on Friday. The rebels - followers of the influential Pashtun tribal leader Hamid - Karzai were seized after a clash in Uruzgan province. Mr Karzai, who slipped over the border a few weeks ago to rally support for the king's proposals for a loya jirga or grand assembly to choose a future government, earlier said his forces had begun fighting the Taleban in an area north of Kandahar. Another supporter of the king, Commander Abdul Haq, was killed by the Taleban while on a similar mission inside Afghanistan. Press reports had suggested that Mr Karzai suffered a similar fate, as the Taleban warned that they would kill any envoy of the king found on their territory. Safe and well Speaking to the BBC earlier, Mr Karzai had confirmed that he was safe and well. He and his forces had been surrounded by Taleban troops, he said, but had managed to fight them off. He said they were attracting support from Pashtun tribal leaders, one of whom said the rebels had captured 12 Taleban soldiers. But AIP quoted Taleban sources as saying that their troops, acting on a tip-off, attacked a hideout in the district of Dehrawut on Thursday night despite attempts by US helicopters to rescue Mr Karzai. Four rebels were said to have been killed and several others wounded in the fighting. Influential Correspondents say it is not clear how many fighters might be backing Mr Karzai but there is no doubt that he is a highly influential figure. He comes from the same clan as the former Afghan king and is a powerful Pashtun tribal leader in his own right. He is well educated and speaks English fluently. He served as a deputy foreign minister in Afghanistan's first mujaheddin government in 1992. When the Taleban erupted onto Afghanistan's political scene in the early 1990s, Mr Karzai initially supported them. However, by late 1994 he had become suspicious of the movement, fearing it had been taken over by people under the control of Pakistan. Recently he has been one of the Taleban's most outspoken critics. After the death of Haq, he is regarded as one of the royalist camp's best hopes for rallying support. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytmid-11.02.01-06:06:30-3782