Foreign militants aiding Taliban in Badakhshan

KABUL in northeastern Badakhshan province, alleges a senior official.

Governor Zakaria Sawda claimed in an interview that about 400 foreign militants, mostly from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, had joined the Taliban against the Afghan security personnel.

Radio Free Europe quoted the governor as saying the Taliban and their foreign allies were trying to create a huge terrorist hub in the province. He called the rebel attempt a serious concern.

Sawda said some 30 foreign insurgents had infiltrated into Badakhshan on April 14. However, the governor did not explain how the militants found their way into the province and where they came from.

The foreign rebels, including combatants from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang and Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, were fighting against the Afghan forces in Warduj, Jurm and Yamgan districts, the official added.

PAN Monitor/mud