US helicopters fail to rescue Taliban opposition leader

The Taliban have executed the commander of the opposition forces in Afghanistan, Abdul Haq, despite the efforts of US helicopters to rescue him.

The Taliban news agency, Bakhtar, announced that Abdul Haq was shot dead in Azra, Eastern Afghanistan, around 11.30 (MSK) on October 26th with a machine gun. The same source stated that he was found in possession of important documents and a large quantity of US Dollars.

The Afghan news agency Islamic Press declared that 50 of Haq’s men were gunned down with him, including his second-in-command.

Abdul Haq was one of the commanders who fought against the Soviet forces in the 1980s and after a period in exile, had returned to Afghanistan to take part in an anti-Taleban government coalition.

Taliban sources in Jalalabad claim that US helicopters strafed the Taliban front line in the area where Haq was captured. A Taliban spokesperson said, “We secretly surrounded the place where Haq was hiding with his followers. The United States helicopters bombed the Taliban so that Haq could escape, but we captured him." He stated that Haq had called the American forces by satellite telephone while he was captured and that the helicopter attack had come shortly afterwards, but to no avail.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru LISBON PORTUGAL