Leader Of Uzbek Militants Namangani Becomes Commander Of Taliban's Forces In The North Of Afghanistan

Spiritual leader of the Taliban Mullah Omar appointed leader of the Uzbek fundamentalists Juma Namangani commander of the "foreign legion" and the forces of the Kabul regime in the north of the country, the Frontier Post newspaper has quoted Afghan sources as saying. Namangani and another Uzbek separatist, Tahir Yuldashev, head the so-called Movement for Islamic Uzbekistan and have up to 14,000 fighters under their command. As many as 6,000 Uzbek separatists have undergone training at a special camp near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Namangani's headquarters are situated in the administrative centre of the Takhar province which borders on Uzbekistan, the town of Talukan, and Tajiks, Arabs, Uigurs and Chechens are fighting, alongside Uzbeks, in his composite "international" units. Both leaders of the Uzbek fundamentalists are tightly knitted with Terrorist No.1 Osama bin Laden, Namangani's retainer staying in the Pakistani city of Peshawar told the Frontier Post newspaper.