Taleban denies confrontation with Bin Laden's guards
Regional-Afghanistan, Politics, 3/5/1999

Chief spokesman for the Afghan Taleban movement, al-Mawlawi Wakeel Ahmad Mutawakil, on Thursday denied reports of a confrontation between the Arab guards of Osama bin Laden, and his ten guards from the Taleban movement.

In statements to the London-based al-Hayat daily on Thursday, Wakeel Ahmad added that these reports are groundless. Ahmad's statements were in response to news reported by the US New York Times, which indicated gunfire exchanged between Bin Laden's Arab and Afghan guards.

Al-Mawlawi Wakeel Ahmad denied that the presence of Bin Laden in Afghanistan will constitute a problem to the movement or that Afghanistan is "upset" because of his presence.

Al-Mawlawi added that it is the right of Bin Laden to live in Afghanistan because he "sacrificed himself and money" against the Soviet forces, but said that it is not the right of Bin Laden "to use the Afghan territories against the others."

Al-Mawlawi said that if Bin Laden "likes to leave for any country we do not disagree, but we, at the same time will not ask him to leave and we are not annoyed by his presence and he does not constitute a problem for us.

Meanwhile, Afghan and diplomatic sources concerned with Bin Laden regretted statements attributed by the US daily to the Taleban representative at the UN, Abdul Hakim Mujahid, as saying that "the presence of Bin Laden in Afghanistan is of no good for the people of Afghanistan."

Previous Stories:
  Cairo appoints lawyer to defend Bin Laden's asistant   (3/2/1999)
  Afghan source: Taleban did not impose restrictions on Bin Laden   (2/27/1999)
  Report: Taleban delegation meets with Bin Laden in Jalaal Abad   (2/24/1999)
  Washington asks Taleban to find Bin Laden and expel his partisans   (2/19/1999)

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