AFGHANISTAN: US-led troops searching for three UN hostages blasted their way into compounds in Kabul yesterday and detained 12 people, while militants claiming to hold the UN workers warned the government against any tricks.
Among those detained in the pre-dawn raids in the west of the Afghan capital was a doctor named Mr Muneer Ahmad Musamim, whose wife said worked for the UN, and his 17-year-old son.
Ms Zakia Musamim, said 10 neighbours were detained in the raids by US and Afghan forces at about 3.30 a.m. local time. She said they blew down a wall with rockets and fired small arms, but there were no casualties.
Lieut-Gen David Barno, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, confirmed his troops took part in an operation in connection with the hostages, but declined to give details.
There was no indication the raids had helped efforts to free Ms Annetta Flanigan from Richill Co Armagh, Kosovan Ms Shqipe Hebibi and Filipino diplomat Mr Angelito Nayan, who were abducted in Kabul on October 28th after helping run a presidential election won by US-backed incumbent Mr Hamid Karzai.
Ms Zakia Musamim said her family and neighbours knew nothing about the hostages except what they heard from the news. "My husband is a doctor who has worked for the UN for three years. The others are just poor people working in the city."
A UN spokesman confirmed that a doctor employed by the organisation had been taken in for questioning, but said he had no other details.
A few hours after the raid, Mullah Sabir Momin, a commander of the Jaish-e Muslimeen (Army of Muslims) Taliban splinter faction, said the government would be responsible for the fate of the hostages if it tried to deceive the kidnappers.
"The government is just trying to keep us busy with negotiations while at the same time searching for the hostages," he said.
"If they try to be clever during the negotiations, they will be responsible for any loss to the hostages."