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[The U.S. and its NATO allies are now firmly ensconced in Afghanistan, with NATO evicting Northern Alliance fighters from the capital, Kabul. The U.S., France and Germany have achieved their decades' old objective of establishing permanent air force and infantry bases in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Russia, now the ultimate loser in the Great Game, has been squeezed out of its own backyard, much as if Russia had supplanted U.S. influence from Mexico to Chile. The long-anticipated oil pipeline from the Caspian through to Pakistani ports on the Arabian Sea is insured, with Zalmay Khalilzad on the spot to insure its completion, leaving U.S. oil companies in charge of the spiggot that supplies Far East Asia. Taliban who? Northern Alliance? Sound vaguely familiar, but - no - never heard of them.] Afghan Officials: U.S. Officials Informed of Decision to Release Taliban Leaders Jan. 9 � U.S. officials in Kandahar were informed of the decision to release three former Taliban ministers before they were set free, Afghan officials in southern Afghanistan told ABCNEWS today. The release of the three senior Taliban leaders after their surrender on Tuesday sparked questions about why the former ministers � some of whom were responsible for harsh Taliban rulings and may have valuable information to offer � were released without being questioned by U.S. officials. Before news of their release, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers admitted the value of having access to the Taliban leadership. "Obviously, individuals of that stature in the Taliban leadership are of great interest to the United States, and we would expect that they would be turned over, absolutely," he said. But Afghan officials told ABCNEWS the men were released on the understanding that their whereabouts be known to Kandahar Gov. Gul Agha and with the agreement that they would return to Kandahar if asked to. The three ministers included former Taliban Justice Minister Nooruddin Turabi, whose dreaded ministry enforced the Taliban's hard-line edicts, such as the blasting of two magnificent 5th century Buddha statues in Afghanistan's central Bamiyan province despite worldwide condemnation. Another minister who was allowed to return to his family was Mullah Saadudin, the former minister of mines and industry, whose ministry was responsible for the mining of emeralds, rubies, aquamarines and the precious royal-blue lapis lazuli, which helped fund the Taliban's war effort against the Northern Alliance. There has been no confirmation from U.S. officials that they were aware the former ministers were being released. A Well-Known Figure in Kabul During the Taliban's five years in power, Turabi was a well-known figure in the capital of Kabul and residents were familiar with the sight of the one-legged, one-eyed minister sitting outside the justice ministry to personally ensure that the Taliban's strict dress code was being adhered to. The Pashtun mujahid, or Islamic fighter, lost his limb and eye while fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. Turabi is believed to have had close contacts with the reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, who personally approved the edicts put out by the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue. On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced the capture of 14 al Qaeda members in Khost in eastern Afghanistan, two of whom were deemed of "interest" for their valuable intelligence. The group was captured on Monday and two of the members were believed to be senior al Qaeda officials who were in possession of laptop computers, cell phones and weapons, Myers said. Trying to Reduce Arms Meamwhile, a two-pronged operation to reduce the number of arms in Afghanistan has been launched. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in Washington the United States was trying to purchase back various surface-to-air missiles, and the Afghan interim administration was trying to encourage private citizens to turn in their weapons across the country. In Kabul today, Interior Minister Yunis Qanuni said the interim administration had ordered all armed men, except security personnel, to leave the city under the terms of a security agreement arrived at in Germany in November. The focus of the U.S. search for indicted terrorist Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda members has shifted from Tora Bora to the region around Khost. Over the past few days, U.S. jets have pounded the Zawar Kili complex in Khost � which is believed to have been a major al Qaeda training camp � and the Spin Boldak mountain range. Body of First U.S. Soldier Killed in Action Arrives Home In other developments: ��The body of Green Beret Nathan Ross Chapman, the first U.S. soldier to be killed in action in Afghanistan,arrived in Washington state from Germany. Chapman was killed last Friday in Afghanistan by small arms fire. �� A federal judge in Virginia heard arguments today on whether to allow TV coverage of the trial of alleged terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui also known as "the 20th hijacker" in the Sept. 11 attacks. U.S. district judge Leonie Brinkema said she would rule on the motion no sooner than Tuesday. See Story ��The United States and its allies are building an air base in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic. �� The United States has 364 al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners in custody. Air Force Gen. Richard Myers said some of them would be airlifted to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the military is preparing a maximum-security detention facility. ABCNEWS' Andrew Morse and Bill Blakemore in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Rebecca Cooper and Jason Ryan in Washington and contributed to this report. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/ ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
