ISLAMABAD, Nov 30: The US-led coalition on Friday rejected a suggestion made by the Amnesty International for holding an inquiry into the killing of hundreds of Taliban prisoners at Qala-i-Jangi in Afghanistan.

“There is no need of inquiry,” coalition spokesman ambassador Kenton Keith told the daily briefing while dismissing the report in which the United States and the United Kingdom had been held responsible for the massacre.

He said there was no evidence that the Northern Alliance had carried out the massacre of Taliban soldiers. On the bombardment of Qala-i-Jangi, he claimed that the Taliban soldiers had changed their status from prisoners to combatant by taking up arms.

Mr Keith revealed that the United Front forces had captured Ahmed Omer Abdur Rehman, an associate of Osama bin Laden and member of Al Qaeda.

He did not give any details about Mr Rehman except that he is an Egyptian national and required by Americans for interrogation.

He hoped that the forces of Northern Alliance would hand over Mr Rehman to them. When asked that in the absence of an extradition treaty with Afghanistan how Mr Rehman would be taken to the United States, he said: “The absence of treaty does not mean that he cannot be extradited.”

He said once the alliance agreed on handing over Mr Rehman to the US forces he would be taken to the United States for questioning.

Mr Keith had no information about the walkout of a participant, Qadir Khan, from the Bonn conference. “The conference has moved beyond the presentation of initial positions and has gotten down to the difficult business of narrowing the differences,” he said.

The ambassador did not disclose the number of casualties suffered by the coalition forces during the military operations. “I can say we have suffered casualties,” he said, adding he would not be able to confirm the number. “Casualties do not mean deaths,” he clarified.