January 9, 2002	Wednesday	Shawwal 24, 1422

KANDAHAR, Jan 8: Three former Taliban ministers have surrendered to Afghan authorities in Kandahar province, a spokesman for provincial governor Haji Gul Agha said on Tuesday.

Spokesman Khaled Pashtun said the three ministers and other top Taliban officials had turned themselves in since Dec 7 when Kandahar fell to opposition forces.

“They have surrendered. They have surrendered at different times. Since we came into Kandahar, they have been continuously coming, handing in their weapons and their vehicles,” he said.

He identified the three as former justice minister Mullah Toorabi, former defence minister Mullah Obaidullah, and former industry and mines minister Mullah Saaduddin.

Other top officials netted included former ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Haqqani, former chief of Baghran district Mullah Rais Abdul Wahid, former vice-minister Mullah Mohammad Sadiq, former head of police in Herat province Mullah Abdul Haq, and former military chief in Jalalabad Mullah Salaam Rocketi.

But under an amnesty ruling, they have all been released again because they surrendered voluntarily.

Khaled Pashtun said the surrenders had not been previously announced because the authorities wanted time to convince other senior Taliban officials that they would not be harmed if they turned themselves in.

“We proved to them that they have gone back home safely, with no harm and no insults,” he said.

Although those who surrendered had qualified for the amnesty that protected them from further action, Khaled Pashtun said they would not be allowed to join the ranks of the new leadership.

“We don’t want any Taliban leaders to join our administration,” he said.

US envoy: The new US presidential envoy to Afghanistan said on Tuesday that Washington is determined to continue its bombing campaign and said Kabul had not raised concerns about civilian casualties.

Afghan-born Zalmay Khalilzad, who returned to his homeland on Saturday after 30 years, said Afghanistan’s interim administration had offered full support for the US bombing.

“All I can say is that in my discussions on the necessity to pursue al Qaeda and the Taliban leadership until the mission is accomplished, there is total and complete support from the interim authorities,” Khalilzad told a news conference.—AFP/Reuters