September 1, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Saani 22,1423

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KOHAT, Aug 31: The price of AK-47 assault rifle, Kalashnikov, has doubled since June and is rising in the tribal territory as the allied forces have launched a drive against weapons in parts of Afghanistan.

Haji Anar Gul, who runs an arms shop at Angor Adda in South Waziristan Agency, told Dawn that the traders faced shortage of the gun.

“The price of AK-47 has doubled as it used to be available for Rs6,500 before the American campaign in Afghanistan. Now, either it is not available or it is too costly, because the allied forces are buying the gun for Rs16,000 from the Afghans,” he said.

This has also given rise to arms smuggling from Pakistan and recently hundreds of weapons were purchased by the Afghans to be delivered to the allied forces,” he disclosed.

A former Afghan army officer, talking to this correspondent in Darra Adamkhel, expressed his apprehension that the allied forces were doing this under a conspiracy to disarm the Pakhtoons as they posed a danger to the US agenda in the region.

“We will become an easy prey once we are disarmed. The United States forces are cashing in on the shortage of food and shelter for the Afghan people by purchasing guns from them,” he said.

He alleged that the allied forces had created an artificial shortage of food in Afghanistan to achieve their goals.

In many cases, Taliban had been forced by hunger to work for the US forces for Rs10,000 to Rs15,000 a month, he said and added that the poor people were also engaged as informers.”

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