November 12, 2003	Wednesday	Ramazan 16, 1424

ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: A statement purportedly from renegade Afghan guerrilla leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, which was made public on Tuesday, warned against the deployment of NATO-led foreign peacekeepers beyond Kabul.

“Deployment of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) outside Kabul will be a futile attempt to promote US interests in Afghanistan,” said a two-page statement purportedly signed by Hekmatyar and carried by the private Afghan Islamic Press (AIP).

Hekmatyar’s whereabouts is unknown and there was no way of verifying the authenticity of the statement.

ISAF was given the nod by the United Nations Security Council last month to deploy to the provinces after being confined to the Afghan capital since its inception in December 2001. German troops have led the provincial deployment, taking up posts in the relatively peaceful northeast city Kunduz in October.

Afghan leaders, aid agencies and the UN’s special envoy had been urging the expansion of the 5,500-strong force for over a year, saying insecurity in the provinces was making reconstruction and elections almost impossible. The statement was dated Nov 8, five days ahead of the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul to anti-Taliban forces.—AFP