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Posted on 09/16/2001 10:38:22 PM PDT by HAL9000

PAKISTANI officials will arrive in Afghanistan today with an ultimatum for the Taleban: hand over Osama bin Laden within three days or risk a retaliatory attack from America and its allies.

The officials are expected to meet Mullah Omar, the spiritual leader, in his headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar. Already he has described Pakistan’s support for the United States as a declaration of war against Afghanistan. He will be told that America’s allies have been mobilised to launch a military assault on Afghanistan if it continues to protect the man accused of co-ordinating the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

Yesterday bin Laden issued a statement, broadcast by Qatar’s al-Jazeera satellite channel, denying that he organised the attacks. “I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation,” the statement said.

An e-mail, said to have been sent to Pakistani newspapers yesterday from the address osamabinlaadin@hotmail.com and purporting to come from bin Laden, called on Muslims around the world to kill Americans and to plunder their wealth. Its authenticity could not be confirmed.

The Red Cross pulled out its last 15 employees from Kabul yesterday after the Taleban refused to ensure their safety. It is the first time that the agency has evacuated its entire staff from the warravaged country. The Islamic regime ordered all foreigners to leave as it prepared to respond to a possible military strike.

Meanwhile, thousands of mourners yesterday attended the funeral of Ahmed Shah Masood in the Panjshir Valley, the last stronghold of the opposition to the Taleban in northern Afghanistan. He was buried in his home village of Vasarak. The opposition Northern Alliance has accused the Taleban and bin Laden of masterminding the attack on their leader by a suicide bomber.

Pakistan’s military regime has agreed to provide facilities for strikes on terrorist bases inside Afghanistan. Washington has also asked Pakistan to hand over all intelligence related to bin Laden and terrorist camps in Afghanistan.

Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s military spy organisation, which has been involved in Afghanistan for decades, is believed to have the most comprehensive and accurate information. US authorities believe that the ISI has an effective network inside Afghanistan that can supply crucial information about key Taleban leaders and important installations.

The ISI, with the help of the CIA, led the biggest covert operation against Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. The revival of co-operation between the ISI and the US secret services remains the most sensitive issue for Pakistan. Defence observers say that Pakistan’s co-operation with the CIA may provoke a severe reaction from the Taleban that could destabilise Pakistan’s border regions. The chief of the ISI, Lieutenant-General Mahmood Ahmed, seen as the No 2 to President Musharraf in Pakistan’s ruling authority, is said to have held talks in Washington.

The decision by General Musharraf to support the US has been endorsed by the senior military command, the National Security Council and the Cabinet. An official said that Pakistan would comply with the demands of the international community, but its troops would not participate in any operation outside the country.

Most political parties and religious leaders have criticised the military Government for succumbing to pressure from the US.

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