Thursday, 21 July 2011

British 'Taliban fighters' arrested in Afghanistan 21 July 2011 Last updated at 09:46 GMT

A British soldier The Foreign Office confirmed two Britons were being held in Afghanistan
Two Britons suspected of fighting for the Taliban have been arrested in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Some reports say they were arrested in Helmand province, but an Afghan source told the BBC they were arrested at a hotel in Herat in a joint operation between local forces and UK troops.
The source added that the pair had dual citizenship but were not Afghans.
Herat is being handed from Nato to Afghan control on Thursday.
It comes a day after responsibility for security in Lashkar Gah, the capital of volatile Helmand province, was handed to Afghan forces.
The BBC's Bilal Sarwary, in Kabul, quoted an Afghan intelligence official in Herat as saying: "Our agents played a key role in the arrests. Both were staying at a local hotel in the city."
And an MoD spokesman said: "We can confirm that British forces have detained two individuals in Afghanistan who claim to be British nationals. We are not prepared to comment further at this stage."
Nato forces in Afghanistan usually detain suspects for a maximum of four days before releasing them or handing them over to Afghan authorities.
However, this can be extended in certain cases.
In recent days Nato handed over the relatively peaceful province of Bamiyan and the eastern town of Mehtar Lam.
But analysts say that maintaining stability in Lashkar Gah will be the sternest test yet for local forces.
Aston Villa tattoo
The handover is seen as a critical step in a transition of power before foreign troops end combat operations in 2014.
The Foreign Office also said two Britons were being held and embassy staff were "providing assistance".
It is not the first time Britons have been found overseas in such circumstances.
Two years ago it was widely reported that a Taliban fighter killed in Afghanistan had been found with an Aston Villa tattoo on his body.
And in 2006, two British nationals of Pakistani origin were arrested in connection with an alleged UK plot to bomb planes.



Widget by Forex Trading | Business

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More

 
Free Host | manhattan lasik | websites for accountants