Karzai again vows to turn over al-Qaeda, Omar
( 2002-01-07 10:25 ) (7 )

Interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai Sunday vowed to hand over Taliban and al-Qaeda leadership if they are captured in his country, despite the apparent escape of Mullah Muhammad Omar after reports that his surrender had been under negotiation.

Karzai said the negotiation was for the surrender of another Taliban commander, not Omar, and that forces loyal to the government were searching the area near Baghran, in eastern Afghanistan, for him.

"We were thinking that Mullah Mohammed Omar was also probably staying in the same area," Karzai said. "So the force was organized basically to go and take the surrender of this man and also look for Mullah Mohammed Omar to find him and arrest him."

"And that search is still going on," he said.

Karzai, calling Omar a "criminal," said Afghan forces would "keep looking" for the Taliban spiritual leader.

"Well, if we find him, we will arrest him, today, tomorrow, whenever," he said, adding that he would stick to his pledge to hand the leader over to the United States if he is caught.

Omar eluded some 5,000 Afghan troops poised last week to flush him out of his suspected hideout.

Karzai said that "the Afghan people are helping strongly in his arrest," but added that "one man can easily hide, can easily take a motorbike and go places."

Calling most Taliban fighters "common soldiers" who have "gone back to their homes," Karzai said that Afghan forces are now looking for the "30 or 35" leaders of the "hardcore of the radical terrorist elements who were within the Taliban and within the terrorists."