Taliban commander with link to South Korean kidnappings killed

Sep 4, 2007, 11:14 GMT

Kabul - Afghan and coalition forces killed at least 16 Taliban fighters, including Qari Mateen, who was involved in the kidnapping of 23 South Koreans in the southern province of Ghazni, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Monday night in Qarabagh district, where the 23 South Korean Christian aid workers were abducted by Taliban forces while they were on their way from Kabul to the southern province of Kandahar.

'A group of Taliban fighters attacked our police posts in Shir area at around 11 pm last night,' Alishah Ahmadzai, the provincial police chief, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

'We had already intelligence information and once they attacked us, we surrounded them from all sides,' Ahmadzai said. 'During a four-hour firefight, our forces killed 16 Taliban, including Qari Mateen, who was involved in the kidnappings of Koreans in the area.'

He said that Mateen's dead body, who along with Abdullah Jan, another Taliban commander, 'masterminded the kidnappings,' was recognized by the local people in the area.

Another 18 militants were wounded during the gunbattle, while 'One Arab and two Pakistani nationals from Punjab province were among the dead militants,' Ahmadzai said.

Khewaja Mohammad Sediqi, district chief of Qarabagh, also confirmed the death of Qari Mateen and said that they have also arrested two militants.

Regarding the involvement of Mateen in the South Korean abduction case, Sediqi said, 'At first Adullah Jan's men snatched the Koreans, but soon after Mateen and his men came to the area and until the end of the case, both Qari Mateen and Abdullah Jan were handling the matter.'

US-led coalition forces also said in a statement that their forces, along with Afghan police, 'killed several suspected militants' during an operation in Qarabagh district of Ghazni.

'The forces suspected Taliban militants were hiding in an area of Qarabagh District,' the statement said, adding that the militants attacked the combined forces with small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades during the engagement.

'The forces returned fire, using precision munitions as necessary, resulting in the death of several militants who were armed and wearing ammunition vests,' it said.

Three men, one of whom was wounded during the fighting, were also detained, it said.

After six weeks in Taliban custody, 19 South Korean hostages were released in batches last week. They were among a group of 23 Christian aid workers abducted on July 19 while travelling overland.

Two hostages were killed by the Taliban when deadlines for their demands were not met, while two women were freed about two weeks ago.