Non-Afghan Taliban Backers Detained, Iranian Official Says
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TEHRAN — Iran has detained a number of non-Afghan Taliban supporters caught trying to cross its territory and may put them on trial, Intelligence and Security Minister Ali Yunesi said Thursday.
Yunesi did not specify how many Taliban supporters Iran is holding, but he said none are members of Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist network, which is blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.
U.S. officials have accused Iran of seeking to destabilize Afghanistan’s new interim government and of harboring Afghan militants--charges that Iran vehemently denies.
Yunesi said the men were caught near where the borders of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan meet. They were headed for a third country, which the minister did not identify.
“Fortunately, we arrested them, and we’ll either try them in Iran or do whatever international law calls for,” Yunesi said on state radio.
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