Taliban say hold 13 Afghans in troubled south

[maddezmom]

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The Taliban said they had captured 11 Afghan troops, a senior policeman and a district chief in a district of Kandahar where U.S. and Afghan forces staged an anti-guerrilla operation just days earlier.

Taliban commander Mullah Rahim said the 13 were captured in a raid on Mian Nishin district of Kandahar province on Thursday.

"We have hidden them somewhere and will decide on their fate following instructions from our leadership," Rahim told Reuters, using a satellite phone belonging to the district police chief.

A senior police officer in Kandahar city confirmed that the phone belonged to the police chief and that authorities had lost touch with the 13.

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more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050617/wl_nm/afghan_taliban_dc;_