Masood denies Taliban charge of Russian arms aid

November 25, 2000
Web posted at: 7:31 AM HKT (2331 GMT)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) -- Veteran Afghan opposition commander Ahmad Shah Masood on Friday denied a Taliban accusation that his forces are getting military aid from Russia.

"This accusation is not new. I have not received any military, logistical or financial assistance from Russia," Masood told Reuters from northeastern Afghanistan by satellite phone.

He said the crisis would drag on if the Taliban, who rule about 95 percent of Afghanistan, continued to try to take control of the whole country by military means.

"My struggle will go on if they insist on a military solution," he said.

The Taliban say Russia provided a large amount of arms to Masood following his meeting with Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev in Tajikistan last month.

The Taliban say Masood, who suffered serious military setbacks at the hands of the Taliban this summer, could not have staged an offensive against Taliban forces this week near the town of Taloqan without new shipments of ammunition.

Taloqan is a former main base of Masood on his supply route from Tajikistan. The town fell to the Taliban in September.

With its loss, Masood is now confined to a small mountainous region in the northeast.

Masood, an ethnic Tajik, is the military chief of the government toppled by the Taliban more than four years ago. He maintains complete control of the Panjsher valley.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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