Confusion over Saudi arrests, UK to airlift Haj pilgrims

KABUL, FEBRUARY 17: Afghanistan's interim leader, Hamid Karzai, said on Sunday he would do everything necessary to ensure security after the assassination of the tourism and civil aviation minister and an attack on British peacekeeping troops.

He dismissed fears the murder, allegedly by members of a powerful faction of the Northern Alliance, which makes up the core of the interim administration, could split his government.

Karzai said five people were being held in Kabul in connection with Rahman’s killing and Saudi Arabia detained two suspects.

‘‘The Saudi ambassador was with me this afternoon. He brought news that two of the attackers have been arrested in Saudi Arabia,’’ he told reporters.

However, Saudi Interior Minister Nayef bin Abdel Aziz today denied the kingdom had arrested any Afghan security officials in connection with the murder of that country’s aviation minister.

“Saudi Arabia has not received any official demand” to extradite the three Afghans in question,” Prince Nayef said. Karzai said he was confident that all three suspects would be sent back to Afghanistan.

Meanwhiule, British forces plan to airlift hundreds of Afghans to Saudi Arabia late on Sunday to allow them to perform the annual Haj pilgrimage, a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defence said.

Four C-130 Hercules transport planes will fly into Kabul airport to transport about 500 of the thousands of frustrated pilgrims camped out at the airport and the city’s main mosque waiting for flights. (Reuters)