US reaches out to Taliban's former foreign minister

Former Taliban foreign minister Mulla Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil has returned to his native Kandahar, Afghanistan, after being released from the US military airbase in Bagram.

Confirming his release, an aide to Mutawwakil based in Pakistan said he had spoken to the former foreign minister in Kandahar on Monday night.

Requesting anonymity, the aide said Mutawwakil was staying with his relatiives after being freed about four days ago.

However, the aide rejected reports that US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage had met Mutawwakil to seek his support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

When pressed, the aide said Mutawwakil most likely held talks with Karzai and other Afghan government officials after his release.

"I believe Mutawwakil is in contact with Karzai government functionaries," the aide added.
Armitage's visit to Kandahar last week surprised everyone.

It is now being speculated that he may have gone there to meet Mutawwakil and make an assessment of the ground situation in a city where the Taliban movement was born.

The resurgent Taliban have been particularly active in and around Kandahar, which served as their spiritual capital when it was in power from 1994-2001.

Mutawwakil had surrendered to the US military authorities two months after the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001. He had turned up at the US airbase in Kandahar to give himself up.
His aide said Mutawwakil had not committed any crime and had, therefore, offered to face charges against him.

Mutawwakil's surrender surprised the Taliban, who felt he had cut a deal with the Americans.

His sudden release now has also fuelled speculation that he may try to organise the so-called moderate Taliban by triggering defections from the mainstream movement led by its founder Mulla Mohammed Omar.

After remaining in US custody for four months, Mutawwakil was shifted to another makeshift prison at Bagram airbase.

He spent about 18 months in US custody without being charged.

Mutawwakil's aide claimed the former Taliban leader had rejected offers to either serve as an adviser and spokesman to Karzai or leave Afghanis-tan and seek asylum in a Western country of his choice.

"Mutawwakil didn't want any deal to secure his release. Besides, he wanted to stay in Afghanistan and serve his people," the aide said.

Such an offer, even if it was made, was not publicised by the US government.

Mutawwakil was the Taliban foreign minister when the US sent troops to Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 to oust the Taliban regime and dismantle the Al Qaida network.

There were reports at that time that Mutawwakil differed with Mulla Omar on sheltering Osama bin Laden.

It was reported that Mutawwakil led a group of moderate Taliban who wanted bin Laden to leave Afghanistan to avoid US reprisals against the Taliban regime.

Before becoming the foreign minister, Mutawwakil had served as a spokesman and personal secretary to Mulla Omar.

Mutawwakil had taken part in the Afghan "jihad" against the Soviet occupation.

His late father, a respected Islamic scholar and part of the Afghan mujahideen fighting the Red Army, was killed during that war.