Afghan Taleban leader seeks out ex-communists
05:54 a.m. Dec 12, 1999 Eastern

By Sayed Salahuddin

KABUL, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The Afghan Taleban's supreme leader has ordered supporters to identify government employees who won awards during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Taleban officials said on Sunday.

No explanation was given, prompting speculation that the request could herald a new purge.

The Taleban say they are on a mission to create the world's purest Islamic state. They see communism as a godless form of government and accuse their enemies of backing it.

The officials said Mullah Mohammad Omar, the movement's reclusive spiritual head, had sent a decree to all government ministries seeking lists and files on civil and military employees who received awards under Soviet rule, which ended 10 years ago.

``The decree wants information related to those people who received letter of merit, medals and certificates...it is not known if a decision to purge these people will be taken or not,'' said Mawlavi Fazul Rahman, acting rector of Kabul University.

Shortly after seizing power in Kabul in September 1996, Omar offered an amnesty to communists or officials who served under 10-year Soviet rule from 1979.

But a year later a purge by the Taleban of ex-communists led to the sacking of hundreds of civil servants.

Rahman told Reuters that purge covered all notorious communist employees and there was no need to dismiss those who still worked for the Taleban.

``People who have stayed behind and work for a scanty Taleban salary are the ones whose hands are not stained in blood. We need these people,'' he told Reuters.

He said all ministries were busy drawing up lists of officials which would be sent to the Taleban's ruling Council of Ministers for discussion.

Some of Afghanistan's elite fled the country after the communist takeover and most of those who had been educated in Soviet bloc countries escaped in the civil war that followed the Soviet withdrawal in 1989.

Many other educated people left after the Taleban seized power because of the movement's ban on women working or going to school.