Afghan Taleban said ready to shut terrorist camps
10:58 a.m. Dec 06, 1999 Eastern

ISLAMABAD, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taleban movement has assured neighbouring Pakistan it will close down any terrorist training camps it finds on its soil, Islamabad's official APP news agency said on Monday.

Pakistan complained about such camps in early October when it faced a new wave of sectarian violence, but the issue was overshadowed by the October 12 military coup that toppled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

``Taleban (authorities) say they are unaware of (the existence of) such camps in Afghanistan but are ready to eliminate the same if pinpointed by Pakistan,'' APP said, quoting unidentified diplomatic sources.

Pakistani authorities said in October that some people arrested for involvement in the violence, which was blamed on militant Islamist groups, had told interrogators they had received weapons training in Afghanistan.

The Taleban authorities said at the time that they would rein in Pakistani Islamists helping them fight opposition forces based in northeastern Afghanistan.

Pakistan denies helping the Taleban, but acknowledges that many Pakistani volunteers have gone to Afghanistan to help the Taleban, which is under U.N. aviation and financial sanctions since mid-November for refusing to hand over Saudi-born terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden.

``Taleban deny the existence of any training camps on their soil, while they are under intense U.S. pressure to hand over Osama bin Laden...,'' APP said.

Bin Laden is wanted by the United States for trial on the charge of masterminding the bombing of its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania last year that killed more than 200 people.

Like Pakistan, Afghanistan is dominated by Sunni Moslems.

Disputes between Pakistan's Sunni majority and Shi'ite minority over matters of religious belief have often spilled over into violence in Pakistan, killing hundreds of people in recent years.