U.S. Asked To Withdraw Soldiers

By Amir Shah
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2000; 5:32 a.m. EST

KABUL, Afghanistan –– A Taliban-controlled newspaper reported Wednesday that suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden would end his "hostility" toward the United States if Washington withdraws its soldiers from Saudi Arabia – the site of two of Islam's holiest places.

Bin Laden will stop opposing America once Washington pulls its troops out of Saudi Arabia, the Taliban's official Pashtu-language weekly newspaper, The Shariat reported. The article did not identify the source of the information.

"If the United States withdraws its forces from Saudi Arabia, bin Laden will stop opposing it, give up his hostility and offer his hand in friendship," the newspaper article said.

Bin Laden, who has taken refuge in Afghanistan, has declared a "jihad," or holy war, against the United States to protest the presence of U.S. soldiers in his homeland.

Washington accuses bin Laden of masterminding the bombing of its embassies in Africa in August 1998 and is pressing Afghanistan's orthodox Islamic militia to hand him over to the United States or a third country to stand trial.

But the Taliban say bin Laden is a guest and Afghan tradition forbids handing over a guest to his enemies. The Taliban also say the United States has not given evidence of bin Laden's involvement in terrorism and that if bin Laden is to stand trial, it should be in an Islamic court.

"We cannot hand him over to a court of infidels that cannot give him justice. If we do that, the name of the Afghan people will be blotted forever," the newspaper said.

However the newspaper article assured Washington that bin Laden would not be allowed to use Afghanistan to conduct acts of terrorism.

It also said bin Laden was not alone in his opposition to U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia. The presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia is provoking anger among Muslims and hurting their religious sentiment, the article said. It warned that Washington should avoid this.

The newspaper also assailed criticism from the West of the Taliban's human rights record and treatment of women, who are denied access to jobs and education beyond the age of 8.

"Why do they want us to leave Islam and adopt their system?" the newspaper article asked. "They should leave us with our own system."

The Taliban, who rule 90 percent of Afghanistan, including Kabul, follow a harsh version of Islam that forces men to wear beards and outlaws most forms of light entertainment, including music and television.

"Women and human rights are more safe in Afghanistan than in the West. A veil gives dignity to women and does not violate their rights. In fact the rampant prostitution in the Western and Eastern countries is the real abuse of women and undermines human rights," the newspaper article said.

The Taliban, who are Sunni Muslims and mostly Pashtun, Afghanistan's majority ethnic group, are fighting the northern-based opposition on several fronts to extend their rule to the entire country.

The opposition controls the remaining 10 percent of Afghanistan and is made up of religious and ethnic minorities.