Afghan tribes said to threaten Taleban with jihad
02:26 a.m. Jan 25, 2000 Eastern

By Scott McDonald

KABUL, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Tribal leaders in four Afghan provinces have threatened an uprising against the ruling Taleban over land they say was seized by local officials, residents from the areas said on Tuesday.

They said if the land was not returned by February 4 tribal leaders in Paktiya, Khost, Pakitka and Gardez provinces would lead a ``jihad'' (holy war) against the Taleban, who took control of the areas five years ago before sweeping to power in Kabul.

``Some 400 tribal elders representing various groups in the provinces issued the 15-day ultimatum (on January 21) demanding the return of government lands,'' said one person who travelled from the southeastern provinces on the border with Pakistan.

A second traveller said: ``They say if the Taleban fail to do so, they will lead a jihad against the local Taleban leaders.''

A businessman who returned to Kabul from Khost said tribal leaders also wanted to know what happened to tax revenues.

``They want to know what happened to the customs and municipality revenues since the Taleban came. The Taleban have not spent any money on reconstruction work, so where is the money?'' he said.

The travellers said tribal leaders in Khost were the most dissatisfied.

The ultimatum was reported by several other people who had recently left the provinces and was also published in The Daily Sahaar, a Pakistani-based Afghan newspaper.

Taleban officials in Kabul dismissed the reports.

``The report has no truth in it. The people have not issued an ultimatum because the same people invited the Taleban in the first place,'' Information Minister Mawlair Qudratullah told Reuters.

He added that reports the governor of Khost had fled were false.

If word of the ultimatum and other problems is true it would mark the first time local leaders had protested against the Taleban, who now control around 90 percent of the country.

The Taleban were welcomed in many areas because they clamped down on corruption and crime.

The reports said the dispute was not connected to the civil war the Taleban are waging with the opposition Northern Alliance, which controls the remaining 10 percent of the country.

There have previously been complaints in the capital Kabul and some other provinces of local Taleban leaders selling land with forged documents.