Taliban decide to arm people against U.S. ground attack
 
ISLAMABAD, Oct. 21 (Kyodo) - Leaders of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia decided Sunday to arm the Afghan people with light and heavy weapons to fight U.S. special forces operating in the country, a Pakistan-based news agency reported.

Quoting Taliban spokesman Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) said that at an emergency cabinet meeting presided over by senior minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan, the Taliban decided to arm people with rocket launchers, heavy machine guns and antiaircraft guns.

''It has been decided to arm the people in villages and other areas with light and heavy weapons to fight off U.S. commando operations,'' Muttaqi was quoted as saying.

The cabinet also expressed satisfaction at dealing with U.S. special forces operations in Kandahar in southwest Afghanistan two days ago, according to the spokesman.

The cabinet ''reiterated that it was incumbent upon the people of Afghanistan to fight the U.S. aggression with the full force of the faith'' and appealed to Muslims around the world to make donations for the welfare of those injured and martyred in the U.S.-led bombings, the spokesman said.

The cabinet also rejected allegations that the Taliban have ransacked or looted the warehouses of nongovernmental organizations engaged in relief work in Afghanistan, and decided to deploy additional security to those organizations, the spokesman said.

AIP quoted Muttaqi as saying some employees of these organizations were exploiting the situation to level accusations at the Taliban.