Karzai attends Abdul Haq memorial

Thursday, 14 February, 2002, 11:21 GMT

The Afghan interim leader, Hamed Karzai, has gone to the eastern city of Jalalabad to attend a memorial service for the anti-Taleban commander, Abdul Haq.

Mr Haq was executed by the Taleban last October.

Reports say thousands of people were expected to take part in the ceremony, near the town of Sokhrud, 13kms west of Jalalabad, where Abdul Haq is buried.

A spokesman for Mr Karzai's office said he would also be meeting local officials to discuss the situation in Jalalabad.

Abdul Haq's brother, Abdul Qadir, is the governor of Nangarhar province.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service