Kabul: The US-led NATO force said on Thursday
that two insurgents had been arrested for posing a "direct
threat" to a major international conference due to take place
in the Afghan capital next week.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and senior
officials from over 60 countries and international
organisations are scheduled to attend next Tuesday`s
conference to discuss the rebuilding of the troubled nation.
Afghan and NATO security forces have already stepped
up security in Kabul to guard against possible Taliban attacks
from marring the gathering.
The Taliban`s nine-year insurgency against the
Western-backed government is now at its deadliest.
Militants last month targeted a landmark Afghan peace
conference in Kabul, firing rockets towards the gathering
during a speech by President Hamid Karzai that ultimately
resulted in the sacking of the interior minister and spy
chief.
NATO`s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
said its troops along with Afghan security forces raided a
house and detained two "facilitators" of insurgent attacks in
Kabul.
One was wanted over three suicide attacks on the city
and both "were considered a direct threat to the international
Kabul conference," ISAF said.
The men surrendered peacefully after troops using a
loudspeaker to call on them to exit the house, ISAF said.
Tuesday`s conference is a bid by Afghan government
officials to call for a start to the spending of billions of
dollars of pledged development funds.
PTI
