More than one thousand Pakistani volunteers, who went to Afghanistan some ten days back to help the Talibans in defending Mazar-e-Sharief, are feared dead or missing after troops of the Northern Alliance stormed into the historical city last week.
The volunteers were a part of the 11,000-strong contingent sent by Maulana Sufi Mohammed of Malakand agency to Afghanistan to help the Taliban in their fight against the United States and the Northern Alliance, reports the daily ''Nation.''
The Pakistanis were deployed by the Taliban at various cities like Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Khost and Kunar and were fighting along with the Talibans militia in these provinces.
After the fall of Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul, most of the volunteers returned home. However, there is no information regarding a thousand activists, who were deployed at Mazar-e-Sharif. It is reported that most of them died while fighting advanced Northern Alliance army or were made prisoners of war, the paper said.
Four volunteers were killed by the Afghans when they were coming back home.
Meanwhile, some tribal leaders of Pakistan have asked Afghan refugees to go back, failing which their houses would be looted. This decision was taken by the tribals at Mamoond Bajaur agency at a Jirga, which was attended by influential tribes like Mamoond and Salarzai. The participants were of the view that most of the refugees were supporters of the Northern Alliance and involved in anti-Pakistan actvities.
Bureau Report
