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American Morning

America Strikes Back: Taliban Claim Execution of Key Exiled Opposition Leader

Aired October 26, 2001 - 11:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In Afghanistan, the Taliban is saying they have captured and swiftly executed a key exiled opposition leader earlier today. Abdul Haq slipped into Afghanistan to rally against the Taliban and possibly set up a transitional government.

CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon by telephone from Peshawar, Pakistan. Before that mission left earlier today, Rebecca has been in contact with Mr. Haq over the last several weeks.

Rebecca, hello to you.

REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.

We've spoken again to Abdul Haq's brothers, and they still do not believe the news that Abdul Haq was executed today in Kabul. They say that they're still awaiting more confirmation.

We have spoken to an independent source who says that can confirm that Abdul Haq was executed after a short trial, where he was convicted of spying for the United States, along with two other associates.

Now, according to his family, he went in to Afghanistan on Sunday. His plan was to talk to people, to try to help to build an anti-Taliban coalition, to try to build support for a movement that would overthrow the present regime -- Bill.

HEMMER: Rebecca, quickly, was there any talk about any progress that Abdul Haq or others were making prior to this execution?

MACKINNON: It's very unclear exactly how much they had made. Abdul Haq was a former mujahideen. He had fought against the Soviets alongside many people who are currently in the Taliban, and when I last interviewed him 10 days ago, he talked about how he was in frequent contact with them. He was hopeful that he would be able to get quite a number of these people to split with the Taliban and move against the regime and help to form a new one.

It appears that his going into Afghanistan was an attempt to speed that process along. Unfortunately, it appears to have failed rather badly -- Bill.

HEMMER: Clearly, any way we look at it, it was a setback. Rebecca MacKinnon, reporting from Peshawar, Pakistan.

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