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Confiscation of Anthrax Questionable after Arrest of Taliban Spokesman

By David Press, January 19, 2007

On January 17, 2007, the Agence France Presse (AFP) reported that Afghanistan authorities had arrested a “high-profile” Taliban spokesman during a house raid in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, 50 miles from the Pakistan border.[1] During the arrest, packets of a powder suspected to be anthrax were confiscated from the spokesman.
The article states that Afghanistan officials have not yet declared how identification of the anthrax was made from the powders or how much of the bioagent was confiscated during the arrest.

According to a BBC report, Nangarhar Governor Gul Aghar Sherzai stated that the Taliban men, “planned to send the substance in envelopes addressed to government officials. The envelopes would explode when opened.”[2]

According to another BBC report, alleged Taliban spokesman Quri Mohammad Yosef has downplayed the arrest of Dr. Hanif, and has questioned the validity of the governor’s anthrax claims. Yosef stated that, “Dr. Hanif was not an important member of the Taliban movement. His arrest will have no negative effect on our reporting.”[3] Furthermore, he adds, “The remarks on seizure of anthrax from Dr. Mohammad Hanif are also false. The governor is making these remarks to prove that he is a criminal.”[3]

References

1. Taliban spokesman caught "with anthrax": Afghan governor. The Nation. January 17, 2007. Available at http://www.nationmultimedia.com/worldhotnews/read.php?newsid=30024384  Accessed January 19, 2007.
2. Afghan governor provides details on Taleban spokesman's arrest. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). January 17, 2007. Accessed January 19, 2007.
3. Afghan Taleban appoint new spokesman. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). January 17, 2007. Accessed January 19, 2007.

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