Islamic clerics meeting in Kabul Wednesday to decide on whether to extradite Osama bin Laden asked the suspected terrorist “to leave the country of his own accord,” reported Al Jazeera satellite channel.
More than 1000 ulema or scholars said, however, that the country will declare war against the US if it attacks them.
The resolution will be put to Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar for a decision "as soon as possible," a minister of the Islamic militia told AFP.
Mullah Mohammad Muslim Haqqani, the deputy minister of higher education, said the clerics' decision "will now go to the Taliban leadership and they will decide as soon as possible."
"They asked the Taliban to persuade bin Laden to leave Afghanistan at the proper time and of his own choice," the minister, a participant in the talks, said.
"They also said that if the US attacks Afghanistan it will be the obligation of every Muslim to carry out jihad," Haqqani said.
The US which has declared war against Afghanistan for harboring terrorism, after Bin Laden was named the prime suspect for last week’s terrorist attacks against landmarks in Washington and New York
However, Al Jazeera reported later that a press conference will be held soon by Taliban’s minister of education, Amir Khan, to explain the decision and its consequences.
The Taliban has previously refused all requests to extradite bin Laden, who has been indicted by a New York prosecutor in connection with the 1998 bombing of two US embassies in Africa – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
