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Pak pulls diplomatic staff out of Afghanistan

K J M Varma in Islamabad

Pakistan pulled out its diplomatic staff from Afghanistan on Monday citing the "abnormal situation" in the country with an impending attack by a multinational coalition led by the United States.

Meanwhile, a high-level American team held talks in Islamabad to firm up Pakistan's offer of cooperation for a possible military reprisal against Saudi Arabian fugitive Osama bin Laden and his network.

In another related development, the defiant Taleban took over the United Nations offices in the southern city of Kandahar and placed a communication blackout on other UN operations.

With the US ready to unleash its military forces against suspected terrorist bases in Afghanistan, Pakistan said it had pulled out all its staff from its diplomatic missions in Kabul and other cities in the country.

"They were withdrawn over the weekend. They are all in Pakistan," foreign office spokesman Mohammad Riaz Khan said.

A high-level American team comprising officials from the state department and the Pentagon, which arrived in Islamabad late on Sunday, was assessing the situation in Quetta and Peshawar bordering Afghanistan ahead of a meeting with Pakistan military and government officials, CNN quoting diplomatic sources reported.

The meetings are expected to take place throughout the week under extreme secrecy, it said, adding that the delegation was likely to inspect military facilities in Pakistan and evaluate their usefulness for any potential military action.

PTI

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