'100 more suicide bombers'

2006-02-09 12:34

Kandahar - One hundred militants have enlisted to become suicide bombers in Afghanistan since the appearance of "blasphemous" cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, a top Taliban commander said on Thursday.

Mullah Dadullah, one of the Taliban's most senior military commanders, said his Islamic militant group had also offered a reward of 10kg of gold to anyone who killed people responsible for the drawings.

"More than 100 mujahedin ('holy' warriors) have enlisted to carry out suicide attacks," said the fugitive Dadullah.

The targets would be "infidels" (non-believers), said the commander, who is believed to be close to the Taliban's wanted leader Mullah Omar.

He added: "The Taliban will give 100kg of gold to one who kills the cartoonist."

There was no indication whether the killings had to be done by suicide bombing in order to receive the reward.

Five kilograms of gold would go to anyone who killed a soldier from Denmark, Germany or Norway - among the countries where the cartoons have appeared.

- AFP