Afghan Taliban threaten to kill kidnapped Lebanese man

SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan, July 30 (Reuters) Taliban insurgents threatened today to kill a Lebanese engineer captured in southern Afghanistan, a day before NATO takes over security in the south.

Afghanistan is going through its bloodiest phase of violence since the ouster of the Taliban government in 2001, with most violence occurring in the south where NATO will take over security from the U S-led coalition tomorrow.

Underlining the instability and danger NATO-led forces will face, a Taliban spokesman, Qari Muhammad Yousuf, told Reuters late yesterday that militants had kidnapped an engineer working for a U S company in the southern province of Zabul.

The fate of the engineer would be decided by the Taliban Council within the next 24 hours and he is likely to be killed for helping and working with the ''infidel occupying forces in Afghanistan'', Yousuf said, referring to U S-led coalition troops.

He identified the man as a Lebanese national named Khalid, and said he was captured on Friday on the main road of southern Zabul province that lies between the capital, Kabul, and Kandahar province.

The spokesman said the Taliban have warned people not to work or cooperate with the coalition and anyone found doing this would be considered part of the occupying forces.

He gave no further details.

Zabul's police chief, Noor Muhammad, told Reuters police were investigating the Taliban's claim.

The Taliban have killed a number of Afghans and foreigners after abducting them in the past.

Separately, U S-led coalition forces, in charge of operations in the south until tomorrow, said Afghan and foreign forces had killed 20 Taliban militants in neighbouring Uruzgan province.

The coalition said in a statement late yesterday forces had called in air support after coming under small arms fire and a barrage of rocket propelled grenades.

The ambush took place took place in Shahidi Hass district of Uruzgan province, the forces said, adding they suffered no casualties.

More than 1,700 people have been killed, mostly in the south, since the start of the year in attacks by Taliban guerrillas and in U S-led coalition operations.

Most of the victims have been militants, according to Afghan and foreign commanders, but the death toll also includes civilians, aid workers, Afghan forces and over 70 foreign troops.

The Taliban have vowed to drive out foreign forces from Afghanistan and topple President Hamid Karzai's government.

REUTERS BDP RS1242