KABUL - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban on Friday closed the offices of two Christian aid organisations because of links with aid workers detained on charges of promoting Christianity.
Taliban security officials said they had closed the offices of U.S.-based International Assistance Mission (IAM) and Serve on orders issued by the foreign ministry.
"No one is left here and we are not allowed to let any foreigners in. All foreigners left this morning after we closed their offices," said a Taliban guard.
Twenty-four members of the German-based Christian aid group Shelter Now International (SNI), including eight foreigners, were jailed early in August on charges of proselytising.
The Taliban's harsh interpretation of Islam could impose death sentences for converting from Islam or encouraging someone to convert, but they have said the punishment will be decided by Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
IAM has been operating in Afghanistan since 1965 and most of its foreign staff came in family groups. It operated some sanitary and health projects.
Foreign ministry seals were stamped on the gates of the two offices but there was no word as to where their foreign staff had gone.
Taliban officials privately said they had not made any arrests but had given a three-day ultimatum to the foreigners to leave Afghanistan.
Both organisations draw their support from churches. The Taliban said they had found links of co-operation with SNI.
"They were involved in those un-acceptable activities and had relations with the SNI," said one Taliban official. He added that the offices of the two agencies would be closed across the country.
Pactec, an American NGO that provides air and communications support to other aid agencies, pulled out its foreign staff following the closure of IAM and Serve.
A local employee of Pactec in neighbouring Pakistan said their operations would be crippled by the closure of IAM because it provided them logistic and ground support in Afghanistan.
Pactec operated flights to different Afghan cities and towns from Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.
The parents of two American women in detention with six other foreigners in Kabul were due to meet their daughters later on Friday, only their second meeting since their arrival in Kabul on Monday.
On Thursday, only the Australian diplomat was allowed to meet the two detained Australians.
The Taliban have ruled out a pardon, saying all those arrested -- including four Germans and 16 Afghan staff --knew they were violating a strict ban on proselytising.
The arrests followed months of worsening ties between the Taliban and foreign aid groups helping millions of impoverished Afghans cope with more than two decades of war and a devastating drought.
04:58 08-31-01
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