US holds 7,000 Taliban, al-Qaeda prisoners

The US says its coalition has captured around 7,000 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.

The US says its coalition has captured around 7,000 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.

They are being held in various camps across Afghanistan. There are no details of how many top officials they may include.

"The situation changes almost by the hour, but I believe the latest number of prisoners to be around 7,000 in total," Mr Kenton Keith, a former US ambassador to Qatar said.

As anti-Taliban forces swept through Afghanistan over the past two months, they have taken many prisoners they believe to be members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network or militants of the former Taliban rulers.

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Their future is uncertain.

AP