Afghanistan's ruling Taliban has arrested 25 followers of tribal leader Hamid Karzai, a supporter of ex-King Zahir Shah, and plan to execute some today, Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported.
"It is expected that some of the important people of those arrested may be hanged later today in Kandahar though it is possible that they may be hanged in Uruzgan," AIP quoted a Taliban source as saying.
The followers were arrested by the Taliban yesterday during a chase to try to hunt down Karzai, a former deputy foreign minister in the previous government, in the mountains of central Uruzgan province.
AIP said the Taliban were still trying to find Karzai, who is believed to be on a mission similar to that of former mujahideen commander Abdul Haq, captured and summarily executed by the Taliban last weekend.