DRUG SUSPECTS SHIFTED TO AFGHANISTAN - US OFFICIALS

US officials have said the 10 suspects seized since December 15 from
boats carrying drugs in the Gulf region were sent to a US base in
Afghanistan for questioning amid mounting American concern about Al
Qaida role in drug trafficking.

US-led naval forces yesterday said they seized about 1.3 tonnes of
hashish on a boat near the mouth of the Gulf on Friday, the third
interception of drugs in two weeks in what they said was a suspected
terrorists' smuggling operation.

They detained 15 people in the dhow, a traditional wooden cargo boat,
carrying drugs with a street value of $11 million in the northern
Arabian Sea, a US Central Command statement said.

"These 10 were transferred after initial interrogations revealed
possible Al Qaida affiliations deemed noteworthy enough to pursue
further," it said. "Intelligence gained from those interrogations and
documents discovered onboard the detained dhows led to this third operation."

"Many terror organisations have been assessed to use drug money to
fund their operations," said Vice Admiral David C. Nichols, Jr. from
US Naval Forces. "It is easy to see how Al Qaida could use this money
making network to fund their operations."