Taliban commander under probe for attacking Korean base: Afghan police

A ranking commander of the Taliban has been under investigation on suspicion of attacking a Korean base that protects its reconstruction workers and troops in Afghanistan, Kabul's senior police officer said Monday.

Though no casualties or property damage have been reported, the base for some 340 Korean troops in the city of Charikar in the northern Afghan province of Parwan has come under attack 13 times this year.

The troops have been dispatched to guard Korea's provincial reconstruction team (PRT), which is comprised of some 90 aid workers and police officers, and has been helping to rebuild the strife-torn nation since July last year.

While South Korean officials have yet to determine the exact cause of the attacks or the forces behind them, Lieutenant General Faziluddin from the Afghan National Police said the police have been investigating a man who was believed to have orchestrated the attacks against the South Korean base as well as other foreign establishments.

"Some two months ago, we detained a man named Mullar Waseh for attacking the Korean base thanks to the intelligence from his close friends," Faziluddin told reporters in Seoul.

The 54-year-old high-ranking officer, in charge of maintaining public order and security in eight provinces of Afghanistan's eastern part, arrived here last Saturday for a six-day visit to learn overall development know-how from South Korea and boost ties between two countries in security fields.

"The suspect, in his mid 30s, is believed to be a high commander of the Taliban in charge of operations in Parwan on direct commands from it," the officer said.

"We are carrying out several projects to round up the rest of the terrorists behind the attacks against the Korean base and the U.S. military base in Bagram."

Preparing for the post-troop withdrawal future, the Afghan senior officer called on the South Korean government to maintain its support for the country's peace-building process.

"We are still fighting in terms of intelligence as well as politics with neighboring countries. So I hope to get consistent support for us from Korea and the international community," Faziluddin said.

The U.S.-led NATO forces are prepared to withdraw by the end of 2014, some 13 years after the war began in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Meanwhile, representatives from about a dozen countries and international organizations met in Bonn, Germany on Monday to discuss the future of Afghanistan after foreign combat forces are withdrawn. (Yonhap)