Western intelligence sources confirm fighters went to Chechnya from Afghanistan, but cannot say whether they were Arab or Afghan.
Reporters have seen Afghan and Arab fighters in Chechen bands, but none has confirmed a link to bin Laden.
The disclosure comes at a time when Central Asian governments are sounding increasingly worried about Islamic militancy in their countries and are blaming the Taliban, the Islamic rulers of Afghanistan where bin Laden?€™s Al-Qaida organization is based.
The military instructor in Al-Qaida, who goes by the nom de guerre of Abu Daoud, also reports that bin Laden is under pressure from the Taliban to curtail his activities, and that bin Laden has indicated he would rather quit Afghanistan than give up his war against the West.
The United States accuses bin Laden of masterminding the bombing of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998. UN sanctions were imposed on Afghanistan in November.
Abu Daoud, a Yemeni national whose real name is not known, spoke in an interview this month in a remote village in Nangarhar province, northeastern Afghanistan. The meeting was arranged by a Taliban commander.
Abu Daoud said hundreds of Arab and Afghan fighters went to Chechnya about 18 months ago, and many returned. The latest 400 went some three months ago, he said.
The Kremlin claimed this spring to have evidence that bin Laden and the Taliban had a deal to aid Chechen units. Vladimir Putin, then prime minister, said last September that bin Laden had been in Chechnya several times. Moscow also tried to link bin Laden to apartment bombings that killed 300 people. The bombings were part of the reason Russian troops re-entered Chechnya.
The Russians gave no evidence, and the statements were seen as aimed to win Western support for a military campaign against Chechen rebels.
However, according to Abu Daoud, bin Laden?€™s welcome in Afghanistan seems to be wearing thin. He said a new order was issued at the beginning of July by the Taliban?€™s supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, flatly banning bin Laden?€™s operations.
A U.S. State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington has urged the Taliban to crack down on bin Laden.
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