The Taliban admitted responsibility on Tuesday for the weekend murder of a French U.N. worker in Afghanistan and threatened to execute a Turkish engineer unless the government freed jailed comrades.

Taliban officials also warned that journalists, aid workers and anyone considered to be assisting U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan would be targets for future attacks.

Referring to Sunday's killing of 29-year-old U.N. refugee agency official Bettina Goislard in Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Taliban spokesman Mullah Abdul Samad told Reuters:

Afghan boys play as they remove snow on the roof of their house at a village near Gardez, 100 km (60 miles) south of Kabul, on November 17, 2003. Snow falls are welcome in the country suffering the effects of more than four years of drought. Picture taken November 17, 2003. [Reuters]

"Yes we did that. Our guerrillas were involved in killing that Christian woman. We have confirmed information that most of the foreigners working in our country are American agents and have no sympathy for Afghanistan.

"We will not spare them. They are not doing anything for common Afghans but are preaching Christianity in Afghanistan or spying against the Taliban."

Goislard, shot by two men on a motorbike, was the first U.N. international staff member killed since the overthrow of the Taliban by U.S.-led forces two years ago. Afghan officials have already said they suspected the Taliban carried out the attack.

Late in October, the Taliban also kidnapped Turkish engineer Hassan Onal, who was working on a road project in the south. Mullah Sabir, alias Momin, a senior Taliban commander for southern Afghanistan, said the guerrillas wanted the release of comrades in jail in Ghazni in return for his freedom.

"But the Afghan administration is not showing any interest in his release. If the situation persists, we will be forced to kill him and his body will soon be found."

WARNING TO JOURNALISTS, OTHERS

Momin added that anyone working in the interests of the United States was liable to be killed. "This includes journalists, NGO activists, drivers, engineers, and others."

The new US ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has gently urged Pakistan to deliver more help in stemming cross-border terrorist attacks.  [AFP/File]

The U.S. embassy in Kabul has warned American journalists they could be kidnapped and the Taliban has made repeated attacks on Afghans working for aid organizations, severely restricting badly needed reconstruction efforts in the south.

Momin said guerrillas were regrouping in the southern province of Zabul, which they had chosen as their headquarters.

He said that on the instructions of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, Taliban members living outside Afghanistan had been ordered back and "hundreds" were reaching Zabul daily.

"They have been sent to various provinces and areas, because this is most the appropriate time for jihad (holy war)," he said. "Thousands of Taliban, equipped with arms and other war weapons, are present in Zabul and are ready for war."

Momin said the Taliban controlled up to seven districts of Zabul and planned to intensify attacks on U.S.-led forces despite the onset of winter.

A Zabul tribal leader, Mohammad Khan, said armed Taliban were able to roam freely in several districts, "and officials loyal to (President) Hamid Karzai are confined to government offices."

An audio tape of a speech purportedly by Omar was handed to Reuters in southern Afghanistan last week admonishing Taliban commanders who gave up the jihad, and called for more sacrifices.

Taliban officials said the speech was addressed to a 10-man leadership council set up in June to better coordinate attacks against the 11,500-strong U.S.-led foreign force in the country.

More than 350 people have been killed in a wave of bloodshed since early August, much of it linked to the Taliban.

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