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Voice of Islamic Afghanistan

Taliban Hotline in Toronto

by Judi McLeod and Arthur Weinreb

October, 2001

The Taliban--host of terrorist Osama bin Laden--has its own telephone line in Toronto, Toronto Free Press has discovered.

Telephone number 416-410-3107, identified as the Voice of Islamic Afghanistan by a recorded message, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Voice of Islamic Afghanistan is said to be the primary source of information for local Taliban supporters who do not have access to the Internet. A busy signal has callers to the line waiting as long as four hours before getting through. Anti-American, anti-British propaganda spewed out over the line is routine. Intelligence, of the type recorded and interpreted word-for-word for TFP by a professional Afghan translator on October 15, 2001 would be of prime interest to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency. The intelligence, until this article not reported by any media outlet, reveals that in October controversial Hezb-I-Islami party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar turned 12 anti-aircraft Stinger missiles over to the Taliban.

..."It has been reported that Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has put at the disposal of the Taliban, his weapons which had been hidden at Spina Shega and other parts of Afghanistan, which include land-to-air anti-aircraft missiles in order to confront American aggression," said the recorded message on Oct. 15. "This is the first official contact by Hekmatyar and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Hezb-I-Islami (Hekmatyar's Islamic Party) handed over 12 Stinger missiles to the Emirate, according to the voice of Hekmatyar as broadcast from Radio Shariat (Taliban Radio). This is an indication of the fact that Hekmatyar and the Taliban are aligning themselves against (exiled Afghan king) Mohammad Zahir Shah and the Americans. Hekmatyar has already expressed his opposition to Shah, the Americans and Britains."

Hekmatyar, who said to be now living in Iran, crossed over to the Taliban from the Northern Alliance. He was described by respected author David C. Isby in his book War in a Distant Country as "the most controversial Peshawar-based leader" and as "ruthless in tactics" and "genuinely revolutionary and Islamist in orientation."

Private investigators working on behalf of TFP were able to determine that Voice of Islamic Afghanistan is a Bell Canada business account, in the name of Ahmed Popalzay, an Afghan businessman, who runs an import export business with family members and is the owner of the Habib's Islamic Bookstore, located in the Rexdale Shopping Mews, near Rexdale and Islington.

The investigators were able to establish that long distance calls had been made from the line to a number of American cities, including one on the fateful day of September 11, to Afghan Wohid A. Noorzad, in Flushing, New York. The investigators passed Noorzad's name to a former CIA member for possible terrorist links.

Afghans living in Toronto, who did not want their names disclosed, said that Popalzay and self-proclaimed Taliban Toronto representative Qayum Nadim are the two main voices on the recordings heard on the Voice of Islamic Afghanistan telephone line.

"Their rhetoric was toned down dramatically after Sept. 11," said one. "Before the 11th, the Americans were devils and Bush was Satan, now the Americans are just the militia."

When asked the reason for this, he answered, "the Taliban hated the Americans before Sept. 11 because the Americans were supporting the Taliban enemy, the Northern Alliance."

Voice of Islamic Afghanistan is one of two existing telephone lines that have replaced a now defunct, pro-Taliban radio station.

Until a few months ago, telephone callers to 416-410-3107 could record their own messages. It is unknown why the feature enabling callers to record personal messages was stopped.

Some Afghans living in Toronto say they know Afghans who have been vocal against the Taliban "get a visit from the hitmen".

Hitmen make supper time visits to the homes of known dissidents. "They make a point to visit at meal time when the wives and children are at home on the basis it is more intimidating," said one Afghan Toronto resident who did not want his name disclosed.

He said some Afghans who are known to speak out against the Taliban receive threatening letters.

Media attention has focused on Canada's porous borders since Sept. 11. Given that terrorism expert Steven Emerson has said that "With perhaps the singular exception of the United States, there are more international terrorist groups active (in Canada) than in any other country in the world, the prospects of terrorists living in Toronto are not so far fetched.

Members of the local Afghan community say they are concerned that Canada Immigration has allowed at least one known Taliban member and "terrorist" access into Canada.

"The deputy of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a killer of innocent Afghan civilians, whose name is Abdul Kadir Karyab, arrived this summer. He was detained briefly, then let go by Canadian Immigration and today is living right here in Toronto."


Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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