War documents link Taliban, al-Qaida

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida might play a larger part in the war in Afghanistan than previously believed, The Washington Post reported.

A review of 76,000 classified U.S. military reports published on the Internet site WikiLeaks has linked al-Qaida and the Taliban in several ways, the Post said Monday.

The newspaper reviewed the documents and found that while al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden aren't mentioned much, there are real-life examples that connect them to the Taliban.

In one recent example, a U.S. airstrike in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz Aug. 14 killed a Taliban commander known as Abu Baqir, who was also a member of al-Qaida.

Bin Laden is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, and while he is infrequently mentioned in the WikiLeaks postings, troops are increasingly finding his picture posted in Afghan homes, the report said.

Government officials have estimated there are no more than 100 al-Qaida fighters in Pakistan.