Sources say doctor who treated al-Qaida No. 2 is in custody

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 8 Kyodo -
Credible intelligence sources in Islamabad claim Afghan and U.S. security authorities have taken into custody a Pakistani doctor believed to have examined al-Qaida number two Ayman al-Zawahiri in recent months at hideouts in eastern Afghanistan.

The sources said the doctor, a urologist, was under watch for several months
for secret journeys to Afghanistan via the border between Pakistan and Kunar
Province, stronghold of the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida remnants.
According to the sources, intelligence authorities in Pakistan had hoped the
doctor would lead to the top al-Qaida leaders.
U.S. intelligence agencies were also alerted about his secret visits.
However, in the latest instance, the doctor is reported to have told his family
and friends about two weeks ago he was going to Karachi to purchase medicine
and equipment for patients having kidney trouble.
According to the source, the intelligence collected by the Pakistani security
agencies revealed that al-Zawahiri was suffering from ailments resulting from
donkey rides, walking and unhygienic food and water.
But the sources were reluctant to reveal whether the doctor was arrested in
Pakistan or somewhere on the Afghan border.
It appeared he was picked up and taken to Bagram Airbase north of Kabul
sometime during the week before the Nov. 4 U.S. presidential election.
A spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan said he had no information about the
seizure of the doctor but promised to check with relevant authorities.
A similar request for comment from an Interior Ministry official obtained no
reply.
==Kyodo