Hanley: Police wasted 170 man hours after Mohammed Omar said he had been kidnapped. Prosecutor Robin Allen told North Staffordshire Magistrates' Court yesterday that police started a major operation because of the nature of the allegation.

By M. Karim Faiez and Laura King Los Angeles Times

By Kim Barker, Chicago Tribune May 14--ISLAMABAD,

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan _ The killing of a major Taliban military commander over the weekend means three top leaders have been lost in the past six months, raising questions about whether the militants' long-promised spring offensive in Afghanistan will happen this year.

By Carlotta Gall The former Taliban defense minister, Mullah Obeidullah, who has remained one of the most senior men in the insurgent movement, was arrested in the southwestern town of Quetta on Monday, the day Vice President Dick Cheney was visiting Pakistan, two government officials said Thursday.