Afghanistan welcomed news of Saddam Hussein's capture Sunday, but said it was too early to say if it might lead to stepped up efforts to find elusive al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The whereabouts of bin Laden, the man accused of masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, are not known, but Pakistani and Afghan officials have said he may be hiding in rugged border regions.

Asked to comment on a U.S. announcement of Saddam's capture near his hometown of Tikrit, Afghan government spokesman Javid Loodin said:

"It is positive news. It's a positive development. The capturing of Saddam Hussein has been one of the primary objectives of the war in Iraq.

"Now that this has been achieved, it's hoped that it will lead to a quick solution to the situation in Iraq and a better life and prosperity and security for the people of Iraq."

However, asked if he thought Saddam's capture could lead to stepped up efforts to capture bin Laden, he replied: "It's too early to talk about that."

The United States leads an 11,500-strong foreign force in Afghanistan that has failed to capture bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar despite two years of searching.

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