1.   Abdullah claimed the opposition also had taken Taliban soldiers prisoner, but could not provide details.

2.   Russia took thousands of Japanese soldiers prisoner in the final days of the Second World War and held them for many years.

3.   Some Iranian soldiers taken prisoner in those battles refused repatriation and instead joined the exile army.

4.   The International Committee of the Red Cross said earlier Monday it had so far been refused access to any of the UN soldiers taken prisoner by the Serbs.