October 9, 1998

Falcons smuggled into City from Afghanistan
By IMTIAZ HUSSAIN
Frontier Post
OCTOBER 09, 1998 FRIDAY

PESHAWAR - More than a dozen birds of rare species have been smuggled to Peshawar from Afghanistan via Torkham during the last two days for their onward smuggling to the Arab countries, sources said. Reports pouring in

Report: Taliban Frees Five Iranians

Friday, October 9, 1998; 4:55 p.m. EDT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Afghanistan's ruling Taliban religious army released five Iranians Friday who claim they were ``brutally tortured'' during 15 months in captivity, Iranian radio said.

Iran-Afghan border calm but incursion not rule out
08:00 a.m. Oct 09, 1998 Eastern

By Barry May

TEHRAN, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The Iran-Afghanistan frontier appeared calm on Friday after a cross-border clash, but military strategists said an Iranian incursion, although a low probability, could not be ruled out.
UN envoy begins talks with Pakistan on Afghan-Iran crisis
Fri 09 Oct 98 - 13:44 GMT

ISLAMABAD, Oct 9 (AFP) - UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi started talks with Pakistan officials here Friday as part of his mission to defuse border tension between Iran and Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, officials said.

Brahimi Has Held Talks With The Pakistani Government

INTRO: U-N SPECIAL ENVOY LAKHDAR BRAHIMI HAS HELD TALKS WITH THE PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT AS PART OF HIS BID TO EASE TENSIONS BETWEEN THE NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES OF AFGHANISTAN
Iran says it exercised restraint towards Taliban incursion
Fri 09 Oct 98 - 09:06 GMT

TEHRAN, Oct 9 (AFP) - Iran said Friday its forces had exercised restraint towards a border incursion by the Taliban out of respect for UN-sponsored diplomatic efforts to ease tension between Tehran and the Afghan militia.
Iranian parliamentary speaker accuses Taliban of drug trafficking
Fri 09 Oct 98 - 10:03 GMT

MADRID, Oct 9 (AFP) - The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Akbar Nateq-Nuri, accused Afghanistan's Taliban militia in an interview published here Friday of financing their operations through drug trafficking.
Japan calls on Iran, Afghanistan for self-restraint
Fri 09 Oct 98 - 08:04 GMT

TOKYO, Oct 9 (AFP) - Japan's government Friday called for self-restraint after a reported clash between the Taliban militia and Iranian forces on the Afghan border.

U.N. Afghan Envoy Still Optimistic For Peace
03:00 a.m. Oct 09, 1998 Eastern

By Raja Asghar

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - U.N. peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said overnight he was still optimistic about his efforts to ease tension between Iran and Afghanistan's Taleban despite reports of border clashes.

Afghanistan Nixes UN-Iran Offer

Friday, October 9, 1998; 11:17 a.m. EDT

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Afghanistan's ruling Taliban army today rejected an invitation from a U.N. envoy to negotiate an end to a border standoff with neighboring Iran.

show of iran's self-restraint against taliban attack: nejad-hosseinian

united nations, new york, oct. 8, irna -- iran's permanent representative to the united nations hadi nejad-hosseinian said in a letter to the president of the security council today that iranian troops had displayed self-restraint in repelling

Tensions Along Border Flared This Week, With Each Side Making Conflicting Military Claims

INTRO: TENSIONS ALONG THE IRAN-AFGHAN BORDER FLARED THIS WEEK, WITH EACH SIDE MAKING CONFLICTING MILITARY CLAIMS. IRANIAN OFFICIALS SAY THEIR TROOPS ATTACKED AND BADLY HURT

Official: No Afghan, bin Laden Link

Friday, October 9, 1998; 5:29 p.m. EDT

SRINAGAR, India (AP) -- Afghan volunteers fighting in India's troubled Kashmir have no apparent link to Islamic extremist Osama bin Laden, India's army commander said Friday.

Taleban's army eager to crush last warlord

The Times of London
October 9 1998

Afghanistan is facing a bloody winter, writes Christopher Thomas at The Waiting Post

Taliban, Brahimi talks unlikely

F.P. Report
PESHAWAR - The proposed meeting between UN Secretary General's Special Envoy on Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi and key Taliban leaders seems impossible following the latter's insistance that the meeting should either be held in the