September 11, 1998

UN confirms Taliban massacre of ethnic minority
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 16:06 GMT
ISLAMABAD, Sept 11 (AFP) - The United Nations here Friday said Afghanistan's Taliban militia massacred thousands of ethnic-Hazara people when they seized the opposition stronghold of Mazar-i-Sharif last month.
Taliban hone in on Bamiyan
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 13:59 GMT
ISLAMABAD, Sept 11 (AFP) - Taliban militia forces Friday inched towards Bamiyan City, the last strong-hold of the pro-Iranian Shiite community in central Afghanistan, independent sources sai.

France condemns murder of Iranian diplomats
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 13:51 GMT
PARIS, Sept 11 (AFP) - France on Friday condemned the murder of Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan while calling on regional parties to show "restraint."

Iran-Afghan crisis worsens
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 13:27 GMT
TEHRAN, Sept 11 (AFP) - The Iranian-Aghan crisis escalated Friday with Iran vowing revenge after the Taliban militia said nine of the missing 11 Iranian diplomats had been murdered in northern Afghanistan.

Anti-Taliban alliance denies Iranian planes landing in Bamiyan
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 13:08 GMT
KABUL, Sep 11 (AFP) - The anti-Taliban faction Hezb-i-Wahdat, which controls Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan, Friday denied the landing of Iranian aircraft at Bayiman city airport.

Iran vows to avenge murder of diplomats as troops mass on Afghan border
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 12:09 GMT
TEHRAN, Sept 11 (AFP) - Iran vowed Friday to exact revenge for the murder of nine diplomats by the Taliban and threatened to use force against the militia, as tens of thousands of troops massed near the border with Afghanistan.

Hundreds of Iranians rally against Taliban
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 11:22 GMT
TEHRAN, Sept 11 (AFP) - Several hundred people staged a rally after Friday prayers here to protest at the murder of Iranian diplomats by the Taliban militia in Afghanistan.

Iranian president vows to "pursue" diplomats' murder case in Afghanistan
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 11:18 GMT
TEHRAN, Sept 11 (AFP) - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami vowed on Friday to "fully pursue" the case of nine Iranian diplomats killed by Taliban Islamist fighters when they seized the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Killing of Iranian diplomats hurts struggle for recognition
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 09:55 GMT
ISLAMABAD, Sept 11 (AFP) - The killing of nine Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan is likely to damage the image of the hardline Taliban seeking international recognition as well as embarrass Pakistan, the militia's chief ally, analysts said

Two Iranian diplomats escape death in Afghanistan
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 09:29 GMT
TEHRAN, Sept 11 (AFP) - Two Iranian diplomats seized by Taliban militiamen in Afghanistan last month have escaped death, Iran's foreign ministry announced Friday.

Taleban says all 11 Iranian diplomats dead
08:27 a.m. Sep 11, 1998 Eastern
ISLAMABAD, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taleban movement said on Friday that all 11 missing Iranian diplomats were dead, disputing Tehran's claim that there were two survivors

Japan urges Iran to show restraint over diplomats deaths
Fri 11 Sep 98 - 05:17 GMT
TOKYO, Sept 11 (AFP) - Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura Friday urged Iran to exercise self-restraint over the killings of nine Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan.

Taleban advance spooks Bamiyan Shi'ites
07:58 a.m. Sep 11, 1998 Eastern
By Andrew Hill
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Shi'ite Muslim families fearing bloody Taliban reprisals fled before the Sunni militia forces advancing on the central Afghan town of Bamiyan, aid sources said Friday.

Iran steps up threat to Taliban as bodies are found
By Ahmed Rashid in Lahore
Electronic Telegraph
Friday 11 September 1998 Issue 1204
IRAN said yesterday that it was sending more troops to its border with Afghanistan after the Taliban announced that they had found the bodies of nine Iranian diplomats.

Afghan war gave Pakistan drugs, arms and lawlessness: Benazir
LONDON: Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto Thursday said Afghan war gave Pakistan drugs, weapons and lawlessness as the United States used the country as surrogate in its final confrontation with the Soviet Union.

Why US abandoned 'get-Osama' plan
Frontier Post
By IMTIAZ HUSSAIN
PESHAWAR - The United States had plans to kidnap multi-millionaire Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden by using nerve-affecting gases.

The Afghan conundrum
By M. Zafar
Dawn Opinion
ON August 20, some fifty missiles were fired from US Navy ships anchored just outside the territorial waters of Pakistan. These lethal weapons flew low over the Balochistan province to six targets in Afghanistan and demonstrated yet again the