September 14, 1998

Opposition concedes fall of Afghan town to Taleban
03:18 a.m. Sep 14, 1998 Eastern
ISLAMABAD, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Shi'ite Moslem opposition faction Hezb-i-Wahdat acknowledged on Monday the loss of the key town of Bamiyan to the purist Islamic Taleban militia.
Iranian army ready to follow leader's orders on Afghanistan
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 12:34 GMT

TEHRAN, Sept 14 (AFP) - The Iranian army said Monday it was prepared to carry out "any mission" against the Taliban Islamic militia following warnings of a "huge threat" of war from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran warns of "huge threat" of war in region over Afghanistan
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 11:50 GMT

TEHRAN, Sept 14 (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Monday of a "huge threat" of war in the region over Afghanistan, but said he was doing his best to prevent it.
Rival groups surrender to Taliban in southern province: report
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 11:37 GMT

ISLAMABAD, Sept 14 (AFP) - Hundreds of rival soldiers laid down their arms Monday before the Taliban militia in the district of Nawur in Afghanistan's southern Ghazni province, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported.
Taliban urge western aid groups to rush supplies into Bamiyan
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 11:35 GMT

KABUL, Sept 14 (AFP) - Taliban militia have urged the United Nations and western aid groups to rush humanitarian supplies to central Bamiyan City where locals are in dire need of help, official sources said Monday.
Taliban say Bamiyan's residents, Buddhist relics will be protected
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 11:09 GMT

KABUL, Sept 14 (AFP) - Taliban authorities Monday gave assurances that the ethnic residents of the opposition stronghold Bamiyan and its ancient Buddhist relics will be protected after their Islamic militia captured the city.
Iran calls on UN to stop "another human tragedy" in Bamiyan
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 10:47 GMT

TEHRAN, Sept 14 (AFP) - Iran has called on the United Nations to take "firm measures" to stop a potential massacre in the Taliban-captured city of Bamiyan in central Afghanistan, the official IRNA news agency said Monday.
ICRC-Iranian delegation to repatriate bodies of Iranian diplomats
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 10:12 GMT

TEHRAN, Sept 14 (AFP) - International Committee of the Red Crossrepresentatives and Iranian officials left here for Afghanistan on Monday to repatriate the bodies of Iranian diplomats and a journalist killed by the Taliban, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Taliban capture of Bamiyan depletes Afghan opposition's war power
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 09:25 GMT

ISLAMABAD, Sept 14 (AFP) - The Afghan opposition has suffered another blow to its fighting capability following the capture of the central Afghan city of Bamiyan by the Taliban, analysts said Monday.
Future of ancient Buddha statues bleak after Taliban capture Bamiyan
Mon 14 Sep 98 - 07:35 GMT

KABUL, Sept 14 (AFP) - The future of 1,400-year-old Buddhist relics remains bleak after the hardline Taliban Islamic militia captured the pro-Iran Shiite Moslem stronghold of Bamiyan City.