September 18, 1998

UN humanitarian mission to Afghanistan "still on hold": UN
Fri 18 Sep 98 - 16:31 GMT

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 18 (AFP) - A UN humanitarian assessment mission which plans to travel from Pakistan to the Afghan city of Bamiyan is "still on hold" for security reasons, a UN spokesman said Friday.
Iranians in mass protest as Taliban accused of new attack on mission
Fri 18 Sep 98 - 16:12 GMT

TEHRAN, Sept 18 (AFP) - Iranians mobilised across the country to vent their anger against the Taliban Friday as news emerged of a further attack on an Iranian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan that left one person dead.
Tehran accuses Taliban of murdering Afghan employee in Bamiyan attack
Fri 18 Sep 98 - 14:26 GMT

TEHRAN, Sept 18 (AFP) - Iran accused the fundamentalist Taliban militia on Friday of attacking and plundering its consulate and cultural centre in the Afghan city of Bamiyan and killing a local Afghan employee.
Pakistan will remain neutral in any Afghan-Iran conflict: FM
Fri 18 Sep 98 - 13:18 GMT

ISLAMABAD, Sept 18 (AFP) - Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz said Friday Pakistan would remain neutral in any conflict between Iran and the Taliban, as Iranian troops pursued their military exercises along the Afghan border.
Ousted Afghan president holed up in Iranian holy city
Fri 18 Sep 98 - 13:14 GMT

TEHRAN, Sept 18 (AFP) - Ousted Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani is holed up in Iran's holy Shiite Moslem city of Mashhad near the Afghan border, the official IRNA news agency said Friday.
Kabul imam calls for holy war against Iran
Fri 18 Sep 98 - 12:11 GMT

KABUL, Sept 18 (AFP) - The imam of the main mosque in Kabul called Friday for a Jihad (holy war) against Iran, which he said was trying to prevent the setting up of an Islamic regime in Afghanistan.
Afghan Taliban to release five Iranian prisoners
Fri 18 Sep 98 - 11:54 GMT

ISLAMABAD, Sept 18 (AFP) - Hardline Taliban authorities will release another five Iranians detained in Afghanistan as tension across the Iran-Afghan border continued to escalate Friday.

Taleban accuse Iran of 56 deaths, call scholars
03:07 a.m. Sep 18, 1998 Eastern

By Sayed Salahuddin

KABUL, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taleban movement on Friday stepped up its war of words with Iran, accusing Tehran of ``martyring'' 56 Afghans and arresting Afghan refugees.