September 5, 1998

FOCUS-Iran warns Afghan Taleban of possible strike
12:00 p.m. Sep 05, 1998 Eastern
By Firouz Sedarat

TEHRAN, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Iran stepped up pressure on Afghanistan's Taleban militia on Saturday, warning of possible action as tension mounted between the neighbouring states over the fate of Iranians caught up in faction fighting.
60 soliders killed in military depot blast in Kabul last week : UN
Sat 05 Sep 98 - 16:21 GMT

ISLAMABAD, Sept 5 (AFP) - A large explosion at a military depot in the Afghan capital Kabul last week left 60 soldiers dead, a United Nations weekly report on Afghanistan said here Saturday.
Iran claims right to "legitimate defense" as tensions with Taliban mount
Sat 05 Sep 98 - 15:45 GMT

TEHRAN, Sept 5 (AFP) - Iran warned Saturday it has the right to use "legitimate defense" against the Taliban in Afghanistan as tensions escalated over the fate of 10 diplomats Tehran claims were taken hostage by the militia.
Pakistan hopes Iran, Afghan tension will be defused
Sat 05 Sep 98 - 14:50 GMT

ISLAMABAD, Sept 5 (AFP) - Pakistan hopes the current tension between Iran and Afghanistan will be defused as a result of the ongoing efforts to remove the causes of friction, Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz said Saturday.
Taliban says "strong possibility" Iranian diplomats were killed
Sat 05 Sep 98 - 12:42 GMT

TEHRAN, Sept 5 (AFP) - A senior Taliban official said Saturday that there was a "strong possibility" that Iranian diplomats reportedly taken hostage by the Islamic militia in Afghanistan had been killed.

Taleban Said to Arm Civilians Against Iran Attack
06:30 a.m. Sep 05, 1998 Eastern

By Andrew Hill

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taleban militia has taken the unprecedented step of arming civilians in Nimroz province against possible attack from Iran or anti-Taleban fighters exiled there, an independent report said on Saturday.

Iran Forces Poised on Afghan Border - Report
06:30 a.m. Sep 05, 1998 Eastern

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence analysts have warned the Pentagon and the White House that Iran is poised to send thousands of troops and dozens of attack aircraft into Afghanistan and that an incursion is ``imminent,'' the Washington Post reported Saturday.
Iran poised to attack Afghanistan: US intelligence
Sat 05 Sep 98 - 05:36 GMT

WASHINGTON, Sept 5 (AFP) - Iran has massed troops and aircraft on its border with Afghanistan and is preparing an "imminent" attack on the Taliban regime, the Washington Post reported Saturday, quoting senior US defense and administration officials.
India concerned over Iran-Afghan tensions: general
Sat 05 Sep 98 - 09:36 GMT

NEW DELHI, Sept 5 (AFP) - India is watching growing tensions between Iran and Afghanistan with "great concern," a senior army commander said Saturday.

Iran Poises Its Forces On Afghan Border
Analysts Warn Of 'Incursion' Targeting Taliban

By Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 5, 1998; Page A01

U.S. intelligence analysts have warned the Pentagon and the White House that Iran is poised to send thousands of troops and dozens of attack aircraft into Afghanistan and that an incursion is "imminent," according to senior defense and administration officials.