August 8, 1999

Anti-Taliban forces claim recapture of northern Afghan towns
Sunday, 08-Aug-1999 4:00PM
KABUL, Aug 8 (AFP) - Afghani opposition forces have recaptured several strategic northern towns, an opposition spokesman said Sunday, as the ruling Taliban militia appeared to be shoring up defences in the capital, Kabul.

Relative Calm Follows Fierce Afghan Fighting
08:39 a.m. Aug 08, 1999 Eastern
KABUL (Reuters) - A relative calm was reported Sunday after several days of fierce fighting between Afghanistan's ruling Islamic Taliban militia and opposition forces, the warring sides said.

Voice of America
INTRO:  After nearly two-weeks of intense fighting between the Taleban and opposition forces, Afghanistan's front lines were relatively calm Sunday.  As V-O-A Correspondent Scott Anger reports, casualties have mounted on both sides, and

Afghan opposition offers bodies for evacuees
11:23 a.m. Aug 07, 1999 Eastern
ISLAMABAD, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's opposition alliance offered on Saturday to hand over the bodies of Taleban movement fighters in exchange for allowing thousands of civilians displaced in the latest fighting to return home.

Taliban prepare for new offensive, claims opposition
The News: Jang
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan's Taliban militia was preparing to launch a new offensive in the country's north after being driven out by opposition forces from newly captured territory, an opposition spokesman said on Saturday.

  afghan sources say taliban preparing for fresh offensive
qom, aug. 8, irna -- sources close to the islamic alliance forces of afghanistan announced sunday that in recent days the taliban militias have transferred 45,000 inhabitants of northwestern kabul to the city of jalalabad.

Militants Deny Meeting Bin Laden
By Amir Zia
Associated Press Writer
Saturday, August 7, 1999; 3:53 p.m. EDT
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- A Pakistani Islamic militant group claimed Saturday that its top leader has met suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden in a remote area of neighboring Afghanistan.

Afghanistan stops buying wheat from Pakistan
By Asim Yasin
The News: Jang
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock has asked the federal government to take up the issue of stoppage of wheat purchase by the Afghanistan government through official channels.

  martyrdom anniversary of irna reporters, diplomats commemorated
tehran, aug. 8, irna -- a ceremony was held here on sunday to commemorate the first martyrdom anniversary of irna correspondent mahmoud saremi and eight iranian diplomats.

Deadly see-saw game
Frontier Post (Editorial)
The seesaw nature of the Afghan war has now been confirmed in a resounding manner. Northern alliance under Ahmad Shah Masood forces has now virtually retaken all the towns ___ and one large air base ___ that it lost to the Taliban in

A setback for Taliban
The Nation (Editorial)
THE Taliban offensive against the Northern Alliance, started earlier this week, has suffered a setback, forcing the religious militia to vacate most of the towns it had captured earlier. A combination of factors has been responsible