Afghanistan News December 28, 1999

December 28, 1999

Invasion's impoverished legacy
South China Morning Times
AFGHANISTAN by UERGEN HEIN of Deutshe Presse-Agentur in Kabul
Twenty years ago this week, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan plunged the country into a spiral of violence - and with it economic ruin - from which its citizens are hard-pressed still to see any hope of escape.

Hijackers want $200 million, release of militants
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Hijackers of an Indian Airlines jet parked at an airfield in Afghanistan have issued demands for the release of 35 militants and a payment of $200 million in exchange for the hostages,

Taliban team winds up crucial visit to China
Frontier Post
By AIMAL KHAN
PESHAWAR - A special mission of the Afghan government has reportedly completed an important visit to China.
The maiden visit to China, after the international sanctions slapped on Taliban government, was undertaken by a three-member

Afghanistan warns enemies against conspiracies
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Syed Muhammad Haqqani, Afghanistans Ambassador to Pakistan Monday warned the countries engaged in "cowardly and covert operations against Afghanistan to learn from the humiliation Russia had to suffer at the hand

Iran terms Rabbanis visit to Tehran useful, positive
TEHRAN (NNI): The head of Afghanistan Cell in the Iranian Foreign Ministry Tahiryan has termed the visit of Professor Rabbani to Tehran as positive and useful, reports Radio Tehran.

Hijackers refuse to release children
BBC News
The hijackers of an Indian plane have refused a request to release children and their mothers as conditions worsen on board the aircraft sitting on the tarmac at Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan.

Taliban Sees No Progress in Plane Hijack Talks
08:25 a.m. Dec 28, 1999 Eastern
By Sayed Salahuddin
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement said Tuesday it saw little progress in talks between hijackers of an Indian Airlines jet and Indian negotiators.

Indian Airlines hijackers refused to accept food for hostages
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 28 (AFP) - Hijackers holding 160 hostages aboard an Indian Airlines jet in Afghanistan twice refused to accept food for the passengers, a Taliban official told AFP Tuesday.

Indian airline hijackers reject appeal to release children
NEW DELHI, Dec 28 (AFP) - Hijackers holding 160 passengers and crew hostage on an Indian Airlines Airbus in Afghanistan have rejected appeals to release the children on board, Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh said Tuesday.

Indian Air Hijacker Seen Leaving Aircraft To Negotiate
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP)--A masked hijacker left the Indian Airlines plane Tuesday to hold a face-to-face round of negotiations, the first since the harrowing, five-day ordeal began.

Azhar refuses freedom at the cost of innocent lives
The Nation
SRINAGAR-Maulana Azhar Masood has said that threats to innocent passengers in the hijacked Indian plane was not the way he would wish to seek his freedom from detention.

UN says now taking a back seat in Indian hijack negotiations
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 28 (AFP) - United Nations officials have taken a back seat in negotiations with hijackers holding 160 people hostage on board an Indian Airlines jet in Afghanistan, a UN official told AFP.

Kandahar airport is well-equipped'
The Times of India
By Rajnish Sharma and Rahul Shivshankar
NEW DELHI: Why was the request of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight to land at the Kandahar airport on Friday night turned down? Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials at Kandahar said on Monday that it was not because the airport did not have the

Hopes soar with assurance of Taliban's cooperation
The Times of India
By Dileep Padgaonkar
NEW DELHI: Hopes of an early and peaceful end to the hijacking crisis soared on Monday after influential elements of the Taliban left New Delhi in no doubt that Afghanistan's hardline Islamic regime would extend its fullest cooperation to India to

Taliban team seeks support for Mullah Omer
Frontier Post
12-27-99
PESHAWAR (Online) - A Taliban team is visiting NWFP to bolster support among the religious schools and to strengthen pro-Mullah Omer religious elements here. According to reliable sources, an unofficial delegation of Taliban, led by Akhtar

daily on taliban's letter
tehran, dec. 27, irna -- the english-language daily 'iran news' monday commenting on the confirmation of a letter from the taliban by the iranian foreign ministry suggested that since the taliban have now called for direct negotiations with iran

Osama has no link with hijacking
KABUL (NNI): Osama bin Laden has no link with hijacking of the Indian passenger plane, a representative of the Saudi exiled leader said Monday.