August 10, 2000

Afghan opposition ready for ceasefire - BBC
The opposition Northern Alliance in Afghanistan says it is ready to discuss a ceasefire with the Taleban, after several days of fighting in the north of the country.

Lull in Afghan battle, opposition seeks U.N. role
KABUL, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Fighting in northern Afghanistan slowed on Thursday after several days of bitter battles, with the opposition saying it was ready to have the United Nations mediate to end the conflict.

Taliban-Pakistani-bin Laden Troops Suffer Major Casualties, Retreat to Bangi
August 10, 2000
News Update
(August 9, 2000)—The fourteen-and-a-half-hour Taliban-Pakistani-bin Laden offensive, one of the most intense operations this year, was launched on Taloqan, the provincial capital of Takhar. The operation in which at least 1,000 Pakistani Army regulars, 2,000

Artillery Duels Rage in Afghanistan
By AMIR SHAH
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Mortar and artillery duels raged Wednesday in northern Afghanistan as forces of the ruling Taliban militia battled to within five miles of a key opposition stronghold before being pushed back.

Taliban not to succumb to US pressure: Mujahid
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Afghanistans ruling Taliban have said they would never succumb to US pressure and threats of more sanctions on war-torn Afghanistan.

Vendrell blames Taliban for latest round of fighting
PESHAWAR, Aug 8 (Jang) - UN secretary general's special envoy to Afghanistan, Francesc Vendrell, has blamed the ruling Taliban for initiating the latest round of fighting in the war-ravaged country.

Former Afghan kingís team meets Talban Chiefs
KABUL, Aug 9 (AFP) - The ruling Taliban militia and representatives of ex-monarch Zahir Shah are holding their first ever talks in Afghanistan to try to end the civil war, foreign ministry officials said Wednesday.

Drought, ban push up opium prices in Afghanistan
KABUL, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Opium prices have jumped sharply in Afghanistan, the world's largest producer of the drug, because of a severe drought and an announcement of a total ban on poppy cultivation by the ruling Taleban, dealers said on Wednesday.

Uzbek Forces Kill Up to 15 Militants
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) - Uzbek forces have killed up to 15 Islamic militants from a group that crossed into a remote region of the Central Asian nation, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

Annan calls for capture of seven Afghans' killers
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on Tuesday for the capture and trial of those responsible for the ambush and murder on Saturday of seven Afghans engaged in mine-clearing in western Afghanistan.

Opposition accuses Taliban of killing UN employees
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Afghan opposition has blamed the ruling Taliban for the last week killing of the United Nations workers in the western Herat province and called for international probe into the incident.

Afghan Teen Mourns UN Mine Removers
By AMIR SHAH
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An Afghan teen-ager who lost a leg to a land mine hobbled several miles to attend a memorial service Wednesday for seven slain U.N. mine clearers.

Iran Condemns Killing of U.N. Personnel in Afghanistan
Tuesday, August 08, 2000
TEHRAN (Aug. 8) XINHUA - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi on Tuesday condemned the killing of seven U.N. personnel in Afghanistan, calling for international efforts to establish peace in the war-torn country.

Taliban blamed for removing civilians organs
ISLAMABAD (NNI): The Afghan opposition has blamed the ruling Taliban of forcing civilians to donate blood at gunpoint in northern parts of Afghanistan.

Pakistan gifts machinery to Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Pakistan Wednesday handed over machinery equipment worth Rs. 22.79 million as a gift to Afghanistan as a first consignment for construction/repair and maintenance of roads in Afghanistan on humanitarian grounds.

Pakistan-wheat-Afghanistan.
Pakistan to export one million tons of wheat to Afghanistan
Islamabad, Aug. 10, IRNA -- Pakistan on Thursday said it would export one million tons of wheat to Afghanistan.