February 11, 2000

UN agency warns of serious Afghan food shortage
By Tahir Ikram
ISLAMABAD, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday warned of a food crisis in Afghanistan, with wheat supply falling more than a million tonnes short of demand.

'Little Moscow' a big headache for Taleban
By Scott McDonald
KHOST, Afghanistan, Feb 11 (Reuters) - ``Little Moscow'' has for centuries been a difficult region for Afghan leaders to tame and is now proving troublesome for the ruling Taleban movement.

Straw talks tough but hostages could stay
BY RICHARD FORD -The Times (UK) 2-11-2000
JACK STRAW talked tough yesterday about removing the hijack hostages from Britain quickly, but in reality they could be here for months, if not years.

Taleban denies hijackers face certain death
By Sayed Salahuddin
KABUL, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taleban movement on Friday denied reports that the hijackers of an Ariana airliner to London faced certain death sentences if they were sent home.

Taliban vows to execute plane hijackers on return home
ABC News
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime says the hijackers of the Ariana Airliner will be executed if returned to Afghanistan.

Taliban try to win over West By Daniel Simpson (Reuters)
via The Times of India - 2-11-2000
FRANKFURT: The crumpled nose and shrapnel-scarred cheeks framed by Mullah Nek Nekmal's mirrored sunglasses and black turban are the German face of Afghanistan's Taliban leadership.

Ending of the Hijacking of the Afghan Passenger Airliner
February 10, 2000
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic State of Afghanistan expresses its deep gratitude to the British authorities involved in negotiating a peaceful outcome to the hijacked Afghan passenger airliner, a Boeing-727, which forcibly landed at

Asylum row hits hostage return
BBC
A jet to take home the ex-hostages from the hijacked Afghan airliner has landed in the UK - but controversy still rages over the 74 passengers claiming political asylum.

Analysis: Afghan hijack aftermath
BBC
By BBC News Online's Martin Asser
A large proportion of those on the hijacked Afghan airliner - hostages and hostage-takers - have claimed asylum in the UK where the plane landed on Monday.