May 14, 2000

Afghan opposition accuse Taliban of massacring prisoners

KABUL, May 14 (AFP) - The Afghan opposition Sunday accused the ruling Taliban of massacring 198 prioners after the warring factions reached an agreement on a prisoner swap this week in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan military ruler to visit Turkmenistan
ISLAMABAD, May 13 (Reuters) - Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf will visit Turkmenistan on May 15-16 in his first trip to a Central Asian country, the Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday.

Drought claims Afghan shepherds' way of life
BY PAMELA CONSTABLE
Washington Post Service
May 14, 2000, in the Miami Herald
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Like his father and grandfather before him, Azim Khan has spent his entire life in the Rigestan desert, living in a tent and tending his herd of 200 sheep. When the grass and water ran low, his clan would pack their

Nomadic life in Afghanistan may come to end
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Afghanistan has been hit by one of the most severe droughts in decades. Afghan farmers are facing ruin as their crops have failed and cattle died. Nomads are watching their flocks perished.

Drought only one of Taliban's woes
Washington Post Service
May 14, 2000, in the Miami Herald
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The drought has highlighted simultaneous dilemmas faced by the Taliban and the international community.

Afghans reluctant to return home from Iran
ISLAMABAD (NNI): UNHCR says thousands of Afghans are gathering at the special centers set up for their repatriation, every day. Officials of the commission say that one of these officials had to be close briefly due to convergence of a large

Repatriation of Afghan Refugees From Pakistan's NWFP Continues
ISLAMABAD, MAY 14, IRNA -- A HIGH RANKING PAKISTANI OFFICIAL SAID THE REPATRIATION OF AFGHAN REFUGEES FROM THE NORTHWEST FRONTER PROVINCE OF PAKISTAN WAS CONTINUING

Danger from the north - Dawn (Pakistan)
May 13: Pakistan's alliance or misalliance with the Afghan Taliban these past five years parallels an internal gravitational shift seeking accommodation with the politics of the sectarian right. The sanctum sanctorum of the begoted sectarian right is the

Libya wants expulsion of citizens from Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Libya has asked Taliban to expel its citizens who have taken part in Jehad against erstwhile Soviet occupation forces and have been living in Afghanistan since then.

Afghan Interior Minister arrives on Sunday
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Afghan Interior Minister Mulla Abdur Razaq will arrive in Islamabad on Sunday (May 14) for talks with Pakistani officials on host of bilateral issues, focussing on terrorism, officials said Saturday.

TALIBAN'S INTERIOR MINISTER ARRIVES IN PAKISTAN
ISLAMABAD, MAY 14, IRNA -- THE INTERIOR MINISTER OF TALIBAN, MULLA ABDUL RAZZAQ, HEADING A HIGH RANKING DELEGATION, ARRIVED IN ISLAMABAD ON SUNDAY ON A FIVE-DAY

French Agency Report Speaks of Hardcore Groups in Afghanistan
Islamabad, May 13, IRNA -- A REPORT BY FRENCH INTELLIGENCE AGENCY HAS HINTED AT PRESENCE OF THREE NETWORKS OF EXTREMISTS, OPERATING FROM TALIBAN COTNROLLED PARTS OF

Osama a small fish in a big pond: report
The News: Jang
By Behroz Khan
PESHAWAR: A European government has asked Pakistan to take steps for dismantling "hardcore terrorist" organisations operating from Afghanistan instead of focussing only on the Osama bin Laden issue.

Pakistan seeks Afghanistan's help to deal with smuggling, repatriation of Afghans
The News: Jang
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sought help from Afghan Government for eliminating smuggling and repatriation of Afghan refugees.

200kg hashish, opium seized
Dawn
By Our Staff Correspondent
QUETTA, May 13: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), Balochistan, on Thursday seized 200 kilograms of hashish and opium during a midnight operation, some 20 km away from Turbat.