May 9, 2000

Afghan opposition agrees to direct talks with Taliban
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 8 (AFP) - A coalition of Afghan opposition groups has agreed in principle to participate in direct talks with the ruling Taliban militia, on condition that the two sides agree to abandon the military option, a member of the coalition told AFP Monday.

Six killed in Talibans artillery shelling
ISLAMABAD (NNI): At least six people were killed as a result of Talibans heavy artillery shelling on the opposition bunkers in eastern Afghan province of Kunar, reports Radio Tehran.

Appeal opens on Afghan asylum ruling - BBC
A judge has begun hearing appeals from 32 Afghan men and women involved in the Stansted plane hijack who are contesting the rejection of their claims for political asylum.

Afghan official to hold talks on smuggling
PESHAWAR, May 7: Afghanistan's Interior Minister Mullah Abdur Razzaq has accepted Lt-Gen Moinuddin Haider's, his Pakistani counterpart, invitation to visit Islamabad and Peshawar for talks on finding ways to curb smuggling.

Two Egyptians indicted with Bin Laden in bombings
By Gail Appleson, Law Corresponden
NEW YORK, May 8 (Reuters) - Two Egyptians, who headed the British cell of a militant Islamic group linked to Osama bin Laden, were indicted on Monday for their alleged role in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

US Relief Efforts Plagued by Infighting
Washington, May 9 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. responses to humanitarian disasters in recent years have been plagued by poor intelligence, conflicting bureaucracies and disputes between the United Nations and host countries,

Hunt planned to track down Afghan-trained sectarian terrorists
Riaz Basra believed to be in Afghanistan; pending appeals in terrorism cases also hampering anti-sectarianism efforts
LAHORE, May 8: Worried by the current spate of sectarian attacks, the authorities have drawn up an action plan envisaging

UNHCR shuts office in Miranshah
MIRANSHAH (NNI): The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Monday closed down its office in Miranshah and suspended repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, a UN official said.