August 16, 2001

Taliban suggest diplomats on detainee mission leave
By Syed Salahuddin
KABUL, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban on Thursday again refused permission for Western diplomats to see eight foreign aid workers accused

Taliban tell diplomats to leave
KABUL, Aug 16 (AFP) - Afghanistan's Taliban militia on Thursday advised Western diplomats to leave the country after again refusing to let them see eight foreigners detained

WFP role in proselytising cant be ruled out: Taliban
Frontier Post
ISLAMABAD (Agencies): Taliban have termed promotion of Christianity in Afghanistan by the Shelter Now as a big conspiracy saying some foreign countries and groups are behind it.

Iran burns 40 tonnes of drugs, EU envoys present
TEHRAN, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Iran has burned 40 tonnes of drugs in a symbolic gesture to demonstrate its commitment to fighting the narcotics trade, the official IRNA news agency said on Thursday.

Afghan gathering supports Loya Jirga
Syed Anwer - Frontier Post 8/16/01
PESHAWAR: The chief of National Islamic Front of Afghanistan and the organisor of Assembly for peace and National Unity of Afghanistan, Pir Syed Ahmad Gaylani

A Single Genuine and Representative Loya Jirga Wanted
AAR Editorial - 08/16/01
There is news from Pakistan - of all places - that a gathering of mostly Pakistan-based Afghans at the invitation of the politically ambitious, semi-functional National Islamic

Venue of Loya Jirga yet to be decided: Masood
Frontier Post Report
PESHAWAR: Shazada Masood, foreign affairs incharge of the Great National Islamic Front of Afghanistan has denied reports about convening of Loya Jirga at Charikar

Taliban send troops to Ghowr province
Frontier Post
ISLAMABAD (NNI): A group of the Taliban's fresh forces has been sent to central Ghowr Province from western Herat and southwestern Nimruz Provinces

Taliban commander defects to opposition
Frontier post
ISLAMABAD (NNI): A Taliban commander and 700 men under his control have defected to the opposition United Front in central Ghowr Province, reports Radio Mashhad.

More than 5,000 Afghan refugees seek asylum in Pakistan
GENEVA, Aug 14 (AFP) - More than 5,000 Afghan families in refugee camps are seeking asylum in Pakistan and many more are expected to follow suit, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday.

Afghan refugees facing hardships in Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK (IRIN): While Afghan refugees feel safe in Kyrgyzstan, a country remarkably stable in the context of Central Asia, worsening economic conditions

Pakistan cracks down on Islamists
BBC News
Police in Pakistan have arrested hundreds of Islamic activists after the government banned two hardline sectarian organisations.

Musharraf's 'roadmap to democracy'
By Susannah Price in Islamabad - BBC
General Pervez Musharraf's roadmap for a return to democracy is far more specific than had been predicted. He has decided to hold the polls at the last possible moment.

Russia sees Taliban as threat : Kissinger
Frontier Post
WASHINGTON (Online): Russia's leaders perceive Afghanistan's Taliban and to a lesser extent Iran and Pakistan as threats to the newly independent states of Uzbekistan

The Counterterrorist Myth
A former CIA operative explains why the terrorist Usama bin Ladin has little
to fear from American intelligence
BY REUEL MARC GERECHT - The Atlantic Monthly (August 2001)
The United States has spent billions of dollars on counterterrorism since the U.S. embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya, in August of 1998. Tens of millions have been spent on covert \