December 17, 2001

Afghan, U.S. Forces Hunt Elusive Bin Laden
Monday December 17 10:17 AM ET
By Sebastian Alison
TORA BORA, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan and U.S. forces scoured mountains bordering Pakistan for Osama bin Laden Monday after the rout of his al Qaeda guerrillas

Blair: Britain to Send Up 1,500 Troops to Afghan Force
Monday December 17 11:28 AM ET
By Kate Kelland
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday Britain would contribute up to 1,500 troops to an international peace force for Afghanistan and said it

Afghan leader visits exiled king
Monday, 17 December, 2001, 15:24 GMT BBC News
Hamed Karzai says peace and security are his priorities
Afghanistan's interim leader, Hamed Karzai, has flown out of Kabul on his first trip abroad since being appointed prime minister.

Marines Take Over U.S. Embassy in Afghan Capital
Monday December 17 11:31 AM ET
By Peter Graff
KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) - U.S. Marines moved back to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Monday after a 12-year absence, along with a State Department team sent to check

Afghans Mop Up Al Qaeda; Bin Laden Evades Net
Monday December 17 9:51 AM ET
By Sebastian Alison and Jeremy Page
TORA BORA/KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Anti-Taliban forces Monday paraded some of Osama bin Laden's exhausted and routed al Qaeda fighters, captured

Deal-Making Let Many Leaders of Taliban Escape
By Peter Baker and Kamran Khan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, December 17, 2001; Page A01
KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 16 -- The Taliban has been driven from power, but almost all its top leaders remain at large, in many cases through battlefield deals that exchanged

Turkish Foreign Minister in Kabul
Monday December 17 2:52 AM ET
By LOUIS MEIXLER, Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - In a bid to highlight growing stability in Afghanistan, the foreign minister of Turkey, NATO's only Muslim member, flew to Kabul on Monday

Inside the Taliban's Torture Chambers
Men Held by Militia as Spies Detail Routine Brutality, Large Role of Foreigners
By John Pomfret
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, December 17, 2001; Page A14
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Abdullah was a handsome young man, simple in dress with a strong jaw he had barely started to shave. His only character flaw, his friends

Remnants of Al Qaeda Flee Toward Pakistan
No Trace of Bin Laden as Battle Draws to a Close
By Molly Moore and Susan B. Glasser
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, December 17, 2001; Page A01
TORA BORA, Afghanistan, Dec. 16 -- Hundreds of al Qaeda fighters were escaping into snowy mountains toward Pakistan today as the battle to seize their mountainous base appeared

Rumsfeld: Mission Far From Over
Defense Secretary Meets Officials, U.S. Troops in Afghanistan
By Vernon Loeb
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 17, 2001; Page A01
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Dec. 16 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made an upbeat visit to newly liberated Afghanistan today, meeting with two of the country's t

A World Away From New York City, Soldiers Find That Street Smarts Come in Handy
By AMY WALDMAN
The New York Times
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Dec. 16 Just outside this base north of Kabul, a two-story row of burned-out stores stands coated in dust like some archaeological ruin.

Former Taliban melt back into Kandahar life
By Jeremy Page
Monday December 17, 11:11 PM
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Mullah Bismillah used to command 50 men for the Taliban and dole out lashings with a long cane for the slightest violation of their extreme

Clash With Afghan Group Ends With Talks, Bloodlessly
By CARLOTTA GALL
The New York Times
KAYAN, Afghanistan, Dec. 16 Eight commanders and generals sat in a circle in a rocky ravine, as hundreds of their fighters watched from nearby crags and hillsides.

Afghans Dust Off Long-Hidden Yen to Have Fun
Celebration: First day of Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday is marked by kite flying, music and other simple joys banned by the Taliban.
By CAROL J. WILLIAMS
Los Angeles Times (Dec 17, 2001)
KABUL, Afghanistan -- For the five years the Taliban was in power in this capital, Boba Abdul Shukor had to sell his wares in secret.
His contraband was not drugs

Kandahar Residents Meet New Governor
Politics: At service marking Eid fete, top city official tries to win over ex-Taliban stronghold.
By JOHN DANISZEWSKI
Los Angeles Times (Dec 17, 2001)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- At the first large gathering since this city fell just over a week ago, the new governor of Kandahar offered an olive branch to Taliban members who behave loyally

MTV, CNN set Afghan news segments
Monday December 17 2:24 AM ET
By Pamela McClintock
WASHINGTON (Variety) - Forming a war force of their own, MTV News and CNN have teamed up for the first time to produce a series of news reports about how Afghani