December 6, 2001

Taliban Start Handing Over Weapons in Kandahar -AIP
Thursday December 6 11:48 PM ET
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Taliban fighters began turning over their weapons in the southern city of Kandahar, their birthplace and last bastion, on Friday, an Afghan news agency reported.

Taliban agree to surrender Kandahar on Friday
December 6, 2001 Posted: 9:41 p.m. EST (0241 GMT)
(CNN) -- Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar appeared ready to surrender the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar Thursday, as word came that the airport east of the city had fallen to anti-Taliban forces.

Rumsfeld says Kandahar surrender would meet U.S. views
Friday December 7, 1:14 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday he believed any negotiated surrender of the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan

Cautious optimism in Kabul
Money changers hope the accord will boost business
Wednesday, 5 December, 2001, 16:44 GMT  BBC News
By BBC News Online's Marcus George and the BBC's William Reeve in Kabul
The appointment of Hamid Karzai to the leadership of the interim authority in Afghanistan has been generally welcomed on the streets of Kabul.

Lawmaker Calls for $1.6 Billion in Afghan Aid
Thursday December 6 7:17 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top House Democrat on Thursday proposed a four-year $1.6 billion package to provide aid to the Afghan people and help rebuild the country once the U.S. military campaign ends.

Sixth Afghan Soldier Dies of U.S. Bombing Injuries
Thursday December 6 9:04 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The death toll from an accidental American bombing of U.S. and anti-Taliban opposition troops in Afghanistan rose to nine on Thursday when a sixth Afghan

US forces use bombs to try to entomb enemy in caves
Friday December 7, 9:33 AM AFP
US forces hope to entomb al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the mountains of Afghanistan by using precision-guided weapons to blow up entrances to the caves and tunnels in which they hide, military experts say.

Afghans guilty of Stansted hijack
Thursday, 6 December, 2001, 17:26 GMT
The hijack ended after a three-day stand-off
Nine Afghan men have been convicted of hijacking a plane which landed at Stansted Airport in Essex.

Al-Qaeda fighters pounded in Tora Bora stronghold
Friday December 7, 3:04 AM AFP
US warplanes and Afghan tribal militias hammered Osama bin Laden's fighters in eastern Afghanistan while bombs rained on the Taliban in their southern stronghold of Kandahar.

UN concern over Pakistan refugees
Thursday, 6 December, 2001, 16:31 GMT BBC News
Closing the borders doesn't stop the flow of refugees
By the BBC's Jill McGivering in Islamabad
Officials from the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, have expressed concern about reports that Pakistan plans to move Afghan refugees in Pakistan out of urban

China welcomes interim Afghan government, pledges assistance
Thursday December 6, 5:18 PM  AFP
China welcomed the signing of an accord for an interim government for Afghanistan and said it would provide assistance "within its capability".

Profile: Younis Qanooni
As Interior Minister, Mr Qanooni will have to deal with security issues
Thursday, 6 December, 2001, 15:36 GMT  BBC News
Younis Qanooni, the man designated interior minister in the new interim Afghan administration, is one of a trio of younger leaders entrusted with the task of creating

Profile: Sima Samar
Dr Samar is the first woman to win such a senior post
Thursday, 6 December, 2001, 16:59 GMT  BBC News
Dr Sima Samar was on a lecture tour in Canada when the news broke that she had been named deputy premier of the new government in Afghanistan.

Profile: Suhaila Seddiqi
Seddiqi is a household name in Afghanistan
Thursday, 6 December, 2001, 17:15 GMT  BBC News
Afghanistan's new health minister is something of a local celebrity.
Suhaila Seddiqi, an independent Tajik, is one of two women ministers appointed to the country's post-Taleban government.

Afghan Expatriates Thrill to Woman's Appointment
By KIM MURPHY
Los Angels Times December 6 2001
QUETTA, Pakistan -- The news that a woman has been named deputy prime minister of Afghanistan made headlines around the world Wednesday, but perhaps nowhere did it mean

Choice of Interim Leader Draws a Mixed Response
By TYLER MARSHALL
Los Angels Times December 6 2001
QUETTA, Pakistan -- Afghans in the region had a mixed response Wednesday to the announcement that an urbane 43-year-old Pushtun tribal chief, Hamid Karzai, had been named to lead

Rumble in the rubble: Kabul again comes to blows
Sydney Morning Herald (Dec 6, 2001)
The Taliban's demise has precipitated the rebirth of boxing in Afghanistan, writes Philip Sherwell in Kabul.

Karzai pledges warm ties with Pakistan
Karachi | By Salahuddin Haider | 07/12/2001
Gulf News (Dec 6, 2001)
The nomination of Kandahar-born Pashtun leader Hamid Karzai, as the new head of the government in Afghanistan, brought a sense of relief to Pakistan government.

Camp where they hanged Abdul Haq
By Julius Strauss in Rishkhor
Daily Telegraph (UK) (Dec 6, 2001)
A DIRTY metal noose wrapped in old rags hung from the scraggy maple tree. On the ground lay a black jacket, soiled with blood and dirt. The sweet smell of corpses hung faintly in the air.

School that inspired a century of extremists
Daily Telegraph (UK) (Dec 6, 2001)
Religious college created after the Indian Mutiny turns out hundreds of followers a year, reports Rahul Bedi

OIC, Pakistan support Bonn accord
Islamabad, Dec 6, IRNA -- The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Pakistan have expressed the hope that the Bonn agreement mandating for the establishment of interim

Change in UK Representative to Kabul
London, Dec 6, -- The UK is replacing its representative in Kabul less than a month after the reopening of the British Embassy for the first time in more than a decade.

Bin Laden Forces Hold Ground
Special Forces Aiding Hunt for Al Qaeda in Mountain Caves
By Susan B. Glasser
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, December 7, 2001; Page A37
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Dec. 6 – Despite another day of heavy bombing by U.S. warplanes, Osama bin Laden's guerrillas held their ground today against 1,000 Afghans attacking

Afghan group supports outcome of Bonn conference
Mashhad, Khorassan prov., Dec 6, IRNA -- Mashhad-based Afghan Center for politico-cultural activities, Tebyan, in a statement here on Thursday supported the decisions reached

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Taliban's Omar said ready to surrender Kandahar
By Andy Soloman and Sayed Salahuddin
Thursday December 6, 8:26 PM
CHAMAN, Pakistan/Kabul (Reuters) - Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has decided to hand over Kandahar, his last main stronghold in Afghanistan

Afghan Power-Sharing Deal Frays, War Rages On
By Michael Steen
Thursday December 6 8:11 AM ET
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's fragile new power-sharing deal began to fray within a day of signing, and wounded refugees accused U.S. bombers of slaughtering civilians on the roads.

Taleban leader to 'surrender Kandahar'
Thursday, 6 December, 2001, 13:17 GMT BBC News
US forces have been attacking Kandahar day after day
Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is reported to have negotiated the surrender of Kandahar, his last stronghold in Afghanistan.

Karzai Offers Amnesty to 'Common Taliban'
Thursday December 6 11:10 AM ET
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Hamid Karzai, the Pashtun tribal chief named this week to lead a new Afghan government, said Thursday he had offered an amnesty to the ``common Taliban.''

Aid Agency Pulls Out of Eastern Afghan City
By Paul Holmes
Thursday December 6 5:06 AM ET
KABUL (Reuters) - Aid agency Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Thursday it had withdrawn foreign staff from the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad because of concern over anti-Western

Afghans Agree on Government, Leader Escapes Bomb
By Alan Elsner and Sayed Salahuddin
Thursday December 6 12:37 AM ET
WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's new leaders began beating their swords into ploughshares on Thursday as U.S. forces pursued the ``messy, dirty job'' of finishing off the leadership

Wealthy nations open Afghan aid tap
Wednesday, 5 December, 2001, 20:35 GMT BBC News
Fischer called on rich nations to provide massive aid
Now that four Afghan factions have agreed to form a new government, the world's richer countries are offering them a huge incentive to stick to the deal.

U.N. Talks Begin On Peacekeeping In Afghanistan
By Colum Lynch and Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, December 6, 2001; Page A31
U.N. Security Council diplomats yesterday began negotiating the makeup of a multinational peacekeeping force in Afghanistan that would probably be led by a European nation and could include Afghan

OIC Backs UN Afghan Pact, Urges Help for New Govt.
Thursday December 6 9:02 AM ET
By Raja Asghar
ISLAMABAD (OIC) on Thursday backed a U.N.-brokered power-sharing deal signed by rival Afghan groups and urged member states to help the new government.

UN to Endorse Afghan Pact, but Delays Peacekeepers
Thursday December 6 9:50 AM ET
By Evelyn Leopold
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council prepared to endorse on Thursday an agreement among anti-Taliban Afghans to form an interim government but put off

Anti-Taliban Forces Claim Advance in Tora Bora
Thursday December 6 1:31 AM ET
KABUL (Reuters) - Anti-Taliban forces have captured some cave-riddled hills in eastern Afghanistan, killing 22 foreign fighters loyal to fugitive Osama bin Laden, a spokesman said on Thursday.

New Generation Of Afghan Leaders Prepares to Govern
Key Players Vow to Avoid Past Errors
By Peter Baker and Pamela Constable
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, December 6, 2001; Page A30
KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 5 -- It was Monday night, the end of a long, dispiriting day for Burhanuddin Rabbani, the de facto leader of Afghanistan. He had just gotten off the phone

The Administration
Source:The Times (UK)
December 6, 2001
This is a provisional list of the 30-member interim administration approved by four Afghan delegations meeting in Bonn. The portfolios are followed by the names and, where known

Pressure builds on Tora Bora caves
Thursday, 6 December, 2001, 12:22 GMT  BBC News
US planes are bombing the Tora Bora complex
Taleban and al-Qaeda positions in eastern and southern Afghanistan are coming under increasing pressure from the US and its allies.

Asian Development Bank to set up office in Kabul
TOKYO, Dec 6 (AFP) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will set up an office in Kabul next year to contribute to the reconstruction of war-ravaged Afghanistan, ADB president

End of war in sight but who'll pay for peace?
by Francois-Xavier Harispe
KABUL, Dec 6 (AFP) - Agreement on an interim Afghan administration was met with acclaim in the international community but no one has asked the simple question of who is going to foot the bill.

China welcomes interim Afghan government, pledges assistance
Thursday December 6, 5:18 PM  AFP
China welcomed the signing of an accord for an interim government for Afghanistan and said it would provide assistance "within its capability".

Security Council welcomes Afghan accord, defers consultations on force
Thursday December 6, 8:32 AM
The UN Security Council welcomed Wednesday's agreement to set up an interim government in Afghanistan, but postponed a decision on authorising an international military force to support it.

Taliban leader's bid for amnesty likely to be rejected
By Vivienne Walt
USA TODAY
QUETTA, Pakistan -- The man chosen Wednesday to head an interim government in Afghanistan says Taliban leader Mohammed Omar has asked for amnesty.

Pakistan plans to return Afghan refugees
Musharraf says country cannot carry burden
Jonathan Steele
Thursday December 6, 2001
The Guardian (UK)
Pakistan is planning to move Afghans living in cities to refugee camps as part of a drive to urge them to go back to their homeland, now that the prospect of peace and stability

Deal has been done, but what are the pitfalls?
War on terrorism
By Mary Dejevsky in Bonn
The Independent (UK)
06 December 2001
When the four Afghan delegations first met in formal session at the Petersberg hotel, near Bonn, 10 days ago, the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, sent a pointed message.

New leader is warlord with a Masters degree in politics
War on terrorism
By Angus Donald in Peshawar
The Independent (UK)
06 December 2001
Hamid Karzai's credentials as an interim leader of Afghanistan are impressive: Pashtun blood, military power on the ground in Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces, the minimum possible

For Incoming Chief, One More Close Call
Karzai Slightly Injured by Errant U.S. Bomb
By John Pomfret
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, December 6, 2001; Page A31
QUETTA, Pakistan, Dec. 5 -- For weeks, rumors have circulated about the whereabouts of Hamid Karzai. Some said he was in the mountains of Uruzgan province fighting for a new Afghanistan.

Karzai, the anti-Pak Pashtun mujahideen
Hindustan Times (India)
December 6, 2001
AFP Quetta, December 5
Pashtun tribal elder Hamid Karzai was named cabinet chairman of an interim post-Taliban Afghanistan on Wednesday, a spectacular reward for his backing of US bombing in his homeland.

Choice to lead coalition known for ties to West
By Patrick Healy and Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, Boston Globe Staff, 12/6/2001
KABUL, Afghanistan - As his troops prepared war strategy on the outskirts of Kandahar, tribal chief-turned-military commander Hamid Karzai learned yesterday that he will have

Pushtun's background led to Karzai's ascendancy
By Rahimullah Yusufzai
The News: Jang (Pakistan)
December 6, 2001
PESHAWAR: Being a Durrani Pushtun, Kandahari, anti-Taliban and supporter of former Afghan king Zahir Shah contributed to Hamed Karzai gaining acceptability as the head

Day one of battle for Tora Bora: Ambush, retreat and ignominy
War on terrorism
By Richard Lloyd Parry at Tora Bora
The Independent (UK) (Dec 6, 2001)
On a map, it is little more than a mile from the bottom of the White Mountains to the caves that the al-Qa'ida fighters use, but it took Jan Shah and his mujahedin three hours to climb the steep forest slope.

The Defector's Tale: Tall, or Truly Daring?
By C. J. CHIVERS
The New York Times
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Dec. 5 Abdullah Gaurd, until recently a feared Taliban commander, sat barefoot on a blue cushion by a wood- burning pot stove. His one-eyed bodyguard

Suffering Afghan children touch American hearts U.S. donations pour in, but fighting slows deliveries
By Gregg Zoroya
USA TODAY
After giving more than $1.3 billion to victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans are digging even deeper to stave off famine and help children in Afghanistan, where

Two Once Powerful Figures Remain Silent About the Accord
By DAVID ROHDE
The New York Times
KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 5 As joyful United Nations and Northern Alliance negotiators announced an agreement in Bonn today for the creation of an interim Afghan government

Qaeda fighters put up fierce resistance from high ground
By John Donnelly, Boston Globe Staff, 12/6/2001
TORA BORA, Afghanistan - The ground offensive against Osama bin Laden's Qaeda terror group began yesterday with 1,000 Afghan soldiers fanning out at the bottom of a mountainside

For Marines in desert, a sobering lesson of war
Soldiers and doctors see dead and wounded after a U.S. bomb goes astray
By Bill Glauber
Baltimore Sun (Dec 6, 2001)
CAMP RHINO, Southern Afghanistan - The bodies of two American servicemen were flown to this desolate desert air base last night, hours after an Air Force B-52 bombed friendly

Bin Laden Hunted in Caves; Errant U.S. Bomb Kills 3 G.I.'s
By JAMES DAO and ERIC SCHMITT
The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 Opposition forces closed in on the last Taliban and Al Qaeda stronghold in the eastern mountains of Afghanistan today, while intensified combat

Concerns grow over ethnic tensions among factions
By David Filipov, Boston Globe Staff, 12/6/2001
KALKH, Afghanistan - Northern Alliance troops who last month drove the Taliban out of the strategic northern Afghanistan city of Mazar-e-Sharif have begun robbing and terrorizing