June 5, 2001

Afghan opposition reports gains in heavy fighting
KABUL, June 5 (Reuters) - Afghanistan opposition forces said on Tuesday they had ousted the ruling Taliban from the strategic township of Yakawlang in the central province of Bamiyan after fierce fighting.

Afghan enemies claim victories as battles spread
KABUL, June 5 (AFP) - A Shiite faction of Afghanistan's opposition alliance captured a central district from the ruling Taliban as heavy fighting spread through two provinces overnight, sources said Tuesday.

Afghan survey shows deaths exceed emergency level
By Jack Redden
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Death rates have soared in northern Afghanistan after three years of drought that has devastated agriculture, a medical survey released Monday said.

Afghans selling children to survive draught: report
DAWN
ISLAMABAD, June 4: A US-based child development and relief organization on Monday expressed concern on the deteriorating conditions in the drought-stricken areas of Afghanistan

Taliban impose Islamic law on aid workers
By Ahmed Rashid in Lahore -The Daily Telegraph
THE Taliban militiamen who rule much of Afghanistan are planning to bring all foreign aid workers and journalists under the jurisdiction of Islamic law and the much-feared religious police.

Russia, India ink $10 billion defence accords
The Nation (Pak.)
Russia and India have signed a series of defence agreements worth over ten billion dollars, reported BBC and Radio Tehran on Monday.

Musharraf packs his bags for Delhi
Benazir Bhutto - The Nation
In a surprise move, Indian Premier Vajpayee extended an invitation to Pakistani coup leader General Musharraf to visit New Delhi for talks this summer.

A legacy of the longest war
A.B.S. Jafri - The Nation 6/5/01
Phase one of the drive to recover illegally possessed weapons is six days old today. It is creditable that the government has taken all the time it needed to do its home work.

Taliban internal struggle intensifies
Imtiaz Gul reports from The Friday Times (Pak.)- 6/1/01
“The rhetoric has surely gone down, but we still have to see what it means in practical terms,” Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil, the Taliban foreign minister told TFT when asked whether he sensed

Ban on NWFP-based international NGOs likely
Iqbal Khattak - The Friday Times
A high-powered scrutiny committee set up by the government has short-listed a number of Afghan and other international NGOs working in the NWFP recommending that they be banned,