March 14, 2001

Buddhas totally destroyed, Taliban orders BBC out
ISLAMABAD, March 14 (Kyodo) - By: Shahid-ur-Rehman Khan
Taliban forces have totally demolished two world-famous giant Buddha images carved into a cliff in Afghanistan's Bamyan Province, leaving ''no trace of the statues,'' the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported Wednesday, quoting a Taliban minister.

Afghan's Taliban say they will spare Hindu statues
KABUL, Mar 14 (Reuters) - The foreign minister of the ruling Taliban movement said on Wednesday they would not smash idols of the minority Hindu population in their campaign

Taliban expel BBC for criticism of destruction
By Sayed Salahuddin
KABUL, March 14 (Reuters) - The ruling Taliban expelled the British Broadcasting Corporation from Afghanistan on Wednesday for transmitting criticism of the group's

UNESCO demands new laws after Taliban destruction
By Crispian Balmer
PARIS (Reuters) - Stunned by the destruction of statues in Afghanistan, the head of the U.N. cultural agency on Tuesday demanded international laws to punish cultural vandalism.

Thailand condemns Taliban for destroying Buddhas
BANGKOK, March 14 (Reuters) - Thailand condemned the ruling Taliban government in Afghanistan on Wednesday for its destruction of Buddha statues, describing the action as vandalism.

Pakistan keeps Annan from 'world's worst' camp
Ewen MacAskill in the Khyber Pass Tuesday March 13, 2001 The Guardian
The military-led government of Pakistan has stopped the United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, visiting a makeshift refugee camp near the Afghan border

Russian guards kill 10 drug smugglers in Tajikistan
DUSHANBE, March 14 (Reuters) - Russian borderguards in Tajikistan have killed 10 drug smugglers who tried to cross the border from Afghanistan, the guards' press service said on Wednesday.

The Taliban, the Buddhas and the Saudi connection
By Robert Fisk, Middle East Correspondent - The Independent - 13 March 2001
The destruction of the great Buddhist statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban militia was as predictable as it was culpable; Saudi Arabia bears ultimate responsibility

A dying nation
Peter Bergen - The Washington Times 3/14/01
This time the Taliban has gone too far. The movement of religious students turned-warriors that controls most of Afghanistan is systematically destroying the