March 17, 2001

Wrapped in plastic, the rejected wait to die
Rory McCarthy in Jalozai  Guardian (UK) Friday March 16, 2001
The Guardian gains access to the Afghans' grim refugee camp which the Pakistani authorities kept from the eyes of the UN secretary general

Over 4,000 Taliban soldiers took part in statue demolition
KABUL, March 16 (Kyodo) - More than 4,000 Taliban soldiers from around the country took part in the demolition of the two giant Buddha statues in Bamyan

Taliban Trying to Shift Blame by Cooking New Stories
UF gives List of Taliban Leaders Sent to Destroy the Statues in Bamyan
Washington, March 16, 2001 - AAR - News reports from inside Afghanistan indicate that the Taliban leadership is devising new ways to avoid possible prosecution

Kabul bomb kills five
BBC
At least five people were killed and about 12 wounded when a car bomb exploded on a busy street in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Playing the game by the Taliban's rules
By Ahmed Rashdid
When the international community recently restored Kabul's soccer stadium to its former glory, the Taliban quickly put it back in use. In front of a capacity crowd of 10,000 men

Tearful farewell to Afghanistan
BBC News
"I'm a refugee from Afghanistan," I said to the Pakistani officials at the border. "No, you're a distinguished journalist and our honoured guest," they said.

Taliban’s idol-smashing edict had Pakistan’s tacit approval
The Hindustan Times
March 17, 2001
(New Delhi, March 16)
TWO MEMBERS of the Taliban council that passed the edict calling for the destruction of Buddha statues in Afghanistan's Bamiyan province were Pakistani nationals,

No decision yet on pieces of Bamyan Buddha statues: Taliban
KABUL, March 17 (Kyodo) - By: Shahid-ur-Rehman Khan Taliban authorities have yet to decide what to do with the pieces of the two world famous Bamyan Buddha statues

Afghans shaken by Taleban acts of vandalism
ZAHID HUSSAIN IN KABUL - Times (UK) 3/16/01
THE dilapidated two-storey grey building of Kabul Museum in Darul Aman district, once famous for its rare collection of ancient relics, is now a hollow ruin, its crumbling

Overture by Taliban Hits Resistance
Los Angeles Times  By TERESA WATANABE
At the tender age of 24, Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi has one of the tougher sells in the world: trying to launch a major charm offensive on behalf of the ruling Taliban party of Afghanistan.

Weep for Afghanistan - she is dying!
Friday March 16, 12:00 AM
The Hindu
SEVERAL THOUSAND years of human history and artistic achievements, 80 years of archaeological excavations by European and Afghan teams