May 2, 2001

Afghan opposition agrees ceasefire if Taliban does
By Tahir Ikram
FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, May 2 (Reuters) - The Afghan opposition alliance said on Wednesday it would accept a United Nations appeal for a ceasefire to prevent a humanitarian disaster if the ruling

UN refugee chief heads to Kabul after talks with ousted Afghan leader
FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, May 2 (AFP) - The UN's refugee chief flew to the Afghan capital Kabul Wednesday after holding talks on a temporary truce with the country's ousted president to help 800,000

U.N. refugee chief sees anti-Taliban Afghan forces
By Tahir Ikram
FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, May 2 (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. refugee agency flew into the remote capital of the anti-Taliban alliance on Wednesday to discuss the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Afghanistan.

Refugee chief urges Afghan ceasefire
BBC News
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, has flown into northern Afghanistan to meet the opposition and to press for a temporary ceasefire.

Taliban hold public executions
KABUL, May 1 (AFP) - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia have publicly executed two alleged murderers in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and the eastern city of Laghman, the official Radio Sahariat said Tuesday.

Three Afghans killed in shootout on Tajik-Afghan border
DUSHANBE, May 1 (AFP) - Russian border guards killed three Afghans in an overnight shootout at the Tajik-Afghan border, a spokesman told AFP Tuesday.

Islamabad denies increasing aid to Taliban
 Islamabad, May 2, IRNA -- Pakistan has denied US allegations, contained in a State Department report on Monday, that it was backing Afghanistan's ruling Taliban with increased military assistance.

Pak support to Taliban increasing, says US
From Afzal Khan The Nation 5/1/01
WASHINGTON - In a strong indictment of Afghanistan under the Taliban in the latest report on " Patterns of Global Terrorism 2000", the United States has accused Pakistan of increasing

Taliban retreat from Farkhar Gorge
Islamabad, May 1, IRNA -- Reports from Afghanistan say that the Taliban have lost the strategic Farkhar Tangi (gorge) following heavy fighting that left dozens dead and injured on both sides.

'US plans to bring ex-monarch to counter Taliban'
ISLAMABAD: The former Prime Minister of Afghanistan and chief of Hizb-e-Islami party, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has said that the United States has plans to bring in exiled Afghan Monarch Zahir Shah

India unhappy with US leaving out Lashkar from list
The Times of India News Service and PTI - 5/2/01
NEW DELHI: Despite an ongoing security dialogue and a joint working group on counter-terrorism, there are important differences between India and the US on the role of terrorist groups

'Pakistan a challenging case'
By Tahir Mirza
WASHINGTON, May 1: Pakistan has been described as a "challenging case" in relation to terrorism co-operating with international efforts to contain the phenomenon but, at the same time,

Taliban order Turkish NGO to close schools
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, May 1: The Taliban have ordered a Turkish NGO to close its higher secondary schools in five provinces in Afghanistan and expel its teaching staff, sources told Dawn here on Tuesday.

I'D BE KILLED IF I WENT HOME
By OLIVER HARVEY - The Sun - 5/02/01
IN the final part of The Sun's in-depth immigration series, we focus on two different kinds of asylum seeker.

Lt. Gen Usmani Deputy COAS
From Rana Qaisar - The Nation
ISLAMABAD–In an expected development at top Army level, Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday appointed Lt. Gen. Muzaffar H. Usmani as Deputy Chief of Army Staff (DCOAS).

Taleban pervert spirit of Islam
Letter: Re Commander of the Faithful, World & Business, April 29.
Not once did you mention in your article that the Taleban are an incredible embarrassment to the Muslim world. Why is that?