November 27, 2001

U.S. hits leadership compound near Kandahar
By Claudia Parsons and Tabassum Zakaria
Wednesday November 28, 9:05 AM
TAMPA, Florida/DESERT AIRSTRIP, Afghanistan (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes bombed a leadership compound in Afghanistan on Tuesday, stepping up the pursuit of Osama bin Laden and his Taliban allies

Afghan groups agree path to peace
Tuesday, 27 November, 2001, 19:38 GMT BBC News
Delegates say the talks will mark a new era of peace
Delegates from rival Afghan factions attending landmark talks in Germany have agreed on the principle of forming a broad-based transitional government.

Afghan groups agree to strike power-sharing deal, US troops near Kandahar
Wednesday November 28, 9:44 AM AFP
Afghan factions meeting in Germany agreed to strike a historic power-sharing deal, while US troops massed within striking distance of the ousted Taliban militia's last stronghold.

'We want to leave the Middle Ages'
By Toby Helm in Bonn
Daily Telegraph (UK) (Nov 27, 2001)
LEADERS of Afghanistan's rival factions were told by the United Nations yesterday to reach an initial agreement within five days on an interim post-Taliban government or risk

Northern Alliance Commander Expects Bonn Meeting to Produce Peace
Tuesday, November 27, 2001 8:37 PM EST
ALMA-ATA, Nov 27, 2001 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Northern Alliance Commander Abdul Rashid Dostum expressed hope Tuesday that the U.N.-sponsored talks on Afghanistan would bring

Top U.S. Diplomat Embarks on Afghan Policy Trip
Tuesday November 27 6:05 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Richard Haass, coordinator for U.S. diplomatic efforts on Afghanistan, was due to embark on a four-nation trip on Tuesday as part of an international effort to bring stability

Remains of 44 Afghan Troops Buried
By AFSHIN VALINEJAD, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday November 27 9:50 PM ET
SHINDAND, Afghanistan (AP) - About 150 men prayed beside two graves in this western Afghan town Tuesday after burying all they could find of the bodies of 44 anti-Taliban fighters they said

Amnesty Urges Inquiry Into Afghan Killings
Tuesday November 27 7:33 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Human rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday called for an inquiry into reports that hundreds of Afghan fighters have been killed in clashes since the weekend in northern Afghanistan.

WFP says thousands of Afghans found living out in the open
GENEVA, Nov 27 (AFP) - Aid workers have located a group of several thousand displaced people living out in the open in sub-zero temperatures, with very little food, in northwest Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Reconstruction requires strong Afghan perspective
ISLAMABAD, 27 November (IRIN) - As the international conference, "Preparing for Afghanistan's Reconstruction", sponsored by the World Bank, the UN Development Programme (UNDP)

Ten suspects in Masood case released in Belgium
Brussels, Nov 28, IRNA -- Ten out of the 12 men arrested by Belgian authorities on Monday in a case of forged passports were released Tuesday without charges.

Editor: Taliban Holding Reporter
Tuesday, November 27, 2001 8:31 PM EST
MONTREAL (AP) -- A Canadian free-lance reporter was detained Tuesday in Taliban-held territory of Afghanistan, according to the editor of the weekly newspaper for which he writes.

Report: Pakistan rescued Taliban
By Kirk Spitzer
USA TODAY
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan -- Pakistani air force planes evacuated hundreds of foreign fighters from the besieged city of Kunduz hours before Northern Alliance soldiers captured the city

Recommendations for Afghanistan meeting in Bonn
Human Rights Watch
As delegates gather in Germany to discuss the composition of a transitional government in Afghanistan, it is crucial to ensure that principles of international human rights and accountability

Kabul's money-changers keenly monitoring Bonn conference
Wednesday November 28, 9:46 AM AFP
The money-changers of Kabul understand the forex market as well as any broker on Wall Street, which is why they sit these days with ears glued to crackly portable radios following the historic

Kabul's women list kidnap horrors
By James Rupert
Special to the Tribune
The Chicago TribuneNovember 27, 2001
KABUL, Afghanistan -- One morning a couple of weeks ago, Afghangul made her bread dough as usual and sent her daughters, Nargis, 16, and Lida, 9, to carry it to the local bakery.

Rabbani says meeting with Musharraf soon
Times of India
Nov 27 2001
DUBAI: Acting Afghan President and Northern Alliance leader Burhanuddin Rabbani said on Tuesday he might hold talks with Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf

Iran opposes deployment of foreign forces in Afghanistan
Tehran, Nov 27, IRNA -- Iran on Tuesday opposed any deployment of multinational forces in the name of establishing security in Afghanistan.

Bollywood eyes Afghan market
Hindi films did brisk business even during the civil war
Tuesday, 27 November, 2001, 16:08 GMT
By the BBC's Sanjeev Srivastava in Bombay
India's Bollywood film industry is once again eyeing the Afghanistan market where Hindi films did roaring business before being banned by the Taleban.

Power isn't easy to share with guns at ready
One city's attempts at coalition rule demonstrate the difficulty of building a government all Afghans will accept
By Jack Kelley
USA TODAY
JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- At times, it seems like a game of one-upmanship.
''I have 5,000 men and more weapons than anyone,'' yells Hazarat Ali, Jalalabad's new security chief, during a territorial dispute with a local tribal chief. ''None of you must challenge me.

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Afghan delegates agree to strike political deal in 3-5 days: UN
BONN, Nov 27 (AFP) - The four Afghan groups attending historic talks near Bonn have agreed to strike a deal on a transitional government within three to five days, a United Nations

U.N. Warns Afghans Not to Relaunch Civil War
Tuesday November 27 2:59 PM ET
By Tom Heneghan
BONN, Germany (Reuters) - Afghan talks on a post-Taliban government in Kabul opened in Bonn Tuesday with the United Nations warning rival groups not to squander their successes

More Marines Land to Beef Up Afghan Bridgehead
Tuesday November 27 3:37 PM ET
By Claudia Parsons and Tabassum Zakaria
DESERT AIRSTRIP, Southern Afghanistan/TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - More U.S. Marines flooded into their bridgehead near Kandahar on Tuesday, preparing to scour the terrain for Osama bin Laden

Possible Afghan Chemical Weapons Sites Found - U.S.
Tuesday November 27 3:04 PM ET
By Tabassum Zakaria
TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - The commander of U.S. forces engaged in Afghanistan said on Tuesday the United States had identified more than 40 sites there that could be linked to weapons

Rumsfeld Says Fighting Persists at Mazar-I-Sharif
Tuesday November 27 1:38 PM ET
TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Tuesday fighting was persisting at the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where Northern Alliance forces and U.S.

Laura Bush Calls for Diverse Afghan Government
Tuesday November 27 2:26 PM ET
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - First lady Laura Bush on Tuesday urged Afghan delegates participating in talks in Germany to agree to a diverse post-Taliban government for their country

U.S. Says Afghan Groups Favorable to Ex-King
Tuesday November 27 10:39 AM ET
BONN, Germany (Reuters) - The U.S. special envoy on Afghanistan said Tuesday that Afghan groups debating the country's political future agreed former king Zahir Shah should play

Hospital? Embassy? Russian Camp Mystifies Kabul
Tuesday November 27 11:24 AM ET
By Michael Steen
KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Uniformed Russians with Kalashnikov assault rifles have occupied a patch of wasteland in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul, and they said Tuesday

Looters Raid Relief Stores in Afghan Border Town
Tuesday November 27 8:02 AM ET
By Andy Soloman
CHAMAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - Chaos threatened the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak Tuesday as tribal forces challenged the remnants of Taliban rule and looting began.

Afghan Leaders in Diplomatic Lock-Down
Summit: Sequestered in Germany, delegates huddle for informal talks before conference on transitional rule.
By CAROL J. WILLIAMS
TIMES STAFF WRITER
Los Angeles Times (Nov 27, 2001)
KOENIGSWINTER, Germany -- Afghan political leaders settled into a secluded Rhine Valley guest house Monday and began behind-the-scenes maneuvering ahead of today's U.N.

The Lure of Schooling Draws a Crowd
Education: In a city suddenly free of the Taliban, girls flock to a place where they're told they can learn.
By MEGAN K. STACK
TIMES STAFF WRITER
Los Angeles Times (Nov 27, 2001)
JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- They rose with the sun, scrubbed their cheeks and picked their way over pebbly paths to the schoolyard. Word spread fast in the neighborhood, and,

Kunduz Cheers Rout of Taliban
Victory: Thousands throng the city center, gaping at corpses and celebrating the end of puritanical rule.
By MAURA REYNOLDS
TIMES STAFF WRITER
Los Angeles Times (Nov 27, 2001)
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan -- With a last, fierce firefight and a blare of car horns, the Taliban's main bastion in northern Afghanistan fell to the Northern Alliance on Monday, ending 10 days

Taliban Find Themselves Isolated in the South
By NORIMITSU ONISHI
The New York TImes
QUETTA, Pakistan, Nov. 26 As United States marines secured their position today near the Taliban's headquarters in Kandahar, anti-Taliban tribal groups made gains that deepened

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Germany's Fischer Kicks Off Afghan Talks in Bonn
By Adam Tanner
Tuesday November 27 6:03 AM ET
BONN (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer opened crucial talks on Afghanistan's political future Tuesday by urging Afghan delegates to seize the moment to bring peace and promising

Afghan talks open in hope
Tuesday, 27 November, 2001, 12:24 GMT BBC News
Delegates say the talks mark a historic turning-point
Delegates from rival Afghan factions attending landmark talks in Germany say they are optimistic that the meeting will mark the dawn of a new era of peace.

U.S. Troops Strengthen Bridgehead; Bonn Talks Start
By Claudia Parsons
Tuesday November 27 5:33 AM ET
WITH U.S. FORCES IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN (Reuters) - U.S. troops reinforced their bridgehead in south Afghanistan Tuesday and Afghan tribes vowed to renew attacks

Northern Alliance says quells bloody prison revolt
By Olga Petrova
Tuesday November 27, 8:24 PM
TALOQAN, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The anti-Taliban Northern Alliance said on Tuesday its forces had put down a bloody revolt by captured al Qaeda prisoners after two days of fierce gun

'No survivors' as Taleban revolt ends
Tuesday, 27 November, 2001, 12:16 GMT BBC News
The Northern Alliance suffered heavy casualties
A revolt by Taleban fighters imprisoned in a fort near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif has ended.

Tribal armies and U.S. troops target the Taliban
By Claudia Parsons
Tuesday November 27, 7:56 PM
WITH U.S. FORCES IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN (Reuters) - U.S. troops and Afghan tribal armies vowed further attacks on the Taliban on Tuesday as the country's quarrelsome factions

Afghan reconstruction effort starts from scratch
By Alan Wheatley, Asian Economics Correspondent
Tuesday November 27, 5:55 PM
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - In Afghanistan, about 16 out of every 100 babies die at birth. Four out of every 10 born safely will not live to see their fifth birthday.

Bin Laden could be hiding in cave "hotel": report
Tuesday November 27, 8:34 PM AFP
If suspected terror chief Osama bin Laden really is hiding out in a cave in Afghanistan, as some Western experts believe, it could be in a complex in the White Mountains likened by one observer to a hotel.

Pakistan Tightening Border, Fearing Fleeing Taliban
By Andy Soloman
Monday November 26 1:48 PM ET
QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Fearing fighters from Afghanistan's embattled Taliban may try to flee into Pakistan, Pakistani officials spoke Monday of sealing parts of their frontier despite U.N.

Powell says U.S. used Russian advice in Afghanistan
Tuesday November 27, 2:20 PM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has used Russian advice in its campaign in Afghanistan but is fighting a different conflict than the Soviet Union did in the 1980s when it faced a united nation

Swedish journalist killed in Afghanistan
Tuesday, 27 November, 2001, 12:10 GMT
Journalists leave Taloqan after Mr Stroemberg's death
By the BBC's Peter Greste in Kabul
A Swedish television cameraman has become the eighth foreign journalist to be killed in Afghanistan since the start of the US bombing campaign.

Afghan women march in Kabul for right to work
By Michael Steen
Tuesday November 27, 9:00 PM
KABUL (Reuters) - Wearing a headscarf and leading 11 women covered in blue head-to-toe burqas, Afghan women's activist Najia Shirzad tried to spark a revolution in Kabul on Tuesday

She Spoke for Taliban and Now Pays a Price
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY
The New York Times
Until Sept. 11, the most vocal advocate in the United States for the Taliban was a woman.
She is Laili Helms, 38, who seems an incongruous champion for other reasons as well: An Afghan-American whose grandfathers were both ministers under the deposed king, Mohammad Zahir Shah

Thousands face hunger in Kandahar
Monday, 26 November, 2001, 18:37 GMT BBC News
As people flee south, concern grows for those who stay
Some 230,000 people are facing possible starvation in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, the UN food agency has warned.

Herat leader warns of relief crisis
Tuesday, 27 November, 2001, 11:32 GMT BBC News
Hundreds of new refugees arrive in Herat daily
The former governor of Herat, Ismail Khan, who now controls most of western Afghanistan, has appealed for urgent international help to stave off what he describes as an imminent humanitarian disaster.

Pak posts at Torkham attacked
Islamabad, Nov 27, IRNA -- Troops on the Afghanistan side of Torkham border fired rockets on two Pakistani posts Monday afternoon, reported a local daily Tuesday.

Ex-king hopes to unify through 'nostalgia'
By Eric J. Lyman
Special for USA TODAY
ROME -- One sign of how fragile plans are for a post-Taliban Afghanistan is that the man at the center of them, 87-year-old former king Mohammad Zahir Shah, has not set foot in his country since

Tribal elders to hold talks with Taliban: Peaceful transfer of power in Kandahar
Dawn
By Our Staff Correspondent
QUETTA, Nov 25: Former Afghan commanders and tribal elders, belonging to six Pakhtoon-populated provinces of Afghanistan, have decided to send a delegation with a massage

First UK casualties confirmed
Monday, 26 November, 2001, 21:40 GMT BBC News
Paras were among those put on standby
Four British soldiers have been wounded in Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has disclosed.