Reports

By Fariba Nawa October 22, 2001 Agence France Presse Islamabad -- The United States will be hard pressed to complete its assault against the Taliban by a double deadline of the looming bitter winter in Afghanistan and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, experts said. Temperatures will plunge about the same time as Ramadan starts

By Fariba Nawa October 17, 2001 Agence France Presse Islamabad -- Ayesha Zia Khan is 22. She does not cover her hair and studies computing at university. Yet she says she would be glad to see allies of the fundamentalist Taliban regime running Pakistan. Khan is well aware that the Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan

By Fariba Nawa October 11, 2001 Agence France Presse Islamabad -- Sealed borders don't stop refugees. Pakistan's frontier with Afghanistan has been closed for weeks, but hundreds, if not thousands of Afghans are managing to cross through mountain passes unpatrolled by border guards. Most pay an average of 500 rupees (eight dollars) to ride to

By Fariba Nawa October 8, 2001 Agence France Presse Islamabad -- Bride-to-be Zinab Najam was supposed to send invitation cards, buy wedding clothes and book a banquet hall for her anticipated wedding next month. Instead, she is watching the news worried that her fiancee may be dodging rockets and missiles in Kabul. Najam, 28, an

By Fariba Nawa October 7, 2001 Agence France Presse Islamabad -- Opposition forces Sunday claimed to have made significant gains in their fight against the Taliban militia in the north and west of Afghanistan, as US forces stood ready across the border in Uzbekistan. Opposition spokesmen said hundreds of Taliban soldiers had surrendered and 13

By Fariba Nawa October 4, 2001 Agence France Presse Islamabad -- Opposition commander Ismail Khan on Thursday warned the United States that elements of the Taliban should be involved in efforts to reconstruct Afghanistan despite growing signs of popular rebellion. Khan cautioned Washington against being blinded to the political and social realities of Afghanistan in