BBC. 18 September 2001. Afghan exodus gathers pace. Thousands of people are pouring out of Afghanistan amid fears of US strikes, defying border closures and threatening to overwhelm the aid effort to support them. The exodus continued as Afghanistan's ruling Taleban put off making a decision on whether to hand over Osama Bin Laden. Pakistani leaders have warned the Taleban's spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar that unless he surrenders Bin Laden, a prime suspect in the destruction a week ago of the World Trade Center in New York, he risks a devastating US strike. Talks are continuing on Tuesday between a Pakistani delegation and the Taleban, but a special session of 1,000 senior Afghan Islamic clerics, the Shura, called to discuss Bin Laden's fate, was postponed for at least a day, according to a Taleban official. A Pakistan Government official told the AP news agency on Tuesday that the Taleban had discussed conditions for extraditing Bin Laden, including international recognition of the Taleban government and lifting of UN sanctions. But these demands have been made before, and at the moment Taleban leaders are talking more about a possible holy war against the US if attacked and professing their belief that God is able to bring them victory even against the military might of Washington. Aid officials are preparing themselves for the influx of refugees, moving tents, food supplies and staff to border areas. But they are already overburdened with 2.5 million Afghan refugees, victims of civil war and drought. Thousands of refugees tried to cross into Pakistan at the border town of Torkham in northern Pakistan, but were turned away. But much of the Afghan-Pakistan border lies in remote areas, and it is virtually impossible for the Pakistanis to prevent people coming in. Thousands have already crossed near the Pakistani city of Quetta, and the UN is now moving tents and food supplies to that area. The UN says about 4,000 people have made the journey in the past two days, and it expects another 3-4,000 a day will continue to flood in. About 5,000 refugees are on the border near Kandahar being prevented from crossing. A BBC correspondent in Peshawar says most of the Afghans entering Pakistan are women and children; there are reports the Taleban is refusing to allow any men to leave in case they are needed to fight. Nevertheless, a BBC correspondent says that the roads out of the capital Kabul and Jalalabad in the east are crammed with vehicles of people fleeing to the countryside. Kandahar - the principal city in the south and the headquarters of the Taleban - is reported by aid agencies to be half empty and Kabul a quarter empty. Bin Laden and the Taleban have denied any involvement in the US attacks on New York and the Pentagon a week ago. ------------------------------------------- Macdonald Stainsby Rad-Green List: Radical anti-capitalist environmental discussion. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green ---- Leninist-International: Building bridges in the tradition of V.I. Lenin. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international ---- In the contradiction lies the hope. --Bertholt Brecht _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
