M A I N   N E W S

Buddha statues completely destroyed

Islamabad, March 11
The Taliban militia late tonight completely demolished two giant statues of Buddha hewn from a cliff face in Central Afghanistan despite desperate pleas from abroad to spare the third and fifth-century relics.

The destruction was ordered late last month by the Taliban, hard-line Muslims, who rule most of Afghanistan.

Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil told UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during a meeting today in Pakistan that there was nothing left of the statues, according to an international aid worker who attended the talks.

In an unprecedented gesture reflecting international outcry over the destruction of the Buddha statues, Mr Kofi Annan walked out from his meeting with Mr Muttawakil.

Mr Annan said he walked out of the meeting after being told by Mr Muttawakil that all the movable heritage statues in Afghanistan had been destroyed. AP, PTI