Taliban Puts Price on Heads of Journalists

Source: The Guardian (UK), November 30, 2001 Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar has reportedly announced a bounty of $50,000 to any Afghan gunmen who shoot a western journalist. With the roads of Afghanistan becoming ever more perilous, some journalists have made a "hasy retreat" from dangerous areas, partly to register protest with victorious Northern Alliance commanders who have failed to guarantee security. While the casualty count among western soldiers from almost two months of war is one death, eight journalists have been killed in Afghanistan in three weeks. Worldwide, 53 journalists have been killed so far this year, prompting a statement of concern from the International Press Institute.