As President Bush primes the nation for what he has called “America’s new war” against terrorism, Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan have risen to the top of the nation’s enemy list. While most Americans know little about bin Laden, Afghanistan or the Taliban, the Web can provide a crash course on everything from bin Laden’s family background to the ethnic differences that split Afghanistan. What follows is a list of links to Web sites and articles that provide useful news and background about the possible targets in America’s war against terrorism.
Background on Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden
Postcards from Hell
Extensive Afghanistan resources and history, including interviews with King Zahir Shah and the late Northern Alliance leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)
Maps of Afghanistan:
Collected by the University of Texas. Includes CIA maps and ancient historical maps.
Amnesty International links on Afghanistan:
News and information from one of the world’s largest human rights organizations.
CIA World Fact book on Afghanistan
Afghanistan Online:
A U.S.-based Web site offering news, background and cultural information about the country.
Articles and Newspapers
Salon’s coverage of the attacks against America
Yahoo’s list of Afghanistan media sources
CNN’s archived coverage of the attacks
An Afghan English-language weekly
Background on the Taliban from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Yahoo’s Full Coverage of Afghanistan
Meeting with the Muj
by Jessica Stern
A look at the radical religious schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
Letter from Afghanistan
by William T. Vollmann
Originally appeared in the New Yorker May 15, 2000.
The Real bin Laden
by Mary Anne Weaver
Originally appeared in the New Yorker Jan. 24, 2000
Frontline: Hunting bin Laden
Includes background and an interview with bin Laden.
Article on Osama bin Laden from Al-Ahram, a weekly newspaper based in Cairo.
Archives from the Smoking Gun on Osama bin Laden: Includes terrorism manual excerpts and a transcript of the interrogation of a bin Laden disciple.
MSA News
Project based at Ohio State University looks at how the Western media covers Muslims. Here’s a link to their bin Laden section, which includes multiple bin Laden links and photos.
