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Profiles American-Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh. Biographical information; Capture by American military forces in Afghanistan; Conversion to Islam; Voyage to Yemen; Reaction to the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole in the Yemeni harbor of Aden; Involvement in the Al Qaeda terrorist organization; Details of Lindh's interrogation by American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents; Reaction of Lindh's family; Possible punishment for Lindh by the United States.

Focuses on the United States military presence in Afghanistan. Advantages for the U.S. of having military bases at Bagram Airport and near the city of Kandahar; Efforts of American forces to locate al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden; Speculation regarding the ability of Taliban forces to hold out against U.S. military strikes; Outlook for the establishment of an interim government in Afghanistan.

Describes the author's experience in the village of Amir Abad near Konduz in Afghanistan. Details of the deals and chaos surrounding the Taliban surrender of soldiers to the Northern Alliance; Concern about the potential danger from the mass defection of Taliban fighters; Confusion about the role of the foreign Taliban who are attached to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network; Role of American officials in offering a reward for bin Laden's capture; Outbreaks of shooting in the area.

Focuses on Afghanistan and efforts of the United Nations to ensure that a multi-ethnic coalition government is established after the defeat of the Taliban. Outlook for a meeting of factions in Bonn, Germany, which is expected to include the Northern Alliance and expatriate Pashtuns; How warlords are trying to reassert control in Afghanistan; Search for Osama bin Laden; Deals being made for defections.

Discusses how Afghanistan can be rebuilt after its liberation from the repression of the Taliban government. Suggestion that the country can be developed with a coalition government representing the multi-ethnic populace; Use of peacekeeping troops; How the reconstruction will be financed by the United States and its allies; Priorities of food, schools, infrastructure, and alternative crop programs.

Focuses on Afghanistan and deals being made by the Northern Alliance and the Taliban as the Taliban's government is defeated. Details of a meeting for a surrender of Taliban fighters in Kunduz; Idea that Afghanistan could collapse into chaos; Concern of the Bush Administration for stabilizing Afghanistan and eliminating Osama bin Laden; Description of Afghanistan as a nation of warlordism, betrayal and defection. INSET: WITHOUT REFUGE.

Focuses on the future of Afghanistan, as the Taliban regime is forced from power. Response of Afghans to their increased freedom; Comment that the Afghans are not really free, because the country's political future remains uncertain; Role of other countries, including the United States, in assembling a coalition government to lead Afghanistan; Refusal of the Northern Alliance to share power; Analysis of the U.S.-led bombing campaign and the Taliban's unexpectedly rapid retreat from key cities.

Focuses on the collapse of the Taliban forces in Afghanistan from the Northern Alliance and the United States in the war against terrorism. Description of their collapse; Efforts to track down terrorist Osama bin Laden; Details of fighting between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance; Way that Afghanistan will be rebuilt.

Reports on the progress of a manhunt inside Afghanistan by the United States for terrorist Osama bin Laden. Imminent capture of bin Laden; Region where he is suspected to be hiding as of November 26, 2001; Offers of Taliban commanders to give up bin Laden; Difficulty of targeting bin Laden and his officers; Leadership in the region; Success of U.S. air power against the Taliban. INSET: TALIBAN ON THE RUN.

Presents photographs of the liberation of Kabul, Afghanistan by Northern Alliance troops. Actions of Afghans following the departure of the Taliban government from Kabul; Progress of the United States-led war against Afghanistan; Public support for the departure of the Taliban; Death of a Taliban soldier; U.S. Special Operations forces in the region.

Discusses the progress of the military campaign of the Northern Alliance and the United States against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Strategic importance of the city Mazar-e Sharif, which the Northern Alliance have gained control of; Possibility that U.S. ground forces may be sent in to help hold the city; Uncertainty surrounding the future of Afghanistan if the Taliban is overthrown; Problem of weakening support for the U.S. bombing campaign; Analysis of U.S. military strategy.

Reports on the conflict in Afghanistan between the Taliban regime and the Northern Alliance. How the United States is helping the Northern Alliance; Ground operations in Afghanistan; Conditions for Northern Alliance soldiers.

Discusses warlords in Afghanistan. Control of politics and government by the warlords; Capture and execution of Abdul Haq by the Taliban; Outlook for the United States-led war against the Taliban; Comments of former U.S. national-security adviser Robert C. McFarlane concerning the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency; Outlook for government in Afghanistan.

Presents several editorials which discuss different subjects. "The Bubble Could Burst," which discussed the economic conditions of the U.S.; "Unwise Solomon," which discussed the Solomon amendment; "Afghanistan Now," which discussed the political and military conflicts in Afghanistan.

Highlights the existence of political crisis under the revolutionary regime of President Noor Mohammad Taraki in Afghanistan. Political influence of Taraki; Diplomatic relations of Soviet Union with Afghanistan; Military onslaught in Afghanistan.

Presents a first-hand account by the author, a 'U.S. News' correspondent, of the fighting between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Excerpts from a diary documenting her experience with the Northern Alliance; Attitudes of the Northern Alliance soldiers; Details of refugees forced to flee their village by the Taliban.

Presents a personal narrative from the liberation of Kabul, Afghanistan by Northern Alliance troops. Description of fighting between Taliban and Northern Alliance troops; Entry of journalists into Kabul; Power vacuum left by the departure of the Taliban; Civil unrest in Kabul.

Presents a real life incidence from Saber Ali, who was tortured by the Taliban government of Afghanistan for his association with political radical Ahmed Shah Massoud of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. Public opinion of the Taliban government in Afghanistan; Details of Ali's experiences, including his capture and imprisonment; Reflections on how he came to be wanted by both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance.

Addresses the question of who will rule Afghanistan if the Taliban falls. Possible contenders for leadership; Attitudes of bordering nations; Realization by the United States and its allies of the need for a stable postwar Afghanistan; The challenges which Afghanistan faces; Why Iran and Pakistan are interested in Afghanistan's future government; Question of United Nations involvement; Role of the U.S. in rebuilding. INSET: ONCE AND FUTURE LORDS?.

Discusses the outlook for control of Afghanistan if the United States' offensive weakens the Taliban regime of Mullah Mohammed Omar and causes its collapse. Idea to bring back Mohammed Zahir Shah, the deposed Afghan King who is living in Rome, and drawbacks to the idea; How independent tribal elders of the Pashtun majority are uniting behind Shah, who would be acceptable to the ethnic minorities of the Northern Alliance; Mention of the concern about a rally of zealots against the U.S.

Focuses on political conditions in Afghanistan. Support of masses to the legitimate government of Babrak Karmal; Discussion of the history of how Central Asia was brought into the Soviet Union orbit; Observation that the economic policy of the new Soviet-supported Central Asian authorities ignored the economic and social peculiarities of the region and wreaked havoc instead of building socialism.

Discusses the policy of the U.S. government under the administration of President Jimmy Carter to free Afghanistan from murderous embrace of the Soviet Union. Argument pertaining to the ethical qualms about the conduct of foreign policy; Expression of outrage by the U.S. government against the Russian intervention in Afghanistan; Outcry of Senator Ted Kennedy against the Russian operation in Afghanistan; Pacified policy of Russians toward Muslims and Islamic separatists.

The article profiles an Afghan woman who dresses and lives as a man. Nadia lives as "Zemary" so she can have the freedom to go around Kabul and work to support her mother and two sisters. When a bomb attack put Nadia in the hospital and killed her brother, she decided to take his place in the family. INSET: MURDERED FOR BEING FEMALE.

Focuses on political conditions in Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban rulers. Mention of Gul Agha Shirzai, who was the governor of the Kandahar Province before the Taliban rule, and how his rule was characterized by anarchy; Topic of warlordism in Afghanistan; His policy that Arab and Pakistani fighters of Al Qaeda should receive no mercy because they brought ruin to the nation; Discussion of Hamid Karzai, the interim prime minister.

Discusses the process of filling the power vacuum in Afghanistan, following the departure of the Taliban government. Struggle between rival warlords, tribal chieftans, and prominent civilians for power; View that there is an opportunity to achieve lasting peace, or further violence; Outlook for positioning of international peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan; Question of the role of war planners from the United States Pentagon, Great Britain, and Canada.

Discusses the campaign of the United States against terrorism and the outlook for Afghanistan's Northern Alliance in the war against the Taliban. Experience of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan; Outlook for the formation of a government in Afghanistan; War between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance.

Focuses on a coalition of men led by Ahmad Shah Massoud, who are fighting against the Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Why they are fighting the radical Islamic fundamentalists; Battle of Taloqan; Lack of support for the coalition.

Examines the country of Afghanistan which is deteriorating under Taliban control. Misery and hardship in the capital of Kabul due to lack of jobs and number of refugees; Mission of the Taliban which is the creation of an Islamic utopia; The regime's promotion of religious austerity; Focus of the Taliban on the war with Masood rather than the details of their government; Taliban offer to share power if Masood recognizes Mullah Omar as Emir of Afghanistan; Lawlessness which is creeping into the rigid Islamic state. INSET: The Taliban's Land of Milk and Honey, by Ghulam Hasnain.

Profiles Hamid Karzai, chosen as interim Prime Minister of Afghanistan by the United Nations. Biographical information; Near death in Afghanistan due to United States bombings there; Relations with the Taliban; Views on Islam and treatment of women; Members of his cabinet, including two women; Outlook on the war on terrorism and for peace in Afghanistan.

Focuses on Pakistani villagers who heeded the call of radical Muslim cleric Maulana Sufi Mohammed and went to Afghanistan in October 2001 to be martyrs. Their disappointing return to Pakistan; Fears that a radical revolt could destabilize Pakistan and negatively impact plans for Afghanistan; Signs that the downfall of the Taliban is taking a toll on support for the fundamentalist groups that supported bin Laden.

Comments on the United States-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Idea that the rapid collapse of the Taliban was unexpected; Reaction of media in the Arab world to the role of the U.S. and the bombing; How rebuilding Afghanistan with foreign aid can ease tensions in the Arab world and promote Mideast peace; Suggestion that the U.S. should support economic and political reform efforts by moderate Arab leaders in the region.

Comments on the liberation of Afghanistan from the tyranny of the Taliban. Discussion of how the country needs to be reconstructed with a goal of a secular Muslim society that respects religion but does not tolerate fanaticism; Idea that Turkey could provide peacekeeping troops insided Afghanistan to control warlords; Idea that aid money should be used for public education and jobs; Opportunity that the liberation of Afghanistan presents for the spread of humanist values to other societies in the Middle East.

Focuses on the political leadership of Afghanistan following the imminent capitulation of the Taliban government. Significance of Kabul, which is held by Northern Alliance troops, to Afghan leadership; Details of the various groups vying for leadership, including the Northern Alliance, exiled Pashtun leaders, regional warlords and others; Political influence of countries with interests in Afghanistan; Difficulty of uniting Afghan factions to form a viable government.

Describes the situation in Afghanistan with the Taliban student movement. Background of the movement; Message to mujahideen government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani; Description of fighting and assaults; Assault on Spin Baldak.

Comments on the urgency for the United States to respond to Soviet Union intervention in Indochina and Afghanistan. Instances that display Soviet Union's role in Vietnam's tactics to dominate Indochina; Participation of Soviet Union in military operations to suppress a popular uprising against a Moscow-line government intent on forcing modernization on an unwilling people in Afghanistan; Views on Soviet assistance and modern weaponry provided to the Afghan forces; Suggestion that the U.S. should help to bolster the government of Pakistan and to encourage Pakistan and India to put aside their undying mutual hatred in order to address the Soviet danger.