The statues stand as evidence of the Greek and Buddhist cultures that flourished in Afghanistan centuries before the arrival of Islam. Analysts said the edict might be an attempt to bargain with the west. The Taliban have come under strong pressure from UN sanctions, which were tightened in January to punish the regime for not handing over the Saudi-born terrorist Osama bin Laden. In addition, drought and civil war have forced 500,000 Afghans to flee their homes. More than a million are facing starvation but international aid has slowed to a trickle.
Afghans are very smart traders.
The regime's ruling has sparked international condemnation and has created the first rift with the Taliban's hardline Islamic mentors in Pakistan. Sami-ul Haq, a cleric who runs one of Asia's most influential Islamic schools and who is highly regarded by the Taliban, said the regime was wrong to begin destroying the ancient Buddhist monuments. Many of the most senior Taliban ministers studied as children at his madrassah in Akora Khattak, two hours' drive from the Afghan border. He has sent hundreds of his students to fight alongside Taliban soldiers in their civil war. Then the money should be used for the people of Afghanistan who have been affected by drought and war.