Government forces clash with
troops loyal to northern
mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Masood around
Bagram airbase, just north of
Kabul. Both sides claim to have inflicted
heavy casualties.
Mary MacMakin, a
U.S. aid worker in her 70s who has spent the last 30 years in
Afghanistan, is arrested in Kabul on suspicion of
espionage. The
U.S. government calls the accusations "ridiculous."
The Taliban authorities order the
UN and
foreign aid agencies to dismiss all Afghan
women working for them.
Kabul is hit by five
bomb attacks in two weeks. The Taliban authorities accuse
saboteurs of trying to create the impression of
anarchy in the
capital.
The authorities announce the
arrest of Commander
Bashir Baghlani, a key Taliban leader in the northern regions, on suspicion of colluding with
anti-government forces.
The Taliban authorities announce that the severe
drought affecting much of the country was God's
punishment for the people's neglect of their
religious beliefs.