November 9, 2001	Friday	Shaba’an 22, 1422

TASHKENT, Nov 8: A radio station controlled by the Taliban has been broadcasting warnings that food rations dropped by US aircraft could be poisoned, it emerged on Thursday.

“There is a strong possibility that these foods are contaminated with poison which will produce dangerous effects on those who consume them,” said warnings broadcasts by the Taliban’s Radio Shari’ah.

Broadcasts by Radio Shari’ah in the northern Balkh province, where the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif is located, can be picked up in Uzbekistan.

The radio broadcast, in the Dari language of northern Afghanistan, also claimed the food drops were an “insult” to the Afghan people.

“The honourable, religious and noble people of Afghanistan understand that eating food from the hand of those whose hands are covered with the blood of our innocent people during an holy war is unlawful,” it said.

The United States was effectively saying “on the one hand we are killing you with bombs and rockets while on the other hand we feed you”, the radio said, adding: “The people of Afghanistan will never accept this insult.”

Since Oct 7, US military aircraft have dropped more than one million emergency ration packs containing foodstuffs such as jam and peanut butter, in what Washington says is an effort to avert a looming humanitarian crisis.—AFP