March 22, 2001
"In Afghanistan recently, supreme Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar issued an edict against un— Islamic graven images, which means all idolatrous images of humans and animals. As a result, the Taliban are . destroying all ancient sculptures. Explosives, tanks, and anti-aircraft weapons blew apart two colossal images of the Buddha in Bamiyan Province, 230 kilometers (150 miles) from the capital of Kabul."