Scholars lament Afghan relic purge “Defying international
condemnation, Afghanistan’s ruling
Taliban turned to artillery and explosives
on Friday to destroy two giant rock-hewn
Buddhas they decry as un-Islamic.

Mortars and cannon were being used to destroy the Buddha
statues in Bamiyan in central Afghanistan, defying protests and
diplomatic pressure, sources in Kabul said.” The Taliban have been deaf to plaints from the United Nations, the European
Union, Russia, Pakistan, and India to reconsider. They
consider their efforts to be a campaign against idolatry. I have long cherished my memory of my visit to the Bamiyan Valley in the mid-’70’s, and wish there were some effective way to halt this ignorant travesty. New York Times