OIC Delegation On Buddha-Saving Mission In Afghanistan

A delegation from the Organization of Islamic Conference started on Sunday a mission with the Taliban authorities in Kabul, Afghanistan, to try save the pre-Islamic statues.

Ahmed Ben Abdallah Al-Mahmoud (Qatar), whose country currently chairs the pan-Islamic organization, said the delegation will comprise the mufti of Egypt, Sheik Nasr Al-Mahmoud, assistant OIC secretary general for political affairs, Ibrahim Bakr and UNESCO representative, Haytham Al-Khayyat.

The Taliban had vowed to destroy the statues, Afghanistan's best-known archaeological treasures carved almost 2,000 years ago, sparking international condemnation.

Taliban, who are under intense international pressure to spare the monuments issued the destruction order a month after the United Nations imposed new sanctions against them.