Afghanistan

Leaflets condemn al-Qaida

Thousands of white strips of paper lay scattered Sunday across the dirt brown plains of Afghanistan’s eastern Paktia province, messages and warnings from the U.S.-led military coalition:

“Hand over Taliban and al-Qaida or you will be destroyed. Come forward with information about Taliban and al-Qaida.”

The pamphlets littered plains leading to mountains where U.S. jets are attacking al-Qaida and Taliban fighters, pounding the cave complexes that are honeycombed throughout the snow-drenched peaks.

Among the messages: “Give any information you have about al-Qaida or Taliban to the coalition forces.”

“The international community is watching. It sees. Do not help al-Qaida or Taliban or you will be destroyed.”

“The Taliban and al-Qaida are not good people. They use your women and children as human shields. Turn them in to the coalition. They are bad people.”

Pictures accompanied the warnings. One showed a pickup truck packed with what looked like Taliban soldiers with Kalashnikov rifles.

Washington, D.C.

Hijackers raised airport flags

Nine of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 were singled out for increased scrutiny but still were allowed to board the planes that later smashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

A government official confirmed that six hijackers were flagged by a computerized airline passenger profiling system. Two others were singled out because of questions with their identification, and a third because he was traveling with one of the passengers with questionable ID, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Under the security procedures in place at the time, passengers flagged for greater scrutiny would have their checked luggage inspected for explosives, either by hand or by machine. The passengers and the bags they carry on already are screened for weapons.

The hijackers used box cutters and knives to take over the airplanes, but those items were allowed to be carried on board before the terrorist attacks.

Afghanistan

Quake felt in five countries

A strong earthquake Sunday shook a wide area of South and Central Asia, killing at least one person, injuring several more, damaging buildings in the Afghan capital and sending people scrambling into the streets in five countries.

At least a dozen people were hospitalized with injuries and 26 houses in the capital of Kabul were badly damaged or destroyed, Kabul television reported.

One man was pronounced dead at Kabul’s Italian-run Emergency hospital, a hospital spokesman said on condition of anonymity. Four children received treatment at Kabul’s Children’s Health Hospital, said Nik Mohammad, a doctor on duty there.

The U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., measured the quake at magnitude 7.2 Â enough to cause severe damage. The USGS said the epicenter was about 150 miles northeast of Kabul in the Hindu Kush mountains.

The quake was felt in parts of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.