On Monday, President Clinton signed an executive order imposing sanctions against the Taliban in Afghanistan for its support of Osama bin Laden, the international terrorist accused of bombing U.S. embassies in both Kenya and Tanzania.
The sanctions “freeze any property of the Taliban within U.S. jurisdiction…and prohibit transactions and trade with the Taliban or in territory controlled by the Taliban, preventing any U.S. investment.” Clinton said the sanctions would “deepen the international isolation of the Taliban, limit its ability to support terrorist networks and demonstrate the need to conform to accepted norms of international behavior.” The sanctions do not affect humanitarian aid, food, or medical supplies.
The U.S. has demanded that bin Laden, who has been placed on the FBI’s most wanted list, be turned over for a trial either in the States or in a third country where he can be punished for his actions.
Several news reports have said that bin Laden was sighted in a rural town of Afghanistan near the border of Pakistan, but his whereabouts have yet to be confirmed.
