
Cash-strapped Taliban selling tickets to ruins of Buddhas it blew up
WP: In 2001, Taliban founder Mohammad Omar declared the Buddhas false gods and announced plans to destroy them. Ignoring pleas from around the world, Taliban fighters detonated explosives and fired antiaircraft guns to smash the immense sixth-century reliefs to pieces. The attack on the treasured ancient monument stunned the international community and cemented the Taliban’s