Global Support Grows for Afghan Restoration

As Afghanistan settles into a precarious peace after the ousting of the Taliban regime, scholars are taking stock of the most recent destruction of Afghanistan9s rich cultural heritage. Initial reports are grim: Ancient murals were trucked away from the niches around the dynamited Buddhas of Bamiyan, every human statue in the national museum in Kabul was destroyed, and the museum itself may be beyond repair, say UNESCO officials. But there is growing international support for restoring and possibly even rebuilding important cultural artifacts.