Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia today ordered foreigners to refrain fromdrinking alcohol, eating pork, listening to loud music and having inappropriatecontact with members of the opposite sex.
Foreigners who disobey these rules will be expelled or jailed between threedays and one month, depending on the severity of the offence, said a dispatchfrom Taliban's Bakhtar news agency, citing a decision by information minister QudratullahJamal.
"Foreigners should honour the rules of an Islamic society," thedecision stated. "We are prohibiting these things because they can destroyour society."
The report added that the decision has not yet been implemented but"will be started in the near future." It said the ruling was not meantto "harass" foreign citizens but rather to ensure compliance with Islamicvalues.
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The decision comes just days after the Taliban ordered female foreign aidworkers to refrain from driving, saying it violates Afghan traditions.
It also comes amid growing tensions between the Taliban and the United Nations,which has accused the Islamic militia of harassing its staff.
Today's dispatch from Bakhtar said Taliban will also begin requiring foreignersto sign an agreement to obey Islamic laws before entering the country.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has threatened to close down about 130bakeries in Kabul if the Taliban don't allow women to help assess hunger needs -a measure WFP says is necessary for its bread distribution programme but which Talibanis reluctant to permit.
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UN spokeswoman Stephanie Bunker has called the recent Taliban decisions a"narrowing of humanitarian space" in Afghanistan.
Taliban took power in most of Afghanistan in 1996 promising to install a pureversion of Islam.
Under Taliban rule, television and music are banned, men are required to wearbeards and most girls are not permitted to attend school.
Many of the references in today's dispatch were unclear. There was areference, for instance, to inappropriate dress for foreigners without anyelaboration.
The reference to inappropriate contact between the sexes was also largelyunexplained. The report did say, however, that "illegal" sexualrelations would be punished in accordance with Islamic law.
No Taliban official was immediately available for comment today.
Taliban have expressed anger at UN sanctions over their refusal to hand overinternational terrorist Osama bin Laden, accused by Washington of running aglobal terrorist network.
The militia was also reportedly upset over the international community'salleged failure to recognise their recent success in virtually eradicatingopium-producing poppy from Afghanistan.
