Home > Mind , Body & Soul > Buddhism > History is lost forever: Afghanistan The Bamiyan Buddhas are no more and the world is poorer for the loss.

Taliban officials stated that Afghanistan's ancient Bamiyan Buddhas were nearly destroyed and ruled out any hope for their preservation, ignoring pleas of the UNESCO special envoy, Pierre Lafrance.

Foreign minister Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil said he had detailed discussions with Lafrance in Kandahar but could see no reason to stop the destruction, the Afghan Islamic Press reported.

"The edict will be implemented Inshallah (God willing),'' Mutawakil said. He rejected offers from several countries as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. "Why should we give them to anyone? They are against our beliefs. We have museums here and we will keep our cultural and historical artefacts there,'' he said.

Minister of information and culture Mawlawi Qudratullah Jamal said the destruction of "un-Islamic'' ancient statues was continuing throughout the country. He said large portions of the two massive Buddha figures in central Bamiyan province had already been reduced to rubble, along with thousands of other statues throughout the country. "Work is in progress on them. They are massive if you see them closely," he said.

Witnesses said Taliban soldiers were using anti-aircraft weapons, tanks and explosives to pound the statues. Residents of Bamiyan said Taliban soldiers began attacking the statues at least three days earlier.

Journalists have been barred from visiting the Kabul Museum and the Bamiyan province where the Taliban have recently engaged in heavy battles with armed opposition forces.