Taliban now guard site of Buddha statues they destroyed

Taliban gunmen now stand guard at the gaping rock cavities that once housed two ancient statues of the Buddha -- desecrated with dynamite by the Islamists during their last stint in power.

The monuments in Bamiyan province had stood for 1,500 years but their destruction was ordered in 2001 by that regime -- already infamous then after banning television and imposing ultrastrict rules governing the conduct of women -- for being against the Muslim faith.

Hundreds of cadres from across the country spent more than three weeks demolishing the towering statues carved into the side of a cliff, sparking a global outcry.

"The Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban authorities in 2001," reads a bronze plaque set in the stone, while the white flag of the country's new leaders flutters on a nearby gatehouse.

Two young fighters loiter listlessly just yards away.

Afghanistan's new Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan

Akhund was "one of the architects of the destruction of Buddhas", according to historian Ali A. Olomi of Penn State Abington University.

Asked if it had been a good idea to blow up the statues -- regarded as one of the greatest crimes against world heritage -young Taliban member Saifurrahman Mohammadi does not hide his embarrassment.

"Well... I can't really comment," said Mohammadi, recently appointed to the

Bamiyan province cultural affairs office.

"I was very young," he told AFP. "If they did it, the Islamic Emirate must have had their reasons.

"But what is certain is that now we are committed to protecting the historical heritage of our country. It is our responsibility."

Mohammadi said he recently spoke with UNESCO officials who fled abroad after the Taliban takeover to ask them to return to Afghanistan and guarantee their safety.