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Paks pushing for non-Northern Alliance post-Taliban
The U.S. government has been under intense pressure from Pakistani officials and U.N. authorities to prevent the Northern Alliance from capturing the Afghan capital and effectively claiming control of the country. To counter the influence of the Northern Alliance, the Pakistani government is cooperating with U.S. intelligence officials in attempting to identify moderate Taliban leaders and southern Afghan tribal leaders who might be willing to trade their Taliban loyalties for large sums of money and a role in a future government, according to Pakistani intelligence officials. The interim government might grow out of a summit to be convened in the rebel-controlled Panjshir Valley. The meeting would be aimed at forging a new accord on how to govern Afghanistan, a process that will inevitably require difficult compromises among competing ethnic, political and military factions. The summit would include the often-fractious guerrillas of the Northern Alliance. "We want to, at first, create the core of a government," said Abdullah Rakhim, a regimental rebel commander eager to lead the way to Kabul. "After they've agreed between themselves, only at that point are we really in a proper position to attack. That way there will be order in Kabul when we seize the city." Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2001-10-11 |
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