Life with War in the Twenty-first Century continues...

...four Afghan factions are deciding the future of their country; the Northern Alliance & the former king are worried about security measures at the meeting and for their country...two groups have agreed to the terms of the new government...the Northern Alliance does not want foreign peacekeepers in their country when the new government begins its rule; they finally accepted these terms on 12/02/01...

...Afghanistan will be run by a 29 (changed to 30) member council, which will include tribal leaders; it will assume power on 12/22/01...it will rule for 6 months; at that time a permanent government should be in place...the UN also agreed & approved the new government's structure...the Taliban will not easily give up Kandahar, it is the birthplace of the Taliban and a spiritual center; they will fight to the death!...they have arrested 3 or 4 people who they claim are from the Northern Alliance, one man was hung...another city of Taliban uprisings is Mazar-E Sharif, 80 are found alive after the revolt; however, a CIA agent, Micheal 'Mike' Spann, from AL lost his life, he was the first American killed in this war...on 12/21/01: 100 people are injured when a grenade accidentally explodes...Bush: Go anywhere or anyplace to fight terrorism!...Egypt does not want the US to use military force against Iraq or any other Arab nation, instead desires discussions...bin Laden: Hands off Tora Bora!...the al-Qaeda will fight in the eastern Afghan mountains; the US and its allies will begin their assault when additional troops arrive...rumor has it that bin Laden has a dirty bomb, one that can spread radiation over a large area...


Bulletin!

Afghan Political Talks Move Forward

KOENIGSWINTER, Germany - Talks on Afghanistan's political future moved into a decisive phase Saturday after the northern alliance said it was prepared to transfer power to a U.N.-backed interim council and allow an international security force, clearing the way for an agreement.

The announcement followed a night of intense diplomacy. The U.N. envoy to the conference among four Afghan delegations outside Bonn called the Afghan capital, Kabul, to press for a breakthrough after northern alliance leaders there said they could not accept a council named in Germany.

"There's no guarantee of success but the will is there,'' U.N. spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said from the hilltop Petersberg hotel where the talks were in their fifth day.

Diplomats and participants at the talks said the emerging deal includes only the creation of a small interim council with executive powers, leaving aside for now an envisioned larger interim council with quasi-legislative functions.

Under an agreement among the four factions, the interim authority would govern Afghanistan until March, when a national council, or loya jirga, would convene. At that time, a transitional authority would be chosen to govern for up to two years, paving the way for a democratic constitution and possibly elections.

The conference between the northern alliance, exiles loyal to Afghanistan's former king and two smaller exile groups had reached an impasse Friday, when Burhanuddin Rabbani - the alliance leader and former Afghan president - took a hard line on two key issues.

Rabbani insisted the interim councils be chosen in Afghanistan, not by the Germany conference, and he said an Afghan force should keep security under the interim government, with at most 200 foreign troops. The United Nations wants an international security force.

But Saturday, after U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi spoke with Rabbani overnight, Rabbani's foreign minister, Dr. Abdullah, announced the alliance was ``ready to transfer power to a transitional authority.'' He said the alliance did not insist that Rabbani, who has never given up his claim to be Afghanistan's head of state, be the head of the interim government.

U.N. spokesman Fawzi said alliance leaders had replied to the U.N. request for the alliance list of people for an interim post-Taliban administration.

A delegate from the small group of Peshawar-based exiles at the talks told The Associated Press that it appears the former king will lead the interim council. Rabbani will be a member, Hafizullah Asif Mohseni said.

The executive body will comprise about 20 people, including former resistance fighters and commanders and technocrats, he said. The council will go to Kabul for the transfer of power.
Other names from the northern alliance being considered for the council include Ayatollah Mohammad Mohseni, a Shiite leader; Abdul Qadir, a Pashtun leader who left the talks several days ago to protest the lack of Pashtun representation here; and Ismail Khan, a Tajik warlord, Mohseni said.


The northern alliance is made up mainly of ethnic minorities, particularly Tajiks and Uzbeks, and members of the Shiite Muslim religious minority. Pashtuns are the country's largest ethnic group and dominate the south of the country, once making up the main support of the Taliban.
Rabbani, whose faction within the alliance controls Kabul, has tried to press for fewer decisions to be made at the Bonn conference and more in Afghanistan. The United Nations, however, mindful of the alliance's control of large swaths of Afghanistan, wants to decisions made on neutral ground.


Bulletin!

12/06/01: Pakistan news service says that Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar will surrender his troops and turn over control of Kandahar, putting himself in protection of the tribal leaders...the Marines attacked a convoy with armored vehicles & killed 7 Taliban or al-Qaeda soldiers near Kandahar...there are photos of people running away as bombs explode...as a result, spiritual leader Omar & his troops have fled to an unknown location...Afghan leaders say that he will face trial for his actions...12/11/01: an ultimatum by Afgahn leaders; if the Taliban do not surrender themselves and their last military base by 10:30 PM EST/8:00 AM Afghan time, they will be shot on sight...the bombing of Tora Bora continued as the Taliban ignored the deadline, which was changed to 2:30 AM 12/13/01 Afghan time...a new offer was proposed, the al-Qaeda can go free if they surrender bin Laden and his inner circle...the response from the al-Qaeda to the ultimatum: we will fight to the bitter end...America still wants to remove Saddam Husein from power in Iraq...the UN has also indicated that the US does not attack Irag...President Bush: We will never have an end to evil, but can strike a blow, and achieve 'periods of victory'...a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing was held with Secretary Ashcroft regarding secret military tribunals & outsiders listening to conversations between prisoners and their lawyers...Pakistan has added extra troops to patrol its border with Afghanistan...UN gunships also patrol the Pakistan border...arrested Pakistan members of the Taliban are released and given money per customs of the Ramadan holy period...it is believed that bin Laden has not escaped by boat, but his current whereabouts are unknown, some believe he is still in Tora Bora...according to the Christian Science Monitor, bin Laden fled his country 11 days ago...12/12/01: a French Morrocan, Zacharia Moussaoui, was arrested for participating in the conspiracy, discovered getting flying lesson in MN, only to fly a plane, not to take-off or land...his trial will be held in Alexandria, VA on 01/02/02...1/19/02: per the judge's decision, the trial will not be televised...