SanFranChron

Alliance promises to maintain order

Weapons will be forbidden in Kabul beginning tomorrow

Ilana Ozernoy, Chronicle Foreign Service Friday, November 16, 2001

Kabul, Afghanistan -- After roaring into Kabul and breaking an agreement with Western leaders to keep its army out of the city, the Northern Alliance appears serious about keeping the peace.

"We created a security plan. There will no longer be armed men in Kabul," Younus Qanooni, the alliance's interior minister, said yesterday. "Tonight, we will make an announcement on the radio. Tomorrow, no one will be allowed to have a Kalashnikov (rifle) in Kabul."

Qanooni says his forces will eventually leave Kabul and be replaced by an unarmed police force after residents turn in their weapons. No one will be allowed to carry firearms on the streets.

Some residents welcomed the announcement to rid the streets of AK-47s and other popular weapons.

"I will hand over my guns when they ask me to," said 19-year-old Khusrow, who like many Afghans goes by one name. A 300mm pistol protruded underneath his leather jacket. "It's OK. All of the terrorists are gone."

Though some observers doubt that a heavily armed populace will voluntarily give up their guns, Qanooni is confident that the demilitarization process will go smoothly.

"I will personally go to the streets to collect arms, and the people will not resist me," said Qanooni said. "Naturally I will go with armed guards. If the people resist, then we will arrest them."

So far, the city has been calm, with no reported acts of looting or ethnic violence. The alliance has imposed an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.

But keeping the peace may involve fending off battles from rival anti- Taliban groups.

The alliance -- mostly Tajiks and Uzbeks -- represents a minority of Afghanistan's complex ethnic mix. Most Kabul residents are Pashtun, the same as the Taliban. The Pashtuns are the nation's dominant ethnic group.

An army of Hazara fighters, which captured the city of Bamiyan on Monday, is said to be ready to send 3,000 troops into Kabul, irate that the alliance broke its promise not to enter the city. The alliance has reportedly brought as many as 80 tanks to bolster its positions around Kabul.

Aware of the possibilities of factional infighting, the Bush administration and its European partners are rushing to assemble an international military force to maintain order and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.

One hundred British troops arrived yesterday at Bagram Airport near Kabul, and more than 4,000 British forces are on standby to go to the region. France and Germany have pledged thousands of troops as well.

Negotiations continue with a number of Muslim nations, including Turkey and Jordan, over supplying reinforcement or replacement troops. The participation of Muslim troops is seen as key to restoring order.

Another key element is assembling a broad-based coalition to fill the political vacuum.

Ousted President Burhanuddin Rabbani is still recognized by the United Nations as the official head of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. But Qanooni said the ex-president would not be asked to return to his old job.

"President Rabbani must stay out of Kabul," he said. "If he comes, it means the former government comes to Kabul, and that is not our purpose. We want to establish a new Afghanistan with new ideas."

Qanooni hopes there will soon be a loya jirga, or supreme council, consisting of alliance delegates and some 60 exiled politicians, including King Mohammad Zahir Shah. The 87-year-old former king, a Pashtun who has lived in exile in Rome for 30 years, will act as a figurehead.

Many Kabul residents echo Qanooni's opinion about a broad-based government.

"We want a civilized Afghanistan," said Mohammed Mohir, the owner of a grocery store filled with Western products such as Kit-Kat bars and Coca-Cola. "We want to include every nationality, including the Pashtuns and moderate Taliban."

And though it is unclear who will lead the country in the post-Taliban era, many Kabul residents remain upbeat.

"I think the future of our country will be a good one," said Sultan Massood,

a soccer coach, who enjoyed new freedoms by wearing blue jeans, a denim jacket and sneakers. "The whole world is behind us because Afghanistan is in the heart of Asia."

-- Anonymous, November 17, 2001