Sudden Taliban Losses Spur Scramble by U.S., U.N. 



The abrupt collapse of Taliban forces north and west of the Afghan capital of Kabul added urgency yesterday to efforts by the United States and the United Nations to arrange an interim government in Afghanistan able to prevent it from plummeting into chaos.
With U.S. officials pressing the opposition Northern Alliance to refrain from marching on Kabul, senior American diplomats met with their counterparts from the Afghanistan region at the United Nations to map out an accelerated strategy for filling a potential power vacuum.
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell counseled "speed, speed, speed," in urging the foreign ministers of Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and three Central Asian republics to help plan for the possible deployment of peacekeeping forces in the capital city.
"A week ago, people were complaining that things were moving too slowly," a State Department official said. "Now it's moving really fast. Everyone is seized with the urgency of the situation."
After fretting that the Afghan opposition was too timid in taking on the Taliban militia, U.S. officials are now coping with a turnaround that has seen the Northern Alliance capture the city of Mazar-e Sharif, advance on Herat and move to the outskirts of Kabul. American officials said they have won repeated assurances from the Northern Alliance that it would not enter the capital, which could provoke resistance from the Pashtun community that dominates southern Afghanistan and cement support for the Taliban.
But the sudden prospect of a power vacuum should Taliban rule in the city collapse has left American and United Nations officials scrambling to arrange an interim administration that can govern while a broad opposition government is formed.
"As things are moving very fast, we need to bring the political aspects in line with the military developments on the ground," said U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.
American officials said they are concerned that the longer a political void remains in Kabul, the more likely a militia within the Northern Alliance might make a play for domination in the city. "Frankly, even if I had an agreement with the Northern Alliance, I wouldn't be 100 percent sure the people I spoke with to get an agreement would be able to control everyone," a State Department official said.
The Northern Alliance is a loose coalition of rebels comprised primarily of ethnic Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hezaras, and has long been at odds with the Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Bush administration officials said they are chastened by the experience nine years ago when internecine fighting among opposition groups smashed hopes for a peaceful transition of power in Kabul after the fall of the Soviet-backed government.
The volatile situation in Kabul was underscored yesterday by Haron Amin, Washington spokesman for the Northern Alliance, who said his fighters may feel compelled to march on the city. He warned that Pakistan, a longtime adversary of the Northern Alliance, may be preparing its own insurrection to take control of Kabul. Amin also said the Northern Alliance would enter Kabul to protect civilians who come under attack from the Taliban.
Administration officials said, however, that the Northern Alliance has good reason to abide by the American appeal for restraint since U.S. airpower has been critical to the rebels' progress on the battlefield and international funding will be essential in Afghanistan's reconstruction. "They have to see there's not much future if they alienate us," a State Department official said.
U.S. officials also said they remain optimistic that neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Iran, which fueled the outbreak of factional fighting in 1992, were not united on the need to create a stable, broad-based government. Pakistan, which has a sizable Pashtun minority, is advocating a leading role for Pashtuns in any Afghan government. Iran is closely allied with Afghanistan's ethnic Hezaras, who are fellow Shiites.
"The key here is the willingness of outside powers not only to not foment that kind of action but to induce cooperation," another State Department official said. "There's a much better chance now than in previous times. People do learn from their mistakes."
Special U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who has been discussing the country's future with its neighbors, said he planned to assemble representatives of different Afghan factions and ethnic groups within days to confer on an interim administration for Kabul and perhaps other cities. A U.N. official said Brahimi would try to conclude a deal at the meeting, proposed for either Europe or a neutral country closer to Afghanistan.
U.S. officials said this local administration would likely have U.N. support for basic city services but be essentially an Afghan operation. Scores of U.N. civil administrators were evacuated from Afghanistan two months ago. The United Nations or members of the U.S.-led war coalition might also provide troops to police the city if an inter-Afghan force cannot be arranged.
"It may be useful to have some kind of interim political arrangement from the United Nations," a senior State Department official said. "If the Taliban pulls out of Kabul it may be necessary to have some kind of security arrangement for Kabul -- perhaps a coalition of the willing."
American officials also held talks yesterday with diplomats from Turkey, a Muslim country and NATO member that has been anxious to play a role in a U.N.-backed peacekeeping force. No decisions were made during what a senior U.S. official called the "open-ended discussions." 
Turkey, which has already contributed 90 special forces troops to the war, said it was prepared to dispatch peacekeepers but wanted the operation first to win U.N. Security Council approval. Bangladesh and Indonesia, two other Muslim countries, were also named by U.S. officials as possible contributors to an international force.
Meanwhile, recently appointed U.S. envoy James F. Dobbins headed from the United Nations to Europe on the first leg of a trip designed to help cobble together a broad political front opposed to Taliban rule. He was scheduled to stop first in Rome and speak to exiled Afghan King Mohammed Zahir Shah, envisioned by the United States as the titular head of a new interim government. The State Department has approved $400,000 to cover administrative and travel costs for the king's effort.
Officials associated with Zahir Shah met U.S. diplomats in Rome yesterday to set the agenda for Dobbins's visit and compare expectations about U.S. assistance, according to a representative of the king. Afghans around the former king were disappointed by the limited U.S. support before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
For their part, American officials have been increasingly exasperated by sputtering efforts of the king's representatives and the Northern Alliance to lay the groundwork for a new national council. 
The administration has also been frustrated with the reluctance of Pashtun leaders to turn against the Taliban, which is predominantly Pashtun. U.S. officials said the rapid advances of the Northern Alliance may embolden disgruntled Pashtuns to open a southern front and sign on to an opposition front.
"Our hopes are that events are showing people in the south that the Taliban is the losing side and it's time to change sides," a State Department official said.
But that strategy could be undermined if Northern Alliance fighters take revenge on Pashtuns in Kabul or Mazar-e Sharif. That is why U.S. and Turkish officials made clear to Northern Alliance Gen. Abdurrashid Dostum, an Uzbek commander with a record of brutality, that he must ensure his troops do not commit atrocities in Mazar-e Sharif, according to U.S. sources.
Lynch reported from the United Nations. Staff writer Marc Kaufman contributed to this report.