Posted on 11/16/2001 1:24:41 PM PST by HAL9000
ISLAMABAD, 16 nov (AFP) - The mollah Omar ordered the talibans to evacuate Kandahar (southeast of Afghanistan) and to withdraw in the Afghan mountains, indicated on Friday the Afghan Islamic Presse ( AIP ) agency.According to this agency based in Pakistan, the big town of the Afghan South, the fief of talibans and usual place of residence of the mollah Omar, will be evacuated by the fundamentalist militia " within 24 hours ".
The decision was taken after discussions which lasted several days with talibans commanders(majors) and of close co-workers of the mollah Mohammad Omar, according to AIP.
I'm with you. Hopefully, we both are wrong. However, I wouldn't put it past a cornered dog to do something incredibly evil--especially if it means taking out Allied soldiers as well as all of those Afghans who were wildly celebrating the departure of the Taliban. An outfit like Al Q'eda (sp?) wouldn't think twice about ruining Afghanistan's environment with a dirty bomb. What does it care? The real fanatics are made up of Arabs, Chechens and Pakis who are heading into the "free areas" of Pakistan to await something. I don't like the feel of it. It's not like fanatics to give up so quickly and retreat, no matter how superior our airpower and NA troops appear to be. It's too easy.
Agree. Perhaps they are still fighting the last war and are expecting to do better fighting in the mountains. They haven't exhibited much strategy thus far, but this seems too easy.
Taliban: Cuz I can't fly!
The Pakistan-based agency said Omar agreed to leave Kandahar within 24 hours and head for the mountains following discussions with "close friends and army commanders."
Under the deal, control of the city will pass to Mullah Naqibullah and Haji Basher, the agency said. The two are locally prominent former commanders of Afghan resistance forces in the war against Soviet invaders and are not members of the Taliban.
Basher is close to Yunus Khalis, a Pashtun leader who took over the northeastern city of Jalalabad this week. Pashtuns are Afghanistan's largest ethnic group, and served as the backbone of the Taliban's harsh five-year regime.
The report could not be independently confirmed.
Hamid Karzai, a Pashtun leader who has been trying to organize a Pashtun uprising in the south, told CNN that the Taliban leaders had no place to go if they left Kandahar.
"They will find it very hard to find an escape route," said Karzai, adding that Taliban leaders would be offered amnesty if they surrendered and gave up their weapons.
"We have offered them amnesty, of course," he said. "If they do not fight and lay down their arms, they will be saved," he said.
He said he had a report from one of his people that there was "serious turmoil" in Kandahar. He said some Taliban troops tried to leave the city to the north and were met by villagers who tried to stop them.
Carter and Clinton appointed and promoted in political people. Reagan and the Bush administrations put in smart people. Political people, in persuint to pleasing the masses usually make stupid, unpractical choices. I'll take smart every time.
Personally, I don't think Osama, or the Talibums care what the rest of the world thinks, that's part of the nature of fanatics. It wouldn't surprise me if they had a boobytrap somewhere. I hope I'm wrong, but it wouldn't surprise me. But I think (hope) that our leaders are considering this option as well.
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