Destroying Al-Qaeda main aim: U.K.

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, NOV. 13. Britain has reacted cautiously to the fall of Kabul to the Northern Alliance forces saying it ``welcomed'' the setback to the Taliban but the main objective of destroying the Al-Qaeda network and bringing Osama bin Laden to ``justice'' still remained to be achieved.

``A lot of work has still to be done,'' the Foreign Office said stressing the military as well as political tasks that were still ahead. A spokesman said Britain was working closely with the United Nations in its efforts to get an agreement on the future political set up in Afghanistan, and to avert a humanitarian crisis in the region. ``We don't want to see a major conflict in the region,'' he said as developments in Afghanistan moved rapidly overwhelming the discussions in New York among the ``Six Plus Two'' group of countries on a post- Taliban regime.

There was no immediate comment here on Pakistan's suggestion that the areas vacated by the Taliban should be declared a ``demilitarised'' zone but observers noted the concern in Islamabad over a possible Northern Alliance sweep of Kabul. Official sources expected the Northern Alliance to abide by the limits imposed by Britain and the U.S. on how they should advance, and initial reports indicated that the Alliance forces were sticking to their promise not to exceed the brief. The dramatic events pushed the pace of diplomatic efforts to prevent a political vacuum in Afghanistan by speeding up moves for a broad based multi-ethnic regime to replace the Taliban. The Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, was expected to speak to the U.N. Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, while the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Jack Straw, who was already in New York, was to hold talks with Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N.'s pointman in Afghanistan. The humanitarian aspect of the crisis was high on the agenda of diplomatic parleys, it was stated. ``The Taliban had been a big obstruction in reaching relief to the people and now that they are on the run it should be possible to accelerate relief measures,'' one commentator said.

Television channels highlighted the ``celebration'' in Kabul as the Northern Alliance entered the city and ``liberated'' it from the Taliban's grip. People were shown listening to radio music in public for the first time in years and one man proudly shaved his fresh-shaven face into the camera excited at having been able finally to get rid of his Taliban-imposed beard.

Scenes of celebrations dominated headlines and in interviews people attacked the Taliban for giving Islam a bad name. ``Islam is a tolerant religion but the Taliban made it look repressive,'' one youth said as people clapped and made ``victory'' signs.

The Defence Secretary, Mr. Geoff Hoon, said the British troops played a ``very significant role'' in the success of the Northern Alliance offensive. He said the Taliban had disintegrated more rapidly than was expected but it was not entirely surprising. Mr. Blair insisted that the campaign must continue until the Al-Qaeda network had been ``hunted down.''

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Section  : International
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