AFGHANISTAN: CAPTURE OF MAZAR-E-SHARIF BY THE TALIBAN LATEST SITUATION

(26 May 1997) English/Nat

Pakistan has sent its ambassador to the Taliban's newly captured northern Afghanistan city of Mazar-e-Sharif for talks with the new Taliban administrator - Abdul Razzaq.

Ambassador Aziz Khan also met General Malik Pahlawan, who helped plan last week's overthrow of the northern warlord Rashid Dostum.

Pakistan's world lead in formally recognising the Taliban Government on Sunday has now been followed by Saudi Arabia.

On Monday, the new Islamic rulers' presence was already being felt as black-bearded Taliban soldiers roared through the streets of Mazar-e-Sharif in pickup trucks bristling with anti-aircraft weapons and rocket launchers.

About two and a half thousand Taliban soldiers rolled into the city on Sunday night, a day after northern warlord Rashid Dostum fled to Turkey and surrendered his stronghold to mutineers who had defected to the Taliban.

One of the architects of the revolt that overthrew Dostum, General Malik Pahlawan held a meeting in his headquarters with Abdul Razzaq, the new Taliban appointed administrator of the region.

After the talks, Abdul Razzaq visited the ancient blue mosque whose dome dominates the surrounding city.

From the mosque, the Taliban issued its first edicts to bring the more liberal north in line with its own strict Islamic code.

They said that women must wear the veil, girls can no longer attend school and women may no longer work.

Shops however are allowed to stay open.

Nothing was said about banning music or videos, forcing men to wear beards and pray in the mosque -all required in other Taliban-run areas.

But the cleric said more edicts would be decreed later.

Later in the day, Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan, Aziz Khan, arrived in Mazar-e-Sharif for talks with the city's new administrator as well as General Malik Pahlawan.

On Sunday, Pakistan became the first nation to formally recognise the Taliban government as being in control of Afghanistan.

Ambassador Khan said Pakistan now believed the Taliban had achieved broad based support for its regime with the fall of Dostum's province.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It is a government which has the backing of the people, it controls nearly all of Afghanistan and now it is broad-based because a major ethnic group has joined it, others are already in negotiations with them. There are reports that others are also in touch with the Taliban and they have the support of all of the people of Afghanistan. As you saw they way they took over this territory, they were welcomed by the Uzbeks there and as such we feel that is fulfils the criteria of a broad-based government."
SUPER CAPTION: Aziz Khan, Pakistani Ambassador

Aziz Khan also said it was time to start rebuilding the war-shattered nation and repatriate more than 1 million Afghan refugees still living in Pakistan.

As the Taliban tried to reinforce its hold on the newly captured north, its forces came under rocket and machine gun fire while they were trying to move up the strategic mountain pass from Kabul.

Ousted military chief Ahmed Shah Masood launched the attack on Taliban columns travelling the Salang Highway, a day after one of his senior commanders defected to the Taliban.

General Bashir Salangi, whose forces had been in control of mountain positions over the highway, defected on Sunday night and gave permission to the Taliban to move troops up the road.

But Masood apparently moved reinforcements into the area late on Sunday night, and rained fire on hundreds of Taliban troops on tanks and jeeps.


Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...