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American Morning

Target: Terrorism - A Warrior Returns to Fight the Taliban

Aired October 02, 2001 - 11:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: About 90 minutes ago, British Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged solidarity with the U.S and proposed a stern choice for the Taliban. He said 'you can either surrender the terrorist or you can surrender your power'. Also a former Afghan war hero, emerging now from the shadows prepared to accomplish both objectives. CNN's Mike Chinoy explaining how that warrior wants to enlist the most powerful of weapons, patriotism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was a legendary guerrilla fighter running the resistance around and in Kabul itself at the height of the anti-Soviet struggle. Now, after almost a decade in exile, Abdul Haq is preparing to return to the battlefields of Afghanistan.

ABDUL HAQ: We want have our activity started not in a particularly one place. What we want to do is from one side to the other side of the country. All at once. All the tribes, all the commanders -- like we will not start from one point so Taliban can put up (UNINTELLIGIBLE) . That will be like in 20, 30 different place all at the same time.

CHINOY: After helping to defeat the Soviets, Haq laid down his arms and left Afghanistan in the early 90s, disgusted by the internal battles which turned triumph into civil war and brought the Taliban to power. That fact gives him a huge political advantage now. He is one of the few anti-Soviet resistance leaders whose hands are still clean.

HAQ: I tried fix it, correct it, and realized I cannot do it. Only way for me was to just leave it and walk away from it and not to be part of it. At least not to be part of the destruction and killing of my own people.

CHINOY: Heightening his potential appeal, Haq is a Pashtoon, from Afghanistan's dominate ethnic group, where the Taliban draws much of its support. But he has a reputation for reaching out to the rest of the population.

HAQ: To remove this anger and hateness which was created by inside or outside of past so many years. Anger (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Pashtoon against Tajiks and Shi against Sunik (ph), south against north. One of the most important things I'm working on is slowly to remove that and we work as one team, as a country, as an Afghan, as one nation.

CHINOY: In his well guarded headquarters here, Haq has begun meeting with commanders who fought alongside him against the soviets. Some of whom later allied themselves with the Taliban. Aides say he also met disaffected Taliban officials and last week he saw Afghanistan's exiled king in Rome.

HAQ: We have one old king which is right now in Rome. And there is so many tribes men and commanders that are willing to help him and support him. We are willing to go. We are willing to discuss with Taliban. There's so many inside Taliban commanders that are willing to help us.

CHINOY: Haq also has links to Northern Alliance, where his brother is a commander. At the end of the summer, Haq met the alliance's late military chief, Ahmed Shah Masoud, in the company of the former U.S. Envoy to the Afghan resistance, Peter Thompson. In fact, some American officials believe Haq could emerge as the central figure in forging a broad based anti-Taliban coalition. But as someone who has fought in Afghanistan's wild terrain, Haq is warning Washington against military action inside the country.

HAQ: What you saw inside Iraq war -- to fighting laser -- through guided missile hitting bridges. We don't have bridges. We don't have infrastructure. We don't have tall buildings. There is no command system they can bomb. What Afghanistan have? Millions of mountains. Mountain after mountain after mountain. And they're all full of caves and a place to hide. Because we made for 15, 20 years against Russians. With bombing, you cannot find those people -- through satellite you cannot. Have you to come with the ground force. With people with foot, you look around, and to go behind every mountain, there will be four, five, six will be killed.

CHINOY: Instead, Haq believes the long-term solution is to build a new political structure for his shattered country, one that would shut the bin Laden terrorist network down.

HAQ: If you have a nation that does not support you, if you have all world against you, and if have you a government is coming very strong with a good structure, then I very strongly believe they have to go.

CHINOY: As a guerrilla commander, Haq was known for his fearlessness in battle. As he gathers his old comrades and seeks new allies, his strategy is simple. Marshal a strong enough force to convince the Taliban leadership to give up or else, drive them from power.

HAQ: I never believe in fighting and killing. That's why I drop my gun in 92. I don't think, especially internally, the solution is again in killing. But, having the situation like Afghanistan, which only guns talk, sometimes maybe you need to make force, you don't have to use it.

CHINOY: Mike Chinoy, CNN, Pashawar, Pakistan.

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