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CNN Saturday Morning News

Pashtun Leaders Hope to Solve Kandahar Crisis Peacefully

Aired November 17, 2001 - 07:01   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. officials are describing the situation in Kandahar this morning as "very fluid." The Taliban are promising to defend their southern stronghold to the death. The tribal leaders are calling on the Taliban to surrender.

CNN's Carol Lin is monitoring developments for us this morning from just across the border in Quetta, Pakistan. Good morning to you, Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Marty.

Yes, those tribal elders you were just talking about are Afghan tribal elders, members of the Pashtun tribe. They are meeting here in Quetta to try to negotiate a peaceful solution inside of Kandahar, to try to consider the Taliban as potential political partners or potential political enemies.

What we have learned, though, is that there has been a transfer of power inside of Kandahar, but within the Taliban leadership. To try to figure out what's going on inside of Kandahar, this morning we spoke with a Pashtun commander. He is also a member of this tribal council here in Quetta.

Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MULLAH MULANG, PASHTUN COMMANDER (through translator): In my opinion, the Taliban are still in control in Kandahar. They didn't leave. The opposition has captured some places outside of the city, but they have not taken Kandahar.

LIN: Mullah Mulang tells us the Taliban's spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has changed Kandahar's leadership and given control to his deputies, Hajji Bashar (ph) and Mullah Nakib (ph), both members of the Pashtun tribe. This is seen by Afghan tribal elders meeting across the border in Quetta as a strategic move to pacify these Pashtun tribesmen who are threatening to oust the Taliban by force.

Eighty Afghan tribal leaders, mostly former commanders in the war against the Soviets, sent a second delegation today to warn the Taliban if they do not surrender, the Afghan leaders will rally thousands of their armed tribesman in Afghanistan and go to war. Pakistani political analyst Dr. Mansoor Kundi says historically, tribal law rules Afghanistan when there is chaos.

MANSOOR AKBAR KUNDI, POLITICAL ANALYST: It was not difficult for tribal leaders to mobilize its own tribesmen against the central government in case there were things against them.

LIN: Mullah Mulang, known for fierce and brutal war tactics, says the future of Afghanistan depends on a peaceful transfer of power.

MULANG (through translator): Fighting is the very last resort. They don't have any other way. The Taliban have to surrender.

LIN: And if they do, these Afghan Pashtun leaders say they will not surrender political power to the Uzbeks and Tajiks of the Northern Alliance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what we were afraid from the very beginning, because we thought that the political development for Afghan situation was far beyond -- behind the military.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: The Afghan tribal chiefs meeting in Quetta say that they are prepared to move their shura, or their council of elders, to Kandahar if the Taliban should fall, which they are now predicting will happen in the next two days.

After that, they say, tribal law will rule. Mullah Omar and his Taliban fighters will be allowed to return to their homes, to their villages. However, these Pashtun tribal leaders say that they will help the international hunt for Osama bin Laden. They say that they support a trial in an international court.

However, we are a long way off from that. We're hoping to hear in the next few hours the result of this second delegation that has gone into Kandahar to see whether there's any movement, and whether there is any convincing the Taliban to give up power in their stronghold -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Thank you, Carol. CNN's Carol Lin joining us live from Quetta, Pakistan this morning.

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