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CNN Live Sunday

Afghanistan's Interim Government Head Enters Kandahar

Aired December 09, 2001 - 18:12   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, days after Taliban fighters fled their spiritual home of Kandahar, Afghanistan's newly chosen interim leader entered the city today. As evening fell, Kandahar was described as tense but calm. CNN's Nic Robertson filed this report via videophone on efforts to bring order to that city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In a bid to defuse tensions growing between two tribal groups in the vacuum created in the Taliban's departure of Kandahar, the head of Afghanistan's interim government Hamid Karzai held many meetings with tribal representatives. He's offered one job, the job of governor to one of the tribal leaders, and he's offered the top military job in the province to the other tribal leader.

For the time being, this appears an effort that may succeed in staving off the potential of violence between both these groups. However, both leaders have said that they do want to resolve the issue peacefully.

The meetings today were held in a compound formerly owned by the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar. The compound large with many buildings in it, many of those buildings have been destroyed through allied bombing raids. There was a mosque in the compound, some statues, some stabling complexes, food stores, gardens. Many of those buildings either fully destroyed or partially destroyed. And very much the destruction of that compound a metaphor for the fact that the Taliban are now very much a finished and spent force in Afghanistan.

On the streets of Kandahar, a little tense, calm. People out shopping, and many of the stores open, but the underlying feeling here is that most of the trouble may be over but there still is the potential for violence yet to flare here in Kandahar, but most people here hoping that just doesn't happen.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Kandahar, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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