An Afghan ruler warns of internal war

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- An Afghan ruler warned Thursday that his country could plunge into an internal war if the Taliban movement was not fully disarmed, and he asserted that the Taliban's principal leaders were still in Kandahar.

Gen. Ismail Khan, ruler of Herat in western Afghanistan, told Lebanon's al-Mustaqbal newspaper that "in reality, the war ended with the defeat of the Taliban."

"But since the Taliban followers were not disarmed in many provinces and have started to operate under the cover of the Mujahedins and local councils, the danger of an internal war persists," Khan said.

He called on the other Afghan rulers controlling the country's various areas to follow the suit of Herat and fully disarm the Taliban which "will constitute a big danger on the future of the country and will be the cause for the outbreak of the internal war again."

Khan noted that the Afghan people have fought 23 years for the sake of achieving peace but the war destroyed 70 percent of Afghanistan, freezing all political, social and cultural activities while there has been zero economic activity.

He said the reconstruction of Afghanistan was only possible through peace and stability, emphasizing the need for cooperation with the interim government led by Hamid Karzai.

Khan, however, criticized the United Nations and the Western forces for their decision to form a temporary government in Afghanistan before completely destroying the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al Qaida.

He said that following the defeat of the Taliban in Kabul and the western provinces, a number of Taliban leaders and their followers succeeded in retreating to Kandahar and other areas in the south and "in joining the regional governments under the cover of the Mujahedins."

"So it is not strange to see that bin Laden stayed without being arrested and that Mullah Mohammed Omar is still free," Khan said, expecting new battles in the coming future.