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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: unclewest who wrote (10965)	11/20/2001 3:29:20 PM
From: Rollcast...	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 20 2001 UN cannot help Konduz fighters BY AP IN TALOQAN The United Nations is unable to take charge of Taleban forces which wish to surrender the town of Konduz in northern Afghanistan, the UN official in charge of the crisis said Tuesday. Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN's Special Envoy to Afghanistan, said that the UN was formally approached on Monday with a request from Taleban commanders who wanted to surrender unconditionally and wanted to do it to the United Nations. He said: "But it is evident that the United Nations cannot, has no means, is not present on the ground, and simply cannot, unfortunately accede to this request," he told reporters after briefing the Security Council. Pakistan has sought American and British help in protecting surrendering Taleban soldiers from reprisals to avoid massacres, the state-run media said today. President Musharraf of Pakistan raised the plight of Taleban fighters besieged in the northern city of Konduz with Tony Blair and Colin Powell, the Secretary of State, yesterday. General Mohammed Dawood Khan, leader of the Northern Alliance forces surrounding Konduz, claimed today that thousands of Taleban have defected from Konduz in recent days, and defectors’ own accounts indicate at least hundreds have fled since Sunday. Thousands more civilians from Konduz are streaming out in flight from US bombs. The Afghan exodus is emptying out the city around the hardcore Taleban and foreign fighters holding it. Dedicated Taleban and thousands of foreign Islamic militants, including Arabs, Uzbeks, Pakistanis, Chechens, Chinese and Myanmarese, are holed up in the city after being routed from positions across northern Afghanistan. They include 1,000 members of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network, Mr Daoud said. The foreigners at Konduz are adamant against surrender, either theirs, or of the Afghan Taleban fighting with them. Jamal Khan, 27, a Taleban defector, said: "They’re afraid that if we surrender the Northern Alliance will kill them." Foreign militants in recent days have gunned down 470 Taleban commanders and fighters who tried to surrender, Mr Daoud said. Communicating across frontlines over two-way radios, Afghan Taleban tell the alliance that the foreign fighters are spying on those they suspect of wanting to switch sides.