DATE=04/03/2002

TYPE=EDITORIAL

NUMBER=0-09800

TITLE=EDITORIAL: COALITION GOALS IN AFGHANISTAN

INTERNET=Yes

CONTENT=THIS EDITORIAL IS BEING RELEASED FOR USE BY ALL SERVICES.

Anncr: Next, an editorial expressing the policies of the United States Government:

Voice: The United States and its allies in the war on terrorism are working to help Afghanistan become a safer and more stable country. Already, the military campaign has liberated the Afghan people from the repressive Taleban regime and stopped the use of Afghanistan as a base for al-Qaida terrorists. As Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Secretary of Defense, said, the U.S. and its allies are not interested in occupying Afghanistan.

Instead, the international coalition is spending millions of dollars on humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to help keep Afghanistan from ever again becoming a haven for terrorists.

Many Afghans are displaced and hungry. The presence of U.S. and other troops has made humanitarian relief efforts much more secure. Food is finally being distributed, hospitals are again able to function, and relief trucks and planes are arriving safely.

To help provide security, coalition forces will remain in Afghanistan to pursue al-Qaida and Taleban wherever they try to regroup. The U.S. and its allies will also continue to go after the leaders of these organizations.

This effort is already paying off. Pakistani authorities have handed over to the U.S. the biggest catch so far in the war on terrorism: Abu Zubaydah. A senior al-Qaida operational planner, Zubaydah plotted terrorist attacks based on guidance from Osama bin Laden and his inner circle. Zubaydah is known to have organized the millennium plots to bomb the Los Angeles airport and a hotel in Jordan frequented by American tourists.

The next step in Afghanistan's political development is the Loya Jirga tribal council meeting planned for June. At that time, the council will elect a head of state and decide on the type of government to rule Afghanistan until national elections can be held. As Mohammad Ismail, an Afghan civil servant, said, the convening of the Loya Jirga "will at last take us down a new road to peace. The whole country at last will have a say in running our affairs."

The U.S. and its allies in the war on terrorism want Afghanistan to become a stable, peaceful country that no longer offers a haven to terrorists. That's why coalition forces will remain until the threat from the Taleban and al-Qaida has been eradicated.

Anncr: That was an editorial expressing the policies of the United States Government. If you have a comment, please write to Editorials, V-O-A, Washington, D-C, 20237, U-S-A. You may also comment at www-dot-ibb-dot-gov-slash-editorials, or fax us at (202) 619-1043.