Kabul Calm as Taliban Enemies Gather Inside and Out

25/04/2001| IslamWeb

KABUL (Reuters) - Residents of the Afghan capital attended prayers on Friday, ignoring a whirl of diplomatic and military activity on their borders that pointed to a U.S. strike against Osama bin Laden and a trap for his Taliban protectors.Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld won permission from Uzbekistan to use an airbase for troops and aircraft while British Prime Minister Tony Blair flew into Pakistan to discuss a post-Taliban administration with President Pervez Musharraf.
In the Afghan capital, however, it was business as usual as residents knelt for Friday prayers.
With the stranglehold tightening, the Taliban's only foreign envoy -- ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef -- said the Taliban could try bin Laden in an Afghan court if the United States supplied evidence against him. (Read photo caption below)
Asked if the Taliban were prepared to allow a trial of bin Laden in another country, he said: ``We are willing to talk about that, but the first is that we must be given the evidence.''
The United States says it will offer no evidence to the Taliban and that bin Laden's surrender is not negotiable.
The Taliban now find themselves surrounded by enemies.
To the north, neighboring Uzbekistan said it had given permission for the United States to use an airbase for cargo planes, helicopters and troops ``for humanitarian purposes.''
Iran has barred the United States from using its airspace, but Tehran is no friend of the Taliban and has sealed its borders to Afghanistan.
NO FRIENDS OF THE TALIBAN
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan both provide at least moral support to the Northern Alliance forces fighting the Taliban.
But the biggest blow to the Taliban came when Britain's Blair stood side-by-side with Pakistan's Musharraf in Islamabad and both men discussed what sort of government they would like to see in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban.
The Taliban held a special cabinet meeting on Thursday, but no details of their strategy were revealed.
In a sign of anxiety, the Taliban on Thursday threatened to punish severely anyone backing a return of former Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah -- whom they branded a ``puppet of America.''
The ex-King's aides said he was sending an envoy from his exile in Rome for talks with Pakistan on a future set-up.
PHOTO CAPTION:
This Reuters graphic shows various military bases and training camps used by the Taliban in Afghanistan. (Reuters Graphic)