01/20/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09656

RESTORING ORDER TO AFGHANISTAN

As part of its effort to restore order in Afghanistan, the interim government is trying to disarm a society that has grown accustomed to violence and an absence of the rule of law. According to General Bismullah Khan, a Northern Alliance commander, crime has sharply risen in Kabul, with soldiers, militia members, irregular troops, and security guards carrying out attacks. As a result, the people of Kabul now face increasing danger of banditry, car theft, and violent death at the hands of other Afghans.

Insecurity extends beyond Kabul and is hampering relief efforts. This is especially true in southern Afghanistan, where the interim government has little control and Taleban and al-Qaida members are suspected of hiding out. According to Jordan Dey of the World Food Program, "Security continues to be a significant obstacle to reaching people."

Afghanistan’s interim government has taken some steps to improve security. The government has ordered an estimated three-hundred to four-hundred Northern Alliance troops to leave Kabul. The government is also starting to confiscate weapons from troops no longer on active duty.

The interim Afghan government plans to issue identification cards and require civilians to register their weapons with the police. But the task will not be easy. After twenty-three years of nearly constant war, many civilians do not feel safe without a gun.

A critical tool in establishing law and order is a well-trained police force. At present, the Kabul police are outgunned. Perhaps thirty percent of the approximately one-hundred-member Kabul police force are properly trained. The other seventy percent were hired off the street. As interior minister Yunus Qanooni said, the police force "was completely destroyed by the Taleban. We must rebuild it from zero."

With the Taleban ousted from power and al-Qaida on the run, the interim Afghan government has a unique chance to establish peace and rebuild Afghanistan. The U.S. and other nations are committed to assisting this process. As U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said, "This is a moment of opportunity for Afghanistan."