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COVER STORY: AFGHANISTAN

Power Centre In His Own Right

An upcoming leader is the lean, lanky and clean-shaven engineer Arif Khan, the interior minister. A former army commander, he now controls the intelligence wings. Abdullah is the third head of the troika that controls the front. He was until recently considered a political lightweight, but with the action shifting to the UN and the international forum, he is emerging as a power centre in his own right.

 
 

PRISONERS OF WAR: Captured Taliban soldiers at a prison in Panjshir Valley

The front's forces get their equipment and money mainly from Russia and Iran who for years have supported the anti-Taliban efforts. Masood's forces, which number around 10,000, control the northern extremes, including the strategically located Panjshir Valley and Badakhshan province where the front's capital Faizabad is situated. It is currently battling the Taliban on two fronts: the Shomali plains just 50 km from Kabul and near Talukhan where its military headquarters Khwaja Bahuddin is located.

MEN-IN-ARMS: THE THREE ELITE US FORCES THAT CAN BE USED TO FIND BIN LADEN

 

The hunt for Terror International's CEO Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan's rugged terrain could easily see the largest deployment of the US special forces since the Vietnam War

GREEN BERETS
Officially called the 7th Special Operations Group, this elite force has fought in Korea and led guerrilla operations deep in north Vietnam and Laos. There are five brigade-sized groups of around 1,000 troops each. Specialists in guerrilla warfare, they can operate independently after being infiltrated deep inside enemy lines.
UTILITY: Can be used for ambushes and raids inside Afghanistan to disrupt the Taliban war machine.

RANGERS
Elite US rapid-deployment force trained in all types of warfare. Capable of rapid infantry assaults as well as special operations in varied climates and terrain. This light infantry group specialises in capturing airports. There are five battalions of 1,000 men each. UTILITY: Can be called in for fighting within cities, large frontal assaults or capturing or destroying key installations like airbases.


DELTA FORCE
Secretive counter-terrorist unit raised for operations outside the US. Officially called the US Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, candidates are drawn from other special forces groups like the Rangers. In the Gulf War, they were used in "Scud hunts" to track and destroy mobile missile launchers.
UTILITY: Can be used to storm hideouts and capture bin Laden and his key lieutenants once they are located by satellite and other surveillance methods.

 

The front has also allied with the forces headed by Abdul Rashid Dostum in the Samangan region. Dostum, another legendary commander, returned in May after years of living in exile and is making a bid to recapture Mazar-e-Sharif. The other major force is the respected former governor Ismail Khan in Herat. The unreliable Dostum and the more credible Khan operate autonomously but depend on Masood's forces for replenishment of arms.

The front's forces are weak in ground armour such as tanks and also in the air. It has a couple of strike aircraft but they need to be repaired. Of its eight helicopters, only two have attack capability. This is the main reason why its sphere of influence is confined to the mountains. On the plains, the Taliban is far superior and Kandahar remains impregnable. That is where the US forces are expected to concentrate their attack.

There are major stumbling blocks for the front to head any future Afghan government. Pakistan is strongly opposed to the front and has used its lack of Pashtun-who comprise 60 per cent of the population-representation to warn the Americans that it isn't a viable option.

That is the main reason why Shah, a Pashtun who enjoys the respect of the community, is being brought back.

The US would also be wary of a front that may be more amenable to control by Russia and Iran and ill-disposed towards Pakistan. It could sow the seeds of a fresh round of instability in the region.

Then the US promise for a sustained war against terrorism may take an altogether new meaning.