Northern Alliance Divided On Foreign Military Presence In Afghanistan

Abdul Rasul Sayaf, leader of the Islamic Union within the anti-Taleban coalition, comes out against foreign military presence in Afghanistan and the return of the deposed King to the country. In an interview with the Al-Jazeera TV station of Qatar, Sayaf stressed that there would be no foreigners in Afghanistan and that the Northern Alliance would take every effort to oppose their presence. Sayaf blamed Taleban fighters for all that is going on in Afghanistan, stressing that they had dug their graves with their own hands. The Taleban are the main reason behind warfare, said the leader of the Islamic Union. He added that the Taleban had been receiving aid from abroad and used it to destroy those fighting for Afghanistan, including Masood Shakh. Sayaf emphasised that he was against including the deposed King of Afghanistan into the future government of the country.