Dmitry Litvinovich: Afghanistan is showing the USA the door

Afghanistan demanded that the USA stop its the air bombing, since all of Osama bin Laden's and the Taliban’s points have already been destroyed, RIA Novosti informed. The Indian mass media distributed an adequate statement that was made by the spokesman for the Afghanistanian Defense Minister, Mohammad Habil.

Habil, in particular, said that the provisional government of Afghanistan demanded that the USA stop the bombing, since “the goal had been acheived.” The USA should not strike Afghanistan’s territory without permission from the local authorities and the defense ministry. Habil also noted that a small quantity of the American troops in Afghanistan should withdraw from the territory of the country within the period of three days.

The Americans seem to have a different attitude regarding the issue. Washington believes that the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan will not be over until Bin Laden is either seized or killed.

Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defense Secretary, has recently claimed that he ordered the dispatch of hundreds of soldiers to Afghanistan to search for the al-Qaeda gunmen, and, of course, Osama bin Laden himself, in the caves of the Tora Bora area. The soldiers will also look for documents about past and future acts of terrorism.

The Pentagon has already came out with a certain number: they said that about 500 marines would be dispatched to Afghanistan. However, then, the military men stepped back and placed their hopes on their Afghanistanian allies, whose enthusiasm will be warmed up with the American money, weapons, and winter clothes. The idea pertaining to the deployment of another military contingent will have to be forgotten after today’s statements from Afghanistan’s administration. The Pentagon decided that the presence of a small group of soldiers would be an eyesore to the Afghan people in those parts of the country where the people hold anti-American sentiments. Furthermore, the presence of American Marines on Afghanistan’s territory should be substantiated with something, like, for example, searching for Bin Laden and other Taliban leaders. However, as long as there is no confirmed information saying he is still in Afghanistan, then there is no need in the American presence.

The information that Bin Laden is hiding in Afghanistan is another headache for the provisional government of Afghanistan as well as for Islamabad. That is why they keep saying from time to time that Bin Laden is hiding both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Dmitry Litvinovich PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov