Sergei Borisov: Did the Northern Alliance act according to Putin’s plan?

The Northern Alliance has captured Kabul after Vladimir Putin’s telephone call to George Bush. This sensational report was made by Debka information service. The fast occupation of Kabul was unexpected for many people not only in Europe but in the Middle East and in the US as well.

Recently, American generals were preparing the public for a long military campaign in Afghanistan. The capture of Kabul seemed to belong to the remote future. However, the Taliban suddenly left the capital. According to Debka, the capture of Kabul was carried out according to a plan offered by Putin to his US colleague. Depka, referring to sources in intelligence services in Moscow and Washington, reported that Vladimir Putin had called George Bush on November 7. After this call, the Northern Alliance started to attack the key city Mazar-i Sharif. According to the Russian president, at that time, the Alliance’s forces could make a breach in the Taliban’s defences and, after capturing Mazar-i Sharif, prepare for the offensive on the capital. Referring to intelligence sources, Debka states shortly before it, Uzbek sub-units of the Northern Alliance under the command of general Dustum received a reinforcement. Therefore, Russian and Uzbek special forces joined the Alliance’s forces. Earlier, while visiting Uzbekistan, US Secretary of Defence Rumsfeld asked President Karimov to send Uzbek Special Forces’ soldiers to help the Northern Alliance. Though, at that time, Karimov refused, explaining that these units were necessary in Uzbekistan, because there was danger of Islamites coming to the country. Only after the Russian president promised to help in the case of danger, Karimov agreed to send his units to Afghanistan.

Vladimir Putin informed the US president, Debka reports, that several dozens of special agents (Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Mongols working for Russian intelligence) have made contact with the Taliban’s commanders in western and southern Afghanistan. These agents should assure the Taliban’s commanders to join the Northern Alliance when its forces pass to the offensive. In exchange for this, the Taliban received guarantees of personal safety, money, new clothes, and a job in the Alliance’s army. Every “treated” commander got a password. This password was known to Russian special agents accompanying advanced forces of the Northern Alliance during its offensive.

Before attacking, these agents crossed the front line, made contact with the Taliban’s commanders, and handed over the promised money. Then, they returned accompanied by one or two officers of the Taliban, who became guarantors of the bargain. It is not known whether everything happened namely in this way, though the information of Debka probably explains why the operation has been carried out so fast.

The plan proposed to the US president by Vladimir Putin completely contradicted what US generals were working out. They were preparing for a slow and gradual occupation of the territory. The capital was to surrender to the Northern Alliance at the end of the Afghan winter, about April. After the realization of Putin’s plan, American strategic projects have to be thrown out. According to Debka, after talking to Putin, Bush did not consult with his team but took individual and fast decision. If he had started to consult, he would have heard objections of his assistants. Rumsfeld would have said Russian proposals threaten all military plans of Americans in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Powel would have announced the Northern Alliance’s advance towards the capital will not please Washington’s ally Pakistan and will damage warm relations between the US president and President Musharaf. However, Bush did not listen to them and gave the signal to start the attack.

Sergei Borisov PRAVDA.Ru

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/11/19/33983.html