Afghanistan's President Predicts Northern Alliance's Decisive Offensive Is Coming

Burhanuddin Rabbani, the president of the Islamic State of Afghanistan, has spoken of the possibility that the Northern Alliance will undertake a comprehensive offensive against the Taliban before the Muslim month of Ramadan, which starts this year on November 16th. He was quoted as saying this by the Pakistani newspaper Frontier Post. Speaking on the political makeup of Afghanistan after the Taliban is defeated, Mr. Rabbani ruled out that fundamentalists would be included in the new government. He refuted the idea of the restoration of the monarchy in the country. Mr. Rabbani believes that after Kabul is occupied, Loya Jirgah, the Supreme Meeting of People, should take place there. Loya Jirgah will become a kind of provisional government, which will focus on creating the country's constitution, forming regular army, and reconstructing the economy. This government will work for about two years. Mr. Rabbani thinks that only then should the new broad-based government form and elections take place.