On Monday, American servicemen have raised the national flag at the US embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, for the first time since 1989. A State Department spokesman said the US would operate a liaison office headed by charge d'affaires Jeanine Jackson.
Similarly, Turkey has reopened its embassy in Kabul, in a ceremony attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and the newly appointed ambassador, Mufit Ozdes. Turkey closed down its embassy in the Afghan capital when the Taliban forces captured the city in 1996, while the Turkish consulate general in Mazar-i-Sharif was closed when the Taliban took it over in 1997.
Other states, including the UK and Italy, have re-staffed their embassies, in what appears to be a gradual return to diplomatic normalcy in Afghanistan.
Chasing al-Qaeda Members
On the ground, tribal and U.S. special forces chased al-Qaeda members through the mountains of eastern Afghanistan on Monday after conquering their complex of caves and tunnels. Some of Osamba bin Laden’s fighters surrendered, pleading with their captors not to turn them over to the Americans.
Over 200 foreign fighters from al-Qaeda were killed in battles culminating nine weeks of attacks by American warplanes in the air and eastern alliance forces on the ground. According to AP, hundreds more were believed to be on the run, and there was no word on the whereabouts of bin Laden, whom some reports had placed in the area. However, Airstrikes were less intense Monday than in the previous weeks, but bombs still exploded deep in the forests on the snowcapped mountain range where al-Qaeda fighters were believed to be fleeing. (Albawaba.com)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
