FT: Northern Alliance asks US to limit destruction

[Seth Ackerman]

> Copyright 2001 The Financial Times Limited   
> Financial Times (London) 
> 
> October 10, 2001, Wednesday London Edition 2 
> 
> SECTION: ATTACK ON AFGHANISTAN MILITARY STRATEGY AND DIPLOMACY; Pg. 2 
> 
> LENGTH: 310 words 
> 
> HEADLINE: Northern Alliance asks US to limit destruction BOMBARDMENT: 
> 
> BYLINE: By ANDREW JACK 
> 
> DATELINE: KHOJA BAKKOVIDDIN 
> 
> BODY: 
> A senior figure in the Afghan Northern Alliance yesterday appealed to the
> US to limit the destruction caused by its bombardment of targets across
> the country. 
> 
> "If the US makes a mistake (by bombarding too much) it will bring too much
> destruction and the costs will be too high," said Wahedula Savawun, former
> minister of defence under the now exiled Mujahideen Guldidin Heklatyar. 
> 
> "Try to finish the job soon because our people are too poor, burdened by
> too much and have no patience for a long period of fighting again," he
> said. Mr Savawun now serves as "minister of finance" for the Northern
> Alliance, the main opposition group to the Taliban regime which has
> supported Osama bin Laden. He called on the US and the UK to take the lead
> in funding the reconstruction of his country in the wake of the current
> bombing. He expressed his support for the campaign of bombardments but
> said they would leave Afghanistan more in need of support than ever. 
> 
> He was speaking as leading Northern Alliance figures gathered for a
> meeting in Khoja Bakkoviddin in the territory in northern Afghanistan
> controlled by the alliance. 
> 
> "When the Soviet Union was at war with us everything was destroyed and
> devastated and nothing was rebuilt," Mr Savawun said. "They destroyed it
> and the US will re-destroy it. 
> 
> "We watch every day as homes burn down in our nation", he added. "We know
> no other way, but we expect the US to be very careful in trying not to
> harm civilians." 
> 
> Mr Savawun said the time was close to reconsider international financing
> to Afghanistan, after previous demands to organisations including the
> World Bank were rejected. 
> 
> He said once the Taliban was defeated a proposed Council for Unity and
> Reconciliation of the Afghan People was likely to take place within two
> weeks in an effort to build a broad-based coalition for governing. 
>