Afghan creek is opposition lifeline

Don Pathan
The Nation

Rustaq, Afghanistan

The creek leading to the Kokcha River in the heart of northern Afghanistan was a little more than a joke for the opposition Northern Alliance.

But for the past weeks, as the Northern Alliance looks to take advantage of the ongoing attack on the Taleban government by the American and British forces, this riverbed is no longer a laughing matter.

More than ever before, the little creek that has, over the year, doubled as a trail for vehicles transporting essential supplies to the opposition's front line, has become a major lifeline for the opposition's war against the Taleban.

This route came to life about this time last year when the Taleban forces took over Talikan and made some gains in the opposition-controlled area along the Tajik border, pushing the alliance back over the Kokcha River and forced the opposition to seek an alternative route.

As they retreated, the Alliance troops blew up a bridge near Khwaja Ghar village to prevent the Taleban from gaining ground. It was one of the two bridges across this important river.

And with only one bridge left operating, the Northern Alliance cannot afford any more setbacks as it looks to move against the Taleban. It has now received a helping hand from the Americans, who are leading air strikes in their hunt for Osama bin Laden, who is thought to be the mastermind behind the network responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.

Old hands of the Afghan conflict said the Taleban's leadership could not afford to divorce itself from bin Laden and his army of mercenaries, the so-called "Afghan Arabs", as they make up a significant part of its overall campaign against the Northern Alliance.

In fact, said one Northern Alliance commander, these mercenaries, who came to Afghanistan two decades ago to fight the Soviet military, are known for their ruthlessness and their skills on the battle field.

Relics of that war back in the 1980s are seen along this dusty trail that zigzags through gigantic rock formations, linking major supply points along the Afghan-Tajik border to the front line in the Panjshir valley just north of Kabul. Old Russian tanks and armoured vehicles, taken out by the then Afghan Mujahedeen, or holy warriors, serve as grave reminders of how history has not always been too kind to the people of Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan is not Yugoslavia," said General Barialay Khan, deputy commander of the opposition Northern Alliance forces.

The general even defended his enemies, the Taleban, saying they never carried out ethnic massacres against innocent people.

"It was the Afghan Arabs who carried out the massacres in spite of opposition from the Taleban soldiers," he said.