“Unconditionally Surrender”

The Taliban troops defending their last northern stronghold city of Kunduz offered to surrender unconditionally to the United Nations through their representatives.

The special United Nations envoy for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi said at the press conference held at the U.N. Center in New York on Nov. 20 that the Taliban troops holding on for a week in Kunduz surrounded by the Northern Alliance sent two representatives to the U.N. office in Islamabad, Pakistan on the night of Nov. 19 to deliver their offer of unconditional surrender.

He said, "Even though the Taliban commanders wish to have the process of surrendering monitored by the U.N., it is evident that the U.N. has no means to handle the transition, and thus cannot accede to this request." The U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan strongly appealed that the Taliban troops be treated as much humanely as possible according to international humanitarian and human rights laws if they surrender, but there arises a controversy as the United States refuses to do so.

Pentagon announced regarding the on-going negotiations for surrender between the Afghan opposition and the Taliban commanders that the U.S. would stop airstrikes if the opposition requested so.

Meanwhile, Gen. Tommy Franks, the U.S. commander of the Afghanistan campaign, said on Nov. 21, that the United States may introduce ground troops to bolster special operations forces already deployed.

Sung-Kyu Kim kimsk@donga.com