MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghan-istan - Warlord factions whose control ofnorthern Afghanistan challenges central government authority havepledged to withdraw from the volatile region's main city andeventually demobilize their soldiers, a spokesman for one of theparties said.
A pullout by warlords from Mazar-e-Sharif would be an importantstep in Afghanistan's efforts to restore stability after 23 years ofwar. In the capital, Kabul, the commander of the internationalpeacekeeping force said security there was already improving.
In Mazar-e-Sharif, envoys for Atta Mohammed and Gen. RashidDostum, a longtime rival, made plans Monday to withdraw from the cityand forge a new security force, said Wasiqullah, one of AttaMohammad's top aides.
They also pledged to eventually demobilize tens of thousands offighters who have protected the warlords' interests for years, saidWasiqullah, who like many Afghans uses one name. The pact wasmediated by a third faction led by Muhammad Mohaqqeq.
"If we all stick by the accord, what we are planning is veryeasy," Wasiqullah told The Associated Press. "If one group doesn'tfulfill their end, then it will be very, very hard."
Without a national army and with international peacekeepersrestricted to Kabul, the interim government of Prime Minister HamidKarzai is battling to expand its authority to regions where localwarlords with a tradition of shifting loyalties and their ownmilitias wield and vie for control.
Karzai's government has appealed for peacekeepers to be expandedto cities other than Kabul - so far without success.
In Washington, the chairman of the Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee urged President Bush to allow U.S. troops to participate inthe force, warning that Afghanistan's fragile peace may be at stake.
"Like it or not, our leadership role must include soldiers on theground. If others step forward, fine, but whatever it takes, weshould do it," said Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat whovisited Kabul in January.
"History will judge us harshly if we allow the hope of a liberatedAfghanistan to evaporate because we failed to stay the course."
Bush has ruled out participation by U.S. troops in the British-led force, although Washington says its troops will stay inAfghanistan hunting al-Qaida and Taliban fugitives.
Fighting last week between rival factions in the eastern Afghanprovincial capital of Gardez killed at least 61 people. Talks onending the tensions continued today.
There also have been sporadic deadly clashes in the north.
Dostum, in particular, has demanded a greater voice for his ethnicUzbek minority when a new government is formed. The others' militiasin the north also represent distinct interests with links toneighboring nations vying for influence.
Under the accord laying out the warlords' planned withdrawal fromMazar-e-Sharfif, each militia leader would be left with only about 50private gunmen, and fewer for sub-commanders, said Wasiqullah.
He claimed all sides would welcome intervention by internationalpeacekeepers.
In Kabul, the commander of the international peacekeeping forceand Afghanistan's interior minister told a joint news conference thatsecurity there is improving despite pockets of lawlessness.
"There are of course difficulties, and there remain difficulties,"said British Gen. John McColl.
But he pointed to growing commercial vitality in the city andincreased traffic in and out of Kabul's international airport assigns that stability was taking hold.
The peacekeeping force - whose strength now stands at 3,200 -patrols 24 hours a day but only in Kabul. McColl deflected questionsabout whether peacekeepers were needed nationwide, saying Karzai mustwork that out with the international community.
The U.N. Security Council would have to approve any change in theforce's mandate.
Interior Minister Younis Qanooni spoke of Afghanistan's wish tobecome "self-sufficient" in security matters. He said the countryhoped to have a 70,000-member national police force trained withinthe year.
Qanooni also said efforts to get armed men off the streets wereslowly succeeding, and that authorities confiscated 700 illegalweapons in recent weeks.
"This doesn't mean we are satisfied with security - we have to domore," Qanooni said.
The minister also said the situation in Gardez, where rivalwarlords fought artillery duels for two days last week, was "undercontrol." A government delegation has been mediating between the twosides, and both agreed to a cease-fire at least until Friday.
Meanwhile, in other developments:
* Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday that Americanforces have returned to investigate claims they killed the wrongpeople in a raid two weeks ago. Fifteen or 16 people died and 27 werearrested in the raid. He said the military should apologize on thespot if the claims prove true.
* The Bush administration's proposed 2003 Pentagon budget includes$27 billion for fighting terrorism. The Pentagon says it has spentabout $7 billion so far on its campaign in Afghanistan, which beganOct. 7.
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