had commanded the US campaign that wiped out the Taliban, and
the Foreign Ministers of Iran, India, and Pakistan. Karzai was
sworn in by the acting Chief Justice. Ismail Khan arrived during
the ceremony, and Karzai greeted him with the salutation ‘My
brother’. At the end, Rabbani signed a transfer-of-power certificate,
and described Afghanistan as ‘thirsty for peace’ (Associated Press,
22 December 2001). The Foreign Minister of Belgium, Louis
Michel, said, ‘I am sure that Mr Massoud is proud of his nation
today’ (Rohde, 2001b).
One event darkened the day. The night before, at Sato Kandaw, 15
miles south of Gardez, US bombers strafed a convey of vehicles,
leaving 65 dead. The USA maintained that it was a group of Bin
Laden supporters. Locals maintained that they were tribal elders
heading for Kabul to attend the swearing in ceremony. Ruling
Afghanistan was not going to be easy. But the Bonn Agreement,
focused on state-building rather than a division of spoils, constituted
a promising start, indeed the best hope that Afghanistan had had for
many a long year. Finally, there was light at the end of the tunnel.
CHALLENGES
Here, we might easily end our discussion of the wars of modern
Afghanistan. The misery that war has brought to the Afghan people
is almost beyond measure, and their craving for peace overwhelm-
ing. Yet that said, there are certain immediate challenges which
Afghanistan faces as it embarks on its post-Taliban transition, as
well as certain lessons from its near quarter-century of turmoil and
tragedy, that it is important to highlight in conclusion.
Challenges ahead
Is Afghanistan on the brink of another bout of turmoil comparable
to the battle for Kabul after the communist regime collapsed? Most
likely not. A decade ago, the world was keen to walk away from
Afghanistan; now Afghanistan is at the centre of world attention. A
The Fall of the Taliban 275