U.N., Afghan government agree on peacekeepers

SUMMARY:

The United Nations and Afghanistan's interim government have accepted plans for a multinational peacekeeping force for the country as U.S. forces prepare to transfer control of the Kandahar International Airport from Marine to Army units. U.S. fliers also conducted their first air raids in several days, striking a suspected Taliban target in southern Afghanistan.

UPDATE:

Afghanistan's interim government and the United Nations have accepted plans for a multinational peacekeeping force for the country, Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said Sunday. A small contingent of British peacekeepers already is in Afghanistan, but disputes over the force's size and specific duties had held up a full agreement. (Full story)

After a lull in U.S. bombing, two B-1B bombers fired missiles at a "Taliban leadership complex" outside Gardez, about 60 miles south of Kabul, U.S. Central Command said. There was no word on whether there were any casualties. (Full story)

The Pentagon said Sunday that troops from the Army's 101st Airborne Division are bound for Afghanistan to replace the Marine contingent based in Kandahar. The Pentagon did not release a deployment date, citing operational security reasons. But officials have said the 101st Airborne -- based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky -- would be deployed in January. (Full story)

The effects of more than 22 years of conflict have taken a mental toll on the people of Afghanistan. While no research exists on the effects of stress on the Afghan people under the current circumstances, doctors in the country say that depression is widespread. (Full story)

President Bush said Friday he is pleased with the progress of the war in Afghanistan but said he expects U.S. troops will remain there for "quite a long period of time" until their mission is complete. (Full story)



		• Summary • Update • Key questions • Who's who • Impact



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RESOURCES

	On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands?

	On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

KEY QUESTIONS:

Who are the key members of the newly installed Afghan interim government? (Click here for more)

Now that the last Taliban stronghold has fallen, will its fleeing members still pose a threat?

Where is Mullah Mohammed Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban?

What kind of permanent government will next rule Afghanistan?

How will a multinational peacekeeping force be received in war-weary Afghanistan?

How long will the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan last?

What is the goal of the U.S. airstrikes over Afghanistan? What is the key to the mission's success?

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president

Hamid Karzai: A Pashtun tribal leader and the chairman of Afghanistan's interim government.

Osama bin Laden: A wealthy Saudi expatriate living in Afghanistan who U.S. authorities cite as one of the primary suspects in masterminding the attacks.

Condoleezza Rice: U.S. national security adviser.

Colin Powell: U.S. secretary of state. A former Army general, Powell also served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Gen. Richard B. Myers: Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Gen. Tommy Franks: Head of U.S. Central Command.

Donald Rumsfeld: U.S. secretary of defense.

The Taliban: A group of Islamic fundamentalists, mainly from Afghanistan's Pashtun ethnic group, which is the country's largest ethnic group. The Taliban that gained control of most of the country by 1997 and instituted an extreme form of Islamic law.

Northern Alliance: A group of former mujahedeen fighters, mainly from minority ethnic groups that oppose the Taliban.

George Robertson: NATO secretary-general and former British defense minister.

George Tenet: CIA director

IMPACT:

The military attacks that began October 7 mark the start of what the Bush administration says will be a lengthy struggle against terrorist organizations worldwide -- one that could take years.