Mohammed Fahim - Vice-Chairman of The Interim Administration - Deployment of An International Force

Deployment of An International Force

In the interim administration Karzai much needed the support of Fahim. When Karzai entered Afghanistan after the Bonn Conference for the first time as Afghanistan's leader, Fahim embraced Karzai like a brother on the airfield and accompanied him to a meeting with the conservative Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a Northern Alliance leader who was sidelined in the Bonn Conference. The relationship between Fahim and Karzai was at this stage not easy. Karzai was the official chairman of the executive committee of the government, but as commander of the most effective military force commanding the capital, Fahim had the real power. Because Fahim was afraid a large international peace keeping force would take away his power base he argued for a limited amount of troops. Karzai however was less afraid of international involvement in Afghan affairs, and might even fear a Tajik hegemony of Afghanistan without them. Fahim was in charge of the meetings with the British General John McColl to establish the exact task, length of stay and size of international forces. In the end it was decided that an international security force of a few thousand troops would be deployed, but that they would agree to Fahim's demands to not take control of Kabul and not start immediately disarming Afghan militias. Earlier Fahim also discussed this with US Generals and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld who also demanded the presence of a large international force. Reportedly, Fahim refused to meet McColl until Rumsfeld pressured him and told him to meet the British general.

When the first foreign troops of the peacekeeping mission arrived on 20 December 2001 Fahim said the foreign troops would not be involved in security work but would instead assist with humanitarian aid missions or would be placed in reserve at the Bagram air base, about 30 miles north of the city. "They are here because they want to be," Fahim said. "They won't be needed for security. A new security affairs commission, whose chief is to be appointed by the new government, will oversee national security. The major reason to have international peacekeepers in Afghanistan is to help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan," said Fahim. According to him the presence of international troops was merely symbolic and they were not supposed to use force. "Some ministers in the new government who have always lived outside the country are worried about security and they feel they need the peacekeepers for protection, but when they arrive here they will see that the situation is OK and that it is not necessary" Fahim added. Chairman Karzai once one who lived for years in Pakistan. The heavily armed units of northern alliance soldiers who swept into Kabul will be withdrawn from the streets, but they will not leave the capital, Fahim added.

There was not only a disagreement between Fahim and Karzai about the size of the International peacekeeping force, but also about the duration that they were supposed to stay in Afghanistan. Fahim indicated that the international forces should leave after six months, but Karzai said that they would stay "as long as we need them, six months as a minimum". The unease between Fahim and the international forces was also present when he requested that they left the capital directly after the inauguration ceremony on 22 December 2001.

Eventually, Fahim decided in talks with foreign powers that an international peacekeeping force of around 3000 men would be deployed, of which 200-300 men would be deployed in a garrison in the center of Kabul. Of the 3000 men only a third would be deployed for security reasons, the others would get logistical and humanitarian tasks. Another important task for the British and Americans would be the training of the Afghan troops, since Fahim expressed he wished to build an Afghan army of around 250 000 men. The Telegraph described Fahim after the negotiations as immensely suspicious of a foreign presence, popularly knows as 'the village idiot,' but actually very shrewd.