[EDITORIALS]Concerns of a surrender

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[EDITORIALS]Concerns of a surrender

The war in Afghanistan, which was started to hold those involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks accountable, may be nearing an end, as the Taliban has agreed to surrender. Of course, there are matters still to be taken care of. Osama bin Laden is still at large. The U.S. government and Afghanistan's new interim government haven't agreed whether the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, should be pardoned. Because the war against the Taliban seems to be winding down, it is time for the world to wrap up the situation in Afghanistan by actively getting involved in dealing with problems there and learning lessons from the war.

The U.S. government has a firm will to either kill or put Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Omar and those who are behind or assisting terrorist attacks before a tribunal. The U.S. government seems to believe that appropriate punishment will prevent terrorist acts against civilization from recurring. Afghnanistan's new interim government seems to consider engaging Taliban forces in order to smooth the process of national integration after the war. However, it is inevitable that radical terrorist will be punished. But we hope that the United States will be flexible in deciding the level of punishment. The United States' flexibility will help Afghanistan rejoin the world order as soon as possible.

The war against the Taliban over the last two months has been a war of cutting-edge technology. There are almost no casualties on the U.S. side. Encouraged by this, the U.S. government now appears tempted to wage war against Iraq and other countries suspected of assisting terrorist attacks. It would seem that the war capabilities and the destructive power shown by the United States this time have delivered enough lessons to countries suspected of assisting terrorist acts.

The United States and the rest of the world should shore up the newly started interim government there by sending peacekeeping forces and providing massive relief assistance. In particular, rich Islamic nations should assist Afghanistan financially to keep Islamic radicals from gaining power there. Such actions are vital for the stability of the Islamic world.
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