The State Department issued the following fact sheet August 20 about the political situation in Afghanistan:

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Fact Sheet
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC
August 20, 2002

Political Situation in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is governed by the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan (ITGA), a government that followed the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA). The AIA was inaugurated on December 22, 2001 and administered Afghanistan until June. The Emergency Loya Jirga, a traditional Afghan council comprised of ethnic leaders from around the country, met in June under the leadership of Afghanistan's former monarch, Zahir Shah, and approved the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan (ITGA).

On the heels of years of no functioning central government and two decades of civil war, the December 2001 United Nations-sponsored Bonn Agreement established a framework that would help Afghanistan end its tragic conflict, promote national conciliation, lasting peace and stability as well as respect for human rights, particularly those of women and girls.

Like its predecessor, the ITGA is a multi-ethnic body broadly representative of the ethnic, geographic, and religious composition of Afghanistan, and includes two women. President Hamid Karzai heads the ITGA.

The United States is working closely with the ITGA in many areas, including cooperation in the War on Terrorism and Operation Enduring Freedom. Then Afghan Interim Authority Chairman Hamid Karzai and members of his Cabinet met government officials as well as representatives from the private sector, and inaugurated the re-opening of the Afghan Embassy in Washington.

Afghans face unprecedented challenges as they attempt to rebuild a country ravaged by two decades of civil war and four years of drought. Dealing with damage to critical infrastructure (roads, bridges, power generation facilities), addressing food shortages, landmine clearance, health and education problems, and returning refugees top the ITGA's agenda. A prerequisite for rebuilding Afghanistan, achieving political stability, and sustaining reconstruction is security. A history of anarchy and warlordism has led to an established pattern of insecurity in many parts of the country. In an effort to curb security problems in Kabul, the approximately 5,000-man ISAF, under Turkish leadership and authorized by the United Nations, provides security in Kabul and its surrounding areas. For the long-term, a multi-ethnic Afghan National Army (ANA) loyal to the authorities in Kabul offers the best long-term solution to Afghanistan's security problems. The United States is working with its allies to train and equip and ANA.

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