US secretary of state Colin Powell on Sunday hailed progress made in the US-led campaign against Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime but cautioned against an opposition push for the capital, Kabul.

“Right now, I think it's going rather well,” Powell said in an interview. The opposition claimed on Sunday that the Taliban had lost the bulk of their fighting force after offensives in several central cities.
But Powell said the northern alliance should stop short of setting the Afghan capital, Kabul, in its sights, echoing a statement made by Bush on Saturday
“We think it would be better if they were to 'invest' the city, make it untenable for the Taliban to continue to occupy Kabul,” Powell said, although the Northern Alliance said it would not rule out such a move.

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US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said Kabul needed to remain an International city, a city that represents all of the afghan people, reiterating the need for a broad-based government representing the country's various ethnic groups.

Bureau Report