The Taliban regime has collapsed. The citizens of Kabul apparently welcomed the incoming Northern Alliance troops and feted their "liberation" from five years of oppression.
But within moments of the joy, the reality sank in: Afghanistan seems to have plunged into a state of anarchy. On Nov. 19, a convoy was seized on the road linking the key eastern city of Jalalabad and Kabul, and four people were killed, including three Western journalists. Japanese crews from two TV stations also had their equipment taken from them when they passed nearby. The possibility exists that faction-torn Afghanistan could fall into a serious state of looting, persecution and massacre.
What the Afghan people urgently need is the maintenance of public order and security. But the formation of a multinational force to maintain security will take time. As there is no point in having driven out the Taliban if the chaos only grows worse, for the time being the U.S. military should accept its responsibility to maintain public order in the country.