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Bush OKs Plans to Help Afghan Opposition
Monday, October 01, 2001 (11:07 AM ET)
By Pete Yost / The Associated Press

"The United States does not want to choose who rules Afghanistan."

WASHINGTON -- AP
President Bush has approved plans to help groups opposing the Taliban, with an eye toward establishing an Afghanistan that is "peaceful and does not practice terrorism." He authorized a multimillion-dollar relief package for Afghan refugees in a prelude to military action against the nation's terrorist-harboring regime.

Today, administration officials said Bush has approved new relief aid to prevent unrest in Pakistan as thousands of refugees flee Afghanistan. The New York Times reported that the package would amount to $100 million, but White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said today the dollar figure was still uncertain.

"The United States has been the number one donor of aid to the people of Afghanistan. The United States will continue in those endeavors," Fleischer said. He declined to say which groups within Afghanistan would receive U.S. support, but said the Bush administration is not interested in putting any particular government in power.
(More: Orlando Sentinel News Source)
© 2001 http://orlandosentinel.com/

Dan