Normal life returning to Kandahar

Electricity and water have been restored to the city

		By the BBC's Brian Barron

Stability is fast returning to Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, where the leader of the new interim government Hamid Karzai has been mediating between rival factions in the city.

There had been tension as tribal leaders vied for a share of power under new city governor, Gul Agha, and small pockets of Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters refused to hand over their arms.

Whilst in the city Mr Karzai has been protected by US and UK special forces who are staying near the compound where Mr Karzai is residing.

Mullah Omar fled his house weeks ago

On the journey towards the city the damage of wars old and new is visible everywhere.

Escorted by 10 armed tribesmen we headed north from the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak past refugee camps packed with scores of thousands of displaced Afghans.

The earliest most of them will return is the spring.

Refugees return

The road is in a terrible state, largely through neglect from years of civil war, but also because of the impact of American bombing in the past two months.

Dotted along the route are the remains of destroyed Taleban convoys, tanks and wrecked military outposts.

But now not only is commercial traffic slowly beginning to pick up but we also saw a few refugee families heading home to Kandahar with their possessions crammed in the back of pickup trucks.

One patriarch told me that the war is definitely over, the Taleban are finished - but the future, he said, is very uncertain.

Al-Qaeda fears

Nervousness among our escorts visibly increased as we crossed a stretch of desert where they think al-Qaeda remnants might still be hiding out.

British SAS are guarding Mr Karzai's compound

Nearing Kandahar at nightfall there was a welcome glimpse of light flickering in the distance.

We were told that this was the first night electricity and water have been restored since the heaviest American bombing raid on Taleban and al-Qaeda positions two weeks ago.

Abandoned stronghold

The next day we drove through half-deserted streets to what used to be the private compound of the fugitive Taleban leader, Mullah Omar.

At the entrance, a few hundred yards from an enormous volcanic outcrop known as Elephant Mountain, the Taleban's anti-aircraft defences remained intact.

The Taleban leader himself left the compound once the American bombing campaign began two months ago.

The walls of buildings are pock-marked from bullets and bomb shrapnel.

Special forces

Directly facing the entrance of Mr Karzai's temporary home is a large green and yellow painted mosque which officials here say was built on Osama Bin Laden's orders as a gift for Mullah Omar.

In a building attached to the mosque are 16 American special forces troops, and a Land Rover full of British SAS soldiers drew up this morning.

The assumption is that the special forces are helping guarantee Mr Karzai's security and participating in the search for Mullah Omar and Bin Laden.