Afghan President to Form Military Council to Coordinate Battle Against Guerrillas

President Najibullah, seeking to tighten his grip on the government and military, will form and lead a supreme military council to coordinate the armed forces’ fight against Muslim guerrillas, the Afghanistan’s foreign minister said Sunday.

The announcement came a day after Najibullah declared a nationwide state of emergency and replaced seven members of his Cabinet who were not members of his ruling People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, guerrillas trying to form their own interim government failed to agree on a Cabinet list, and several delegates walked out of the governmental conference.

Guerrillas also claimed to have captured a provincial capital in central Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Abdul Wakil said in an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. radio that the military council will coordinate economic and military activities and will be formed “in the next few days.” He said the new council will not replace the Cabinet.

Wakil also said the emergency declared Saturday night is a precautionary measure and a “sign of strength, not weakness.” New security measures will include house searches, he said.

Foreign Ministry officials said seven members of the ruling party’s policy-making Central Committee are replacing the ousted non-party ministers.

“We wanted to give a sign to the counterrevolutionaries and show them the party is not finished,” one senior party member said. “We are stronger than ever.”

There are still 10 non-party members in the Cabinet, including Premier Mohammed Hassan Sharq, his deputy and two vice presidents.

A diplomat said the reshuffling and emergency declaration were signs of a tightening of control by Najibullah.

“He has surrounded himself with his people. He’s showing that he’s now in charge; he’s calling the shots now that the Soviets are gone,” said the diplomat.

The Soviet army withdrew the last of its troops from Afghanistan last week under terms of a U.N.-mediated accord. They had been in Afghanistan since 1979.

The Pakistan-based guerrillas, who again nominated leaders of a government in exile in Pakistan on Saturday, have vowed to bring down Najibullah.

Moderate guerrilla factions opposed to the nomination of hard-liner Ahmad Shah as prime minister walked out of the council session Sunday that was to approve the nominations.

The council, or shura , was to reconvene today in Islamabad.

Also Sunday, rebels said their forces captured Tarin Kot, provincial capital of the remote central province of Uruzgan, along with an unspecified number of government troops and a large quantity of arms and ammunition in a battle Friday.

There was no independent confirmation of the report, which was carried by the rebels’ Afghan News Agency based in Islamabad.

Tarin Kot is 60 miles from the nearest key highway and has little strategic importance. But its capture would bring to about half a dozen the number of provincial capitals to fall to the insurgents since Soviet forces began leaving Afghanistan in May.

The guerrillas are said to control 90% of the countryside, but Najibullah’s troops still hold most urban centers.