Though it is too early for a victory parade, the war in Afghanistan is proceeding at a dizzying pace that should have marching bands on high alert. The oppressive, inhumane rule of the Taliban is over, al-Qaida’s fierce fighters are begging for mercy, and in just over a week, a new multi-ethnic government will begin the rebuilding of civil society.

Much of the credit for this belongs to the United States – to the Bush administration for its determined and principled leadership, and to the armed forces for their courage and expertise. The war will be won, but the peace must be kept.

The Afghan people desire and deserve peace, but amid the military successes have come troubling signs of how fragile peace can be in a place carrying the baggage of two decades of unrelenting bloodshed. Instances of violence against Taliban supporters are numerous, as are reports of prisoner deaths, such as the dozens of Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners found suffocated after being packed into windowless containers for transport.

The issue is not the degree of mercy that the adherents of brutality should receive, but the threat inhumane treatment of the defeated poses to Afghanistan’s future. Retribution must not be allowed to gain a foothold.

The best insurance against a future that continues the horrifying past is an international peacekeeping force. In contrast to its sharp focus on the war effort, the Bush administration on this point has been sending mixed signals. It is determined that Afghanistan never again will become a lawless sanctuary for terrorists, yet it is reluctant to accept the international assistance necessary.

The proposal taking shape under United Nations guidance is a force of several thousand troops. France, Germany and Canada have agreed to contribute peacekeepers, as have such Muslim countries as Turkey, Jordan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Great Britain has agreed to lead the force.

That is where the proposal breaks down. U.S. military leaders want the force under their authority so that it does not interfere with the war effort; at the same time, they complain that being responsible for foreign troops would divert their attention from the war effort.

The concerns are legitimate, but they must be resolved. The new Afghan government cannot succeed amid violence and the presence of the northern alliance on the streets of Kabul as this shaky coalition tries to build a country would be perceived by some cabinet members as a direct threat. A vital part of creating a new Afghanistan is getting the massive amounts of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid delivered to the millions in need, but already shipments are being hijacked by tribal warlords. The Taliban’s power was built upon money from the drug trade; without the rule of law, the drug trade will continue and some other criminal element will profit. The collapse of Afghanistan back into the horror from which it now is emerging would be a severe blow to any future U.S.-led initiatives against state-sponsored terrorism.

Fortunately, the course of the war is providing opportunity for this resolution. An international peacekeeping force cannot be expected to patrol every corner of Afghanistan – its central role will be to secure the cities, the places where humanitarian aid will be concentrated and where the work of the new government will take place. Since the Taliban and al-Qaida have fled the cities, the U.S.-northern alliance coalition can prosecute the war in the countryside without interference. Britain was the United States’ first and most committed ally in the war on terrorism; its leadership of the peacekeeping force should ensure the highest level of cooperation.