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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Win Smith who wrote (42661)	9/8/2002 9:01:35 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

You're the one who can't handle it. Now you are being silly.

To: Win Smith who wrote (42661)	9/8/2002 9:06:13 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Afghanistan...what a mess!!! Violence challenges fragile Afghan government By DREW BROWN Knight Ridder Newspapers KABUL, Afghanistan - A car bomb in Kabul and the attempted assassination of President Hamid Karzai in Kandahar last week posed the most brazen challenges yet to Afghanistan's fragile government and the U.S.-led coalition that put it in power. But it remains unclear whether the perpetrators behind the spectacular twin attacks represent a fifth column or a phantom menace. Afghan officials were quick to assert that terrorists associated with al-Qaida, the Taliban or former prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar are to blame for the attacks, which occurred within hours of each other last Thursday. But they acknowledge that so far they have little proof. Hekmatyar led one of the most radical rebel factions during the Soviet occupation 20 years ago, and has called several times for holy war against the U.S.-led coalition and Karzai government. Afghan authorities have arrested 18 people in both incidents, including two Pakistanis in connection with the car bombing. But interrogations have failed to reveal whether the two incidents were coincidental or part of a coordinated effort to destabilize the Karzai regime, which is still struggling to assert its authority 10 months after U.S. air strikes and the Northern Alliance ousted the hardline Taliban regime from power and drove Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network underground. "It is possible that they are planned by the same network," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Omar Samad. "It is also possible that they were carried out by small cells operating without each other's knowledge and are pure coincidence. But it's just too early to say if they are linked." The attacks bore few similarities. The car bomb exploded near a crowded bazaar in Kabul after a smaller device left on a bicycle was used to lure in curious bystanders. Two hours later, a member of a security detail fired four shots at Karzai as he was leaving the governor's palace, and was gunned down by U.S. soldiers acting as Karzai's bodyguards. While the attempt on Karzai could have been the act of a lone gunman, the car bombing revealed a level of sophistication and planning more commonly associated with terrorists, Afghan officials say. But they say it is unclear whether it was carried out by a small cell of individuals acting independently or under instructions from a larger network. A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force said Sunday that Afghan officials have not asked for assistance in the investigation. "It is a matter for the transitional police," said British Maj. James Kelley. "We have not been asked to participate." The attempt on Karzai took place in the capitol of a region where U.S. raids on suspected Taliban and al-Qaida hideouts have resulted in dozens of civilian deaths and have increasingly antagonized the largely rural Pashtun populace. The gunman, identified as a man in his early 20s named Adbul Rahman, came from the Kajaki region of Helmand province, an area known for its strong Taliban leanings. A number of senior Taliban officials hail from Helmand. Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was born in neighboring Uruzgan province and reporting fled to northern Helmand province when U.S.-backed forces took over Kandahar last December. Afghan officials say they had received intelligence warnings that al-Qaida, the Taliban and Hekmatyar had planned attacks to coincide with the anniversaries of last Sept. 9's assassination of Ahmad Sha Massoud, a charismatic Northern Alliance leader, and of last Sept. 11. But they maintain that the incidents are the work of a small group of desperate individuals rather than evidence of a nascent resistance movement. "This was a good opportunity for those terrorists who have lost power in Afghanistan to show their face again," said Samad, the foreign ministry spokesman. "Because they can no longer run their training camps or blow up Buddhist statues or subjugate women ... they are resorting to these types of actions. They want to make it look like government and the international community has failed in Afghanistan, but they are mistaken because it is their own failure." Since the Kabul bombing, ISAF forces have beefed up armored vehicle patrols and have set up additional checkpoints around the capitol to screen vehicles for weapons and explosives. On Sunday, German troops were observed frisking the occupants of vehicles at one checkpoint. Kelly said the stepped-up security measures would remain in place at least past Sept. 11. The government has scheduled a parade and celebration at Kabul stadium Monday to honor Massoud, the assassination victim of last Sept. 9. Afghan officials in Kabul say they believe that last week's attackers have little support among a population exhausted by nearly a quarter-century of war. Residents in the capitol voice fear that the incidents signal a return to widespread violence. But it is more difficult to gauge anti-government support in the rest of Afghanistan, especially the south and east, where the predominately Pashtun population has borne the brunt of U.S.-led efforts to track down al-Qaida and Taliban fugitives, and where sporadic attacks against U.S. forces have occurred. Extremists have sought to capitalize on growing resentment in these areas. Last week, both Hekmatyar, who is believed to be hiding in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan, and a previously unknown group called the "Secret Army of Mujahedeen" issued calls for holy war against coalition and Karzai government forces. Regional leaders like Haji Din Mohammed, governor of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, say they do not believe these calls have resonated much with the largely rural local population. But they warn that things could change quickly if the American-led forces are not careful in their efforts to hunt down al-Qaida and Taliban remnants. Mohammed said he recently warned U.S. military officers that villagers from Kunar province, where Hekmatyar is believed to be hiding, have already complained to him about what they perceive as excesses in the American search operations. "I told them that if their actions are not respectful of local customs, then problems will develop," he said. "For instance, the Americans should not enter homes and see the women. Maybe some enemies of Afghanistan will want to exploit this anger." Afghan officials have faulted U.S.-led forces in the past for failing to coordinate their operations with local authorities and relying on paid spies for their sources of intelligence. As a result, innocent civilians have been killed in some raids and the wrong people captured in others, they say. They warn that the Soviets often made the same mistakes during the 1980s occupation. "Many times, the Russians were deceived by Afghans, even their allies," Mohammed said. "Because of this, many times they attacked the wrong people. It is the same problem that exists today, when the enemies of Afghanistan make false reports to the Americans and they attack in the wrong place. It is a danger. These kind of mistakes stir people up and excite their passions. It will be easy to turn them against the Americans if it continues."