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

To: Condor who wrote (76259)	2/21/2003 12:39:05 PM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

>>the place is a mess<< War will do that.

To: Condor who wrote (76259)	2/23/2003 2:44:43 PM
From: Condor	Respond to of 281500

step outside Kabul and the place is a mess. Afghan Rebel Urges Attacks Against U.S. By KATHY GANNON 02/23/2003 13:18:36 EST (AP) Afghan rebel commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said he is proud the United States has branded him a terrorist and echoed Osama bin Laden's call for suicide attacks against Americans, according to a statement obtained Sunday by The Associated Press. Calling the United States the "big Satan of the world," Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister, also vowed jihad against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. American forces are combing parts of eastern Afghanistan for Hekmatyar, his loyalists and Taliban and al-Qaida fugitives. "I am thankful to Almighty God that the United States of America thinks I am a terrorist. It is a matter of pride for me that such a strong country wants to punish me for the sake of my holy religion, Islam," the statement attributed to Hekmatyar said. "I ask the Muslims of the world to wage a guerrilla war by using suicide attacks," the statement said. "Now is not the time for large-scale group assaults, but rather for individual attacks." The Pashtu-language statement was provided to the AP by a security officer in Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami group at an Afghan refugee camp in northwest Pakistan. Hekmatyar's signature was confirmed by a former member of his group. The statement urged Iraq to respond with suicide bombings if the United States attacks. "I say to Iraqi people do not be afraid. I know war is being imposed upon you. You should ready yourself to carry out suicide attacks," the statement said. "History shall prove that if the Iraqi people remain united they shall find honor in conquering the USA." The former Hezb-e-Islami member, speaking on condition of anonymity because he feared for his life, said Hekmatyar was seen in Afghanistan's eastern Kapisa province two weeks ago and has been shuttling between Kapisa and the nearby regions of Nangarhar, Laghman and Kunar. U.S. special forces are stationed in Kunar, where Hekmatyar is believed to have a significant force. A Western diplomat in the Afghan capital, Kabul, said Kunar was of particular concern because of its proximity to neighboring Pakistan and high peaks where fighters can hide. U.S. troops there have come under regular attack, often the target of ambushes. In the statement, Hekmatyar denies being affiliated with the Taliban and with al-Qaida in Afghanistan. U.S. and other Western intelligence officials, several Taliban and even members of Hekmatyar's own group have said he has ties to bin Laden's terrorist network. Hekmatyar's men are believed to have hidden several al-Qaida fugitives in Pakistan, including Jamal Hasan, also known as Abu Aade, a Palestinian with both Jordanian and American citizenship. During the 1980s Afghan war against the Soviet Union, Hekmatyar received Western aid that was funneled through Pakistan's intelligence agency to the Islamic insurgents. "Hekmatyar has many sympathizers inside political parties in Pakistan, inside the intelligence. Hekmatyar is not an enemy of Pakistan," said Hamid Gul, former head of Pakistan's intelligence agency, InterServices Intelligence. Pakistani intelligence supported the Taliban when they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, and many of its officials remain sympathetic. "You can't ask people to be enemies of men they called friends just the day before. They don't see that they have done anything wrong," Gul said. Hekmatyar is closely aligned to Pakistan's oldest and best-organized Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami which is a leading member of the 6-party Islamic coalition that rules the North West Frontier Province along the Afghan border.