[NYTr] AFGHANISTAN: Militancy Spreads to Northern Provinces

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

IPS - Nov 20, 2007
http://www.ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=40130

AFGHANISTAN: Militancy Spreads to Northern Provinces

by Tahir Qadiry

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Nov 20 (IPS) - Militancy, which has turned southern
Afghanistan into a conflict zone, has spread to the northern provinces
that have been relatively peaceful since the Taliban regime was ousted
from Kabul in end-2001. Some 79 people were killed, including six
parliamentarians, schoolchildren and teachers, in Baghlan province on
Nov. 6 in a suicide attack, the bloodiest incident in six years. An
Interior Ministry committee has been despatched to investigate the
human bombing by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The attack occurred when the parliamentarians were visiting a sugar
cane factory in the industrial city of the province.

Two people, including a spiritual prayer leader, have been detained on
charges of the attack.

Mohammad Jamshid, who lost a daughter in the attack, said he has lost
confidence in the government’s ability to provide security. "My
daughter was studying when she was brought to welcome the delegation.
She was 12 years old. How dared they kill her?" he lamented. "The
government has to give me an answer," he said in tears.

"I lost my 11-year-old daughter," cried Mastora, who is a widow.
"Fighting during the Taliban claimed my husband. Now, I lost my
daughter. What shall I do? I will never forgive the government," she
bitterly added.

The Afghan government immediately announced a compensation of 100,000
Afghanis (2,000 US dollars) to the relatives of each victim. The
injured would be given 5,000 Afghanis (100 dollars) each.

The families want the government to find the people behind the attack.
"I have lost my cousin," said Mohammad Jawad, who runs a shop, "What
shall we do with money? What kind of government is it? Why do they not
ensure people’s security?" he added.

Immediately after the suicide bomb, there were rumours that some of the
wounded and the dead had suffered bullet injuries. But that was ruled
out by Dr Khalilullah Narmgoi, head of the Baghlan hospital, who told
IPS that he could not confirm such a thing. "It was an accusation by
people, but I have not seen it. Even, there were rumours that one of
the victims, the parliamentarian Syed Mustafa Kazemi, had been shot at.
But, the investigations showed it was not true," said Narmgoi.

However, Kazemi’s Hezb-e Eqtidar-e Melli Afghanistan said the attack
was deliberate. . In a press release, they called for an international
investigation into the ‘murder’ of their leader and other
parliamentarians and people.

Taliban insurgents who have carried out more than 130 suicide attacks
in Afghanistan this year, denied they had a hand in the Baghlan attack
which was denounced by various groups in Afghanistan, and the
international peacekeeping force.

Gen. Dieter Warnecke, commander of the International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF), Regional Command North, called it a "cowardly"
attack. He said: "The cowardly suicide attack arouses deep
consternation among the ISAF soldiers. It seems to be one of the
biggest attacks over the last years."

Mohammad Alam Ishaqzai, governor of Baghlan province, called it a
suicide attack and said the government’s enemies were behind it.

Speaking to IPS he said: "It was a terrorist act. We cannot accuse any
particular party for the attack, but it was done by the government’s
and people’s enemies."

The governor, who was accused of wavering over ensuring adequate
security for the visiting parliamentarian, said the authorities had not
expected an attack on such a scale.

"Northern Baghlan has always been safe. Who knew what was to happen?"
he added. The dead parliamentarians were Sayed Mustafa Kazemi,
spokesman for the United Front Line and head of the economic commission
of the Afghan parliament, Shibur Rehman Himmat, Sibghatullah Zaki,
Muhammad Arif Zarif, Abdul Matin and Nazak Mir Sarfaraz.

The governor admitted that the suicide bomber blew himself up just when
schoolboys had lined up to greet the parliamentary delegation. But he
said it was too early to announce who was behind the attack.

Gen. Abdul Jamil, chief of the Baghlan security command, has accused
the Taliban insurgents of the attack.

"Taliban have always been behind the suicide attacks in Afghanistan.
This could have been done by them," he added saying the investigations
will soon reveal the truth.

Rohullah Mojadidi, a political analyst in Mazar-e Sharif, commented
that the Taliban are flexing muscles in the north of Afghanistan as
well.

"Taliban are regrouping in the northern provinces," said Mojadidi "They
are coming from the south to disrupt the security situation here. It is
now up to the government to take decisive measures to defuse their
attacks and eliminate them in the region, before they infiltrate."

(END/2007)