[R-G] AFGHANISTAN: Militancy Spreads to Northern Provinces

[Anthony Fenton]

AFGHANISTAN:  Militancy Spreads to Northern Provinces
By Tahir Qadiry
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40130

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)