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Afghans fear Taliban gaining momentum
The apparent downing of a military helicopter with 17 U.S. troops aboard in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday occurred at a time of growing insecurity here. For the first time since the United States overthrew the Taliban government 3 1/2 years ago, Afghans say they feel uneasy about the future. Violence has increased sharply in recent months. A resurgent Taliban movement is mounting daily attacks in southern Afghanistan, gangs are kidnapping foreigners here in the capital, and radical Islamists are orchestrating violent demonstrations against the government and foreign- financed organizations. Military officials said in Washington on Wednesday that the U.S. Chinook helicopter apparently had been brought down by hostile fire as it was landing during combat in a mountainous border region. The helicopter, carrying reinforcements, probably was struck by a rocket- propelled grenade, Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a congressional hearing considering his nomination to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs. The helicopter's passengers included eight Navy Seal commandos and other special operations troops, who had been sent after radio calls from forces on the ground reported combat with insurgents. Many or all aboard probably were killed, a Pentagon official said, although search-and-rescue operations are continuing. The steady stream of violence has dealt a new blow to this still traumatized nation of 25 million. In dozens of interviews conducted in recent weeks around the country, Afghans voiced concern that the situation is not improving and that the Taliban and other dangerous elements are gaining strength. They also expressed increased dissatisfaction with their own government and the way the U.S. military is conducting its operations, and they said they are suspicious of the Americans' long-term intentions. "Three years on, the people are still hoping that things are going to work out, but they have become suspicious about why the Americans came and why the Americans are treating the local people badly," said Jandad Spinghar, head of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission in Nangarhar province in the east, just across the Khyber Pass from Pakistan. Poverty, joblessness, frustrated expectations and the culture of 25 years of war make for a volatile mix in which U.S. military raids, shootings and detention of Afghans can inflame public opinion, many people said. "Generally, people are not against the Americans," Spinghar said. "But in areas where there are no human rights, where they do not have good relations and where there is bad treatment of villagers or prisoners, this will hand a free area to the Taliban. It's very important that the Americans understand how the Afghan people feel." Reflecting the shifting popular mood, President Hamid Karzai has publicly criticized the behavior of U.S. troops. The Taliban's spring offensive has jolted both the U.S. military and the Karzai government, which had been saying that the Taliban were largely defeated and that Afghanistan was consolidating behind its first elected national leader. "We were wrong," a senior Afghan government official acknowledged, saying of the Taliban, "It seems they were spending the time preparing." He insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject within the government. While the government blames the Taliban -- and its Pakistani and al Qaeda backers -- for the violence, ordinary Afghans blame the American military for drawing militant Islamic fighters to the country and then failing to control them. "The Americans are the cause of the insecurity," said Abdullah Mahmud, 26, a law student in Kabul. "If they were not here, there would not be any insecurity. The money they are spending on military expenses -- if they spent half of it on the Afghan army and police and raised their skills, then there would not be any security questions." Opponents of the government are calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops and international aid organizations from Afghanistan. The government, though, is anxiously seeking assurances that the foreign troops will stay and that assistance will continue. An unemployed man sitting with a group of friends in a corner shop in Jalalabad said of the Americans, "They should go." But others demurred. "No, I think the Americans should be here, because if they are not, the warlords would come back again, and the poor people would not be able to survive in this country," said Samiullah, 27, who said he was applying for a job as a driver with a foreign group. Abdul Zaher, 26, the owner of the shop, said, "They should not leave our country until they have rebuilt it." With parliamentary elections approaching in September, the issue of the U. S. military presence is already emerging at the forefront of political debate. Foreign diplomats are forecasting that the election will deliver a legislature divided along ethnic lines and largely anti-Karzai, with a strong Islamist element. The current instability does not yet add up to a national uprising. The Taliban movement remains restricted to a core of believers, supported by a larger number who are motivated by money more than anything else, Afghan and foreign officials said. But they warned that it would be dangerous to ignore the signs of unrest. Afghans interviewed this week warned frequently that if U.S. forces do not show greater care, especially in their treatment of detainees and their families, the people could turn against them. "They should respect our culture and our religion, and they will be successful," said Lal Muhammed, the senior partner of a real estate firm in the southern city of Kandahar. His partner, Taher Shah, said the United States should not overestimate its own power. "The Americans are very powerful, and they can control the government," he said. "But if the people don't like them, they will have to leave." Foreign officials said much of the public disillusionment and frustration is traceable to bad government -- either its absence or its failure to administer laws properly or the corruption of local police and courts. "Since 2002," one foreign official said, "we have been issuing warnings that the main threat was the failure to address profound governance problems, and if we did not take it seriously, grievances would start to stem from that." Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-06-30 |
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