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Militancy Spreads to Northern Provinces
Edited to get to the point, we've previously published details of the Baghlan attack.
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. 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.

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.
It was your job to provide adequate security and you failed.
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."
Posted by: Steve White 2007-11-21
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=208490