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Taliban death threats deterring Afghan vote
 Abdul Razzik learned of the Taleban's intention to kill him at the end of this week when he read the letter pinned to his village mosque. The Shubnama - night letter - wasn't the usual half-literate scrawl but composed and printed out by computer, with Mr Razzik's name highlighted in red. Normally, the grandfather, who works for an American-owned agricultural company, would shrug off such threats. In Helmand Province, though, these are not normal times. In the past few days, Taleban killing squads have fanned out across the province looking for soft targets. If they kill enough people between now and Saturday, the voters may be too scared to vote in the presidential election. Because the US military is too difficult to attack, anyone working for foreigners, or the Kabul government, or in reconstruction, is a target. Foreigners are the biggest prize - Taleban commanders are said to have put a US$50,000 bounty on their heads.In the past week, small groups of guerrillas armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenades have been seen moving on motorbikes and pickup trucks across this region near Kandahar. Many are teenagers brainwashed on fundamentalism who have crossed from refuges in Pakistan or neighbouring Uruzgan Province, a Taleban stronghold and home of Mullah Omar, their leader. They are on a spree and it is expected to prove bloody. Mr Razzik, 57, believes few people still support the Taleban in Helmand, an opium poppy-growing region in southern Afghanistan's Pushtun belt, so the guerrillas must rely on fear to sabotage Saturday's vote. Rumours of attacks are seized on in the bazaars of north Helmand and politics is hardly discussed at all. Many voters are worried about the ink that will stain their hands, used to prevent multiple voting, fearing it will betray them to wrathful Taleban. Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-10-07 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=45291 |