The Taleban rejected Afghanistanâs elections as a US drama and vowed yesterday to intensify their war, calling into question President Hamid Karzaiâs contention that the need for military force had diminished. UN vote organizers say that about half the 12 million registered Afghans voted in Sundayâs national assembly and provincial polls hailed by Kabulâs allies as a step forward for democracy.Taleban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi said only four million had voted, less than 15 percent of a population he put at 30 million. âThe Taleban are thankful to the Afghan people for rejecting the US drama,â he said, adding that the parliament would not represent Afghans and would be subordinate to the United States. âOur jihad (holy war) will continue until the withdrawal of foreign infidel troops, and our attacks will be expedited. The Taleban will become more organized and strong.â
Women made up 41 percent of the six million Afghans who voted in the elections, around the same as in last yearâs presidential poll, organizers said. âWe project out of total number of votes cast, 41 percent are by females and 59 percent by males,â said Sultan Baheen, spokesman of the UN-backed Joint Electoral Management Body. âThe distribution by sex is practically the same as that of the registered voters,â he added.
The Taleban had vowed to derail the polls but failed despite a wave of violence in the months leading up to the vote in which more than 1,000 people died, most of them insurgents. The Taleban launched dozens of harassing attacks last weekend in which 14 people died, but poll organizers said voting took place at all but a handful of 6,200 polling centers.
| They've been reorganizing and regrouping now for four years and they still haven't gotten it down. I'm not too terribly worried about this temper tantrum... |