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| Afghanistan |
| Karzai: Rahman killing was a hit |
| 2002-02-15 |
Karzai suggested that the killing was linked to a blood feud dating back to the struggle against the Taliban. All five were part of a faction of the Northern Alliance with which Rahman had broken. Abdul Rahim Makhdoom, the Information Minister, gave journalists five names of men he said were wanted in connection with the attack. Two were them were generals, and others were members of the intelligence service and the justice ministry. Three of the five were believed to have left on flights for Saudi Arabia along with pilgrims travelling there. Karzai said that four people had been arrested, among them two generals. Karzai said that the case against those arrested was based on "absolute, multiple eyewitness accounts." The killings "had nothing to do with the hajjs [pilgrims]," he said. Earlier officials had said Rahman was beaten to death by furious Muslim pilgrims who had waited more than two days for a flight to Mecca. Ahhhh... The plot sickens. What a sweet bunch of people. Keep tabs on this one, as this could throw Afghanistan back into civil war if Karzai has to sack people who might not want to go quietly. Poor Karzai's got much less control in Afghanistan than Musharraf has in Pakistan. No matter how many "second chances" it gets, I think Afghanistan is determined to be a failed state. The Northern Alliance guys are loony enough, but the Pashtuns elevate nutbaggery to an art form. Probably the result of marrying close relatives for too many generations. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |