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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Hezbut Tahrir spearheading Afghan protests? |
| 2005-05-16 |
| HT seems to have had a lot more success in non-Arab countries like Central Asia, Indonesia and Europe than they have in Arab countries. I can see that the could appeal to Islamist minded students who would otherwise be turned off by the Talibans primitivism. EFL 
in protest against the alleged desecration of the Holy Koran by the US guards at the Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba, where about 500 Afghans, Pakistanis and other Muslims have been detained by the US authorities without any trial and without giving them any right of access to human rights organisations. The demonstrations, often culminating in violence, which started at Jalalabad near the Pakistan border, have since spread to the northern provinces of Parwan, Kapisa and Takhar, Laghman in the east, Logar and Khost in the southeast and the southern province of Kandahar. It also spread to Kabul itself on May 12,2005. According to latest reports, ten out of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan have been affected by the demonstrations and the resulting violence. The anger of the demonstrators has been directed not only against the US and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, but also against Pakistan and the UN and Western non-governmental organisations functioning from Afghanistan. Their offices have been attacked, causing considerable property damage everywhere. Reports of the demonstrations received from several towns indicate the following common features: * The students spearheaded the demonstrations, in which a large number of educated people participated. * The demonstrations were not spontaneous. They had been well prepared, and were well organised and well orchestrated. Groups of students went from town to town instigating the local students to take to the streets. * The demonstrators were not armed and confined their protests to shouting anti-US and anti-Karzai slogans, burning American and Pakistani flags and effigies of Bush, Karzai and Musharraf and attacking properties like buildings and vehicles. * The demonstrations were not instigated by the Taliban or the Hizb-e-Islami of Gulbuddin Heckmatyar or Al Qaeda. However, elements from the Taliban and the Hizb-e-Islami, who were taken by pleasant surprise by the students taking to the streets, subsequently joined them. * Many members of the Police and the newly-raised Afghan Army showed sympathy for the demonstrators and were reluctant to use force against them when ordered to do so by their senior officers. Reports from reliable Afghan sources indicate that the ant-US and anti-Karzai demonstrations have been organised by the Hizbut Tehrir (HT) and not by the Taliban or the Hizb-e-Islami or the Al Qaeda. While one was aware of some HT activities in the student community in Afghanistan, the extent of its penetration not only in the student community, but also in the Afghan security forces has come as a surprise. In their preoccupation with fighting their so-called war against the Al Qaeda, the Taliban and the Hizb-e-Islami, the American intelligence agencies and security forces seem to have remained oblivious of the subterranean activities of the HT and have consequently been taken totally by surprise. |
| Posted by:Omoluger Ebbatle8086 |
| #1 It looks like the only good thing to come from this is that the authorities have become aware of HT -- no doubt long before HT intended -- and can now take action to reduce their influence. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-05-16 22:07 |