more turmoil in Afghanistan

[joncha]

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/03/21/world/afghan_assassination040321

Fighting flares as Afghan aviation minister killed
Last Updated Sun, 21 Mar 2004 13:20:06

HERAT, AFGHANISTAN - Roughly 100 people were killed during fighting in the Afghan city of Herat Sunday following the assassination of the country's civil aviation minister.

Unidentified attackers shot and killed Mirwais Sadiq while he was in his car, a presidential spokesperson said.
Afghan television reported Sadiq's father, Herat governor Ismail Khan, had also been targeted but escaped unhurt.

Afghan military commanders in Herat said fighting broke out between troops loyal to the governor and the military following the shooting.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai called an emergency cabinet meeting and sent extra troops to the western city to calm tensions.

Karzai said he was "deeply shocked" by Sadiq's death.

Sadiq is Karzai's second aviation minister to be assassinated. In February 2002, Abdul Rahman was killed at Kabul's airport.


Written by CBC News Online staff

Sounds like the US invasion really made Afghanistan a safer place.

[Nubclear]

I thought the "Afghanistan is a safe place!" myth was debunked long ago?

[joncha]

You'd never know it from some of the things posted in this forum.

[Ted Striker]

Nobody has ever claimed it was a "safe place."

Secondly you will notice that Karzai sent in HIS OWN TROOPS to restore order. ANd this is a city outside of Kabul.

One of the criticisms was that Karzai lacked the ability to control cities or disruptions. The fact that he has this ability proves otherwise, going from nothing to something.

By the way the President of Taiwan was also shot recently.

[joncha]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
By the way the President of Taiwan was also shot recently.

And as a result, 100 were killed? I must have missed that part.

[ErikM]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
Secondly you will notice that Karzai sent in HIS OWN TROOPS to restore order. ANd this is a city outside of Kabul.

Woo-hoo, Karzai sent HIS OWN troops! In a country where pretty much an entire population armed to the teeth, it is hard not to have at least a couple of guys loyal to somebody, including Karzai.

[Giancarlo]

Nobody ever claimed Afghanistan was safe. One of my old friends just got back from there where he was serving, and said certainly it is getting better but there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

Karzai sending his own troops is symbolic. He controls the national army that should be in control of the country and as it grows it will assert its control over the warlords, shutting them down. His ability of sending troops shows that he has enough power to deal with problems that arise. The ANA (Afghan National Army) needs to be built up a lot larger but so far it has proved its usefulness.

To say Afghanistan is a failure, is one of the biggest misinformed statements I have seen yet. I mean go grow a brain. Sometimes things happen.... bad things, like this fighting. But hey, even the US had a civil war... it takes time to recover from it.

[Defiant]

Yea,
There was no murders under the Taliban rule.
How many little girls were getting an education under Taliban rule? Are they at least able to go to school now, yep Afghanistan is really failure.
Fact is, there is work to do, nothing worth while is easy, especially in a country like Afghanistan, grow up.

[Nubclear]

Defiant, we're talking about Afghanistan here, not the Republic of Kabul

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
Defiant, we're talking about Afghanistan here, not the Republic of Kabul

Karzai controls more than you might want to think.

[joncha]

Originally posted by Defiant
Yea,
There was no murders under the Taliban rule.
How many little girls were getting an education under Taliban rule? Are they at least able to go to school now, yep Afghanistan is really failure.
Fact is, there is work to do, nothing worth while is easy, especially in a country like Afghanistan, grow up.

The invasion of Afghanistan has just replaced one group of murderous warlords with another. The new group is slightly less murderous, but far less stable. The anti-woman policies that the Taliban were rightly condemned for were enacted by the Northern Alliance in the first place.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Giancarlo


Karzai controls more than you might want to think.

I'm such a filhty traitor, aren't I?

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by joncha


The invasion of Afghanistan has just replaced one group of murderous warlords with another. The new group is slightly less murderous, but far less stable. The anti-woman policies that the Taliban were rightly condemned for were enacted by the Northern Alliance in the first place.

Not at all. This new group is proving to actually be more stable. But they won't be in power much longer since Karzai is getting more and more power. And Karzai is not a warlord, he is a really down to earth pragmatic guy who is very popular in his country. As long as the military he controls continues to grow so will his power over the warlords.

[joncha]

Woah, Tass, slow down... he's using the angry smiley. Be careful!

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Giancarlo


Not at all. This new group is proving to actually be more stable.

Yes, obviously.