The terror factor in Afghanistan, Iraq
Fresh kidnappings, bombings targeting foreigners prompt new level of concern.
The US government is warning its citizens in Afghanistan to "keep a low profile" after a car bombing Sunday at the offices of a
US private security contractor in Kabul killed 11 people, including three Americans.
The Associated Press reports it was the
deadliest attack in the capital city in more than two years.
On Monday, the US Embassy e-mailed Americans in Kabul to tell them to limit their movements, take
strict security measures and avoid 'potential target areas' such as government offices, NATO bases and restaurants. UN staff were also ordered to keep off the streets as much as possible.
The
Guardian reports that Afghan officials blamed the act on "terrorists." When pressed to
identify a group, Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali, said, "Terrorists are terrorists. That's their identity."
Reuters reports that a "senior Taliban commander" said one of its members had denotated the bomb, and that any city in Afghanistan with a
Western presence was a potential target, leading up to the landmark Oct. 9 presidential elections.
Ordinary Afghans seemed as angry at outsiders as they were at the Taliban for the attack. "It was a very, very big explosion, and there were a lot of injured," said Ahmad Emal, a young shopkeeper. "These foreigners should leave the residential areas." Over the past year, more than 1,000 people have died in violence in Afghanistan, including "militants, soldiers, civilians, aid workers, and election officials."
Islam Online reported last week that the UN staff union urged Secretary General Kofi Annan to
withdraw UN personnel from Afghanistan after a
series of recent attacks on election workers – 12 have been killed and 33 injured since May. The UN has already withdrawn staff from rural areas in the south and east of the country.
'As we approach the election time, more than likely attacks will intensify,' said Guy Candusso, the union's vice-president. 'We think the UN should consider suspending operations and rethink security before moving into the next critical phase of the election process.'
Lee Hamilton, director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a former US congressman, writes in the
IndyStar.com that while the US can conquer other countries "with ease," when it comes to nation building, the record is a very mixed one at best. It also illustrates why the US cannot afford to have a "go it alone" mentality.
The US cannot rebuild foreign countries alone. We need to work with and have the support of local populations who are ultimately responsible for their own governance and fate. We need international partners who can help shoulder the burden by providing peacekeeping, aid and political expertise. And we must use international organizations such as NATO, the United Nations and the World Bank; in addition to pooling global resources, these organizations also bestow crucial international legitimacy. Meanwhile,
Reuters reports that both
critics and supporters of a French law banning the wearing of Muslim headscarves in schools pledged to stand together against the demands of an Islamic group in Iraq which has been holding two French journalists hostage. The men have been missing for more than a week.
The group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, gave France 48 hours to rescind the ban, but did not say what it might do when the clock runs out on their demands Monday night.
Voice of America reports that French officials will visit Baghdad this week to work with Iraqi officials to secure the release of the two hostages.
Last week, the same group executed an Italian journalist when Italy refused to withdraw its troops from Iraq.
Agence France-Press reported that the killing has
set off a round of new questions in the Italian media over why Italy is in Iraq.
Islam Online had reported in mid-August that kidnappings and killings of foreign truck drivers in Iraq had meant that
fees for renting trucks had soared from $300 a drive to more than $1000 per trip, luring many foreigners to take the risk.
Turkey's state-run Anatolian news agency said Sunday that two Turkish engineers kidnapped by an "Iraqi resistance group"
were released, after the company that they worked for said it would leave Iraq. The
Turkish Press reports, however, officials also acknowledged that another Turkish driver had been
killed near Tikrit.
The Khaleej Times of the United Arab Emirates reports on one Turkish driver, who had been kidnapped and released, and who now must return to Iraq to
find his truck. At least four other Turks are still being held hostage. Not all kidnappings are for political purposes – kidnapping has also turned into a
lucrative enterprise.
The Khaleej Times reports that the kidnappers of a Lebanese national releases him last week after a "large ransom" was paid.
Also...
•
The dangers of making the United Nations subservient to US goals (
Washington Post)
•
Israeli held meetings with US analyst (
Associated Press)
•
Truth must not be a casualty again (
Deutsche-Welle)
•
Washington has lost its way in Colombia (
Colombia Journal Online)
•
Militant Sunnis rule 2 Iraqi cities (
International Herald Tribune)
• Feedback appreciated. E-mail
Tom Regan
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