Terrorism & Security

Afghanistan Taliban attack Hamid Karzai's 'peace jirga'

President Hamid Karzai's speech was interrupted by gunfire and nearby rocket explosions. He called for the Afghanistan Taliban to disassociate themselves with Al Qaeda and join the government.

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Not welcome, he noted, were those connected to Al Qaeda and those who have harmed innocent Afghans.

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Karzai said continued fighting would only prevent the withdrawal of foreign forces, according to the Associated Press. "Make peace with me and there will be no need for foreigners here. As long as you are not talking to us, not making peace with us, we will not let the foreigners leave," Karzai said.

At the sound of a rocket explosion, Karzai reportedly said: "Don't worry. We've heard this kind of thing before."

But The Christian Science Monitor reports that many were skeptical that the jirga would change the situation in Afghanistan, in part because it is not legally binding and its delegates do not include any of the insurgents the government wants to persuade to stop fighting.

Even with limited goals, many Afghans question the timing and legitimacy of the three-day event that starts Wednesday. The gathering does not meet delegate requirements for a loya jirga, or grand council, that would have a fuller representation and thus authority under the Constitution. Instead, aside from some high-profile figures such as parliamentarians and civil society leaders, the guests have been selected by the government.

"To have peace in a country you have to involve all different bodies of the nation," says Fawzia Kofi, a leading female member of parliament (MP). "The people who are hand-picked are not enough. You need people in the international community and the people who are actually fighting."

The attacks came a day after Al Qaeda's top commander in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, was reported killed from a May 22 drone strike in neighboring Pakistan's tribal area. And on Sunday, Coalition and Afghan forces reportedly killed one of the top two Taliban commanders in Kandahar, where NATO is set to launch a major offensive this summer.