Kabul’s Rah-e Nejat newspaper: Insecurity, crime threatens Herat, country’s economic hub

3 October 2007

The western province of Herat is mainly attractive for its security, employment and other opportunities. However, the province has witnessed a deteriorating situation recently as the level of crime, abduction and robbery has increased.

Herat is an important economic hub and an important place to attract Afghan and foreign investment. But these factors can put Herat to the list of insecure and unsafe provinces.

Herat borders the provinces of Farah, Ghowr and Badghis and where similar crimes used to take place in Farah a few months ago. The [deteriorating] situation has surprised the people of the province who believe the crimes have been exported to Herat from neighbouring province of Farah.

Speaking about the recent insecurity in Herat Province, Mohammad Rafiq Shahir, head of Herat council of experts, says: The south-western zone, especially Herat, is immune from the insecurity of the south, but some exceptional incidents every now and then take place here because Herat borders the Farah Province. These incidents cannot be considered a serious security threat to Herat.

Insecurity on the rise

Shahir confirms the presence of crimes in Herat, adding that crimes could be worrying. He believes crimes have been imported from the neighbouring provinces of Herat. He said: Such crimes i.e. abduction, levying and murder were happening in Farah Province in the past but have now come under control in that province.

According to Rafiq Shahir, the presence of such crimes in important provinces like Herat could be worrying. A number of people previously working with the government are involved in insecurity incidents in Herat Province. These people have now turned against the government and create problems. This has created doubt among the people of the city.

Rafiq Shahir confirms the report, saying that some people, who have kept their weapons from the past, and those who did not, and do not, enjoy a good reputation in the society, are involved in the insecurity.

On the other hand, according to analysts, provincial authorities have identified those trying to disrupt the security situation in Herat province, but there is no one to take serious measures in this regard, because officials reportedly have their interests involved in all this too.

Opportunist elements

Meanwhile, sometime ago, Sayed Hosayn Anwari, the governor of Herat Province, spoke about the presence of a list of opportunist elements and those trying to disrupt the security situation, but, due to specific observations, did not disclose their names.

Some analysts, including the head of Herat council of experts, says the governor of Herat, in the first hand, should not have spoken about the presence of such a list and when he spoke about it, he should have disclosed the names.

On the other hand, Mr Shahir claims that all incidents that have so far happened [in Herat] somehow have had, and still have, roots within security organizations in the province.

According to Shahir, some people, who have been trusted and considered to protect the public interests, have themselves prepared the ground for insecurity.

There are contradictory remarks about causes of insecurity in a province like Herat which once regarded a symbol of peace. Everyone blames the other side for the insecurity. Everyone tries to take the burden of responsibility off their own shoulders. This would not be desirable for the people.

Not enough police, resources

The governor of Herat has reportedly told a meeting that the lack of a strong police force and necessary resources are the causes of insecurity in the province.

Anwari has added that insecurity has increased in the province and that the police force is also not able to address the problem because the police are in small in number in Herat.

One should ask why is the police structure weak in a province like Herat, and why is this issue raised after rise in insecurity?

This reminds us of the proverb (Prevention is better than cure). The officials make such comments to please the people.

Analysts like Mr Rafiq Shahir say personal relations and the fact that the governor of Herat is under pressure has made it possible for some people to work in government departments [in the province].

Shahir says: As Herat is a good city, Mr Anwari wants to remain as the person in charge here. But there are some people that continue to work in government positions [in the province] as a result of pressure on Anwari from senior government authorities. This forces the governor to take steps with compromise.

According to the head of Herat council of experts, Mr Anwari is moving towards a crisis in the current situation and this might destroy him.

But the governor of Herat, in some cases, has shown serious reaction towards security officials of the province and the police

He has described the police as unsuccessful in ensuring security and also questioned the head of national security and head of criminal investigations department of that province. He has also claimed that unprofessional and unaware people have been recruited into the police.

Sometime after Mr Anwari’s comments, the security commander, head of criminal investigations and the head of intelligence departments of Herat were sacked and were replaced by new officials.

The change of security officials in Herat can be based on different reasons. It is either because the dismissed officials did not have the competence to enforce the law and to work properly or they had lost their positions under the new police reforms.

We can also look at situation in Herat from the economic point of view. As security is an important requirement for trade and investment in the commercial province of Herat, insecurity can prevent traders from investing. If this – lack of investment – happens, it will create unemployment and the unemployment can be a factor for the increasing insecurity.

Herat economy under threat

Khoshal Rasi, head of Herat customs office, claims that insecurity in Herat and on Kabul-Herat highway has remarkably decreased investment.

According to Rasi, a trader makes an investment when he is sure of the productivity and efficiency of his investment, and if there is no security, no trader will agree to invest.

Mohammad Rafiq Shahir also claims that one of the causes of insecurity is the prevention of investment and trade. If there is no investment, people will lose their jobs and resort to different crimes, like abduction, levying, and other crimes. According to Shahir, this has highly concerned the authorities in Herat.

In regard with the abduction of investors and traders, the head of Herat industrial park was recently kidnapped by unknown armed men. One of Herat money exchangers was killed on daylight a few weeks ago.

Herat Province needs internal and external security more than anything else. The provincial authorities should make further and more serious efforts to bring back security that this part of the country once enjoyed.

In addition to safety and security, they should prepare the ground for investment of Afghan and foreign traders.

Insecurity undermines ECO summit in Herat

It should meanwhile it should be mentioned that insecurity in Herat can overshadow the meeting of foreign ministers of ECO [Economic Cooperation Organization] member countries, which will be held at the end of the current month [16-20 October] in Herat city. This will also have a negative impact on the reputation of Herat.

Good security in Herat was one of the reasons why the ECO meeting was planned to be held in the province. This has now been overshadowed by insecurity. We hope Herat gets back its security before the meeting is held.

[Description of Source: Kabul Rah-e Nejat in Dari --An eight-page independent daily in hardcopy and internet versions. The Kabul-based paper was launched after the fall of the Taliban by MP Alemi Balkhi. Often publishes editorials and articles on corruption, foreign relations, politics, security, drugs, religion and reconstruction. Generally supportive of the government and the presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan, but can be critical of government policies. Languages: Dari (mainly), Pashto. Circulation: unknown. URL: www.rahenenatdaily.com OSC IAP20071006950072 Kabul Rah-e Nejat in Dari 0000 GMT 03 Oct 07]

AIP: Three Afghan police dead, five wounded by mine in Herat; details on attack on Herat airport

October 4, 2007

Text of report by private Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency

Herat, 4 October: Three policemen have been killed and five others wounded in an explosion in a police vehicle. Confirming this incident to Afghan Islamic Press [AIP], Governor of Badghis Province Mohammad Ashraf said: “A remote-controlled mine explosion hit a police vehicle in the Bala Morghab District yesterday, killing three policemen and wounding five others.”

However, earlier Mr Jamaloddin, a local Taleban commander, told a correspondent of AIP that the Taleban attacked a checkpoint in the Sabzak area between Herat and Badghis last night, killing six people. And the Taleban took a vehicle with them.

The commander of Zone No 4 in Herat Province, Mr Rahmatollah Safy, told AIP that five rockets were fired at the airport in Herat last night, causing no damage and casualties. One person called Hekmatollah in Herat who purports to be the Taleban’s local commander, told AIP the rocket attack had damaged the airport runway and planes are unable to land and take off.

[Description of Source: Peshawar Afghan Islamic Press in Pashto -- Peshawar-based agency, staffed by Afghans. The agency used to have good contacts with Taliban leadership; however, since the fall of the Taliban regime, it now describes itself as independent and self-financing. OSC IAP20071004950044 0944 GMT 04 Oct 07]

AFP: Taliban attack Herat airport; separate attack wounds head of Herat religious council

October 4, 2007

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) — Afghan and NATO forces killed 20 Taliban attackers overnight while authorities separately retook a remote district captured by rebels a day earlier, police said Thursday.

Afghan officials also said that Taliban militants involved in a growing insurgency fired rockets at the airport in the western city of Herat, causing no damage, and separately blew up a police vehicle, killing a policeman.

The deaths happened in the southern province of Kandahar late Wednesday when troops responded to an attack by rebel fighters, provincial police chief Sayed Aqa Saqib told AFP.

“Twenty Taliban were killed by the joint forces. The militants left three of their bodies at the battlefield,” Saqib said. Afghan and NATO forces escaped the hour-long battle with no casualties, he said.

About 300 Afghan and US security forces meanwhile took back Ajristan district in the province of Ghazni, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) southwest of Kabul, after it was captured when hundreds of Taliban stormed it with artillery and rocket fire on Wednesday.

“Taliban fled the area,” provincial police chief Alishah Ahmadzai said. “There have been some casualties on the Taliban side but we have no exact figure.”

Two policemen were killed Wednesday as the force retreated under attack, and district government buildings were destroyed. Another policeman had been seized by the rebels, the police chief said.

Two elders who had links with Taliban and had allegedly helped the rebels to take the control of the district had been arrested, he said.

The Taliban militia, which has stepped up its bloody campaign against the government in the past two years, has captured several remote districts over recent months. Most have been retaken fairly easily.

Also overnight, militants fired five rockets into Herat airport where NATO troops have an important military base, a border police official told AFP.

Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack and said the rockets landed on the runway. Provincial authorities denied any damage to the airport.

In a separate incident late Wednesday, militants shot and wounded a deputy head of the Herat religious council who had previously spoken against the Taliban, the head of the council, Mawlawi Khudaidad, told AFP.

On Thursday meanwhile a roadside bomb destroyed a police vehicle on patrol in the western province of Badghis, killing one police and wounding another five, provincial police chief Mohammad Ashraf Nasiri told AFP.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Madrid ABC: Afghan Police Source: Herat Crime Gangs May ‘Soon’ Turn Against ISAF Troops

[Report by M. Ayestaran and P. Cervilla: "Armed Gangs and Radical Clerics, New Threats for Spain"]

Herat / Madrid — Abduction is the latest buzz word in Herat. The local populace is being terrorized by an unprecedented crime wave: Scores are being settled, armed robbery is the order of the day… Such things are not standard practice for the Taliban, and local police suggest that they are the work of local gangs, who have taken to the streets to enforce their own law after realizing that the international forces are powerless. “All of this is happening, for the time being at least, alongside the Italian forces (which are deployed in the city’s downtown area — ABC editor’s note) and the Spanish forces, but we believe that it may soon turn against them,” an Afghan crime police officer said.

The most important gang has its headquarters in the district of Seyawshan, on the road to the airport some 20 kilometers from the city’s historic center, and where most of the Spanish forces are stationed. Its leader is one Gholam Yahya, who has been waging an open struggle against the government in Kabul since he was thrown out of high office in Herat’s municipal government a year ago. A former Mojahedin commander and right-hand-man to local warlord Ismail Khan, he now heads up the rebellion of those who are disenchanted with President Karzai and with the peace forces. His stance and his methods are beginning to attract recruits among the local populace, who can see how the situation in the country is becoming increasingly unstable as time goes by.

The presence of radical clerics has also helped to boost the local people’s mood of hostility toward the foreigners. Friday prayers in the sanctuary at Gazarqah, right in the middle of town, have turned into a full fledged rally, with people shouting and hollering against the central government and against the international forces.

Opium Traffic

The clerics’ sermons address a variety of issues ranging from the frivolity that has gained a foothold in the media since Karzai came to power, to the international forces’ alleged involvement in opium trafficking. But the message that is starting to get across increasingly strongly is a message of jihad, a message of holy war against “the new occupiers,” by which the preachers mean the international troops.

“That was not usual in downtown Herat, and no one is doing anything to prevent it. If the situation goes on deteriorating like this, we are going to get the point where people will be going down to Shewan (the location of the last attack on Spanish forces — ABC editor’s note) to plead with the Taliban to return in order to restore law and order,” a businessman who runs a hotel for foreigners in the city complained.

Meanwhile, the situation is starting to get more complicated for Spain. In addition to terrorist attacks, some of its units are now having to deal with technical problems. According to Afghan national television, a Spanish “Superpuma” helicopter reportedly failed last Tuesday [25 September] as it was preparing to evacuate four Afghan Army troopers injured when a car bomb exploded in Gormach. The Spaniards, who were asked for the helicopter that is part of the PRT [provincial reconstruction team] in Qala i Naw, cited “technical problems” preventing them from moving. While some sources hinted that it may have been an attack and that the aircraft did not have any technical problem affecting its rotor blade, the Defense Ministry has dismissed that version of events.

[Description of Source: Madrid ABC (Internet Version-WWW) in Spanish -- center-right national daily. OSC EUP20070927178002 Madrid ABC (Internet Version-WWW) in Spanish 27 Sep 07]

La Vanguardia (Barcelona): Commentary Says Public Given ‘Incorrect Concept’ of Afghan Mission

September 26, 2007

[Commentary by Felix Flores: "The Uncertain Hour of Fighting"]

German soldiers do not patrol at night. Netherlands soldiers usually remove their helmets and retreat when things go badly, while US troops pursue the Taliban and its Air Force causes “collateral damage.” Many mistakes are being made in Afghanistan, but the most terrible one is that the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] mission seems to be made a la carte for each of its 35 members.

So what about the Spaniards? The official line is that they are constructing roads, a hospital, orphanage, and school in Badghis, “the calmest Afghan province.” It would be better to say that some 150 troops are protecting a dozen Spanish technical experts. Some 500 troops are in Herat, the neighboring province. A rapid intervention force company patrols in the south, in Farah Province (under US command), where most of the casualties have been caused so far. This company has to keep the “ring road” (the only road worthy of such name in Afghanistan) “clean.” But the Taliban have taken control of two areas in the “becalmed” Badghis Province and Spanish troops will be directly involved in this.

In June, military and civilian experts re-assessed the Spanish military missions in Kosovo, Bosnia, Indonesia, Lebanon, and Afghanistan at a series of conferences in Zaragoza on peacekeeping operations. The perception of civic society was a major worry. The analyst Jesus N. Villaverde stated that “it seems that the Spanish Army is only carrying out humanitarian missions abroad,” which is leading us to an incorrect concept of an “NG army [not further specified].”

A veteran officer of two peacekeeping missions cast some doubts on humanitarian missions as such, while General Juan Pinto said: “We are totally incapable of making Spanish society realize that the day will come when the troops will have to fight.”

Retired General Enrique Ayala pointed out that “clear orders and an agreement among the parties” were needed before starting a peacekeeping mission.

The views of experts on the Afghan conflict, who were summoned by the CIDOB [Center for International Relations and Development Studies] foundation, seem to be appropriate. Francesc Vendrell, the EU’s special representative in Afghanistan since 2002 and a former UN special representative there, demanded a larger Spanish involvement. After saying that mistakes by the United States were making foreign intervention unpopular, he asked: “Do we have the right to criticize the United States? How can Spain pretend to be part of the G8, but refuse to deploy troops in conflict areas when we are talking about a volunteer army?”

Pakistani analyst Ahmed Rashid stated that “the European governments have not been honest with the public. They thought that nothing would happen to their soldiers. Many governments sent troops, hoping that they would find a post-conflict situation.”

“What would happen if we withdrew our troops?” Vendrell asked. “A civil war would break out, southern Afghanistan would become a terrorist base, and we would abandon the Afghans again.”

“Do not do it,” Palwasha Hassan, women’s rights activist, pleaded. “Those who plant bombs on your trains are the same ones who are expelling girls from Afghan schools — 400 schools have been closed in southern Afghanistan. It is not a favor to Afghanistan; it is a reciprocal favor.”

[Description of Source: Barcelona La Vanguardia (Internet Version-WWW) in Spanish -- independent national daily focusing on Catalan affairs. OSC EUP20070926178002 26 Sep 07]

AFP: Badghis fighting leaves 24 dead

Taliban attack leaves 24 dead in Afghanistan
(September 20, 2007.)

HERAT, Afghanistan (AFP) — A Taliban attack on a police post in western Afghanistan sparked a battle that left at least 20 militants and four police dead, a provincial governor said.

Dozens of Islamic fighters attacked a police position in Badghis province Wednesday, setting off a three-hour gunfight, governor Mohammad Ashraf Nasiri told AFP.

“Twenty militants were killed and nine militants were wounded in the fighting. Four police were also wounded,” he said.

The governor said there were hundreds of attackers but the claim was not independently confirmed.

Western Afghanistan is relatively peaceful compared to the insurgency-hit southern and southeastern parts of the country, where militant attacks are an almost daily routine.

But Bala Murghab district, the scene of the latest attack, has seen a spike in violence in the past months.

Seven Afghan soldiers and 20 militants were killed in a battle there last month that was sparked when Taliban militants ambushed an Afghan and NATO army convoy.

Taliban insurgents have waged a bloody insurgency since their ouster from power in late 2001 by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, which has claimed thousands of lives so far.

In another incident related to the insurgency, six militants were arrested and one was killed Wednesday in southern Zabul province, the defence ministry said.