Internal strife in Afghanistan, be it Al-Qaeda or the unrelenting warlords, is continuing. On Monday, nine people were killed and another 32 injured in northern Afghanistan when police was forced to fire to disperse the violent supporters of Uzbek’s strong man Abdul Rashid Dostam engaged in arson.
The ugly incident erupted when stone-throwing followers of the former Uzbek general turned warlord rallied to press for the removal of the governor of Jowzjan province. The governor Juma Khan Hamdard is regarded as a supporter of Abdul Malik, the rival warlord. The protesters threw stones at the governor’s office and even opened fire. Unable to control the mob, the Afghan police had to fire.
An eyewitness talking to media said that the bullets caused most of the injuries. Many of the wounded were discharged from the hospital after primary medical care. Speaking to AFP, Simia Jan, the head of the civil hospital in the provincial capital, Shiberghan, told,
We have nine people dead in the hospital and we registered another 32 wounded.
However, Rohullah Samoon, a representative of the provincial government put the onus on the protestors. Defending the police action, he said,
Police were in a defensive position. When the protesters opened fire police had to defend themselves and as a result three police were wounded.
Jowzjan is the stronghold of Abdul Rasheed Dostam. This former chief of the Afghan army is being seen by many as a dubious personality. He is an expert in changing sides to save his interests. He played a key military role in the Northern Alliance victory over Taliban and hoped for better bargains. But he lost the 2004 presidential elections and got sidelined by the US in Afghanistan.
However, Dostom has his sway over this part of Afghanistan. Recently, he has called for provincial governors to be chosen via local elections instead of being posted by Kabul, in what critics say is a shot to secure his influence. He even went on to defy the provincial administration openly. This sort of undeclared fiefdom by Afghan warlords is helping the cause of hardliner groups like Taliban and pushing Afghanistan more into the darkness.
Via: Yahoo
