October 10, 2001	Wednesday	Rajab 22, 1422

KABUL, Oct 9: Fear and anger are spreading in Kabul as residents spend terrifying nights under US bombing and frustrating days cleaning up the rubble and worrying what will come next.

Two nights of bombing to punish the Taliban leadership for harbouring Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden have already sent waves of residents fleeing the city in rickety cars, horsecarts or on foot for the relative safety of the barren countryside.

Four men working at a United Nations-funded demining project died on Tuesday when a bomb hit their office.

Fearing more of the same, tense residents too poor, scared or defiant to leave Kabul are now cursing the US-led attacks and pleading for some respite.

“How long more do the Americans want us to suffer?” asked one anguished man. “We can’t sleep...we can’t go to mosques to worship.”

“We are already in a big mess. What else does the world want from us?” moaned another Kabuli who lived close to the site of Tuesday’s fatal attack. “Drop one atom bomb and annihilate us all instead of killing us gradually.”

A high school student agreed: “I say down with those people who strike innocents and call themselves people’s saviour.”

“These countries that bomb Afghanistan and kill civilians in other parts of the world, be it Palestine or Israel, are the evil ones.

“They call themselves a civilised nation and are proud of acting like Hollywood cowboys,” another resident said. “They are vultures and have no pity about killing Muslims.”

The first two nights of bombing ended just as they had begun, with an air raid and the sound of anti-aircraft fire pounding into the sky above Kabul.

Planes could still be heard droning in the sky above as muezzins called the faithful to mosques for the first prayers of the day and the sun’s first rays crept over the mountain ridges ringing the city.

Anti-aircraft fire rattled away as Taliban forces fired in vain at bombers far out of range of their aging guns.

“America thinks it’s the world’s master and bombs us saying we’re sheltering terrorists,” the student said.

“But what about the carnage in Palestine by the Israeli forces? Americans should think about their double standards.”

Although inured to conflict, Afghans generally know who they are fighting. They have to see their enemy — or at least be within shooting range — to inflict any damage with their outdated weapons.

This conflict is something new — stealthy missiles launched from submarines hundreds of kilometres away and planes capable of flying all the way from America to deliver a deadly payload.

“Does the world know that people in Kabul have been in trauma for the past two days?” asked a baker in the morning. “They may know, but since it is not happening on their doorstep they don’t care, perhaps,” he said.

“For God’s sake stop these games, just leave us alone in peace,” a taxi driver said. “They are savage and continuing such attacks will bring disaster for everyone.

Stop scaring people and causing terror.”

Although most residents hit out at the United States for making their lives a misery, some saw the strikes as the beginning of the end of the Taliban leadership.

“I am not afraid,” said one man who said he would not leave the city. “I want the Taliban to go and the attacks can fulfil this.”

But he also just wanted a good night’s sleep.

“Quit the idea of night assaults. Can they not do it in future during day time?” he pleaded. —Reuters