January 7, 2003	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 3, 1423

KABUL, Jan 6: The commander of multinational troops protecting the Afghan capital said on Monday that “destructive elements” are present in Kabul, and reiterated a warning that a US-led invasion of Iraq could provoke attacks on foreigners.

“We are obviously aware that there are destructive elements who are intent on trying to destabilize the peaceful situation in Kabul,” Turkish General Hilmi Akin Zorlu, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told a press briefing.

“We take these threats seriously.”

A US-led attack on Iraq could lead to increased attacks on foreigners in this central Asian nation, Zorlu said, repeating a warning he made last week.

“If there is a war in Iraq, there might be many sympathizers with Iraq in Afghanistan,” the general said.

“It may cause an increase in terrorist actions or activities against all foreigners including ISAF forces, UN personnel, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), coalition forces and all civilian businessmen also coming to Afghanistan.”

However, he insisted that several incidents in the capital over the past month, including a grenade attack outside an ISAF base which killed two Afghan civilians, were isolated cases and not a sign of flagging security.

“I strongly believe that these recent incidents were not an indication of any general reduction in security in Kabul, rather they were isolated activity in a predominantly peaceful environment.”

The 22-nation ISAF mission was mandated by the UN Security Council shortly afterwards to maintain peace and security in Kabul and its environs.

Zorlu stressed there would be no increase in ISAF troop numbers here, currently hovering at around 4,300, if a war erupted against Baghdad.

“I cannot see any need to increase the numbers of ISAF personnel. We have enough troops to foresee the difficulties and to take actions against these kinds of implications,” he said.

APPOINTMENT REJECTED: The governor of Bamiyan province has rejected the interior ministry’s appointment of an alleged murderer as district security chief.

Governor Mohammad Rahim Ali Yar flatly refused on Sunday to install Mohammad Mokhtar Ahmadi into the post in Yakawlang district, claiming the man was a criminal who would do nothing to improve security.

“He doesn’t have a good reputation among the people here,” Ali Yar said. “In the pre-Taliban government he killed two innocent men in Yakawlang and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Wahdat Party.”

An investigation was launched into the killings before the Taliban’s rise to power in 1996, and local authorities of Wahdat convicted Ahmadi of murder.

“But since he had power and men and weapons he didn’t go to jail,” said the governor, himself a Wahdat party member.

Minister of Interior Taj Mohammad Wardak, whose ministry made the appointment, downplayed the governor’s remarks.

“He hasn’t rejected him,” the minister said, though he added he knew little about the case.

“If the ministry of interior appoints someone for the provinces, the governors do not reject them,” he added. “We will speak with the governor.”

The political tussle highlights the longstanding antagonism between regional forces and Afghanistan’s central authority, which is struggling to enforce its control.

WHOOPING COUGH: At least 27 people, mainly infants and children, have died from an outbreak of whooping cough in Afghanistan’s remote north, but the toll is feared to be far higher, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Monday.

The respiratory disease struck late last year in northernmost Badakhshan province, where United Nations agencies such as the WHO have coordinated with the Afghan military to rush health workers, medicine and equipment to villages, many of which are accessible only by Tajikistan.

“The extent is for sure very, very large,” WHO epidemiologist Yon Fleerackers said.

“There are many villages involved. It is sure that many people have died.”

In a statement Sunday, the UN said the lives of some 40,000 infants and children in the region were threatened by the disease.—AFP