August 20, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-us-Sani 21, 1424

KANDAHAR, Aug 19: Afghans turned out in their hundreds on Tuesday to celebrate independence from Britain 84 years ago, but growing instability and violence was foremost in their minds.

In the last seven days at least 100 people have been killed in a series of ambushes, attacks and factional clashes, and Kandahar is as aware as anywhere of the lasting threat from the Taliban, which rose to power in the sun-parched southern city.

At the dusty central stadium, hundreds of turbaned and bearded men gathered to watch and cheer as Afghan flags were carried past a rostrum of local political and religious leaders.

In a separate section, women wearing heavy veils and girls in their best clothes looked on as U.S. helicopters flying from a nearby military base hovered against the setting sun.

“As we fought the Soviets before so now we are fighting Al Qaeda and terrorism,” said Kandahar governor Yusuf Pashtun, who took up the post this week.

“But we have the support of the international community and we will surely succeed.”

Officials say Taliban remnants are becoming increasingly active in Afghanistan and allege they are launching attacks from close to the Afghan-Pakistan border.

At the weekend an estimated 200 Taliban fighters attacked Afghan district offices in the east of the country, and 10 policemen were killed in the Logar province on Monday in another raid blamed on the militia.

“The Taliban are there. They are crossing the border,” alleged Khalid Pashtun, director of foreign affairs in the southwest of the country.

“They are using exactly the same methods as the mujahideen used against the Russians,” he added, referring to the hit-and-run tactics the Taliban are successfully employing.

He said that while the majority of people in Kandahar province were opposed to the Taliban, there were “one or two” people in every village who sympathized with them.

“Once people are discouraged, that is the point of success for them, as no one will collaborate (with the authorities).”

At the stadium, Yasamin, a young woman speaking from under her veil, said that there were bound to be Taliban sympathizers in Kandahar city, formerly its stronghold.

“But we hope the Taliban will end their attacks, as we have a chance to rebuild the country.”

“We want more rights and to take part in rebuilding Afghanistan.”

GOVERNOR’S COMPLAINT: The governor of a southeastern Afghan province where at least 25 people have been killed in fighting with suspected Taliban militants, on Tuesday criticized the government for not sending extra troops to stem the attacks, local television reported.

“The governor of Paktika has criticized the central government for not sending additional military support,” Kabul TV said, citing an interview with governor Mohammad Ali Jalali.

Mr Jalali said he did not have enough police and soldiers to ensure security in his province which borders Pakistan, adding that most people were left to look after their own safety.

The governor said he had requested Kabul send extra military and air support after Sunday’s attacks on Barmal and Turwa border districts by hundreds of heavily-armed militants.

Fifteen militants and seven government soldiers were killed in the fighting in Barmal town, 220 kilometres south of Kabul. Three more soldiers were killed fighting militants in Turwa, 310 kilometres south of the capital.

A surge of attacks over the past week in which a further 60 people died has highlighted the continuing lack of security outside Kabul, particularly in the south and southeast.

German agency robbed: The office of a German aid agency in Afghanistan was burgled on Monday and one of its workers injured, the overseas development ministry in Berlin said.

The ministry confirmed the attack on the Kabul office of the German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), in which 132,000 dollars were stolen.

The funds had been earmarked for reconstruction projects in the country. Nearly all payments in Afghanistan are still made in cash.

The overseas development ministry and the GTZ condemned the attack.

“Money that was important for their future was stolen from the people in Afghanistan, who are urgently in need of support,” they said in a joint statement.

“That is robbery of fellow citizens that destroys trust and hobbles reconstruction efforts.”

The ministry and the GTZ urged the Afghan government to do everything in its power to bring the thieves to justice.—Reuters/AFP