October 9, 2003	Thursday	Sha’aban 12, 1424

QALAT: Despite being toppled two years ago, the Taliban have maintained their popularity in the southern province of Zabul, where the central government struggles to assert its authority even in the capital Qalat and has to tolerate the presence of the militants.

Officially, all is well in Zabul.

“All is calm” since the end of a major joint US-Afghan offensive against Taliban fighters launched late-August in Daychopan district, which killed around 180 suspected militants, governor Affizulah Akim said.

An arid and mountainous province inhabited by Pakhtoon tribes, Zabul is a traditional stronghold of the hardline militia.

The authority of the governor and his men barely extends beyond Qalat and this important highway.

“All the armed men outside Qalat are Taliban. In Zabul, people love the Taliban, they are everywhere in the mountains,” an official said. Other locals echoed his views.—AFP