HERAT, Sept 12: The western Afghan city of Herat was placed under a night curfew on Sunday after bloody clashes between US and Afghan forces and supporters of a powerful commander sacked as governor, Herat TV reported.
It broadcast an official announcement from the city's army commander banning all gatherings, but ordering all military servicemen and civil servants to work on Monday. At least seven supporters of the ousted governor of Herat in western Afghanistan were killed on Sunday and 20 wounded in clashes with US troops and police after mobs burned UN offices, doctors said.
Protests erupted after President Hamid Karzai replaced powerful regional commander Ismail Khan as Herat governor on Saturday. "I have so far received seven bodies of protesters," said a doctor at Herat's central hospital. A Reuters cameraman at the hospital saw at least 20 people being treated for gunshot injuries.
The replacement of the governors in Herat and the restive neighbouring province of Ghor came after Karzai launched his manifesto for Oct 9 presidential elections with a pledge to rein in regional warlords.
The clashes will be a concern for US President George W. Bush, who is hoping a peaceful Afghan election will offset violence from Iraq and provide a fillip for his own re-election chances in November.
Bursts of small arms fire could be heard around the city on Sunday, apparently fired by Afghan and US forces attempting to restore order after hundreds of backers of Khan burned and looted UN offices and set fire to the Pakistani consulate.
A Reuters reporter saw several hundred of Khan's backers shouting "death to Karzai" and "death to America" before setting fire to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Assistance Mission and the UN Development Programme.
Smoke and flames could be seen rising from the UN buildings, which are in neighbouring compounds and protesters looted UN property and hurled stones. UN spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva said the demonstrators broke into the UNAMA compound where they hurled stones and set fire to at least one UN vehicle after chanting slogans outside for about half an hour.
He said about 10 UN staff were in the compound at the time, but there were no reports of injuries and they were later evacuated to the US military base in the city. -Reuters
