NEW YORK, July 29: Afghan warlords and political strong men supported by the United States and other nations are creating a climate of fear in Afghanistan that is threatening efforts to adopt a new constitution and could derail national elections scheduled for mid-2004, Human Rights Watch said in a report of human rights body released on Tuesday.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned that violence, political intimidation, and attacks on women and girls are discouraging political participation and endangering gains made on women’s rights in Afghanistan over the last year.

“Human rights abuses in Afghanistan are being committed by gunmen and warlords who were propelled into power by the United States and its coalition partners after the Taliban fell in 2001,” Brad Adams, executive director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch said.

“These men and others have essentially hijacked the country outside of Kabul. With less than a year to go before national elections, Afghanistan’s human rights situation appears to be worsening.”

The 101-page report, “Killing You Is a Very Easy Thing for Us”: Human Rights Abuses in Southeast Afghanistan, documents army and police troops kidnapping Afghans and holding them for ransom in unofficial prisons; breaking into households and robbing families; raping women, girls and boys; and extorting shopkeepers and bus, truck and taxi drivers.

The report also describes political organizors, journalists and media editors being threatened with death, arrested and harassed by army, police and intelligence agents. The subject area of the report, the southeast of Afghanistan and Kabul, is one of the most densely populated areas of Afghanistan.

Because soldiers are targeting women and girls, many are staying indoors, especially in rural areas, making it impossible for them to attend school, go to work, or actively participate in the country’s reconstruction.

In many places, human rights abuses are driving many Afghan families to keep their girls out of school. The atmosphere of violence, along with resurgent religious fundamentalism in parts of the country, is endangering the most important human rights improvement since the end of the Taliban — the ability of girls to go back to school.

“The fact is that most girls in Afghanistan are still not in school,” said Adams. “In many cases, returning refugee families who sent their girls to school in Pakistan or Iran are afraid to do the same in Afghanistan.” The testimony of victims and witnesses implicate soldiers and police under the command of many high-level military and political officials in Afghanistan.