Anger and trepidation in streets of Kabul

Chris Sands, Foreign Correspondent

• Last Updated: November 14. 2009 8:38PM UAE / November 14. 2009 4:38PM GMT

A labourer climbs the stairs of the guest house in Kabul that was attacked last month. Five foreign UN workers were killed in the attack. Chris Sands / The National

KABUL // All that remains of the guest house is a burnt shell. The walls are charred black and the clocks have stopped. Pieces of clothing lie scattered on the floors along with magazines and a copy of Barack Obama’s book Dreams From My Father. Some of the windows are peppered with bullet holes and in the yard outside there is the severed leg of a man, its toes curled inward as it is left to rot.

Last month’s attack on the UN staff staying here was one of the many chaotic incidents that have shaken Afghanistan this autumn. From suicide bombings and political unrest in the capital, to the continuing deaths of foreign soldiers in the south and east, the country has lurched deeper into turmoil. Now Washington is preparing to announce its new strategy for the war and people are wondering what will happen next.

“Our security was OK at that time,” said Wais Sherzai, manager of the Bakhtar Guest House. “We were just afraid because they threw a lot of grenades. For that reason we couldn’t do anything.”

Five foreign UN workers were killed in the October attack. Insurgents dressed in police uniforms carried out the raid and the Taliban claimed responsibility. It is the leg of a rebel that is gathering dust amid the rubbish.

“I shouted to everyone ‘please come down, please come down’, but when I shouted just one door opened,” said Mr Sherzai, who lost two of his staff.

The UN’s response was to announce that 200 members of its team would be temporarily pulled from Afghanistan until security arrangements improved. However, the long-term effect on the international community and the aid effort has the potential to be far greater.

“Foreign people have never experienced anything like this: a terrorist attack, killing, escaping. For me it was also a shock, but when I was a child I saw rockets, shooting, bombs. So for me maybe it was a 40 or 50 per cent shock, but for the foreign people it’s very difficult,” Mr Sherzai admitted.

Other bloody incidents have rocked Kabul during recent weeks. In early October a suicide bombing near the Indian Embassy left at least 17 dead and last Friday a blast outside a US military base injured six, including three civilians.

Student protests against the alleged burning of the Quran by US soldiers have also taken place in the capital, which is ordinarily regarded as relatively stable.

All of this has played out before the backdrop of growing political tension and uncertainty surrounding the controversial re-election of Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan’s president. Victory for the incumbent came after widespread accusations of fraud and the decision of his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, to withdraw from a scheduled second round of voting.

It has left many, including the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, and the US ambassador, Karl Eikenberry, questioning the effectiveness of the Karzai government.

On the streets of Kabul there is both anger and trepidation as the country prepares to enter this crucial phase. “There is no security, no justice and no organisation. Everyone just thinks about themselves,” said a 45-year-old man too frightened to give his name.

Elsewhere in the city, people had similar concerns. Mirajuddin looked back fondly at his time working for the communists, when “I didn’t have a gun, but people were afraid of the uniform”. Today he runs a roadside food stall. “Now the men responsible for our security just sit in chairs and smoke cigarettes, “ he said.

Mr Karzai’s inauguration is due to take place on Thursday; he has promised to address concerns about corruption when choosing his cabinet. Yet doubts about the strength and legitimacy of his leadership remain, even among his country’s closest allies.

The controversy surrounding the election is believed to have been a key factor in the length of time it is taking the US administration to announce its new strategy for the war. A decision is expected soon and it appears that thousands more soldiers will be sent to Afghanistan.

October was the bloodiest month for US troops since the invasion. In a single incident alone, eight were killed in Nuristan.

Speaking close to a spot where Mr Karzai once narrowly avoided assassination, Haji Mohammed Yasin, a 60-year-old from Paktia, said expanding the occupation was the wrong approach. “I want Obama to speak to the Taliban. Which Taliban? The Taliban who are from Afghanistan. Not Pakistani Taliban and not Iranian Taliban,” he said.

“If more soldiers come the fighting will increase.”

csands@thenational.ae