KABUL/WASHINGTON, 23 December — Hamid Karzai took over the reins of Afghanistan yesterday, with Friday’s US bombing of a convoy of tribal elders who were on their way to Kabul to attend his inauguration casting a pall of gloom over the proceedings. The bombing killed 65 people and destroyed 15 vehicles.
The 43-year-old Pashtun tribal leader was sworn in as prime minister by Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim in the country’s first peaceful transfer of power in decades and swore in the 29 members of his Cabinet, including two women. He embraced outgoing President Burhanuddin Rabbani, with whom he has had a contentious relationship, as applause thundered in the cavernous Interior Ministry hall packed with foreign diplomats who crossed oceans and tribal leaders who traveled dusty, hazardous roads to reach the capital, Kabul.
Karzai promised to heal the wounds of a nation that has not seen peace in over two decades. "I promise you that I will fulfill my mission to bring peace to Afghanistan," said the new prime minister, wearing a traditional lambskin hat and an Uzbek robe. He spoke in his native Pashtu and in Dari, Afghanistan’s most popular languages.
Looming over the proceedings was the specter of Ahmed Shah Massood, the legendary Mujahedeen leader who first fought the occupying Soviets in the 1980s, and then the repressive Taleban, before being assassinated by a suicide bomber on Sept. 9. A large portrait of the fighter was draped behind the podium, and speaker after speaker referred to him reverently. Rabbani called him "the great hero of this Islamic jihad".
There was no mention of Osama Bin Laden, whose pursuit by the United States for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States sparked support for the anti-Taleban forces who swept the repressive regime from power.
In China, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said he’s "reasonably sure" that Bin Laden has not escaped to his country and that there’s a "great possibility" the Al-Qaeda leader is dead.
Pakistan wished the interim government well and announced $100 million in assistance for the reconstruction of its war-devastated neighbor. An official statement said Pakistan would put no restrictions on the transit of goods imported by the landlocked country for the reconstruction.
At the Kabul inaugural ceremony, special UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi struggled to speak in Farsi before giving up and switching to English. "We all pray that this day will mark the end of the long dark night of conflict and strife," Brahimi said.
Karzai said his government was considering setting up a special commission to investigate war crimes in the country. "I have had discussions with my colleagues (on the subject), it is not a bad idea," he told the press conference later. But he could not give a timetable for any commission nor would he elaborate on what it would investigate.
"We are going after all those Taleban who have been criminals," Karzai said. "If you go to other parts of Afghanistan you will see what they have done to our people. They will be taken to court and our people will see justice."
The swearing-in ceremony was overshadowed by Friday’s US bombing of a convoy of tribal elders. Villagers told reporters of how US warplanes had killed up to 65 people after an informer lied to them that the vehicles were those of the enemy. "The people who got hit were going to congratulate Karzai," said a resident of the eastern Afghan village of Asmani Kilai. A dozen homes and a mosque were also destroyed by the US bombs.
US officials insisted however the convoy had been carrying "Taleban and Al-Qaeda" leaders and had fired at its planes. Karzai said he doubted the US aircraft had attacked the wrong people but would "check it out with our American friends".
The villagers said US warplanes attacked over seven hours from Thursday night to early Friday. The dead included several local residents. "There are no members of Al-Qaeda or supporters of Bin Laden here," a villager said. He said the convoy had been diverted from a main road to a smaller mountain bypass by a hostile local commander, who he alleged had then called in US airstrikes, saying the cars were carrying Al-Qaeda members.
US commander Gen. Tommy Franks, attending the ceremony in Kabul, said the convoy bombing would be investigated, but added: "At this point we believe it was a good target."
