KABUL, 6 October 2003 — Top US diplomat Richard Armitage met yesterday with Afghan leaders for talks on security and aid for reconstruction efforts crippled by surging violence blamed on the ousted Taleban, officials said.
Armitage said his visit was “to make the point that militarily, economically, politically, culturally, socially — assuming the agreement of the government of Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan — the United States is going to remain involved.”
The deputy secretary of state also explained progress toward getting Congressional approval for “a rather dramatic increase” in US assistance to Afghanistan.
Washington has called for “an additional $1.2 billion on top of our normal appropriations, which would mean, if the Congress votes approval, and I predict they will, that this year alone there will be two billion dollars in aid for the people of Afghanistan,” he told reporters after meeting with Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
Abdullah said they discussed security, reconstruction, the political process and regional issues. Armitage also held wide-ranging discussions with President Hamid Karzai, he said. “The visit by Mr. Armitage in Kabul is further evidence of the continuation of support from the United States to the people of Afghanistan, to the process of stabilization, the democratic process and the reconstruction of Afghanistan,” Abdullah said.
Armitage made a quick trip to the main southern city of Kandahar, former stronghold of the Taleban, before his meetings in Kabul, and said he “saw fantastic changes” in Afghanistan from his last visit in May, despite a recent surge of attacks which have increasingly targeted aid workers.
“I think what you’re witnessing is a Taleban who is frightened that they see the writing on the wall — that’s why they’re attacking so viciously these great signs of progress for the people of Afghanistan and they’re proving themselves, I think, to be an enemy of the people of Afghanistan in the minds of all,” he said.
In Heart, a leading cleric and judge in the western Afghan city of Herat narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in which he was run over by unknown attackers, officials said yesterday. Moulvi Khudadad, the head of the Herat law court and the Imam of Herat’s blue mosque, was run down as he walked to his home from the mosque on Saturday night, Nasir Ahmad Alawy, spokesman for the governor of Herat, told reporters. He said Khudadad was flown to Kabul for treatment to injuries to his head, leg and hand, but was able to talk yesterday morning.
In Mazar-e-Sharif, a pro-government armed faction accused rivals of taking 20 civilians hostage yesterday and threatening to kill them unless two missing commanders were handed over. Jamiat commander Abdul Saboor told Reuters that two rival Junbish fighters were killed and four wounded in clashes near Mazar-e-Sharif between the Junbish and Jamiat factions yesterday morning after two Junbish commanders went missing.
