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Afghanistan: Land of Injustice and Warlords
Justice means peace,peace means freedom,war means violence and violence is crime. Peace can be restored only by the prosecution of war criminals in Afghanistan.
By Hanan Habibzai STAFF WRITER
Nearly two weeks ago, some eight Aid Workers were put to death; this has further made the life insecure in Afghanistan where peace and development are most desired. Such wanton killings only further destabilise the country and the region.
Today Afghanistan is home to the US and NATO forces who landed here for some hidden agendas but the declared objectives were to bring peace and development to Afghanistan, that’s not only a distant dream but its totally ignored.
These foreign forces have patronised their warlords who are working through them to firm their grip over the country but they are getting a strong resistance from the people all over the country. Northern Allience’s Qasim Fahim and Karim Khalili the first and second deputies of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his chief of army staff Abdul Rashid Dostum have become the instruments of warlordism and criminal activities.
mass-grave of thousands of Taliban prisoners in Northern Afghanistan.
They massacred thousands of Taliban prisoners just after the fall of Taliban regime in late 2001. So far, the remnants of those prisoners who have been brutally massacred have now appeared as key part of remerged Taliban fighters and they are fighting to bring the mass murderers to the so called justice.
Concerns about the security of aid workers:
Even though, killing and kidnapping is an everyday business in Afghanistan but the recent killing of foreign aid workers not only hurt international allies of the war torn country but the needy Afghans were also deprived of relief aid and other facilities as a consequence of such killings.
Foreign aid workers have suffered enormous causality, since US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, but the bloody ambush remind again that apart from the Taliban there is another gangster group who trying to keep Afghanistan an insecure state.
It is true that the mountains of Afghanistan have been occupied by the Taliban but international military operations are under way against them to mark an end to the activities of the Taliban and its allies but none have succeeded to silence or oust the Taliban.
The most dreadful foes are the warlords who are committing atrocity under the patronage of the strong officials and often perpetrate such offences without any fear. Such warlords have their strong holds where no one can enter without their permission and that costs money and obedience where no logic applies. This warlord culture is pushing the people towards the Taliban who are gaining strength by the day. The powerful warlords have direct ties with Iran, India, Russia and other foreign countries encouraging their interests in Afghanistan.
After the fall of Taliban regime in 2001 when US-led troops went to Afghanistan, they backed a government formed by war criminals that are not loyal to humanity. The same people who were in power after the fall of last communist regime of Afghanistan in 1990.
As soon as they held the power a civil war took place in the streets of Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands innocents were killed. They looted the cities and the villages, bribery became the order of the day, illegal taxes are just to demand and the poor have no option but to pay. Yet they do the same under official circumstances.
Northern Alliance's armed group torturing an injured Taliban prisoner.
The atrocities led to Taliban appear on the scene. The triggering incident was that in Kandahar, a favourite of a warlord had abducted and confined a woman in his house whom he would rape every day. One day Taliban were passing in front of that house when they heard the screams of a woman seeking help.
On entering the house, they found a woman who was chained and was subjected to rape at the will and desire of the warlord worker. Taliban recovered the woman and later took the criminal into custody, held an open trial and punished them within no time. This quick justice gave a fresh breath to all the oppressed, suppressed and voiceless people of the area who welcomed the Taliban.
In 1995 and they destroyed the warlords and war criminals and brought peace and justice to the area. Henceforth, Taliban were welcomed where ever they went and they established their rule over Afghanistan without any fight accept for the Northern Alliance who were being backed by the outside powers like Russia, India, Iran etc.
Later in 2001, when the US invaded Afghanistan, they brought the same warlords into power who once again resorted to their old methods of harass, loot and kill. By any chance, these warlords were not the alternative of the Taliban but once again the people are suffering but for few and the voices of the suppressed people are further suppressed under the US and NATO.
Only Justice can bring peace in Afghanistan:
Peace cannot come without Justice, which means the prosecution of war criminals and warlords in Afghanistan. Similarly like the prosecution of Radovan Karadzic. The same experience will mark the end of business to crime and dirty work in Afghanistan too.
The genocide committed by Bosnian Serbs under Mr Karadzic in 1992-1995 finally took him to the justice.After his arrest the former Serb Leader appeared in Hague. His tribunal was debut for war crime in Afghanistan.The impression of war crimes is an idea new to Afghanistan. All Afghan people are looking for justice for their offenders.
Most recently Liberia’s former President Charles Taylor has appeared in Hague. The charges associated to his role in the bloodshed of neighbouring Sierra Leone where he apparently supported rebels responsible for widespread atrocities.
Afghanistan’s violent foes should also be brought under similar legal circumstances to avoid crime against humanity in Afghanistan. The only way remains which can take the country back to peace.
They have killed hundred of thousands innocent during 1990s as well as after the fall of Taliban regime.
Abdul Rashid Dostum has become the instruments of war crime.
The widespread corruption and drug business is link with their work that is at its highest level.Lack of justice turned the criminals across Afghanistan very impudence and they are getting around with no fear of legal prosecution because the judicial system is hugely dominated by warlords and corrupt officials.
Afghanistan faces of state terrorism:
In early December 2003 when a Pakistani engineer became the first victim of violence in Ghanzi province, the Afghan Interior Minister of the time Ali Ahmad Jalali urged the killers were not connected to the Taliban.
Five armed men were arrested in connection with the attack on road constructor but few months later the suspected attackers had been freed. The justice has been ignored.
Now, seven years later, the number of foreign aid workers dead in Afghanistan reached to its highest total. The recent killing of a group of aid workers in Badkhshan brought the number to 154. A figure published in June this year shown the number of foreign aid workers killed in Afghanistan 146.
This is a high cost foreign aid agencies are paying in Afghanistan. Including Afghan population, the key victims of injustice are aid workers, journalists and investors.
On June 7, 2008 a Journalist Abdul Samad Rohani was abducted from the heart of Lashkar Gah, the main city of Helmand province where Afghan government’s control is strong. His dead body was then left in a nearby cemetery.
Few days before his killing Rohani had discovered a secret jail run by Helmand police in Nawa district; this became the reason for his elimination by the Police. The initial impression was that Rohani had been abducted by the Taliban and killed but the truth came out when Helmand Governor Gulab Mangal stated in June this year that the journalist was kidnapped and killed by Afghan Security Officials. Declaring ‘’I’m unable to arrest the killers’’.
Rohani 25, was the oldest son of a family of seven children. He was married and he left behind two widows and two children daughter Zahra and son, Amran.
On November 1, 2008 another similar killing proved the government of Hamid Karzai involved in the series of killings and kidnapping civilian figure. Mohammad Ashraf Dustukhel a trader has been assassinated just a few meters from a key police check point near Afghan Presidential Palace and Ministry of Defence. Interior ministry’s record shows that sixteen police officer were present in check point in the same time. Despite continuing calls for justice his family was unsuccessful to bring the killers to the court.
Now, shall we think ahead who might commit the massacre of aid workers?
Badkhshan’s armed groups:
However, the atrocity has been attributing to Taliban but local support for Taliban militancy is very trifling in Badkhshan, north of the country, the Northern Alliance rules that area.
The people loyal to different Northern Alliance’s faction are still carrying illegal arms and some of them have been employed in the Police Force, this has given them the power to act as they wish and subdue the people and make them respond to their demands no matter what. Some of these people are made carriers of drugs and some are deployed to kill and harass others.
The province is very far from the control of law and order. Badkhshan is located near Tajikistan a very easy region for traffickers to transport drug to Central Asia and to Russia. The traffickers need an insecure region to allow drug industry to secure the illegal business.
The pure sacrifices of foreign nationals are happen because of injustice promoted by the warlords holding Afghanistan’s official power. Aid workers and Afghan civilians are paying the high price.
Only the removal of key warlords and gangsters within current Afghan government can decrease illegal armed activities. It will improve Afghanistan’s security for local population as well as for aid workers. The justice should be restored.
Without Pakistan, real peace cannot be achieved in the region, same time its also imperative to involve Taliban in the peace process and open the doors to them without any discrimination.
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=46113
Posted by Hanan Habibzai on Aug 23 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under AfPak. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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[...] , that’s not only a distant dream but its totally ignored. … Continued here: Afghanistan: Land Of Injustice and Warlords : Veterans Today Share and [...]
thanks Hanan,
sounds like gang problems here…. except their gangs get many perks…. like free target practice and training against the police (american troops) who a lot of times cant fight back.
Reminds me of los angeles where you got 100′s of small clicks all with their own turfs and agenda’s but hold allegence to the mexican mafia (taliban that we ousted). The warlords remind me of the mob families. the afghan army is the unemployment line as any good fighter is in a gang. and the government is like mexico times 100 as far as corruption.
i ask why are our kids fighting there? for what or who? 65,000 leaked docs and not one mention of bin laden. i’m beginning to believe we are only there to continue the chaos you describe as a destabilizing force …. to ensure that another generation of afghan youth who were born into war and of which is the majority of the population is will grow up into hardened ‘terrorists’ ensuring growth and prosperity for cheneys war machine. maybe that was the whole idea or maybe its just for the resources who knows? why are our kids dying for this bs war?
Thanks Fred,Military effort is not an option in Afghanistan.Every single ordinary Afghan has one question that international allies of Afghanistan are paying a huge price ,tax payer Money and sacrifice of young soldiers to defend Afghanistan’s corrupt regime under Hamid Karzai.why they are ignoring justice? Why they were unsuccessful to prove themselves as friend of Afghan people to win the hearts and minds?
WHERE AMERICA AND ITS ALLIES GO FILTH AND CORRUPTION FOLLOW….. CUT OFF THE SNAKES HEAD AND STENCH WILL DISSEPATE….THERE AFTER
bulls eye Hanan!
I have heard every voice in regards to this war except the ones that should seemingly matter the most and that is of the ordinary afghans!
I’m afraid we will never hear those voices in the states cuz they arent aligned with our Karzai doll.
Why does the US, when it invades, always choose to pick the side of what appears to be the least popular with the grass-rooters? Same as in the US, evidently.
If Iraq, for example, is finally left to sort it out, would be interesting.
i like the article of Mr Hanan Habibzai . He has best knowledge about Afghanistan’s current situation.He is a great researcher and analyst.
Hanan, thanks for the article. I have one question. I read in another article that the Taliban controls about 30 percent of the territory in Afghanistan. Do you think that would be correct?
More then half of Afghanistan is at a high risk of attack by the Taliban and other gorillas or is under their control, a secret map which Afghan government has produced in April 2009 painting a security picture of Afghanistan.
This map, bears the logos of Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry and the army as well as the United Nations Department of Safety and Security.
The map shows virtually the entire south of the country under extreme risk of Taliban influence, a vast swathe stretching from Farah in the west through Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the south and east towards provinces such as Paktia and Nangarhar.
Now in North , Taliban are very active in Baghlan,Balkh, Jozjan , Faryab and Kundoz provinces. High ways are not safe, any time any where a risk or armed attack is possible.
Thank you very much for your reply.
indeed such a great article Since thsese warlords are been ruling we can see how does it effect our gov,Sociaty and etc… it’s the time to aware the whole wolrd of thier Crimial activaties as a the world already know it….Great job Habibzai.
to add to this seems like thats why the taliban (the ones we ousted, not the clicks now) got so powerful so quickly in afghanistan cuz they were not corrupt (in the minds of ordinary afghan folk). Sure they may have commited horrible human rights violations but they also eradicated raping war lords and drug trafficking.
while under karzai warlords have been given high government posts, drug trade is booming, and corruption bribery is commonly accepted.
[...] Afghanistan: Land of Injustice and Warlords : Veterans Today [...]
Best writing !!
very true ! د لیلی دښت خاوره اوس هم سره ده
FACTS ! په ۱۹۹۶ د طالبانو راتک یو ضرورت او تعمت و د افغانانو لپاره،د شر او فساد د خلاصون لپاره !
په قلم دې برکت شه حببزی صیب !
——————–
په دې کې هېڅ شک نشته چې د پاکستان رول ډېر مهم دی !
خو په دې کې هم شک نشته چې د پاکستان پالیسې او سیاست
د افغانستان په هکله کې ډېر دردونکی ډېر بی رحمانه او عیر انسانې دی !
wish and pray for Justice and a peaceful Afghanistan !
There is a grain of truth in article but the Scenario is vastly exaggerated .I think there are ulterior motive to this writing.
I completely disagree with the fact Pakistan will ever want peace in Afghanistan, let alone assisting in the peace process.
It was just a couple of days that an article was published, quoting Pakistani generals (that they) arrested Mullah Brader to damage peace talks.
How ignorant! To expect Pakistan helping or agreeing to peace talks. It is a dance to the Pakistani music that we have heard for decades
Habibzai is indeed voice of the millions of opressed Afghans. His knowledge is sound and his advice valuable.
“War lords”, given the opportunity, can be anywhere, and appear to be coming to the US. Cops are emboldened by the trickling down to petty power. One example of many, many.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/cameraman-arrested-for-calling-cops-nazis.html
According to this article, US leads terror in Afghanistan.
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_60894.shtml
But Germans also. On Sept. 04, 2009, the Afghanistan “resistance” took out two fuel trucks.
Picture of the trucks:
http://alles-schallundrauch.blogspot.com/2009/09/bundeswehr-verursacht-ein-massaker-in.html
The German Luftwaffe then launched an “attack” on the culprits, 2 am in the morning. Seems random, but 100 to 150 civilians were slaughtered, and apparently no members of the resistance. A year later, families will be compensated with $5000 each.
Very nicely written, and thank you for the profound information.
What we are seeing here is the perpetuation of animosities between different sects and ethnicities that has prolonged for decades now. The population containment philosophy in Afghanistan is the old autocratic centuries old ruling which harnessed the very core of the problem. During the years previous to occupation of the Soviet Union, in Afghanistan, not even one person was subject to capital punishment. And the ingenuousness of the country was distorted overnight. Needles to say, the decades of war and invasion of Soviet Union created a “shoot-to-kill-ask-questions-later” society.
That said, there are guilty soles in all levels and factions, and I agree wholeheartedly with Hanan that indeed, the heads of the snakes must be cut and brought to justice. But unfortunately, the atmosphere of “ADOPTING A WARLOD” was introduced in 2001 by the United States during its entry from the North when the gatekeeper and Afghan-Uzbek Warlord named Abdul Rashid Dostum fooled the naïve Bush administration promising to drive the Taliban out of power. If the neocon policy makers then made their decision and listen to some savvy Afghans who suggested to the U.S. House of Representatives to use a Pashtun gateway preferably Kandahar into Afghanistan, then everything would have resulted differently.
Idiotically, the Beltway policy makers were the same decision makers that advised America to abandoned Afghanistan in post Soviet withdrawal in 1989, which resulted in a divested civil war and hundreds of thousands of Afghans, lost their lives.
Now, we are seeing the same mistakes by brining Karzai and his family to power because “He is the best we got”, and there is no one else to rule Afghanistan scenario.
Let’s focus on the real grassroots of the problem, which is the U.S., and Yes, the lucrative warlords and drug barons will be left to loot the country due to our policies.
A good Afghan leader who could be in the pipeline can make the guilty eventually pay.
As far as Pakistan, a disintegration of Afghanistan is disintegration of Pakistan, and indeed not the other way around, therefore, Afghanistan has better cards in its hand to play and it takes a good Afghan leader and politician to play good hand.
It would take an international tribunal to adequately research and try these tribal and regional chiefs for war crimes. Since the Karzai government is incapable of apprehending the leaders of these atrocities and the outlook for these criminals to be first tracked down and arrested is slim under the current conditions, the outlook for the due process of law will be difficult.
great work brother Hanan. You are absulately right in your publication. War criminals and worlords should be charged in the International Criminal court as the Afghan judiciary is not for purposwhoe. I also agree with you that Taliban should be brought into our community as they are a recognised power just now. I believe the current regime is the most corrupt and the most cruel in our entire history. Without Pakistan peace will not come to Afghanistan as the west is very much dependent on them. Keep the good work.
great work brother Hanan. You are absulately right in your publication. War criminals and worlords should be charged in the International Criminal court as the Afghan judiciary is not fit for purpose. I also agree with you that Taliban should be brought into our community as they are a recognised power just now. I believe the current regime is the most corrupt and the most cruel in our entire history. Without Pakistan peace will not come to Afghanistan as the west is very much dependent on them. Keep the good work
Well said brother Hanan, there is no peace without justice and why should we expect peace and progress when they have put warlords in charge of our destiny.
Great job brother Hanan, you have written the truth and to the point.
Only and only justice can bring peace in the area, whereas, more troops and patronization of the warlords promotes crime, violation and hence war.
Thank you.
Thanks Brother Habibzai for your hard work and you are doing this hard work since many years. you will be remember in the history of Afghanistan. Afghan people really need justices .we need to really work hard to get to the justice and peace.
When the killers and criminals are in power ,how can you expect peace ? thats why justice is an only option .Pakistan role is key for returning peace to Afghanistan.I am agree with the content of the artcle.
Afghans are no longer willing to accept political deceiver
The game either military efforts across their villages.
To be honest, it’s too late to convince them because
they have experienced fraud and bloody war, injustice and
defrag time during U.S. and NATO presence and karzai.
After the Taliban in 2001, I remember every one said
farewell to the gun, but why they picked it up again?
I think it’s time to hear ordinary people and
work with poor villagers not criminals.
warlords don’t speak from the hearts of ordinary
Afghans, they speak for their own interest.
They need to remain in power by providing false
intelligence to U.S. troops.How impudently they are using international presence to press their political rivals whom they fought in the 1990s.
Afghanistan is another country with different military
and political history,testified USSR’s invasion and the United States.
They have special talent to challenge if a power forgets
them.
I most quote Stephen tanner ‘’ across the century Afghanistan has been an easy country to enter; the problem arises when an army tries to remain or when it tries to leave.’’