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Afghanistan still a
threat to the war on terror, says Wolfowitz
(AFP), Khaleej
Times, 31 May 2003
SINGAPORE - A top US official said here on Saturday that Afghanistan was still posing a threat to the international fight against terrorism, with powerbrokers in the provinces a major problem.
“Afghanistan remains
an ongoing threat to the war on terror. Although there has been progress,
challenges still remain,” US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz
told the Asian Security Conference.
Wolfowitz highlighted
those who filled the power vacuum following the US-led military campaign
that deposed the Taliban regime in October, 2001, as one of the biggest
causes for concern. “The war ended with
many local power brokers in control of provincial and local
governments,” Wolfowitz said. “Few of them have risen
to the challenge of serving their people rather than their own
interests.” The United States
launched its campaign to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban because the
hardline Islamic regime provided a safe haven for Osama bin Laden and his
al-Qaeda terrorist network. Although the Taliban
fell, bin Laden has never been caught and is believed to be hiding
somewhere in the rugged mountains that straddle the Afghan and Pakistani
borders. A US-led coalition force
of 11,500 troops is still in the southern and eastern provinces of
Afghanistan bordering Pakistan, hunting down Taliban and al-Qaeda
extremists. In addition, the
International Security Assistance Force, which operates under a United
Nations mandate and comprises 4,700 troops from 28 countries, has
patrolled Kabul and its environs since its creation in December 2001. One of the most difficult
tasks for Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been to assert control over
the provincial rulers and he this week launched a campaign to force them
to hand over customs revenue. Karzai threatened to quit
if provincial governors did not hand over their revenue to the
cash-strapped central government. Provincial governors are
accused of withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in customs duty and
other revenue from Kabul, undermining efforts to raise at least 200
million dollars for this year’s 550 million-dollar national budget. “We cannot overstate
the importance of this objective not only for budget purposes but for the
state as well,” Deputy Finance Minister Abdul Salaam Rahimi said this
week announcing the campaign. “Ultimately, revenue
collection, budget management, accountability for expenditure is a
statement of whether we can function as a country or not, and on a more
practical level, that we, as a government, can pay our bills, including
salaries.” Despite the problems,
Wolfowitz said Karzai’s government, with the help of the international
community, was making progress in establishing more solid rule. He highlighted the
development of the Afghan army, with its central core due to be up and
running by June next year, as well US and British provincial restructuring
teams helping at least eight cities outside of Kabul secure law and orde
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |