Warlords 'call shots in Afghan election'

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=566438

Afghanistan's first democratic election next month will be held in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, according to a report which blames America for continuing to pay warlords to hunt the Taliban.

Human Rights Watch found genuine democrats too scared to take part in politics and warned that intimidation of voters has happened on a massive scale. Polling day is just two weeks away and many fear it could be an extremely corrupt process.

The findings of the report, The Rule of the Gun - Human Rights Abuses and Political Repression in the Run-up to Afghanistan's Presidential Election, are a blow to the credibility of an election that had promised to be the start of building a genuine democracy and cutting the power of warlords.

Much of Afghanistan is still run by private armies involved in extortion, kidnapping, rape and murder, the report said, adding: "Warlords continue to pose a serious threat to the free exercise of political rights."

more

[WillyT]

1. Yep... And Aid Workers Are Fleeing For Their Lives !!!

Aid workers flee Afghanistan before vote
Violence fears trigger evacuations

Insurgents threaten to kill election staff

Link: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1096236609137&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968350060724

Good thing we had Afghanistan all democracied up before we went bounding into Iraq, no???

[AliceWonderland]

2. Sigh. And if anyone had listened to the aid workers in the first place

...who would have told anyone that this situation was entirely predictable from fall 2001... well. If anyone ever listened to aid workers -- or any of the people, local and international, who risk their lives to deliver food or negotiate roads or settle conflicts or treat wounds -- we might live in a different world.

[WillyT]

3. VERY Well Said !!!

Thank you.

:hug:

[Eye and Monkey]

4. Some have lost their lives there.

I know this project. I worked on this project several years back. May these folks rest in peace. May they be remembered.

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/pr/2004/06-03-2004.shtml

Doctors Without Borders Shocked by Killing of
5 Staff in Afghanistan
Aid Activities Suspended Nationwide

Kabul/Amsterdam, June 3, 2004 – It is with great sadness that we confirm that five Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) staff were killed yesterday while traveling on the road between Khairkhana and Qala-I-Naw in Badghis province.
<snip>
The condition of the vehicle was described as having been shot through the front windscreen, through the front passenger window, and through the back windscreen. There was also shrapnel embedded in the side of the vehicle, indicating a grenade had been detonated.
<snip - more>

[struggle4progress]

5. kick for boosh the botcher

:kick: