Afghan Leadership Devastated by Assassinations |
| Written by Mark Lelyveld • July 2011 |
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Last week, Ahmed Wali Karzai, the principal power-broker and half-brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was assassinated by the Taliban. Then, just a week later two suicide bombers stormed the Kabul home of President Karzai’s senior aid, killing him along with a member of the Afghan Parliament who was visiting. Karzai was meeting with local leaders at his house in Kandahar when Sardar Mohammad, a trusted confidant, asked to speak with him privately. Mr. Mohammad fired three shots from a concealed weapon a few minutes later and killed Mr. Karzai. Karzai was found by deputy provincial council head Agha Lalai Destegeri. He had been shot in the head, chest, and hand. Mohammad was shot and killed by one of Karzai’s guards. Ahmed Wali Karzai was an influential figure in Afghan politics who had survived previous assassination attempts. Karzai was criticized by local Afghans for renting land to international officials. In 2009, The New York Times reported “...that he received rent from the CIA and American special operations forces for allowing them to occupy a large compound outside the city that is the former home of Mullah Mohammed Omar.” In addition to this, the compound is also shared by The Kandahar Strike Force, a militia run by the CIA. Mr. Karzai was allegedly part of the illegal Afghan opium trade and was supposedly on the CIA’s payroll. Karzai refuted both of these allegations and said that the charges were a way for international forces to “…deflect [from] their own failings in Afghanistan.” The Taliban is taking credit for the assassination of Karzai and calls it “one of [their] biggest achievements.” A U.S. official said that the Taliban may have talked Sardar Mohammad into killing Karzai. “Karzai…had become for many a symbol of the venality of Afghanistan’s new ruling elite, and he had a long list of enemies from business and political dealings.” For this reason, some have doubts that the Taliban was completely responsible for the assassination. An investigation is currently underway to determine if the Taliban is actually responsible for the assassination of Mr. Karzai. According to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, the Obama administration disapproves of the killing “in the strongest possible terms.” Carney also stated that the United States will assist Afghan authorities with their investigation. Ahmed Wali Karzai’s assassination has not delayed the U.S. government’s plan to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in phases. In fact, NATO handed over control of Bamiyan–one of the most secure territories in central Afghanistan–to Afghan forces on Sunday, July 17. However, troops from New Zealand will stay in the area under Afghan command until further notice. The relinquishment of Bamiyan to Afghan forces is the first step in a withdrawal plan from seven provinces that was announced by President Karzai in March. The two other provinces included in the withdrawal plan are Kabul and Panjshir. Cities included in the plan are: Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, Mehtar Lam, and Lashkar Gah which is the capital of the Helmand province and a recognized Taliban stronghold. Right now, about 150,000 foreign troops are in Afghanistan; almost 100,000 of the troops are from the United States. Earlier this year, U.S. authorities sent extra forces to Afghanistan in an effort to control Taliban militancy. Fortunately, 33,000 troops who were involved in the U.S. “surge” will depart from Afghanistan by 2012. If the withdrawal plan is successful, all foreign combat troops will have left Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Large amounts of skepticism surround the success of the handover process. This is mainly because of worries that Afghan forces set to replace foreign troops may lack sufficient training. According to analysts, the resolve of Afghan forces will be tested soon since the Taliban are expected to become more violent as the summer continues. Sources:  Mark Lelyveld has been writing on national security and policy for decades. He has interviewed various policy experts for leading publications in the United States and oversees. He is very interested in how the politics of the Post-Cold War nations have evolved over the decades. Comments (0)
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