Playing with Fire in Afghanistan's North

By Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi in northern Afghanistan (ARR No. 256, 8-June-07)
The idea that northern Afghanistan is a safe and sleepy place is fast becoming a thing of the past. The spreading Taleban presence, a thriving trade in illicit arms, and now violent political manoeuvring are turning formerly calm provinces into increasingly volatile areas that could soon pose a serious threat to the Kabul government.

Most recently, the capital of Jowzjan province, Shiberghan, was the scene of a massive protests that spilled over into violence, leaving at least ten people dead and 40 injured.

Thousands of supporters of General Abdul Rashid Dostum rioted on May 28 in Shiberghan. They were demanding the removal of Jowzjan’s governor, Juma Khan Hamdard, whom they accused of incompetence and ethnic prejudice.

Hamdard is an ethnic Pashtun, in a province dominated by Uzbeks loyal to Dostum.

Protesters poured into the streets and then attacked the governor’s residence. The local authorities claim that some of the demonstrators were armed and fired shots at police. The police opened fire, killing and wounding dozens.

The provincial authorities declared a state of emergency, closing schools, shops and government offices. They also imposed a curfew.

“This action was not directed against me; it was a plot by Dostum against the Islamic State of Afghanistan,” Hamdard told IWPR. “We have photographic proof that his supporters ripped down [President Hamed] Karzai’s portrait from police headquarters during the protests and replaced it with Dostum’s.”

According to Hamdard, the demonstrators had the same aim when they mobbed his residence.

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