Suicide attack kills 2 civilians in Afghanistan

[December 10, 2010]  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Several hundred demonstrators, some holding photographs of the victims of three decades of war, shouted for justice and peace Friday in the Afghan capital, just hours before a suicide car bomber blew himself up in the east killing two civilians.

The Afghan Interior Ministry said the attacker blew himself up inside his car in the Surkh Rod district of Nangarhar province.

Although NATO forces have poured troops into the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand and have been making progress in routing the Taliban, steady fighting has continued in the eastern provinces where the Haqqani network holds sway. The Haqqani network is a Pakistan-based Taliban faction closely tied to al-Qaida.

In recognition of International Human Rights Day, about 300 people participated in a demonstration in the capital, Kabul, organized by the Social Association of Afghan Justice Seekers.

"In 32 years of war, many people have lost their lives or migrated to other countries," said Ajab Khan Tanha, who works at the association and helped organize the rally. "These demonstrators want warlords, who are still in power, to be removed from their positions. They want to see a museum created for the victims to keep their memory alive."

Reha, a 23-year-old woman who uses only one name, said she joined the demonstration because despite the presence of the international community in Afghanistan for years, women still don't have equal rights.

"We want to get justice from the government," she said. "We all know that this government will not listen to us because their hands are covered in the blood of the people, but still we want the international world to listen to our voice."

[Associated Press; By MASSIEH NESHAT]

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