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Afghan elders plea for quick attack on Marjah
[February 12, 2010] KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Tribal elders in southern Afghanistan pleaded Friday for NATO forces to wage their imminent offensive on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah quickly and carefully to protect civilians in and around the town.
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The group of 34 elders said in a letter to provincial officials that their people are frightened and worried they won't be watched after, according to Abdul Hai Agha, an elder from Nad Ali district, which abuts Marjah. "We said in this letter that if you are doing this operation in Marjah, do it quickly," Agha told The Associated Press by phone. They also urged the troops to do their best to avoid civilian casualties during the assault and have food and shelter ready in nearby towns for refugees. U.S. and Afghan forces have ringed Marjah, sealing off escape routes. On Thursday, Taliban defenders repeatedly fired rockets and mortars at units poised in foxholes along the edge of the town, apparently trying to lure NATO forces into skirmishes before the big attack. The offensive in Helmand province -- the largest in the nine-year Afghan war -- has been telegraphed for weeks. Military officials have said they hope advertising the assault would give civilians more time to get to safety but many of the elders say they're now stuck in a terrifying limbo -- unsure how soon the attack will start but certain it will be devastating when it does. NATO forces have estimated 125,000 people live in the fighting zone. Provincial spokesman Daoud Ahmadi said the governor's office had received the letter and that many of the requested measures were in place. "We have arranged space for 7,000 families" in nearby towns, along with food and items like blankets and dishes, Ahmadi said. He said about 450 families -- an estimated 2,700 people -- have already sought refuge in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) northeast of Marjah. Many of them took up with relatives but more than 100 were being sheltered by the government, he said. The plea from elders came a day after Afghanistan's interior minister met with about 300 tribal leaders in Lashkar Gah to explain the goals of the operation and ask for their support. It was unclear whether the government's dialogue with elders had delayed the start of the offensive. During the meeting, Helmand's governor urged the elders to use any connections they have with Taliban fighters in and around Marjah to ask them to lay down their weapons and come over to the government side. Gov. Gulab Mangal asked the elders to "use any avenue you have, direct or indirect, to tell the Taliban who don't want to fight that they can join with us," according to the chief of Helmand's provincial council, Mohammad Anwar Khan. On their side, the elders begged for limited use of air strikes because of the potential for civilian deaths, Khan said. It was unclear whether the governor's plea was likely to lead to action. Another one of the elders at the meeting, Mohammad Karim Khan, said he would not dare to start going up to Taliban in his area and telling them to give up their guns to the government. "We can't talk to the Taliban. We are farmers and poor people and we are not involved in these things like the politicians are," said Khan, who is not related to the provincial council chief. Also Friday, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on a U.S. military base Thursday in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border that injured five Americans. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press the attack was conducted by an insurgent wearing a border police uniform. The base in Paktia province is 400 miles (640 kilometers) northeast of Marjah. |
