Afghan refugee speaks of concern over Taliban opposition

A young Afghan refugee living in Scotland today told of her family’s experiences in the wake of the terrorist attacks against America on September 11.

Houra Qadir, a medical student from Edinburgh, and Scotland’s only representative on the UK’s Afghan Youth Council, said most Afghans were against the ruling Taliban.

But she added that many also had concerns about the opposition Northern Alliance, which has offered the US-led alliance support in its attempts to target Osama bin Laden and his associates.

She said that members of her own family, living near Kabul, were unable to flee the country as the borders were now closed.

She said: ‘‘Most Afghans are actually very afraid of what’s going on. The last thing any of them want is another war.

‘‘And although nobody likes the Taliban, the Northern Alliance, that might be supported at the moment, nobody has had much better experience of them, if not worse.’’

Earlier this week MEP Glenys Kinnock told a fringe meeting of the Labour Party annual conference in Brighton that backing for the Northern Alliance would be ‘‘a grave mistake’’.

Mrs Kinnock said: ‘‘I think it would be a grave mistake to repeat the mistakes of 10 years ago when the Soviet Union was forced out of Afghanistan, and the United States of course was then responsible for arming and funding and resourcing and training the Taliban, including (Osama) bin Laden at that time.’’

Today Ms Qadir said most people would support American efforts to install a new government in the country ‘‘if it will be democratic, if it will be just and representative of what the people want’’.

Speaking about her relatives in Afghanistan, she told the radio programme: ‘‘They say it’s very difficult to get out because the borders are closed and really they are not actually allowed to leave because the Taliban have outlawed leaving the country and if they want to leave they have to be smuggled out and at the moment all the smugglers have left themselves.’’

Ms Qadir said her family were ‘‘very afraid’’ of air strikes, but hopeful that America was ‘‘serious’’ about helping the Afghan people as well as replacing the Taliban.

Describing the experience of Afghans in Scotland, she said: ‘‘We haven’t had many good experiences since the bombing actually. We are a bit anxious about telling people where we’re from in case of any bad reactions.’’