Violence and threats as Afghan election campaign begins

Fear of attack by Taliban-led rebels kept many candidates off the streets today as Afghanistan kicked off the official campaign period for landmark September 18 legislative elections, the war-torn country’s next step toward democracy.

In the capital Kabul, a handful of hopeful politicians stumped for votes, but in former Taliban strongholds in the country’s south, candidates stayed home, fearful of the rebels who are bent on sabotaging the polls.

“Everyone is too scared to campaign here. The Taliban are threatening to kill anyone connected to the elections,” said Gul Havid, the police chief in Ata Ghar district of southern Zabul province – scene of frequent clashes between militants and US and Afghan forces.

In the main southern city of Kandahar, a roadside bomb exploded near a truck carrying police cadets, killing one and wounding 13, police commander Ahmad Khan said. It was not immediately clear who was responsible.

Yesterday, two helicopters carrying Nato peacekeepers providing security for the election crashed near the western city Herat, killing 17 Spanish troops.

Spanish Defence Minister Jose Bono visited the crash site today and said investigators have found no evidence it was brought down by hostile fire. A top Afghan defence official said it was an accident.

“We suspect one of the helicopters may have accidentally hit the other while flying. The other possibility is that the choppers had technical problems,” Maj. Gen. Shar Mohammed Karimi said.

Nato has about 10,000 troops in Afghanistan, mostly in Kabul, the north and west, and plans to add about 2,000 more to help secure the country ahead of the vote.

Election organisers said they are optimistic that campaigning and the vote will go ahead without major disruptions – despite a wave of militant attacks and fighting with US and Afghan forces in the south and east that has left about 1,000 dead in the last six months.

“We want a lively peaceful campaign of free expression, without fear of intimidation and encourage all candidates to make full use of the official campaign period to reach voters,” said Bissmillah Missmil, chairman of the United Nations-Afghan government Joint Electoral Management Body.

The Taliban also threatened to wreck presidential polls last year that elected US-backed Hamid Karzai, but the vote passed off relatively peacefully.

A few candidates did hit the streets to campaign in Kabul. One, Shukria Barakzai, who is running as an independent, walked around a downtown market, urging people to vote for her.

“I will work for gender equality. I want peace and security,” she told people as she handed out flyers with her name and photograph on it. “You should support me.”

Unused to polticians on the stump, an enthusiastic crowd gathered around her and cheered and clapped after she finished speaking. One old man leaning on a stick shouted, “Long life!”

About 6,000 candidates have registered to compete in the elections for a new national legislature and new provincial assemblies. At least a quarter of all seats in both have been reserved for women.

Human Rights Watch warned that a widespread “lack of security means that many women candidates may curtail their campaigning.”

“A pervasive atmosphere of fear persists for women involved in politics,” the New York-based group said in a statement. “The Afghan government and international monitors must take special measures to protect women from attacks and intimidation by the Taliban and regional warlords.”

In the main city in Zabul, Qalat, another independent woman candidate, Zarmina Pathan, said she had resolved to run for office, despite the risk.

“The Taliban have threatened to kill me if I don’t withdraw,” she said. “But I am going to become a member of parliament so I can fight for women’s rights.”

Meanwhile, an attack by militants left two US Marines wounded during an operation to take a remote Afghan mountain valley where American forces suffered their deadliest blow since the Taliban regime was ousted nearly four years ago.

A US military statement said the Marines were wounded in an assault by about 10 militants yesterday in Korengal Valley, near the eastern border with Pakistan.

The valley is where on June 28 three Navy SEAL commandos were killed in an ambush, and all 16 soldiers on a helicopter sent to rescue them died when it was shot down.