A victim of a bomb blast in the Afghan capital of Kabul is helped by a doctor as he arrives at a hospital in Kabul September 5, 2002. More than 22 people were killed and dozens wounded when a powerful bomb exploded in the busy central business district of the Afghan capital on Thursday, police said. Photo by Darren Whiteside/Reuters

Afghanistan and post U. S. destabilization: Lookout Iraq

Without a doubt, the United States needed to destroy the terrorist network in Afghanistan.  But in the process we also completely destabilized the government.  

The extremist government of the Taliban was removed but now we have another unstable government were politics are equated with guns and assassination.

So what are we going to do with Iraq after little George murders Saddam? (By the way, does anyone remember that after Kennedy tried to kill Castro, Kennedy was assassinated.)

Are we just going to walk away?  Are we going to try to establish a Christian democracy in a region that is full of Muslim dictators?  Are we going to turn Iraq over to Iran?  Who is going to keep Iran from attacking Iraq after we destroy the Saddam régime? 

You cannot go into these countries and destroy their power structure and walk away.  The aftermath is always a struggle for power among the previously suppressed factions.  Chaos always follows a power vacuum.   And with chaos you have hunger, starvation, economic instability, assassinations and murder.

What are the long term effects of little George murdering Saddam?  Does he believe that he can murder Saddam and stop some retaliatory act of terrorism in the United States?  How many Americans will die in an attack on Saddam in Iraq?  And how many Americans will die in America?

Saddam is not a menace to the world community because he will never use weapons of mass destruction.  Saddam loves power and he loves himself.  It seems that he has his picture posted everywhere in Iraq.  This is not the kind of guy who is ready to commit suicide by attacking anyone with a weapon of mass destruction.

The best way to deal with Iraq is by opening up trade with Iraq.  The best way to influence any country is to flood it with Western goods.  As time goes by, the people want more and more and things change.  

All the bullets and missiles and war games in Europe after World War II did not end communism.  What ended communism was capitalism.  We may have to wait a while for Saddam to die a natural death; but only Iraqis will die in the meantime.

If little George wants to end the conflict in Israel, then give the Palestinians a homeland and then help them finance a capitalistic society.

No that is too easy and too peaceful for little George.  He has to play cowboys and Indians on a global scale.  How stupid.  It is time to quit promoting murder as a means to accomplish our political goals.  It is time to attend world functions like the Earth Summit where half the world's nations congregated and quit fretting over Saddam.

And lastly, after little George murders Saddam, who is next on the list, North Korea or will it be Cuba and Castro? 

John WorldPeace
September 6, 2002

Bomb explodes in Kabul

By TODD PITMAN
.c The Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (Sept. 5) - A powerful car bomb rocked a busy market area in the center of the Afghan capital Thursday, and a police spokesman said 30 people had been killed and wounded.

Emergency vehicles and armored personnel carriers from the international peacekeeping force rushed to the scene in a crowded market area near the Ministry of Information.

Witnesses said a smaller explosion had drawn crowds to the area when the car bomb exploded in front of a building containing shops selling televisions and satellite dishes - all forbidden during hardline Taliban rule. The second floor of the building housed a small hotel.

''This bomb was inside a taxi,'' said police spokesman Dul Aqa. ''It was a very, very strong explosion. We can't say exactly who was behind it but we know the last bombs were al-Qaida and (former Prime Minister) Gulbuddin (Hekmatyar).''

Hekmatyar issued a call for jihad, or holy war, this week to drive U.S. and foreign troops including international peacekeepers from Afghanistan.

The blast occurred in one of the most congested areas of the city on a day when many residents do their shopping before Friday's Muslim prayer day. One shopper, Haji Abdul Aroof, said he saw four bodies lying in the street.

''We came to see what was happening when the second bomb went off,'' he said. ''There was a powerful explosion and we all ran.''

Police sealed off the area, but emergency vehicles would be seen rushing injured to hospitals. Some dazed victims could be seen being led away, their clothing ripped and covered in blood.

Five or six vehicles were destroyed, windows shattered and doors of shops ripped off their hinges.

The blast appeared to be the most serious in a string of bombings that have occurred in the Afghan capital since Aug. 15 when a small blast shattered windows at the Ministry of Telecommunications.

Previous bombings had been small, causing few casualties and relatively little damage.

By Charles Clover in Herat, Richard Wolffe in Washington and,Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad Published: September 6 2002 5:00 | Last Updated: September 6 2002 5:00 | The Financial Times

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan narrowly survived an assassination attempt in Kandahar yesterday hours after a car bomb exploded in Kabul, killing as many as 22 in a suspected al-Qaeda terrorist attack.

Mr Karzai escaped when a man wearing a security guard uniform stepped out of a crowd and opened fire on his motorcade. Some confusion remained over the number of attackers involved after three men were reportedly killed in a shoot-out that followed.

The bomb represented the worst violence in Kabul since the city was captured last November from the Taliban.

The resurgence of violence in Afghanistan refocused attention on the US-led war on terrorism as the White House seeks to build support for toppling Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.

It was not clear if the incidents were related, but Afghan officials said they were the work of al-Qaeda. Earlier, others had suggested the involvement of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, former prime minister and Mujahideen commander. Mr Hekmatyar, a recipient of covert US funds in the 1980s, has lately been suspected of links to Islamist groups.

The incidents may demonstrate the resilience of the Islamists' terror network in Afghanistan, thought to be nearly destroyed following months of western anti-terrorist operations.

Yesterday's attacks prompted analysts in Pakistan to speculate that a fresh campaign was beginning a week before the anniversary of the al-Qaeda September 11 attacks on the US.

President George W. Bush was told of the assassination attempt. The White House said he was "relieved" Mr Karzai was unhurt and looked forward to meeting him at the United Nations next week.

The Pentagon indicated yesterday that it had dropped its opposition to an extension of international peacekeeping operations - but stopped short of supporting a broader mandate. Paul Wolfowitz, deputy defence secretary, said the Pentagon was considering a new role for Isaf [the international force], including training the new Afghan army.

In Kabul, the bomb - placed in a taxi in a crowded shopping street - detonated after a smaller explosion drew onlookers, police said.

Last night, Pakistani officials said they had intensified security around key installations after intelligence suggested militant groups may be preparing to strike.

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