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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2004)
Nation & World News Rebellious warlords threaten Afghan stability An influx in crime could also subvert efforts to hold national elections this fall By Malcolm Garcia Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT) KABUL, Afghanistan — With the United States preoccupied by the insur gency in Iraq, Afghan and Western offi cials here are warning that rebellious warlords and a rise in crime are threat ening the security of this country and could undermine efforts to hold na tional elections in the fall. The violence still plaguing Afghanistan almost three years after coalition forces toppled the hard-line Taliban regime illustrates the kinds of problems that the United State could face in Iraq even if it subdues the current insurgency and transfers power in June. The Afghan capital, Kabul, is con sidered the most stable city in the country and a bastion of pro-Westem democratic reforms. A force of inter national peacekeepers is in the capital and will prevent it from descending into chaos, most officials agree. But even that control is tenuous; militias associated with warlords are a growing presence, particularly in Kab ul's western suburbs. Soldiers with the international security force in Kabul regularly find heavy weapons and am munition hidden throughout the city. To date, they have destroyed more than 200,000 anti-tank weapons, guided missiles, mines and other explosives. And resistance continues. On Fri day, two military helicopters belong ing to the international security forces were fired upon just 12 miles outside of the city. No injuries were reported and no suspects arrested. Last month, two rocket-propelled grenades were found pointed toward downtown targets. "These incidents must vanish," said Sharif Fayez, the minister of higher education. "The government must show more resolve, more determina tion and act more decisively." With out security, Fayez said, it is unlikely that people will feel motivated to vote in September. Most of the international aid for Afghanistan has gone toward rebuild ing Kabul. Countless new businesses have cropped up, including Internet cafes, pizza restaurants and blue jean outlets that cater to western journalists, aid workers and embassy personnel. Rents have skyrocketed — to as much as $10,000 a month — in a country where the average income is less than $75 a month. Flush with cash, Kabul has attracted a growing number of burglars and robbers. Chicken Street a tourist des tination for many Westerners, doses as soon as the sun sets, as do many other business districts that used to stay open late. A poorly paid police force — wages average about $50 a month — lacks the motivation to crack down on crime. Demonstrations by officers for higher pay are common. Many police remain employed by warlords. Those who are assigned to work in the provinces are often rejected by the regional warlord and sent back to Kabul. "You can have no loyalty without money," said Haron Asefi, director general of police. "The economy here is very poor. The people want money to eat. If the economy improves, the security issues go down. If not, the problems will increase." In west Kabul, residents regularly report being robbed by troops of the former fundamentalist Mujahedeen leader Abdul Rabb al-Rasul Sayyaf, whose headquarters in Paghman Province are less than an hour outside Kabul. Car mechanic Sayad Zaher, 28, a resident of west Kabul, said a police officer occupied his house last month and refused to leave until he paid $1,000. They bargained down to $300. "Herat is better than Kabul," Zaher said referring to the western city con trolled by powerful warlord Ishmael Khan. "The rule there is strong. The police can't rob you, beat you. The shops are open late. There is peace, real peace. The peace in Kabul city is not real." (c) 2004, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. Bush: Intelligence operations may need overhaul The president’s suggestion comes before testimony to the Sept. 11 commission by the former FBI director By Shannon McCaffrey Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT) WASHINGTON — President Bush passed up an opportunity to throw his support behind the FBI on Mon day and instead said that the nation's intelligence operations may need overhauling to prevent another terror ist attack against the United States. Bush's remarks sent a shudder through the FBI on the eve of crucial testimony Tuesday before the com mission investigating the Sept. 11 at tacks. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh and Attorney General John Ashcroft are expected to face tough questioning about the bureau's failure to act more effectively against the al-Qaida terror ist assault. The hearing, scheduled to last two days, will also explore whether the FBI has done enough to reform itself in the more than two years since the attacks. The FBI has been lobbying hard against proposals to create a separate domestic intelligence agency, in the mold of Britain's MI-5. Until now, the Bush administration has opposed such a move, saying the FBI needed time to transform into an agency ded icated to counterterrorism. However, Bush administration offi cials and Republican partisans have been trying to deflect criticism of the ad ministration onto the FBI and the CIA, while Democrats try to highlight defi ciencies in the president's and his advis ers' response to the terrorism threat National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice did the FBI no fa vors in her high-profile testimony last week when she said the only thing that might have prevented the Sept. 11 attacks would have been better do mestic threat information and a ma jor overhaul of intelligence gathering. Bush echoed her remarks when he spoke to reporters in Crawford, Texas, on Monday. "Now may be the time to revamp and reform our intelligence services," Bush said, adding that he was looking forward to seeing the commission's recommendations. Ashcroft's predecessor at the Justice Department Janet Reno, is also sched uled to testify Tuesday. FBI Director Robert Mueller and CIA Director George Tenet will testify Wednesday. "The FBI has more questions to an swer than Condoleezza Rice or (former presidential anti-terrorism adviser) Dick Clarke or anyone we've had testify before us so far," commission member Slade Gorton, a former Republican senator from Washington state, said af ter Rice's testimony. The commission is expected to fo cus on a newly declassified presiden tial intelligence memo, dated Aug. 6, 2001, that revealed that the FBI had some 70 active investigations related to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden under way in the United States. Yet the bureau apparently did little to alert thousands of agents in its 56 field offices nationwide to the bin Laden threat or to the surge in intelli gence warnings of possible attacks that the FBI received in July 2001. A federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said then-acting FBI Director Thomas Pickard told the 56 special-agents-in chaige, who run the FBI's field offices, to increase their terrorist surveillance in July 2001. Whether Pickard's urging reached street-level agents is uncertain. "We have done thousands of inter views here at the 9-11 commission. We've gone through literally millions of pieces of paper. To date, we have found nobody, nobody at the FBI, who knows anything about a tasking of field offices," Democratic commis sioner Timothy Roemer, a former con gressman from Indiana, said during Rice's hearing last week. Bush said Monday that when he read the intelligence memo in August 2001 he was comforted to learn that the FBI was juggling 70 terrorism probes. (c) 2004, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. Knight Ridder Newspapers correspondent Ron Hutcheson contributed to this report from Crawford, Texas. Come Celebrate “Hiking Day” Sat. April 24th Come in and enjoy a day of FREE discussions, seminars and resources for getting the most out of hiking in Oregon. * 11am -12 pm * Shoe/Boot Fitting and Foot Health Clinic. * 12 pm - 2 pm * Book Signing - Bill Sullivan local author of 12 books including “Cabin Fever”. * 2 pm - 3 pm * Effective Packing Tips for a Day Hike. * 3 pm - 4 pm * Hiking Safety Clinic. * 4 pm - 5 pm * Wilderness Navigation Clinic. - FREE PARKING - Hours: 10-6 Mon-Sat /12-5 Sun www.mckenzieoutfitters.com 566 Olive St. Downtown Eugene 343-2300 GIVE ME 5! Run your "for sale" ad (items under $1,000) for 5 days in the ODE Classified Section. If the item(s) doesn’t sell, call us at 3464343 and we'll run it again for another 5 days free! April 1-30 20% OFF ALL POETRY BOOKS for the month of April No further discounts. NATIONAL POETRY MONTH APRIL 2004 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON BOOKSTORE / \ write for the Oregon Daily Emerald For more information about freelancing call 346-5511. •\ - .. • .. 018730 smart Mvisofs Wanted Join the Student Health Advisory Committee • I-2 hours per week • Recommendations to the University Health Center a regarding programs, services, finances, & health insur • Attendance at meetings Fridays at 3pm * Knowledge of college health issues * An in depth understanding of college health care delivery Valuable interpersonal skills ■? j ■ m Applications can be picked up at the University Health Center iront desk. Completed applications should be submitted to the University Health Center Director s office by April 30. UNIVERSITY OF OREGON HEALTH CENTER
