Afghan reaction to strike muted

KABUL — When NATO planes bombed two stolen fuel lorries in northern Afghanistan early on September 4, causing an explosion that killed civilians as well as insurgent fighters, the incident could have become a propaganda opportunity for the Taliban.

Instead, popular and official reaction to the lethal airstrike has been markedly different to comparable incidents in the past. There have been no angry demonstrations against international forces in the country and no blistering condemnation by authorities.

This time, rising Afghan anger toward the Taliban in the once-tranquil north, a swift public apology by NATO officials and the nation’s preoccupation with the troubled presidential election combined to deflect popular outrage.

"There has been a marked difference in the way the U.S. military dealt with this incident. Instead of arguing about the number of casualties, as was often the case in the past, they recognised Afghanistan’s view of the incident and addressed it," said a senior UN official. "This is very heartening, and bodes well for the coming months as this conflict inevitably continues."

Within 24 hours, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander U.S. Army General Stanley A. McChrystal visited the site of the bombed lorries in Kunduz province and then delivered a personal message on Afghan television expressing his concern and promising a full investigation.

"Just his appearance on TV helped a lot," said Ahmad Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

After the Kunduz bombing, a Taliban website went on the offensive, calling it "a deliberate act of mass killing" by "the cruel crusaders," who, it claimed, slaughtered 150 villagers, including women and children. The group also appealed to the UN and international human rights organisations to condemn the attack, a deft role reversal.

This time, however, their tactics fell flat. In part, this is because officials in Kunduz blamed the insurgents for provoking the bombing and even suggested that the civilians who died were Taliban sympathisers. Furthermore, while there is no confirmed total death toll, NATO and Afghan estimates range far below that of the Taliban.

According to a report by international observers, some Kunduz officials said the villagers were "relatives" of the insurgents and "equally guilty" because they were looting fuel from the tankers when they died.

Other accounts paint a more complex picture of the incident. Nadery, whose group sent investigators to the scene, said that approximately 20 Taliban fighters roused the villagers using "threats and persuasion" to enlist their help in moving the lorries, while allowing them to siphon off fuel. The bombs fell at 2:30am as villagers swarmed around the tankers.

source: www.centralasiaonline.com