Post by Moses on Jul 27, 2005 1:02:42 GMT -5
Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 12:00 AM
Afghans riot near U.S. base
By AMIR SHAH
The Associated Press
BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Hundreds of protesters chanting "Die America!" and throwing stones tried to batter down a gate at the U.S. military's main Afghan base yesterday, adding to anxieties that fighting with insurgents could disrupt elections.
The riot came just hours after an overnight battle in southern Afghanistan that a provincial governor said killed at least 50 suspected Taliban rebels and two Afghan soldiers.
More than 800 people have died in a surge of insurgent attacks and government offensives since March, and U.S. and Afghan officials have warned that the violence is a threat to parliamentary elections scheduled for Sept. 18.
Police in eastern Paktika province said a legislative candidate was killed yesterday by a roadside bomb that blew up next to his vehicle as he drove his sick mother to the hospital. The woman was wounded, area Police Chief Malik Khan said.
The clash in Bagram was unusual. An hour's drive north of the capital, the area has been largely peaceful since a U.S.-led military campaign toppled the Taliban regime in late 2001 for harboring Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida terrorist camps.
Rioting began in a crowd of more than 1,000 people who gathered to protest the detention of eight villagers at the base, where thousands of U.S. and other foreign soldiers live.
Demonstrators hurled stones at a passing convoy of six U.S. military vehicles, smashing some windows. As soldiers inside the cars fired handguns in the air, the vehicles sped into the base and the protesters chased behind, trying to push down a metal gate guarded by Afghan troops.
Guards used sticks to drive back the mob as other troops fired into the air with assault rifles and shouted at the protesters to go home. Most protesters then dispersed.
It was not clear if there were casualties, though an Associated Press reporter was hit and kicked by protesters who accused him of being a spy for the Americans and an AP photographer was punched by other demonstrators.
The eight detained men were "suspected of planning and conducting attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces" and had "materials used to make improvised explosive devices in their possession," the U.S. military said in a statement.
The demonstrators said they were angry that U.S. troops arrested the villagers late Monday without consulting local authorities.
In the south, Uruzgan Gov. Jan Mohammed Khan said Afghan and U.S. troops inflicted heavy casualties in attacking a guerrilla base in the Dihrawud district. He said two Afghans and at least 50 suspected Taliban members were killed and about 25 insurgents were captured.
Attempts to confirm the casualty toll with other Afghan officials and the U.S. military were not successful.
Also yesterday, Kyrgyzstan officials assured Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that U.S. troops can stay at a Kyrgyz air base for as long as they are needed to bring stability to Afghanistan.
About 1,000 U.S. troops use a portion of Kyrgyzstan's Manas International Airport as a base for air transport and refueling missions to support military and humanitarian operations in Afghanistan. The Pentagon pays about $50 million a year for the arrangement.
