Posted on 10/06/2004 2:36:22 AM PDT by prisoner6
Breaking on KDKA radio Pittsburgh...Afghanistan President Karzai's VP pick survives assasination attempt...convoy attacked...in Kabul(?)...no other details..searching Google now...
prisoner6
prisoner6
KABUL, Afghanistan Afghan President Hamid Karzai's vice-presidential running mate has survived an apparent assassination attempt.
Ahmed Zia Massoud's convoy was attacked in northeastern Afghanistan. A roadside bomb or mine exploded, presumably by remote control, as the convoy passed.
Local police say one person was killed and four others injured.
It's the third attack on Karzai supporters ahead of the landmark voting.
The vice presidential candidate says the attack won't succeed in derailing Saturday's vote. He says elections will continue "100 percent."
Karzai Running Mate Escapes Unhurt in Afghan Blast
Wed Oct 6, 2004 05:09 AM ET
FAIZABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai's running mate for this weekend's election escaped unhurt Wednesday when the convoy he was traveling in was hit by a mine explosion, officials said.
Vice-presidential candidate Ahmad Zia Masood was in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province in the northeast of the country, for a campaign rally ahead of Saturday's poll.
The land mine, which was on the road leading from the airport to the rally site, killed one person and injured Sayed Ikramuddin, the former governor of the province, officials said.
A police official had earlier described him as the governor. Ikramuddin had been governor of the province but resigned recently to join Karzai's campaign.
© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
Ten million Afghanis are determined to vote in spite of the dangers. I'm glad they have candidates who match their resolve.
You know there's going to be a lot more of this.......
Leading up to the election. If the Jihadist scum can kill off Karzai or Allawi in Iraq, they can get some USA voters to pull the lever for John Kerry.
By David Fox
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai's running mate for Saturday's historic presidential election escaped unhurt Wednesday when a mine exploded under his convoy in the remote northeast of the country. Vice presidential candidate Ahmad Zia Masood, the brother of assassinated resistance hero Ahmad Shah Masood, had gone to Faizabad, the capital of mountainous Badakhshan province, for a campaign rally.
The mine exploded when the convoy in which he was traveling headed for the site of the rally from the airport, killing one person and injuring at least two, said Saeed Alam Tohib, the head of provincial security.
One of the injured was Sayed Ikramuddin, a former governor of Badakhshan and a close Karzai ally.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Islamic militants -- either guerrillas from the ousted Taliban regime or their al Qaeda allies -- were believed responsible.
"This was carried out by the enemies of Afghanistan," said Haji Shamsurahman Shams, the acting provincial governor.
Karzai himself was campaigning in Kabul, urging Afghans to follow the example of their warrior ancestors and become heroes -- but of the ballot box, not the battlefield.
Addressing a rally of about 4,000 people, Karzai -- favorite to win against 17 other candidates -- said he would be happier if someone voted for one of his opponents rather than not vote at all.
"You have shown yourselves to be heroes versus the Soviet Union and terrorists," Karzai said. "Now show yourselves to be heroes of the vote.
"I urge you to vote freely, but I promise you that if someone else wins I will respect them and I will respect their vote. It is your choice."
EXECUTION SITE
Hundreds of Afghan troops and police -- as well as a crack American bodyguard detail -- slapped a tight security cordon around the national stadium where Karzai spoke on the last day of official campaigning.
It was the same stadium which the Taliban used to publicly execute criminals during their five-year rule.
"I am here because I want to show my support for the president," said Obidullah, an English teacher, carrying a huge green, black and red Afghan flag.
"He has bought security to the country, and with security we can get prosperity."
Security has been the over-riding concern for the election, which Taliban remnants and al Qaeda fugitives have threatened to disrupt.
But hope is growing that the poll will go off smoothly and perhaps herald a turning point in the fortunes of the war-torn nation.
"Afghans are convinced that a popularly elected, representative president is urgently needed in order to bring an end to the violence, whether by factions or extremists, to achieve reform, disarmament, justice and the rule of law," said Jean Arnault, the special U.N. representative for Afghanistan.
"We share their conviction. And we think they will succeed," he told reporters.
Karzai has rarely appeared in public since a rocket was fired at his helicopter last month as he prepared to touch down for a rally in Ghazni, and he clearly relished the opportunity to speak to a large crowd Wednesday.
He sent his security detail into disarray as he attempted to mingle with supporters wearing baseball caps with his picture, or carrying banners.
All this is very new to Afghanistan, which has been torn by war since the 1979 Soviet invasion and has not held any form of election since the late 1960s. It will be the first time ever that Afghans will directly elect their own leader.
The poll is being claimed as a foreign policy success by President Bush, who helped oust the Taliban in late 2001 for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden after his al Qaeda network attacked U.S. cities that September.
The U.S. president, who faces re-election himself next month, is hoping that a smooth election in Afghanistan could provide a model for January polls in Iraq, which has been plagued by increasing violence and lawlessness since U.S.-led forces removed Saddam Hussein from power in 2003.
More than 10.5 million people have signed up to vote within the country, from a population of about 28 million.
Almost 750,000 Afghan refugees in neighboring Pakistan who fled the violence in their homeland have also registered. An estimated 400,000 to 600,000 are eligible to vote in Iran as registered Afghan refugees.
While Karzai is favorite, it is unclear that he will get the 51 percent majority needed for an outright win. If no one secures a majority, the top two candidates will fight a runoff in November.
© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
God bless these people in Iraq and Afghanistan.
May they survive their ordeals and become democracies. I love that we have a President pushing the idea of freedom and Democracy. It has been a long time.
Believe I've read here that somewhere in the world, during their elections, there was gunfire all around the voting places, so brace yourselves.
Did Jimmah Carter go there to ensure a fair and safe election? I think not.
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