The shooters escaped unidentified. And the list of suspects is large–Qadir wasn’t short of enemies. A famed mujahedin commander from the war against the Soviet Union, he controlled Nangarhar province and its capital, Jalalabad, as he would his own fiefdom. And the prolific opium trade in the province has long bred nasty characters and similarly nasty politics; just three months ago, Defense Minister Mohammad Fahim narrowly escaped a bomb attack in Jalalabad.
A little more than two weeks have passed since the Loya Jirga, or grand council, gave its blessing to a new Afghan government headed by Hamid Karzai. But Qadir’s assassination, the second ministerial killing in less than six months, highlights the dangers and difficulties Karzai and his government face. And this latest incident will certainly cause Karzai to reflect on the effectiveness of his foreign military support–the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the coalition of military forces that currently police Kabul. Qadir was assassinated only two kilometers away from the ISAF base in broad daylight. Karzai has thus far been outspoken in his call for ISAF expansion, particularly in northern Afghanistan, but foreign governments are reluctant to donate additional troops.
Qadir’s assassination suggests that the ISAF may not need an expansion as much as a new mandate. To date, the force has been charged with patrolling the streets, not guarding ministers. But this attack may have been beyond anyone’s control, as there are indications it had high-level complicity. A Kabul district police officer, who asks to remain anonymous, says the security staff at the ministry had been told by its chief not to bring their weapons to work on Saturday. Zar Jan, an administrator at a nearby factory, says he was surprised to see unarmed guards at the gate on the fateful morning. Eyewitnesses say the assassins staked out the front of the ministry for at least three hours prior to the attack in plain view of the ministry guards. Nine of the guards have been arrested for questioning. Kabul has seen some tough times in the past, and it’s likely to see some more in the future. If Karzai–and his cabinet–are going to survive the remainder of his two-year term in office, it looks as if they might have to run through a checklist of their enemies–and even their friends.
