Afghan insurgents, U.N. prep for election

By Nicole Duarte

published by UPI, August 23, 2005

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- The Afghan insurgency is well-funded and growing, and continues to be the major obstacle to security in a nation primed for it's second democratic elections, said U.N Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his report to the Security Council regarding aAfghanistan.

"A relentless war is being waged aimed not only at derailing the electoral process but also at eroding the legitimacy of Afghan institutions and thwarting the broader effort by the international community for the reconstruction of the country," said Ronaldo Sardenberg , Brazil 's ambassador during a Security Council debate Tuesday.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report said insurgent attacks have focused on regional rather than national structures, with the densest concentration of violence in southern and eastern Afghanistan .

The number of attacks against the electoral process and U.N. personnel declined in 2005, said Jean Arnault, special representative for the secretary-general for Afghanistan .

However, in his briefing to the U.N. Security Council Tuesday, he said, "It is too soon to rule out attempts at causing major disruptions of the election before, during or after polling day."

Annan said the insurgents favored ambushes and improvised explosive device attacks. Aid workers, foreign contractors and members of Afghan and international security forces continued to be targets. The U.N. secretary-general also reported a "significant" reduction in the presence and activities of international organizations as a result of such attacks.

Additionally, community leaders and political candidates have recently become attractive targets for insurgent violence, he said.

Arnault said at least eight pro-government clerics have been murdered since May 29.

Furthermore, Annan's report said, "there has been an increase in the sophistication of weapons used and in the type of attacks being carried out by insurgents and anti-government elements."

A study of the efficiency of such attacks found in May 2005, 80 percent of their weapons caused damage or loss of life, as compared with only 50 percent in May of 2004.

Targeting community leaders is a new strategy, said Arnault. After violent assaults during last year's elections failed to deter the electoral process, insurgents adopted less overt tactics. Physical attacks on community leaders accompany intimidation and threats against voters and potential candidates, especially women, Sardenberg said.

The Annan report said the Afghan insurgency, like that of it's Iraqi neighbor, was growing, fed by multinational mercenaries and unchecked financial support. More than 1,800 illegal armed groups have yet to be disbanded, said Sardenberg.

Also, the Afghan Electoral Complaints Commission, charged with adjudicating challenges to the election process, received hundreds of allegations that potential candidates commanded or belonged to illegal armed groups.

"Representatives of the Taliban and al-Qaida are making persistent attempts to infiltrate power structures. A number of top officials of the former Taliban regime have registered as candidates to become members of parliament," said Andrey Denisov , Russia 's ambassador, who added, he was most troubled that the Taliban and other extremist groups have rebuilt parts of their infrastructure, allowing them to continue their violent agendas.

Arnault said after the elections, separating illegal armed groups from their funding would be a major focus for international anti-terror efforts in Afghanistan .

The expansive illegal drug trade in Afghanistan funded, in part, the terror and destabilization activities of extremist groups, said Annan. The two-pronged Afghan counter-narcotics program, sponsored by the newly formed Ministry of Counter-Narcotics, managed only modest declines in poppy production in 2004, Annan's report said.

In 2004 Afghanistan supplied 87 percent of the world's opium, and the Afghan illegal drug trade was equivalent to 60 percent of the nation's GDP, the report said. In June 2004, Afghanistan , along with six neighboring nations, signed a declaration committing itself to fight the illegal drug trade. However, illegal narcotics were interconnected with official corruption, criminal activity, illegal armed groups and extremist elements.

To combat such a lucrative and pervasive industry would require international support and a long-term strategy to develop economic alternatives to poppy production, Annan's report said.

International assistance would also be required to help stabilize other sectors of Afghanistan 's economy, said Annan. The International Monetary Fund projected government revenues would not top $400 million before 2008.

The United Nations calculated public-sector salaries and operations could total more than twice that. Despite $8.4 billion in aid from the international community, humanitarian crisis and natural disasters stalled economic recovery.

Since March 2002, nearly 3 million Afghans have voluntarily repatriated from abroad. Additionally, six years of drought ended with extensive flooding in 2005, disrupting already fragile agricultural activity.

However, the secretary-general's report said the Afghan government would not be able to fully pay for its operating costs until 2013.

Looking forward, Annan said the United Nations needed to commit to a "resolute" course of action to stabilize the Afghan security situation.

"This requires military action, carefully calibrated to ensure that it does not add to the population's suffering," he said. After the Sept. 18 parliamentary elections, Annan said he would call for an international conference to prepare for the next stage of Afghanistan 's development.