Taliban respond to Karzai's peace overture with rockets (News Feature)

By Farhad Peikar Jun 2, 2010, 12:26 GMT

Kabul - The Taliban unleashed rockets and suicide bombers Wednesday to stop a peace assembly as President Hamid Karzai and hundreds of Afghan leaders gathered in a tent in Kabul to discuss ways to bring the militants to the negotiating table.

The attacks failed to stop the assembly, but it sent a clear message that the Taliban, who claimed responsibility for the attack, had no appetite for peace talks.

Ten minutes after the start of Karzai's inaugural speech, a Taliban rocket landed about 500 metres from the Polytechnic University site of the three-day 'peace jirga.'

Karzai paused for a moment as panicky, turbaned and bearded participants started from their seats. He then resumed his speech after saying, 'Don't worry. Sit down calmly. Everything is fine. We are used to it. Everybody is used to it. Even my 3-year-old son is used to it.'

The blast was followed by at least three more explosions while helicopters hovered over the area in western Kabul. Afghan security forces said three suicide bombers disguised in women clothes had occupied a building.

There were no reports of civilian casualties, but Wahid Omer, chief presidential spokesman, said two of the bombers were killed and the third was detained.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the attacks were carried out to stop the jirga, which he said was aimed at safeguarding the interests of the United States and other NATO members. The Taliban had said they would boycott any peace talks unless the foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

Nevertheless, Karzai summoned about 1,600 tribal elders, members of parliament and provincial councils, and religious leaders to Kabul this week to debate a peace plan drafted by his government. The president touted the assembly, saying it could produce a consensus path for pursuing peace talks with the Taliban.

The negotiations tack came nine years after the ouster of the Taliban regime in a US-led invasion and as Afghan, US and NATO officials have come to the conclusion that the Afghan conflict could not be ended militarily. Around 1,800 foreign soldiers have lost their lives and support for the war is waning in the West.

Security was tightened ahead of the jirga, a traditional Afghan council, in and around Kabul which had seen at least two suicide attacks in the past two weeks. Around 12,000 additional forces were deployed to protect the conference.

The top UN envoy in Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, said attacks like Wednesday's strike had been expected and expressed confidence that such assaults would not stop Afghans from finding a 'common line' for peace talks with Taliban fighters who agreed to respect the country's constitution.

Karzai said that while those militants who carried out attacks on civilians or were part of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, could not be included in the reconciliation, many others had been forced to join the Taliban.

'There are thousands of the Taliban and others ... who are not enemies of this country ... but ordinary people like you and me,' Karzai said.

'I am calling again, dear Talib brother: May God bring you back to your country, don't cause suffering to this country, and don't destroy yourself,' he said. 'We are brothers. Let us free ourselves and build the country in consultation with the elders.'

The twice-delayed jirga has the support of NATO members, which together have more than 120,000 troops in Afghanistan. The total number of foreign forces is set to peak at 150,000 by summer.

Over the next three days, assembly participants were expected to debate Karzai's 36-page reconciliation plan in 28 small groups.

The draft, a copy of which was obtained by the German Press Agency dpa, proposes offering amnesty to some Taliban leaders while suggesting reintegration incentives for low-ranking fighters who accept the post-Taliban constitution.

The draft also said some Taliban leaders could be removed from a UN blacklist while others could be given asylum in foreign countries.

The jirga was due to end Friday, with a resolution possibly recommending changes to Karzai's plan.