With bin Laden's death, what next for Afghan war?

By Farhad Peikar May 2, 2011, 12:59 GMT

Kabul - News of Osama bin Laden's death was greeted with cautious relief and fear of reprisals in Afghanistan, where the al- Qaeda leader was based for several years, and raised questions of whether the decade-long war would finally be drawing to a close.

The man behind the deaths of thousands of people around the world, was finally hunted down and killed by US special operatives in Abbottabad, close to Pakistan's capital Islamabad, on Sunday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that bin Laden's presence in Pakistan proved to the world that Afghanistan was correct 'when we were saying that the fight against terrorism is not in Afghanistan.'

Karzai, who was speaking to provincial representatives in Kabul, said: 'I want to call on NATO that the fight against terrorism is not in our homes or villages, nor is it in searching our homes. They should stop that.

'They found Osama in Abbottabad (Pakistan), they did not find him in Logar or Kandahar (Afghan provinces).'

Bin Laden was 'punished for his deeds,' Karzai said, and that the Taliban should learn a lesson from his death and join the peace process in Afghanistan.

US-led coalition forces toppled the Taliban regime in Kabul in November 2001 for harboring bin Laden. In the ensuing insurgency waged by Taliban-led militants and supported by remnants of al-Qaeda based in Pakistani tribal areas, nearly 2,500 foreign troops - more than two-thirds of them US soldiers - were killed, apart from thousands of Afghan civilians.

Karzai's comments were echoed by many in Afghanistan.

'Pakistan is a main supporter of terrorism,' said Noor-ul-Haq Oloomi, a former military general and now an opposition leader. He said Pakistani officials could not deny having knowledge about bin Laden's whereabouts when 'he was killed so close to their capital.'

Political analyst Haroon Mir said bin Laden's death would have a huge impact on the morale of insurgent fighters, but warned against the premature withdrawal of international troops from the country.

'If they (US forces) continue such attacks, Taliban and al-Qaeda will be weakened,' Mir said. 'If it's only an isolated attack without follow-up, certainly it will not impact the strength, the structure and organization of al-Qaeda.'

Abdul Salam Zaeef, a former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, said, 'It won't affect the war in Afghanistan; this is an Afghan-led war.' Zaeef spent several years in the US military prison on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before being released in 2005.

'This is jihad: If someone is alive, he is successful, but when he dies he becomes the real victor,' he said. 'As a Muslim, I feel that anyone who is martyred by Americans or other non-Muslims is not tolerable.'

Zaeef said the US must end its fight in Afghanistan as Sunday's incident showed that the NATO-led military presence in Afghanistan was an 'unjust occupation.'

Reiterating Washington's long-term commitment to Afghanistan, US ambassador to Kabul, Karl W Eikenberry, said that there would not be any change in US policy towards Afghanistan.

'This victory will not mark the end of our effort against terrorism,' he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Afghans expressed concerns about the increase of militant attacks in retaliation for bin Laden's death.

'Maybe there will be more suicide attacks, because their leader was killed,' said Mohammad Haidar Sekandar, a Kabul resident.

'It is a good news. Maybe we will have peace because of his death and I hope the war will wind down,' said Sayed Jabar, a shopkeeper in Kabul.

Abdul Ghafoor, a resident from the eastern province of Nangarhar, where bin Laden was allegedly last seen in Afghanistan, said: 'As a Muslim I am not happy to hear this.'

Abdul Hashmat, another Kabul resident, said, 'It will have negative effects in Afghanistan, because the Taliban will use this as pretext and carry out more suicide attacks.'

Afghan officials were expecting an upsurge in revenge attacks in eastern Afghanistan, where the US military has suffered heavy casualties in recent months.

'In eastern Afghanistan in the mountains of Kunar and Nooristan, Arab fighters are directly involved,' analyst Mir said. 'If another leader could fill the vacuum of bin Laden, if their financial network will still be alive and their logistical support, they will continue.'

The Haqqani network, led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, mainly operates in the eastern region. The group maintains ties with Pakistan's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, and al-Qaeda, and Pakistani forces have been reluctant to move against them, according to US and Afghan officials.

'These guys are fanatics. They are ready to die for their cause. Certainly, a number of them are committed to kill by suicide bombing in order to revenge the loss of their leader. We might witness more terrorist attacks throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan,' Mir said.

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