Vital reconstruction work is being hampered in Afghanistan due to the growing strength of the insurgency in the country, reports Chris Sands from Kabul Sources deeply involved in the aid effort have said that attacks by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are now occurring in provinces that had previously been regarded as relatively stable. This has put the country on a knife-edge, with many people fearing security could decline even further during the months and years ahead. Sultan Maqsood Fazel, an advocacy capacity building officer for Christian Aid, said Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) were now suspending projects and withdrawing from some provinces because of the increasing violence. Christian Aid's Kabul office is situated in a diplomatic enclave that was attacked in July. The group is now looking for a new place to base its headquarters. "The security situation is getting worse. The insurgency is expanding. At the beginning of 2004 it was confined to a small area, but now an insurgency of anti-government elements has spread to five or six districts," Fazel told Al-Ahram Weekly. "I do not know if they are Taliban or Al-Qaeda, but this has affected NGOs on a number of fronts. It has limited our movement as an aid agency. Two years ago we were able to monitor our projects as a humanitarian agency without any problems. But at the moment our movements are very much restricted to the cities," Fazel explained. After the Taliban was toppled from power in 2001, its initial resistance was focussed mainly on soldiers and security forces across the south and southeast of the country. But the Weekly has learnt that instability is now spreading across Afghanistan, with insurgents regarding anyone involved in the reconstruction effort as a prime target. Fazel pointed out that efforts have been made to draw attention to the situation. "We have raised these issues with different actors. We have met [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai, for example, and told him that day by day our scope is being limited. And the response we got was that day by day they are doing their best to improve security," he said. Fazel's family in the southern district of Kandahar also recently suffered at the hands of the Taliban when his uncle -- a candidate in the 18 September parliamentary elections -- was killed. "One of the safest provinces is Hirat. [During July] I was in Hirat and there was one suicide bomber and two other explosions," he said. Concerns with the upsurge in violence have also been raised by the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), which gives advice and help to aid groups operating throughout the country. Mohamed Hashim Mayar, programme coordinator for ACBAR, told the Weekly, "there have been some problems concerning security spreading to the west. The security problems look like they are increasing. Furthermore, "Al-Qaeda thinks that NGOs are supporting the government. They indiscriminately attack. They are not even looking for government officials; they are looking for those who work," he said. The majority of aid organisations have already stopped operating in southern districts such as Kandahar and Zabul, both Taliban strongholds. Eastern provinces near the Pakistan border have also become virtual no-go areas. "I went to Paktiya where six NGOs were working, two were national and four were international. It's amazing," Mayar said. "Our office in Jalalabad was burnt at the time [earlier this year] when Newsweek reported the Quran was desecrated in Guantanamo Bay," he added. Laky Pissalidis, information officer for Strategic Security Solutions International (which provides armed guards for people involved in rebuilding Afghanistan) said: "In general there has been an exodus of international organisations, whether they be NGOs or proper construction companies because of security this year. There are areas of this country that are no longer accessible to the vast majority of the reconstruction effort." He warned that along with a greater deterioration in areas that have traditionally been insurgent strongholds, areas in the north and north east, and possibly the central highlands are also affected. The spread in violence indicates that the insurgents are now stronger and better organised. "The insurgents have become more confident, they have obtained better supplies, and have developed a better strategy since last year," Pissalidis told the Weekly. American President George W Bush has repeatedly hailed the 2001 US-led invasion as an undoubted success in the "war on terror"; he even used it to help justify military action against Iraq. Yet, Afghanistan is still in dire need of basic humanitarian relief such as clean water, a regular electricity supply, schools and new roads. According to a number of sources involved in the relief effort, the resurgence of the Taliban is a long- term problem that is not linked to the forthcoming national elections. If this is the case, it would be a huge blow to the Afghan government and its key international ally. While a semblance of democracy and stability may have been established, there are doubts among experts as to whether it will last.
