Karzai Vows To Punish Killers
VOA News
17 Feb 2002 21:34 UTC
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Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai is vowing to find and prosecute those behind the assassination of Aviation Minister Abul Rahman. He was killed Thursday at Kabul airport while attempting to depart for New Delhi, India.

Mr. Karzai says several suspects have already been arrested. Saudi Arabia has detained two of three senior Afghan officials who fled there after the murder, but it is not clear if they will be extradited to Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Afghan media reports say more fighting has erupted in eastern Khost province between rival ethnic Pashtun factions.

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Mr. Karzai says he will not allow Afghanistan to slip back into the chaos of factional fighting. If security does not improve soon, Mr. Karzai says he will again ask the multinational peacekeeping force in Kabul to take a stronger role.

Meanwhile, U.S. warplanes bombed a target in Khost province. Mr. Karzai has warned tribal leaders he would call in U.S. airstrikes if factional fighting continued, but it remains unclear if the U.S. bombing raids were related to the fighting. The Pentagon has not commented on the reports.

Mr. Karzai also discussed an incident in which British members of the international peacekeeping force were fired on in Kabul early Saturday. Full details of the shooting remain unclear. No peacekeepers were wounded in the incident. An Afghan man was killed under circumstances that are not yet clear.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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