Afghanis march against terror

From correspondents in Herat, Afghanistan

January 25, 2006

WOMEN in burqas and men in wheelchairs are among hundreds of Afghans taking part in a protest march in the western city of Herat to denounce a wave of suicide bombings that many blame on neighbouring Pakistan.

The march was the third well-organised protest in Afghanistan since a suicide bomber killed 23 people in the town of Spin Boldak, on the border with Pakistan, on January 16.

"Many people were sacrificed for our freedom. Now, thank God, we have freedom but our enemies don't want us to have peace," said a woman in a burqa.

Protesters waved the Afghan flag and carried banners with messages such as: "Death to terrorism."

Afghanistan has seen a spate of suicide blasts with 13 since November. The government blames foreign al-Qaeda and Taliban supporters.




US forces in Afghanistan say the bombings show the insurgents are becoming increasingly desperate, after suffering heavy losses in their guerrilla campaign last year, and are now going after soft targets.

Security analysts suspect the Taliban has stepped up suicide attacks after seeing al-Qaeda's success in Iraq.

Many ordinary Afghanis blame Pakistan, which backed the Taliban before the September 11 attacks on the United States, for the violence.

Pakistan, an important ally in the US-led war on terrorism, rejects accusations that Afghan insurgents get help on the Pakistani side of the border.