Making Kabul Safe for the Loya Jirga
June 10, 2002
As a dispute simmers over the future role of Afghanistan's former king, Mohammad Zaher Shah, the emergency meeting of the Afghan grand council seeking to elect its next interim government has been delayed until Tuesday.
But when it does finally open, German soldiers and organizers will play a critical role in the gathering of the Loya Jirga, Afghanistan's ancient ruling assembly.
Slayings underscore need for security
In addition to logistics, which are being handled by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the Bundeswehr, Germany's army, is leading the U.N.-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) that is responsible for providing security around the Afghanistan Polytechnic Institute campus in Kabul where the Loya Jirga is convening. The more than 5,000 ISAF troops from 18 countries stationed in the area will also provide security in Kabul.
Inside the Loya Jirga tent, the 450-strong Afghan National Guard, which has received training from Germany and other European countries, as well as the German-trained Afghan police force will protect the close to 1,551 delegates.
Additionally, snipers have been deployed to the polytechnic, and ISAF troops have been posted outside the headquarters of the Loya Jirga Commission, which is overseeing the assembly.
There is also a 24-hour operations center linking all of the troops and police forces present in Kabul as well as a quick reaction force that can be deployed in the event of an attack.
The recent assasinations of eight Loya Jirga candidates have underscored the importance of providing heavy security at the event.
Delegates are required to stay within the compound, where they are also being provided lodging during the meeting, and security agents are checking everyone who enters for weapons. Once inside, participants are shielded by a 3,000-meter long external security perimeter.
"Fundamentalists could disrupt meeting"
Even though increased precaution has already been taken, the German commander of ISAF as well as U.S. officials have asked troops to prepare for increased terrorist activity, warning that Al Qaida and Taliban holdouts would like to disrupt the meeting.
"There is information indicating that fundamentalists could try to disrupt the meeting," Brigadier General Carl Hubertus von Butler, told the mass-circulation "Bild" newspaper on Monday. He described an increased threat of missile attacks or suicide bombings by fundamentalists.
In preparation for the Loya Jirga meeting, the German government moved to renew the German army's mandate in Afghanistan for an additional six months as well as to permit an additional 80 German soldiers to be added to the number of infantry present during the historic gathering between June 10-16. The Bundestag, Germany's parliament, is expected to approve the move quickly.
German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping said the security risks surrounding election of a new interim government necessitated the deployment of additional troops. He also stated that 1,026 of the German soldiers stationed in Afghanistan are now in Kabul.
The emergency Loya Jirga meeting was a part of the Petersberg Agreement signed by Afghan leaders earlier this year near Bonn, Germany, to create a transition government after the Taliban was driven from power.