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Afghan governor killed in rising violence in north
KABUL, Afghanistan – A powerful bomb killed an outspoken Afghan governor
and 19 other worshippers in a crowded mosque Friday in northern Afghanistan,
where insurgents are trying to expand their influence beyond the embattled
south.
A wounded survivor said he believed a suicide bomber praying to the right of
the governor carried out the attack, which wounded 35 people and took place
in Taluqan, the capital of Takhar province.
The death of Mohammad Omar, the governor of neighboring Kunduz province,
came just days after he publicly warned of escalating threats from Taliban
and foreign fighters across the north. If steps aren't taken to counter them
, Afghan and coalition forces will face "disaster," he said.
"Violence in north and northeastern Afghanistan will increase like it has in
Kandahar and Helmand," Omar said, referring to two provinces in the south
where the Taliban have their greatest influence. "It will be very difficult
for the government and the international community to conduct clearing
operations and fight gunbattles in all parts of the country."
Security has been deteriorating for the past two years in Kunduz and
surrounding provinces — known hideouts for the Taliban, al-Qaida and
fighters from other militant factions, including the Haqqani network, Hizb-i
-Islami and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
NATO has sent more troops to the north and has been pushing harder into
militant-held areas the past several months, German Maj. Gen. Hans-Werner
Fritz, the commander of NATO's northern regional command, said in a recent
Pentagon briefing. The coalition is ramping up operations this month in "hot
spots" to push out insurgents and establish better control of the area, he
said.
Although there were no claims of responsibility for Friday's attack,
insurgents clearly were targeting the Kunduz governor, said Takhar Gov.
Abdul Jabar Taqwa.
"He was the target, and the terrorists were able to kill him," Taqwa said. "
This is a big loss for us because Mohammad Omar was a very brave and good
governor."
Among those killed were university students who lived in a nearby dormitory,
according to local officials.
Abdul Haq, who is living in Takhar preparing for a university entrance exam,
said he was about five meters (15 feet) away from the governor. Both were
kneeling in the front row of the packed mosque waiting for the mullah to
turn back to the worshippers and end the prayers.
"Suddenly a very strong explosion happened," Haq said over the telephone
from a hospital, where he was being treated for shrapnel wounds. "I think it
was a suicide attack. I was on the left side of the governor and I think
the suicide attacker was on the right side of the governor.
"I wasn't completely unconscious, but I couldn't move," Haq said. "I saw the
body of the mullah right in the same place where he was. He died there."
In the aftermath, people grabbed sheets to remove corpses and body parts
strewn across the mosque. A wall inscribed with the words "Holy Word of
Islam" was pockmarked from the blast.
Omar, who was born in Takhar province, was a member of the nation's ethnic
Pashtun majority, as are most of the Taliban. He often spoke out against
insurgents and pleaded with the Afghan government to send more security
forces to the north. He survived at least three previous attempts on his
life.
Omar was a longtime commander in northern Afghanistan and served under Abdul
Rasul Sayyaf, a key U.S.-backed mujahedeen leader, during the Soviet
invasion in the 1980s. Before he became governor of Kunduz in 2004, Omar
served as governor of Baghlan province — also in the north — and mayor of
Taluqan.
Despite his position, everyone called him "Engineer Omar" because he studied
engineering for a few years at Kabul Polytechnic Institute, said Gen. Abdul
Razaq Yaqoubi, former provincial police chief in Kunduz.
A year and a half ago, Omar's brother, Noor Khan, the police chief of Archi
district in Kunduz, was also killed by militants, Yaqoubi said.
"And they tried to kill Omar several times before," Yaqoubi said. "
Unfortunately this time, the militants were able to kill him. I have lots of
good memories of him. He was a good friend. He is not among us anymore. It
is a big loss."
The focus of the war, which entered its 10th year this week, has been on the
south, but coalition troops are fighting resilient militants in both the
east and north.
On Wednesday, an airstrike and a raid by NATO ground troops in Takhar killed
eight insurgents, including a senior Taliban leader, Maulawi Jawadullah,
who spearheaded attacks against Afghan security forces in the north.
On Tuesday, the coalition announced that an insurgent involved in the
kidnapping of a New York Times reporter was captured in Takhar. The
unidentified militant was linked to senior Taliban and Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan leaders in northern Afghanistan and Pakistan, NATO sai |
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