Security improving in Kabul

The security situation in the Afghan capital has improved over the past week since the interim authority banned armed elements from the streets of the city, a UN security officer in Kabul told IRIN. "Security in Kabul is fairly reasonable to the extent that there has been a security force set up by the authorities a few weeks ago here. They are trained and in uniform," the security official, who asked not be identified, said. Although initially the interim authority was not in complete control of security, the disarming of people on the streets had made a difference, he explained. Most of the people on the streets with guns were the security forces and there were now very few that were not part of this force, he maintained. Since the fall of the Taliban, however, there has been a rash of reported robberies, thefts and even murders in the capital city, none of which involved foreigners. Commenting on priorities, the security official said: "The second step is to help the security forces to survive. They are not being paid and the sooner they are paid the better." One victim of the post-Taliban looting and crime was Kabul resident, Humayan Mubtakir. "Just after the fall of the Taliban some armed men came to our house and stole our car. We were not at home at the time and our neighbours informed us," he told IRIN. Mubtakir’s family contacted the authorities to report the car missing, but were told that there were more pressing issues to be dealt with. Later it was discovered that the car had been stolen by a former local police commander who had refused to return the vehicle until a bribe was paid. But just weeks after the car was returned it was stolen again. "My father started the car one morning and was about to drive off when a man tried to get into the car. My father pushed him away and the robber fired three shots at him and drove off in the car. Luckily my father was not injured," he explained. Local security has been bolstered by 1,400 troops from Britain, America and other countries. The troops are known as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and have a more robust mandate than standard UN peacekeepers. Eventually up to 5,000 ISAF soldiers will be deployed in Kabul. There have been calls for such a force to be deployed in other Afgan cities and along key roads, where security remains a problem for aid and reconstruction work. "Our duty is to assist the interim administration as it has the overall responsibility," spokesman for ISAF in Kabul, Guy Richardson told IRIN. He added that the interim authority was committed to improving security and was paying particular concern to it. Mubtakir believes one of the main reasons for the increased crime rate could be that local police haven't been paid for the past six months and the fact that armed elements, once hidden away during the Taliban era, had returned to the cities. "I think ISAF should also have more control over the security situation," he maintained.