Humanitarian work resumes in Khowst after fighting

Some humanitarian work has resumed in the southeastern Afghan town of Khowst, after four days of fighting that left at least five people dead and another 10 wounded, tribal leaders, aid workers and officials told IRIN on Wednesday. Paul Barker country director of international NGO Care, told IRIN from the Afghan capital, Kabul that their teacher training programme in the provincial capital of Khowst had resumed after remaining closed for one day. "This reflects the confidence of the neighbouring villagers that calm has returned," he said. "There is peace now. It’s a calm day," Haji Khan Sardar, a tribal leader told IRIN by telephone from Khowst. "The shops, hospital and other institutions are open as usual and people are carrying out normal activities," he added. Despite the city being calm, unidentified attackers fired two rockets at Khowst airport on Wednesday, officials said. No casualties were reported. The rockets exploded in an open field at dawn just east of the airport, where US special forces have a base, said Mohammad Khan Gorbuz, spokesman for the provincial governor. Gorbuz blamed loyalists of warlord Badshah Khan Zadran for the attack. Fighting broke out between the forces of the provincial governor Hakim Taniwal and Zadran on Sunday in the town, forcing Zadran to evacuate the town and retreat to his ancestral village in neighbouring Paktia province. Although anti-Taliban commander Zadran was initially appointed as the governor of southeastern Paktia province, local power brokers and tribal leaders in Paktia eventually forced him out of the provincial capital, Gardez. He then appointed himself the administrative head of the three southeastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Khowst. Zadran ran an almost parallel administration in Khowst by occupying the governor’s office and his men controlled the departments of public works, transport and customs. He is now reported to have withdrawn to his ancestral village in Wazay district of Khowst. Sardar explained that a high level delegation from Kabul visited Khowst last week to negotiate a mutually agreeable solution to the conflict but people’s patience with Zadran was running out and eventually they forced him out of the town. "Two governments can not work in one town," he said. However, international media quoted Zadran as saying that his forces had surrounded the town and were ready to take control of Khowst. He issued an ultimatum to civilians in the city only hours before launching an attack on Monday that, according to Khowst officials, killed one young girl and injured a women. Zarkamdad Malamyar, director of culture and information in Khowst, told IRIN that although Zadran forces armed with artillery continue to be present some 10 km outside the town, they posed no immediate threat. "We can defend ourselves," he said, adding that apart from the two civilian casualties people were satisfied with the changes and they were continuing their daily routines. Barker added that the recent violence demonstrated the ongoing tensions between centrally appointed governors and local military commanders. "This continues to be a major theme in Khowst and Paktia," he said. "I hope the US military uses its influence over the local commanders to bring them into a new vision of Afghanistan," he maintained. The US military reportedly removed Zadran’s checkposts along the road to Gardez. Southeastern Afghanistan has been tense ever since the start of US-led coalition’s campaign against Taliban and Al-Qaeda late last year. Meanwhile, some 15 people were reported dead over the past few days in a tribal clash between the Sabari and Balkhel Mangal tribes in Yaqoubi district of Khowst province. The violence appears unrelated to the fighting over Khowst town.