- Title: AFGHANISTAN: AFGHANS CHANT ANTI-AMERICAN AND ANTI-BRITSH SLOGANS IN KABUL
- Date: 6th May 2003
- Summary: (U4)KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (MAY 06, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV PROTESTERS SHOUTING ANTI-U.S. AND ANTI-GOVERNMENT SLOGANS OUTSIDE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE 0.06 2. SV PROTESTERS SHOUTING "DEATH TO AMERICA" 0.12 3. LV LINES OF AFGHAN POLICE WATCHING PROTESTERS 0.18 4. SV AFGHAN ARMY SOLDIER GUARDING PALACE GATE 0.22 5. SV POLIC
- Embargoed: 21st May 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Reuters ID: LVA2N62EWC7MFQIJ6LZLAWDCG6OE
- Story Text: About 300 Afghans chanted anti-American and
anti-British slogans in Kabul on Tuesday in the first such
protest since U.S.-led forces toppled the fundamentalist
Taliban in late 2001.
The protesters, who included government employees and
university students complained on Tueday (May 6) of growing
insecurity, slow post-war reconstruction and delay in payment
of state salaries by Hamid Karzai's U.S.-backed government.
Some even called for the withdrawal of U.S-led coalition
forces from Afghanistan and said the time had come for Afghans
to fight the "American invasion", just as they had resisted
the British and the Soviets in the 20th Century.
"American and the U.K promised to Afghanistan that they
would rebuild our country, but we can see that they have not
done anything for the people of Afghanistan during the past
year. The Americans have planted one foot in Iraq and one in
Afghanistan and both countries have been destroyed. They don't
help the Iraqi people and they don't help the Afghan people.
If America bombs us, then they should help us too," said Abdul
Mohammad, who is unemployed and disabled.
The protesters gathered outside the gate of President
Karzai's palace.
Many of the them were unemployed, or government employees
who had not been paid for months.
"The reason why we are protesting here is that we are all
jobless and there are some people who are government employees
who have not been paid their salaries," said one protester
called Akram, from Mazar.
The protest was a rare event in Kabul, where past
demonstrations have usually been organised by the government.
The ranks of the protesters were swelled by some passers by.
Earlier in the day, the protesters had gathered outside
the Ministry of Information.
The protest was organised by the "Scientific Centre"
headed by Sediq Afghan, a prominent Afghan philosopher known
for outspoken criticisms of the communist regime of the 1980s,
the Mujahideen governments that replaced it and also the
Taliban.
"We are not saying death to Americans, we are saying death
to the dirty American regime!" Afghan told protesters.
He vowed to continue peaceful demonstrations until "the
demands of people of Kabul" were met. He said these included
better security, improvements in the economy and progress in
post-war reconstruction.
Afghan said that one of the few changes people had noticed
since the Taliban fell were that some women had stopped
wearing coverall burqa garments.
Another change was the introduction of the Internet.
While a 4,500 strong international peacekeeping force has
maintained security in Kabul since the Taliban fell, the
United Nations and independent aid agencies are among those
who complain about a lack of security in the provinces.
President Hamid Karzai's government has struggled to
assert its rule far outside Kabul and has itself repeatedly
complained about slow disbursement of funds by donors for
reconstruction.
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