Suicide Bomber Kills Himself in Attack on Afghan Warlord

Suicide Bomber Kills Himself in Attack on Afghan Warlord
By CARLOTTA GALL

Published: January 20, 2005


ABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 20 - A suicide bomber blew himself up in northern Afghanistan today in an apparent assassination attempt on the powerful Uzbek leader Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, wounding at least 21 people but missing the main target.

General Dostum survived this morning's attack unharmed and later spoke by telephone to a local television news channel. He said that hospital officials had treated the wounded and that six were in serious condition. Among the wounded were some of his personal bodyguards. His brother, Qadir Dostum, was also slightly injured in the face, according to news reports.

A spokesman for the Taliban movement, Abdul Latif Hakimi, contacted by telephone, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the bomber was a member of the Taliban and from the northern region. He said the attack was aimed at General Dostum because of what the spokesman called his close collaboration with American forces in overthrowing the Taliban in 2001 and his ruthless treatment of Taliban prisoners after their surrender.
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The Taliban spokesman, Mr. Hakimi, said the Taliban would continue their jihad, or holy war, against the Afghan government and its American backers. He denied American military claims that the movement was divided.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/20/international/asia/20cnd-afghan.html
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Karzai released 80 Taliban two days ago. The violence across Afghanistan has not ceased, they just don't report it. The only thing that matters is that the pipeline will go forth. But I am willing to bet, there will be so much sabotage of the pipeline that it will take a decade or more to finish it and it may never become a good investment. But then, we don't really care. The money is made in building the pipeline, not in using it.