Taliban Escalates Violence In Kandahar, Afghanistan
It seems that the Taliban is well prepared to escalate violence in Kandahar, where NATO is planning to launch a major offensive.
Kandahar was rocked by three explosions today, plunging the city into more chaos. Two blasts were aimed at Kandahar's deputy police chief. At least two civilians lost their lives in the deadly explosions, which forced the UN to announce that it was scaling back its programmes in the Southern Afghanistan city.
Local residents are apprehensive that situation would get worse in the coming days as Taliban has regrouped itself in the city, which is controlled by local powerbrokers and gangsters.
A leading Kandahar-based businessman said that the Afghanistan's second largest city is on the brink of destruction. "The storm is coming. I try telling people, but it seems they're all just making themselves busy with fixing the leaky roof or the squeaky door. The storm will destroy their entire house and city, though. The storm is coming. You have two options: Get out now, or climb down into your bunker and hope that the storm will pass and that you're still alive six months from now," said the businessman.
According to reports, 99 people were killed in Kandahar in this year so far including aid workers, private contractors, mullahs, tribal elders, secret policemen, foreign soldiers, and civilians. But most of the attacks were aimed at police officers.
Meanwhile, Kandahar officials yesterday confirmed that a tribal leader Haji Abdul Hay has been killed by unknown assailants. Last week the deputy mayor of the city was shot dead outside a mosque.
