• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Afghan Protests Spread To Kabul

3 October 2005 -- Protests against the killing of Mohammad Ashraf Ramazan -- one of northern Afghanistan's key ethnic Hazara parliamentary candidates -- spread to the capital Kabul today.

Reports from Kabul say up to 4,000 people marched in Kabul today -- most of them ethnic Hazaras.

At least 1,000 others demonstrated for a second day today in Mazar-e Sharif, blocking a highway through the northern city. Ramazan was killed in a drive-by shooting on 27 September in Mazar-e Sharif -- capital of Balkh Province.

Protesters in both cities are demanding the resignation of Balkh's Governor Atta Mohammad. They accuse the governor of plotting the attack against Ramazan, who belonged to a minority Shi'a Muslim faction called Wahdat.

(RFE/RL's Afghan Service; AP/AFP)

Copyright (c) 2005. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org