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Analysis: Frustration Sparks Afghan Riots

Council on Foreign Relations

May 30, 2006
Prepared by: Esther Pan

A cargo truck in a U.S. military convoy crashed into traffic May 29 in Kabul, killing several civilians and triggering lethal riots (NYT) in the capital city. The U.S. military said the truck's brakes failed (AP) and called the incident an "unfortunate traffic accident." Furious Afghans surrounded the convoy, throwing stones and drawing gunfire, and then rioters and looters rampaged through Kabul (CSMonitor), attacking foreign businesses and NGOs. Afghan President Hamid Karzai imposed a curfew and Afghan police patrolled the streets (Reuters) in an attempt to restore order.

Nearly five years after a U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban, the unrest highlights the tense and fragile security situation in Afghanistan. Afghans are angry that some $12 billion in foreign aid received by the state since 2001 has not provided jobs, improved security, or raised the standard of living; 53 percent of Afghans still live on less than one dollar per day. Afghans are also suffering attacks from a resurgent Taliban using Pakistan as a base to stage deadly cross-border suicide missions. In a CFR Special Report, Barnett Rubin says the Pakistan-based Taliban insurgency is becoming more lethal and effective.

A U.S. campaign of air strikes against militants in the south has killed dozens of Afghan civilians, further angering the population. More than fifty alleged Taliban members were killed in a May 29 air strike (al-Jazeera) on Helmand province, and some 372 people, including civilians, have been killed in violence since May 17. Many Afghans seem fed up with the presence of foreign troops—and well-paid foreign consultants driving large cars—in their country.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.