Kabul rallies seek crackdown on militant dens, graft

KABUL):  Hundreds of people, mostly youth, on Thursday staged protest demonstrations at two separate locations in Kabul, demanding an end to administrative corruption and asking foreign troops to target militant sanctuaries outside the country’s borders.

In one of the rallies, a large number of demonstrators turned out at the capital’s Gul-i-Surkh square to demand changes before the end of Karzai’s term in office as president.

Organised by the student wing of the National Front of Afghanistan, the protestors were holding banners with anti-graft slogans. They demanded a nationwide crackdown on corrupted officials, believing there will be no peace until there is justice.

Kiramuddin Azimi, who led the demonstration, asked President Karzai to eradicate corruption from government departments. He said widespread  corruption was taking place under Karzai’s nose and he was watching it silently.

“Before leaving the presidency, Karzai should bring into being a mechanism that could tighten noose around corrupt officials and bring them to justice,” he said.

Azimi said the government had been unable to address the issue of widespread corruption.

The second protest was carried out in front of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters in Shasha Darak area by Youth Network activists, who called for targeting militant hideouts across the country’s borders.

The protestors said “the huge NATO mission in Afghanistan has failed to dismantle militant camps and their hideouts operating in neighbouring countries.”

They added foreign troops had come to Afghanistan to fight terrorism, but they failed to do away with sanctuaries of terrorists.

They demanded Afghan security forces be fully equipped before foreign troops leave the country by the end of 2014.

“Afghanistan is exported terrorism, its roots are not here,” the protestors said a resolution that asked ISAF to act sincerely against such terror promoting centres.

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