NP - The horror that drives Afghans to flee the Taliban regime

[David Morris]

http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/10/01/wafg101.xml

The horror that drives Afghans to flee the Taliban regime
By Julius Strauss in Dashti Qala
(Filed: 01/10/2001)

THE Taliban herded the population of the war-ravaged northern town of 
Taleqan into its main square. Then, they paraded three dogs.

The head of each had been shaved and stencilled with the names of the men 
the movement most despise: the ousted Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, 
the exiled King Zahir Shah and President Bush. Then they poured petrol on 
the dogs and set fire to them. Noor Muhammad, a proud 52-year-old farmer 
from a nearby village, was among the witnesses.

Facing the prospect of a pulverising Western bombing campaign that may oust 
them from power, the fundamentalist rulers of Afghanistan are exacting a 
terrible revenge against those they suspect of disloyalty. The burning of 
the dogs 10 days ago was meant to serve only as a warning.

Last Friday, at midday prayers, the Taliban struck a second, more telling 
blow against the local population. First they surrounded the mosque with 
soldiers. Then a Taliban agent was sent to accompany the mullah to say 
prayers.

Noor said: "The mullah told all the men to fight for Islam. Then he asked 
for volunteers. We all put our hands up. We were very scared and thought we 
would be taken to prison or shot otherwise." On Saturday night, a lorry went 
into the village carrying nearly a dozen Taliban soldiers and began knocking 
on doors looking for young men.

Where they found no men they started looting. The victims were told they 
should already have sold their possessions and given the money to Islam. 
Noor said: "They said we should fight with the Americans who want to take 
away Islam. Then they began burning the houses where they couldn't find 
young men. They must have burnt down 10 or 20 of the 200 houses in the 
village."

Noor decided to flee with his family. Late Saturday night, his and two other 
families set off into the mountains. He said: "We knew some sympathisers of 
the Northern Alliance. They guided us by moonlight between the Taliban and 
the minefields."

As he surveyed his new home yesterday, he looked harried. Some refugees have 
been in the camp for a year. Muhammad Nazar, an 80-year-old neighbour in the 
camp with a hoarse voice and receding gums, came as close as an Afghan does 
to pleading. "When are you going to bomb the Taliban? We are waiting and 
waiting."

Five days ago Taliban soldiers burst into Muhammad's house in Taleqan. When 
he refused to say where his sons were they took his rugs and family 
valuables and then set fire to the building. He said: "They wanted our sons 
to fight against the Americans. But when are the Americans going to strike 
back?"





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