The Other White Meat

... or Afghanistan: The other Iraq

The killing of an abducted Indian worker in Afghanistan by the Taliban is the latest evidence of a dangerous new turn in the country's militancy, a UAE paper commented today.

"The signs of Afghanistan going the Iraq way in violence and deaths should be ominous not only to President Hamid Karzai but also the international presence in the country. It is possible that the Indian worker's killing is a new trend-setter,"'' according to ''The Gulf Today.

In its daily comment, the paper said : "Maniyappan Raman Kutty, a worker with India's Border Roads Organisation, was working on the Zaranj-Delaram Road project in Afghanistan when the Taliban abducted him and another person. His body was found, throat slit. The Taliban demanded BRO withdraw from the road project if Kutty was to be freed. The deadline passed and there was no second chance for talks.

"This is the first time an Indian becomes a victim of terror while working overseas. Seven Indians were abducted by an Iraqi groups several months ago, but were released after lengthy negotiations. There are several Indians working for firms, mainly in the transport sector, that suppy goods for the coalition troops in Iraq.

"There has been wide condemnation of Kutty's killing in Afghanistan. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that there will be no change in the country's policy of helping Afghanistan's reconstruction projects.

"What is important is the way the Taliban is changing tacticts in its fight against the Karzai government as well as the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan. The usual method has been direct attacks using bombs and rocekts against government and military targets. However, the groups seems to have adopted the methods of Al Qaeda and other militant organisations engaged in Iraq.

"Abductions and killings are now becoming routine in Afghanistan."

Naturally, no one is really paying attention to this new democratic state. Few seem to have realized that we've lost more soldiers this year than in the year of the initial invasion. No one seems to be paying attention to the ring of fire we've created in the Middle East with our troops trapped in the center.