Word: mujahedin
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Laghmani started his career in the dreaded secret police of the former pro-Soviet regime. Then he switched sides, grew a beard and joined the Islamic warriors of the mujahedin. When the Americans chased out the Taliban, the ever adaptable Laghmani volunteered his unique set of skills to the new rulers of Kabul. His credentials as a new breed of Afghan democrat may have been questionable, as were a few of his interrogation techniques, but Laghmani's death is a severe blow to U.S.-led efforts to quell the rising Taliban and dismember al-Qaeda. (See pictures of fighting...
...focus on Afghanistan may also suit another powerful commander in the region, Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has influence with the Pakistani Taliban. As the head of the Haqqani network, the son of mujahedin leader Jalaluddin Haqqani has used his madrassas in Waziristan to mount vicious attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Similarly, Mullah Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, may intervene to back one of the men in contention. Aftab Sherpao, Pakistan's former Interior Minister, says Omar's support was crucial to Mehsud's ambitions when the Pakistani Taliban was formed...
...populist appeal that has gone over well in a nation that is only 32% literate (for women, the rate is 15%). His speeches are short and his slogans simple. He tailors his message to the region. At a recent rally in the eastern province of Panshir, a historic mujahedin holdout during the time of the Soviet invasion, he extolled the virtues of the valley's martyrs but warned that the lives of thousands will have been sacrificed in vain if the current government is allowed to continue. "We came out of 30 years of war to build a new nation...
Like most rallies, the recent Panshir event was followed by a free lunch of the ubiquitous pullau for all attendees. Yet teacher Abdul Khai, who calls Abdullah "a good mujahedin," says most people came for Abdullah, not the food. Abdullah's mother was a Tajik from Panshir, and he is considered to be a native son. "All the Panshiris support Abdullah," Khai said with pride. "We fought the Russians on talkhan [a paste made of crushed dried mulberries and walnuts] alone. We Panshiris don't care about food...
While Abdullah's father is a Pashtun from Kandahar, the doctor is more often associated with Panshir because of his close relationship with the late Panshiri mujahedin commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who not only helped defeat the Soviets but was also the Taliban's most effective enemy. Massoud was assassinated, some say as a gift from al-Qaeda to the Taliban, by suicide bombers posing as TV journalists on Sept. 9, 2001. Massoud has been the cornerstone of Abdullah's campaign: his image shadows that of Abdullah's on many campaign posters, and before Abdullah spoke at last week...