Afghanistan’s civil aviation minister was killed Sunday in the western province of Herat, sparking a fierce battle between rival military factions in a region known for its stability.
The violence left dozens of people wounded or killed, according to early reports from the scene, and served as the latest reminder that the central government of President Hamid Karzai has little ability to rein in the warlords and competing militias that control much of the country outside the capital city.
Witnesses said dozens of people were lying injured on the streets of Herat after Mirwais Sadiq, the son of powerful provincial governor Ismail Khan, was killed. Some reports said up to 100 people were dead, but the figure could not be confirmed.
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Sadiq, who was in his late 30s, is the third minister in the troubled Afghan administration to be killed in two years. Karzai convened an emergency meeting of his national security team Sunday, and a government spokesman said Afghan troops were being deployed to secure the city.
The sequence of events that triggered the violence remained unclear. Some Afghan authorities said Sadiq was killed as part of an assassination attempt on his father, Khan, a warlord who commands thousands of men in his private army in western Afghanistan. Others offered conflicting accounts, and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul released a statement Sunday saying, “It appears the violence began as a traffic incident and then escalated.”
Shah Wali, an Afghan intelligence official, said the man responsible for the attack was Zahir Nayabzada, a rival of Khan’s who was recently appointed by Karzai as a senior military commander in the province.
Conflicting accounts
In interviews with news agencies Sunday, Nayabzada said his forces killed Sadiq after the aviation minister came to his house and attempted to relieve him of his command.
Herat’s deputy intelligence chief, Abdul Wahid Tawakali, said Sadiq was killed as he led an advance on the headquarters of the commander, whom Sadiq blamed for the attack on his father.
An eyewitness said Herat resembled a war zone for several hours Sunday afternoon as soldiers loyal to Khan and the corps commanded by Nayabzada began fighting.
“There are military vehicles everywhere,” the eyewitness said. “In the afternoon you could hear rocket launchers and small guns being fired. There were people on the streets lying injured or dead.”
Omar Samad, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said the situation quieted a bit later.
“There was heavy fighting earlier. It is now reported to be sporadic,” he said.
The fighting Sunday erupted near German diplomatic offices, and German officials were evacuated by U.S. and coalition forces to a nearby military compound. A U.S. military spokesman in Kabul said the compound is home to about 100 coalition troops and aid workers that form one of the Provisional Reconstruction Teams created to foster stability in areas beyond the control of the central government.
The Italian ambassador to Afghanistan, who was visiting Herat, was taken safely to the reconstruction team site, the embassy statement said.
“There are no reports of U.S. personnel being injured or involved in any of the fighting,” the statement said.
The outbreak of violence surprised some officials, who noted that most of the factional fighting–as well as recent incursions by supporters of the ousted Taliban regime–has been focused in the southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan.
Quiet up till now
Herat, about 75 miles from the Iranian border, had been largely peaceful, not least because Khan, with a large private army and extensive intelligence network, has kept tight control over dissidents and potential enemies.
Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a U.S. military spokesman, said he knew of no plans to send U.S. or coalition troops to the area.
“We’re monitoring the situation,” he said.
Khaleeq Ahmed, a Karzai spokesman, said it was unclear when Afghan soldiers would arrive in Herat.
“We are also sending a delegation to Herat to investigate,” he said, adding that the minister of defense and the interior minister were part of the delegation.
“It is a very bad situation,” Ahmed said. “We can’t get in contact with the governor. The minister of defense has called for a cease-fire, and those who have broken the law will be brought to justice.”
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Sadiq was a little-known figure in the central government and noted for little besides a hot temper. He was viewed as his father’s representative in Kabul.
Sadiq is the second aviation minister to be killed in office. In February 2002, Abdul Rahman was mobbed by pilgrims who were angry that they could not travel to Mecca.