Afghans fear new outbreak of ethnic conflicts

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Nobody wants a repeat of the bloody ethnic fighting that followed the Soviet exit from Afghanistan in the 1990s -- least of all 32-year-old Wahidullah who was crippled by a bullet that pierced his spine during the civil war.

Yet as the Afghan war began its 12th year Sunday, fears loom that the country will again fracture along ethnic lines once international combat forces leave by the end of 2014.

"It was a very bad situation," said Wahidullah, who goes by one name only, as do many Afghans. "People could not find bread or water, but rockets were everywhere."

A nearby dilapidated palace is a reminder of the horror of the civil war when rival factions -- who had joined forces against Soviet fighters before they left in early 1989 -- turned their guns on each other. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed.

Eleven years after the United States' invasion, there is now mounting uncertainty about the upcoming transfer of power. At the same time that foreign troops are scheduled to complete their withdrawal in 2014, Afghans will go to the polls to elect a successor to President Hamid Karzai, who is barred by the constitution from running for a third term.

The Afghan people already view their government as weak and corrupt, and those doubtful of a peaceful future say that if the upcoming presidential election is rigged and yields an illegitimate leader, civil war could erupt between ethnic groups backed by neighboring countries trying to influence Afghanistan's future.

Ghairat Baheer, son-in-law of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a key civil war leader in the 1990s whose fighters attack foreign troops today, warns that the Afghan government will collapse with the international troop withdrawal and says civil war is likely without a peace deal.

"The realities are that the government is not sustainable," he said in a telephone interview. "Anti-Americanism and anti-western sentiment is increasing daily in Afghanistan."

Fahim Dashti was with Ahmad Shah Massoud, the charismatic Tajik leader who commanded the Northern Alliance of minority groups, when he was killed by terrorists posing as journalists two days before the Sept. 11 attacks. Dashti's face and hands were burned when one of the terrorists blew himself up as the interview began. Even now, Dashti's hands are not strong enough to twist the cap off a bottle of water.

Despite his experience, Dashti, who now directs the National Journalists' Union in Afghanistan, doesn't think his country is headed toward a civil war.

"I do share the concerns of the people, no doubt. But there are some positive points such as the [growing] capability and the ability of the Afghan security forces," he said in his office.