Taliban murders (16) voters to derail election (Afghanistan)

[papau]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,1248721,00.html

Taliban murders voters to derail election

Brian Whitaker
Monday June 28, 2004
The Guardian

Taliban gunmen shot dead 16 people after discovering that they had registered to vote in the general election scheduled for September, Afghan officials said yesterday.

Targeting would-be voters appears to be a new tactic in the violent campaign by the Taliban against the election, which they say is intended to bolster the US-backed government. Previous election-related attacks have focused on registration offices and their workers.

The killings came after the gunmen stopped a vehicle carrying 17 civilians through the village of Khas Uruzgan in the central province of Uruzgan on Friday, district chief Haji Obaidullah told Reuters news agency yesterday.

They took the passengers to Dai Chapan district of the neighbouring province of Zabul and killed all but one when they found they were carrying voter registration cards, he quoted the lone survivor as saying. <snip>

[NewYorkerfromMass]

1. This cannot help the Taliban at all

WTF?

[papau]

2. The Unocal Oil Pres of Afghanistan may not get "elected" after all

Despite NATO and US help - so they may go back to the OSAMA/Taliban warlord days that Reagan/Bush nourished in the 80's - which led to the World Trade Center and 911.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. so they kill innocent civilians

Yeah that'll work.