Afghanistan Cancels Public Celebration of Holiday: Officials Said To Be Concerned About Attacks

KABUL, April 28 -- The streets of the Afghan capital were deserted Tuesday in a tense, silent observance of an annual holiday that evokes an era of patriotic heroism for some Afghans and a period of brutal, devastating civil war for others.

Today, after five years of extremist Taliban rule and seven years of democracy, numerous senior leaders of the old, anti-Soviet militias hold positions of political and economic power. None has ever been held to account for the death and destruction of the early 1990s, and some are reported to have become wealthy through drug trafficking and smuggling schemes.

"To me this is the day that destroyed everything," Abdul Aziz, a Justice Ministry official and university professor, said Tuesday. "There are two dark days in the recent history of Afghanistan: the day the communists came, and today."

Safia Saddiqui, a legislator from eastern Afghanistan, said the only reason the holiday continues to be held is because so many ex-mujaheddin still retain powerful posts. "If they weren't in the government, I don't think the people would want to celebrate," she said.
Afghanistan Cancels Public Celebration of Holiday: Officials Said To Be Concerned About Attacks