Afghanistan Elections 2009 – Trenches of Jihad

The Taliban leadership today for the first time has warned that it will be attempting to disrupt the presidential elections next month, August 20^th. In a statement issued on a website that the Taliban leadership council it uses (www.alemarah1.net) it called for a boycott of the polls and urges Afghans to “join the trenches of jihad”.

The statement released on the Pashto language page of the website is the first time that the Taliban leadership has called for direct disruption of the election. Calling for all roads to be blocked before polling takes place and that voter’s should be told of their plans.

“All Afghans, due to their Islamic and national sentiments, need to totally boycott the seductive U.S. process and join the trenches of jihad” it said. The statement went on to say “ All mujahadeen should strongly focus on making this process fail … strike the enemy’s bases and stop people from taking part in the election”.

“How could Afghans consider this an Afghan process when, contrary to all their national traditions… it is planned by the Americans, financed by the Americans?” the statement also proclaimed.

In the last week three candidates or campaign officials have been ambushed, the highest profile attack included Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai’s senior-vice-presidential running mate Mohammad Qasim Fahim who escaped unhurt from the incident.

The Presidential Palace has not responded to date to this latest Taliban statement. In Kabul experts have commented that whilst is the most direct threat to date from the Taliban to disrupt the elections to date it had been expected.