Word: laghmani
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Laghmani's killing, which occurred in his own province, where he is a respected tribal elder, shows the alarming ease with which the Taliban is now punching through government's defenses despite intense efforts by NATO to train Afghan troops and police. The bombing that killed him horrified many Afghans; not only did it claim 21 other lives and leave more than 65 wounded, it occurred outside a mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. Taliban terrorism tactics kept many Afghan voters in the militants' southern strongholds away from the Aug. 20 elections, and the bombings continue across Afghanistan. With...
...Laghmani started his career in the dreaded secret police of the former pro-Soviet regime. Then he switched sides, grew a beard and joined the Islamic warriors of the mujahedin. When the Americans chased out the Taliban, the ever adaptable Laghmani volunteered his unique set of skills to the new rulers of Kabul. His credentials as a new breed of Afghan democrat may have been questionable, as were a few of his interrogation techniques, but Laghmani's death is a severe blow to U.S.-led efforts to quell the rising Taliban and dismember al-Qaeda. (See pictures of fighting...
...starters, Laghmani was the only senior Pashtun to hold a key intelligence post. Most are Tajiks from northern Afghanistan who know as little about the troubled Pashtun regions of southern and eastern Afghanistan as an Indiana farm boy would about gangs in the Bronx. Posted in Kandahar and then in Kabul, Laghmani had the contacts and the cunning to catch many Taliban involved in kidnappings, bomb attacks and drug-trafficking. Laghmani also was the CIA's most reliable Afghan expert on al-Qaeda. A former Afghan security adviser told TIME that Laghmani had knowledge of who within the Taliban were...
...deputy security chief's death has other consequences. For all his bare-knuckle tactics, Laghmani was seen as the one advocate for Pashtuns inside the internal security services. "The Tajiks could be heavy-handed sometimes, going around arresting Pashtuns without much cause, and Laghmani was their sole defender," a source close to Afghan President Hamid Karzai told TIME. "He'd get them out of jail before much harm was done...
...Pashtun, winning more than 45%, ahead of his rival, ex-Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, who is supported by the Tajiks and other non-Pasthun minorities. But allegations of fraud and vote-rigging have stirred up the ethnic tensions that are always bubbling under the surface of Afghan society. With Laghmani gone, this source explained, "There's nobody who can stop the excesses of the Tajiks running the security services." (Read "Afghanistan: Will the U.S. Settle for Karzai...