KABUL, AFGHANISTAN -- After my KamAir flight arrived yesterday at Kabul International Airport – surprisingly, right on time – the bus ferrying us to the main terminal abruptly halted on the tarmac, and the driver cut the motor. Some very serious and squared-away looking men, wearing crisp new camouflage uniforms and sporting nicely accessorized M4s, had set up a large perimeter around the terminal. We wouldn’t be going anywhere.
I assumed it was some or another senior official: a cabinet minister, perhaps, rushing to catch a plane? After a long wait, a long motorcade escorted by humvees rolled up to a waiting aircraft. This was no mere official: It was President Hamid Karzai, setting off for Kandahar.
The Afghan president embarked yesterday on a campaign swing through southern Afghanistan, where he has promised to bring the "lower case t" Taliban back into the political process. Whether he will succeed is open to question, but his trip down south highlights some of the risks of presidential campaigning in this country.
Karzai has survived several attempts on his life. Back in September 2004, during the last presidential election, Karzai escaped an assassination bid when a rocket was fired at his helicopter as it prepared to land near Gardez. And last year, Taliban insurgents staged a brazen attack during a military parade.
The United States, not surprisingly, has made a serious investment in protecting the Afghan president. Karzai was initially protected by a Special Forces detachment; U.S. security firm DynCorp later won a contract to provide protective details for Karzai and train bodyguards for the Afghan president. And as Danger Room first reported, U.S. taxpayers have also funded the acquisition of VIP helicopters for Karzai.
Of course, heavy security can also mean some inconvenience. Traffic came to a standstill in downtown Kabul while the president was on the move, and news reports from Kandahar describe Karzai being whisked away under tight security after his arrival in the city.
[PHOTO: AFP via Google News]
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