Afghan President Escapes Assassination on Poll Trip
Thu Sep 16, 2004 08:54 AM ET
By Ahmad Masood
GARDEZ, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai escaped an assassination bid on Thursday when a rocket was fired at his U.S. military helicopter as it was landing in the southeastern town of Gardez.
The president's campaign trip for Oct. 9 presidential elections, his first outside Kabul, was immediately aborted and he was flown back to capital Kabul, the U.S. military and Afghan officials said.
Witnesses said the rocket flew over Karzai's helicopter and a crowd of about 400 supporters gathered to meet him at a school as he was about to touch down, but caused no injuries.
"A rocket was fired at President Karzai as his helicopter was landing," said U.S. military spokesman Major Mark McCann. "It missed and landed about 300 meters from a school in the vicinity of the landing area."
Taliban guerrillas, who have vowed to disrupt what will be Afghanistan's first ever direct presidential poll, quickly claimed responsibility, but the government said it was too early to say who was to blame.
Karzai narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on Sept. 5, 2002, in the southern city of Kandahar, after which his security was dramatically tightened.
He has since rarely been seen in Afghanistan outside his heavily fortified presidential palace where he is protected by U.S. bodyguards.
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