Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: The capital looks just like a military fortress with Abdullah Abdullah’s gunmen blocking roads to a place housing offices of vice presidents.
The city’s face reminds Kabul residents of the four-year long civil war (1992-1996), a horrific city with irresponsible gunmen walking or driving on the roads. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed, injured and forced to migrate and the gunmen looted the entire city.
Abdullah held an inauguration ceremony Monday on the same day that President Ashraf Ghani took oath for his second term in Kabul. Abdullah contested election commission’s announcement that declared Ghani as the winner of September presidential poll.
Now his gunmen block the road to Ghani’s deputies and he wants his own deputies to occupy the offices of vice presidents.
Ghani planned to accompany his deputies to their offices, but they faced Abdullah’s men blocking the road.
Ghani’s spokesman called the road blockage as an “invasion”.
Sources close to Abdullah said Tuesday that there was a misunderstanding between security forces, and that the road was reopened late Tuesday.
Kabul residents said that the entire city looked like a military base on Tuesday.
Abdullah’s Second Deputy Assadullah Saadati, said that they would be ready to hold talks with Ghani to resolve the problems of duo presidents in the same city, but added that they would talk to Ghani this time with more demands.
The US Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s efforts to dissuade Abdullah from forming parallel government failed on Monday. Khalilzad then attended Ghani’s ceremony which meant Washington’s support for the president.
