June 2, 2010
Violence Shakes Afghan Assembly
By ALISSA RUBIN and CARLOTTA GALL
KABUL, Afghanistan —As rockets landed nearby, President Hamid Karzai opened a national consultative peace assembly on Wednesday morning with the goal of winning popular backing for his plan to persuade Taliban and insurgent foot soldiers to stop fighting.
In his speech, which was punctuated by a rocket that exploded close by, forcing Mr. Karzai to tell the audience not to worry, he spoke directly to the Taliban, calling on them to join the government.
Within minutes of his departure from the tent where the gathering was being held, a larger explosion shook the structure and gunfire could be heard in a nearby neighborhood.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack in a telephone call to The Associated Press.
In Mr. Karzai’s speech to the traditional assembly, known as a jirga, he called the Taliban “brothers” and “dear Talibs,” and described their flight to Pakistan and their fighting as a reaction to injustices done by local Afghans who had “disturbed them “ and by foreign troops.
“To those Taliban compelled to flee by the government’s and foreign troops’ mistakes, they are welcome and can come and join us,” Mr. Karzai said. ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/world/asia/03afghan.html