Afghan envoy to speak at GU

As the Bush administration increases U.S. military presence in Iraq, the government of Afghanistan is preparing for a surge of a different kind.

Terrorists have been training for a spring offensive, said Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States, Said T. Jawad, who fears a “bloody spring” is in store for his country.

“The current level of international military forces in Afghanistan might not be adequate,” Jawad told The Spokesman-Review in a recent interview in advance of a visit to Spokane on Thursday.

The ambassador, who was invited by the World Affairs Council of Spokane, will visit Fairchild Air Force Base and speak at Gonzaga Law School, according to council president Kathleen Mackenzie.

With U.S. attention diverted by the “bigger crisis” in Iraq, Jawad said, Afghanistan saw an increase in violence last year, including roadside bombings and suicide attacks.

The Taliban, which was forced from the capital of Kabul by the U.S. invasion in October 2001, is making a resurgence, and the New York Times reported last week that al-Qaida has re-established training camps in Pakistan near the Afghan border.

The Bush administration has asked Congress for $10.6 billion over the next two years for Afghanistan, and $8.6 billion of that would go toward training and equipping Afghan police and security forces. The government of President Hamid Karzai hopes to more than double the size of Afghanistan’s 32,000-strong security force.

Jawad is critical of a deal struck by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf with pro-Taliban tribal leaders last September. Musharraf pledged to withdraw troops from the North Waziristan area of Pakistan in exchange for the leaders’ vow to curb terrorist attacks.

Though Afghanistan is grateful for Pakistan’s past assistance, Jawad believes Musharraf’s deal has increased the capabilities of terrorist groups to attack his country.

“Terrorist attacks have increased at least 300 percent” since the deal was reached, Jawad said. “We hope the Pakistani leadership will act to shut them down.”

Beyond military assistance, Jawad said, Afghanistan needs international investment and trade to rebuild. The ambassador will discuss these issues during a dinner with the International Trade Alliance of Spokane.

While Afghanistan is grateful for the help it has received, Jawad said, “Our country has been destroyed by 30 years of war. The more investment, the sooner we will be able to stand on our own feet.”

He said the Sept. 11 attacks demonstrated the danger of neglecting Afghanistan, which is “crucial for stability of Asia and the world.”

Jawad, who was educated in Afghanistan and Germany, also has a master’s of business administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, where he settled in 1986 and worked at several prominent law firms.

Since returning to Afghanistan in 2003, Jawad served in a number of government positions before being appointed ambassador to the United States by Karzai in 2003.

Jawad said he will speak at Gonzaga about the rule of law and Afghanistan’s efforts to rebuild its judicial system. At Fairchild, the ambassador intends to meet with the families of service men and women in Afghanistan.

“I will convey the gratitude of the Afghan people for their sacrifices,” Jawad said.