Islam Online- News Section

Inquiry Into "Mysterious Circumstances" Behind Afghan Aviation Minister's "Tragic" Death

Rahman boarding the flight to New Delhi before being attacked and killed at Kabul airport by pilgrims angry over flight delays.

KABUL, Feb. 15 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - International troops were patrolling Kabul airport in armored vehicles Friday, after angry pilgrims, who had been waiting for days in freezing temperatures, lynched Afghanistan's aviation minister after he canceled their trip.

The Afghan government investigated the mob killing, news agencies reported.

The Afghan cabinet set up a five-minister commission to investigate the murder of Aviation and Tourism Minister Abdul Rahman and "report as soon as possible," foreign ministry spokesman Omar Samad told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"It was an extremely tragic event," Samad said. "The interim administration is saddened by it."

A crowd of pilgrims, who had been waiting for days to set off for performing Hajj (Pilgrimage), beat the minister to death Thursday, February 14, after they heard he had cancelled their flight to Saudi Arabia, according to BBC's online news service.

The pilgrims had been waiting for days in freezing temperatures to board flights to Mecca, and there were reports that two women had frozen to death, BBC reported.

Tempers appear to have flared after two planes that were due to pick up the pilgrims were delayed.

A pilgrim named Mirza said they had paid $1,500 for the promised flights, a fortune for ordinary Afghans.

Abdul Rahman, who reportedly canceled their trip, was about to leave late Thursday for New Delhi on a plane owned by state carrier Ariana.

"This upset some people who obviously thought that they deserved some priority," Samad said. "And the fact that the minister was on board led to outrage and rising emotion. Tension had been rising over the past 48 hours."

Meanwhile, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops were deployed at Kabul airport to maintain order, following the tragic event, as British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw arrived to visit the ISAF headquarters.

Afghan leader Hami Karzai, for his part, deplored Abdul Rahman's tragic death and said he had appointed a commission to investigate its "mysterious circumstances."

Ahead of a meeting with Straw in Kabul, Karzai said that "last night's incident proves the point" that more security is needed in Afghanistan.

The interim administration, which took office in December 2001, held an emergency session late Thursday at the presidential palace to discuss the attack.

Samad said some pilgrims had been arrested. "We're looking into the criminal actions that have taken place here," he said.

Kabul airport was sealed off Friday morning and police were stationed along the roads leading to it.

The attack shows the weakness of the fledgling Kabul police force in charge of the civil aviation side of the airport where it took place.

The minister's bodyguards were unable to save him from the mob who had surrounded him and his plane.

International peacekeepers "knew there was an ongoing incident, but it happened very quickly," British Captain Graham Dunlop, a spokesman for the security force said.

"We were not involved," he said. "It's not our jurisdiction."

Yesterday's News

Search Articles

News Archive :
Day: Month: Year: