It sounded like good news: the brain behind the rocket attacks on Kamp Holland in Uruzgan, Afghanistan, in which one Dutch soldier was killed in early April, was himself killed. The defence ministry has confirmed the report earlier this week, but does this mean there is a reduced chance of attacks? Sources in Uruzgan are warning against too much optimism.

A report by Bette Dam

He was incredibly fanatical. The Uruzgan authorities regularly received reports that Mullah Qasim had fired another rocket. The young man, maybe 30 or 35 years old, regularly went to the area north of Tarin Kowt which was not under the control of foreign troops.

 
To the intense frustration of the soldiers at Kamp Holland, Mullah Qasim and his fighters always selected the same site for firing his rockets, near the village of Sayyed Dan. Even though the soldiers knew this, residents of Tarin Kowt, who watched the projectiles pass overhead, say at least eight rockets were fired since December. Each time, the Afghan attackers outwitted Kamp Holland and its state-of-the-art equipment.

 
The hunt is prioritised
In early April, a Dutch soldier was killed in a rocket attack. Cleaning up the Sayyed Dan area suddenly became a priority and the hunt for the perpetrators was given fresh urgency. Mullah Qasim was shot 'on the run' by Australian soldiers at the end of May. In Sayyed Dan, no one appears to be mourning the rocket man.

 
The commander of the Tarin Kowt battle group was very explicit in his statement this week. The death of Mullah Qasim means the brain behind the attack on Kamp Holland is no more, but several Afghan sources say it is too early for the defence ministry to cry victory. These sources say the network Mullah Qasim formed part of was powerful and complex. 

'Taliban Eater'
Two prominent leaders from the area say Mullah Qasim received the material for his actions from Mullah Amanullah from the Baluchi Valley. Mullah Amanullah is known as an important Taliban commander and a declared enemy of the Afghan government. However, the two leaders also mention former Uruzgan governor Jan Mohammed who is seen as one of the most powerful men in the region, and is nicknamed the Taliban Eater. Nevertheless he works together with the Taliban because he has a personal stake in instability. "He wants to show that the current governor is a failure in the hope that he will be reappointed by President Hamid Karzai".

 
Jan Mohammed and Amanullah appear to be working together effortlessly. "They are relatives", one of the two sources says, "and that is why they support each other". Nabi Khan, an important leader from northern Tarin Kowt is a little more reserved in his comments. "Mullah Amanullah is one of the leaders of these insurgents, that much is certain, but I don’t believe that Jan Mohammed supports him. And I’ve told the Dutch as much".
 
 
Hotchpotch
The hotchpotch group of fighters appears to be leaving the Sayyed Dan area in peace, at least for the moment. There seems to be no more danger from this four-by-ten kilometre area. Australian troops fought several fierce gun battles there in April, in which dozens of Taliban were killed. A Dutch follow-up operation in which hundreds of soldiers entered the area encountered little resistance and a police post has since been established there. 

 
However, this network of warlords and Taliban does not appear tied to one specific location and could pop up anywhere, the Tarin Kowt official says. Mullah Qasim, he says, did not come from that area. He just simply availed himself of this no man's land which had seen a government presence for years. "And there are many such groups who can carry out this type of action. Mullah Qasim was a big fish, but I doubt whether the threat has been completely removed."

RNW translation (gsh)