InfoAnda - Afghan road builder's dream thwarted by violence

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

RIM seen facing increased market-share pressure | 26 September 2009
Bharti to sell iPhone 3GS in India | 20 March 2010
US-TECH Summary | 1 August 2010

Canon Q1 operating profit to fall, forecast to be cut: report | | 23 April 2011

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Afghan road builder's dream thwarted by violence

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Afghan road builder's dream thwarted by violence By TODD PITMAN,Associated Press Writer - Sunday, November 22 Send IM Story Print KABUL – Khalid Khan stares through the dusty window pane, down across the rooftops of the capital, and wonders if they really know where he lives. Once on the front lines of the international effort to rebuild Afghanistan, the black-bearded contractor now sits idle _ cross-legged and quiet on the floor of the small hilltop home he shares with another family after he had to sell his own. "They called again this morning," he says of the kidnappers who once held him hostage at the bottom of a well, repeatedly threatening to execute him. "They said, 'We're watching you. Do you know what we can do to you?'" Khan was contracted to build one of the final links of a $2.5 billion highway that circles this mountainous country, linking a massive road network to Kabul like arteries around a heart. It is one of the most important reconstruction projects launched here since the U.S. invaded to oust the Taliban in 2001. The soft-spoken 30-year-old had hoped to make a tidy profit. But after more than a year of work and two months of captivity, he is deep in debt, traumatized, and lucky to be alive. And the road is still not done. Khan's story underscores the tremendous obstacles the international community faces rebuilding in an active war zone, revealing how even the best-intentioned development plans can be sidelined without security. Khan's ordeal also shows how risky it is for Afghans willing to take part in that effort, and how little help there is for them when things go wrong. "Multiply him by 1,000, and you'll understand why the entire reconstruction effort in Afghanistan is getting so bogged down," says Craig Steffensen, Afghanistan director of the Asian Development Bank, which is funding the final stretch of the so-called Ring Road. ___ Building a highway to connect Afghanistan's major cities has been a dream of developers for decades, one born half a century ago when this Islamic nation was ruled by a king. The Ring Road fell into disrepair through repeated wars, and the northern sections were never built. After 2001, rebuilding it became a centerpiece of the international development operation. The U.S. Agency for International Development estimates two-thirds of Afghanistan's people live within its path. The government believes it will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, boost trade, and pave the way for schools, hospitals and cheaper goods to serve isolated villages. Once complete, the asphalt will become a 21st century Silk Road, joining markets in Afghanistan to Central Asia, China and the Persian Gulf. Today, nearly 90 percent of the 2,227-kilometer (1,384-mile) highway is done. Much of the road, though, has become a front line _ a two-lane gauntlet running through some of the most dangerous terrain in the country. Hundreds have died building it. Countless more have died traveling on it: blown up by bombs, beheaded at illegal checkpoints by guerrillas who see the road as a conveyor of supplies and spies for the international coalition. When the sun goes down, Afghans say, the Taliban own it. ___ On paper, Khan's task was easy: lay the foundation of a 6 kilometer (3.7-mile) stretch of the road between two small northwestern villages called Ghormach and Douabi. Khan was a subcontractor for China Railways Corp., which was contracted by the Asian Development Bank. He expected to be paid around $400,000 and make a profit of $20,000-30,000 after expenses. The job began in August 2008, and immediately became arduous: it entailed cutting through rocky hills and destroying abandoned homes to transform barely existent goat paths into a gravel highway. The region was so poor it had neither clinics nor schools. Most people drank water from rivers because they didn't even have wells. The road crews, by contrast, made lucrative targets. Residents "saw bulldozers and SUVs worth more than entire villages could make in a lifetime," Steffensen says. The Chinese were slow in paying fuel for rented bulldozers, graders, and dump trucks, delaying the work, according to Khan. Chinese officials could not be reached for comment, but ADB documents obtained by The Associated Press confirm they were experiencing cash flow problems. In November 2008, Taliban-linked militants abducted five Afghans from another subcontractor working for China Railways, killing one with a gunshot to the neck. A month later, winter set in, freezing construction for months. ___ Khan had only been back on the job three days when a dozen gunmen with rockets and machine guns stormed into the house his company was renting in Douabi in April. "Get down! Get down!" they screamed, herding Khan and 14 of his staff into a room at gunpoint. The assailants wore dark gray police uniforms and army camouflage _ both easy to purchase in Afghan markets. They marched the group five hours through the darkness, cramming them into an isolated farmhouse. Over the next few weeks, most of the other hostages were freed after their families paid ransoms worth several thousand dollars each. When Khan's kidnappers realized he was a partner in the construction company, his ransom swelled to $300,000. For 10 days, he was held at the bottom of an 8-meter (25-foot)-deep well filled with chilly water up to Khan's knees. He slept by squatting. His skin shriveled. Dry bread was lowered to him on a rope. He drank the water around him with his hands. He was allowed out a couple times a day, but only to beg his family to meet the ransom demands. "I couldn't tell if it was day or night," Khan recalled in an interview. "So many times I died. I never thought I'd make it out alive, or see my family again." During another week, he was hung upside down for hours, one foot tied to a wooden beam. He was slapped and beaten. Steffensen says the kidnappers, though linked to local Taliban factions, appeared motivated by financial gain. Yet they justified Khan's abduction as part of the wider fight against the government. They accused Khan of working for the U.S., telling him its money was "unclean." "Why are you working for the nonbelievers?" they asked repeatedly. "Why are you working for this government?" they demanded. "Why are you building this road?" "I told them we are poor people, this is just a small road," Khan recalled. "We are just trying to make a living, to build our country." One night the kidnappers _ who had long beards, turbans and were always armed _ blindfolded Khan and took him by motorcycle to a hillside. They threw him down beside a dirt mound spattered with dried blood. It was the place, they said, where the Afghan engineer was executed and buried months before. One of the militants leaned into his ear and whispered: "Tomorrow will be your last day on earth." "Call your family! Tell them if they don't send the money, we're going to cut your head off and send it to them!" another screamed. They fired gunshots past Khan's cheeks as he cringed, weeping. Then they dragged him away. By early June, Khan's family had begged and borrowed the ransom from friends and relatives from Afghanistan to Pakistan. Cash in hand, they drove to Ghormach in six different cars, fearing ambushes on the way. They handed the money to tribal elders with connections to the kidnappers. And two months and five days after his abduction, Khan was finally free. ___ Khan insists the ransom was $100,000. Other project officials put the figure at $30,000. Steffensen says the amount is beside the point. "He suffered beyond imagination. His family shelled out everything they had to get him free, every nickel, that's clear," he says. Khan sold his home in Kabul for $18,000 and turned to everyone with a stake in finishing the road for help. But nobody in his company, China Railways Corp., the Public Works Ministry or the Asian Development Bank was willing to pay back the debt. "They all said it's your problem, we can't help you," he says. ___ For a month, Khan weighed his fear of restarting the project against the chance he could still turn a profit. The Public Works Ministry and the Chinese _ who Steffensen says were mostly holed up in their field compound for safety _ begged Khan to finish the job. When the Interior Ministry announced it was sending 500 police to boost security for road crews _ with an unprecedented $2.5 million from the ADB _ he decided to go back. The new force's strength, though, was diluted along the way. The provincial governor and police chief diverted at least two dozen of the reinforcements to their personal security details, according to Maj. Gen. Sayed Kamal Sadat, who leads the national force tasked with protecting Afghanistan's highways. Both officials deny the allegations. Provincial police commanders seized 400 of the 500 new Kalashnikov rifles the police were supposed to get, handing their old ones to the reinforcements, according to another Interior Ministry official, Habib Rahman. At least half the 40 new police trucks allotted for the operation were also diverted to local commanders, he said. And because of an old dispute between Sadat and the provincial police chief, the reinforcements were not supplied with enough food, water or ammunition, Rahman said. Some of the 500 police were deployed to guard road workers and their facilities, while others joined with local police to set up dozens of check-posts guarding the highway. Sadat says seven of the police have been killed in rocket attacks so far. And at least one of the road posts has typically been attacked each night with grenades or small arms fire by motorcycle-bound Taliban, according to an ADB security official who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject. The official said police at a couple of posts had also deserted and joined the Taliban. Nevertheless, Sadat insists the force has been effective. Security has improved. ___ The second ambush came in September. Up to 40 gunmen hiding in mud-brick houses along the road opened fire with rockets and machine guns, according to police Capt. Najib, who heads the newly deployed force and like many Afghans, uses only one name. The gunbattle lasted two hours. When it was over, two police were dead and one of Khan's rented road graders was ablaze, Najib said. Khan was about two kilometers (one mile) away, and fled at the start. He has not gone back, and it's unclear if he ever will. In November, ADB terminated its contract with China Railways Corp., deeming it incapable of finishing the job on time. Khan says the Chinese paid less than a quarter of his projected expenses, leaving him tens of thousands of dollars in debt for labor and machine rentals. The Public Works Ministry says it will force China Railways to pay whatever it owes its subcontractors. Even in the best scenario, though, Khan will only break even, and still owe tens of thousands for the ransom. He estimates only two-thirds of his tiny road is complete. In total, only around 200 kilometers (125 miles) of the Ring Road remains to be built. But it may take three years to finish it all _ or more. Finding a contractor willing to replace China Railways and hire somebody like Khan will be tough because "nobody in their right mind wants to work up there," Steffensen says. The final sector, just west of Khan's road, will be even tougher: it crosses a Taliban stronghold called the Bala Murghab River Valley that is so full of militants it's likely to be "shooting gallery" for troops and road crews, Steffensen says. With no capable contractors willing to take on the unfinished sections, Steffensen appealed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help _ at ADB's expense. A U.S. diplomat swiftly scotched the idea, Steffensen says, telling him the Army Corps is "spread too thin." ___ In Kabul, Khan says he recognizes the voices who call him every few days: they are the ones who tortured him. They insult him, vow to recapture him, and warn their agents are watching. Sometimes they describe what he is wearing, or where he has been. "We told you to quit building this road," they say. "We should have killed you when we had the chance." There are other harassing calls, from the people to whom Khan is in debt. He keeps answering his phone because he hopes he will find a kinder voice on the line, one that will get him out of this mess. A sympathetic government official, perhaps, or help from the international development community which is driving men like Khan to help them. "I lost my life over this road," he says bitterly. "The government insists it be built, but they don't care about the people who build it." Asked if he will return north to finish his job, sometimes he answers yes, sometimes no. Beside him, on the faded red carpet, Khan's phone is ringing again. Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles Two Pakistanis suspected of Mumbai attack funding arrested AFP - 2 hours 49 minutes ago New Zealand see off battling England in RugbyU AFP - Sunday, November 22 Sri Lanka to release 136,000 Tamil war refugees AP - Sunday, November 22 Rocket hits outside luxury hotel in Afghan capital AP - Sunday, November 22 Australia issues 'catastrophic' alerts as fires rage AFP - Sunday, November 22 News Search Top Stories Obama health drive faces critical vote Putin backs Medvedev's call for Russia modernisation First Air France A380 reaches New York CERN atom-smasher restarts after 14-month hiatus: official Crisis fallout still in 'first half': forum More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended First Air France A380 reaches New York CERN atom-smasher restarts after 14-month hiatus: official Dubai growing at five percent pace: economy tsar Crisis fallout still in 'first half': forum Giant atom-smasher poised for restart: CERN More Most Viewed » Alcohol helps cut heart disease risk for men: study More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Asia Entertainment Photos Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Sunday, 22 November 2009
Iran to hold war games to protect nuclear sites
Putin backs Medvedev's call for Russia modernisation
Obama health drive faces critical vote
Iraq parliament struggles over elusive vote deal
Sri Lanka to open refugee camps ahead of polls | International |
Sri Lanka to release 136,000 Tamil war refugees
EPA: Uranium from polluted mine in Nev. wells
Rocket hits outside luxury hotel in Afghan capital
NC man gets life in prison for woman's fatal scare
Australia issues 'catastrophic' alerts as fires rage
59 and counting: Health care bill nears test vote
Afghan road builder's dream thwarted by violence
Chicago losing glitz when Winfrey goes off the air
China says 42 dead, 66 trapped in mine explosion
Hawaii anxiously watching year-end tuna supply
Atlantis astronauts take 2nd spacewalk of mission
Security forces: Blast near Kabul's Serena Hotel
AP reporter caught up in Stalin family's agony
3 men blow themselves up in Pakistani Kashmir
Italy arrests Pakistanis suspected of Mumbai links
Terror trials differ in civilian, military courts
Elderly US couple pleads guilty in Cuba spy case
Twilight sequel sets new opening-day record | Entertainment |
Singer Robbie Williams to court investors: report | Entertainment |
Singer Robbie Williams to court investors: report
"Twilight" sequel sets new opening-day record
Losing Winfrey would be big blow for Second City
German auction house pulls disputed painting
Michael Jackson glove among items at music auction
Israel-Palestinian conflict kills 8,900 in 20yrs: NGO
EU recession over, but sharp contrasts in east
Iran to hold war games to protect nuclear facilities | International |
American Express takes aim at PayPal with Revolution
Israeli aircraft strike tunnels, arms factories
Swine flu vaccine effective despite mutations: experts
Anglican leader, pope meet amid tensions
China mine explosion death toll reaches 87 | International |
Austrian sets up online cattle auctions
US 'helps build anti-Taliban militias' in Afghanistan
Colombia's Uribe seeks to ease Venezuela tensions | International |
Belgian ex-premier meets party chiefs as hunt begins for new PM
Israeli planes strike targets in Gaza
W.Sahara activist refuses Madrid offer of refugee status
Israeli planes strike targets in Gaza | International |
Iran to hold war games to protect nuclear facilities
Pressure for progress at talks on rebel Karabakh | International |
Rhodes Scholars named for 2010
Atheist student groups flower on college campuses
2nd autopsy for Malaysian opposition aide: lawyer
Indonesian ferry with over 200 people sinks: police
UC Santa Cruz protesters still occupy building
Biden says Senate handed Obama a big victory
Death toll in China mine disaster rises to 87: media
Groth to play tennis for Australia after citizenship
Passenger charged in fatal stabbing on NYC subway
N.Korean leader inspects security forces
Healthcare bill passes first U.S. Senate test
Korean death row inmate dies after suicide attempt
Obama health drive clears key Senate hurdle
Motown caps 50th anniversary with hometown gala
Mumbai still vulnerable 1 year after terror attack
4 injured in San Francisco cable car accident
Malaysian activist's body exhumed for 2nd autopsy
Separated twins beat the odds
Japanese temple resorts to manga to woo visitors
Top S.Korea think-tank sees 2010 GDP at 8-yr high
South Koreans to get Apple's iPhone this week
IPhone to go on sale in South Korea
Jackson's glove sells for $350,000 at auction | Entertainment |
Crisis forcing hard-up Spaniards to sell their hair
Desperate retailers seek holiday season rescue
Motown caps 50th anniversary with hometown gala
International Emmys to honor David Frost
Botswana tries spicy solution to keep elephants at bay
Developing: Senate Democrats Secure Votes To Prevent Republican Healthcare Filibuster
Jacko 'moonwalk' glove sells for 350,000 dollars
Mobile Home Fire Kills 5 In Central Florida
Sarandon gets lifetime achievement award at Stockholm film fest
Smiling on Facebook costs Canadian her insurance
French designer wolfs down US doggy rags
Pope in landmark meeting with artists in Sistine Chapel
Anesthetic Spray Seen As Cure For Premature Ejaculation
U.S. Customs Agents Arrest Man With 15 Lizards Strapped To Body
Thousands Of Bongs Seized in Los Angeles
Georgia Plans To Lay Bulldog Mascot To Rest
Albinos In Africa Being Hunted For Their Human Body Parts To Be Used In Witchraft Concoctions
Iran releases ex-official on bail in mass trial
Crisis forcing hard-up Spaniards to sell their hair
Israeli president plays down settlement work | International |
Iranian reformer freed on $700,000 bail
Iraqi parliament fails to reach election deal | International |
Former Iran VP released on bail
Overloaded Indonesian ferry sinks; 4 dead, most survive | International |
Iranian reformer freed on $700,000 bail: report | International |
Ahmadinejad heads to nuclear-backers Brazil, Venezuela
Alleged Iraq bombers offer confessions
Pirates hijack Greek-owned bulk carrier off Yemen | International |
Bomb blasts kill six, wound 40 in India's northeast | International |
Israeli president to Egypt for talks with Mubarak
Militants could be invited to Afghan Jirga | International |
Ahmadinejad leaves for tour including Brazil, Venezuela
Khmer Rouge prison chief anxious as trial ends
Indonesian ferry sinks; 9 dead, some 230 rescued
CORRECTS RI Bishop-Kennedy
AP NewsAlert
Overloaded Indonesian ferry sinks; 4 dead, most survive
South Korea mass murderer hangs himself in cell
Police identify gunman in deadly Saipan rampage
2 bomb blasts leave 7 dead, 52 wounded in India
Indonesian passenger ferry sinks with 242 aboard
Bomb blasts kill six, wound 40 in India's northeast
Suspected pirates kidnap 3 crewmen in Philippines
Afghan official: 5 border security guards killed
India's Reliance announces bid for LyondellBasell
China could grow 10 pct in fourth quarter: report
AirAsia to tap Southeast Asian capital market
Report: Indonesian passenger ferry sinks with 228
Beirut sets out to woo back shoppers
Pistols, Tasers, assault rifles sell fast at US show
Jackson's glove sells for $350,000 at auction
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
UC Students Protest Tuition Hike
Taliban suffocate Pakistan Buddhist heritage
Man Stabbed To Death After Argument Over NYC Subway Seat
Senior U.S. Special Operations Commander Makes Security Visit To Bangladesh
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01