A suicide bomber in Tani, Afghanistan, detonated a bomb at a funeral for Abdul Hakim Taniwal, the assassinated governor of Khost province. Six people were reportedly killed and many others injured. According to news reports, the Taleban was responsible for both attacks. Afghan president Hamid Karzai says, "the enemies of Afghanistan. . . .showed that they are not only against the traditions and cultures of Afghans, but also against Islamic law."
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she is not surprised that there has been an upsurge of violence in Afghanistan since the country was liberated by a U.S.-led coalition in 2002:
"Of course they're going to fight back, even if they're on the ropes, they're going to fight back. They came back somewhat more organized and somewhat more capable than people would have expected. But that's why they're being beaten back by the NATO forces that are there."
Said Jawad, the Afghan ambassador to the U.S., says increased Taleban activity will not derail Afghanistan's progress:
"They [the Taleban] are making a serious comeback. They are a serious security challenge for us right now, but the political process, the reconstruction process, is way advanced by now."
Vice President Dick Cheney says that in Afghanistan, "We're still in the fight, and we're likely to be [in it] for some considerable period of time":
"You start with a country that is one of the poorest in the world, that's been wracked by decades of civil war and conflict. It was occupied by the Soviets and then fought over by the Soviets and the Mujahedeen for years. . . .We took down the Taleban regime, liberated twenty-five-million people, created a democratic government with a president and a new constitution and a parliament."
Vice President Dick Cheney says, "The fact is that we have made major progress in Afghanistan." But, he says, "We've still got a lot to do."
The preceding was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government.
