The Afghan interim administration has appointed a local commander, Qari Baba, as the governor of eastern Ghazni province. Radio Kabul said Baba was chosen by Hamid Karzai. Describing Baba as the strongest military figure in the area, AIP said he had fought against the Soviet occupation of 1979 to 1989 under the command of Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf. There has been no reaction so far from Ghazni's shura on his appointment.
Sayyaf, despite his association with the Northern Alliance, is a pretty shady character. Beelzebub Hekmatyar has spoken kindly of him, his representatives refused to sign the Bonn agreement that created Karzai's transitional government, and there are suspicions he was involved in Masood's assassination. |