Afghans worry that Iran is subverting Kabul

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Officials here are increasingly concerned that Iran, a neighbor accused of political meddling in the border province of Herat, may now be bringing money, goods and weapons deeper into Afghanistan in an effort to undermine its new government.

Yusuf Pashtoon, a top aide to the governor of Kandahar province, said Wednesday night that two Iranian army generals had spent the past several weeks visiting Helmand, Nimruz and Farah provinces, distributing cash, goods and possibly arms to former warlords in an apparent effort to foment unrest.

"These steps are contrary to all international norms," Pashtoon said. "Iran has sent these military officials to Afghanistan without our permission or even informing us. This may bring instability to the area and encourage warlords to rally against the central government."

Officials in Kandahar have been especially concerned about persistent reports of Iranian meddling in Helmand province, a vast rural region adjacent to the city where some former Taliban commanders and renegade local warlords are thought to be operating.

Pashtoon denied media reports that government troops from Kandahar were planning to travel to Helmand to rout the Iranians, but he said Kandahar's governor, Gul Agha Shirzai, on Monday asked top provincial officials to arrest any Iranians they found.

"We decided to ask (the Helmand officials) not to tolerate them any longer," Pashtoon said. "We said, "The next time you see them, arrest them.' "

Although Helmand has its own governor, the new Kandahar administration has regional authority over six provinces including Helmand.

In an interview Saturday in Helmand's capital, Lashkargah, Gov. Sher Mohammed said that Iran had donated wheat, clothing and carpets to returning Afghan refugees in his province, but that to his knowledge it had not distributed money or weapons to any local commanders.

However, Mohammed said he was concerned about Iranian political involvement in the area.

"Some Iranians came here, and I warned them not to come without passports," he said. "I warned them that if they interfere, we will take steps against them."

Unconfirmed reports of Iranians bringing money and weapons into Helmand have been circulating for the past three weeks. Several militia commanders loyal to the Kandahar governor said they were extremely concerned about Iran's ability to foment violence and instability in Helmand unless forcible action is taken to stop it.

Kandahar authorities said they were also concerned about the close Iranian connections of Ismail Khan, the powerful governor of Herat province, who was exiled to Iran for the past two years and returned to Afghanistan last month after the Taliban forces collapsed. Khan's loyalty to the new Afghan central government has been questioned, although this week he told journalists he supports it.

"The cooperation of the Herat administration with Iran is beyond logical involvement," Pashtoon said. "Any interaction with Iranian authorities should be with the central government in Kabul. It is essential that the provinces remain loyal to the government and to the whole process."

Afghanistan's interim government, which took power in December, is a weak coalition of regional officials and former anti-Taliban militia commanders from various ethnic and tribal groups. Some posts, such as Khan's, were awarded as political peacemaking gestures to individuals with armed followings.

A second political leader whose Iranian connections worry officials is Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan militia commander who now lives in Iran and commands an Afghan exile following of Islamic radicals. Pashtoon said he feared Iran could channel negative designs on Afghanistan through Hekmatyar.

Officials in Washington have recently warned Iran not to interfere in internal Afghan affairs, and several U.S. diplomats visited Herat this week to discuss the problems in the sensitive border province and explore setting up an American consulate.

Although Iran and Afghanistan are major trading partners that share a 540-mile border, the two countries have long had tense relations, which were exacerbated during the five years of Taliban rule. Iran is a country of Shiite Muslims, and Afghans are largely Sunni Muslims.

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