Seoul plays down Afghanistan attacks

The government yesterday downplayed the possibility of the latest attacks on a Korean firm in Afghanistan being an attempt to discourage the Lee Myung-bak administration`s recent decision to send security forces to the region.

"We believe there is a lack of incriminating evidence that the attacks were directly linked to the dispatch decision," said one high-ranking Foreign Ministry official.

The Afghan authorities have yet to uncover clues suggesting the culprits, he added.

"We have to remember that Afghanistan is still in the midst of war, and therefore the internal situation is quite unstable," the official said. "This is why the government will be taking measures to ascertain the safety of Korean citizens and companies in the area."

Officials stressed that the raids would not affect the government`s latest decision to send security forces and more civilians to Afghanistan to join reconstruction efforts.



The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that a Korean construction firm involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan recently sustained three rounds of armed attacks.

Construction equipment and vehicles were damaged in the attacks, but no casualties were reported.

The attacks first started on Oct. 8 before Seoul announced its plans to send security forces of around 300, in addition to increasing the civilian workforce in Afghanistan to 130 from the current 24.

However, the most recent attack occurred on Nov. 5.

Several lawmakers of the opposition political parties yesterday submitted a resolution to the National Assembly requesting the government to withdraw its latest decision to send security forces to Afghanistan.

"We protest the decision to dispatch security forces and request an immediate withdrawal because they counter the public opinion and also growing international opinions calling for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan," the resolution said.

There are currently 42 nations participating in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force established to secure stability in Afghanistan.

The United States is leading the campaign, but has recently been reviewing when and if it should be sending in more troops.

Seoul, when it made the dispatch announcement on Oct. 30, stressed the mission of the forces would be strictly limited to protecting the members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team - the civilian workers.

But Defense Ministry officials including Minister Kim Tae-young acknowledged security risks, including the possibility of exchanging fire.

For this reason, the forces being dispatched to Afghanistan will have to be heavily armed, ministry officials and experts said.

Critics have assailed the government, saying the security forces were actually "troops" being sent under a different title.

Seoul withdrew troops from Afghanistan in 2007 following the kidnapping of a Korean missionary group. The Taliban released the hostages after Seoul promised to pull out.

The nation`s objection toward sending troops or any other type of contingent to Afghanistan since then has snowballed.

Foreign Ministry officials said on Oct. 30 that it is not without concern that Korean troops in Afghanistan could make Korea a target for terrorism.

But the latest round of attacks, they stressed, has not yet been linked to insurgents.

The first attack on the unidentified Korean company resulted mostly in damage to equipment such as excavators.

The second attack, conducted on Oct. 13, involved gunmen setting documents and two Jeeps on fire and shooting at company vehicles.

The most recent attack on Nov. 5 involved a group of armed gunmen who raided the Korean firm`s construction materials warehouse. The group retreated after a short battle with Afghan police troops.

(jemmie@heraldm.com)



By Kim Ji-hyun