>>> March 7, 2002

…Half-dozen
of the other

Some old habits haven’t quite been bombed out of Afghanistan—in particular the use of rape to make a point. As reprisal for Pashtun-dominated Taliban oppression, Pashtun women are finding themselves victims of their Junbish liberators.

Aid workers and the few women not too afraid to complain are hoping for an investigation into the actions of U.S.-backed Northern Alliance warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, whose army gained control of the country’s north. In one incident a Pashtun man was beaten and held at gunpoint while his wife and three daughters, aged 14, 12 and 10, were repeatedly raped. The Junbish told the family they would be killed if they spoke about it. Numerous similar attacks in homes and camps for displaced persons are suspected.
Though most victims remain silent, even those who turn to police find no recourse. The local police, outnumbered in men and firepower, say they can do nothing. :

—Scott Saxon