Hundreds of community, political and religious leaders from across Afghanistan were arriving in Kabul on Monday for a crucial assembly, or “peace jirga” that could set the agenda for ending years of war.
As security was tightened on the capital with the deployment of 12,000 personnel, the government was expected to declare on Wednesday and Thursday national holidays for the third “jirga” since the 2001 US-led invasion. The interior ministry said cordons had been set up around Kabul to prevent any infiltration by Taliban-led militants. “Helicopters from the Afghan police, Army and ISAF are patrolling Kabul,” ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said.
“Intelligence efforts have been boosted and a four-layer security cordon has been established,” he said.
The National Consultative Peace Jirga aims to bring together leaders representing the country’s complicated mix of ethnic, tribal, geographic and gender interests.