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Afghan Youth Fear Taliban Return Will Roll Back Kandahar's Progress

Agence France-Presse

   KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - Once the epicenter of the Taliban's iron-fisted
   Islamist government, Kandahar city in Afghanistan's restive south is
   slowly transforming into a vibrant urban center dotted with bustling
   cafes, co-ed universities -- even a women's gym.

   Every evening, young men head to the Arena club, a trendy cafe in the
   city of 700,000, to play snooker, watch football on a big screen, or
   smoke shisha "hubble-bubble" pipes -- unthinkable when the Taliban
   ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

   "There was no such place in Kandahar when we built it and there is
   still no other such place in the [entire] south," said Nazir Ahmad, 30,
   Arena's owner.

   But the city's youth fear such hard-earned freedoms are on the verge of
   being lost again as the Taliban ramp up attacks in their former
   heartland despite peace talks with the government.

   Before the insurgents were overthrown by a U.S.-led coalition in the
   wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, they imposed a harsh version
   of Islamic law that banned all kinds of entertainment, from music and
   movies to kite flying.

   The public floggings and executions in the city's squares still haunt
   residents, but Kandahar has undergone a huge transformation.

   Women can now be seen riding sidesaddle on motorcycles, families enjoy
   group picnics, and several city spaces have illuminated fountains that
   spring up at sunset while street vendors serve hot Afghan dishes into
   the night.

   Despite that progress, the Taliban are emboldened after a deal with
   Washington that secured the withdrawal of all foreign forces by May,
   and they have stepped up their campaign against Afghan forces in rural
   areas.

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