What Went Wrong for the Kidnapped?

By Emal Pashtunyar

Special to Korea Times

KABUL _ As the 19 Church volunteers have reached Seoul after some 43 days of captivity in the insurgency-wracked Afghanistan, the hostage drama has left one prime question unanswered: Did they have enough knowledge about the situation in Afghanistan, the Afghan society and some red zones in this war-battered country?

Any sane person (foreigner), having little knowledge about the situation in Afghanistan, would never venture into the southern zone without taking an escort.

Furthermore, traveling in a group as large as 23 people with 18 women was the biggest mistake committed by the visitors.

Afghanistan, especially its southern zone, is considered dangerous even for local Afghans who are working with NGOs or the Afghan government. They travel to the southern zone from Kabul by using different ways and means to avoid harm at the hands of the Taliban on the long route from Kabul to Kandahar, which passes through the troubled provinces of Ghazni, Zabul and Helmand.

People, who have knowledge of the situation here, either change their transport at several points while traveling from Kabul to Kandahar or from Kandahar to Kabul; or avoid using public transport and hire private vehicles.

It seems the group of 23 were first-time visitors to Afghanistan and were completely oblivious of the situation here.

Secondly, they were not informed by their organization or the relevant ministry or department before leaving for Kabul; nor were they informed by the Korean embassy in Kabul.

It was the foremost responsibility of those organizations to brief them on the security situation in Afghanistan

before sending them to this volatile country.

Had they been briefed and properly informed by the relevant authorities before embarking on a trip to Afghanistan, the 23 people, two of whom were killed, would not have faced such a situation.

The first and foremost thing was travel in a single bus and in such a large group. They should have hired several vehicles instead of traveling in a single bus to avoid seizure of the whole group by the militants.

Secondly, they should have avoided traveling by road. Because journeying by road in such a large group of foreigners is a most dangerous and risky job.

It was the responsibility of their government or relevant organizations and the Korean Embassy in Kabul to

warn them against traveling in group outside Kabul.

Even inside Kabul, the capital of the country, which is considered comparatively safe, it is not advisable from a security point of view for foreigners to remain in a group.

Thirdly, each and every area of Afghanistan is infested with the Taliban. They have their informers even among the Afghan police and Afghan army as well as among the common people.

The Koreans, while sitting on the bus in Kandahar, the birth place of the Taliban movement and their stronghold, could have been noticed by any one of dozens of people who might have passed the information to the Taliban in Ghazni, where the 303 Passenger Bus was intercepted in Qarabagh district of that province by the militants.

The fourth important factor as to why the Koreans fell into a trap is that the Korean media _ electronic, wire and print _ does not cover Afghanistan and this is why the Korean people know little about the situation in this landlocked country.

Had the Korean media covered Afghanistan and published news reports about this part of the world, those visiting Afghanistan might have had some knowledge about the situation here and have adopted precautionary measures before coming here and then traveling to the Red Zone of this restive country.

The journey of the 23 Korean citizens to Kandahar and their return to Kabul by passenger bus, is proof of the fact that none of them had any prior knowledge of the situation here. Otherwise, they would not have traveled to Kandahar by road and in such a large number.

In his comment soon after the kidnapping of the 23 people, Ghazni Governor Merajuddin Patan said that foreigners must keep in mind that ``this is Afghanistan and not their country where they can move anywhere and any time.''

Patan was right putting it this way because how, in a country where its residents can't even travel without adopting precautionary measures, can a group of 23 foreigners with 18 women, travel in its most restive zone?