By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

TARAKAI, Afghanistan – A group of Taliban fighters made an announcement in a nearby village bazaar a few days ago, threatening to cut off the inked finger of anyone that votes in the upcoming election.

Local villagers told media that they would not participate in the upcoming presidential election. “We can’t vote. Everybody knows it. We are farmers, and we cannot do a thing against the Taliban,” said Hakamatullah, a farmer in the Tarakai area.

The situation is no different in the Pashtun heartland of eastern and southern Afghanistan where the Taliban exert significant authority. There too, many villagers have been warned against going to the polls. Conditions have been so chaotic that many Afghans have been unable to register to vote. The Pashtuns make up about 40 percent of Afghanistan’s population, and doubts regarding their participation are casting a dark cloud over the elections.

The Taliban leadership released the following statement last month with regards to the upcoming election, “Afghans must boycott the deceitful American project and head for the trenches of holy war. The holy warriors have to defeat this evil project, carry out operations against enemy centers, prevent people from participating in elections, and block all major and minor roads before Election Day.” In other released messages since then, Taliban insurgents have been claiming responsibility for the deaths of Hamid Karzai’s and Abdullah Abdullah’s campaign workers.

The U.S. has deployed additional marines to protect the villagers so voting can continue as planned, but local officials are still doubtful, “When you leave here, the Taliban will come at night and ask us why we are talking to you,” a villager named Abdul Razzaq said. “If we don’t cooperate, they will kill us.”

For more information, please see:

CBS – Tension Rises in Afghanistan – August 16  , 2009 

The Australian – Taliban Threat to Afghanistan Election – August 16, 2  009 

The New York Times – Fear of Taliban Discourages Afghan Voters– August 16, 2009