Afghan Mujahedeen veteran tells Russia to stay out

KABUL, Afghanistan An alliance of former Afghan Mujahedeen leaders and veteran politicians Monday warned Russia not to repeat the mistakes of the former Soviet Union by interfering in Afghanistan. “There is not a single family in Afghanistan which you [Russia] do not owe, so don’t hand yourself over again,” Abdul Rab Rassule Sayaf, a prominent figure in the Afghan jihad against the Red Army, told a gathering of charged supporters in Kabul. The Afghans have not forgotten the Soviet Army’s atrocities, the iconic figure of the U.S.- and Muslim-backed jihad told the gathering, marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the pro-Soviet regime, and 1992 founding of the Mujahedeen government in Kabul. The gathering was organized by the Afghanistan Salvation and Stability Council, a group mostly made up of ex-ministers and high-ranking officials who served under former President Hamid Karzai. Karzai himself has taken a rather different tone towards Russia of late, hailing Moscow’s role towards peace in Afghanistan. Visiting Moscow last week, Karzai held meetings with top Russian officials.