Shaken by Riots, Afghans Gripped By Uncertainty

Tolerance of U.S. Troop Presence Tested

KABUL, May 30 -- Afghan army troops blanketed the capital Tuesday, schools and shops reopened and residents swept up the debris from riots that left 11 people dead and 130 injured. Many people remained angry both at the rioters and U.S. troops, and worried about permanent damage to the country's faltering democracy, economy and relations with the outside world.

Foreign peacekeeping troops kept off the streets, out of concern their presence would ignite new violence.

Monday's violence was sparked by a traffic accident involving a U.S. military convoy, and some residents continued to insist that American troops shot dozens of civilians while leaving the chaotic accident scene.

"The foreign soldiers shot my cousin, and now he is in a coma. They have brought us nothing but destruction. People are still poor and jobless, except the few who shine the foreigners' shoes. We want them out of here now," said Shah Mahmoud, 24, who was visiting the city hospital. He said his cousin, 17, worked near the accident site and was shot when he got caught up in an angry crowd that threw stones at the troops.

The U.S. military has said one civilian was killed when a military cargo truck smashed into a line of vehicles. It has promised a full investigation, but denied that troops shot anyone afterward.

In new violence, three Afghan workers for a South African charity, ActionAid, were shot dead Tuesday by a gunman riding a motorcycle as they drove on a road in Jowzjan province in northern Afghanistan, officials said.

Some business owners in Kabul said they had lost thousands of dollars worth of merchandise and regretted having taken the risk to invest in such a volatile environment. They said Afghan and international security forces had done little to protect their property.

Ali Chelsi, whose family owns a market in a fashionable shopping district, said the family had just ordered three shipping containers of home appliances from China, a major purchase based on expectations of growing affluence and foreign investment. "It will take us a month to get our business going again, and if the security situation doesn't improve, there will be no need for such appliances in Kabul," said Chelsi, as his nephew swept up shards of glass from their shattered picture window.

Other investors vowed to stay the course, saying they would not allow one day of violence to derail their plans. One was Ehsan Bayat, an Afghan American businessman who owns a major cellphone company and a new private television station here. A mob attacked the station Monday and burned all the cars in its parking lot.

"I am committed to rebuilding Afghanistan, and I will invest more now in humanitarian projects," Bayat said. "If we give up now, tomorrow will be very bleak."

The riots were the worst the capital has experienced since the overthrow of the Taliban in late 2001. Other incidents, including the discovery of an Afghan Christian convert and the news of anti-Islamic cartoons published in Europe, have sparked demonstrations in Afghan cities, but none was as large or violent.

The most seriously damaged building was the headquarters of CARE International, which rioters doused with gasoline and then burned to rubble. The compound's rose garden, surrounded by tall pines, was burned black. A half-dozen other foreign aid agencies were also attacked and looted.