Afghans wary of motives as Russia opens field hospital in the middle of Kabul

By GREG MYRE
Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan – As Afghans gawked, Russia opened a field hospital Sunday in a bombed-out military complex in the center of Kabul, and officials from both countries declared they had put the bitter war of the 1980s behind them.

But just to be on the safe side, the Russians set up a line of burly, no-nonsense armed guards at the entrance of the crumbling compound to keep the curious Afghans at a distance during an opening ceremony.

Twelve years after the Kremlin withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in defeat, Russia is pushing to strengthen its ties with the northern alliance, which controls Kabul.

Russia is one of the few countries that has sent a special envoy to the capital since Taliban fled last month, and Moscow is working to open a new embassy. India and France have also sent envoys.

The United States has not said when it would reopen its long-abandoned embassy. No U.S. troops are known to be in the capital.

The field hospital being opened by the Russians is staffed by 90 employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations who have been a source of fascination for the Afghans since they rolled in Tuesday from an airfield north of Kabul.

"Our aim is to help Afghans and increase the local medical services," said Russian deputy minister Valery Vostrotin. "I think the reactions of the Afghans are positive."

At the brief ceremony launching the hospital, a collection of inflatable tents, Afghan Minister of Refugees Inayatullah Nazari said the Russian assistance was welcome as Afghanistan attempts to rebuild from the ravages of war.

But just outside, many Afghans were a bit skeptical.

"We heard the Russians came to help us with medicine, but we don't know their exact intentions," said Abdul Ahad, 52, an engineer.

"Most people here were against the Soviet Union and we started a holy war against them," Ahad said, referring to the 1979-89 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. "If they want to help us, that's fine. But people saw them with guns and were a little nervous."

Each day, crowds of Afghan men gather nearby, tugging on their beards and speculating as to why armed Russians are once again in their capital.

The Russians initially set up camp in a large open field, placing their military-style trucks in a circle and draping camouflage netting around the perimeter. The guards prevented the Afghans from getting close, but hundreds stopped to stare from a distance.

Over the weekend, the Russians moved across the street to a former military compound that was flattened in factional fighting in the 1990s. They are working out of khaki tents that include a well-stocked surgery ward and an intensive care unit, along with a Russian flag.

"We are here as peaceful people providing humanitarian help," said Vadim Petounim, a Russian doctor. "Any Afghan is welcome."

But for the moment, there were no patients on the horizon. And while Afghanistan lacks many basic medical services, it was unclear how the hospital, with its focus on emergency care, would serve a city that is calm now and has several functioning hospitals – where a patient would not have to approach unsmiling foreign guards with guns.

Still, Russia's special representative to Afghanistan, Alexander Oblov, said the hospital was evidence of he good relations between Russia and Afghanistan.

"When we saw the Afghan people needed our help, we came immediately," Oblov said. "I've spoken to all kinds of Afghans, and they have a good feeling toward us."

Oblov has been working out of a rundown hotel as Russia prepares to move into a new embassy that needs renovations. The old Russian Embassy, a massive compound on Kabul's southern edge, was abandoned nearly a decade ago and has been taken over by thousands of Afghan squatters.

During the occupation, Soviet troops fought many of the guerrilla groups that now make up the northern alliance. But after the Taliban came to power in 1996, Russia feared that the movement would spread Islamic extremism closer to its borders and began supporting the alliance.

AP-WS-12-02-01 1515EST