Anti-western tensions rise as Afghans raid bars, seize drink and arrest staff

AFGHANISTAN'S "vice and virtue" police targeted western bars and restaurants in a series of raids this week – seizing thousands of gallons of alcohol and arresting at least six international waitresses they accused of being prostitutes.

Officers armed with AK47 assault rifles hit four well-known night spots over the course of Monday night and Tuesday morning claiming they were "centres of immorality". The French proprietor of one of Kabul's best-known bars was also detained.

The waitresses, from an upmarket restaurant popular with diplomats, were forced to undergo intrusive medical tests at an Afghan clinic to ascertain who they might have been sleeping with, police officials said. At least ten people were arrested. They were held for 48 hours and all have since been released.

"These guest-houses were the centres of immorality and alcohol," Kabul's chief detective, General Sayeed Abdul Ghafar, said. "They sold alcohol to everyone."

Senior Afghan officials claimed the raids were ordered by interior minister Hanif Atmar. His spokesman insisted it was purely a police matter.

Although selling and consuming alcohol is prohibited under Afghan law, all four restaurants were licensed by the ministry of information and culture, which has long issued exemptions for restaurants catering to Kabul's vibrant expat market.

"Foreigners are not covered by this law," said deputy culture minister Mohammed Nabi Farahi, responsible for tourism. "That's why they have permission to drink alcohol in restaurants that have permits and to sell alcohol, just to foreigners."

Analysts fear the raids may have been linked to worsening relations between President Hamid Karzai and the West. "It's as if they are trying to further provoke people against the foreigners," said one Afghan businessman, who asked not to be named.

General Ghafar said officers seized 1,164 bottles of assorted wines and 5,194 bottles of beer. Staff at all four restaurants said large quantities of whisky and spirits were also confiscated.

"We are waiting for the orders of the minister," General Ghafar said. "Later we will burn these bottles, according to our law."

The restaurateurs were less sure. "The police seize alcohol and drink it," said a manager, who asked not to be named. His restaurant lost 4,000 of stock.

Set behind high walls and drab, nondescript doors, most restaurants are protected by squads of heavily armed guards and patrons must pass through airport-style security in a series of locked rooms.

The bars attract a mix of mercenaries, aid workers, chancers, spies and journalists.

The first premises raided was Boccaccio's, a gourmet Italian, followed by Martinis, a new nightclub. A tapas bar, Los Amigos, surrendered at least 161 bottles, and L'Atmosphere, a French restaurant that opened in 2004, was last.

Supplying alcohol carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. The police said they were waiting for the attorney general's office to decide how to proceed.