Kabul, Afghanistan — British military officials warned Saturday of a death threat against Mohammed Zahir Shah, just two days after Afghanistan's former monarch returned to his homeland amid celebrations and outpourings of joy from his countrymen.
The 87-year-old king has emerged as a symbol of peace and unity as the nation tries to overcome two decades of ethnic bloodshed and civil war. It was not immediately clear whether the threat might limit his mission.
British military officials warn of a plot to kill former Afghan King Mohammad Zaher Shah, center, who returned from 29 years of exile in Rome. Zaher Shah was escorted by interim leader Hamid Karzai, left, during the former monarch's arrival Thursday at Kabul airport.
"There is a threat against the king. They could pose as media to get close enough to him to do it," Lt. Col. Paul Harradine, a spokesman for the British Royal Marines, said in a briefing with reporters at Bagram Air Base, just outside Kabul.
Extremely tight security has been in evidence since Zahir Shah returned Thursday from 29 years in exile in Italy. Guards are posted around his Kabul villa, which is lit with spotlights and enclosed by concertina wire.
Harradine refused to tell how British officials learned of the threat or whom they thought might be behind it.
Afghan security officials said they had no knowledge of the threat and were not concerned about his security.
"The king is well-protected," said Gen. Deen Mohammad Jurat, chief of security in Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, noting that forces specially trained by the Italian government are providing the former monarch with round-the-clock protection.
Foreign Minister Abdullah said he hoped the ex-monarch would travel throughout the country to meet people and prepare the groundwork for a loya jirga, or grand tribal council, that will meet in June to create Afghanistan's next government. Zahir Shah is expected to formally convene the meeting.
But Abdullah acknowledged in a meeting with reporters that threats against the former monarch and the interim administration remained.
"There are enemies of peace, there are enemies of security, there are enemies of the political process, but they cannot prevail," he said.
Later, Abdullah specifically labeled former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a vocal opponent of Hamid Karzai and his interim administration, as "an enemy of peace."
More than 120 people allegedly associated with Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami were arrested two weeks ago by internal security police, after officials said they were determined to carry out a campaign of "terrorism, abductions and sabotage" against the interim government.
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