Afghanistan News Center

Afghanistan News May 22, 2013: Today's headlines.....

Karzai gives India military equipment "wish list"
By Ross Colvin
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday he had given a "wish list" of military equipment to India during a visit this week, presenting a conundrum for New Delhi as it weighs whether arming the Afghan army is in its interests.

UK eyes giving visas to 600 Afghan interpreters
By SYLVIA HUI | Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Britain is proposing to give around 600 Afghan interpreters who worked alongside its troops the right to settle in the U.K. in recognition of the risks to their personal safety.

Women rights at stake in Afghanistan
By Abdul Haleem
KABUL, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Some 200 students of Kabul University came to streets on Wednesday to voice their opposition over the possible endorsement of the controversial law on Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW) enacted by President Hamid Karzai three years ago to ensure the rights of women and girls in the conservative country.

Taliban Raid Tests Coalition's Afghan Gains
Wall Street Journal By MARGHERITA STANCATI and HABIB KHAN TOTAKHIL May 21, 2013
KABUL - A large number of Taliban insurgents, aided by foreign fighters, have tried to overrun the district of Sangin in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, triggering a two-day battle that seemed to be abating by Tuesday night, Afghan officials said.

Coalition Plays Down Afghan Reports of Major Battle in Helmand
The New York Times By Matthew Rosenberg and Taimoor Shah May 21, 2013
Kabul, Afghanistan - The Taliban attacked Afghan police posts in a violent and long-contested corner of southern Afghanistan, setting off two days of clashes that left at least six police officers dead, Afghan officials said Tuesday, though the American-led coalition played down the violence as little more than “drive-by shootings.

Pakistan To Intensify Violence in Afghanistan This Summer
TOLOnews.com By Abdul Wali Arian 21 May 2013
Pakistan is trying to increase violence in Afghanistan this summer by making use of Taliban.

Pakistan, An Enemy of Afghanistan: Senate
TOLOnews.com By Rafi Sediqi 21 May 2013
Afghan Senators on Tuesday's session said that the President must take a clear stand against Pakistan, which is an open enemy of the Afghan people.

Torture Victim’s Body Is Found Near U.S. Base, Afghans Say
The New York Times By Rod Nordland May 21, 2013
Kabul, Afghanistan - The footless corpse of an Afghan man missing since November was found on Tuesday near the former American Special Forces base to which he was last seen being taken, according to Afghan officials and victims’ representatives.

Which Is More Corrupt: Afghanistan or America?
Karzai cash payments highlight a growing friction as Afghans blame NATO for their poor reputation.
National Journal By Michael Hirsh May 21, 2013
Kabul, Afghanistan - None of President Hamid Karzai's top advisers knew that he had been receiving tens of millions of dollars in secret cash from the CIA, Afghanistan's senior anticorruption official said, and he added that he did not believe the Afghan leader's claim that he had been giving the agency regular receipts for the money.

HRW: More Afghan Women Jailed For 'Moral Crimes'
May 21, 2013 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Human Rights Watch says the number of Afghan women and girls jailed for "moral crimes" has risen by 50 percent in the past 18 months.

Media Watchdog Calls For Probe Into Afghan Journalist's Murder
By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan May 21, 2013
KABUL -- A leading press freedom organization in Afghanistan, Nai, has demanded an investigation into the killing of a journalist who was found dead after being missing for weeks.

Security Concern Halts Foreign Investments in Afghanistan
TOLOnews.com By Anwar Hashimi 22 May 2013
Some of foreign projects and investments have come to a standstill due to the increasing security threats in the country.

Qayum Karzai, A Possible Presidential Candidate: Mahmoud Karzai
TOLOnews.com By TOLOnews.com 21 May 2013
Mahmoud Karzai brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday talked about the possible candidacy of his brother Qayum Karzai in the upcoming Presidential elections.

Nuristan A Safe Passage For Taliban To Enter North and North-Eastern Parts of Afghanistan
TOLOnews.com By Rateb Noori 21 May 2013
The Governor of eastern Nuristan province Tamim Nuristani on Tuesday said that Nuristan will change into second Waziristan. Arabs, Pakistanis, Lashkar-e-Taiba and several other insurgents groups are using Nuristan as a passage to reach the North and North-Eastern provinces.