Afghanistan News November 5, 2004

November 5, 2004

Afghanistan's newly elected president vows to stamp out private militias
Friday November 5, 2:35 AM AFP
Afghanistan's newly elected president Hamid Karzai vowed to eliminate private militias as he acknowledged his victory for the first time Thursday in the country's historic ballot.

Karzai's resounding victory in the nation's first presidential election was proclaimed on Wednesday after an inquiry found that the results were not affected by several shortcomings in the conduct of the voting.

"My countrymen and women, thank you for the trust you have put in me," Karzai said during a speech at the presidential palace on Thursday.

"....in Afghanistan people voted for me and other candidates. I thank those who voted for me and for other candidates; their vote was for the stable future of Afghanistan, we respect their vote."

The US-backed president, who has led Afghanistan since the ousting of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime by a US-led operation in late 2001, pledged to work towards ensuring a stable and bright future for the war-torn nation.

Speaking to reporters after the speech, he said one of his priorities would be to extend the rule of the central government in the provinces, many of which are controlled by warlords and militias.

"The private militias will be eliminated," Karzai said. "There will be no private armies."

Regional warlords with their private militias are considered a major hurdle to not only restoring law and order but completing much needed reconstruction after two decades of war and civil strife.

Afghanistan has an estimated 60,000 unofficial militia fighters despite a year-long UN-sponsored nationwide campaign to disarm private militias.

Karzai promised to build up the embryonic Afghan National Army, which now has 16,000 troops, and strengthen the police system.

"That is a promise we have been giving," he said when asked about the expansion of the army.

Karzai also thanked the international community for "its tremendous assistance for the election", and "all those who somehow participated in the election."

"Without the help of the international community we could not reach this success," he said.

In his address Karzai particularly mentioned the three UN foreign election workers currently detained by a militant group after being kidnapped from Kabul at gunpoint last week.

"We hope to be able to win their release sound and safe," he said.

When asked whether his main opponent in the elections, former education minister and Northern Alliance leader Yunus Qanooni, could again be a member of his government, Karzai said those who shared his ideas could join him.

"Today I talked with Qanooni by phone. Those who have the same ideas as me can join me in the government," Karzai said.

Qanooni, who was interior minister in the immediate post-Taliban administration and later held the education portfolio, polled a distant second to Karzai with 16.3 percent.

Qanooni on Thursday congratulated Karzai although he reminded him of alleged irregularities in the October polls.

"I congratulate Karzai and wish him success," Qanooni, the favourite of the powerful anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, told a joint press conference with several of Karzai's rivals.

However, Qanooni repeated charges of widespread fraud and irregularities.

"On one hand we have widespread fraud before, during and after the election and on the other hand we have the will of the people," he said.

"I prefer to respect the will of the people and accept the results."

Millions of Afghan men and women defied threats from militants to vote in the October 9 elections.

The Afghan leader also received a congratulatory call from President George W. Bush Thursday, following the US leader's re-election.

Afghanistan's election "makes clear that a free Afghanistan is a partner in the war on terror, a beacon of hope in a troubled region of the world, and an example to other countries working to realize the promise of freedom," Bush said in a statement released by the White House.

Karzai's main rival concedes defeat, congratulates elected president
KABUL, Nov. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Hamid Karzai's chief rival in the landmark Afghan presidential election conceded his defeat and congratulated the incumbent president on his success Thursday.

"For the sake of national interest and security in the country I accept the election result despite irregularities and congratulate Mr. Karzai," Mohammad Yunus Qanooni told journalists a day after the announcement of the election's result.

"The result would have been different if the election was conducted in a transparent manner," he said.

The UN-sponsored Afghan election commission known as Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) Wednesday declared Karzai the winner of Afghanistan's first ever presidential election.

According to the result announced by head of the JEMB Zakim Shah, Karzai captured 55.4 percent of over 8 million votes while Qanooni garnered only 16.3 percent.

Flanked by Karzai's second challenger Hajji Mohammad Mohaqiq, Qanooni noted he would stay in opposition to check the government's irregularities.

"We hate violence but want to stay as a reformist force in opposition to check the government's mistakes and misdeeds," Qanooni emphasized.

Karzai is likely to take his oath of office as the elected headof state within 30 days.

Afghanistan's vote for change
By Lyse Doucet BBC Afghanistan analyst
Hamid Karzai got what he wanted - a mandate from the people. But he knows legitimacy depends as much, if not more, on what happens next. Afghans were also voting for change. In an interview in Kabul before election day, Mr Karzai acknowledged these expectations.

Victory, he vowed, would give him a mandate to create a government "very different" from his teams of the past three years. The man handpicked for office through the 2001 Bonn Agreement now seemed more assured, less vulnerable.

He needed this election to strengthen his political hand, but his margin of victory - he won 55.4% of the vote - was less than his supporters had hoped for. And voting largely followed ethnic lines.
Mr Karzai, a Pashtun, dominated in his tribe's southern heartland and drew some support from other regions, including major cities. But some of his challengers won large blocks in their ethnic strongholds.

Mr Karzai's new catchphrase is "national participation". Disentangling drug lords from the cabinet and Mr Karzai's team of advisers and provincial governors will be difficult, if not dangerous

The president and his advisers insist they are not obliged to give posts to defeated presidential candidates like the powerful commander General Abdul Rashid Dostum, who prevailed in Uzbek and Turkmen areas, and Mohammed Mohaqiq, who polled most votes among Hazaras.
"We will ask them to recommend qualified people from their communities," said one minister in an interview before the elections.

Advisers acknowledge the need for political appointments but emphasise they must also bring in Afghans capable of running ministries. The challenge will be to find capable professionals who also carry political weight within their ethnic groups.

The election has only reinforced this highly sensitive divide. Mr Karzai knows many Afghans expect to see fewer military commanders, known as warlords. But he made it clear he would not wipe the slate clean.

"There are nasty pieces and good pieces," he insisted in one interview. His dichotomy will soon be tested. There will also be controversial discussions about which "moderates" from the Taleban movement should be allowed to return to Kabul.

Another clear message emerged from every conversation in Kabul about the new cabinet. It would have to send a strong signal that Afghanistan was confronting its major narcotics problem.

"I won't be part of efforts to build a narco state," declared one senior minister expected to remain in the government. But disentangling drug lords from the cabinet and Mr Karzai's team of advisers and provincial governors will be difficult, if not dangerous.

Intelligence sources say there is clear evidence of involvement all through the system in this highly lucrative business which has again turned Afghanistan into the world's largest producer of opium poppies.

Mr Karzai vowed to "fight like hell" on this front. The next bold step would be to put at least one senior figure on trial for drug trafficking, as well as corruption, which is perceived to be widespread and growing.

Hard decisions must also be taken on what to do with documentation provided by the Afghanistan Justice Project about the past quarter century of war and individuals allegedly involved in war crimes who still occupy influential positions.

Mr Karzai's recent success in boldly sidelining powerful figures such as his defence minister, General Mohammed Fahim, and the former governor of Herat, Ismail Khan, has clearly boosted his confidence. For a president whose own army is still being trained, the risky moves were only possible with the backing of the international community.

When Mr Karzai came under pressure not to take General Fahim as his election running mate, a clear signal from the Pentagon and a telephone call from British Prime Minister Tony Blair stiffened his resolve.

Washington's earlier reluctance to move against commanders who were also playing key roles in its "war on terror" has clearly shifted. "The sun is now setting on warlords," was the way one American general in Kabul put it.

Afghan sources and diplomats believe that in the past, Mr Karzai often underplayed his hand and gave concessions - a result of his political and military weakness and a temperament that prefers conciliation to confrontation. The Karzai approach was to "bring everyone into the tent".

The big tent seems to be slowly coming down, although Mr Karzai wants to avoid it collapsing in a heap. Mr Karzai, like many others, was moved by the determination of Afghans to vote despite security threats and political pressures. He has cautioned that real change will take time, but promised a new team "Afghans would be happy with".

Karzai faces up to ditching warlords and drug money
By Simon Cameron-Moore
KABUL, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The day after Afghanistan's historic presidential election, a euphoric Hamid Karzai joked to journalists that if he won, he would head straight for Washington to ask for billions of dollars.

Fortunately for him the re-election of President George Bush means asking someone who has already bought into Afghanistan's future, the man who ordered in U.S. forces to help Afghan resistance groups topple the Taliban regime in late 2001.

The 46-year-old ethnic Pashtun tribal chief will need all the help he can get to combat Islamic extremism, disarm regional warlords and transform an impoverished economy best known as the world's largest supplier of heroin.

"Maybe once upon a time the greatest threat was from the Taliban and al Qaeda, but I believe the problem of international drugs mafia and heroin traffickers is here now. It is a very big problem," former president Burhanuddin Rabbani told Reuters.

Afghanistan has other unique complications.

"Beside the problem of insecurity in the country the other major problem is that of ethnic groups," said the black-turbanned Islamic studies professor, whose own government disintegrated in the civil war of the mid-1990s that allowed the Taliban to march to power.

Karzai, who won a 55 percent mandate in the Oct. 9 poll, will be inaugurated by the end of the month.

Before then he must pick a cabinet that the international community, and most Afghans, hopes will differ from the interim government he headed for the last three years by omitting warlords and drug runners.

Those figures were forced on him by the compulsions of Washington's war on terror and the need for national unity.

Finding the right cabinet formula will be tricky given the patchwork of ethnic groups that make up this conservative Islamic Central Asian nation. The vote split showed stark divisions among Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks.

VOWED TO AVOID HORSE TRADING
Karzai, who took some Tajik votes thanks to Rabbani's support, has been adamant he will not engage in political horse trading to form coalitions with rivals.

But he risks losing popular support if he gives too many jobs to better-qualified Afghans returned from the West, a group derided as "dog washers" by people who stayed at home through the troubles.

One defeated candidate, Homayoun Shah Assify, hoped that Karzai would make a clean start, but feared he would still make concessions to undesirable factions.

"President Karzai doesn't like opposition. He wants to close the mouths of people by giving them a piece of cake," Assify told Reuters.

Rabbani believes Karzai will avoid compromising too much.

"Superficial interpretations of the election point to ethnic and regional divides, but the result was better than that. It showed the participation of the nation and not the different tribes and different groups, that was the real result," he said.

Certainly it seems there will be fewer jobs to go around, with Karzai expected to rationalise the number of ministries, which had become bastions of ethnic power.

There is speculation Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai could be switched to a new anti-drugs ministry to police Afghanistan's largest business.

But in Afghan power politics the most sought after ministries are Defence and Interior -- and Karzai's choices will be crucial.

Kabul's rumour mill says Ismail Khan, a Tajik regarded as the country's most powerful warlord until he was forced to quit as governor of the western province of Herat two months ago, is vying for one of those posts, having decline an offer to become minister of mines.

Karzai must also find positions for his two running mates, even though neither delivered many votes.

Rabbani has no ambitions for a cabinet post himself, and strategically seeks an influential position in parliament, once it is formed after elections next year.

Politicians and diplomats say Rabbani wants the position of Speaker.

China pleased with Afghanistan's smooth presidential election
BEIJING, Nov. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- China is glad to note that Afghan presidential election has been concluded successfully, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhang Qiyue told a regular press conference here on Thursday.

This shows significant progress the Afghan people have made on their way toward political stability and state development, Zhang said.

She said Chinese President Hu Jintao has sent a congratulatory message to Hamid Karzai on his election as Afghan president.

The Chinese government believed that Afghanistan, under the leadership of President Karzai and through the unremitting efforts by the Afghan government and people, would continue to make new progress in maintaining sustained social security and boosting economic development, Zhang said.

Al-Qaeda kingpin gets away in Pakistan
By Syed Saleem Shahzad / Asia Times Online / November 4, 2004
KARACHI - Pakistan came tantalizingly close this week to presenting President George W Bush with the perfect election present and a major coup in the "war on terror". But at the last minute the suspect apparently got away.

On Tuesday, Pakistan and US security forces launched a major operation in Karachi, which different sources based in Washington and Karachi told Asia Times Online was aimed at catching Abu Faraj al-Libi, a Libyan believed to be the No 3 in al-Qaeda and from al-Qaeda's North African cell, appointed as al-Qaeda's chief of South Asian operations.

After four hours, though, only a few people were rounded up, and Faraj was nowhere to be found.

Authoritative Asia Times Online contacts insist that Pakistani officials had earlier assured their US counterparts that Faraj would be presented as a surprise just before the US polls, and they speculate that Islamabad had a last-moment change of mind pending the outcome of those elections.

President General Pervez Musharraf has become a key US ally in the "war on terror", reaping both financial rewards as well as tacit support for his authoritative administration. Over the past months Pakistan has arrested several dozen al-Qaeda and other suspects. But Musharraf's support for the US has created a strong backlash in the country among sections of the army and jihadi organizations.

Faraj is believed to have taken over responsibility for planning al-Qaeda attacks on the US and is thought to have taken over as al-Qaeda's No 3 after the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in March 2003. Khalid was the mastermind in organizing the attacks of September 11, 2001. Musharraf and a Pakistani army spokesperson have alleged that Faraj masterminded the December 14 and 25 assassination attempts against Musharraf, and that on the Corps Commander Karachi's motorcade, and other incidents. Al-Qaeda's North Africa cell is the only one of the terror organization's that remains relatively intact, both in terms of financial and human resources.

Pakistan's Inter-Intelligence Service and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) this year tracked Faraj to the South Waziristan tribal area in Pakistan and then to Punjab province, and ultimately received tips that he would go to Karachi. This information was based on the interrogations of others suspects.

Intelligence sources had also rightly tracked al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden's deputy, Dr Aiman al-Zawahiri, and Tahir Yuldash, the political leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, to Azam Warsak in South Waziristan, but they then lost the trail. In turn, bin Laden was confidently pinpointed in the Shawal region that spans North Waziristan and Afghanistan. But again the trail went dead.

This forced officials from both Pakistan and the US to revise their strategy, and instead of searching for targets in the virtually inaccessible terrain of the Pakistan-Afghanistan tribal areas, where targets can easily disappear, they narrowed down their search to mainland Pakistani cities, where they had already captured targets such as Tanzanian Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani and others who had fled from South Waziristan. Khalfan was arrested in July this year in connection with the twin bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, which between them killed 224 people and wounded more than 5,000 others.

Some sources suspected that Faraj might already be in the custody of Pakistani intelligence agencies awaiting a timely unveiling, but prior to Tuesday's raid a senior official rejected this theory when questioned by Asia Times Online. "He is not in our custody, but not too far from our range though. We have been tracking his movements and he is very likely to be arrested very soon," said the official.

Surprise, no surprise

On Tuesday, the residents of the middle-class neighborhoods of Gulshan-i-Iqbal and Gulistan-i-Jouhar in eastern Karachi were highly panicked as army helicopters flew low overhead, and then hovered near some residential apartments while paramilitary forces cordoned off the area.

Police were quick to point out that the operation had all the hallmarks of an anti-terror operation, notably as they (the police) had been excluded, apart from helping keep away curious crowds. Different civilian and army agencies said the operation was merely a commando drill, but the presence of FBI agents and the comprehensive searches of a number of apartments make this unlikely.

Syed Saleem Shahzad is Bureau Chief, Pakistan, Asia Times Online.

Blast kills four Afghan civilians, misses government troop convoy
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Four civilians died in southeastern Afghanistan Thursday when an explosion hit their car as it traveled behind a convoy of Afghan army trucks, the U.S. military said.

The blast occurred on Thursday morning near Orgun, a town in Paktika province where U.S. troops man a base overlooking the Pakistani border, American spokesman Maj. Mark McCann said. the civilian vehicle had apparently been following a column of trucks from Afghanistan's U.S.-trained Afghan National Army when a roadside bomb exploded.

`It looks like it struck the vehicle and four local nationals were killed,'' McCann said. No U.S. troops were involved in the incident, but American soldiers rushed to the scene to offer assistance, McCann said. He had no word on whether others were injured.

Provincial officials were either unavailable or said they were unaware of the incident. Some 18,000 mainly American troops are still hunting militants in Afghanistan, mostly along the porous Pakistani border and often in cooperation with Afghan forces. On Monday, one U.S. soldier was killed and two others injured when militants attacked a patrol south or Orgun with gunfire and rockets.

Blasts near US, Swedish aid offices in east Afghanistan
KABUL, Nov 4 (AFP) - Two improvised bombs exploded near US and Swedish aid agency offices in Afghanistan's restive east but noone was injured, a US military spokesman said Thursday.

The two home-made bombs blew up around 9:00 pm (1630GMT) Wednesday in the eastern city Jalalabad near compounds housing US AID, Washington's overseas aid wing, and the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, US Major Mark McCann said. 'There were no injuries,' he told AFP.

The two bombs, both with timers attached, exploded several minutes apart, an employee of the Swedish organisation Rahman Jul Rahmani said. 'About a month or two ago a rocket also landed near a female teacher training center,' in Jalalabad, Rahmani told AFP by phone. There were no casualties.

On October 18 four rockets were fired at the American army base in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan. Since the October 9 presidential election, 21 people have been killed in blasts, ambushes and attacks in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's southeastern border areas have borne the brunt of a Taliban-led insurgency for the past two years.

The Taliban ruled most of Afghanistan with a harsh interpretation of Islam for five years until US-led forces drove them out in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks, blamed on the Taliban's guest Osama bin Laden.

Afghan Kidnappers Grow Impatient with U.N., Govt.
Thu Nov 4, 7:15 AM ET By David Fox
KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan militant group that kidnapped three U.N. workers over a week ago told the government and United Nations on Thursday to stop stalling negotiations, adding the hostages were cold and sick.

The Jaish-e Muslimeen (Army of Muslims) has threatened to kill the three unless authorities meet a series of demands including the release of all Taliban prisoners, the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the suspension of U.N. operations in the country.

"It appears the United Nations and the government do not hold the captives' lives dear and their attitude is such that it can cause loss to the captives," Sayed Khalid Agha, a spokesman for the Taliban splinter group, told Reuters by satellite phone.

Deadlines came and went on Wednesday as the kidnappers sought negotiations with authorities, and a clearly angry Agha accused authorities of trying to buy time.

"Last night, when the deadline finished, they said 'it is night so we will have negotiations during the day', but when our people went for talks, none of them had come," he said.

Agha said the hostages were suffering from cold and lack of food, and all three were ailing.

"First one woman fell sick and now all three are sick," he said. "The place where we have kept them is very cold and we also don't have proper arrangements for food. Even if we don't do anything to them, cold alone can severely harm them."

U.N. officials spoke of their anguish and concern for the hostages, but declined further public comment.

"The psychological pressure must be tremendous, not knowing what will happen from one day to the next, always away from their friends and families," U.N. spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva told a news briefing.

FEARS OF COPYCAT KIDNAPPINGS
The hostages -- Filipino Angelito Nayan, Annetta Flanigan from Northern Ireland and Shqipe Hebibi from Kosovo -- were snatched from a busy Kabul street last Thursday, sparking fears among the 2,000-strong Western community that militants might have started copying the tactics of insurgents in Iraq.

The investigation is officially in the hands of the Interior Ministry and its fledgling police force, with help from the United Nations, NATO-led peacekeepers and U.S.-led forces.

Security sources say Britain has sent a hostage specialist team from Scotland Yard, while the Philippines has dispatched its ambassador from neighboring Pakistan.

Apart from the militant group, the parties involved are tight-lipped and it is unclear what talks might already have taken place.

The militant group's leader, Mullah Sayed Mohammad Akbar Agha, had told Reuters previously that negotiations with a "tajir" -- an influential trader with wide contacts -- were continuing.

The government has previously negotiated the release of several foreign nationals kidnapped by Taliban fugitives, some by paying ransom, and some security sources say that could be the best hope in this case.

The crisis is an immediate challenge for Hamid Karzai who on Wednesday was officially declared the winner of Afghanistan's Oct. 9 presidential election after an independent review panel concluded voting irregularities did not affect the outcome.

There is also growing disquiet among Afghans over the kidnappings, and religious groups and political leaders have condemned the abductions as un-Islamic.

A police official at the end of a public hotline number that was broadcast on state television said on Thursday they had received no other calls on the matter. (Additional reporting by Yousef Azimi)

US unveils Pakistan militant plot to kidnap westerners in Afghanistan
Thu Nov 4,10:26 PM ET South Asia - AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States unveiled a plot by Pakistani militants to infiltrate western non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan in a bid to stage kidnappings, and stage suicide bombings.

The US embassy in Afghanistan's capital Kabul received information about the plot since September but did have details on the timing or location of potential attacks, the State Department said on Thursday.

It warned US citizens living and traveling in Afghanistan that attacks could be "particularly in the form of suicide bombings and kidnappings, against US citizens and interests in Afghanistan."

The embassy was particularly concerned about "kidnapping threats against non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and US companies in Kabul and throughout Afghanistan."

It said that based on information received, "a Pakistani militant group intended as of late September 2004 to send operatives to Afghanistan after (the Muslim) Eid al-Fitr (festival) to infiltrate Western NGOs and companies in Kabul and other areas in Afghanistan in advance of carrying out kidnapping operations against their Western officials.

Under the plan, the operatives would gain employment at the NGOs, befriend Westerners, and lure them "to situations where both the operatives and the Westerners would be kidnapped.

An embassy advisory warned that terrorist actions might include "rocket attacks, suicide operations, assassinations, hijackings, shootings or bombings."

Since the October 9 presidential election, 21 people have been killed in blasts, ambushes and attacks in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's southeastern border areas have borne the brunt of a Taliban-led insurgency for the past two years.

The Taliban ruled most of Afghanistan with a harsh interpretation of Islam for five years until US-led forces drove them out in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks, blamed on the Taliban's guest Osama bin Laden.

Former Taliban diplomat charged with tax fraud
By TOM HAYS Associated Press Writer November 4, 2004, 8:36 PM EST
NEW YORK -- A former envoy for Afghanistan's Taliban leadership was arrested Thursday for allegedly filing false income tax returns.

Noorullah Zadran, once a top spokesman for the Taliban in the United States, was arraigned on four counts of tax fraud in federal court in Manhattan. He was released on $50,000 bond after surrendering his passport.

Prosecutors allege that on tax returns filed from 1998 through 2001 Zadran failed to report his income from his job as first secretary for the U.S. office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

A telephone call to Zadran's attorney was not immediately returned Thursday.

Zadran was dispatched to New York in the late 1990s to lobby for United Nations recognition of the Taliban _ a task complicated by the U.S. attack on the bases of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1998 and his government's subsequent refusal to hand over the terrorist.

In interviews at the time, Zadran described bin Laden as a "guest of our country." The Taliban had assurances from bin Laden "that no act of terror would be initiated from our soil, being that political or military," he added.

Zadran also made no apologies for the Taliban's adherence to a strict form of Islamic law.

"Islam," he said, "is the only unifying factor in Afghanistan."

Taliban Raises Funds From GCC
Middle East Newsline 11/03/2004
ABU DHABI - Three years after the invasion of Afghanistan, Taliban continues to receive funding from U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf.

Islamic sources said Taliban representatives that over the last year have succeeded in raising money in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They said the money has been used to fuel the war against the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan.

The Kuwaiti daily Al Rai Al Aam reported that Taliban leader Mullah Omar toured three Gulf Cooperation Council states over the last two weeks to raise money for his movement. The newspaper quoted sources close to Omar as saying that one of the GCC states was Kuwait and that Taliban raised funds during the current Islamic fast month of Ramadan.

"The envoy moved into the country with the help of his friends who had made all the arrangements for his visit," the newspaper, regarded as close to the Kuwait Defense Ministry, said.

Iceland to recall chief of Kabul peacekeeping force
REYKJAVIK, Nov 3 (AFP) - The head of Iceland's peacekeeping force in Afghanistan will be recalled, the government here said Wednesday amidst charges from opposition parties that it had allowed the force to become militarized.

'It has ... been decided to push up the changing of the Kabul peacekeeper leadership,' Icelandic Foreign Minister David Oddsson told parliament on Wednesday, adding that the peacekeeping force's security would also be overhauled in response to a suicide bomb attack that injured three Icelandic peacekeepers last month.
Peacekeeping chief colonel Halli Sigurdsson has said that he was buying a carpet when the suicide bomb killed an Afghan child and an American women and wounded the three peacekeepers in Kabul on October 23.

Following the attack, which was later claimed by the Taliban, photos and video-footage of the heavily armed Icelanders wearing camouflage uniforms sparked controversy in a country that considers itself one of the world's truly non-military nations. the Nordic country is however a NATO member.

On Wednesday, opposition parties accused Iceland's center-right coalition government of creating an army without parliamentary consent. 'Iceland has no army, so why are we trying to contribute to a military effort? We have earlier contributed to peacekeeping efforts in the Balkans with doctors, nurses, journalists and lawyers. I have to say we that we should stick to what we know how to do, and soldiers we are not,' said Gudmundur Arni Stefansson, a member of parliament with the Social Democratic Alliance.

Other MPs pointed out that not only did the Icelandic peacekeepers carry machine guns and grenades but they were also obviously treated as soldiers by other NATO peacekeepers as well as the Taliban fighters who claimed the October suicide attack.

Oddsson, who reiterated Iceland's intention to continue contributing to NATO's peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, meanwhile insisted that the Icelanders there 'are not soldiers'. He admitted however that if attacked the Icelandic peacekeepers were legally considered part of NATO's Afghanistan force.

'It is not suprising that the Icelandic government tries to demonstrate that the Kabul force does not constitute a military force. Unfortunately the Foreign Minister's arguments are extremely unconvincing,' said Ogmundur Jonasson, parliamentary leader of the Left-Green Party.

AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN: Preparation for Afghan refugee census
ISLAMABAD, 4 November (IRIN) - The Pakistani government has planned a countrywide census of the Afghans living in the country, with the support of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The purpose is to ascertain the exact number of Afghans living in Pakistan since 1979.

"We have almost done the preparatory work like mapping of Afghan hosting areas, and next month - December - is tentatively for the census," Ghulam Dastageer, head of Pakistan's Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees (CAR), told IRIN in the capital, Islamabad, on Wednesday.

The country has been hosting over one million Afghan refugees - still The largest refugee population in the world - for more than two decades. UNHCR has so far assisted 2.28 million Afghans to return home, with 375,000 refugees this year.

The population and census organisation of the country is preparing to conduct the census and registration of Afghans along with the mapping of areas of Afghan settlements.

"The exercise involves different phases - preparatory work has almost been done, and next step is counting, filling up forms, questionnaires and everything else," Dastageer said, adding: "There has been some delays but now we are on it [the census], and we intend to do it next month."

"The census will cover all Afghans here since 1979. It would be mandatory for Afghans and would count the number and composition of the population as well," Jack Redden, a UNHCR spokesman in Islamabad, told IRIN.

The UN refugee agency is discussing the details of the survey procedure with the government, the spokesman said. UNHCR is operating a voluntary repatriation assistance programme for Afghan refugees living in Iran and Pakistan that runs till March 2006.

120,000 Afghans Repatriated During 2004
2004-11-05 07:35:07 Pak News
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan : Nov 05 (SADA) - The number of Afghan refugees going back from Balochistan province to their country under the UNHCR facilitated voluntary repatriation program surpassed 120,000 in the year 2004.

"Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans with what ever limited resources it had. Now that you are voluntarily repatriating to your country we would like you to act as Pakistan's ambassadors and take to your countrymen a message of peace, friendship and harmony from Pakistan to Afghanistan", said Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind while addressing the send off ceremony. Since March 2004 over 375,000 Afghans have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan from all over the country under the UNHCR facilitated voluntary repatriation program.

"The voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan is under a tripartite agreement signed between the Government of Pakistan, our brotherly Islamic country Afghanistan and UNHCR. Pakistan is lending all its support to the voluntary repatriation process under the agreement valid till March 2006. We will also help UNHCR to facilitate in the repatriation of the remaining Afghan refugees from Pakistan with dignity and honour", he said.

He said that the return of more than 2.3 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan in three years time since the start of the program in 2002 also showed the level of the confidence that Afghans had in the current set-up. The Federal Minister hoped that the current pace of development in Afghanistan will continue.

Kwame Boafo, Head of UNHCR Sub-office Quetta, said that since the beginning of the voluntary repatriation programme of Afghan refugees from Balochistan UNHCR had been closely working with the governments of Pakistan and Balochistan.

"We highly appreciate the cooperation and help extended us during this successful operation. Without this help the goal that we have achieved in the last three years would not have been possible" he said.

The Head of UNHCR also informed about the repatriation this year of around 50,000 Afghans from the new Afghan refugee camps of Balochistan which were establish post 9/11. He said that this had enabled the UNHCR and the Government of Pakistan to close four such camps in Chaman along the Pak-Afghan border.

Ms. Zelmira Sinclair, Senior Repatriation Officer UNHCR Quetta, said that voluntary repatriation was free and voluntary return to one's country of origin in safety and dignity being the solution of choice for a vast majority of refugees. "UNHCR's mandate is to provide, in collaboration with other actors, international protection to refugees and to assist them in finding permanent solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and resettlement", she said.

Mohammad Saeed, a representative of the repatriating Afghan refugees, from Ghazni province, thanked the government and people of Pakistan for generously hosting them. "We left our country when there was unrest and war all around, and now we are going back with a hope to start a new life. Afghan refugees have no words to thank the people of Pakistan but we will always remember the hospitality that we received here", he said.

The voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan continues till March 2006 under a tripartite agreement signed between Pakistan, Afghanistan and UNHCR.

Canada offers new lease of life to Afghan refugees in Central Asia
By Jack Redden In Dushanbe
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, Nov 4 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency and the Canadian government have teamed up in programmes that could resettle nearly 2,000 Afghans who had been stranded in Central Asia for years with no hope of returning to their homeland.

Two Canadian immigration officers have just concluded weeks of interviews in Tajikistan that are likely to lead to the resettlement of about 1,000 Afghan refugees. At the same time, UNHCR announced in Turkmenistan that Canada had accepted some 140 refugees interviewed there – 64 Afghans, followed by 47 ethnic Armenians who had fled Azerbaijan and 34 ethnic Turkmen from Iran.

Simultaneously, 511 Afghan refugees accepted by Canada earlier this year from Kyrgyzstan – where the programme was designed and tested – are now arriving in their new home, a few families at a time. And the UNHCR office in Tashkent has arranged for Canadian immigration officials to consider 360 people for interviews starting shortly: all but three were either Afghans stranded because they were students in the former Soviet Union or their families.

While UNHCR's preferred "durable solution" for refugees is a return to their homes, there are often some who cannot return. The only alternative then is integration in the country that provided asylum, or resettlement in a third country.

That last option was the only hope for many of the refugees scattered in the former Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union.

Many Afghan refugees were associated with the government of Najibullah, who was overthrown in 1992, and even a peripheral link with his pro-Soviet regime – such as studying in the former Soviet Union – could still prove fatal to a returnee. And the host countries have been reluctant to grant citizenship to refugees, closing off that solution for most.

"We had problems with both the mujahideen and the Taliban," said Bashir Ahmad Mavlavizoda, whose family has been accepted for resettlement in Canada from Tajikistan and hopes to be leaving early next year. "The mujahideen plays the role of the Taliban and vice versa. They are still there."

Although he and his family were fasting when interviewed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in the view of some of the ex-mujahideen still holding powerful positions in Afghanistan, his interpretation of Islam made him a communist.

Currently nine governments – the United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Denmark and the Netherlands – receive most of the refugees who are annually resettled. Last year, of the nearly 27,000 refugees resettled by UNHCR, 13,987 went to the United States, 4,749 to Canada and 3,935 to Australia.

UNHCR is also working to find other states willing to accept vulnerable people and to strengthen recently introduced programmes in places like Chile, Benin, Burkina Faso, Brazil, Ireland, Iceland and the United Kingdom.

In the case of Canada, its official programme of accepting immigrants from around the world includes an annual quota of up to 7,500 refugees. That prompted UNHCR representatives in Central Asia to invite Canadian officials to interview their Afghan refugee population.

''We identified the need in Central Asia and thought the people would benefit, so said 'Let's try,'" said Brian Casey, head of the immigration section in the Canadian embassy in Moscow that has overseen the programme. "We are dealing with a relatively small population – but just a small movement makes a big impact."

Canadian officials flew in and examined each of the cases compiled by UNHCR offices in the capitals of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Although the acceptance rate was high – more than 80 percent in Kyrgyzstan – some individuals were screened out by joint Canadian-UNHCR analysis because of security concerns or past involvement in the notorious security services.

But the vast majority was just an unfortunate group caught in the shifting politics of an Afghanistan that was falling apart even before the Soviet invasion of 1979. Some were moderates who did not back the communist rulers of the 1980s but refused to support the resistance of the mujahideen guerrillas. Some were merely teachers, journalists or bureaucrats who continued to work through the Najibullah era, earning the undiminished suspicion of the anti-communist forces that eventually triumphed.

Among the most unfortunate were scores of Afghans who had arrived as young orphans when Central Asia was part of the Soviet Union. They have almost no memories of Afghanistan and no family ties, but just being the children of those associated with the Najibullah regime could be enough to condemn them to death.

The numbers to be resettled in Canada are modest when seen in terms of the total Afghan population still outside their borders. Despite more than 2.3 million Afghans repatriating since the fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in late 2001, an estimated million remain in Iran and a million just in the refugee camps of Pakistan – with perhaps double that number of Afghans in the cities of Pakistan.

But the Afghan refugee populations in Central Asia are, in many ways, different from the majority of those in Iran and Pakistan. They tend to be more educated – either before their arrival or because they received better education after reaching asylum. Their claims to refugee status – the fear of persecution if they return to their homeland – are often better documented.

And a resolution of their cases also has a greater effect. Compared to Iran and Pakistan, there were relatively few Afghan refugees in the three Central Asian countries at the start of this programme; around 2,500 in Tajikistan, 2,300 in Uzbekistan, 1,200 in Turkmenistan and 650 in Kyrgyzstan. The resettlement of such a large proportion to Canada raises hopes that a solution is now in sight for all of these Afghan refugees.

Of the remainder, other countries may take some for resettlement. US officials are expected in Turkmenistan later this year and in Tajikistan early in 2005 to interview the dwindling number of refugees there. A few refugees might still decide that conditions inside Afghanistan have improved enough that they can return. And a small, manageable residual number might be accepted as citizens in their countries of asylum since many – such as Afghan Tajiks in Tajikistan and Afghan Turkmen in Turkmenistan – have the same ethnicity as their hosts.

A quarter century after UNHCR began caring for Afghan refugees, hopes are rising for an end to the problem. Increasing stability and economic growth inside Afghanistan have drawn millions of Afghans back from Iran and Pakistan, while cooperation between Canada and UNHCR has demonstrated that there are solutions also for those refugees who cannot go home.

Press briefing by Manoel de Almeida e Silva, UNAMA Spokesman 04 Nov 2004
Source: UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan 4 Nov 2004
TALKING POINTS
One week since UN staff abduction

One week ago today, Shqipe Hebibi, Annetta Flanigan, and Angelito Nayan were abducted here in Kabul.

We are very grateful for the hard work of the Afghan authorities to obtain their release and the United Nations is doing all it can to support these efforts.

The Ministry of Interior has established a hotline with telephones that Afghans can call to provide information on this case.

We continue to be touched by the repeated Afghan demonstrations of solidarity with our colleagues and the United Nations. This support is expressed through simple messages from individuals to statements by political parties, leaders and most notably through the fatwa issued on Tuesday by the Council of Ulemas. The religious scholars condemned the abduction as being anti-Islamic. They noted that Afghanistan is a member of the United Nations and that UN personnel are here to serve the people of Afghanistan. The Council demanded the release of the three UN staff.

These messages are heart-warming. However, we are increasingly worried about Shqipe, Lito and Annetta. It is seven days since they have been taken and, given the extreme harsh conditions, we have serious concerns for their health. The psychological pressure must be tremendous not knowing what will happen from one day to the next, away from their friends and families. We ask those holding them to release them immediately and unharmed.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank you journalists once again for your understanding of the fact that while our colleagues are away I am not in a position to offer comments on any aspects related to the investigation into this abduction.

Kofi Annan congratulates President Karzai

The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement by the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) certifying the results of the 9 October Presidential election in Afghanistan. The Secretary-General has noted that the JEMB, after considering the results of the counting, the report of the Impartial Panel of International Electoral Experts, and the work of their own complaints and investigations mechanism, declared that President Hamid Karzai, having secured 55.4 per cent of the vote, is the first elected President of Afghanistan.

The Secretary-General takes this opportunity to extend to President Karzai his sincere congratulations and wishes him well as he addresses the challenges that still remain in Afghanistan's path to lasting peace, stability and economic recovery.

The Secretary-General wishes to pay tribute to all Presidential candidates and their supporters for their important role in the democratic process. He also applauds the very active participation of party and candidate agents and domestic and international observers who played an integral role in this first exercise of democratic elections.

The Secretary-General congratulates the people and the Government of Afghanistan, as well as the JEMB, for having conducted a successful and credible election under such difficult circumstances.

The Secretary-General is gratified that the United Nations, especially UNAMA, played a significant role in the conduct of a peaceful and credible electoral process. He wishes to assure the new Government that it can rely on the assistance of the United Nations to provide continuing support as the political process progresses to consolidate peaceful and secure conditions in Afghanistan.

Electoral expert panel presents final report

Shortly before the JEMB issued its declaration verifying the presidential election and confirming the election of Hamid Karzai as President, the Impartial Panel of Electoral Experts presented their final report. They concluded that "this was a commendable election, particularly given the very challenging circumstances. There were shortcomings, many of which were raised by the candidates themselves. These problems deserved to be considered, to ensure the will of the voters was properly reflected, and to help shape improvements for future elections. But they could not have materially affected the overall result."

The full text of their report is available at the UNAMA website, which you can find at the following address: www.unama-afg.org. The Dari and Pashto versions will be posted shortly. They are currently under revision. For those of you who picked up a Dari copy yesterday, I would like to bring to your attention the fact there are a few mistakes that are in the process of being reviewed for a final version to be issued.

Teacher training a big part of DDR process

To support the education of the next generation of Afghans, Afghanistan's New Beginnings Programme (ANBP) started teacher training on Tuesday (November 2) for former officers of the Afghan Military Forces (AMF) who have joined the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programme. The officers started their first training course at the Teacher Training Institute in Kabul and will eventually be placed as teachers in schools throughout Afghanistan.

ANBP and the Afghan government are using the project to address the severe shortage of teachers throughout Afghanistan. There are slots for up to 600 qualified officers. As a joint project, former soldiers who have joined the DDR programme and have opted for vocational training in carpentry are building the desks used for the teacher-training courses.

So far 22,135 members of the Afghan Military Forces (AMF) have been disarmed. Some 20,440 have entered reintegration programmes.

3,500 heavy weapons collected to date

More than 3,500 working or repairable heavy weapons, including tanks, rockets, anti-aircraft guns and armoured personnel carriers, have been cantoned and secured throughout Afghanistan. This figure represents about 80 percent of the surveyed or known heavy weapons in the country.

DDR Vehicle Loaded With Weapons Explodes in Ghor Province

A vehicle loaded with ammunition collected from the DDR programme exploded in Chaghcharan (Ghor Province) on Sunday October 31st. The vehicle, which was making its way to a demolition center in Heart, became overheated and caused the ammunition to detonate.

As a result of the explosion two people suffered non-life threatening injuries and 26 small shops were destroyed (18 were completely destroyed, 8 received 80% damage). As well 16 bicycles and 6 motorcycles were damaged beyond repair.

On November 1st an initial assessment was undertaken to assess the scale of the damage. The meeting was attended by the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), World Vision, World Food Programme (WFP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNICEF, UNHCR, and UNAMA.

ARCS and WFP have donated food items to the affected families whose shops were destroyed. Other agencies, pending the result of a comprehensive damage assessment, will be determining the assistance needed to be provided.

Awareness-raising children rights workshop wraps up in Kunduz

Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) finished conducting a child rights workshop yesterday (Wednesday November 3). Ten students from nine different schools in Kunduz, between the ages of 9 and 17, along with their ten teachers participated in the three-day workshop. The aim was to raise awareness regarding the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The participants now have sufficient knowledge and skills to disseminate what they learned to other groups. The workshop is the first in a series planned for the northeastern region.

138 families find relief following devastating avalanche

A few briefings ago we told you about an avalanche that happened in Zebak (Badakhshan) on October 20th, that resulted in crops being damaged and farm animals being killed. All 138 families who were affected received assistance on Monday November 1.

Radio station opens in remote Central Highlands

We welcome a new radio station in Day Kundi. The name of the station is Radio Nili Day Kundi. Broadcasting on 88.5 FM, it can be heard for 10 hours every day. Four trained radio personnel work at the station including a female announcer.

The project, which was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is part of the Internews network of stations, now brings the total number of radio stations in Afghanistan to 42 (17 government and 25 non-government).

Results of Afghanistan Opium Survey 2004 postponed until further notice

Finally I would like to inform you that the launch of the "Afghanistan Opium Survey 2004" that we told you would be happening in Brussels, Vienna, New York and Kabul today has been postponed. Once a new date is determined we will make sure to let you know.

Questions & Answers

Question: What happens to the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) now that the election is over? Will they be involved with the Parliamentary elections as well?

Spokesman: With us today is the Vice-Chairman of the JEMB, Ray Kennedy who will be able to answer the question.

Ray Kennedy, Vice-Chairman of the JEMB: The JEMB is in fact meeting right now, I'm absent from the meeting to be here to answer whatever questions came up. We have a few things to take care of. One of the things for example is there were two candidates who surpassed the fifteen percentage point threshold for the return of their deposits. We have to write cheques to Mr. Qanooni and to Mr. Karzai to return their deposits. We are also going to be discussing further the recommendations from the Expert Panel as well as our own impressions of the electoral process in preparation for the elections next year and thanking our staff for the work that they did over the last year and so forth. So we are still busy and we are still working.

India Sanctions US$77 MLN for Dam Construction in Afghanistan
Friday November 5, 10:01 AM Asia Pulse
NEW DELHI, Nov 5 Asia Pulse - The government has sanctioned Rs 3.51 billion (US$77.8 million) for the reconstruction and completion of a dam in in the Herat province of Afghanistan.

The proposal for the dam, to be constructed within two years, was approved at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

After the feasilblity test and project assessment, the Indian government has assigned the task of execution of the Salma Dam Project to Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Ltd (WAPCOS), an official release said here.

The plant will generate 42 MW of power, besides generating employment and meeting the basic needs of electricty and water. This will enable overall development of the region and enhance credibility of the multi-ethnic government led by President Karzai, it added.

On a request from the Afghan government to India earlier, Ministry of External Affairs had assigned the task of pre-feasiblity and detailed assessment of the dam to the state-owned WAPCOS.

The government of the war-torn region had also asked India to consider funding and executing the project in the Herat province of Afghanistan.

FBI Official rushes from Islamabad to New Delhi
Indians Put Security Forces on Red Alert After Ben Laden Sighting in Laddakh - By Arun Rajnath
NEW DELHI, October 25: Fugitive Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been spotted in the Tibet-Laddakh region, close to the North-Eastern tip of Pakistan, bordering India and China, Indian and US officials believe.

A high-ranking official of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) flew from Islamabad on Sunday to meet top Indian officials here in Delhi after reports of Bin Laden’s presence in the region.

According to sources, following the meeting between Indian security bosses and the FBI, the New Delhi Government has put its security forces in the North Western region, specially the Kashmir Valley, on 'red alert.'

Vigilance on the Kargil-Leh Highway and area along the Tibetan border has also been increased. Security forces are likely to undertake combing operations in the Laddakh region before the start of snowfall.

These sources in the Indian Home Ministry told this correspondent that intelligence agencies had received information that Bin Laden has been spotted traveling. Some such reports were also published in a section of the Pakistan media.

Sources say the FBI official flew into Delhi from Pakistan to hold talks with Indian officials in New Delhi. At their meeting, chiefs of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), intelligence units of the Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Indian Army officers were present.

Indian officials believe Bin Laden may have reached Laddakh from the Pak administrated Kashmir where they think he may have been helped by some Jihadi or even sympathetic elements in the Pakistani forces.

Officials are also expressing concern over increased activity of foreign nationals along the LoC. Though there are no concrete reports on Pak Army’s support to these foreign nationals, Indian Home Ministry officials feel that some supporters in the ISI may be providing help. An ISI official, Ejaz Khan, has already been identified by the Indian security agencies for helping militants to cross over into the Indian territory.

Officials working with different security agencies said though the border fence along the LoC, which was expected to be completed this year, had raised hurdles for the infiltrators, militants manage to sneak into the Indian territory from across Poonch and Rajauri.

Meanwhile, five additional battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) have been called in to fortify all spots of tourist interest besides camps and bases of the Army. Multi-tier anti-infiltration arrangements have been made. The ITBP has also been put on full alert.

Security officials feel the militants have once again succeeded in scaring away outsiders from the Valley, and foreign nationals’ presence on the other side of Kashmir could aim at fortifying the bases of militants to facilitate them to launch fresh attacks on army establishments and other sensitive targets.

Sources in the Home Ministry say Indian Border Security Force deployed in the Valley had intercepted Jihadi leader Syed Salahuddin’s message and a speech a few days back which revealed that various militant outfits were gearing up to launch major attacks before the snow starts falling. They have also been directed to intensify their activities in Jammu region, Doda, Bhadrawah and Kishtwar.

Sources told this correspondent that Salahuddin’s speeches were being transmitted on wireless sets available with the militants. This information was immediately passed on to all concerned to make pre-emptive arrangements.

The length of taped speeches transmitted on wireless is said to be 10-15 minutes, and these broadcasts were being repeated several times a day. Militants keep changing the frequencies to dodge Indian army interceptors.

The message called for carrying out attacks on security causes as well as soft civilian targets hampering economic activity and tourism in Kashmir.

US firm to set up facility for Afghan cargo
November 4, 2004 Daily Times - Pakistan
KARACHI: A US shipping company is willing to set up an exclusive private area near Karachi for handling and storage of all type of cargo especially destined to Afghanistan. This was stated by Arval D Headrick, chief executive M/s Transoceanic Shipping Co. USA during a meeting with Mian Abrar Ahmed, acting president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) CEO Z-Tech Inc Kuwait Zafar Ali also accompanied him.

According to KCCI announcement here Wednesday, Transoceanic Shipping will take care of all responsibilities and formalities for the safe and secured transportation of cargo to Afghanistan.

Mr Ahmed said that the chamber will support establishment of bonded area for Afghan transit trade near Karachi.

Appreciating the proposal, he said that such a facility to neighboring land-locked country will greatly facilitate Afghan businessmen as well as foreign companies which are working on different project in Afghanistan. —Staff Report

Disputed Tribal Areas Hit Pak-Afghan Relations
Muhammad Khurshid 2003-03-21 06:34:28 Pakistan News Service
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Mar 21 (PNS) - Differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan have reportedly cropped again ahead of Afghan transitional president Hamid Karzai’s visit to Pakistan, who is scheduled to arrive here on March 22, as the Afghan government has sent delegation to the tribal areas a few days ago, being claimed by both the neighbouring countries as part of their territories, for securing allegiance of important tribal leaders.

A knowledgeable source revealed on Thursday that a high-powered Afghan delegation led by Afghan minister visited Khwazai area of Mohmand Agency a few days ago for talks with important tribal elders.

He said that Afghanistan had claim over some of the tribal areas and that’s the reason Afghanistan till the invasion of Russian forces in 1979 used to pay a handsome amount to the tribal leaders for keeping their allegiance. “Even in Najib era the tribal leaders used to receive Majib (money) from the Afghan government,” he added.

The source informed that the Afghan government had also allocated special seats for the people of the Pakistani tribal areas in the historic Loya Jirga in which the transitional government was formed.

It is to be mentioned here that Afghan security officials some days ago stormed a border check-post and asked the khassadar force of Pakistan to vacate immediately. Both the political authorities of Mohmand Agency and other high officials kept mum over the issue.

Despite several attempts no response has been received from the political administration about the reported visit of the Afghan delegation led by the minister for tribal affairs to the Khwazai area.

The source said that the Afghan transitional government had stepped up its efforts to establish contacts with the prominent tribal leaders after reports that most of the Taliban and al-Qaeda fugitives had taken refuge there. There are also reports that the United States had sought permission from Pakistan for operation against the al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives, who it (US) believed, have taken refuge in the FATA.

It is not yet clear whether the government had granted permission for such operations to the US forces.

It is learnt that the Afghan president would hold talks with NWFP governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah during his short visit to NWFP and it is likely he might raise this issue with him as the governor had directly been controlling the Pakistan’s tribal areas.