Afghanistan News December 21, 2005

December 21, 2005

Karzai opponent named head of Afghan lower house
By Sayed Salahuddin
KABUL (Reuters) - Self-styled Afghan opposition leader Yunus Qanuni was elected president of the lower house of parliament on Wednesday, narrowly beating a former factional leader allied to President Hamid Karzai.

Qanuni, an ethnic Tajik who came a distant second to Karzai in presidential elections last year, was chosen to lead the 249-seat lower house of parliament with 122 votes against 117 for his closest challenger, Abdul Rabb Rasoul Sayyaf.

"Mr Qanuni has got the majority of votes and we congratulate him on his victory," said the interim president of the house, Habibullah Ramin, in announcing the result.

The assembly was inaugurated on Monday as part of Afghanistan's first elected parliament in more than 30 years, the culmination of a U.N.-backed plan to bring democracy launched after the Taliban's overthrow in 2001.

Sibghatullah Mojadidi, president of the first mujahideen (holy warrior) government of the early 1990s and a close ally of Karzai, was picked to head the 102-seat upper house on Tuesday.

Qanuni's election and the fact Sayyaf came a close second, will be a disappointment to human rights groups, who have accused both of links to rights abuses.

Rights groups and poll observers say the September elections that led to the formation of the parliament were marred by fraud and resulted in assemblies dominated by warlords and their proxies.

Tuesday's first full session of the lower house saw emotional exchanges between rights activists and former factional commanders from Afghanistan's long civil war.

CRITIC SHOUTED DOWN
Woman MP Malalai Joya, an outspoken critic of former warlords who secured assembly seats and has vowed to take them on, was shouted down when she tried to read a statement in that session.

On Monday, Qanuni dismissed concerns about warlords, saying the term was outmoded and the popular vote should be respected, a comment that appeared to underline fears that some MPs would try to block bids to bring war criminals to justice.

Three women's rights activists had stood in the contest to lead the house, but garnered only a small number of votes between them in the first round of voting.

Qanuni is from the Panjsher Valley, the heart of opposition to Soviet occupation in the 1980s and Taliban rule in the 1990s.

He was a senior leader of the Northern Alliance that helped U.S.-led forces topple the Taliban in 2001 and became interior minister in Karzai's interim government.

Relations cooled when Karzai demoted him to education minister in 2002 and he resigned after announcing his candidature for the presidential election in October last year.

Qanuni has tried to form an opposition bloc called the Understanding Front and warned before the election that he might not support all of Karzai's cabinet choices, which have to be endorsed by parliament.

Analysts say Karzai appears to have enough support in parliament to avoid major problems, but could face difficulties with appointments given disappointment at his administration's failure to improve people's lives and carry out crucial reforms.

Officials said on Monday Karzai was considering reshuffling his cabinet and shrinking its size from 27 ministries.

Afghan attack targets Nato troops
Tuesday, 20 December 2005 BBC News
Three Italian peacekeepers have been slightly injured in an apparent suicide attack in the western Afghan city of Herat, police and Nato officials say.

The three members of the Nato-led peacekeeping force were travelling into Herat from the airport when a car drew up alongside their vehicle and blew up.

Officials say at least one man who was in the car died.

A man claiming to be a spokesman for the ousted Taleban movement said its members had carried out the attack.

Nato officials said the three Italians had been injured by flying glass in the blast.

"There was a vehicle that pulled up alongside and blew up next to one of our vehicles," International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) spokesman Andy Elmes told AFP news agency.

"Three Italian soldiers working with Isaf have been lightly injured."

Reports say there were civilians in the area at the time, but it is not known if there are casualties.

The attack is the latest in a string of recent suicide attacks targeting Nato peace-keeping forces in Kabul and Kandahar.

Analysts say it is a deliberate strategic move by the Taleban to try to frighten off European countries from becoming part of future Nato forces in Afghanistan.

More troops

Earlier this month, Nato foreign ministers endorsed a plan to expand the alliance's role in Afghanistan, making it the biggest operation outside Europe.

It will involve deploying 6,000 more troops in the south of the country, a third of them expected to be British.

The south and east have been the scene of intense violence which has this year left more than 1,400 dead in Afghanistan, the deadliest year since US-led forces ousted the Taleban in 2001.

Afghan rights groups says US must come clean about 'secret prisons'
KABUL (AFP) - Afghanistan's main rights group has demanded the United States come clean about reported secret detention centres in the country while an Afghan official played down the existence of such facilities.

New York-based Human Rights Watch, citing inmates as sources, said in a report this week that the United States operated a secret prison near the capital Kabul where detainees were abused and tortured as recently as 2004.

The watchdog's Asia research director Sam Zarifi told AFP at the weekend that US forces were indefinitely detaining and mistreating people without charge at various undisclosed bases around the country.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked about the allegations at a media briefing in Kabul Wednesday with President Hamid Karzai, who, after translating the question for him, said: "I am sure you don't have them, say you don't have them."

"If I had, then they would be secret," Rumsfeld replied on Wednesday.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said the allegations were credible and shocking.

"The revelation of secret detention centres is very shocking and concerning," commissioner and spokesman Nader Nadery said.

"We demand the Afghan government and US-led coalition force make public the name and locations of these detention facilities," he said.

Nadery said the commission had not received complaints from released inmates about abuse in detention facilities but had been told by some prisoners that they had been held in places outside of known US bases.

"Some prisoners released from US detention said that they were held in places which were not in the known US fire bases in the provinces," he said. He would not give further details.

A high-ranking Afghan intelligence official however cast doubt on the existence of secret detention facilities.

"I don't think that the United States -- the coalition or the CIA -- are running such facilities," he said on condition of anonymity. "The CIA only gathers information and when they detain suspects, they hand them over to us for questioning."

The US military in Afghanistan could not comment.

Human Rights Watch said its attorneys had been told by eight detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba that they were held at a site near Kabul which they called "Dark Prison."

They said they were chained to walls, deprived of food and drinking water, and kept in darkness with loud rap, heavy metal music, or other sounds blared for weeks at a time.

Since toppling the Taliban in late 2001, the United States has run an anti-insurgency operation in Afghanistan involving some 19,000 troops.

Rumsfeld orders 3,000 troops cut from Afghanistan next year: report
12/20/05
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has signed an order to reduce US troop levels in Afghanistan from 19,000 to 16,000 by next spring.

The troop cut is the result of NATO's decision to expand its peacekeeping force in southern Afghanistan next year, said the New York Times, quoting a senior military officer.

The order Rumsfeld signed on Monday will reduce from 4,000 to 1,300 troops the portion of the Army's Fourth Brigade that was scheduled to replace the 173rd Airborne Brigade in southern Afghanistan, a Pentagon spokesman said.

The reduction will bring down the number of US troops in Afghanistan to 16,000 by the end of March, said the senior military officer, who requested anonymity because the order had not been made public.

The decision, Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita said, was based on recommendations from the senior US commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, and General John Abizaid, the overall US commander in the Middle East and Central Asia.

"The overall level of security forces in the country, NATO's role and the political developments are all moving in the right direction," Di Rita said in an interview.

A formal announcement on the troop cuts was expected later Tuesday, the daily said.

More Turkish Troops to Go to Afghanistan
By Suleyman Kurt Zaman Online, Turkey Tuesday, December 20, 2005
The issue of sending more Turkish troops to Afghanistan came to the agenda during a one day visit North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer made to Ankara Monday.

Turkey warmly approached the demand of deploying more troops in Afghanistan as part of new NATO undertakings to take place in this country next year. He met the expectations regarding the issue of the terrorist organization Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) confirming, “Without a doubt the PKK is a terrorist organization.”

Scheffer met Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss the fight against terrorism, Cyprus, and the developments in Afghanistan.

In the talks, the situation of the “teams of restructuring provinces” in Afghanistan also came to the agenda.

Accordingly, Turkey will establish a team in the region, the location of which will be determined at a later date. NATO will need more troops to protect the restructuring teams in five provinces around the capital Kabul.

Scheffer said he would be pleased if Turkey were to establish a Restructuring Progress Team. Minister Gul communicated Turkey’s affirmative view on a comprehensive United Nations backed solution to the Cyprus problem.

Scheffer also looked warmly at the Turkish theses on Cyprus. “I understand your attitude. It takes two to tango.”

Scheffer pointed out the solution cannot be solved only in Ankara, and this situation is of interest to Brussels and the Greek Cypriot Administration as well.

In the talks, Ankara asked NATO’s attitude towards the terrorist organization the PKK as struggle against terrorism continues. In an appendix issued by NATO in 2003, the PKK is cited as “a terrorist organization,” and updating this document is on the agenda. Scheffer yesterday responded in a gratifying way: “There is no doubt in my and our allies’ minds that the PKK is a terror network. The PKK is on the terrorist organizations list of NATO, the EU and the US, too.” The conference given by Scheffer at Bilkent University in Ankara was protested by members of the press who were asked to leave the place that had been assigned to them.

In another part of Ankara and for a similar reason, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie conducted contacts in the Turkish capital and suggested a joint responsibility with Turkey be undertaken in the frame of the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Un Favours Afghan Govt's Control Over Aid Spending
Wednesday December 21, 8:12 AM
KABUL, Dec 21 Asia Pulse - The United Nations is planning to allow maximum authority to the Afghan government over the spending of international assistance in future.
This was stated by the UN Under-Secretary for Peacekeeping Operations Jean Marie Guehnno while speaking at a news conference here on Tuesday. He asked the Afghan government to enable itself to keep full control over the spending of the international assistance.

He said the government's full control over the budget in the centre and provinces would ensure the spending of international assistance in useful purposes. He said it was a gradual process and would require some time.

Referring to the upcoming London Conference on Afghanistan, the UN official said it was of great importance for the future of the country. "We are in close contact with the Afghan government and the international community to search ways and means for more progress of Afghanistan during the next five years."

Describing the first session of the Afghan parliament as a great success, Mr Guehnno said the country had achieved the goal after a long struggle. He added he had come to attend the session as envoy of the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. He reiterated UN's continuous support for Afghanistan in achieving stability and lasting peace.

The London Conference, scheduled to be held in mid-January next year, is expected to be attended by 72 countries, which will deliberate on whether the international assistance should be spent through the government or foreign NGOs.

According to officials, presently Afghan government was spending only 22 per cent of the foreign assistance while the rest of 78 per cent is being spent through non-governmental organisations.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

U.S. to Remain Committed to Afghanistan
By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday the coming reduction in U.S. troop levels should have no harmful effect on     Afghanistan's security.

"The United States has assured us of continued support and assistance on all matters," Karzai said at a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Rumsfeld, who flew here from Pakistan where he toured U.S. humanitarian assistance to earthquake victims, told reporters the United States is not going to abandon Afghanistan....

"We certainly remain committed to our long-term relationship," Rumsfeld said.

Turning toward Karzai, he said that commitment includes helping run down the remaining Taliban and al-Qaida fighters that are still "causing difficulties for your country."

Asked about the     Pentagon's announcement Tuesday that U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan will be reduced from about 19,000 to about 16,000 next year, Karzai said this was a matter for the United States to decide.

"I don't think it will have an effect on the ground," he said.

On his way to Chaklala Air Base in Pakistan, Rumsfeld told reporters it appears unlikely that     Osama bin Laden, if still alive, is in full command of the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Rumsfeld said the U.S. government does not know bin Laden's whereabouts but it's a "reasonable assumption" that the Saudi exile is in the remote area along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Rumsfeld flew to Pakistan on Tuesday for an unannounced visit to the areas hardest hit by the Oct. 8 earthquake that killed an estimated 87,000 people, forced at least 3 million from their homes and triggered the deployment of hundreds of U.S. troops to provide medical, logistical and other assistance.

Vice President     Dick Cheney also visited Pakistan this week.

In an interview aboard an Air Force C-32 flight from Washington, Rumsfeld said he does not know where bin Laden is, or even whether he's still alive. But a good guess is that he's hiding along the border.

"It's a reasonable assumption, if you don't know where he is, but if you want to guess, he has in the past operated in those areas," Rumsfeld said.

Speaking earlier in Washington before he departed for Pakistan, Rumsfeld said a reduction in the size of the U.S. military force in Afghanistan — from about 19,000 to about 16,000 — would not diminish the hunt for bin Laden and other terrorists in the area along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Rumsfeld told reporters he wanted to visit Pakistan to see the humanitarian relief operations and to demonstrate U.S. support for Pakistan and its recovery efforts. He added that he found it interesting that bin Laden has not been heard from publicly in nearly a year.

"I don't know what it means," Rumsfeld said. "I suspect that in any event, if he's alive and functioning that he's probably spending a major fraction of his time trying to avoid getting caught. I have trouble believing that he's able to operate sufficiently to be in a position of major command over a worldwide al-Qaida operation, but I could be wrong. We just don't know."

U.S. military aircraft have dropped millions of pounds of relief supplies to the areas hardest hit by the Oct. 8 quake. The U.N. humanitarian chief, Jan Egeland, said last week that there were hundreds of thousands of lives at stake as winter weather descends on northwestern Pakistan and the disputed     Kashmir region.

Many uprooted survivors of the quake have been living in hundreds of spontaneous and organized refugee camps, many at elevations above 5,000 feet.

The U.S. military has about 850 people assisting, including air crews, the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, the 3rd Medical Battalion, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 and others.

At Qasim Air Base, where U.S. forces maintain helicopters used in disaster relief flights, Navy Rear Adm. Michael LeFever, the senior U.S. commander of the humanitarian mission, told reporters Wednesday that the presence of American troops in Pakistan had helped change perceptions of Westerners in the area.

"We've become a symbol of hope and relief," he said.

LeFever mentioned that one of the popular toys for children in the area now was a model of a Chinook helicopter. People have come to associate American choppers with relief, he added.

Renovation completed for new bank branch in Kabul
COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN Dec. 20, 2005 US Army Sgt. Phillip Chang 117th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
KABUL , Afghanistan – A dedication ceremony was held Dec. 18 for the completion of a new branch of Da Afghanistan Bank here. This is the third bank to be renovated by Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan through the Commander’s Emergency Response Program.

The $69,000-plus project will help to support the Individual Salary Payment program, which provides secure facilities needed for conducting financial actions between the government and its citizens, said Army Lt. Col. Jack K. Trowbridge, team chief for the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan .

“This renovation will help support the ISP program, supporting fair, accurate and direct payment to the government employees of Afghanistan ,” said Trowbridge during a speech at the ceremony.

“These banks will increase the availability of this program to over 40,000 additional employees and provide a vision of the success that comes from the excellent relationship and cooperation between the Coalition and the Afghan people,” he added.

Noorullah Delawari, Governor of Da Afghanistan Bank, noted “With this new branch that is situated in the middle of the city, we can better serve the government employees.”

“Afghan people will be receiving their salaries and benefits through this facility for many years to come,” said Delawari.

Afghanistan's parliament finds the cupboard bare
Financial Times-London By Rachel Morarjee in Kabul December 19 2005
The insistent sound of saws and hammers pervades the ruined landscape of western Kabul as workers put the finishing touches to Afghanistan's temporary parliament building, where the country's first legislature since 1969 will convene today.

This last-minute dash to finish the parliament's interim home reflects a continued delay in an Indian project to renovate the bombed out remains of Darulaman palace - planned as the permanent parliament headquarters - whichwill not be finished for another three years.

But Afghanistan's fledgling democracy has to contend with wider problems.

After spending more than $160m (€133m, £90m) on helping the country to hold the September parliamentary elections, the international community has little left to fund the day-to-day workings of the legislature.

So the 249 elected members of the lower house and 102 senators will be housed in a temporary facility with no office space, no personal staff and a salary of around $1,000 a month - an amount that does not cover rent, transport or telephone bills in the capital, where international aid dollars have driven prices sky high.

Low wages for parliamentarians mean that those with independent sources of wealth - principally drug kingpins and warlords running rackets with their own henchmen - will be in a position to wield power by buying votes, diplomats say.

Another challenge will be the safety of parliamentarians in an atmosphere of rising violence. A car bomb apparently targeting Nato peacekeepers exploded 1km from the interim parliament building in a suicide attack yesterday, killing the bomber and wounding two passers-by.

Much has been made of the fact that 27 per cent of Afghanistan's legislature consists of women - the 20th highest parliamentary representation of women in the world. But lack of resources will weaken their voices.

"It makes it difficult for women from the provinces to build political strength, when they can't afford anywhere to live," says Shukria Barekzai, a 33-year-old MP and journalist on the weekly Woman Mirror newspaper who is running against Mujahideen heavyweights for parliamentary speaker.

Whoever wins the position of speaker will be able to set the tone of the parliament. Ms Barekzai is a dark horse candidate - the favourites for the post are architects of Afghanistan's civil war, many of whom have been accused of serious human rights abuses.

Burhanuddin Rabbani is widely seen as the frontrunner, despite being seen by many Afghans as having started the civil war when he refused to step down as president in 1992. Other contenders include Mohammad Mohaqeq and Abdul Rasoul Sayyaf, both warlords accused of rights violations.

It is likely that Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, will have to cut deals with such figures to drive forward reform, because a clear-cut majority in the parliament is not immediately apparent, diplomats say.

"Past allegiances are no indication of whether people will back Mr Karzai now. It is very fluid and you can't tell what kind of chemical reactions will take place to prompt coalitions," says a western diplomat in Kabul.

The parliament will be fragmented along ethnic lines, with wide divisions between urbane foreign-educated city dwellers and barely literate strongmen from the rural areas.

Female gym instructors from western Afghanistan will sit in the same chamber as former Taliban clerics, but Mr Karzai will have to appeal to all groups.

Four years after US-led forces defeated the Taliban, the Afghan president is under increasing pressure to deliver economic growth and push forward reconstruction.

Even in Kabul, most residents get only four hours of electricity every third day, and the bulk of economic activity in the country continues to depend on illicit drugs. A Taliban insurgency in the south and east has further alienated people in the majority Pashtun areas, where violence has stalled reconstruction.

There are signs of hope, with some former fighters swapping bullets for ballots. Mullah Abdul Salam, for example, known as Rocketi for his prowess with a rocket-launcher, is a former Taliban commander elected as the representative for Zabul.

Afghan Daily Report
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty [ 20 December 2005 ]
Interim Afghan Parliamentary Leaders Appointed...
The director of Afghanistan's National Assembly secretariat, Azizullah Ludin, announced the interim leaders of the National Assembly on 19 December, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. Qazi Habibullah Ramin was named the interim speaker of the People's Council (Wolesi Jirga) and Gharghashta Katawazi was chosen as his deputy. Wali Jan Saberi was selected as the provisional secretary of the People's Council. In the Council of Elders (Meshrano Jirga), Mohammad Isa Shinwari was nominated as the interim speaker. The interim appointments will be terminated once both houses elect their own officials. The National Assembly convened in Kabul for the first time on 19 December (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 December 2005). AT

...As Outspoken Delegate Attacks 'Warlords' In Parliament

Speaking at a news conference after the National Assembly was inaugurated in Kabul on 19 December, Malalai Joya, a female representative from Farah Province in western Afghanistan, offered her "condolences to the people...for the presence of warlords, drug lords, and criminals," in the parliament, "The New York Times," reported on 19 December. Afghanistan's people "are like broken-winged pigeons caught in the claws of blood-sucking bats after being released from the Taliban cage," Joya said, adding that "most of these bats are in the parliament," AFP reported on 19 December. As a delegate to the Constitutional Loya Jirga in 2003, Joya objected to the presence of former mujahedin leaders in the assembly, calling them "criminals." That comment led to her expulsion from the meeting (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 December 2003). AT

Afghan Journalists Not Allowed To Parliament Convening

More than 100 Afghan and foreign journalists protested in Kabul on 19 December after being barred from covering the inaugural session of the National Assembly, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. Journalists were put in a separate room and not allowed to cover the ceremonies. "Security officials were not courteous when democracy took its first steps in a country that witnessed its first parliamentary meeting in more than three decades," journalist Mostafa Basharat said. Only a handful of foreign reporters were allowed to cover the inaugural ceremonies. AT

U.S. Vice President Says U.S. Committed To Afghanistan

Speaking to U.S. troops based at Bagram air base north of Kabul on 19 December, Vice President Dick Cheney said that Washington remains "firmly committed to the safety of the Afghan people, to the success of its democracy, and to lasting peace and stability in the region," the American Forces Press Service reported. Calling the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan part of the "battle for the future of civilization," Cheney said that the United States and its allies are going to win this battle. Cheney was in Kabul to participate in the inaugural ceremonies of the Afghan National Assembly (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 December 2005). AT

Spanish Prime Minister Makes Surprise Visit To Western Afghanistan

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero visited Herat Province on 19 December to pay tribute to 17 Spanish servicemen who died there in August when their helicopter crashed, Madrid's RNE Radio 1 reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 August 2005). Spanish Defense Minister Jose Bono and Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos accompanied Zapatero in the surprise trip to Herat, EFE news agency reported on 19 December. As part of his visit, Zapatero met with Spanish troops deployed in neighboring Badghis Province, Sada-ye Jawan Radio reported on 19 December. Spain currently has around 500 troops serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. AT

Afghanistan: Female Lawmakers Taking Their Rightful Place In Politics
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 20.12.2005 - 12:36
During their campaigns, they endured intimidation, threats of physical violence, and restrictions tied to Afghanistan's conservative traditions. But they persevered. And now dozens of female deputies have taken their seats in the upper and lower houses of Afghanistan's new parliament.

Kabul, 20 December 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Shukria Barkzai called it a "momentous day."

Barkzai is one of 68 women elected to seats in the lower house of Afghanistan's new parliament, where she is also a candidate for speaker. The parliament is also the first in Afghanistan since 1973.

Barkzai described her feelings during the opening session of parliament yesterday, in an interview with RFE/RL's Afghan Service.

"The atmosphere was beautiful, very calm, full of emotions and love," she said. "I think if our previous leaders once again attempt to divide people under the names of languages, regions, and clans, I am 100 percent sure that the current atmosphere in parliament will continue forever."

Twenty-five percent of the seats in the 249-seat Wolesi Jirga, or National Assembly, were reserved for women. Seventeen women will also sit in the upper house.

Barkzai said she hopes the new parliament will set an example for the whole country: "We should make good laws for Afghanistan, and we should be strong observers of the law for this country. We should respect new ideas. We should catch some people who don't believe in democracy, but now they've joined this new process. We should teach them [what] democracy is, and I hope this parliament will be a successful parliament for the future of this country."

Malalai Joya represents the western province of Farah in the lower house. Joya is one of the most outspoken critics of the makeup of the new parliament, whose members include warlords, militia commanders, and former Taliban officials. Many of the new legislators also lack political experience.

"I'll try to introduce legislation that will protect the rights of the oppressed people and safeguard women's rights," Joya said. "Those who came here under the name of democracy shouldn't be given the chance to continue their crimes under the slogan of democracy. Which means first, I represent my people here, and secondly, I will also continue my struggle against warlords, no matter what party or sex they belong to. I'll continue my struggle, especially against those parties who destroyed our country. As I am representing my people, I have big hopes."

Joya says she won't discriminate between male and female members of parliament, but says that those who committed human rights abuses and other crimes in Afghanistan's violent past should not be treated equally.

During September's parliamentary vote, Afghans also elected provincial councils, which then appointed two-thirds of the members of the 102-seat upper house. Afghan President Hamid Karzai selected who would fill the remaining seats.

Joya believes Karzai compromised too much in his choices. "Unfortunately, we see there are some selected members of the upper house with blood on their hands," she said. "That is useless, and they present a threat to the people of Afghanistan. The government should not trust those who have failed the people once. Instead, the government should have selected people with qualifications in legislation and those who have not committed any crimes. Many people are worried and concerned of Karzai's decision to take such action."

Reuters quotes Mohammad Yunos Qanooni, a former factional official whose forces have been accused of abuses, as saying the term "warlord" is outdated. Abd al-Rab al-Rasul Sayyaf, a powerful former commander who has been accused of war crimes by the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, says the new parliament "represents the reality of Afghanistan."