Afghanistan News December 7, 2005

December 7, 2005

22 Taliban killed, five US-led troops hurt in Afghan fighting
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) - Fierce fighting between Taliban rebels and US and Afghan troops has left 22 suspected militants dead and five US-led coalition troops wounded, the US military said.

Thirteen rebels died on Sunday when Afghan and coalition forces attacked an "enemy" cell in a small village north of the southern city of Kandahar, which had carried out a number of roadside bomb attacks, it said in a statement.

Three US, two coalition and three Afghan troops were also wounded, it added. One coalition soldier was seriously wounded and has been evacuated to Germany, where he is in a stable condition, the US military said on Wednesday.

The remaining seven soldiers have since been treated and released, it said.

"This is a resounding victory for Afghan forces and for the Afghan people," Brigadier General Jack Sterling Jr. of the US military was quoted as saying in the statement.

Another nine militants were killed and six were captured during a counter-insurgency operation by Afghan and US-led forces in the restive southern province of Uruzgan on Tuesday, the US military said in a separate statement.

It said an Afghan and US patrol was conducting offensive operations northeast of Tarin Kowt district to track down enemy forces when it reported coming under fire from a nearby ridge.

"Close-air support was called to the scene. Afghan and US forces then maneuvered on the ridgeline forcing the enemy to flee the area," the statement said.

"Nine enemy forces were killed and six detained."

Provincial governor Jan Mohammad Khan told AFP that an Afghan policeman was also killed in the "massive fight" with Taliban rebels, he said. This was not confirmed by the US military.

Khan said the clash happened after a Taliban fighter captured in a separate raid in the same area at the weekend gave US and Afghan forces a tip off about a rebel hideout.

A man who claims to be a Taliban spokesman and often calls international media confirmed their fighters engaged US and Afghan forces in the Tarin Kowt area on Tuesday but said it lost only one man.

"There was fighting. One of our guys was killed and another one was wounded," the man who identifies himself as Qari Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone from an unknown location.

He also claimed that his fighters fired on a coalition vehicle and destroyed the car but did not provide information on casualties on the other side.

The Taliban have waged an insurgency since they were ousted by US-led forces at the end of 2001. The violence has this year claimed more than 1,500 lives, although most of them were militants themselves.

Most of the bloodshed has been in rugged southern and eastern Afghanistan. The area is mainly dominated by Pashtun tribes who share the same ethnicity with the Taliban.

U.S.-led forces kill 9 Taliban: Afghan governor
Wed Dec 7, 4:23 AM ET
SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Nine Taliban guerrillas were killed in a joint attack by U.S. and Afghan troops in the central province of Uruzgan, the provincial governor said on Wednesday.

Six more Taliban fighters and a large cache of arms were captured in Tuesday's operation in Charcheno district of Uruzgan, governor Jan Mohammad Khan told Reuters.

He said one Afghan soldier had been killed, but did not say if there had been American casualties.

The U.S. military in Kabul confirmed the Taliban casualties and said air support had been called in during the clash, which followed an attack on patrolling Afghan and U.S. troops.

There were no Afghan or U.S. casualties, the U.S. military said.

Earlier, a Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, said only one Taliban fighter had been killed and put U.S. losses at three dead.

Uruzgan was a Taliban bastion until U.S.-led forces overthrew their government in 2001 for refusing to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The province and surrounding areas have seen a spate of violence in the past week in which two U.S. CH-47 Chinook helicopters were forced to make hard landings after they were fired upon by Taliban insurgents.

This year has been the bloodiest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 war. Nearly 60 American soldiers have been killed in Taliban-linked attacks, most in the south and east where the insurgents are most active.

Afghan Parliament To Open On December 19
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
December 6 2005-- Officials in Kabul announced today that Afghanistan's National Assembly will convene on December 19, three months after the nation held parliamentary elections for the first time in more than 30 years.

Azizullah Ludin, head of the parliament secretariat, said the reconstructed parliament building, which last housed the legislature in 1973, is ready for the opening. Afghans elected a 249-seat lower parliament house, the Wolesi Jirga, in the landmark September 18 vote. The 102-seat upper chamber, the Meshrano Jirga, will be a mix of presidential appointees and representatives elected by provincial councils.

Renovating and equipping the parliament building, which was damaged when rival factions fought for Kabul in the 1990s, has cost over three million dollars.

Afghans jail Britons, Indian for possessing guns
KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan court sentenced two Britons and an Indian to two years in jail on Wednesday after convicting them of illegally possessing firearms, but acquitted an American who stood trial with them.

The four men were arrested in October in a police raid on a Kabul guest house.

Judge Ansarullah Mawlavizada said Britons Peter Eaton and Michael Shaw and Indian Naveen Joshi had been found guilty of illegally possessing guns.

He said the prosecutor had accused them of gun smuggling but all had denied this.

The judge said the men could appeal against the court decision, which was handed down after a trial that lasted less than one day.

American Sargon Heinrich was found not guilty and released, Mawlavizada said.

In September last year, three Americans were given long jail terms for illegally detaining and torturing Afghans in a freelance war on terror.

No THY Flights to N. Iraq and Afghanistan for 'Security'
By Mustafa Gun Tuesday, December 06, 2005 Source: Zaman Online
Turkish Airlines will not fly to Iraq and Afghanistan for 'security and insurance' reasons.

The first private Turkish airlines company, Fly Air, has initiated scheduled flights and prepares to make flight to the cities of Erbil and Suleymaniye in northern Iraq.

Meanwhile, THY has decided not to fly over the region for security reasons. THY General Manager Temel Kotil said Monday they do not plan to fly to Iraq particularly because of high insurance premiums and added Turkish Airlines could not realize Afghanistan flights for the same reason. Drawing attention to the potential number of passengers to those countries, Kotil said, "When the requirements are provided, we will start flights to these countries. However, we do not have such a plan in the short term."

Afghan drugs rings face clampdown
By Andrew North BBC News, Kabul Tuesday, 6 December 2005, 20:03 GMT
Government and Western officials in Afghanistan have told the BBC there will be a much tougher approach towards drugs traffickers in the New Year.

Despite a multi-million dollar British and US-led effort to stamp out the trade, the country still accounts for most of the world's illegal supplies.

But there has been criticism too little has been done to break up trafficking networks who make the biggest profits.

The focus instead has been placed on farmers who grow opium poppies.

According to those involved, the new approach will mean more arrests of traffickers and the replacement of some officials allegedly involved in the trade.

'Mid-value targets'

If this crackdown on Afghan drugs smugglers happens, it will suggest the beginnings of a change. There has been much talk in the past of going after them, but little action.

However, it is the traffickers who make the biggest profits from the illegal trade and arguably drive it - not the farmers who grow the opium that provides the raw material.

Yet it is the farmers who have largely been the focus of the British and US-led campaign to tackle the problem over the past two years.

But a Western official who is involved in such efforts said several key traffickers would be arrested in the next three months, who he described as mid-value targets.

"You can hold me to that," he told the BBC. He asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of his work.

Asked what mid-value meant, the official said individuals with international connections organising the transport of Afghan drugs to Eastern Europe and beyond - in other words, the most lucrative markets.

He denied this was a change in approach, saying the Afghan police and judiciary - including units specially trained for drugs work - had not been up to the task in the past.

'Drugs-fuelled corruption'

What has also changed, the official said, was political will on the Afghan side.

There is greater determination now to go after higher-level figures in the drugs trade.

The only two major alleged drugs figures in custody so far are currently in America - one was arrested there, the other was extradited from Afghanistan two months ago.

And Afghan officials speaking separately say there are plans to remove several individuals from positions of power who have alleged drugs ties - including at least one provincial governor.

But much needs to be done, especially in this area.

The government openly admits that drugs-fuelled corruption within its ranks remains widespread.

And among the official figures still linked to the drugs trade are believed to be several members of the new Afghan parliament, due to hold its first session later this month.

'Draconian punishments'

However, there is also some concern at other measures that are being considered to tackle the drugs trade and which the government - with US backing - is trying to put in place before the parliament is up and running.

President Hamid Karzai's government is seeking to introduce a tough new counter-narcotics law, which will give police much greater powers including the use of wire-tapping.

The US government is closely involved in drafting the law. Some legal experts who have seen drafts have told the BBC they are concerned there are insufficient measures in place to stop police and other authorities abusing the new powers it will give them.

"These measures allow unprecedented powers and draconian punishments and could be applied in other areas," said one human rights expert, who asked to remain anonymous because of his position.

However, people involved in the process say the new law has not yet been finalised and discussions are still going on about imposing some restrictions on the use of the new law.

Commitment to development is key to return of internally displaced
Source: Global IDP Project via Relief Web 05 Dec 2005
Four years after the fall of the Taleban, an estimated 153,000 people remain displaced in Afghanistan, with the largest concentration in the south of the country near Kandahar. While drought accounts for the displacement of the largest group of internally displaced people (IDPs), mainly Kuchi nomads, thousands of Pashtuns are waiting for the political and economic situation to stabilise in the north and west. Whereas the same assistance is being provided to all IDP groups during displacement, return strategies differ for each group.

Food insecurity persists in large parts of Afghanistan, particularly in rural areas where the absorption capacity for returnees continues to be stretched. In an incessantly tense security environment, particularly in the south and east, with increasing attacks by insurgents on representatives of the international community and national entities, the Afghan government is making an effort to assert its sovereignty; this is reflected in the setting up of numerous assistance and development programmes. The integration of IDP assistance and return programmes into long-term development projects has been mostly carried out and implementation now depends largely on funding.

Real improvement for the Afghan population, however, still needs to manifest itself. Many of the estimated 460,000 IDPs who have returned since the end of 2001 find reintegration difficult or impossible, mostly due to unresolved property disputes and the difficulties of earning a stable income. Renewed displacement due to economic hardship is not taken into account in official IDP figures.

While promoting returns of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan, governments and international organisations should keep in mind the fragile absorption capacity within Afghanistan. One clear sign of commitment to the long-term peace and stability of the country would be adequate funding of assistance, capacity-building and development programmes. The recent increase in violence shows clearly that the international community must follow up on its promises to reconstruct the war-torn country if it wants to avoid renewed displacement.

Background

Two groups of ethnic Pashtuns have been particularly affected by internal displacement in Afghanistan since 2001: the Kuchi, a nomadic group from the Regis-tan desert and other areas, and Pashtuns displaced from the north-west. The latter, widely associated with the previous Tali-ban regime, fled harassment and human rights violations in the northern regions after the overthrow of the Taleban by a US-led coalition in late 2001. The Kuchi are pastoralists who were forced to abandon their way of life when they lost their livestock in a year-long drought. They constitute the largest single group of displaced people in Afghanistan.

Following the defeat of the Taleban, an interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai was established; presidential elections in October 2004 confirmed him in his position. As a next step in the democratisation process, parliamentary elections were held in September 2005. While these elections are a significant step towards stabilising the country, important problems of security and legitimacy persist.

The US-led coalition has failed to date to provide a secure environment in its main areas of operation in the east and south. Those areas are to a large extent controlled by powerful commanders and warlords fighting for the control of territories and resources. In addition, continued attacks by so-called anti-government elements -- mainly groups reportedly linked to the Taleban -- have created a climate of lawlessness and insecurity throughout those parts of the country. While this has limited return and reintegration of IDPs and refugees, no significant new displacement was recorded in 2005.

While President Karzai demonstrated renewed national self-assurance directly after the September 2005 parliamentary elections, the government remains largely dependent on the financial and military backing of Western countries (Reuters, 20 September 2005). During 2005, attacks by anti-government elements have continued to increase. Many were claimed by Taleban fighters who also vowed continued violence after the election (Reuters, 21 September 2005). Some observers believe that the Taleban are trying to create a situation similar to that in Iraq and to push out the international military coalition (SAMN, 9 November 2005). Many also recognise that the growing dissatisfaction of the Afghan population with the continued insecurity and the slow advance of the reconstruction process could lead to renewed radi-calisation of forces within the country and turn into aggression against the international presence, in particular troops and aid organisations (FAST update, July 2005; AP, 21 February 2005)

US, SE European nations to send peacekeeping force to Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Defense Ministers from the United States and southeastern European nations agreed here on Tuesday to send a brigade of peacekeeping forces to Afghanistan.

The 400-member brigade will be deployed in Afghanistan for six months, in support of a NATO-led international security assistance mission, according to a statement issued by the Southeastern Europe Defense Ministerial (SEDM) group.

Ukraine, which joined the group on Tuesday, will contribute airlift support for the deployment.

The SEDM, which consists of the United States and 10 southeastern European nations including Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine, has just concluded its 10th meeting in Washington. Moldova was present at the meeting as an observer.

At the meeting, the ministers discussed defense cooperation in southeastern Europe, the planned deployment of the southeastern European brigade to Afghanistan, transformation of the UN force inKosovo, border security and defense industry exchanges.

Next year's SEDM meeting will be held in Albania.

Afghanistan: See You in Court
Institute For War and Peace Reporting By Gawhar Nikpai in Kabul (WP No. 15, 01-Dec-05)
Women are beginning to break their code of silence and stand up for their rights.

Khurshid is only 15, and the pretty young girl does not look like a rebel. But she has taken the unprecedented step of refusing to marry the man her parents picked out for her.

Instead, she has run away from her native Baghlan province with her boyfriend, Elias, 20, in the hopes of finding a solution in a family court.

“I was only six months old when my father betrothed me to one of his relatives,” she said, timidly. “I was supposed to marry him right about now. But I didn't like him. I ran away with the boy I loved.”

Elias explained that he had heard on the radio that the family court in Kabul can help in these kinds of situations, so the couple have come to the capital to try and marry without their parents’ consent.

The case is ongoing, and there is no way of knowing what will happen. Khurshid could be forced back to her father’s house, or even jailed for running away. While this measure would not be legal, jails all over the country are full of young girls whose only crime is trying to escape unwanted marriages.

“Some judges make a decision to put a girl in prison, even though this is against the constitution,” said a lawyer in the Kabul Family Court, who did not want to be named. “But under the law, there is no punishment for running away, if the purpose of the escape is marriage. They should be married by the court.”

So, if Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy triumphs, Khurshid may be allowed to marry Elias.

In this traditional society, it is almost unheard of for women to turn to the courts to defend their rights. Most often, women are subjected to the rule of fathers, husbands, brothers or even sons, with little chance of exerting their own will. But that is starting to change, say experts.

Sima, a slender woman in her late twenties, was only 13 when she got married. After living with her for just one month, her husband left for Russia. Fourteen years later, he still has not come back to her. Like Khurshid, Sima is a native of Baghlan, a province in northern Afghanistan.

According to local tradition, Sima had to live with her husband’s family, who, she says, were hostile and abusive to her. With the support of family and friends, she went to the family court in Kabul and secured a divorce.

Dressed in black traditional clothing, and with her blue burqa thrown up to reveal her face, Sima looked very happy at the outcome.

“Women with family problems should just ignore these abominable traditions. They must not feel ashamed to turn to the courts,” she said defiantly.

Her now ex-husband, Khodai Nazar, who attended the proceedings, was less enthusiastic.

“It is against our culture and tradition for people to get divorced,” he grumbled. “It casts shame on me and my family.”

But Sima was able to take advantage of the law, which sets out certain conditions for a wife to divorce her husband. If the husband has been away for more than four years, as in Sima’s case, she can apply for an official divorce. Also, if the husband is unable to support his wife, if he is violent, or is disabled in some way, the wife can apply for a legal separation. But up until now, very few women have had the courage.

“We have to endure every kind of violence and tyranny without complaining,” said Sima. “We must not keep quiet any more. We have to stand up for our rights.”

One judge from the family court, who spoke in condition of anonymity, agreed that women in Afghanistan have been victimised by traditions, many of which go against the spirit and letter of Islam.

With the relative freedom that came after the fall of the Taleban, things are starting to shift, said the judge, and women are now becoming more aware of their rights. But Afghans are not ready for drastic change.

“Democracy is new for us and we are just starting out. It should not be misused,” he said.

Huma Sultani, head of women’s development section at the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, stresses that women’s problems stemmed from social structures.

“Women were economically dependent on men, they had to put up with anything, otherwise they and their children would go hungry,” she said. “So violence became part of the tradition in our society, and there were no government bodies to defend women.”

But increasingly human rights institutions and the media have stepped in to make women aware of their rights. “Now women are starting to dare to stand up and defend themselves,” said Sultani.

These gains have been largely limited to large cities, she emphasised. In the provinces, the situation has changed little.

Fauzia Amini, head of the legal department at the ministry of women's affairs, says that since the fall of the Taleban her office has handled more than 1,500 cases. Only a small number resulted in divorce, while most women sought and received advice and mediation and were then able to carry on with their lives.

Najiba is a young widow with two children. Her husband was killed in an earthquake in Iran, and now her brother-in-law is trying to kick her out of the family home, leaving her children and property behind.

She has come to the ministry of women’s affairs on the advice of her neighbours to try and find a solution.

"I am sure that our voice will be heard now and that no one will be able to violate our rights," she said.

Men also come to the ministry of women’s affairs, seeking help for what they see as the excesses of the new democracy.

Rahmatullah, 40, is a shopkeeper in Kabul. Leaning against a wall in the ministry, he looks bewildered about the turn his life has taken.

“My wife demanded that I buy her a SIM card for her mobile phone,” he said. “I told her I didn't have money right now, and would get her one when I could. Now she's living at her mother’s house and asking for a divorce.”

Gawhar Nikpai is a freelance journalist in Kabul.

Pak, Iran, Afghanistan agree on exchange of secret info. on elimination of drug trafficking
Wednesday December 07, 2005 (0100 PST) PakTribune.com, Pakistan
RAWALPINDI: Director General of Anti-Narcotics Force, Major General Khalid Amir Jaffery, center, speaks during the 6th Senior Drug Law Enforcement Officers meeting of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan in Rawalpindi.

RAWALPINDI, December 07 (Online): Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have underscored the need for elimination of poppy cultivation, manufacturing of drugs in laboratories and prevention of drug trafficking and agreed on exchanging secret information on this count.
This was decided in a high level meeting held here Tuesday under UN offices for elimination of drugs and crimes. The senior officials of anti narcotics force from Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan attended the meeting.

Consensus was evolved in the meeting that the three countries would remain in close contact with one another through telephone and fax.

Addressing the meeting director general Anti Narcotics Force (ANF), Maj Gen Khalid Amir Jaffery said that due to lack of infrastructure for initiating effective campaign against drugs, shortage of trained staff, the worst poverty ratio, higher price in opium market and lack of alternative agro product has led Afghanistan to become the largest opium producing country in the world. The opium production was recorded 185 tons in 2002 and this climbed to 3400 metric tons in 2003 and 3800 in 2004. The under-cultivation area of opium touched the level of 13100 hectares. The level of drug production is likely to be reduced in the wake of steps recently taken by Afghan government, he hoped.

He pointed out that meeting of inter government technical committee senior law enforcement officer of Pakistan and Iran will be held soon. Invitation is also being extended to Afghanistan to attend the meeting.

He claimed that opium cultivating area has been reduced from 6660 hectare to 3145 hectare in Pakistan due to effective measures taken by ANF. During the anti narcotics campaign 22815 kilogram heroin, 74185 kilogram hashish and 58000 kilogram opium worth trillion of rupees was seized. 87 percent among those who were arrested on charges of drug trafficking were convicted which is the highest ratio in the world. Assets of the convicts costing $70.73 million were also freezed.

Special anti narcotics measures have been taken by ANF on the occasion of Hajj. Awareness is developed on narcotics and Saudi laws among the intending pilgrims in Haji camp. Due to these steps not a single incident of drug trafficking has been reported in the past several years, he informed.

Afghan Poet’s Death Raises Many Questions
Institute For War and Peace Reporting By Hafizullah Gardesh and Salima Ghafari in Herat (WP No. 15, 01-Dec-05)
While her husband proclaims his innocence, the death of Nadia Anjuman has attracted international attention to the plight of many women in this country.

There is a lock on the door of the classroom where fourth-year students study language and literature at Herat University. Students are reluctant to return, because they do not want to see the empty space where their classmate Nadia Anjuman once sat.

At just 25 years old, Nadia was already well-known poet in Afghanistan. Her first book “Flowers of Smoke” had just been published, and she looked forward to a bright future.

But on November 4, following a fight with her husband, Nadia died.

The exact circumstances of her death may never be known. Conflicting testimony, along with her family’s refusal to sanction an autopsy, means that the secret of Nadia’s end may remain permanently entombed with her body.

According to Dr Barakatullah Mohammadi, head of emergency services at the Herat hospital, Nadia’s body was brought to the hospital at 12:30 am on November 5. An examinations revealed some bruising around her right eye, but no other signs of an injury that could have caused her death.

“The blow alone would not have killed her,” said Mohammadi.

“We told Nadia’s family that we would have to [perform an autopsy] to find out the reason for her death, but they would not give their permission. So the reason for her death is not clear to us, either.”

One thing is clear - Nadia’s death stems from the conflict and violence, which are an integral part of many Afghan women’s life.

Farid Ahmad Majid Mia, 27, Nadia’s husband of 15 months, has been arrested and charged with the murder. A lecturer in philology at Herat University, he vehemently proclaims his innocence. Nadia committed suicide, he insists.

“I loved Nadia. Life makes no sense to me without her,” a weeping Farid told IWPR during an interview in his jail cell.

He does not deny that he hit her. According to Farid, he arrived home late on the evening of November 4, which was the third day of the Islamic festival of Eid. During Eid, it is customary for Afghans to visit friends and relatives, to celebrate the end of the Ramadan fast.

“Nadia was all dressed up to go visiting. I told her it was late, so we would only go to her sister’s. She became angry, and cursed me, calling me names like ‘ass’ and ‘son of a bitch’. I slapped her,” he said.

A few hours later, according to Farid, Nadia came to him and told him she had taken poison, “She asked me to take care of our six-month-old son. She died before we could get to the hospital.”

But Nadia’s family and friends do not believe her husband.

“Farid called me and told me that Nadia had taken poison,” said Nadia’s mother, who did not want her name used. “But when I got to the hospital, I saw that Nadia’s face and neck were all bruised. I am 80 per cent sure that she died because of a blow by her husband.”

She blames Farid’s mother - who has also been arrested - for her daughter’s death. Following Nadia’s death, Farid’s mother fled from the house.

Nadia’s mother categorically dismisses any possibility of suicide. “Nadia was very hopeful about her life. She never thought of suicide,” she said, weeping.

A close friend of the poet, Nahid Baqi, also rejects Farid’s claim that Nadia took poison.

“Nadia was very religious and she strongly condemned those who committed suicide. She said it was against Islam,” said Nahid.

Nahid said it was impossible to believe she would have taken her own life and abandoned her six-month-old son, “Nadia loved her child so much. She brought in his photo every month to show us how he had grown. She would suffer anything for him.”

According to Nahid, Farid was caught between his wife and his mother. It was his weakness that caused the problems, she said. She does not believe the murder was intentional.

“Farid’s mother wanted him to marry someone else,” said Nahid. “When he insisted on Nadia, she began to hate her.”

Nadia’s mother-in-law was always cursing and criticising her and trying to turn Farid against her.

“In my opinion, Farid is guilty because he could not create a balance between his wife and his mother,” she said.

Farid himself corroborates this.

“I had no problem with Nadia,” he said. “But she and my mother were always fighting.

“I was two years old when my father died. My mother brought me up, and faced a lot of problems. I also had problems trying to marry Nadia. I did not want to make either of them unhappy.”

According to Afghan tradition, a wife becomes a member of her husband’s household. So Nadia had little choice but to live with Farid’s mother, no matter how strained the relations between them.

“I had a house, a wife, and a child,” said Farid, while tears coursed down his cheeks. “I was so happy. I did not want to lose them.”

“If Nadia really did die because I slapped her with this small hand, then kill me, or cut off my arms,” said Farid, and then fainted.

Following his arrest, Farid attempted suicide by injecting himself with kerosene from the heater in his jail cell. He was rushed to the hospital, and soon recovered. He is now back in custody.

Farid’s mother has been arrested for complicity in Nadia’s death, but she refused to speak with IWPR.

While neither Farid nor his mother have yet faced trial, they have already been convicted by the media. Headlines proclaiming “Prominent poet beaten to death in Afghanistan” have already appeared in the Afghan and international press, and Women’s Affairs Minister Massouda Jalal recently told a conference said that Nadia had been killed by her husband.

Farid’s cousin, Dr Abdul Ghani Navid, is angry at the negative press, and bitterly condemns those who have decided the husband is guilty without having heard the whole story.

“According to the Afghan constitution, the accused is innocent until convicted by a court,” he told IWPR. “The media is not telling the truth. This is not justice. We demand that the case be handled properly.”

The head of the Crime Control Unit of Herat Province declined to be interviewed. Lawyers in Herat also refused to comment, saying that until the case was decided, they were not free to speculate.

Suraya Pakzad, head of the Neda-ye-Zan, Voice of Woman, association in Herat province is convinced that Nadia did not kill herself, “I knew Nadia, and it is simply not true that she committed suicide.”

Nadia’s death is very much in line with Afghan culture, she said. In Herat, hundreds of women die every year because of family violence.

“Not a week goes by without us going to the hospital to cry over the body of a woman who died because of violence in the family,” she said.

Salima Ghafari is an IWPR reporter in Kabul. Hafizullah Gardesh is IWPR’s local editor in Afghanistan. Wahidullah Amani also contributed to this report.

INDIA OFFERS TOURISM EXPERTISE TO AFGHANISTAN
Press Information Bureau (press release), India
India has offered all possible support to Afghanistan for reconstruction of tourism infrastructure. India would provide training in managing and operating tourism business and help in preparation of perspective plan for tourism development. This was stated by Minister of State for Tourism, Smt.Renuka Chowdhury in Kabul today on her three days visit to Afghanistan. Smt. Renuka Chawdhury said that India could provide training to Afghanistani people in various areas of tourism, travel and hospitality. She said experts from India could also help to revive some of major tourism destinations. in Afghanistan, Smt. Renuka Chowdhury said that India is committed to support the economic reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan, which include tourism infrastructure also. She said that India’s present commitment add upto over US $ 550 million, which is substantial amount for a non-traditional donor.

Smt. Renuka Chowdhury later held detailed discussion with Tourism and Culture Minister of Afghanistan and signed an agreement for cooperation in the area of tourism. The agreement stresses on long-term cooperation to encourage exchange of tourism expertise. It says both the countries will encourage simple procedures for their citizens traveling between two countries for tourism purpose. Both the countries will also coordinate tourism activities by exchanging information and expertise for preservation of natural and cultural resources. Both the countries will also assist each other in training their officials in the field of tourism. Exchange of curriculum and methodology on tourism teachings, studies and research will also be taken up.

Both the countries agreed to set up a joint working group for the time bound implementation of various provisions of the agreement.

During her stay, Smt. Renuka Chowdhury will also meet President of Afghanistan and visit some of the tourism sites.

Jail concerns not seen derailing NATO Afghan talks
Brussels (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers will push ahead with plans to expand the alliance's peacekeeping role in Afghanistan at talks on Thursday despite the furor over reports of secret CIA jails, alliance diplomats said.

The expansion of the NATO-led ISAF force from 10,000 to around 16,000 expected next year has dominated the military alliance's agenda for months and is central to U.S. efforts to reduce its military presence there.

Several NATO allies are seen raising concerns with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over U.S. handling of terror suspects during the meeting, but diplomats saw little appetite for the issue to replace Afghanistan as the focus of the talks.

"This is not NATO business. There are no NATO issues there. As far as we are concerned, the story is Afghanistan," said one senior diplomat who declined to be named.
A second European diplomat, from a country reported to have been used for secret CIA flights of detainees, said he expected Rice to raise the matter but his country would not be doing so.

Rice sought on Monday to deflect criticism of U.S. detention policy before leaving for Europe, saying European intelligence agencies had helped Washington extract information from suspects and urging European allies to see "we are all in this together."

The media reports of secret CIA jails in Europe have been fodder for corridor discussions at NATO headquarters, but have not featured at weekly meetings of the alliance's top envoys.
NATO expects more contact with Afghan detainees as ISAF moves from the north and west into the insurgents' strongholds in the south. The Netherlands has sought assurances on detention practices in light of the allegations over secret CIA jails.

Yet the alliance is confident that ISAF policies bear up to scrutiny, pointing to mission rules to be approved by ministers on Thursday that will require ISAF troops to release or hand over suspects to Afghan authorities within a maximum 96 hours.

Suspects will have access to Red Cross/Crescent workers and can only be interrogated if deemed "a threat to force protection or to a safe and secure environment," said one alliance source, quoting from rules which have not been made public.

Britain, Canada and the Netherlands are expected to lead the expansion south of the ISAF force in the first half of next year but are still awaiting additional reinforcements from allies.
"When I'm satisfied, and not before, I will give the go-ahead for British troops going in," Defense Secretary John Reid said on Monday of contributions from other nations.

The NATO meeting, which begins with a dinner on Wednesday evening, will include consultations on Thursday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk over Kiev's hopes to be invited to join the alliance in 2008.

NATO diplomats said the alliance will stress that its door is open to Ukraine but reiterate that it expects more progress on democratic reforms, and in turning round Ukrainian public opinion, which remains broadly skeptical of NATO.

Lot to learn from Leh, say Afghan farmers
Press Trust of India - Dec 06 10:02 PM
Leh, Dec 7 (PTI) Even as a large-scale rehabilitation programme aided by different nations and organisations is going on in war torn Afghanistan, a team of 22 Afghan farmers, social workers and government servants including one woman visited Ladakh recently to see and learn from a region with similar topography and climate to their own.

"Here people are highly motivated and there is a lot of government support in the developmental works", says Shah Mahmood Ahmadi, an agriculturist from the North Samangam province in Afghanistan talking about his ten-day tour experience in the Leh district of Ladakh region.

The 22-member team visited different NGOs working mainly in agriculture and education.

In decades of war we have lost on our potential and we have to start from the basic, Ahmadi says recounting the devastation caused by 25-years of war. "Now we know the value of peace," he adds. "The state of education is very low and the health problems are of great concern to the people of Afghanistan now." Describing the state of health in some of the areas in their country, a fellow Afghan, Sayed Hussein points out that in Sangtakht province, a family had its eight members suffering from Tuberculosis, a disease endemic in Afghanistan due to poor living conditions.

"Families are big in size and in many cases all the members live in just one room in a very unhygienic condition," Sayed says. He also talks about the prevalence of leprosy in large scale in Afghanistan. Sayed is a member of a health organisation LEPCO that works towards eradication of these diseases. PTI

Struggles in Afghanistan
Los Angeles Times December 06. 2005
Parliamentary elections in Afghanistan three months ago resulted in the most unlikely of career moves for many of the candidates. Once they were warlords or Taliban fighters; now they are legislators who can craft policy to rebuild the country they helped devastate.

The election results offered a troubling portrait of the future for a nation racked by decades of invasion and war. Worse, the balloting has done nothing to stop the killing in the bloodiest year since the United States ousted the Taliban from power four years ago. Insurgents continue to wreak havoc and kill U.S. soldiers and Afghan civilians. ...

Nearly 90 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this year, twice as many as last year. In all, nearly 1,500 people have been killed as insurgent violence has increased.

The U.S. has nearly 20,000 troops in Afghanistan (compared to nearly 160,000 in Iraq). NATO countries are due to patrol more of the country in the coming months, increasing the danger to their soldiers.

With Washington concentrating on Iraq, allies will have to pay closer attention to Afghanistan, where postwar reconstruction is plagued by delays. The International Crisis Group, a nongovernmental organization, urged European Union countries in a report last month to better coordinate their activities. ...

The shaky security situation will require continued international involvement in a country where much remains to be done.

It is unsettling that the newly elected National Assembly includes warlords who have plagued Afghanistan for years and resist the authority of President Hamid Karzai, as well as former Taliban soldiers and a onetime provincial governor who presided over the despicable destruction of the 6th century Bamian statues of Buddha.

To counteract their influence, countries attending a U.N. conference next month need to display support of the kind they exhibited after the ouster of the Taliban.

Rebuilding is slow, but aid is still needed to prevent the country from again becoming a failed state and a haven for terrorists.

Afghan Principals Work To Rebuild Shattered Education System
Female educators participate in training course in United States
Kaamila Pishaymaan and Reeta Shareefi describe their experiences participating in ECA's Afghan Teachers Education Program. (State Dept photo - Janine Sides)
By Todd Bullock Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- For a group of Afghan female educational administrators visiting the United States to participate in an intensive training workshop, rebuilding Afghanistan's education system is more than just a job. It is a shared commitment to build a functioning education system for the future of all Afghans.

Kaamila Pishaymaan, a native of Kabul, describes the period of Taliban rule as "a disaster for the education of all Afghans." She said, "The Taliban closed all the schools except for those teaching religion. They also banned women from any education. This forced us to secretly teach at great risk because they killed those who were caught."

Pishaymaan is principal of the Maryam High School in Kabul and has more than 23 years of experience in education.

She is one of 12 women who have spent the last six weeks in the United States studying administrative educational skills as part of the Afghan Teachers Education Program (ATEP) sponsored by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the University of Nebraska. The principals have learned methodologies such as classroom management, teacher training, adult education and teaching the disabled.

The ATEP participants arrived in the United States October 27 and will remain until December 13, according to the State Department,

Upon their return to Afghanistan, the Afghan Ministry of Education will assist them in conducting workshops for other Afghan teachers and principals.

Reeta Shareefi, a headmistress at the Afshar Girls High School in Kabul, said, "After the fall of the Taliban and the birth of democracy in Afghanistan, the teachers and principals are now able to educate not only the Afghan children but anyone who has been denied the opportunity to learn."

"We [Afghanistan's teachers and principals] have the opportunity to provide a future for our people," she added.

"Though small in size, we are working hard to educate many different types of students from children to adult learners," Shareefi said.

According to Shareefi, Afghanistan's Ministry of Education allows elementary schools to accept adult students, regardless of age, because of the Taliban's restriction of education.

"Almost 10 percent of our classes are made of adult pupils who want to learn to read and as a result we have to use instruction methods to accommodate their needs," she said.

"As a result of the Taliban, many of the school buildings and facilities in Kabul and throughout the country were destroyed," Pishaymaan said. "We have the task of rebuilding and reorganizing our educational institutions as well as managing large classroom sizes."

Both Pishaymaan and Shareefi said one of the most useful workshops the administrators attended was how to organize and divide classrooms into smaller and more manageable groups.

"Our largest problem has been the lack of adequate facilities as well as large class sizes," Shareefi said. "Through the workshops, we have learned management techniques to reorganize our class sizes as well as to make the most out of our resources."

The two women spoke of their pleasant surprise at how warm and hospitable the American people have been to them.

Shareefi said, "We were not sure how the American people would receive us but we found them to be very hospitable and hard working."

She added, "Our host families were also very sensitive to our cultural needs and accommodated our religious needs as well as introduced us to their communities. This was fascinating because I saw that Americans care for one another and work hard for their country."

Shareefi also said she was impressed by Americans' sensitivities toward the mentally and physically handicapped.

Pishaymaan echoed Shareefi's comments and added, "I look forward to returning to Afghanistan and sharing my experiences in the United States with my teachers and students."

The Afghan women are visiting the Washington area on the final two weeks of their study program. Following six weeks in Omaha, Nebraska, where they lived with host families, they have come to the nation's capital to attend an additional workshop on education for the disabled at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and also will meet with senior State Department officials.

Both women spoke highly of their experiences in the United States and the training they received in the program.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for Afghanistan, especially for the women. Through the methods we learned in the United States, we will be able to return and teach these methods to more teachers in order to help our students and provide a foundation for the future of Afghanistan," Pishaymaan said.

"While the Taliban was in power, families were not interested in education but with our new democracy, more and more Afghan families are becoming enthusiastic about the educational opportunities for all of their children," Shareefi said.

Ariana Afghan new client of Aviareps
TravelDailyNews International 12/05/2005
Ariana Afghan Airlines has appointed Aviareps as their GSA in eight markets. Besides Germany, France and Italy the airline representation will be responsible for all sales and marketing activities in Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Benelux and the Czech Republic.

Ariana Afghan is the national carrier of Afghanistan. Operating from the capital Kabul, the airline offers two domestic destinations and serves many international cities. In Europe Ariana Afghan flies to Moscow, Istanbul, Ankara and Frankfurt. Routes are used by passengers all over the continent, as the airline is the only provider of air services between Europe and Afghanistan.

In Asia and the Arabian Peninsula the carrier serves destinations such as Dubai, Kuwait, Delhi and Islamabad. Routes to Europe are operated by modern aircrafts of the type Airbus A310 in a two class configuration. Pilots are from western countries as well. The clientele of Ariana Afghan mainly consists of passengers of the sectors politics, military, ethnical traffic as well as international help organisations.

Afghan footballers aim for high profile at South Asian showcase
Karachi (AFP) - Afghanistan, where the Taliban once shaved the heads of a visiting football team for wearing shorts, is hoping to raise its profile in the eight-nation South Asian football tournament starting on Wednesday.

The war-ravaged country joins hosts Pakistan along with India, the Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal in the biennial South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup.
"We want to lay the foundation so that in two or three years the Afghan team is able to compete in the Asian arena," said the team's new German coach Klaus Staerk.

Germany, which will host football's World Cup in 2006, is helping Afghan footballers and also financed a 10-day training camp in a German town earlier this year.

Football and cricket have become the most popular sports in Afghanistan since the repressive Taliban regime was toppled in late 2001 by a US-led military operation.

Along with outlawing kite-flying and other pastimes in their bid to create the world's purest Islamic state, the fundamentalists forbade men from playing football in shorts. Five years ago they shaved the heads of a visiting Pakistani team who defied the ban.

Under the US-backed government of President Hamid Karzai all such edicts were lifted, and Afghanistan will open their campaign in SAFF when they play last editions runners-up the Maldives on Wednesday.

They are placed in Group A, where they will also play against 1997 bronze medallist Pakistan on Friday and Sri Lanka on Sunday.

Bangladesh -- who beat the Maldives two years ago to lift the regional trophy for the first time -- and India -- champions in 1993, 1997 and 1999 -- will be vying for top spot in Group B, which also includes Nepal and Bhutan.

The semi-finals will be played on December 14 while the final of the 11-day event will be played on December 17. Afghanistan finished seventh in the 2003 edition at Dhaka, losing to Sri Lanka (0-1), India (0-4) and Pakistan (0-1).

Staerk admits even basic issues like accommodation and nutrition are problematic for his team, with none of the Afghan players having a job. "So it's difficult to get fit and achieve higher aims, but we will give it the best try," he said.

Pakistan are boosted by the inclusion of defender Zesh Rehman, who plays for English Premiership club Fulham. Rehman, who had his first Premiership start against Liverpool last year, said he would like to be a role model for both Pakistani and Asian players. "I will be very happy if I can make a difference for Pakistan in the tournament," said Rehman.