Afghanistan News November 11, 2005

November 11, 2005

Plane crashes near Afghan capital with 10 on board
KABUL (AFP) - A civilian cargo plane with 10 people on board crashed near the Afghan capital Kabul, causing an unknown number of injuries, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

It was not immediately clear if there were any fatalities after the Soviet-built plane came down 30 kilometres (20 miles) northwest of Kabul, the NATO-led force's spokeswoman Squadron Leader Annie Gibson-Sexton told AFP.

"There are injuries, the extent to which we don't know," she said on Friday.

Gibson-Sexton added that it was not one of the peacekeeping force's own planes, while the US-led coalition in Afghanistan also confirmed that none of its aircraft was involved.

Afghan police said the plane was totally destroyed.

"Around 4:00 am (2330 GMT) a foreign plane crashed north of Kabul on hilltops," said Mahbob Amiri, the chief of Afghanistan's police quick reaction force.

"The plane has been destroyed and totally burned. We have sent 100 quick reaction police to the area," he added.

ISAF had also sent an evacuation helicopter and a search and rescue team to the area, Gibson-Sexton added.

Afghan president condemns terrorist attacks in Jordan
People's Daily - Nov 10 4:38 PM
Afghan president Hamid Karzai Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on three hotels in Jordan's capital, Amman, which killed 67 people and wounded many more.

According to the news release from Afghan government, Karzai said:"These attacks are criminal and heinous act of terrorism and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. The enemies of Islam, with the intention of killing innocent civilians, carried out these attacks to create tension and panic in the region. I stress the need for the world to intensify the global fight against terrorism."

The president, on behalf of the people of Afghanistan, expressed his heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims, the Government and the people of Jordan and prayed for the full recovery of the injured.

According to reports, suicide bombers carried out nearly simultaneous attacks on three hotels in the Jordanian capital Wednesday night, killing at least 67 people and wounding 300.
Source: Xinhua

Afghan politicians hold first meeting
Financial Times By Rachel Morarjee in Kabul November 11 2005 03:08
Afghanistan took another shaky step towards democracy yesterday as elected officials met for the first time in more than 30 years following September’s elections for provincial councils and the lower house of parliament.

Politicians from 33 of the country’s 34 provincial councils held their first meeting to choose representatives for an upper house of parliament.

United Nations-backed election authorities are still struggling to finalise poll results from the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar where there has been a deluge of complaints.

Election authorities were also preparing to announce the final make-up of the lower house of parliament in which liberal Afghan women will be far outnumbered by drug barons, warlords and Islamic conservatives.

The final results will pave the way for President Hamid Karzai to convene both houses of parliament in late December, marking the end of a four-year transition to democracy laid out shortly after the fall of the Taliban in early 2002.

Despite the milestones passed, Afghanistan still has far to travel before it has a functioning democracy. With just weeks to go before the legislature convenes its first session, many politicians remain hazy about what their jobs involve.

Amina Rasooli, 21, a journalist who was elected to Kabul’s 29-member provincial council, said the body’s first meeting went well but added: “We still don’t know what our responsibilities are or what salaries we’ll get. We may find out at the next meeting.” Ms Rasooli was under the impression that the provincial councils – toothless bodies with few powers and no budget – were empowered to make laws.

“Nobody knows what the provincial councils will do, which could be a major cause for resentment as candidates have spent money on campaigns and given up jobs to run for office,” said a western election expert who trained candidates running in Afghanistan’s first election since 1969.

The provincial councils could provide a back door into Afghanistan’s upper house as they will nominate the majority of members of the upper house, while Mr Karzai appoints the remaining seats.

Mr Karzai will then have to drum up majority support from a 249-seat lower house of parliament in which Afghan female gym instructors who returned from Iran will sit alongside MPs from the former hardline Islamic Taliban regime.

This will include winning over a large number of former Mujahideen fighters who resisted the Soviets and then plunged the country into a bloody civil war between 1992 and 1996 when the Taliban took control.

“Around 45 per cent of the parliament will be former Mujahideen, 20 per cent democrats and intellectuals and 20 per cent independents,” said Nek Mohammed Kabuli, an analyst at the US-funded National Democratic Institute in Kabul. The remaining seats would be taken by former communists and Taliban leaders, he said.

Women made a stronger than expected showing in the elections with some winning seats by far larger margins than rivals backed by powerful militias.

Fauzia Gailani, who runs a chain of gyms in western Herat city, won more votes in the city than any of the supporters of powerful warlord and former governor Ismael Khan.

She said she would use her seat to promote women’s rights and education and would not bow to threats. “I don’t care what anybody says about me, or what kind of threats I receive, I will sit in the parliament. It must be a house for all of us, not a house of warlords.”

Conflicting signals on Afghanistan's entry into SAARC
Deepika
Dhaka, Nov 10 (UNI) There appears to be a deadlock over the admission of Afghanistan into SAARC, with India and Bangladesh presenting contradictory views on the issue.

While Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed told reporters this evening that ''Afghanistan's application to become the 8th SAARC member has been welcomed by delegations and there is likely to be a consensus on this,'' Bangladesh gave a contrasting picture, stating that the SAARC constitution and logo had to be changed if Kabul were to be admitted.

Bangladesh's Additional Foreign Secretary Muniruzzaman categorically stated that there was no consensus on the Afghanistan issue. This was the first time that SAARC was discussing the entry of a new member into the grouping.

Mr Ahamed said he did not visualise any problem for Afghanistan to get membership of SAARC. ''Some modalities have to be gone through, but we should be in a position to welcome Afghanistan as a full member at the 14th SAARC summit in India.'' India and Pakistan strongly pleaded Afghanistan's case at the meetings of the programming and standing committees.

However, Bangladesh was lukewarm in its response to the proposal.

Dhaka is not in favour of full membership of Afghanistan and instead supports observer status to it, informed sources said.

When confronted with Dhaka's assertions on the issue, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said, as far as ''I am concerned there was no opposition to Afghanistan's entry at the committee meetings. Certain modalities have to devised, but this cannot be construed as opposition.'' On China's request to have a sort of association with SAARC, Mr Ahamed said, ''we are agreeable to responding positively to its desire to seek a cooperative relationship with SAARC. An appropriate mechanism is under discussion.''

Former Taliban Governor killed near Peshawar
PESHAWAR – The News International: One of the two men killed by unknown people in Badaber area near Peshawar two nights ago was an important Taliban official who served as Governor in three provinces in Afghanistan.

Mulla Abdul Mannan Hanafi, also known as Abdul Mannan Khwajazai, was killed along with his colleague Mulla Mohammad Akbar while driving in their red car to Peshawar at 2 am in the night. They had driven all the way from Chaman, a town in Balochistan bordering Afghanistan.

Hanafi had served as Governor of Samangan, Saripul and Badghis provinces during Taliban rule. He was the military commander in central Bamiyan province when the Taliban demolished the two giant Buddha carvings in a mountainside there. He also remained Taliban military commander in Takhar and Faryab provinces and led fighters in some important battles against the Northern Alliance.

The Peshawar Police said no arrests have yet been made in connection with the two killings. A senior police officer Jaffar Khan said efforts were being made to identify and nab the killers. Mohammad Saeed Wazir, senior superintendent of police, Peshawar was quoted as telling reporters that the killed men were arms dealers and had links with people involved in the same business in Peshawar’s Shoba Bazaar.

Pictures of the dead Hanafi and Mulla Akbar, both bearded, were splashed in local newspapers in Peshawar on Wednesday. Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s JUI-F later claimed the two were members of the party in Chaman. A JUI-F/MMA MNA from Quetta, Maulana Noor Mohammad, was also quoted as saying in Urdu papers that the murder of the two men was continuation of the US policy to eliminate Muslims religious scholars. He was also reported to have phoned the NWFP chief minister Akram Durrani to ask him to probe the incident and apprehend the killers.

Hanafi’s relations in Chaman told The News that the family had no enmity with anyone. Hafiz Abdullah and Nazeer Ahmad, both cousins of Hanafi, said they haven’t charged anyone in their report to the police. "We believe the two men were killed by dacoits and highwaymen who waylaid their car in the night and fired at them after failing to take money or snatch the vehicle. We are grateful to the government and the police that quickly reached the spot and recovered the car and belonging of Abdul Mannan Hanafi and his colleague," Nazeer Ahmad said.

Both Nazeer Ahmad and Hafiz Abdullah insisted that Hanafi was a Pakistani rather than an Afghan. They maintained that both were members of JUI-F in Chaman and were known to some senior party leaders. However, Nazeer Ahmad conceded that Hanafi also took part in the Afghan jehad and fought on the side of the Taliban. "For a brief period, Hanafi served as Governor. He came back to Chaman in Pakistan after the fall of Taliban regime in Afghanistan," Nazeer Ahmad explained.

Hafiz Abdullah said Hanafi was travelling to Peshawar to seek medical treatment and do some other chores. He said Mulla Akbar gave him company to Peshawar. "We are getting back the car and the belongings of Hanafi and Akbar. We don’t know the killers but we are sure the police was trying to get them," Hafiz Abdullah said.

It is interesting to note that Hanafi was arrested several months ago in Balochistan. Pakistani authorities detained him for some months in Quetta and Islamabad and questioned him about his links to Taliban. He was freed when no evidence of his involvement in military and terrorist activities was found.

Meanwhile, the two slain men were buried in Chaman Wednesday. The Nimaz-I-Janaza prayers were led by former MNA, Maulana Abdul Ghani. The funeral, according to family sources, was largely attended. The JUI-F activists came in large numbers.

Afghan, U.S. patrol kills four enemy during ambush near Deh Rahwod
November 10, 2005 Combined Forces Command - Afghanistan Coalition Press Information Center (Public Affairs)
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan National Army and U.S. forces killed four enemy fighters who had ambushed an Afghan National Police patrol yesterday.

The police unit reported taking small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire from a nearby ridgeline from approximately 10 enemy fighters. The police unit called for assistance from a nearby Afghan National Army and U.S. patrol.

Afghan and U.S. forces maneuvered toward the enemy position killing four individuals and causing the rest to flee. In addition to the four enemy killed, Afghan and U.S. forces seized two motorcycles and two rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

There were no Afghan or U.S. forces injured in the attack.

Afghan soldier killed after opening fire on US troops
Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Nov 10 6:08 AM
An Afghan soldier has been shot dead after he opened fire on US troops at a base in volatile eastern Afghanistan, wounding two American soldiers, the US-led coalition says.

The soldier fired at the US troops at a base about 48 kilometres from Gardez city, the capital of eastern Paktia province, coalition spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jerry O'Hara told AFP.

"He walked into the middle of the base and started firing," he said.

"Coalition soldiers fired back and killed him. Two US soldiers were slightly injured, treated at the scene and returned to duty."

Colonel O'Hara says the Afghan National Army is investigating the incident.

The army could not immediately be reached for comment.
- AFP

Accident 'kills 18 Kuchi nomads'
By Bilal Sarwary / BBC News, Kabul / Thursday, 10 November 2005
At least 18 members of a Kuchi nomad family in Afghanistan have been killed in a road accident, doctors say.

The accident occurred when the truck they were in plunged into a river as they were travelling from the capital, Kabul, to the city of Jalalabad.

Police say they have arrested the driver and his assistant who were trying to flee the area.

There are estimated to be 3.5 million Kuchis in the country, who move according to the season.

No lighting

The crash happened early on Thursday morning in the area of Sorai Tega.

The survivors were taken to a local hospital.

Dr Mubarak Shah told the BBC that the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

The road the Kuchis were travelling on would have had no lighting.

Roads which have been asphalted in reconstruction work in Afghanistan have seen increased numbers of accidents due to drivers travelling at faster speeds.

The Kuchi nomads move from one province to another depending on the season.

They have frequently suffered injury or death caused by landmines.

US soldiers accused of Taliban burning again
By Rahimullah Yusufzai / The News International (Pakistan) / November 10, 2005
PESHAWAR: While the US military is busy investigating media reports that its troops put bodies of two Taliban on fire in Kandahar province in October, there are now fresh allegations that American soldiers burnt alive two more Taliban fighters in Zabul.

The second incident reportedly took place around a week ago in Kharnay village in Khak-i-Afghan district of Zabul province. Details are becoming available now that villagers from the area have reached Kandahar and the Pakistani border town of Chaman in Balochistan province.

Haji Abdul Aziz, who belongs to Khak-i-Afghan district, told The News that a number of villagers witnessed the burning alive of Taliban fighters Mohibullah and Sibghatullah. He said the two men were unarmed when the US Army and Afghan National Army soldiers caught them in Kharnay village. He said the Americans sprinkled petrol on the two men and torched them before shocked onlookers. He said the soldiers kept sayng that anyone fighting them would meet the same fate.

According to Haji Abdul Aziz, one Mulla Abdul Salam from the same village was tortured by burning different parts of his body. He said Abdul Salam was alive but his condition was bad. He said Abdul Salam was now undergoing treatment in Chaman.

This is the first time that allegations of such a serious nature have been made against the US military, which is already under fire for prisoners’ abuse in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Iraq’s Abu Ghraib jail. The existence of CIA-run secret prisons in several countries including Afghanistan has also put the US government and its intelligence in the dock.

Arrested engineer 'is innocent'
Friday, 11 November 2005, 09:38 GMT BBC News
The brother of a man from west Wales arrested in Afghanistan on suspicion of gun running has said he does not believe he has committed the crime.
Peter Eaton, 52, from Milford Haven, was one of six men, two of them UK nationals, detained in the capital Kabul last month.

The men have not yet been charged and no date has been set for any trial.

Mr Eaton's brother, Tim, said: "I don't think my brother would have done anything like that."

Peter Eaton, who was working in Afghanistan as an electrical engineer, was one of six men, two of them UK nationals, detained in the capital Kabul last month under suspicion of smuggling weapons.

The group arrested, believed to include Mr Eaton, another man from the UK, an American, an Indian and two local men, are alleged to have been in possession of guns and fake badges representing the International Security Assistance Force of peacekeepers.

The Foreign Office has said that two UK nationals were among a number of men who were arrested on 12 October on suspicion of attempting to smuggle weapons to Russia.

A spokesperson added the situation was being monitored the situation and they were waiting for a court date to be announced.

Tim Eaton told BBC Radio Wales that his brother had worked as an engineer in Afghanistan for several years, and before that in Kuwait and Bosnia.

He added: "He a good man really - I think I know my brother.

"I don't think my brother would have done anything like that.

"He's talked about having security guards and stuff because of the dangerous place he's working in.

"I don't think he's held a gun - not to my knowledge."

Pakistan suspends oil exports to Afghanistan: Ismail Khan
Thursday November 10, 2005 (2320 PST) PakTribune.com, Pakistan
KABUL: Afghan Energy Minister Ismail Khan says that Pakistan has suspended oil exports to his country due to setting of winter and recent earthquake that hit the country on October 8.
Talking to IRNA, he said Afghanistan was facing acute shortage of fuel to run the powerhouses. He added that many government buildings and hospitals in Kabul were without light for the last three days.

Ismail Khan said that Afghanistan was compelled to import oil from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to meet its requirements.

It may be recalled that oil prices have increased manifold in Kabul.

Afghan importers diverting goods to Iran
* Over 3,000 containers carrying ATTA goods stuck at Karachi Port and Port Qasim for want of railway wagons
By Imran Ayub Friday, November 11, 2005 Daily Times - Nov 10 2:53 PM
KARACHI: Afghan importers are diverting imported goods to Iran, which were to be transited through Pakistan, because of delay in the supply of goods, imported under the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA), through Pakistan due to a shortage of railway wagons.

Sources and customs agents, involved in clearing ATTA consignments from the ports, said they had witnessed around a 23 percent decline in consignments under the ATTA during the past three weeks.

“As of today (Thursday) three of our Afghan clients informed us that they have diverted their consignments to Iran and cancelled that deal with us,” said a senior customs agent.

"On an average the ATTA consignments cross 2,500 mark every month, but the delay in cargoes’ supply from Pakistan due to a shortage of railway wagons has forced Afghan importers to place and receive fresh consignments orders via Iran."

He said the two ports in Karachi and had received less than 2,000 containers under ATTA, which could lead to a decline in overall figures of the Afghan goods by the end of this fiscal.

Supply of goods imported under the ATTA came to almost a halt in August as less-than-demand supply of wagons by the Pakistan Railways stuck more than 2,000 containers at the two ports.

Sources and customs agents, involved in clearing ATTA consignments from the ports, said in the first phase containers were dispatched to Peshawar through railways and from there the consignments crossed borders on trucks.

“Now some 3,668 containers are stuck at the two ports,” said Amir Altaf, secretary of the Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Clearing Agents Group. “The stuck cargoes need more than 3,000 railway wagons and today (Thursday) we got only 50 wagons.”

He said the Pakistan Railways never gave priority to ATTA and Afghan traders were annoyed to pay huge demurrage charges, containers’ detentions charges and port charges.

The sharp decline in ATTA imports rang alarm bells in the government quarters and federal authorities have intervened to propose measure so the major loss could be avoided.

“The government is considering ending monopoly of the Pakistan Railways in transportation of the ATTA goods to Peshawar,” said a source privy to the discussion on the proposal.

He said the federal government, with the Central Board of Revenue, had almost reached consensus and formal decision in this regard was expected within the next few weeks.

“Several options include involvement of the NLC (National Logistic Cell) and private carriers in transportation of the ATTA goods,” said the source.

Imports under the ATTA have registered a sharp jump over the past three years as traders and official believe improving conditions in landlocked Afghanistan and increasing construction activity have paved the way for increased trading activity in the neighbouring country.

The ATTA imports touched Rs 20 billion mark during financial year 2003-04 up by 48.7 percent compared with figures in 2002-03 and are expected to cross Rs 30 billion by the end of June 2006. But people involved in the trade say delayed supply of goods to Afghanistan could damage its scope. "We have asked the commerce ministry to allow private carriers to transport ATTA goods," said Mr Altaf of the Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Clearing Agents Group.

Russia to end free military aid to Afghanistan - source
MOSCOW. Nov 10 (Interfax, Russia) - Russia will end free technical aid to the Afghani armed forces in 2006, a source told Interfax on Thursday in Moscow.

"The decision to end free technical aid to the Afghani armed forces has been taken," the source said.

He said that the decision was taken partly because the issue of Afghani external debt has not yet been settled. "One should mention that Kabul has re-oriented development of its national armed forces on the United," the source said.

Afghanistan: Escaping the past - the widows of Herat
Source: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Known as the "City of Cherished Martyrs", Herat bears the scars of 25 years of conflict. But thanks to new projects to improve literacy and self-reliance, some of the city's widows are finding ways to escape the past, as WFP spokesperson Jackie Dent discovered.

Herat, Afghanistan, 08 November 2005 - Jalil Ahmed, head of the Department of Martyrs in Herat, is in the middle of a conversation when a group of about 25 women, all widows, silently file into his office.

Draped in black chadors or with burkas pulled up over their heads, the women choose different places to sit – the couch, on chairs, the floor – but all come with exactly the same request: please, please, help us.

Impassioned pleading

Some women sit quietly with their hands on their laps, gazing as if lost. Others are more impassioned and forthright in their pleading.

“How can we survive on this money?” one asks, in reference to the US$6 a month she is entitled to. “We need more!” pleads another. The misery in the room is palpable.

Daily procession

But Jalil remains calm and chats away with a warm smile on his face. What else can he give? He is used to this daily procession of widows walking into his office.

“Sometimes there are as many as 400 or 500 coming to ask for money in a day,” he says. “But there is nothing we can do. We don’t have anything else to give them.”

City of Cherished Martyrs

Herat, in Western Afghanistan, is known as the “City of Cherished Martyrs”.

In March 1979, a local uprising against the communist regime in Kabul resulted in the deaths of a couple of hundred Soviet nationals. The communists retaliated with carpet bombing and street warfare ensued.

It's estimated that between 5,000 and 25,000 people were “martyred” as they attempted to fight off their enemies with sticks and rocks.

Emotional impact

While Herat is slowly recovering - its famous Blue Mosque, tree-lined streets and peaceful parks have given it a reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the country - the emotional impact of the Soviet invasion hasn’t faded.

The streets are littered with painted portraits of commanders who died during the conflict.

In addition, an impressive new army museum is set to open in 2006, the highlight of which is an extraordinary 360-degree mural depicting the Soviet invasion and ensuing troubles, which has taken 14 art students from the University of Herat over a year to paint.

Poignant memorial

The most poignant of the memorials is a cemetery on the outskirts of the city. Afghan tombs usually bear the deceased’s name and age and verses from the Quran, or the flag for “shaheed”, which means they were martyred and died for a good cause.

But it would be impossible to list names and ages at this site, as “The Cemetery of People with No Name” is a mass grave for the thousands of people killed during the invasion.

Mass grave

According to Jalil Ahmed at the Department of Martyrs, there were always rumours in Herat about the existence of a mass grave, but it was only discovered in 1992.

Thousands of exhumed skeletons were initially displayed under glass, both as a reminder of the horrors of the war, and to give the living a chance to recognise loved ones by their clothing or jewellery and reach some sort of closure.

But when the Taliban took control of the city in 1995, they ordered the glass to be replaced with concrete, saying it was not permitted by Islam to have bodies on display.

Projects

Herat does more than just build monuments to its dead; there are a number of projects aimed at helping the estimated 50,000 families who were affected by the invasion and ensuing conflicts.

Herat Women’s Council with the assistance of WFP is currently teaching around 200 widows how to read and write; a further 90 are learning tailoring and embroidery skills. These women receive food rations to encourage their attendance at the courses.

The Department of Martyrs also runs a number of schemes, including carpet-making and needlework, with the support of local business people.

Meagre living

Widows in Afghanistan, whether young or old, face many economic and social problems, particularly if they have no male relatives to support them. They eke out a meagre living by begging, washing clothes or working on construction sites carrying bricks.

But through the assistance of the local government and WFP, some of the widows of Herat are finding there are opportunities to escape the daily grind; and the past.

Legal action to be taken against poppy cultivation in Afghanistan
Thursday November 10, 2005 (2320 PST) PakTribune.com, Pakistan
KABUL: Afghan Ulema have announced Jihad against poppy cultivation.
This was decided at a high level meeting led by Governor Nangarhar Agha Sherazi was held in Jalalabad.

The meeting pledged not to cultivate poppy in the province.

Later Governor Nangarhar Agha Sherazi talking to VoA said that the Afghan Ulema has also announced Jehad against poppy cultivation.

To a question that some people have cultivated poppy in the province, he said there are some reports but government would take legal action against them.’

He said an administration commission against poppy cultivation has also been formed a talk with various tribes to pursue them not to cultivate poppy in province.

He said the problem would be resolved through talks. He appealed to the people of Nangarhar to cooperate with the government in this drive.

He also thanked all those people who have not cultivated poppy in their fields.

Radio Kaboul performs Afghan music at WFU
Wake Forest University News Service, NC
By Pam Barrett November 9, 2005
Wake Forest University's Secrest Artists Series will present "Radio Kaboul: Ustad Mahwash & Friends" at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 in Wake Forest's Brendle Recital Hall in Scales Fine Arts Center. A pre-performance screening of the film "Afghanistan: The Lost Truth" will also be held at 6:30 p.m. in Scales Fine Arts Center, Room 208, adjacent to Brendle Recital Hall.

The award-winning Radio Kaboul has been devoted to the performance of traditional music and instruments from Afghanistan since their founding. The concert will feature Ustad Farida Mahwash, a vocalist who is considered the greatest female singer of Afghanistan. She received the coveted title of "Ustad" (Master) in 1977 and was awarded the BBC's Asia/Pacific Award of World Music in 2003. She has lived in California for the past 12 years and tours the world to promote a better understanding of the music of her country.

The concert will include performances of multi-ethnic Afghan music highlighting Indian, Persian and Arabic traditions, airy melodies of Tajik minstrels, festival songs and ragas (classical Hindustani songs with an Indian flavor). The music will be performed by five musicians on ethnic instruments including the zerbaghali drum (a clay goblet drum), bansuri flutes (a side-blown bamboo flute), tabla/dolak (both types of drums), rubab (a short-necked stringed lute) and other Afghan lutes.

"Afghanistan: The Lost Truth" is a documentary by Iranian filmmaker Yassamin Maleknasr. Maleknasr, the only woman and filmmaker to have traveled across Afghanistan from Herat to Balkh since the fall of the Taliban, provides a portrait of both the Afghan people and their country. The film includes an interview about Taliban repression with one of the country's only women judges and an emotional conversation with filmmaker Siddiq Barmak, director of the Afghan feature "Osama." The screening is co-sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program and the Secrest Artists Series.

Admission to the screening is free. Tickets for Radio Kaboul are $18 for adults; $14 for senior citizens and non-WFU students; and $5 for children under 12. They are available through the Theatre Box Office at 336-758-5295.

Khalid hammers Afghanistan
Kathmandu Post, Nepal
KATHMANDU, Nov 8 - Super-sub Muzasher Khalid scored unbeaten 77 runs as Kuwait registered a comfortable seven-wicket over new entrant Afghanistan today in Asian Cricket Council U-19 Cup cricket tournament played at the newly laid pitch in Tundikhel.

Sent in to bat first, Afghanistan scored handsome 200 runs before being bowled out in 47.4 overs. Super-sub Khalid stepped in after Kuwait lost two early wickets and hammered hapless Afghan attack all over the park. In his 63-ball knock, Khalid entertained some 1,000 spectators with four massive sixers and the same numbers of fours.

"He is not a good fielder and we have one very good left-hand medium pacer that is why we played him as a super-sub," revealed elated Kuwait coach Asad Beg. Beg, who coached disappointing Kuwait side back in 2001 in Nepal, is looking forward to win the title with his spirited squad. Defending champion Nepal had beaten Kuwait in semifinal at Karachi Youth Asia Cup while Kuwait was eliminated from the Group stage in Kathmandu Youth Asia Cup in 2001.

Sibtain Raza also chipped in with useful 60 runs to put up a 118-run match-winning partnership with Khalid for the third wicket. Earlier, Abdul Bashir scored 55 runs and Mohammed Asghar made 39 taking Afghanistan to a defendable target of 200 runs after it lost six early wickets for just 81 runs. Ali Shezad got four wickets.

In the day's another match played at Institute of Engineering Ground, Pulchowk, Qatar defeated Singapore by 113 runs. After electing to bat first, Qatar managed commendable 251 runs with big scores from Hasan Ali (67), Zahiruddin Ibrahim (51) and Omar Arshad (34). Singapore's Jayanth Ganapathi took five wickets in his 10-over spell that cost 38 runs.

In reply, the Singaporeans faltered and managed just 138 runs in 43 overs. Tamor Sajjid took four wickets while Qamar Sadiq and Zahiruddin Ibrahim claimed three and two wickets respectively.

In the match played at Birendra Sainik Awasiya Mahavidhyalaya, Bhaktapur, two-time runner-up Malaysia scored a big 178-run victory over Hong Kong. Riding on big scores from Suhan Kumar (51) and Ariffin Ramly (66), Malaysia managed 207-8 runs from the allotted 50 overs. Hong Kong batsmen, apart from Gry Brirly (31), never looked comfortable and were bowled out in 26.4 overs for 51. Mohammad Kasman took four wickets.

Badakhshan radio station blaze
(Anis) A local radio station in the northern province of Badakhshan was damaged by a fire which broke out on the night of November 7. Shah Jahan Noori, the provincial police chief, blamed staff at the radio station for the fire, saying it was caused by carelessness which led to a short-circuit. But the head of the province's information, culture and tourism department, Engineer Mohammad Din, rejected the police chief's claim, arguing instead that the fire was started by the "enemies of peace and stability".

(Anis is a state-run daily published mostly in Dari.)

via Afghan Press Monitor (No 190, 09 Nov 05) - published by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting