Afghanistan News October 20, 2005

October 20, 2005

Afghanistan force investigates claims US soldiers burned Taliban bodies
Thursday October 20, 07:43 PM
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFP) - The US-led coalition force in Afghanistan said it was investigating media claims that US soldiers burned the bodies of two suspected Taliban militants and used the evidence to threaten locals.

The allegations were made in a report broadcast on Australian television on Wednesday which said the soldiers afterwards used the incident to insult villagers and to try to make them cooperate with coalition troops.

Members of the US 173rd Airborne said they burned the bodies of the suspected militants for health reasons after they had been left out in the open for more than 24 hours, according to SBS's Dateline programme.

Burning corpses is deeply offensive to Muslims, who bury their dead within 24 hours of death.

The allegations were being investigated by the Army Criminal Investigation Division, a statement from the coalition force based at the Bagram Airfield north of the capital Kabul said.

"This command takes all allegations of misconduct or inappropriate behaviour seriously and has directed an investigation into circumstances surrounding this allegation," coalition commander Major General Jason Kamiya said on Thursday.

If the claim were substantiated, "corrective action will be taken," he said.

"This command does not condone the mistreatment of enemy combatants or the desecration of their religious and cultural beliefs," Kamiya said.

"This alleged action is repugnant to our common values, is contrary to our command's approved tactical operating procedures, and is not sanctioned by this command," he said.

The Australian report said the deaths of the suspected militants occurred during an ambush of a US patrol in which one American and one Afghan army soldier were killed ahead of Afghanistan's parliamentary elections last month.

US officials used the burning of the bodies to taunt villagers suspected of harbouring insurgents, it said.

The programme showed footage of the burning corpses and replayed broadcasts of inflammatory messages from US troops to villagers.

"Attention Taliban, you are all cowardly dogs," one message reportedly said.

"You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing west and burned. You are too scared to retrieve their bodies. This just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to be."

Another stated: "You attack and run away like women. You call yourself Talibs but you are a disgrace to the Muslim religion and you bring shame upon your family. Come and fight like men instead of the cowardly dogs you are."

The Geneva Convention requires soldiers to dispose of war dead in an honourable fashion and "if possible, according to the rites of the religion to which the deceased belonged."

The US-led coalition has been in Afghanistan since the fall of the hardline Taliban in late 2001 and has been battling loyalists to the ousted regime who have stepped up their attacks as part of a vow to overthrow the new government.

There are about 20,000 soldiers in the force, most of them based in southern and eastern Afghanistan, hotspots for Taliban-linked attacks.

Rights groups have heavily criticised the US military for abusing suspected militants in their detention in Afghanistan, at least eight of whom have died while in custody.

Two US soldiers were in August sentenced to up to three months each for abuse of two Afghan detainees held at Bagram, the main US base in Afghanistan, that lead to their deaths.

The two soldiers were tried in a US military court in Texas, leading to the first judicial sentences handed to any American soldier for prisoner abuse in Afghanistan since 2001.

US troops burned Taliban corpses in Afghanistan: report
Thu Oct 20, 3:22 AM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - US troops burned the bodies of two suspected Taliban killed in southern Afghanistan and then broadcast insults to taunt enemy fighters, according to an Australian television report.

The troops said they burned the corpses for health reasons after they had been left out in the open for more than 24 hours, according to SBS's Dateline programme screened late Wednesday.

The burning of the corpses, which contravenes the Geneva Convention, was later used by a psychological operations unit of the US military to insult locals and encourage them to cooperate with coalition troops, it said.

The suspected Taliban deaths occurred during an ambush of a US patrol, in which one American and one Afghan army soldier were killed. The clash took place before Afghanistan's parliamentary elections last month.

US officials used the burning of the bodies -- a practice offensive to Muslims, who bury their dead within 24 hours -- to taunt villagers suspected of harbouring insurgents.

The programme showed footage of the burning corpses as US soldiers stood in the background and replayed broadcasts of inflammatory messages sent by US troops to villagers.

"Attention Taliban, you are all cowardly dogs," one message said.

"You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing west and burned. You are too scared to retrieve their bodies. This just proves you are the lady boys we always believed you to be."

Another stated: "You attack and run away like women. You call yourself Talibs but you are a disgrace to the Muslim religion and you bring shame upon your family. Come and fight like men instead of the cowardly dogs you are."

The Geneva Convention requires soldiers to dispose of war dead in an honourable fashion and "if possible, according to the rites of the religion to which the deceased belonged".

Deadly riots broke out in Afghanistan earlier this year after US troops were accused of desecrating Islam's holy book, the Koran.

The US embassy in Canberra issued a statement Thursday saying that the army had launched an investigation into the alleged misconduct described by the programme and that Washington had contacted the Afghan government over the issue.

"These are very serious allegations and, if true, they are very troubling," the embassy said. "They will be investigated fully and those responsible will be held accountable."

The US did not condone or sanction the "mistreatment of enemy combatants or the desecration of their religious and cultural beliefs," it said.

"We condemn actions by anyone to abuse human remains -- even of those who were engaged in violent acts against the United States."

Afghan minister urges investment in war-torn country
October 19, 2005
KABUL (AFP) - Large sections of Afghanistan are safe for desperately needed foreign investment as they are mostly free of the Taliban-led insurgency that keeps the country in the headlines, the commerce minister said.

These included most of the north and west, which had largely escaped the violence, Commerce Minister Hedayat Amin Arsala told reporters on Wednesday.

"Insecurity is mostly regional," Arsala said, referring to the southern and eastern provinces battling almost daily attacks as part of the insurgency launched after the Taliban were removed from power in late 2001.

"It should be clarified that there are other parts which are pretty safe and secure," he said.

Arsala visited the United States last month with the head of the government's Investment Support Agency, Omer Zahid-Khil, to try to attract foreign capital.

Their message was that the country, turning its back on decades of war, "is a great opportunity," Zahid-Khil said, adding investors had shown some interest.

"We've security in Herat, good in Mazar-i-Sharif, it's good in Kunduz and there is good security in Badakhshan," he said, referring to cities in the north and west.

Good sectors for investors were power, construction materials and the processing of fruit and other crops, Zahid-Khil said.

It would be of less use to invest in luxury goods and heavy industries, in which the poverty-stricken country could not compete on the global market, he said.

With most basic infrastructure destroyed by the strife, even "not having electricity is an opportunity for investment," he said.

"We don't have power for a factory, but not having power itself is an opportunity -- they can invest in power," he said.

Despite a flood of billions of dollars in aid after the collapse of the Taliban in a US-led invasion, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

After the collapse of the Taliban, the biggest foreign investment has been in two mobile companies: Roshan, owned by the Agha Khan, and the Afghan Wireless Communication Company, an Afghan-American venture.

US Chambers Plan US$500 MLN Investment in Afghanistan
Thursday October 20, 9:06 AM
KABUL, Oct 20 Asia Pulse - The United States Chambers of Commerce and Industries has evinced an interest in investing US$500 million in different sectors in Afghanistan.

Director of the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) Dr Omar Zakhelwal revealed this on his return from an official trip from the United States.

He was visiting US at the head of a high level delegation comprising ministers of commerce, agriculture, and mines, AISA officials and local investors.

In a chat with journalists here on Wednesday, Zakhelwal said the target areas included construction and agriculture sectors and exploitation of the natural resources of Afghanistan.

He said the aim of the visit was to inform the US investors about business opportunities in Afghanistan and encourage them to take advantage of those opportunities.

He said most of the investors had little knowledge about the natural resources of Afghanistan and hence they shied away from investing here.

He said the delegation also held meetings with officials of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the World Bank (WB), who had promised a loan of $100 million for small and medium enterprises in Afghanistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Commerce Minister Hidayat Amin Arsala hoped their trip would bear fruits. "It was the first positive step and we are sure it will attract foreign investors into Afghanistan." He admitted the government was faced with problems like power, space, roads and the law and order situation in some parts of the country but it would be overcome with the passage of time.

The minister said they were going to confer awards on best investors. Besides, he added, the country was also going to host the third two-day Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) conference from 9th of the next month.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Militants Kill District Chief In Southern Afghanistan
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - October 19, 2005
Interior Ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanezai today said the head of Arghandab district, Haji Ahmadullah, in southern Kandahar Province was gunned down in a mosque late on 18 October.

It was the latest in a series of attacks officials have blamed on the Taliban. More than 20 Afghan troops, several U.S. soldiers, five local aid-workers and three pro-government clerics have been reported killed this month by suspected Taliban militants. The violence is focused mostly in southern and eastern areas close to the border with Pakistan.
(dpa/Reuters)

Afghans denounce Taleban killings
By Andrew North BBC News, Kabul
Several thousand people have held a protest in eastern Afghanistan against the hardline Taleban movement's continuing insurgency.

The protest was sparked by the killing of a prominent cleric by suspected Taleban militants in the eastern city of Khost last Friday.

Mullah Mohammed Khan died when a bomb was detonated in his mosque during Friday prayers.

Two more clerics have been shot dead since then in two other provinces.

However, the turnout at Thursday's demonstration was lower than organisers had been hoping.

Organisers from the local governor's office were hoping it would reach 50,000.

In the event it was estimated at about 4-5,000 people.

Worst period

Chanting "death to terrorism", the protestors marched through the centre of Khost.

Fear of the Taleban appears to be strong

There were tribal elders among the crowd as well as many schoolchildren.

Some carried banners saying "death to al-Qaeda and the Taleban", who they blame for most of the attacks that have claimed more than 1,200 lives in Afghanistan this year.

This has been the worst period of violence since US-led forces removed the Taleban from power in 2001.

Expressions of public opposition to Afghanistan's former rulers have been rare though, especially in areas like Khost, where the militants are active.

But a Taleban campaign against pro-government clerics in this and other regions - eight have been killed so far this year - seemed to have changed some minds.

The question is whether this protest will grow into something bigger.

US troops watching the march clearly hope so and their commanders, who want to start withdrawing units from Afghanistan.

But the turnout suggests fear of the Taleban remains strong.

Afghanistan: Bagram Air Base Fugitives Release Video On Al Arabiya
adnkronosinternational (AKI, Italy)
Kabul, 18 Oct. (AKI) - Four alleged members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network who escaped from the US air base in Afghanistan on 10 July have released a video that was aired on the Dubai-based Arab language satellite TV channel Al Arabiya on Tuesday. "Our Jihad continues with our Taliban allies," the four proudly declare in the video, the four who escaped from the Bagram air base said: "

The video, in which the editing appears to be of a high quality with respect to other videos released so far by militants active in Afghanistan, shows in separate scenes the four militants engaged in various activities such as handling weapons, training, and making speeches and explaining the dynamics of their escape.

In the first scene, one of the escapees, the Saudi national, Mahmoud al-Kahtani gives a lesson to a number of mujahadeen and demonstrates a map of the jail in which the four were imprisoned. "We decided to escape on Sunday because that is the day off for the non-believers. To escape we studied the plan very carefully," al-Kahtani said.

In the second scene, Abdullah Hashimi, a Syrian national explains how before joining the Taliban militants, the four fugitives hid for four days inside the American air base that surrounds the prison without being discovered.

The third part of the video focuses on another of the escapees, Mahmoud Ahmad, an Iraqi who is also known as Faruq al-Iraqi. He wa arrested in 2002 in Indonesia and is believed to be a link between al-Qaeda terrorist the Indonesian extremist group, Jemaah Islamiyah.

Little is shown of the fourth fugitive, Muhammad Hassan, who is identified as a 'Libyan' even if it is he who comes across as the domininant figure in the group.

According to the al-Arabiya reporter in Pakistan who received the video, the men's escape from the Bagram prison has astonished observers given that the prison is within an American military air base which houses some 12,000 soldiers and is surrounded by mountains.

After their escape, Taliban militants announced that they had provided protection and refuge to the four.

"The Taliban discovered and welcomes the four mujahadeen this morning," said Abdul Latif Hakimi, the Taliban spokesperson at the time of the escape, who was himself recently arrested in Pakistan.

The Bagram Air Base has a detention facility that is said to house Afghan nationals and senior al-Qaeda suspects from various countries. Many have been detained there since US-led forces toppled the hardline Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2001. When the four fugitives escaped in July, the US said it was the first time any prisoner had escaped from Bagram.

Army gets £30m new firepower to take on al-Qa'eda and the Taliban
The Telegraph (UK) / October 19, 2005 By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Infantry going into combat against the Taliban and al-Qa'eda in Afghanistan next spring will carry the most devastating array of weapons ever fielded by British footsoldiers.

In the past two years, the Army has bought 4,000 Minimi light machineguns, 9,000 night sights and 2,000 underslung grenade launchers in a £30 million programme, with £35 million available for further purchases.

Brig Robbie Scott-Bowden, the Army's director of infantry, described the capability of an eight-man section as four times greater than their Second World War equivalent.

He said: "In terms of our capability and potency today, I would say that the job done by two sections of infantry two years ago can now be done by one. We are better equipped than in the past, without doubt, and the blokes feel very confident with the weapons they now have.

"It is crystal clear that the quality of equipment we have for going to war is top quality for the infantry soldier in the front line."

Soldiers on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have been at the forefront of a programme to equip the infantry battalions with grenade launchers, versatile light machineguns, laser aiming equipment and night vision sights.

"It's got to the point where people are fighting to carry the best weapons on operations," one soldier said yesterday, during an exercise in the Brecon Beacons.

Before the war in Iraq in 2003, the average British infantry section had a feeble amount of firepower available.

But shortly before the invasion, several systems came into effect after the Ministry of Defence made requests for "urgent operational requirement" and now every infantry battalion will be fully equipped by the end of the year.

With troops having to fight insurgents in areas where armoured vehicles are ineffective, Army commanders have decided to increase vastly the infantry's firepower.

"Our arsenal is now a lot bigger, has greater capability and gives us much more options on the ground," said Colour Sgt Rod Poulter 34, who recently finished training 40 Iraqi NCOs in the Beacons. He added that while the old SA80 rifle had "many, many faults", with recent modifications it was now "a world beater".

While the much derided original SA80 rifle failed in numerous operations, its successor the SA80 A2 was now "the best weapon in the world" after 24 modifications were made in a £90 million overhaul four years ago.

"As a section commander I now know that I can stop the enemy and in close combat kill them because my weapons will work in all terrains," Sgt Poulter said.

The troops were now "more than happy" with what they had got although some grumbled about the loss of capability for using the bayonet.

During a platoon live firing attack up a small valley, yesterday, the troops brought devastating firepower to bear on "enemy" positions.

Brig Scott-Bowden admitted that while the old infantry section, equipped with the failing SA80 and light support weapons, had been weak, the new purchases had "without doubt given them a lot more clout".

The Afghanistan deployment will test the new Bowman radio system, which gives commanders the ability to see where their troops are on the ground, and will see the first operational use of the Apache attack helicopter.

Afghan general visits Atlanta
By TERESA BORDEN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 10/20/05
A top commander in the Afghan national army wrapped up a nine-day tour of U.S. Army training installations in Atlanta on Wednesday, stopping at Fort McPherson to watch a demonstration of infantry skills.

Gen. Bismullah Mohammadi, also known as Bismullah Khan, is chief of the general staff of the Afghan army, a post he took after he joined the interim government in 2001.

"Undoubtedly this will play an important role in the future of our armed forces," said Khan, who in recent days also visited Fort Benning near Columbus and Fort Drum in New York, during an interview at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. "It will also lay further groundwork for the improvement of mutual commitment between the two armies."

Khan said he was impressed with the speed with which U.S. soldiers put training into practice. "I had never had a chance to visit military training centers with such advanced technology to make training more efficient," he said.

Khan spent more than 20 years as a mujahedeen, fighting first against Soviet forces north of Kabul and later commanding the national guard and the northern front against the Taliban. He draws a distinct line between the mujahedeen of that time and the insurgents now fighting for control of Afghanistan.

"They had very unclean objectives, very hellish objectives," he said. "We were fighting for the independence and the freedom of our country."

Khan said self-sufficiency for Afghan forces depends on U.S. commitments. "Keep in mind that the main donor and the main source of income to our country is being guaranteed by the government of the United States, so we do hope that these assistances do continue and only increase with time, so that we can complete the rebuilding of our armed forces."

Weather, logistics delay relief missions out of Bagram Air Base
Officials trying to make sure aid goes where needed most
By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Wednesday, October 19, 2005
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — U.S. military airdrop missions out of Bagram to Pakistan, bound for victims of the Oct. 8 earthquake, have been canceled since Saturday because of weather and coordination issues with Pakistani government officials.

Bad weather in Pakistan scrubbed missions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Flights set for Monday and Tuesday were canceled as well while issues are being worked out among officials.

“The issue is coordination between governments to make sure the supplies are dropped where [the Pakistanis] want them,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Jeff Sammons, a public affairs officer with the Disaster Assistance Center in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital.

The first and only airdrop mission so far from Bagram was Oct. 14 when a U.S. Air Force C-130 parachuted about 20,000 pounds of supplies into Pakistan. A C-130 airdrop mission scheduled to depart Bagram early Monday morning was canceled minutes before takeoff.

Despite the delays, significant U.S. military relief has reached Pakistan. Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemasters and three C-130 Hercules aircraft have transported more than 141,300 pounds of supplies, according to a press release. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26 sent two aircraft and 25 sailors to Pakistan on Saturday and Sunday, according to a press release. Days after the earthquake, an Air Force C-17 from Bagram landed in Islamabad and unloaded supplies.

Since the earthquake, nearly 1.2 million pounds of relief supplies have been delivered to Pakistan through the assistance center, Sammons said. U.S. Navy ships have arrived in Karachi and are unloading engineering equipment to be used in repairing Pakistani roads, Sammons said.

A total of 18 aircraft from the U.S., German and Afghan governments are on hand at the center. Helicopters have evacuated 2,730 casualties, Sammons said.

According to The Associated Press, more than 55,000 people died in the 7.6-magnitude quake that rocked Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. Of those, 54,000 died in Pakistan.

Crews at Bagram have been working around the clock to prepare loads to be airdropped into Pakistan. U.S. troops from the 307th Forward Support Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, out of Fort Bragg, N.C., have spearheaded the preparation. The U.S. Army’s 24th Quartermasters, the 3rd Special Forces Group and members of an Air Force expeditionary squadron assisted.

The troops rigged 21 pallets and put parachutes on another 51 bundles in less than six hours during the evening of Oct. 12. The task would have taken roughly 12 hours without the additional help, said Chief Warrant Officer 1 Daniel Christy, airdrop systems technician with the 307th.

“Without the help of all these other people, five and a half hours would have been an improbable time line,” said Christy, 34, of Greensboro, N.C. “These guys are willing to take on whatever comes their way.”

Being part of a humanitarian aid operation is part of the overall mission out of Afghanistan, said Pfc. Jason Brannon, 26, from the Pittsburgh area.

“One of the reasons why we’re here is not just, per se, supporting Afghanistan,” he said. “We are, more or less, supporting an area. If a problem goes down wherever — inside or outside of Afghanistan, we have the equipment, people and know-how to accomplish these kinds of missions. It just goes with the territory.”

Kabul Bank Opens Branch In Kunduz
KUNDUZ CITY, Oct 19 [Asia Pulse] - Kabul Bank, the first private venture in Afghanistan, has opened its branch in the northern province of Kunduz, officials said.

Abdul Basir Frogh, regional officer of the bank, told Pajhwok Afghan News the opening of the new branch was aimed at addressing the longstanding demand of local traders.

Now they would be able to transfer money to and from Kunduz easily, he added.

Froghn said of the 34 staff at the new branch, 12 were economist and two of them experienced Pakistani and Indian bankers.

Two Afghan traders opened their accounts in the bank on the first day of its inauguration in the province.

The bank would ensure the smooth and quick transfer of money besides issuing loans up to US$700,000 for businessmen and companies that furnish repayment guarantees, Frogh informed

Describing the role of private banks as crucial for a country's economy, Haji Mohammad Ghaus, a local trader, said the bank should try to win people's trust by making transactions smooth and transparent.

Kabul Bank was established in May 2004 in Afghanistan. It has a branch in Mazar-i-Sharif while more branches will be opened in Kandahar, Herat and Nangarhar provinces.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Pakistan is playing a cat and mouse game
Gulf News 10/19/2005 By Husain Haqqani
Pakistan's establishment will crack down on the Taliban only when it finds the cost of positioning itself as a major regional power unbearable.

For over two years, Abdul Latif Hakimi regularly telephoned Pakistani and Western reporters and described himself as the spokesman for Afghanistan's Taliban. He claimed responsibility, on behalf of the Taliban, for several terrorist attacks.

In June, when a MH-47 helicopter was shot down during an anti-guerrilla mission in Afghanistan's Kunar province bordering Pakistan, killing all 16 American troops on board, Hakimi reported the incident to the media before US or Afghan officials. Hakimi's claims were often exaggerated and sometimes totally fabricated. But no one doubted that he was based in Pakistan and he spoke on behalf of the Taliban.

Hakimi's telephone press conferences and interviews, conducted on satellite and mobile phones, offered an embellished version of an emerging ground reality. After being toppled from power in the aftermath of 9/11, the Taliban have reconstituted themselves in part of the Afghan countryside as an insurgent force, especially in several provinces dominated by the Pashtun ethnic group along the Pakistan-Afghan border.

Since the beginning of 2005, casualties in Afghanistan have been rising. Eighty-four American soldiers and 1,400 Afghans have been killed this year, more than any year since the arrival of US forces in 2001. The Taliban insurgency is weak and not yet as threatening as the violent challenge in Iraq. But Afghan insurgents are clearly getting arms, money and training. Through propaganda of the type waged by Hakimi, the Taliban are also recruiting new members.

When Pakistani authorities announced on October 4 that Hakimi had been arrested in the southwestern city of Quetta, near the Taliban's traditional support base Kandahar, officials in Afghanistan were not impressed. Why had it taken the Pakistanis so long to silence Hakimi when he operated freely in Pakistan for over two years, they asked. What about other Taliban leaders who allegedly roam the streets of Quetta and other Pakistani cities and towns quite openly? Pakistan's decision to arrest the Taliban spokesman was attributed to relentless US pressure.

American and Afghan officials realise that it would be difficult to bring lasting peace to Afghanistan if the Taliban and other enemies of President Hamid Karzai's government continue to find sanctuary in Pakistan.

During the war against the Soviets, Pakistan's military leader General Ziaul Haq had adopted a policy that would bleed the Soviets without goading them into direct confrontation with Pakistan. Pakistani intelligence officers used the metaphor "the water must not get too hot" to describe that policy. It seems that Pakistan is pursuing a similar policy in relation to Afghanistan today.

By allowing the Taliban to regroup and mount insurgent attacks across the border, Pakistan's hopes to make it clear to Afghan leaders such as Karzai that they cannot stabilise their country without Pakistan's help. At the same time, Pakistan does not want the situation to reach the point of inviting US reprisals.

Pakistan's attitude towards Afghanistan was formed largely by historic developments of the nineteenth century when Britain and Russia competed for influence in Central Asia in what came to be known as the "Great Game" of espionage and proxy wars.

Demand for Pashtunistan - Since independence, Pakistan has been concerned about the demand for Pashtunistan, pursued vigorously by Afghanistan for many years and about Indian influence in Afghanistan that could make Pakistan a target of a pincer movement. Pakistan's concern about the lack of depth in its land defences also led to the Pakistani generals' strategic belief about the fusion of the defence of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan's complicated role in Afghanistan beginning well before the Soviet invasion of 1979 and through the rise and fall of the Taliban can best be understood in light of this desire for fusion of the two states. Although friendly towards Pakistan, Karzai and other Afghan nationalists remain unwilling to accept Pakistan's vision of Afghanistan as a sub-ordinate state. Afghanistan maintains close ties with India and expects to pursue an independent foreign policy.

Although Pakistan is engaged in a peace process with India, its generals remain fearful of Indian domination. India's size coupled with its economic and military might make its ascendancy inevitable but that does not deter Pakistan from pursuing options of low intensity and sub-conventional warfare for greater regional influence a contemporary version of the great game.
Pakistan's establishment will crack down on the Taliban only when it finds the cost of positioning itself as a major regional power unbearable. The US could help Pakistan realise the dangers of persisting with its traditional policies by refusing to publicly pretend that it is unaware of Pakistan's regional double-dealing. An American brokered accord between Pakistan and Afghanistan to end the latent dispute over the Durand Line, coupled with international guarantees to end Pakistan's meddling in Afghanistan might be the minimum requirements for durable peace in the region.

Husain Haqqani is Director of Boston University's Centre for International Relations, Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Co-Chair of the Islam and Democracy Project at Hudson Institute, Washington D.C. He is author of the book Pakistan between Mosque and Military

Siemens, Chinese Co to Launch Operations in Afghanistan
Thursday October 20, 9:08 AM
HERAT CITY, Oct 20 Asia Pulse - Two foreign companies are poised to launch operations in Afghanistan's western province of Herat, offering a record investment of US$18 million, the highest amount of foreign capital to pour into the region.
The internationally known German company Siemens will soon open its branch in Herat's Industrial Park to sell its products.

The renowned firm intends to invest US$10 million in the branch spread over 10 acres of land.

Ghulam Mohammad Mudabbir, chief of the mines and industries department in Herat, told Pajhwok Afghan News that Siemens would start building its office in a month.

The building's construction would be completed in three months, he added.

He also revealed a Chinese company tanning animal furs and making wool would start working in Herat in three months. Work on office premises of the company will begin next week.

"The company will collect skins and wools from around Afghanistan and export them to China for tanning and spinning," said Mudabbir, who added the firm would also focus on kurk - a special goat hide popular in Herat.

Five hundred Afghans would be employed by the company, he claimed.

The Herat industrial park is located 22 kilometers south of the provincial capital city where, Mudabbir said, 41 small and big factories were currently operating.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Afghanistan: 50,000 Afghan refugees return to their homeland
Bushehr, Oct 20, IRNA - Senior Advisor to UN High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva said here Wednesday that 50,000 refugees have returned to their homeland from Iran through UN-sponsored support programs since the beginning of the current Iranian year (started March21.)

Speaking at a gathering to review the situation of Afghan refugees in Iran, Owen Mcloud said that there are still 850,000 Afghans residing in Iran.

Given the limited time and cut of the assistance by the UNHCR all refugees should return home by the end of the year, the UNHCR official underlined.

Also speaking at th seminar, Director of Bureau for Align and Foreign Residence Affairs in the Bushehr province Mohammad Hossein Sheikhiani added that the political, social and economic developments have been positive in Afghanistan and has provided a suitable security conditions for the return of Afghan refugees.

Afghan refugees who return to Afghanistan would be in urgent need of job training, shelter and sanitary facilities in their home country and that such facilities should be included in the short-term and long-term development programs for returning refugees in their homeland, he added.

The refugees were returned to their country in accordance with a tripartite agreement signed in Geneva by representatives from Iran, Afghanistan, and the UNHCR in April 2002 for voluntary repatriation of refugees.

One million and 300,000 Afghan refugees have been repatriated to their homeland in the past three years, an Iranian official said last week.

Ambassador: Afghanistan is among poorest despite economic uptick
By Vesna Jaksic Staff Writer October 20, 2005 The Stamford Advocate
STAMFORD -- Business is booming in Afghanistan, but the country -- still among the world's poorest -- needs continuous international aid and support, Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States told a gathering in Stamford yesterday.

"What we're asking for is larger upfront commitment," said Jawad, who's been in his post for nearly two years. "The sooner we're able to stand on our feet, the less burden we'll put on our partners and friends."

Jawad spoke to 100 members and guests of the World Affairs Forum during a 7:30 a.m. breakfast at the Stamford Yacht Club as part of the organization's Ambassadors Roundtable series.

Jawad has served as Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's press secretary, chief of staff and director of international relations in Kabul. He lived in Afghanistan until the Soviet invasion in 1980.

Jawad said Afghanistan and the United States have had a friendly relationship since the early 1900s and have been working particularly closely in recent years to get rid of terrorism.

Afghans have been pleased with the United States' help, he said, and most believe they are better off today than when the Taliban regime was in power.

The U.S.-Afghanistan partnership has led to several accomplishments, particularly in the economic arena, Jawad said. Over the past three years, Afghanistan has enjoyed double-digit economic growth, with 13 foreign banks and global companies such as Coca-Cola and DHL now operating there.

Many expatriates have returned and opened businesses, such as an Afghan who started a wireless network company, he said. The economy has attracted about 60,000 workers from neighboring Pakistan and Iran, he said.

"The demands for consumer goods are just unbelievable, and the opportunities are really good," said Jawad, adding that a strong private sector will be the key to rebuilding the country.

Nearly 4 million Afghan refugees have returned home, and 5.6 million children are going to school now, Jawad said. Women are being educated, and many are working, he said.

Jawad, who was Karzai's principal liaison to the committee that drafted the Afghanistan Constitution, said the law mandates that two women be elected from each of the 34 provinces to the lower House of Parliament. This means that at least 27 percent of the lower House seats will be occupied by women, compared with 15 percent in the United States and 18 percent in England, he said.

Last year, 8.6 million Afghans participated in the country's presidential election, which Jawad said was a huge accomplishment.

"In a country like Afghanistan, a very poor country, a country with a small number of educated people, when 8.6 million Afghans lined up to cast their vote, they were not only showing a commitment to democracy but also sending a very strong message to terrorists and extremists," he said.

The country has pockets of terrorist activities, and "soft targets" such as schools and mosques are attacked most often, Jawad said. And after 25 years of war and conflict, Afghanistan must rebuild a lot of its infrastructure, he said.

Twenty-nine percent of schools have roofs, and the country is considered the sixth poorest in the world, Jawad said. Seventy percent of the population lives under the poverty line, 23 percent have safe drinking water, and 6 percent have electricity, he said.

In addition to building infrastructure, the country's biggest challenges are ensuring security and controlling narcotics and the related corruption, he said.

Though he acknowledged the difficulties in rebuilding Afghanistan, Jawad said it can play an important role in trade and commerce because of its unique position connecting Central Asia, India and the Middle East.

Jawad, who speaks several languages, was educated at a French school in Afghanistan, studied law in Germany and received his master's degree in business administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

Fred Brooks, president of the Connecticut Economics Corp., said it was interesting to learn what a big role narcotics played in Afghanistan.

"We knew it was a great problem; his view was just very interesting," said Brooks, a director at the World Affairs Forum.

Gaysha Lawrence, who works for MasterCard International, said she never thought about how difficult it is to get teaching tools in Afghanistan since many textbooks had to be rewritten.

"They were not able to access information during the war for so long," she said.

Daily Afghan Report
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - October 18, 2005 Dutch Court Sentences Two Former Afghan Communists
A court in The Hague on 14 October sentenced two former Afghan generals to prison terms of 12 and nine years for committing war crimes in Afghanistan and violating the Torture Act of the Dutch War Crimes Act, according to a 17 October press release by the National Policy Agency of the Netherlands. The two men, identified only as "Hesamuddin H." and "Habibullah J.," applied for asylum in the Netherlands and have lived there since 1992 and 1996, respectively (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 December 2004 and 21 January 2005). Hesamuddin H. served as director of the Military Khad (military intelligence) from 1982-90 and also held the position of vice minister of the Intelligence Ministry during communist rule in Afghanistan. Habibullah J. headed the interrogation department of the Military Khad in Kabul from 1979-90. The sentencing of the two former communists could lead to legal action against other Afghan officials accused of crimes against humanity, many of whom live freely in the West or have returned to Afghanistan, where some of them are seeking office. AT

Head Of Local Clerics' Council Killed In Northeastern Afghanistan...

Mawlawi Nur Ahmad Jan was killed on 16 October in Konar Province, Peshawar-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported on 17 October. Konar Governor Asadullah Wafa told AIP that the cleric was "martyred" in his home by a "number of unidentified armed people." Wafa added that it is not clear whether Nur Ahmad's killing had a political motive or whether he was killed "as a result of personal enmity." An unidentified source told AIP that the neo-Taliban had distributed leaflets in the area threatening Nur Ahmad. AT

...Which Follows Killing Of Clerics In Southern And Eastern Afghanistan

Unidentified gunmen on 16 October killed Mawlawi Mohammad Gol, a member of the provincial clerical council of Helmand Province, AFP reported on 17 October. A unidentified man claiming to represent the neo-Taliban told AFP that the movement was responsible for the killing. Mullah Mohammad, another pro-government cleric in Khost Province, was killed in a bomb attack on 14 October. AT

Southern District Intelligence Chief Killed

Brigadier General Mohammad Daud, chief of the intelligence chief of Helmand Province's Sangin district, was killed on 17 October along with one of his bodyguards, AIP reported, quoting provincial security commander Abdul Rahman. The assailants have not been identified. AT