Afghanistan News January 2, 2005

January 2, 2006

Afghanistan aims to cut opium fields by 40 percent in 2006
Mon Jan 2, 7:51 AM ET
KABUL (AFP) - Afghanistan said it aimed to slash the area of land used for growing opium by at least 40 percent this year, playing down UN estimates that output in the world's biggest producer would rise.

Deputy interior minister in charge of counternarcotics General Mohammad Daud said that the area used to cultivate poppies, from which heroin is derived, had dropped 40 percent in 2005.

"Our aim for the future, for 2006, is to further reduce poppy cultivation. In the lowest to maintain the 40 percent and in the highest we hope to double it," Daud told reporters in Kabul on Monday.

The general rejected a warning given last month by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime that Afghan opium production could increase in 2006, after showing a decline last year.

"We don't agree with that UN report," he said.

In August the UN announced that there had been a 21 percent drop in land planted with poppies, although this only translated into a 2.4 percent drop in output to 4,100 tonnes because of favourable weather conditions for the crop.

The international community has pinpointed drug production in Afghanistan, which pumps out more than 85 percent of the world's opium, as one of the greatest threats to the war-scarred country's future.

Remnants of the Taliban regime -- which was ousted by US-led forces in late 2001 for harbouring Osama bin Laden and continues to carry out attacks -- were encouraging farmers to cultivate opium, Daud said.

"Yes, the Taliban using statements and leaflets are encouraging farmers to grow poppy," he said.

Daud said that after "public awareness" seminars for provincial officials, farmers and tribal and religious leaders his ministry would send 1,300 troops to the provinces to carry out poppy eradication on January 20.

He added that his ministry's counter-narcotics efforts last year had been successful and that more hundreds of drug smugglers were detained and tried under a newly-launched drug judiciary system launched in mid-2005.

More than 120 tons of drugs including heroin and hundreds of laboratories were destroyed last year.

"Fortunately in 2005 our successes were significant ... 715 alleged drug smugglers have been detained and tried," he said.

Daud admitted that some officials were also involved in the lucrative trade but said they would be rooted out. "There will not be any exception (and) they will be pursued whether they're government officials or others," he said.

He said the focus of poppy eradication for 2006 will be on provinces such as southern Helmand, the top drug producing region in 2005, northeastern Badakhshan and western Farah.

Eastern Nangharhar, which was the second largest drug producing province in 2004, saw a dramatic 90 percent drop in poppy cultivation last year.

Afghan minister in Iran for talks with Iranian officials
Mashhad, Razavi Khorassan Prov., Jan 2, IRNA
In order to solve Afghanistan's backwardness as a result of several decades of civil war and homelessness of Afghan people, all countries should contribute to a project aimed at eradicating poppy cultivation there.

Talking to reporters upon arrival in Iran at the head of a delegation on Monday, Afghan Minister of Anti-Drugs Campaign Habibollah Qaderi said his country plans to substitute poppy cultivation with other crops in partnership with the neighboring states during a five-year program.

Qaderi praised Iran's anti-drug campaign and thanked it for assisting Afghanistan, saying that no country helped Afghanistan as much as Iran did.

Iranian police this year has seized 5,800 kgs of narcotic drugs at Taibad border region, killing 52 notorious traffickers and arresting six others.

'Afghan govt officials involved in drug trade'
Press Trust of India
New York, Jan 2 (PTI) Afghanistan is fighting a losing battle against drug traffickers with a large number of government officials involved in the trade, a newly elected Afghan MP has claimed.

"The chain of narco dollars goes from the district to the highest levels of the government," newly elected member of Afghan Parliament Amanullah Paiman was quoted as saying by Newsweek magazine.

Paiman, who is from far northern province of Badakhshan had studied the country's drug problem. Narcotics constitutes more than half of the economy amounting 2.7 billion dollars annually, according to the United Nations.

The accusation, the magazine says, is supported by the public complaints of Ali Jalali, a former Interior minister who quit the job this past summer. He has repeatedly said he has a list of more than 100 high-ranking Afghan officials he suspects of involvement in the drug trade.

A source close to him, fearful of being killed if identified, told the magazine that Jalali's unpublished list includes at least 13 former and present provincial governors and four past or present cabinet ministers. One of the minister's chief reasons for resigning was his frustration over President Hamid Karzai's failure to sack and prosecute crooked officials, Newsweek says.

But Karzai is in a difficult position. Many of the figures under suspicion were useful to the US in the overthrow of the Taliban. "His options are limited," senior presidential adviser Javed Ludin said adding "the same people who are being accused by some in the international community of being drug traffickers ... Are our most reliable partners in the war against terrorism.

25 women among 400 Karzai’s bodyguard
PakTribune (Pakistan)
KABUL, January 02 (Online): In Afghanistan, a national daily "Arman-e-Mili" carries a report that 25 women are among the 400 security guards of Hamid Karzai.

The report says that a US security company, Dyncorp has trained these security guards, selected from all the ethnic groups of Afghanistan.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai relieved his US body guards this year. End.

Suicide Bomber Strikes In Kandahar
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
January 2 2005 - Officials in Kandahar say a suicide bomber targeting a convoy of foreign troops blew himself up and wounded at least one woman and child today in the center of the southern Afghan city.

Asadullah Khan, the governor of Kandahar province, said there were no casualties among the foreign troops. Abdul Hakim Hungur, the city's deputy police chief, said it was not immediately clear how many total casualties there might be. Rishtin Qaderi Radio Free Afghanistan reporter said that one women and one child was injured by the explosion but they are not in a serious condition.

Suicide bomb targets U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan; 1 American, 2 Afghans hurt
NOOR KHAN Canadian Press (CP) January 2, 2006
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - A suspected suicide bomber detonated explosives in a car near a U.S. military convoy Monday in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, killing himself and wounding an American soldier and two passers-by, officials said.

The convoy was attacked as it drove through the city, a former Taliban stronghold and the site of a string of recent suicide bombings.

One U.S. soldier was slightly hurt, said Sgt. J. C. Woodring, a U.S. military spokesman in the capital, Kabul.

Kandahar Gov. Asadullah Khalid identified the wounded passers-by as a woman and a child. Both were taken to a local hospital.

No Canadians were involved in the bombing, said Capt. Francois Giroux, a Canadian Forces spokesman based in Kandahar.

He added Canadian troops did go to the scene to help secure the area.

The blast follows a string of suicide attacks and comes days after a top Taliban rebel commander, Mullah Dadullah, said more than 200 insurgents were willing to kill themselves in assaults on U.S. forces and their allies.

Afghanistan's government dismissed the claim as propaganda, though President Hamid Karzai said last month that he expects attacks to continue.

Last year was the deadliest in Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001 for harbouring Osama bin Laden. The fighting killed about 1,600 people as militants belonging to the Taliban, al-Qaida and other groups have stepped up attacks.

Eight Canadians have been killed in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

There are currently some 700 Canadian troops serving with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, mostly in the Kandahar area. By February there will be nearly 2,000 Canadian soldiers in the region.

Their mission is to improve the security situation in southern Afghanistan and help with the transition from the U.S.-led multinational coalition to NATO leadership in the spring.

Afghan Gov't Orders Barriers Dropped
By DANIEL COONEY Associated Press / January 2, 2006
KABUL, Afghanistan - The government said Monday it has ordered the U.S. Embassy, the U.N. and other organizations to remove security barriers that are blocking streets in Afghanistan's capital and causing traffic jams.

The order comes despite a surge in suicide bombings and other attacks that killed about 1,600 people last year.

The government issued a directive Friday ordering all government and foreign organizations to remove the barriers within a week, Interior Ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanezai said.

Kabul's streets are littered with large concrete barriers aimed at protecting offices and homes from attack. Many organizations have closed off whole streets to protect their compounds.

The security measures have caused havoc for traffic. Jams are so common that it often takes an hour or more just to go a few miles through the center of the city.

The government directive said that "blocking the footpaths, streets and roads is illegal."

"No one has the right to create obstructions," it said.

It warned it would "take action" against any organization that does not comply. It did not elaborate.

Asked if the U.S. Embassy and other foreign missions have to abide by the rule, Stanezai said "right now, the only exception to the order is the presidential palace."

The U.S. Embassy has closed off a whole street in front of its premises. The road used to be part of a main traffic artery.

The government order has triggered alarm in many organizations that consider the blockades essential for their security.

"It is not the U.N.'s wish to have these barricades and things in place, however, as part of security provisions for doing our work here, they have been necessary in the past," said U.N. spokesman Adrian Edwards.

He said the world body was waiting for more information from the government before taking any action to remove the barriers.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, Lt. Col. Laurent Fox, said many international groups met Saturday and "voiced their concerns regarding the government's proposal."

U.S. Embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said American officials were aware of the directive and that they were continuing to "work with the government of Afghanistan about access and security issues in public spaces around the embassy."

New Afghan Parliament Presses for Removal of Security Barriers
By CARLOTTA GALL The New York Times January 2, 2006
KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 1 - Afghanistan's new Parliament, in existence only 10 days, is already showing its teeth, pressing the government to act on an inflammatory issue involving the capital - namely the inconvenience caused by security barriers set up by foreign elements, like embassies, contractors and the American military.

On Friday, President Hamid Karzai and the Ministry of Interior, apparently responding to both pressure from the new Parliament and longstanding public grumbling, ordered all organizations, foreign and otherwise, to remove within a week barriers obstructing Kabul streets.

As the issue heated up today, security contractors working for the American military detained three employees of the Arab television network Al Jazeera as they tried to film security barriers near the United States military headquarters in Kabul. The American Embassy and American military headquarters have closed several streets around their premises.

After 10 days of discussion on the rules of procedure for the Parliament - and only getting through a third of the document - the lawmakers formally turned today for the first time to a discussion of pressing problems facing the Afghan population. For an hour, representatives spoke with passion about the suffering of the homeless from the cold weather, disease and poverty, about government corruption, and the fate of those in American military detention.

But the issue that threatens to cause an international incident is the frustration about traffic in the city, and the closing of whole districts when foreign or government dignitaries visit - as when Vice President Dick Cheney attended the recent opening of Parliament - causing widespread disruption.

"We have to open the roads that have been closed by foreign princes and war-princes," said Ramazan Bashardost, a populist member of Parliament, who has been speaking out on the issue. "The issue of security is the same for Afghans as for members of embassies. I am not convinced that security is solved by closing roads."

The day after Mr. Karzai's decree on Friday, the Ministry of Interior informed various foreign organizations, including the American military, American security contractors like DynCorp, private aid organizations and several embassies, that they had a week to remove barriers.

The ministry had identified 46 sites around town where the barriers must come down, said a ministry spokesman, Yousuf Stanizai. A presidential spokesman, Khaleeq Ahmad, said there would be no exceptions to the decree and that all streets had to be cleared and opened for public use, including those closed by embassies and foreign military forces.

American military forces were not rushing to comply, however. Representatives of the American-led coalition forces, among others, "registered their concerns about the general proposal" at Saturday's meeting with Interior Ministry officials, said an American military spokesman, Lt. Col. Laurent Fox. The issue was not resolved and will be discussed again at a later date, he said.

The security contractors working for the American military detained the three Al Jazeera employees as they filmed from across the street from the United States military headquarters in Kabul.

Al Jazeera's Kabul bureau chief, Samir Allawi, said the three men were a journalist, a cameraman and a driver who were filming barricades on the civilian side of the road opposite the American headquarters, to illustrate the issue of the presidential decree.

They were detained for six hours, handed over to the Afghan police and eventually released without charge, but their equipment, including the camera and mobile and satellite phones, was seized by American troops, Mr. Allawi said.

An American military spokesman, Lt. Mike Cody, said the security forces had evidence that the men had filmed "security features" of the headquarters, which is forbidden by a sign at the entrance to the base. "The security personnel dealt with it in the manner they thought appropriate," he said.

Regulatory duty to stay on flour export to Afghanistan
GEO Business News (Pakistan) January 2, 2006
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has presently decided to retain 15 percent regulatory duty on flour exports to Afghanistan.

Federal secretary for food and agriculture, Ismail Quraishi told Geo here that the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in its next meeting would not be considering any proposal of abolishing existing 15 percent regulatory duty on flour export to Afghanistan.

On the other hand, a high official of Central Board of Revenue (CBR) told Geo that CBR could only approach ECC for the abolishment of 15 percent regulatory duty, when ministry of food and agriculture recommends for it.

Prior to the imposition regulatory duty, Pakistan was exporting 0.6 million tons of flour per annum.

Entrepreneurs In Afghanistan's Herat Seek Security
HERAT CITY, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Herat's industrialists have underlined the need for security at an industrial park in the western province. Police officials are ready to provide paid security guards.

Located 22 kilometres south of the city and in front of the provincial airport, the industrial estate has more than 60 operational factories. But no proper security arrangements have so far been put in place to protect the goods and equipment of these companies, according to a senior member of the industrialists' union.

Haji Torialay Ghausi told Pajhwok Afghan News on Saturday they had discussed the problem with provincial law-enforcement officials but they sought a sum of US$60,000 annually to pay the security guards.

"Police are responsible for maintaining peace and order so that industrialists could peacefully push ahead with their activities," Ghausi observed, arguing they could not afford to pay the security guards' salaries and a raft of other duties.

However, Herat's deputy police chief Ghulam Sarwar Haideri contended hiring security guards was a requirement of the industrialists. The provincial police headquarters was ready to appoint paid security guards for them, he added.

"We will supply rifles if they (industrialists) can find people to guard their factories. We are also ready to hire guards but the industrialists will have to pay them," Haidari maintained.

However, Ghausi insists the already overburdened industrialists were not in a position to pony up the pay of guards. He pointed out they were already paying workers, water cess, power tariffs and taxes.

The entrepreneurs have invested more than US$450 million in this industrial park built over 10 square kilometres of land. Several industrial units in this western province have been closed this year for different reasons including cash crunch.

If not provided with requisite facilities including security, warn industrialists, others may also go belly-up in the near future. Herat is one of the few developed and industrialised provinces of Afghanistan.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Work Underway On Embankment In Afghanistan's Laghman
MEHTARLAM, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Work has started on the embankment of a river in Alingar district in the eastern Laghman province.

Spokesman for Governor of Laghman Dr Hizbullah told Pajhwok Afghan News the 525 metre bank would be building on the river of Alingar in Mullhayano village.

He said that US$13 million would be spent on twelve uplift projects in the province.

The scheme of supportive wall was one of the plans that launched here in the return of giving up poppy cultivation, he said, adding the project would cost US$2 million. Spokesman said United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would grant fund for the programme.

On one hand the embankment would protect the village from flood, on the other it would provide 300 people with jobs, he contended.

Dr Hizbullah said the bank would be completed in three months while the rest of eleven projects would also be finished soon.

Gul Mohammad, 44, a resident of Mullahyano, told this news agency that floods had wreaked havoc on their village in the past, now the construction of the supportive wall would protect them during rains.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Reconstruction Scheme Inaugurated In Afghanistan's Sharan
SHARAN, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - A 1500 metre road and thoroughfares, rebuilt by the US-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in this Paktika capital city at the cost of US$160,000, were inaugurated on New Year Day.

Paktika Governor Gulab Mangal, who inaugurated one of the projects amid incessant snowfall, observed every scheme completed in the province heralded a halcyon future for residents. He sounded optimistic about the ongoing reconstruction effort in the backward southeastern province.

Sharan Mayor Said Shah Totakhel, speaking to Pajhwok Afghan News, said rains would earlier leave the road and streets muddy, inconveniencing motorists and pedestrians. Their pavement, however, would resolve the problem, he added.

A city shopkeeper, Abdul Ghafoor, hailed the project as a welcome step towards the rebuilding of the provincial capital. "Sharan now looks like a city," he remarked, hoping the rebuilding process would be stepped up in line with residents' demands.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Cases Of Blood Pressure On The Rise In Afghanistan
KABUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The psychological impact of war, use of poor quality cooking oil and low rate of physical activities have increased cases of blood pressure across the country, the Afghan Public Health Ministry said.

Abdullah Fahim spokesman for the Public Health Ministry told Pajhwok Afghan News on Sunday 95 per cent of the reasons behind the higher incidence of blood pressure was still vague.

He said rising levels of cholesterol, heart and other mental problems were causes of high blood pressure. Dizziness, headache and anger were the symptoms of this disease, he added.

Head of the child health care Andhra Gandhi hospital Abdul Salam Jalali said blood pressure might cause other serious disease like heart attack, stroke etc, he added.

12-80 was normal and 140-90 was as abnormal blood pressure and patients should visit doctors in this situation, he suggested.

"There is different cooking oil in the markets which have much cholesterol and are injurious to health," he said.

Fahim said the number of blood pressure patients was increasing in the country.

Confirming, the increase of patients Dr Abdul Wahid Siddique, a physician in Ali Abad hospital at Kabul said 40 per cent of the people visiting them were blood pressure victims which showed a striking increaser.

Chief of the health information department of the health ministry Dr Mohammad Ashraf Mashkor said: "Blood pressure has been accepted as a common disease in the world."

The less interest in taking exercise and minimum opportunities for other physical activities were the major factors of blood pressure, he said, adding the patients should walk 45 minutes on a daily basis and should take care of their food.

Doctors also said that the liberal use of salt and oil were harmful to blood pressure patients but fish and chicken meat besides fruit and vegetables were helpful for them.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Afghan Gov't Grants Licenses To 2300 Companies In 2005
KABUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Economists said insecurity and limited facilities hampered chances of investment in Afghanistan during 2005 as compared with the year 2004.

Official of the Afghanistan International Support Agency (AISA) Shikeb Noori said over 2300 private companies were licensed during 2005, while 1600 private companies were given licenses during 2004.

Mostly construction, welfare, industrial and agricultural companies gained license in 2005, he said, adding that 351 of the 2300 were foreign companies.

Ahmad Khalid Ulfat, official of the Development Organization and Reconstruction of Afghanistan (DORA), told Pajhwok Afghan News: "We were expecting that government would get trust of the foreign and domestic investors to enhance country economy."

President of AISA Umer Zakhelwal said the number of investment did not increase in the year 2005 due to parliamentary election, increase in violence and poor investment facilities.

Earlier, investors believed the government would address their problems in the first years after Taliban were overthrown, he remarked.

"But in 2005 the investors might have observed that the government did not meet their expectations," he said. A reputed economist Fazil Ahmad Joya branded insecurity as the major reason that discouraged traders to invest in the country.

"Though parliament is placed in but still capitalists are afraid of investing money in Afghanistan," he added. He said London Economic Conference and parliamentarians would perhaps play positive role in promoting investment opportunities in the country in 2006.

The conference will be held in mid-January 2006. A large number of international organizations and donor states are expected to participate in the conference.

"In 2006 investment will not be less than one billion dollar and we will try to scale up it to two billion dollars." Zakhelwal hoped.

However, Saif-ud-din Saihon economic analyst and professor at University of Kabul said non-availability of banking system, infrastructures such as water and power had affected investment opportunities. He said: "I don't observe investment in the country as encouraging." Previously, people were hopeful the officials would make strategies and would step up law and order situation, but now they were convinced that government was unable to do so, he added.

Deputy Minister of Commerce Ziauddin Zia confirmed that water, power and space were pungent problems for investors.

However, he said despite the fact that these hurdles were time consuming but still government was trying to redress them on a priority basis.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Analysis - for Afghanistan, a Year of Unrest And Hope
KABUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Post-Taliban Afghanistan witnessed a number of developments, both negative and positive, in the outgoing year. Before ringing in the New Year, sparing a thought for 2005 will be necessary for sifting the cheerful events from the sombre happenings.

On the positive side, the year dawned weeks after a democratically-elected head of state in President Hamid Karzai took office in the wake of the presidential ballot held in October 2004. Karzai's installation was followed by a series of events that culminated in the holding of parliamentary elections in September and the swearing-in of parliament at the fad-end of the year.

A raging Taliban insurgency did cause a trail of death and destruction putting a damper on the encouraging occurrences, but 2005 was not exactly the annus horribilis as many tend to clepe it. Following are some of the significant developments on the political front:

- President Hamid Karzai reshuffled several governors of the southern and eastern provinces in a bid to improve the security situation and accelerate the war on poppy cultivation, a grave concern for donor countries and international organisations supporting Afghanistan in achieving peace and stability;

- Prominent warlords and commanders were disarmed and corralled at the centre to weaken their grip on their respective areas. They were effectively discouraged from propping up their private militias. Prominent among them were Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum and Commander Hazrat Ali. Former Herat governor Ismail Khan was already here acting as minister for energy and water;

- The United States signed a long-term security partnership accord with Afghanistan, which former warlord and fugitive chief of the Hizb-i-Islami Gulbadin Hekmatyar called a sell-out;

- Voter registration took place across the country, listing 12.5 million people ahead of the parliamentary polls;

- US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad was appointed as President Bush's special envoy to Iraq and replaced with Ronald Neumann;

- Chairman of National Reconciliation Commission Sibghatullah Mujaddedi as well as President Hamid Karzai announced amnesty for opponents, including rank-and-file Taliban activists. Nevertheless, some prominent Taliban leaders like Mulla Rocketi, Mullah Abdus Salam Zaeef, Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil and Maulvi Islamudding dumped the hardline movement and all but Zaeef went on to contest the September 18 legislative elections;

- Around 6.5 million registered voters exercise their franchise right in the September 18 polls, electing 249 members to the Wolesi Jirga. They successful candidates included 68 females, a huge stride towards women empowerment in a deeply conservative society;

- Interior minister Ali Ahmad Jalali resigned to resume his academic career in the United States. Jalali's resignation sparked a litany of rumours regarding his hideous rift with President Hamid Karzai over poppy cultivation, drug trafficking and accommodation of warlords in the state machinery;

- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Kabul - the first trip by a premier from that country since Indira Gandhi's 30 years back- and laid the foundation stone of the parliament building here;

- The Durand Line issue resurfaced between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with officials on both sides blurting out acrimonious statements;

- Afghanistan became the eighth member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) at a meeting held in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka;

- The 26-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) announced southward extension of its operations in Afghanistan as well as an increase in the number of its forces. The NATO expansion due early next year marks a shift from peacekeeping to counter-insurgency operations;

- The US announced a reduction of forces by 2,500 in Afghanistan;

- The Afghan parliament (both Wolesi Jirga and Meshrano Jirga) held its first session, the first in more than 30 years and elected chairman, speaker and deputies of the two houses. The parliament's inaugural session, besides others, was attended by US Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife. Security:

During the outgoing the year, security remained a pesky challenge facing the Afghan government as well as foreign forces deployed to Afghanistan. Independent observers say nearly 1,500 people were killed in 2005. They also included 92 US soldiers, which is why the year is reckoned as the bloodiest for the American military since the ouster of Taliban in 2001;

- About 20 people were killed in violent demonstrations in southern and eastern provinces against the desecration of the Holy Quran by US investigators at the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison;

- A US chopper was downed in the southern Ghazni province killing 16 soldiers aboard;

- In a similar attack, a Chinook helicopter was shot down in the eastern Kunar province, leaving 17 US marines dead on June 28;

- Italian aid worker Clementina Cantoni was kidnapped in the month of May and set free after 24 days of captivity. Her kidnappers reportedly received a huge amount in ransom from the Italian embassy in Kabul;

- Chief of the Kandahar Ulema Council and a pro-Karzai cleric Maulvi Abdullah Fayaz was gunned down in his office on May 29. His murder was followed by a spate of attacks on pro-government clerics in all parts of the country;

- Kabul police chief Akram Khakrezwal was killed in an explosion in a mosque in Kandahar on the 1st of June. He was there to participate in the qul of the late Maulvi Abdullah Fayaz;

- Pakistan arrested and handed over Taliban spokesman Latifullah Hakimi along with Ustad Yasir and 12 others wanted to the Afghan government. The step was lauded by Kabul, bringing a stop to the blame-game between the neighbours over increased militancy in Afghanistan;

- The insurgents stepped up their activities, adding a dangerous new element to their tactic: Suicide attacks that have since left several people dead;

- About 20 policemen were killed in a Taliban ambush in the southern Helmand province, the heaviest toll in a single clash in the year;

- MP-elect Esmatullah Mohabat was gunned down days ahead of the historical session of the parliament;

- The Taliban rebellion spread to the comparatively peaceful northern and western provinces, where suicide attacks and landmine explosions targeting ISAF troops happened in the latter half of the year;

- A British engineer was kidnapped and subsequently killed by suspected Taliban fighters in the Farah province;

- A kidnapped Jordanian engineer was released after his company agreed to wrap up its business in Afghanistan;

- A worker of an Indian road construction company was decapitated by Taliban in the Nimroz province;

Poppy cultivation:

Although the Afghan government announced a 10 per cent decrease in poppy cultivation this year, the international community remained worried about the booming drug trade and asked the authorities to take concrete steps for dealing with the issue;

Administrative corruption:

The scourge is seen as the third biggest challenge before President Hamid Karzai and the new parliament after security and drug trade. The president himself admitted the same while addressing the maiden session of the parliament. Administrative corruption is rampant and much of funds, donated for the welfare of the Afghan people, are misused.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Afghan Border Police open new airport facility
January 2, 2005 COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER
Story by Air Force Maj. Julie Solberg
Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan Police Reform Directorate

KABUL , Afghanistan — T he Afghan National Police recently opened a new facility for its protection battalion at the Kabul International Airport .

The new facility, constructed by the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief and financed by the German Federal Foreign Office, was handed over to the Afghan Border Police on Dec. 15. The buildings, which were rebuilt and renovated during the past year, were refitted with modern conveniences such as electricity, plumbing, and kitchens, and now provide space for 120 employees.

The protection battalion is a special section of the Afghan Border Police responsible for the security of the airport and air traffic, as well as that of the airport’s employees and passengers.

German Special Ambassador for the Police Sector Reform Dr. Helmut Frick and Acting Afghan Minister of the Interior Zarar Ahmad Moqbil jointly inaugurated the new facility.

Frick said the airport security mission can now be fulfilled in a more effective way at Afghanistan ’s largest airport. This new facility, located about 300 meters from the terminal, represents the development that is continually ongoing with the reformation of the Afghan National Police and Afghanistan as a whole.

“This is another example, of many major advances, by the Afghan Border Police which clearly reflects great progress and reform. Citizens see this as a positive step towards the security and prosperity of Afghanistan ,” said Ray Fitzgerald, Director of the Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan’s Police Reform Directorate.

Brig. Gen. Aminullah Anarkhil, Commander of the Afghan Border Police stationed at the Kabul International Airport , said he has seen major improvements in security at the airport during the past year. “Last year the (security for) Hajj was no good but this year it was good. People felt more secure,” he said. Anarkhil highlighted how the police recently arrested drug smugglers coming through the airport with 30 kilograms of heroin.

Since 2002, the Federal Republic of Germany, in close coordination with the International Community, helped finance numerous projects throughout the country in the framework of the reconstruction of the Afghan National Police. The projects mainly concentrate on reconstruction of the police infrastructure.

Women & Power in Central Asia (Part 4): Roundtable On The Tajik, Afghan, and Iranian Experiences
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Prague, 28 December 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Shirin Ebadi, Shukria Barakzai, and Oynihol Bobanazarova all live in patriarchal societies where men enjoy more rights and women face limitations. But despite battling discrimination, conservative traditions and intimidation, all three women have managed to push for their rights -- and achieve success.

Iranian Nobel Laureate

In 2004, Ebadi became the first Iranian or Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The lawyer and rights activist says that despite threats, she refuses to be silenced.

"Fear is an instinct like hunger, whether you want it or not, it will come to you," Ebadi says. "I have twice escaped attacks miraculously and have always been threatened and have been imprisoned, so it's natural that I'm worried about this dangerous situation. But my years of experience has taught me not to let fear overwhelm my work."

Ebadi says that as a result of the struggle of freedom-loving Iranian women and men, Iranian society is gradually changing.

"In the beginning of the revolution, when they wanted to insult me they would call me 'feminist, liberal, defender of human rights,'" Ebadi says. "In Iran, 23 or 24 years ago, these words were used as insults. Fortunately, now as a result of the struggle of Iranian women -- but also men -- human rights protection has become valued."

Mirroring Afghan Society

Shukria Barakzai is a member of Afghanistan's newly elected parliament and the founder of "Aina-e Zan" (Women's Mirror), a weekly publication that focuses on women's issues. During the rule of the hard-line Taliban, Barakzai helped run underground schools for women in Afghanistan.

Barakzai says she has tried hard to give a public voice to the concerns of Afghan women.

"Our patriarchal society does not like to hear this voice, it's a voice that even Afghan politicians want to silence," Barakzai says. "But despite these problems, I and millions of other Afghan women have been successful through our tireless efforts to open a small glimpse of hope, for the future generations and for the children of Afghanistan."

Barakzai says discriminatory, pre-Islamic traditions are the worst problems facing women in Afghanistan.

"Unfortunately, these traditions are so deeply rooted among people that in some cases they are placed before the religion," Barakzai says. "People believe and practice traditions that [destroy] women; they consider women as elements whose only duty is to give birth to children. And the other problem is the patriarchal view that is prevalent in the society."

Obstacles In Tajikistan

Oynihol Bobanazarova, an outspoken rights defender, has played a key role in helping to reform the legal system in Tajikistan and in spurring the country to sign international covenants on human rights. This, in turn, has led to the complete abolition of the death penalty in Tajikistan.

In 1992, Bobanazarova was a founding member of the Democrat Party of Tajikistan. But she was later forced to leave the party when she was accused of "antigovernment activity" and criminal proceedings were started against her.

Bobanazarova says discriminatory traditions are among the main factors that prevent women from having an active role in Tajik society.

"In Tajikistan, for example in the families, they educate girls and tell them that before anything else they are women. For example, they keep girls away from discussions at home," Bobanazarova says. "To a certain degree there is also the people's mentality; we women also sometimes don't speak as experts and we consider ourselves helpless. I think if we do not start to talk as experts, as qualified individuals, as humans -- until that day, men will not take us seriously."

Areas Of Agreement

All three roundtable participants agreed that women activists and women in power should coordinate their efforts to tackle ignorance, discrimination, and economic hardship.

"The lines through which they separate secular women from Muslim women or elite and intellectual women from traditional ones, these dividing lines are harming us," Ebadi says. "The day that we forget these lines and focus only on equal rights for women like men, is the day of victory for the women of Iran and the world."

Bobanazarova says that for many Tajik women who live in poverty, economic empowerment is very important. She says women in power can play a key role.

"Women who consider themselves intelligent or women in the parliament should do their best to defend the right of Tajik women, because for 70 percent of the population, particularly women in villages, there are no possibilities for them to increase their knowledge," Bobanazarova says. "And I think one issue that is today very important for the women of Tajikistan is that their financial situation needs to be improved."

Like Ebadi, Barakzai emphasizes the importance of unity among women. But she says men also have a role to play.

"I think on the one hand, women should believe in their own rights as being equal under law to men, but men should also commit themselves to accepting women as equal partners in society," Barakzai says. "It's going to take time, but it can be done through long-term educational programs in Afghanistan and positive campaign by the press and also with the help of clerics. It requires a long-term struggle with the support of the international community. We women can overcome our problems and the [negative] view of society."

(This teleconference roundtable was hosted by RFE/RL's Tajik Service and held on 6 December 2005.)

London Conference, the Last Hope for Afghanistan
Mohammad Najeeb Azizi December 31, 2005 Saturday, The Frontier Post
The Afghan government in 2004 -- as a major policy for state building -- put out a proposal of US$ 28 billion for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan in seven years entitled "Securing Afghanistan's Future". The proposal aimed at building the foundations for a democratic, secure and stable Afghanistan with a prospect of long-term financial sustainability.   It was a detailed document with elaborations of pragmatic investment in social and human capital, physical infrastructure, economic management, security and natural resource development with goals to reduce the poverty, increase sense of human security, capital creation, promotion of private sector and ultimately economic growth and prosperity.   The international community promised only $7 billion over five years and left the Afghan policy makers in the middle in terms of sustained decision making.

Since the Iraq war, Afghanistan is no more a first priority in the mirror of developmental assistance.   Already, developed countries have forgotten their promises to the Afghan people they made before their invasion. It seems they have lost the sense of fear of Al-Qaeda attacks.   Though, no clear words have been spoken, but the actions show that international players assume that it is now the headache of the Afghan government to take care of the remnants of Taliban and international terrorists on the eastern and southern Afghan borders.

It is vital that the international community understand that investment in securing Afghanistan is a far lower cost than the cost of investment in consequences of insecurity in the country.   The unavailability of financial resources, sound planning, coordination between donors and the Afghan government are pre-requisite for a politically and economically sustained Afghanistan . The recent decision of Washington to start pulling out military forces from Afghanistan is a big blow for the confidence of Afghans in the US friendship.   Many doubt NATO's sustainable and effective role in Afghanistan. How long will NATO keep their semi-neutral role and to what extent they will be ready to tolerate the losses against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgencies? If lack of US interest and its partners continue declining in the coming five years, then only time will decide how Afghanistan will be traded to its brutal neighbors in this game and at what cost.

The international experts have proposed that an annual growth of 9%, along with a major role played by the private sector as the engine of development, will move Afghanistan towards sustainable prosperity. The donor countries over emphasize that the failed development models elsewhere will cure all the problems of the country as a miracle, making the shattered economy and war-torn society as a successful example for others.   It is no more a controversial topic amongst academics that economic growth never means ultimately poverty reduction, higher standards of living and equitable distribution of wealth.   The major international financial institutions with their decades of experience ignore the fact that their dictated policies in Afghanistan are moving no where in the arena of social welfare and human resources development.   Current economic policies by no means reveal that any wise consideration has been given to identify the real force of progress and improvement in the country.

After the initial steps of developing guiding documents such as the National Development Framework and Securing Afghanistan's Future under the leadership of former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashraf Ghani, it is time that government authorities come up with the comprehensive Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS).   Many were concerned at the beginning of the process of the ANDS as the responsible team was looking at unique cases of Africa and Central Asia as a development model with no direct or indirect link with post conflict situation of Afghanistan. National and international experts have been working since June 2005 to overcome the shortcomings of previous inscriptive initiatives to produce a document for the London conference that will not only make the donors pleased but also care for the challenges of Afghan people.

The Tokyo and Berlin conferences were great and positive steps but their outcomes were by no means optimal and perfect.   The fact that $13 billion in funds were pledged, with merely $3.5 billion disbursed, is no less alarming for Afghan masses than their disbelief in the seriousness of international partners.   Playing with words and expressions have been common in all political games over history, however, it will not be an easy task in the major upcoming London conference. Even after four years of invasion, Afghans are waiting for the fruits of regime change.   It is not enough for the poor Afghans to be told that you can shave your beard with no fear now or you can go out without Burqa! Let's hope the objective of spreading democracy in other regions brings quicker and proper fruits for the victims of wars.

The London conference will be a test for all to regain the confidence of Afghan people and improve international credence.   A failed conference in London will crash hopes and decades may require winning the trust of people again, who have been living with no proper food, water and shelter. The Afghans will continue to merely hope that their international friends will pay the price of their previous mistakes and let Afghans live a peaceful life.

* The writer is a Ph.D Candidate and serves the Embassy of Afghanistan in Tokyo as Economic Specialist.   The views in the article are that of writer and do not represent the government of Afghanistan.