Afghanistan News January 25, 2006

January 25, 2006

Up to 4,000 British troops to deploy in Afghanistan
Wednesday January 25, 2:23 PM
LONDON (AFP) - Britain plans to order up to 4,000 of its toughest troops to start deploying in a restive area of southern Afghanistan from April or May, the mass-circulation Sun tabloid reported.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence was not immediately available to comment on the story.

Defence Secretary John Reid on Thursday will inform soldiers from the 16 Air Assault Brigade and the Parachute Regiment of their mission to Helmand province, The Sun said, quoting an unnamed "senior government figure".

"There is no doubt this will be a dangerous exercise. But it is a vital mission for Britain to lead," the source told the tabloid. "Our forces will be robustly armed in case they come into contact with enemy forces."

The British deployment is to spearhead a NATO "enabling force" to help the Afghan government and take over from US units in the area, The Sun said.

It noted, however, that London's decision to send its tough paratroopers underlines the potential dangers involved.

Afghans arrest two suspected suicide bombers
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan security forces arrested two suspected suicide bombers wearing vests packed with explosives on Wednesday, hours after a grenade was thrown at an Indian consulate, police said.

Dozens of people have been killed in a wave of bomb attacks, including 13 suicide blasts, in Afghanistan over the past few months, most in the restive south and east.

Police in the southern city of Kandahar said they had received intelligence about suicide attacks and had set up a checkpoint on a road about 25 km (15 miles) south of the city.

"We stopped two guys riding a motorbike, pointed guns at them and ordered them not to move," said Masood Khan, a provincial police commander.

"They were wearing waist-coats full of explosives," he said.

Security forces had not established their identities, he said.

The government blames Taliban fighters and their al Qaeda allies for the blasts, saying the militants are intent on scaring off NATO members who are due to expand peacekeeping operations into the south in coming months.

The insurgents also want to unsettle Afghanistan's international backers who are due to meet at a conference in London on January 31, officials say.

A grenade was thrown at the Indian mission in Kandahar from a speeding vehicle on Tuesday night. No one was hurt, police said.

India has good relations with the U.S.-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.

Afghan officials and U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan often criticize Pakistan for not doing more to stop insurgents, although Pakistan rejects the criticism and has deployed nearly 80,000 troops on the long and porous border.

Last week, Kandahar governor Assadullah Khalid accused Pakistan of training and equipping Taliban suicide bombers.

Rallies and marches have been held in various parts of the country to denounce the bombings, with many protesters accusing Pakistan of helping the militants.

Hundreds of people protested against the bombings in the central province of Dai Kundi and in the southern border town of Spin Boldak on Wednesday, witnesses said.

A suicide bomber killed 23 people in Spin Boldak on January 16.

In the capital, Kabul, two grenades went off on Tuesday night but no one was hurt, police said.

One exploded in front of the Ministry of Women's Affairs while the other went off later on a deserted shopping street.

Police said they did not know who was responsible.

Grenade blast at Indian consulate in Afghan south
Wed Jan 25, 12:17 AM ET
KABUL (Reuters) - Unidentified attackers threw a hand grenade at the Indian consulate in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar while two grenades were thrown on streets in the capital, Kabul, security officials said on Wednesday.

The grenade was thrown at the Indian mission in Kandahar from a speeding vehicle Tuesday. No one was hurt, said deputy provincial police chief, Abdul Hakim.

India has good relations with the U.S.-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.

In Kabul, two grenades went off on Tuesday but no one was hurt, police said.

One exploded in front of the Ministry of Women's Affairs while the other went off later on a deserted commercial street.

Police said they had no idea who was responsible.

Dozens of people have been killed in a wave of bomb attacks in Afghanistan over the past few months, including 13 suicide blasts.

The government blames Taliban fighters and their al Qaeda allies intent on scaring off NATO members who are due to expand peacekeeping operations into the volatile south of the country in coming months.

Many ordinary Afghans say the militants get refuge and support in neighboring Pakistan, an accusation Islamabad denies.

Karzai Seeks Afghan Governors' Help To Combat Opium Trade
RFE/RL-24 January 2006 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has urged provincial governors to prevent farmers from growing opium poppies, saying it is encouraging violence and undermining the country's future.

Karzai said in Kabul today that proceeds from opium poppies are being used against the Afghan people to make bombs and encourage suicide attacks. The Afghan leader also warned that foreign aid would dry up if poppies continued to be grown in the country.

Afghan poppies produce an estimated 90 percent of the world's heroin. The trade is blamed for fighting in some poppy-growing areas, especially southern provinces.

Afghanistan's Nangarhar Residents Demand Larger NSP Projects
Wednesday January 25, 10:16 AM
KABUL, Jan 25 Asia Pulse - People in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province have demanded the government start large projects instead of concentrating on smaller ones under the much-hyped National Solidarity Programme (NSP).

Matiullah, 35, resident of Ghazi Abad village of the Batikot district, said bigger projects would address problems faced by the people as well as create more jobs.

"Five small NSP projects are presently underway in our village but these are of less benefit to the residents. The projects also don't have job opportunities for villagers," he complained.

Malak Mohamamd Alam, resident of the Chaprhar district, said NSP had provided small generators in his village. But that money could benefit large number of people if spent on a big project.

"Instead of installing generators, it would be better to construct a dam or upgrade the Daronta Dam, which provides electricity to some areas in the province. This would benefit a large number of people," observed the elder.

However, head of Rural Rehabilitation and Development Department engineer Ahmad Wali said selection of projects depend on the demands of residents. ADVERTISEMENT

"We first hold a planning seminar inviting local councils and the members to deliberate on projects mostly needed in their areas. We start whatever projects they recommend," Wali said.

People in the Rodat district complained against the local representatives in the NSP. They alleged the representatives assigned with the project monitoring were not honest and keep their personal interest above those of the people's.

Haji Gul Wali, 55, said the village elders, who were assigned to supervise implementation of the projects, use the money and projects for their own benefits and even do not hire other poor villagers.

"I dont know the criteria on the basis of which the NSP workers select people as project supervisors who don't represent the villagers," said Wali, adding: "The rural rehabilitation department is responsible for the anomalies."

However, engineer Faridullah, an official of the Bangladeshi NGO, BARC, rejected the allegations and said the councils and supervisors were usually appointed in consultation with the villagers.

Regarding the launching of bigger projects, Faridullah said: "It depends on their choice. If they opt for a bigger project, we can start schemes costing up to 10 million Afghanis."

He referred to the construction of a big water tank at a hilltop in the Qatargha village of Rodat district, from where drinking water is supplied to the area on tape.

Resident of the Achin district, Omar Khan (24), says the education level of some of the shura representatives was too low to decide which project was beneficial for the people.

"These small projects can neither improve people's standard of living nor provide alternative sources of income or jobs to poppy growers. It will be better to build dams and provide other important basic facilities to the people," Omar noted.

Chief of the Rural Rehabilitation Department Ahmad Wali confessed some of the people selected for project supervision were illiterate; however, in the future, they would try to select educated people.

Meanwhile, some people expressed satisfaction over the ongoing NSP projects and say their requirements had been fulfilled.

Resident of Mano village of the Chaprhar district, 29-year-old Kateb Khan said several adjoining villages in this area had collected the allocated amount for construction of a dam that would provide water for the area.

"We have jointly taken a step to solve our problem and dozens of our youths are busy working in the dam construction," he added.

Engineer Wali said they would release the amount to local councils in three phases. The first tranche would be released at the time of launching of the project; the second in the middle, while the last would be given after work completion.

He said launching of the projects was aimed at reconstruction, elimination of poverty and provision of jobs.

Presently, the programme was underway in three districts, which would be extended to five more districts soon, he concluded.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Pakistan freezes accounts of suspected Taliban firms
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities have frozen bank accounts of two Afghan trading firms suspected of funneling funds to leaders of Afghanistan's Taliban guerrillas, security officials said on Wednesday.

Agents of the country's Federal Investigation Agency raided offices of the firms on Tuesday in the northwestern city of Peshawar after requests from Interpol and the Afghan government, the officials said.

"We seized documents during the raid which show the firms were transferring money to the Taliban," one of the officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We have frozen 15 bank accounts of the firms in Peshawar and Islamabad," he added.

The official said no one from the firms had been arrested but a customs clearing agent who dealt with the companies had been detained.

Another security official said the firms, which deal in edible oil, sugar and other food items, are owned by an Afghan family from the southern province of Kandahar with which the Taliban's reclusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had close ties.

Officials of the firms could not be reached for comment.

Officials from the Interior Ministry, which controls the Federal Investigation Agency, were also not available.

Pakistan has frozen bank accounts of several Islamist militant groups since joining the U.S.-led war on terrorism after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

But Afghan officials have repeatedly complained that the Taliban have found sanctuary and support in Pakistan since their overthrow by U.S.-led forces in late 2001.

Tuesday's move came the same day as a meeting in Washington between Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and U.S. President George W. Bush, in which the latter praised Pakistan as a close ally in fighting terrorism.

Many militant groups in Pakistan operate under a variety of aliases, and the central bank has in the past asked banks to make every effort to discover a customer's "true identity," as well the nature of their business and source of funds.

China continues to play positive role in Afghan reconstruction process
People's Daily - Jan 24 4:17 PM
China will, as always, continue to play a positive role in the Afghan economic and political reconstruction process, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in Beijing Tuesday.

An international conference on Afghanistan will be held in London from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will attend the conference at the invitation of the British and Afghan governments.

Kong told a regular press conference that the upcoming conference would be of great importance. China has been a constant supporter of Afghan economic and social reconstruction, and has provided Afghanistan with a great deal of assistance in the shape of funds, food and materials.

China will actively implement personnel training projects in the diplomatic field for Afghanistan, and will continue to encourage Chinese companies to contribute to Afghan economic reconstruction engineering projects, Kong noted.
Source: Xinhua

Afghanistan's president rules out peace talks with bin Laden
Tue Jan 24, 1:38 PM ET
KABUL (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai ruled out ever holding talks with Al-Qaeda chief     Osama bin Laden, who is believed to be playing a key role in an insurgency led by the ousted Taliban.

The Saudi billionaire proposed a truce to the United States in an audiotape broadcast by the Al-Jazeera satellite television network this month in which he also warned of more attacks in the "heartland" of the United States.

Washington rejected the offer, which Karzai said he would also never accept.

"It is for America if they want to make peace with him or not. But I, as a son of     Afghanistan, want him before an Islamic court," Karzai said.

"I will not negotiate with him, there is no room for peace," he said at a ceremony to lay the foundations of a new madrassa, or Islamic religious school, in the capital Kabul.

Karzai said bin Laden should be made to account for atrocities blamed on the Taliban government, which was funded by and sheltered Al-Qaeda until it was removed in a US-led campaign in late 2001 for refusing to hand over bin Laden for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

Bin Laden should be brought to justice for the "destruction of houses, orchards, vineyards -- the burning of the Koran (the Islamic holy book) in mosques and the murder of breast-feeding babies," the president said.

Karzai, whose government is battling an increasingly deadly insurgency led by the Taliban and other militants, said his country needed justice after decades of war, including the resistance to the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation in which 1.5 million Afghans were killed.

"We have given 1.5 million martyrs for Islam -- my country was invaded, we have freed it from the grip of infidels. But he (Bin Laden), under the name of my jihad (holy war), invaded my country. This land needs justice," he said.

In his message, authenticated by the     CIA, bin Laden offered a "long-term truce" if Washington withdrew its troops from     Iraq and Afghanistan.

Karzai, Afghanistan's first ever elected president, has repeatedly insisted it needs the long-term support of international troops to cope with the insurgency.

About 20,000 troops in a coalition led by the United States have been in the country for four years to hunt down Taliban and other militants. Nearly 10,000     NATO-led peacekeepers are also there.

The insurgency claimed about 1,600 lives last year, many of them militants.

Afghanistan was the safe haven, operational base and training centre for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda until US forces invaded.

Karzai has offered amnesty to members of the Taliban movement and other Islamic militias if their "hands are not stained with innocent people's blood".

Hundreds of former Taliban and Islamic fighters have taken up the offer, including former Taliban foreign minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil and the Taliban's ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef.

Kabul cautions against nuke threat
The Daily Telegraph 01/22/2006
AFGHAN Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah has cautioned against the use of nuclear arms against terrorism, after French President Jacques Chirac's threat of a nuclear response to terror strikes.

"Fighting against terrorism may be in military ways, but can also be done through consolidating dialogue between civilisations and through education," Mr Abdullah said during a visit in Qatar.

"I do not wish to see a nuclear war in the world," he said.
Mr Abdullah also said "we do not accept that our territories be used to strike terrorists with nuclear arms."

Under the Taliban fundamentalist regime, Afghanistan hosted the Al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden, which was responsible for the September 11, 2001, devastating terror attacks on the United States.

Weeks after the September 11 attacks, the Taliban regime was ousted from power by a US-led military offensive. Bin Laden and other militants are believed to be on the run on the borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan where Taliban remnants still lead an insurgency.

Mr Abdullah said Afghan President Hamid Karzai was expected to visit Qatar in the near future, following an invitation by the emir of the energy-rich Arab Gulf country, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

He hailed Qatari funding of educational projects in Afghanistan and plans to start Qatari Airways flights to Kabul. On Thursday, President Chirac threatened a nuclear strike on any state that launched "terrorist" attacks against France.

Afghanistan, Iran & Pakistan get 20mn in humanitarian aid
India Infoline - Jan 24 10:55 PM
The political situation in Afghanistan, though fragile, is progressing and post-emergency development assistance is beginning to have a significant impact on people's lives. Nonetheless, humanitarian aid is still needed for the most vulnerable people affected by the long and violent crisis and by recent climatic conditions (notably drought).

Returning refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs) and their host communities face particular challenges. To address the continuing humanitarian needs and foster the return and reintegration process, the Commission has allocated Euro 20 million in humanitarian aid.

Assistance is also planned for regions in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran with high numbers of Afghan refugees. The two countries still play host to four million Afghans.

A wide range of activities will be covered by the 2006 humanitarian global plan in the sectors of water/sanitation infrastructure, shelter, income-generation, health, nutrition and protection of vulnerable groups. The plan includes security information and air transport components, aimed at facilitating access and enhancing the security of humanitarian aid workers.

The funding will be channelled through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department which comes under the responsibility of Louis Michel, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid. He said: "The European Union has made a huge commitment to Afghanistan which includes substantial emergency assistance.

With the forward planning we have done for 2006 we are able to address the still huge needs effectively and without delay. These humanitarian aid operations financed by the Commission are a practical example of Europe's solidarity with the vulnerable people in the region."

Despite the huge international effort and economic and political progress that is slowly yielding results, living conditions remain grim after decades of turbulence, armed conflict and more recent droughts. Even now, only 13% of Afghans have access to safe drinking water and 70% of the population is undernourished. A quarter of young children die before they reach their fifth birthday.

As is often the case in post-crisis situations, there are particular needs linked to the progress made in consolidating peace and embarking on rehabilitation. More promising conditions back home have induced many refugees and internally displaced people to return to their former home areas. Almost 18% of the country's 22 million people are relatively recent returnees (having gone back at some time in the last four years). Three million Afghan refugees still live in Pakistan and a further million are in Iran.

The Commission's humanitarian aid assistance will focus on the needs for the return and reintegration of 600,000 refugees and 120,000 internally displaced persons. The most important sectors are water and sanitation, shelter and protection. Other needs covered include the assistance of the most vulnerable in host communities, many of whom have only recently returned themselves, as well as the most vulnerable amongst remaining refugees. This could amount to up to 1.4mn people.

Afghan Customs Houses to be Computerized Within Two Years
Wednesday January 25, 2006, 12:53 pm
KABUL, Jan 25 Asia Pulse - Afghan custom houses will be computerized in two years according to the internationally approved Automated System for Custom Data (ASYCUDA).

The ASYCUDA, a computerized system was recommended to developing countries at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD. ADVERTISEMENT

ASYCUDA, comprises a collective computer programme that covers customs procedures, including import, export and transit.

Manager of the ASYCUDA Malyar Jabbarkhel told Pajhwok Afghan News first the system would be installed in Jalalabad-Torkham for transparent transit system in the next month and would later be extended to Hairatan-Mazar-i-sharif and Islamqala of Herat.

A big chunk of the US$25 million budget specified by the World Bank (WB) would be spent on the implementation of the AYSCUDA system in two years.

Currently the customs houses are working without computers.

Afghan finance ministry, World Bank and United Nations Office for Project Services UNOPS in a seminary held here on Tuesday informed the representatives of the Commerce Ministry, exports, transports as well as transportation companies about the new system.

Finance Ministry Advisor Raza Mohammadi said the computer network would enable the head office of custom to report the daily activities.

Initially, they would train a ten-member team that would later impart computer skills to other comrades, he added.

However, a number of businessmen believe Afghanistan was not ready for such system.

Deputy Director of the Afghanistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) Abdullah Tokhi said: "It is very early to practice the system in Afghanistan, only countries can own it that have better scheme."

The system might be enforced in the countries where trade laws rarely change, but here its modification was routine matter, he added.

He said power facility was another obstacle in the way of implementing the system.

However, Jabbarkhel said they had considered all dimension of the project and would install two power generators in all custom houses.

About 84 countries around the world were using AYSCUDA system and they deal about $470 billion through this system. Afghanistan would be 85th country where this system would be applied.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Osama Should be Tried in Afghanistan: Afghan President
Wednesday January 25, 10:11 AM
KABUL, Jan 25 Asia Pulse - President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday he wanted alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden tried by an Afghan Islamic court for the losses his presence inflicted on the impoverished Central Asian country.

"Simultaneously, he (Osama) wants to fight it out and proposes a truce to the United States of America. But as a son of the Afghan soil, I want him to be tried by an Islamic court here for the damage our country has suffered because of him," Karzai added.

At a foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Centre for Islamic Studies in Kabul, Karzai said Afghanistan being a Muslim country had played a central role in spreading Islam. Owing to efforts of Afghan scholars, he observed, a large number of non-Muslims had embraced Islam.

"In our country, there are many prominent religious scholars who can impart Islamic education to Afghan and foreign children," the president said, remarking Afghanistan might need the services of overseas doctors and engineers.

But in the domain of Islamic teachings, he stressed, the country did not require foreign assistance, as it had a large number of noted ulema. Speaking on the occasion, Supreme Court Chief Justice Fazl Hadi Shinwari said the establishment of the centre was a longstanding demand of the masses.

But the government - beset by problems - could not initiate work on the project early on, he contended. The madrassah, being set up near the Imam Abu Hanifa Darul Uloom, is named after illustrious scholar and reformer Allama Syed Jamaluddin Afghani.

Urban Development Minister Engineer Yousuf Pakhtun says the centre will be a full-fledged university, with well-equipped classrooms and hostels for students.
(Pajhwok Afghan News)

Scientists say livestock move could curb Afghan heroin crop
The Press and Journal, Scotland - 01/24/2006 By Joe Watson
Sheep, cattle and goat production could provide the alternative income needed to persuade Afghan farmers to give up growing the opium poppies needed to supply the world's illegal heroin trade.

Scientists at Aberdeen's Macaulay Land Use Research Institute made the suggestion in a report funded by the UK Government's Department of International Development.

Iain Wright, chief executive of Macaulay Research Consultancy Services, said livestock production had an important role to play in rebuilding war-torn Afghanistan, and in giving farmers a new income to replace the crop which provides the basis for the multibillion-pound drugs trade.

"Livestock margins cannot compete with opium, but if there were a clampdown on poppy production, then cattle, sheep and goats could provide the alternative income stream. There is strong demand for sheep meat in Afghanistan. It is the meat of preference. There is also demand for beef."

The country's previous Taliban administration forced a clampdown on opium poppies in its final year in power. Since then, production has risen, despite the growing of poppies being illegal.

Mr Wright, who has visited Afghanistan on several occasions recently, said: "It's grown in rural areas. There are a lot of provinces where there are quite significant areas of poppies. It is only grown for the heroin trade.

"The Afghan government is again trying to curb poppy production, but if you do that you have to provide an alternative source of income. It is illegal to grow poppies but, given the state of the country and the economy, it is difficult for the government to get enough resources to police it.

"There is little that can compete with the economics of opium production." He said the poppies were grown by poor rural families, many of whom had few opportunities and were desperately trying to feed their families. There were, however, opportunities to be got from selling meat to towns.

He pointed to funding being needed for credit schemes to allow farmers to buy stock, and to boost the country's livestock sector which has been in decline for the last 15 years because of war and drought.

Tony Blair meanwhile insisted all Nato members had a "fundamental security interest" in preventing the Taliban reforming in Afghanistan.

A UK-led Nato peacekeeping operation, due for May, is being held up by the Dutch parliament's delay in committing troops. While saying he did not want to comment on the "sensitive" Dutch situation, Mr Blair pointed out Afghanistan was taken over by the Taliban as a terror training camp.

"If they were able to get a foothold again in any part of the country they would go back to the same activity. It would only be a matter of time before the impact of that was felt in our own streets - whether in Britain or in Holland."

AFGHANISTAN: Diplomats visit new Provincial Reconstruction Team in Panjshir province
KABUL, 23 January (IRIN) - Diplomats of various countries have visited the first Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) headed by a US civilian in the northern Panjshir province to observe reconstruction efforts in the area, a statement by the US-led Coalition forces said on Sunday.

"Government officials from 13 different nations and the European Union were briefed about reconstruction projects by Combined Joint Task Force-76 (CJTF-76) Army Commander Maj Gen Jason Kamiya before visiting the Panjshir PRT," the statement said.

"The day highlighted how Coalition military and civilian agencies, whether Coalition or not, can and should provide effective mutual support on the security and humanitarian fronts," said Richard Smyth, CJTF-76 Political Adviser.

A joint effort between the members of CJTF-76 and the US Embassy in the capital Kabul, headed by Fletcher Burton, a US Department of State civilian, the Panjshir PRT is the first of its kind in the post-conflict country.

"Today we had a very interesting visit to Bagram Airfield and then to Panjshir to see how the American PRT is doing," said Regis Koetschet, French Ambassador to Afghanistan. "The visit was a good opportunity to see this new type of integration of military and civilian agencies," Koetschet noted.

According to Mike Cody, Coalition forces spokesman in Kabul, the PRT, like other PRTs in the country, was engaged in projects to improve the lives of Afghans and further economic opportunity.

"Its largest project so far is a 75-km road from the Panjshir Valley to Kabul, which will cost about US $18 million, funded by Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan and the US Agency for International Development (USAID)," Cody told IRIN, adding: "Around 300 Afghans are working on the two-year project, which is scheduled for completion in about a year."

During the summer of 2002, US officials developed the PRT concept to spread the effect of the International Security Assistance Force to Afghanistan (ISAF), without expanding ISAF itself.

First established in early 2003, PRTs consisted of 60 to 100 soldiers plus, then eventually, Afghan advisers and representatives from civilian agencies like the US State Department, USAID and the US Department of Agriculture. Representatives from more than a dozen countries are now participating in over 20 PRTs to enhance security, reconstruction and support the Afghan central government.

Bush to visit Pakistan in first week of March
ISLAMABAD – The News International: US President George W Bush will be visiting Pakistan in the first week of March after his visit to India. It will be his last visit to Asia in his second and final stint in power. He has already paid visits to China, Japan and some other Asian countries. Bangladesh and Afghanistan are trying very hard through diplomatic channels to get their capitals included in the itinerary of President Bush.

Sources told The News here on Sunday that the US administration has informed Pakistani authorities of the tentative itinerary of the trip, but the details of the visit are being fine-tuned and will not be made public till an appropriate time for security considerations.

Though the US administration has already delinked its ties with Pakistan from India, Washington would like to maintain some parity while finalising the details of the visits of the president to both countries, the sources said.
Tasneem Aslam, spokesperson for the Foreign Office, while confirming the communication about the visit between Islamabad and Washington, declined to give any further details in this regard.

It is understood that Bush will spend more time in India which is considered to be a new strategic ally of the United States in Asia. The Indian government has planned to hold a special sitting of the parliament, which will be addressed by Bush. He will be the first US president to address the Indian parliament. It is expected that he will make some major announcement in his address. The address will also unveil strategy of the US government in the wake of "new realities of global politics" with a special reference to its Asia vision where China is "an important factor", the sources said.

The administration and the State Department have stepped up their efforts at Capitol Hill to push legislation for formalising an agreement with the Indian government for civilian nuclear cooperation so that it could be inked during the visit of the US president to India.

The sources said Bush might also extend a similar offer to Pakistan during his stay in Islamabad for civilian use of nuclear technology. Pakistan has already explicitly sought nuclear technology for peaceful use. The deferred question of the purchase of the most sophisticated F-16 multi-role planes for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) could also be decided during the visit of the US president. The authorities concerned have already started working out relevant details in this regard. President Bush will also visit earthquake victims. He will be having discussions with President Pervez Musharraf.

Malaria develops in immune system
Monday, 23 January 2006 BBC News
Malaria parasites develop in the lymph nodes of the immune system, researchers have discovered.

Scientists say the finding was unexpected, and underlines just how complex malaria infection can be.

The immature parasites are known to travel to an infected person's liver, which, until now, scientists thought was the only place they could develop.

The study, by Pasteur Institute in Paris, features online in the journal Nature Medicine.

The researchers hope their work could aid the development of better vaccines, which might potentially target the parasites before they develop in the liver.

The researchers infected mosquitoes with fluorescently tagged Plasmodium parasites, and then allowed the mosquitoes to bite a mouse.

From each mosquito bite, they found an average of 20 fluorescent parasites embedded in the animal's skin.

Path followed

The parasites were found to move through the skin at high speed in a random, circuitous path.

After leaving the skin, the parasites frequently invaded blood vessels.

This was no surprise as they need to travel through blood vessels to get to the liver.

However, about 25% of the parasites invaded lymphatic vessels of the immune system, ending up in the lymph nodes close to the site of the bite.

Their journey seemed to stop there, as the malaria parasites almost never appeared in lymph nodes farther away.

Within about four hours of the mosquito bite, many of the lymph-node parasites appeared degraded.

They were also seen interacting with key mammalian immune cells, suggesting that the immune cells were destroying them.

A small number of the parasites in the lymph nodes, however, escaped degradation and began to develop into forms usually found only in the liver.

By 52 hours after the mosquito bites, no parasites remained in the lymph nodes, which suggests that they cannot develop completely there.

Immune influence

Lead researcher Dr Robert Ménard said only fully developed parasites can infect red blood cells and cause malaria - so the lymph-node parasites probably do not contribute to the appearance of malaria symptoms.

However, he said even partially developed or destroyed parasites could significantly affect how the immune system responds to infection.

Parasites developing in the lymph nodes might alert the body that an invader is present, and activate a protective immune response.

Alternatively, their presence might desensitise the body to the parasites, blunting the immune system's response to infection.

The researchers were also surprised to find that some of the parasites remained in the animals' skin for up to seven hours, raising the possibility that they might be responsible for a second wave of infection.

Professor Brian Greenwood, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, agreed that the study would help scientists better to understand the immune response to malaria.

He said it had previously been thought that infection levels at the time when a mosquito bites were too small to trigger an immune response, which only came once the parasites started multiplying in the liver.