Serving you since 1998
April 2007 :   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

April 12, 2007 


Slain Afghan reporter buried in Kabul
By FISNIK ABRASHI, Associated Press Writer Wed Apr 11, 6:58 PM ET
KABUL, Afghanistan - The body of an Afghan journalist killed by Taliban militants, who had also seized but later freed an Italian reporter, was flown to the capital for burial Wednesday, relatives and officials said.

Ajmal Naqshbandi, a freelance reporter and translator for Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, was killed on Sunday in southern  Afghanistan. He was seized there March 5 along with Mastrogiacomo and their driver.

"They have killed my innocent son!" cried Naqshbandi's father, Ghulam Haydan, weeping while he held the coffin.

With his frail hand, Haydan tried to open the coffin draped in green cloth, but his relatives did not allow him to look inside. The abductors had slit Naqshbandi's throat. The driver, Sayed Agha, was beheaded.

Taliban militants killed Naqshbandi after authorities refused to carry out a prisoner exchange similar to the one that secured Mastrogiacomo's release. The Italian was freed March 19 in a swap for five imprisoned Taliban militants.

The deal has been criticized by Afghan lawmakers and foreigners working in Afghanistan as an incentive for militants to stage more kidnappings.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi wrote a letter to Naqshbandi's family offering the condolences of the Italian government for their loss, said Italian Ambassador Ettore Francesco Sequi.

"My feeling is of great sorrow, as it is the feeling of all Italian people," Sequi told reporters at Kabul's airport.

Naqshbandi's slaying has caused an uproar in Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai has defended the prisoner swap that secured Mastrogiacomo's release, saying the incident had threatened Prodi's government. Karzai has ruled out further exchanges.

On Monday, a statement from Karzai's office said the Taliban were supposed to release both Mastrogiacomo and Naqshbandi in exchange for the five militants, but reneged on the deal. It said the government had continued to push for the translator's release, but received no specific demands from the kidnappers.

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema sought to defend the government's conduct in an interview Wednesday on Italian state TV.

Prodi's administration went though negotiations to save the hostages' lives, acting "with the same criteria as the Berlusconi government," he said.

D'Alema was referring to efforts by former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's government to free hostages in  Iraq and Afghanistan during his tenure. There were widespread contentions at home and abroad that Berlusconi's government paid ransom to win the freedom of Italian hostages.

An Italian aid group that played a key role in negotiations with the Taliban for Mastrogiacomo's release pulled its international staff from Afghanistan on Wednesday, protesting the arrest of Rahmatullah Hanefi, an Afghan staff member who runs the group's hospital in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.

Afghanistan's intelligence agents have accused Hanefi of helping the Taliban kidnap Mastrogiacomo, Naqshbandi and Agha.

Carlo Garbagnati, vice president of the Emergency group, said that about 40 foreigners, mostly Italians, left Kabul for Dubai to protest Hanefi's arrest.

"It must be clear to all that Emergency is in no way an organization that supports terrorists," Garbagnati said.

D'Alema expressed gratitude to Emergency for its efforts to free the hostages, but suggested that Italy did not have much leverage to help Hanefi.

"What could the Italian government have done in the face of an Afghan citizen being arrested?" D'Alema said in the interview.
Back to Top
Mass grave found in northeast Afghanistan
Qurban Ali Hamzi
FAIZABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The bodies of hundreds of Afghan civilians killed during communist rule have been uncovered in a mass grave in northeastern  Afghanistan, officials and witnesses said on Thursday.

The grave is in desert just outside the town of Faizabad, provincial capital of Badakhshan province, bordering China, Tajikistan and Pakistan. Bone fragments were found when residents began building new houses in the area recently.

"So far, we have dug out some 400 bodies," Sibghatullah Khaksari, the head of a local government agency that searches for and exhumes the victims of decades of conflict, told Reuters at the site, adding authorities feared there could be more bodies.

Some of the victims have been identified by relatives.

Among the victims discovered so far, were some women, but they were mostly men, including some elderly. Some were handcuffed and shackled.

Several dozen were tied up in a chain, some had bullet holes in their skull. Broken spectacles, a few artificial golden teeth, pens and watches were also found among the remains.

Authorities plan to rebury the remains at the site and erect a monument once the excavation is complete.

The victims were among the first killed by officials of the pro-communist government that came to power in 1978, a year before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Almost 2 million Afghans died during the 10-year Soviet occupation and subsequent factional fighting among the Islamic groups that drove the Red Army out.

Tens of thousands were killed or buried alive for resisting or staging uprisings against the occupation across the country.
Back to Top
Two Canadians, 35 Taliban killed in Afghan violence
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) - Two Canadian soldiers and 35 Taliban militants were killed in the latest violence to rock insurgency-hit southern  Afghanistan, officials said.

The Islamist Taliban fighters were killed late Wednesday in fierce fighting with Afghan and US-led troops in troubled Zabul province, provincial governor's spokesman Gulab Shah Alikhil told AFP.

"Initially our troops came under attack. They called for support from the coalition troops, who responded with ground troops and air support. Thirty-five Taliban were killed in the subsequent fighting," Alikhil said.

The US-led coalition headquarters said it had no immediate information on the incident, while the  NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it was not involved.

Zabul is one of Afghanistan's most violent regions. Taliban rebels seized control of a remote district there last week, the latest of several rebel attempts to exert control in southern and western parts of the country.

Separately, two Canadian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb near their vehicle on Wednesday, as the bodies of six of their comrades who died days earlier in a similar attack were returning home for burial, officials said.

The latest blast about 38 kilometres (24 miles) west of the southern city of Kandahar -- the birthplace of the Taliban -- also wounded two soldiers, one seriously, Canadian National Defence spokesman John Knoll said in Ottawa.

A third soldier was also wounded in an earlier bomb attack in the same area, he added.

A suicide bombing of a Canadian convoy west of Kandahar wounded 10 Afghan civilians and caused minor damage to a vehicle earlier Wednesday, Knoll said, updating the number of injured from eight.

Canada has 2,500 soldiers in southern Afghanistan as part of the 37,000-strong ISAF contingent that is supporting the government of President Hamid Karzai. Separately, there are around 11,000 US-led coalition troops.

The latest casualties bring the Canadian military death toll in Afghanistan to 53 since the start of their mission in 2002.

On April 8, Easter Sunday, Canada suffered its heaviest single-day troop loss in 50 years with the death of six soldiers outside Kandahar, as the nation marked the 90th anniversary of a key World War I victory in Vimy, France.

Meanwhile an ISAF service member died of "non-combat-related injuries" in the northeastern province of Kunar Tuesday, a military statement said, adding that the incident was under investigation. It did not give the victim's nationality.

A local police official said the soldier drowned in the flooded Kunar river.

Around 1,000 people, the majority of them militants, have been killed in Taliban-related violence this year, according to an AFP toll based on official reports. Last year was the bloodiest since 2001 with around 4,000 dead.

The fundamentalist Taliban sheltered Al-Qaeda chief  Osama bin Laden and were ousted by US-led forces in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States, but have since regrouped to lead a bloody insurgency.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday that army soldiers will see their tours of duty in Afghanistan and  Iraq extended by three months in a sign that the US military is straining to meet its commitments.
Back to Top
INTERVIEW-Only peace talks can save Afghanistan-former rebel
12 Apr 2007 12:15:26 GMT By Terry Friel
KABUL, April 12 (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai, facing a new political challenge and mounting criticism over lack of progress in five years of war, has asked a group of former Taliban to mediate with the rebels to seek peace.

But one of the group's leaders, while strongly supporting peace talks, said on Thursday they would not mediate until the United States backed the plan and unless they received safety assurances from the government and their former Taliban comrades.

"We need insurance, we need a guarantee of our lives," the Taliban's former ambassador to Pakistan and a former deputy minister, Abdul Salam Zaeef, told Reuters.

"And without foreign support, we can't mediate."

As the ambassador to Afghanistan's then sponsor, Zaeef was the group's face to the world at its downfall.

Last year saw the worst fighting since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001 and many expect this summer to be bloodier.

Five years on, the Taliban are stronger than ever and public disillusionment with foreign troops, Karzai's rule, and the failure to see billions of dollars in aid turned into proper reconstruction and a better life is mounting.

Analysts and some politicians are increasingly calling on the government to talk with the Taliban, but there are divisions. Some say any talks must include leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and others insist they can only include moderates.

"Exceptions don't work," Zaeef said at his Kabul rented home, dressed in a black silk turban and wearing a white salwar-kameez -- a long shirt over baggy trousers.

"It's a sort of conspiracy," he said, adding the Taliban do not label themselves as moderates or hardliners.

Karzai said last week for the first time he had spoken to Taliban leaders about talks, but gave no details.

Zaeef said he and about 50 former Taliban officials, as well as some tribal chiefs, were summoned to the palace last month to talk to Karzai about mediating with the Taliban.

FEAR OF BOTH SIDES
But they fear they could be killed by the rebels, or picked up by Afghan or U.S. forces if they venture into Taliban territory without assurances from all sides.

"Karzai is serious. The problem is the Taliban don't think he is in free to decide," Zaeef said, referring to what many analysts see as a major problem for the Afghan leader -- satisfying his foreign allies and domestic players.

This month, key members of Karzai's government joined his critics to form a new political force, the National Front, effectively the first opposition in a parliament that has no formal party structure.

Their key demand is to balance Karzai's power with an appointed prime minister.

Although he is not under house arrest and is able to move freely around Kabul, two Afghan police guard the gates of Zaeef, a man who spent four years in the United States' Guantanamo Bay prison.

He must receive government permission to travel outside Kabul or the country.

Zaeef said support for the Taliban was growing because people were angry at a lack of jobs or real progress in reconstruction, as well as reliance on fighting by foreign troops.

"There is no complete and instant solution for Afghanistan ... (but the people) want jobs, they want a good life, they want a happy life" he said. "Some people are upset by foreign policies.

Zaeef also said people are in doubt about what "the purpose of the Americans (is). What do they want? What are they doing here? How long will they be here in Afghanistan?

"Using guns and aircraft and... killing is not good for Afghanistan, it's not bringing pleasure for the people."
Back to Top
U.S. turns to allies for Afghan war help
Thu Apr 12, 3:04 AM ET
QUEBEC CITY, Quebec - The  NATO-led coalition in  Afghanistan still needs aircraft, medical equipment and military trainers to bolster its planned spring assault against the Taliban, according to the U.S. military.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in Quebec on Thursday to meet with other military leaders, was to renew his call for NATO allies to share the burden in Afghanistan. His meeting with defense ministers from about a half dozen countries working with the U.S. in the volatile southern sector of Afghanistan comes just two months after he exhorted NATO to launch its own spring assault against the Taliban.

Each year Taliban fighters have stepped up their attacks as the spring thaw began, but this year Gates said NATO should take the offensive and bring the fight first to the militants. The initial phase of the assault began last month with Operation Achilles — sending more than 5,500 NATO and Afghan troops into the opium-producing Helmand province to battle hardcore Taliban insurgents.

Gates was to meet with military leaders from Britain, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania — all partners in southern Afghanistan. He was not expected to offer more U.S. troops for the effort, but instead would discuss ways the allies could help the Afghans bolster their military and spur economic development.

The U.S. now has about 25,000 troops in Afghanistan, including some 14,000 serving in the NATO-led force, which totals roughly 32,000 troops.

The meetings come as Canada mourns the loss of six Canadian soldiers in a roadside bomb attack Sunday in southern Afghanistan.
Back to Top
Prodi says Italy tried its best to stop Taliban executions
Wed Apr 11, 4:22 PM ET
ROME (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi Wednesday said his government had tried to save the lives of two Afghans kidnapped in  Afghanistan along with an Italian journalist and beheaded by Taliban militants.

Prodi said his government "had fought so that all the hostages could return to their families as human life has no nationality."

The Italian and Afghan governments have been blasted for hypocrisy and cynicism over the abductions, after a prisoner-swap deal was struck for the Italian's release while nothing seemed to have been done for the Afghans.

Prodi said the Italian government and he himself "sympathised with the great tragedy that has befallen" the families of the two Afghan victims.

"The Italian government firmly condemns this barbaric act which ended the live of an admirable and brave man," Prodi said, referring to Afghan freelance reporter Ajmal Naqshbandi, who was beheaded along with an Afghan driver.

Both were working for Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, who works for the La Repubblica newspaper.

Mastrogiacomo was held captive for two weeks last month but his Afghan driver and interpreter were beheaded. The gruesome execution was aired on Italian television.

Mastrogiacomo was released in a swap for five Taliban prisoners that angered many Afghans and prompted the United States and other countries to condemn negotiations with "terrorists."

The Italian government is due on Thursday to outline in parliament the circumstances surrounding Mastrogiacomo's release.

"The decision was unanimous... The House of Freedoms (right-wing opposition) has asked that the government be represented at the highest level," said Massimo Donadi, of the Italy of Values Party, part of the ruling centre-left coalition.

Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema is expected to answer questions.

Right-wing opposition leader and former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has called on his supporters to put a stop to the controversy for "humanitarian reasons and Italy's reputation," after D'Alema proposed to shed light on all hostage releases in recent years, including those negotiated under the Berlusconi government in 2001-2006.

Italian aid organisation Emergency, which announced that it was pulling all its foreign staff out of Afghanistan, has also chastised Rome for not doing enough to free Naqshbandi.
Back to Top
Italian Government To Address Parliament On Hostages Policy
Rome, 11 April (AKI) - Italian foreign minister Massimo D'Alema is expected to address Italy's lower house of parliament, possibly on Thursday, over allegations that government made deals enabling the release of terrorists and payed ransom money for Italian hostages in Afghanistan. The government's expected address follows a request by lower house, or Chamber of Deputies, president Fausto Bertinotti, a leading member of the Refounded Communist Party, a member of the governing coalition, but which is highly critical of Rome's mission in Afghanistan, where it has 1,900 troops under NATO.

The criticism came a day after shock reports that the Taliban had beheaded local reporter Adjmal Nashkbandi, the Afghan translator of Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo.

Both men, along with their Afghan driver, Sayed Agha, had been kidnapped more than a month ago. However, Mastrogiacomo was released on 19 March after Italy reportedly pushed for a deal through which Afghanistan freed from its jails top Taliban commanders - five according to the terror group, while Naqshbandi was murdered by his captros after Afghan president Hamid Karzai said such a deal would not be repeated.

Sayed Agha was also killed by the Taliban.

Italy's strategy was informally criticized by the United States, Britain and the Netherlands which complained to Rome for putting pressure on the Afghan government to release the Taliban militants.

On Wednesday, the head of Italian medical charity Emergency, Gino Strada, who helped mediate for the release of Mastrogiacomo, pulled out 38 Italian and foreign personnel working for the group's three hospitals in Afghanistan.

Strada made the decision to protest against the arrest mid March by Afghan authorities of Rahmatullah Hanefi, who was in charge of the Emergency hospital in Lashkar Gah in the restive southern Helmand province, and played a key role in talks with the Taliban for Mastrogiacomo's release. Afghan authorities accuse him of links with the Taliban.

Before his decision to withdraw foreign personnel from Afghanistan, Strada had harshly criticized Italian authorities for failing to put pressure on Kabul for the release of Hanefi and the Afghan government for claiming he was linked to terrorists. He also accused Rome of paying 2 million dollars to obtain the release of Gabriele Torsello, a freelance photographer abducted by gunmen in the restive Helmand province in southern Afghanistan last October
Back to Top
NATO allies to grapple with Afghanistan shortfalls
By Kristin Roberts Wed Apr 11, 6:50 PM ET
QUEBEC CITY (Reuters) -  NATO allies with forces in Afghanistan's volatile southern region will meet on Thursday to grapple with lingering shortfalls in troops and equipment as casualties mount amid spring fighting with the Taliban.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will press the group to scour their inventories for supplies that can be sent to the war zone. But he will not offer any more troops or equipment, according to a senior defense official traveling with the secretary.

"We are not expecting to put down any additional offers on the table," the official said ahead of Gates' arrival in Canada on Wednesday evening.

The meeting of defense ministers in Quebec City begins a day after the bodies of six Canadian soldiers killed in a roadside bomb attack in  Afghanistan were to return home. Those deaths on Sunday brought the Canadian toll in the war to 51, the highest of all coalition countries except the United States and Britain.

NATO has 35,000 troops in Afghanistan, with most forces engaged in the south and east where the Taliban has regrouped.

NATO commanders have for months requested additional troops and equipment, and U.S. and British officials have expressed frustration about the unwillingness of some allies to contribute.

Most of the NATO force, or 23,000 troops, are either American or British. Australia this week said it would double its troops in Afghanistan. The Netherlands, Denmark, Romania and Estonia also have forces in Afghanistan's south.

Despite the call from commanders, some allies, such as France and Italy, have declined to increase their force levels, citing commitments elsewhere. Some also have imposed restrictions, known as caveats, on how their troops can be used in the war zone.

NATO still needs additional maneuver forces and aircraft, according to U.S. and NATO officials. A NATO official has said alliance commanders need the equivalent of a battalion of soldiers. A battalion totals about 500 to 1,000 soldiers.

The senior U.S. defense official said those shortfalls would not likely be filled during Thursday's meetings.

"I don't think there's an expectation that we can fill them at this meeting," the official said.

But Gates will urge the group to identify equipment they can contribute and identify other NATO allies that could be pressured to help more.
Back to Top
US extends troop tours in Iraq, Afghanistan
by Jerome Bernard Thu Apr 12, 3:20 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - In a sign that the US military is straining to meet its commitments, the defense secretary announced Wednesday that army soldiers will see their tours of duty in  Iraq and  Afghanistan extended by three months.

The extension makes thousands more soldiers available to maintain the "surge" of military forces in Iraq that  President George W. Bush announced in January.

"Effective immediately, active army units now in the Central Command area (Iraq and Afghanistan) and those headed there will deploy for not more than 15 months," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said -- an increase from the current one-year deployments.

When the soldiers return to their home stations they will be able to rest for at least 12 months, he said.

Bush's surge strategy in Iraq calls for deploying nearly 30,000 more US troops in an attempt to secure Baghdad and parts of the western Al-Anbar province.

There are 145,000 US troops in Iraq, a number that should rise to 160,000 by June once the reinforcements are in place.

Iraqi and US troops have waged a massive military clampdown in Baghdad for two months, and US officials have been upbeat about signs of progress.

Gates acknowledged that the US forces "are stretched" with the foreign deployments, however. "There's no question about that," he said.

The new measure allows the army to maintain the surge in Iraq "probably at least" until April 2008, Gates said. He added: "Whether it will be kept in place depends entirely on the conditions on the ground."

It does not however affect other branches of the military, such as the Marines, navy and air force, said Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Legislators in Congress were angered by Gates' announcement.

"Today's announcement just underscores the fact that the burden of the war in Iraq has fallen upon our troops and their families," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), of the opposition Democrats.

"Once again the failures of this administration are being underwritten by our troops," said Senate Armed Forces Committee Chairman Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record).

Republican Charles Hagel, who has joined Democrats in their call for a withdrawal, said the United States is "on a very dangerous course."

The House of Representatives and Senate have passed bills making crucial funding for the Iraq war conditional on pulling out the troops by next year.

They must reconcile the bills and pass a single text before it may be sent to the president to sign -- or reject.

Bush has already vowed to veto any bill demanding a withdrawal timetable and Democrats believe he wants to foist his own version on them.

"What the president invited us to do was come to his office so that we could accept, without any discussion, the bill that he wants," Pelosi said.

Four leading Democratic Senators Wednesday asked Bush him to meet with them at Congress instead to discuss a compromise.

Since the March 2003 invasion 3,282 US military personnel have been killed in Iraq, according to an AFP count based on  Pentagon figures.

Wednesday's announcement is an attempt to "provide some long-term predictability for the soldiers and their families" about lengths of deployment and time at home, Gates said.

The National Guard and the Army reserves "will be mobilized for a maximum of a year," Gates said. "And our hope is that their time at home ... is five years."

On Monday the Pentagon announced that it ordered 13,000 National Guard soldiers to be prepared for possible deployment to Iraq in December.

The new policy "is a difficult but necessary interim step" that will be kept until the army can shift to 12-month foreign deployments and 12 months at home, Gates said.

Gates also confirmed Wednesday that Bush was looking for a "coordinator" to bridge the gap between the government and military running of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Washington Post reported that the administration had so far been unable to find anyone willing to fill the high-powered job.
Back to Top
Kidnappings are the Taliban's new weapon of choice in Afghanistan
By David Montero | The Christian Science Monitor from the April 11, 2007 edition
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
Like any modern fighting force, the Taliban have learned the benefits of emotional warfare.

As the Taliban's spring offensive gets under way, kidnappings have become their new weapon of choice, targeting a growing chink in NATO's armor: Across Europe, the United States, and Canada, public opinion for the war in Afghanistan is sliding.

That disenchantment is proving as devastating as any bomb. Last month, after the Taliban kidnapped Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, the Italian government nearly collapsed when opposition parties raised a storm of protest. Out of fear that Italy's parliament might decide to withdraw its 1,950 troops – what could have been a hefty blow to NATO's mission – President Hamid Karzai traded five Taliban prisoners for Mr. Mastrogiacomo's release, a stunning and highly criticized victory for the extremists.

And when Mr. Karzai refused to negotiate for Adjmal Naqshbandi, Mastrogiacomo's Afghan translator, the Taliban won again. Mr. Naqshbandi was beheaded on Sunday, prompting expressions of outrage and betrayal for the apparent double standard and further driving a wedge between Karzai and the Afghan public.

Now, buoyed by the "Italian deal," the Taliban say they have kidnapped a total of two French aid workers and 13 Afghans. The Taliban also threatened to kill four Afghan medical personnel this week if a similar deal is not struck for the release of more Taliban prisoners.

An end to catch and release

In the weeks to come, the Taliban's greatest weapon is likely to be its emotional assault on international will.

"I hope the international community, who has forces in Afghanistan and has supported us, knows our position, and they will not insist on dealing with the terrorists," says Sultan Ahmad Baheen, the spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry, by telephone from Kabul.

To head off the Taliban's offensive, NATO and the International Security Assistance Force launched Operation Achilles in March, a maneuver that will eventually involve 4,500 NATO troops and 1,000 Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the country's volatile southern province of Helmand, a Taliban stronghold where Mastrogiacomo was kidnapped. It is the largest such combined operation to date, including firefights and air assaults, and resulted this month in NATO's retaking of the key town of Sangin in Helmand.

Kidnappings are nothing new to the war in Afghanistan. In the past, the Taliban showed a willingness to release captives, particularly foreigners, as long as they were proved not to be spies. But since 2005, Taliban militants have kidnapped and killed at least seven foreign hostages. Last month, they also killed Mastrogiacomo's driver, Saeed Nagha.

Just as they have gotten more brutal, so too have the Taliban become more clever: Mastrogiacomo's capture resulted, for the first time, in the public release of Taliban prisoners.

"There seems to be the assumption, which I would say is wrong, that [the Taliban] can speed up the collapse of NATO's resolve if they terrorize foreigners as much as possible," says noted Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid.

Polls show diminished support

It is a timely tactic, suggesting the Taliban's astute read of the political climates in NATO countries. Italy's response etched in the sharpest tones what a liability the war in Afghanistan has become for that government. It also ignited tensions within the NATO community, with the United States, Britain, and other allies condemning the deal as encouraging more kidnappings. Those critiques grew louder this week after Naqshbandi was murdered.

Not that cracks in resolve have actually appeared on the ground. Most NATO members have renewed their commitments to Afghanistan, and on Tuesday Australia announced it would double its troop size to 1,000. The US says it will send an extra 3,200 soldiers, and Britain another 1,400 soldiers.

But with more than 500 foreign troops dead and last year witnessing the highest death toll since the war began in 2001, the Taliban's new spate of kidnappings hopes to capitalize on public dismay throughout many of the states comprising the bulk of NATO's 36,000 troops.

• In Canada, which has 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, 46 percent of respondents agreed that their troops should be withdrawn before 2009, according to a February poll by Vancouver-based polling service Angus-Reid.

• In Germany, which has deployed 3,000 troops, 57 percent of respondents believe their troops should be withdrawn, according to a March poll released by Der Speigel magazine.

• In the Netherlands, which has 2,200 troops in Afghanistan, only 33 percent supported the recent deployment of additional troops, according to a January 2006 poll by market-research firm TNS NIPO.

• The public is also divided in the United States and Britain, the nations with the two largest troop deployments of 15,000 and 5,200 respectively. Fifty-three percent of British respondents to a September BBC poll oppose their government's military operation in Afghanistan. Fifty-two percent of US respondents also oppose it, up four points since September, according to a January poll released by CNN.

If Italy is any indication, the Taliban's lethal cocktail of roadside bombs and kidnappings could place increasing pressure on foreign governments to withdraw troops. But President Karzai's government has insisted that, despite the deal it brokered for Italian journalist Mastrogiacomo, there will be no more negotiations.

"The government of Afghanistan is determined not to deal with the Taliban terrorists," regardless of whatever pressure foreign governments may exert, says Mr. Baheen of the foreign ministry.

At home, the Taliban's kidnapping spree is exploiting divides between the Afghan people and President Karzai.

In a televised statement, Mullah Dadullah, a Taliban leader known for his cruelty, played up the idea of the Karzai government's double standards.

"If Karzai really is Afghanistan's president, he must negotiate [Naqshbandi's] release," said Dadullah. "Karzai has so far negotiated the release of foreigners but never the release of an Afghan citizen. If there is no negotiation, we will kill [Naqshbandi]."
Back to Top
Reaction to Ambush In Afghanistan Probed
By Ann Scott Tyson Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, April 12, 2007; A14
The U.S. military announced yesterday that it has opened a criminal investigation into whether an elite Marine Special Operations platoon used excessive force in reacting to a suicide bombing in Afghanistan last month, an incident that left at least eight Afghan civilians dead.

Army Maj. Gen. Francis H. Kearney III, who commands U.S. Special Operations Forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, determined after an initial review of the March 4 incident that "the escalation of force might have been too high" and warranted an inquiry by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, said Lt. Col. Lou Leto, a spokesman for Kearney's command.

"We deeply regret the loss of life and casualties that resulted from the [suicide vehicle] attack and the actions that followed," Leto said. "General Kearney wanted to really stress that our goal is the safety and security of the Afghan people."

A platoon of about 20 to 30 highly trained reconnaissance troops was traveling in a convoy of six vehicles in Afghanistan's eastern Nangahar province on March 4 when it was ambushed by fighters using a bomb-rigged vehicle and small-arms fire, according to U.S. military accounts. The troops fired back in self-defense.

Afghan witnesses said the Special Operations troops fired recklessly at passing vehicles and pedestrians along the crowded highway, which was flanked by markets. The U.S. military initially said 16 civilians were killed but changed the estimate to eight, with 35 others wounded. Local hospital officials said 14 people died.

The platoon belonged to a 120-member Marine Special Operations company, which was ordered to leave Afghanistan last month because Kearney determined the incident had so damaged its relations with the local population that it could no longer carry out its counterinsurgency mission. The company is still abroad and is located with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, "training and getting ready for their next assignment," Leto said.

The company was the first of nine planned to deploy under the Marine Special Operations Command, established in February 2006.

An NCIS spokesman said yesterday that an investigation into the incident is open but is in its "very early stages."

Kearney decided to refer the case to NCIS because "they are trained, schooled investigators," Leto said, adding: "Let the professionals do it."

Staff writer Josh White contributed to this report.
Back to Top
We could fail in Afghanistan: UN envoy
BRUSSELS, April 11, 2007 (AFP) - The UN special envoy to Afghanistan on Wednesday warned that Western efforts could fail in Afghanistan, deeming the situation "critical" as suicide attacks increase at an alarming rate.

"We have to combat terrorism" the veteran German envoy told the European parliament's foreign affairs commission in Brussels, referring to the Taliban militia attacks in Afghanistan.

"In 2005 there were 17 suicide attacks (in Afghanistan). In 2006 that figure rose to 139. During the first three months of 2007 that rate doubled," he said.

"The challenge is great. We could fail in Afghanistan which is the fifth poorest country in the world," he said

"I cannot deny that the situation is critical in Afghanistan, but considerable progress has been made in two-thirds of the country," he added, citing the return since 2001 of millions of displaced and exiled Afghans and the revival of the schools system.

"Even if in the centre the vast majority of Afghans detest the Taliban, there are some places where more than 20 percent of the population support them," he said.

The situation in the country's south was particularly concerning as "forces of destabilisation want to put back the progress attained in the rest of the country".

"It's an insurrection, not just vestiges of small guerrilla groups in the south," warned Koenigs, who took up his post in February 2006.

He said that following the fall of the Taliban government in 2001 "we made an error in the south" by treating the problem as purely a military and political one, rather than dealing with development issues.

Now, the UN envoy said, "our long-term responsibility is to defend our values... and to prevent what is happening in Afghanistan becoming a threat to security and peace throughout the world".

He said that the US-led efforts in Afghanistan would need to continue for "many years" and that a withdrawal of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would allow Afghanistan to flood the world with opium.

The US-led coalition has around 12,000 troops in Afghanistan while more than 30,000 soldiers are deployed in the Central Asian nation with the separate ISAF contingent.
Back to Top
Afghanistan gets World Bank irrigation aid
WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- Boosting Afghanistan's farming capabilities remains a priority for the World Bank in lending to the country.

So as Afghanistan continues to struggle getting its economy back on track after years of war and Taliban rule, the country has secured a $25 million loan from the international financial agency to improve its irrigation system.

The bank's executive board approved the aid package late Tuesday from its International Development Agency Fund, which provides low interest rate loans for the poorest countries. The latest sum is part of a financial assistance program that the bank had agreed to provide to Afghanistan to support its reconstruction efforts in December 2004.

The money will be used to help farmers obtain an adequate and reliable supply of water in traditional irrigation schemes. The financial agency said the aid will "ensure the completion of 635 water irrigation schemes which could have been left out if the award of contracts were terminated due to (the) lack (of) funds."
Back to Top
Strength of Afghan National Army reaches 46,000
People's Daily - Apr 12 2:06 AM
The strength of the under-training Afghanistan National Army (ANA) has raised over 46,000, a report of Afghan Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The strength of ANA has reached to 46,177, said the report presented by Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak.

The post-Taliban Afghanistan under the Bonn Agreement inked in late 2001 in Germany would have 70,000-strong new brand army by 2008.

Meantime, Wardak stressed that Afghan government wants the international community to help Afghanistan security forces obtain the capability to meet all security challenges.

ANA's old Russian style equipment and tactics, he added, would be replaced with NATO's modern weaponry.

The Defense Ministry, he said, had spent 1.7 billion U.S. dollars provided by the U.S. government to equip and rebuild the Afghan national army.

For the years of 2007 and 2008, the Afghan Defense Ministry has eyed to spend more than 5.7 billion U.S. dollars on building ANA and its installations and majority of the proposed fund would come from the United States.
Source: Xinhua
Back to Top
Iran's parliament research center says Taliban regaining power in Afghanistan 
Payvand Iran News - Apr 12 1:53 AM
TEHJRAN, Apr. 11 (ISNA)-Iran's parliament research center announced that the new process of establishing a government in Afghanistan could both present a threat or an opportunity to Iran.

This center in its recent report has noted that although the current government in Afghanistan has tried to prevent the regaining of power by Taliban, there are signs that this group is once again gaining power in Afghanistan, which is could pose as a threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This report continues to note that the Islamic Republic of Iran so to prevent this issue should take serious political measures and place more effort in expanding mutual interested field with the current government in Afghanistan.

"Iran and Afghanistan share many similarities in fields such as culture, geographical borders and security; these must be concentrated on," it notes.

It has also been stated that the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan and close U.S. military basis to Iranian borders, if it is considered that relations between Iran and the U.S. remain dark, could pose as an additional threat to the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Back to Top
Afghan FM: Troops in Afghanistan no threat to Iran
Tehran, April 11, IRNA
Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta said on Wednesday that the military forces and equipment arriving in Afghanistan are not considered as a threat to Iran.

He made the statement at a press conference after meeting the Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani.

Spanta said that his country is a global anti-terrorism base in line with Iran's goals and cooperating with the world community.

The remark was made in response to the question whether Afghanistan has become a new base for foreign forces, given the military equipment and forces entering it.

"Based on its foreign policy, Afghanistan seeks to strengthen its relations with the world, including Iran.

"Bilateral relations between the two states in not merely based on the will of officials, but that such bonds are rooted in their cultural and civilizational commonalties as well as the will of both nations," he added.

Turning to Iran's peaceful nuclear activities, the Afghan minister said that his country is seeking an Asia free from nuclear weapons.

"Meanwhile, in case of Iran, we are willing the issue be solved through talks and reject violence," he noted.

About his country's relations with the West, in particular the EU, the minister said that Afghanistan has broad-based ties with Europe, but that its bonds with the US is something special, adding that they intend to expand them.

He also urged the need to strengthen regional cooperation towards globalization.

The minister thanked Iran for contributing to his country's stability and support for its government.

He noted that in his meeting with the SNSC secretary, they reached agreement on matters of mutual concern which were discussed.

For his part, Larijani said that his talks with the Afghan foreign minister were quite favorable and constructive, adding that they concerned expansion of cooperation.

He noted that at the meeting, economic issues, cooperation in political and security domains as well as participation in the country's reconstruction were high on the agenda.

Larijani stressed that once more he declared Iran's support for Afghan government and nation.
Back to Top
World Bank Retail Store Brings Afghan Crafts, Culture to the Masses
By Mil Arcega 11 April 2007 Voice of America
Afghan artisans are getting a helping hand from a small retail shop in Washington D.C.  The store, called Pangea, is operated by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation.  As VOA's Mil Arcega reports, the retail store is giving artists from developing countries a chance to show off their handicrafts to consumers in the U.S. 

This store in Washington D.C., called the Pangea Market, stocks handmade products produced by some of the poorest people in the world.

As a result, glassworks that might have been sold in a small shop in Kabul are now finding customers on the other side of the world. 

To mark Afghanistan Day (March 21st), which commemorates the country's liberation from occupying forces, Pangea launched its first ever collection of Afghan made products in an event aptly named - "Elements For Change."

Mariam Nawabi, is a business director at Afghanistan Market Development International explains the name, "And the reason they selected the name is because a home element, something that you may put on a table top is an element, but it also helps change somebody's life in Afghanistan."

Afghanistan Market Development International, AMDi for short, Nawabi says the event provides a vital trade link between Afghanistan and the world. "So it is a way for us to bridge culture and bridge opportunity through functional items, beautiful items that people can put in their homes."

AMDi works with Samira Atash of Artizan Serai, a U.S. based label, which imports handcrafted jewelry, embroidered items and original works of art from Afghanistan. "And we export the pr 

oducts to America, which is our goal. Initially it was to increase the amount of exports from Afghanistan to western markets. So we are hoping our collection will be viewed by buyers and stores all around the United States to elevate the image of Afghan products."

World Bank Project Director Harold Rosen says the partnership benefits everyone. "It is also a very good way for us to make new partnerships that can help us do the work more efficiently.  We are very excited about it and it is a very good way for us to become a more active member of the development community."

By insisting that global suppliers undergo regular inspections to insure that all goods are made without child labor, unhealthy working conditions or damage to the environment, Pangea helps promote responsible trade around the world.  It also insures that the artisans who make these products have a ready market for their works.
Back to Top
Report: U.S. has paid $32-million in Iraqi, Afghan civilian war claims
Associated Press via Globe and Mail, Canada -
NEW YORK — Iraqi and Afghan civilians have received more than $32-million (U.S.) in compensation from the U.S. Army for non-combat-related killings, injuries and property damage, The New York Times reported Thursday.

The details of hundreds of the claims, obtained from the Army by the American Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information Act request, offer a glimpse into the daily violence that has marred the lives of civilians in both war zones.

“The Army does not target civilians,” said Maj. Anne D. Edgecomb, an Army spokeswoman. “Sadly, however, the enemy's tactics in Iraq and Afghanistan unnecessarily endanger civilians.”

The claims reveal how challenging it can be for U.S. forces to identify friend from foe, decisions that sometimes lead to the killing or injury of bystanders, The Times reported.

In one claim, nervous American soldiers in February, 2006, killed an Iraqi fisherman in Tikrit after he leaned over to switch off his engine. The Army refused to compensate family members for the killing, ruling that the death was the result of combat activity, but approved $3,500 (U.S.) for his boat, net and cellphone, which drifted away and were stolen.

In another case, from 2005, a civilian filling his car with gas and an Iraqi Army officer directing traffic were shot by American soldiers in a passing convoy in Balad, for no apparent reason. The Army ruled that neither Iraqi had done anything hostile or criminal and approved $5,000 to the civilian's brother but nothing for the Iraqi officer.

The report marks the first time that details of such claims have been made public, The Times said. The total compensation does not include money given at a unit commander's discretion to civilians.

The ACLU obtained 500 of the claims — only a small fraction of the total number filed.

Compensation for non-combat cases are governed by the Foreign Claims Act, which says the Army can offer condolence compensation as a gesture of regret with no admission of fault. No more than $2,500 can be offered for each person killed.

Although the total number of claims filed or paid remains unclear, extensive details about them have been disclosed to Congress.
Back to Top
An open letter to Afghan govt
KABUL, Apr 10 (Pajhwok Afghan News): A group of Afghan students in the United States have condemned the killing of Ajmal Naqshbandi and poured scorn over the government for its failure to save his life.

In an open letter to the Afghan government, the students said Taliban had killed a man who was out to earn bread for his family.

"We condemn in severest terms the Taliban and their sponsors who brutally murdered our brother, a husband, a would-be father and the son of a mother," said the 14 students in their open letter. 

They said this 'inhuman' act of Taliban was against the "noble principles of Islam that value human life and human dignity".

The students said "the Taliban and their international terrorist supporters have a malicious strategy to destabilise Afghanistan's nascent democracy through murdering innocent civilians".

They also expressed anger over the handling of the situation by the Afghan government. They asked the people of Afghanistan to join them in demanding an explanation from the government.

The students said the government should have treat Ajmal Naqshbandi and Daniele Mastrogiacomo on an equal footing. "However, you, the Afghan government, demonstrated that you put more value on the life of non-Afghans than on the life of the very people who elected you. You showed to us that in fact, in your eyes, the life of an Afghan is still worthless and his blood cheap."

At the end of their open letter, the students posed the following questions to the Afghan government:

Why did you negotiate with the terrorists in the first place, putting at risk the lives of numerous aid workers, journalists and other friends and citizens of Afghanistan?

Even if there were valid grounds for negotiation, why did you not secure the release of both Afghan and foreign citizens?

They also asked the government to extend compensation to the widow and family of the slain journalist.
Daud Khan
Back to Top
Hezb-i-Islami rejects formation of National Front
KABUL, Apr 10 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Condemning the killing of Afghan interpreter Ajmal Naqshbandi, Hezb-i-Islami Islami of former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said journalists must be allowed to fulfill their professional duty without any fear.

In a telephonic call to Pajhwok Afghan News, Hezb-i-Islami spokesman engineer Haroon Zarghoon said they were grieved over the murder of the Afghan young man.

He also criticised the government for releasing five senior Taliban prisoners to save the life of a foreigners but resorted to dilly-dallying in case of Ajmal Naqshbandi.

"The government had proved that it did not care for its own citizen, but ready to go to any extent when the life of a foreigner is involved," he said.

The purported spokesman also rejected the formation of the National Front or Milli Jabha by former communist and mujahidin leaders and said it had the blessings of foreigners.

Earlier, President Hamid Karzai, during a news conference, expressed doubts about the formation of the National Front and said some foreign embassies were involved. 

The spokesman said Russia, Iran and India were involved in the formation of the said alliance. He said the alliance should not be called 'national' because, according to him, it was formed by a few elements for their personal interests.

He said majority of its leaders were members of the existing cabinet, who are two sides of the same coin and unable to solve the problems of the country.

Javid Hamim
Back to Top
Rahimi defends govt's stance on murder of journalist
KABUL, Apr 10 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi on Tuesday said Taliban had made no specific demands from the government for release of the slain Afghan journalist Ajmal Naqshbandi.

Speaking at his weekly press conference, Rahimi said the government was in contact with the hostage-takers till last minute and they presented no specific demand till the killing of the journalist.

The day when the militants announced the killing of Ajmal, his father was sitting with senior security officials and he had full knowledge of the government's efforts to ensure safety of the young man. 

Rahimi said the government's security organs were in contact with the Taliban through tribal elders; however, they (the militants) made no demand till the last minute.

He said Taliban were bound to release Ajmal along with the Italian journalist under the secret deal; however, they did not honour their words and withheld the Afghan national.

He said release of Ajmal Naqshabandi was part of the same deal under which the Italian journalist was set free. However, the Taliban did not honour the deal.

Ajmal was kidnapped along with Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo on March 6. The Italian reporter was released under a secret deal on March 19. The militants announced the killing of Ajmal Naqshbandi on Sunday.

Zubair Babakarkhail
Back to Top
Birth registration process to begin on 12th
KABUL, Apr 10 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The census and registration department of the Interior Ministry will start birth registration in all districts of Kabul from Thursday (April 12).

Speaking at a two-day workshop started here on Tuesday, head of the department Mir Abdul Rahman said implementation of the process would help prevent marriages of under-age girls.

Under the country's civil law, the marriage age for boys and girls is 18 and 16 years respectively.

The courts would stop marriages of girls below sixteen years if they had the birth registration certificates, said Rahman, adding the department would have a computerised birth record.

In the first phase, the project was being launched in Kabul and would be extended to Herat, Kandahar, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kunduz provinces in the next stage, he informed.

Rahman said heads of the census departments in provinces would seek help from Imams (prayer leaders), health clinics and elders to ensure registration of each and every new-born in their respective areas. 

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Interior Minister Abdul Malik Sediqi said population census was one of the important components of the project. He said the project was supported by the United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF).

Najibullah Hamim, in charge of the UNICEF project, told the participants that they would provide financial and technical support to the project.

Hamim said 44 million forms had been printed for the purpose. Besides, 14 motorbikes had also been provided to the census department in this central capital.

An amount of one million US dollars had been allocated for the project, which will be spent during the current year, he added.

Noriko Izumi, head of the UNICEF's children support project, handed over the copies of forms and the motorbikes to Kabul governor Haji Din Mohammad during the ceremony.

Noriko sought support from relevant departments and organisations in successful implementation of the project.

Habib Rahman Ibrahimi
Back to Top

 Back to News Archirves of 2007
 
Disclaimer: This news site is mostly a compilation of publicly accessible articles on the Web in the form of a link or saved news item. The news articles and commentaries/editorials are protected under international copyright laws. All credit goes to the original respective source(s).