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April 27, 2007 

Taliban capture Afghan district office, kill five
Fri Apr 27, 3:35 AM ET
KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban insurgents captured an Afghan district government headquarters, killing the top administrator, the police chief and three policemen, a senior provincial official said on Friday.

The Taliban, who are threatening to step up their war against Afghanistan's Western-backed government and foreign troops supporting it, said they carried out the late Thursday attack in Giru district, 170 km (100 miles) southwest of Kabul.

"The district is still with the Taliban. We are preparing to retake it," said the deputy governor of Ghazni province, Mohammad Kazim Allahyer. He had no information about Taliban casualties.

Reinforcements had been called in, police said.

Violence in  Afghanistan has been picking up in recent weeks after a traditional winter lull. There have been numerous suicide and roadside bomb attacks but few big guerrilla raids or major clashes with foreign troops.

NATO forces and the government say the Taliban are resorting to bomb attacks out of desperation.

Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said Taliban fighters had killed eight Afghan government men, including the district chief and police chief in the raid. Three policeman had been captured, he said by satellite telephone.

Yousuf said two Taliban were wounded.

(Additional reporting by Saeed Ali Achakzai)
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Sarkozy may pull French from Afghanistan
Thu Apr 26, 7:50 PM ET
PARIS - French presidential front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy outlined his stance on key foreign policy issues Thursday, saying he might pull France's troops out of a  NATO force in  Afghanistan if he is elected.

He also denounced the United States' refusal to cap carbon emissions and proposed taxing imports from China because it too has refused to limit greenhouse gases.

Sarkozy, the governing conservatives' candidate, said he supported outgoing  President Jacques Chirac's decision to pull 200 French special forces out of Afghanistan late last year. He said he would continue that policy if elected in the May 6 runoff vote. Some 1,100 French soldiers are currently part of a NATO force in Afghanistan.

"The long-term presence of French troops in that part of the world does not look definitive to me," he said in an interview with France-2 television.

Sarkozy will face Socialist Segolene Royal in the runoff after he finished first in an initial round of voting on Sunday.

Both candidates pledged Thursday to redouble efforts to free five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death in Libya for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with  HIV.

Sarkozy, who is known for his pro-American stance, stressed the importance of good relations with the United States. But he said he could not understand the U.S. government's unwillingness to sign the Kyoto Protocol limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

"The fact the U.S. hasn't signed Kyoto is unacceptable," he said. "Global warming should worry Americans as much as all other countries on earth."

He pledged to push for an EU-wide tax on goods from countries — including China — that have not agreed to mandatory caps on the greenhouse emissions.

"Chinese companies have less responsibility to respect the environment than French companies," he said, adding that a tax on Chinese imports would help "level the playing field" between the two countries.

Sarkozy and Royal were both vying for voters in the center of France's political spectrum, following a strong third-place showing of centrist Francois Bayrou in the first round.

Sarkozy, a tough crime-fighter who has been trying to project a softer, more humanistic image before the runoff, met with the families of the Bulgarian nurses imprisoned in Libya and said the case shocked him.

"We can't leave them in this situation, we must react, we must react and do something to stop this violation of human rights," Sarkozy said.

Royal also met with the families.

"Our objective is to do our all to secure their liberation," she said, adding that the  European Union should lead the effort.

The six health care professionals were tried on charges of deliberately infecting more than 400 children with HIV, the virus that causes  AIDS, at a hospital in Benghazi. Fifty-two of the infected children have died of AIDS-related diseases.

The European Union and the United States have long pressed for the six to be released, and have offered financial support for the treatment of the HIV-infected children. Several European studies have suggested the virus was present at the Benghazi hospital before the nurses began working there.
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Afghanistan: Ex-Minister Sees Growing Gap Between Public, State
April 26, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Former Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah spoke with RFE/RL's Tajik Service during a trip to Almaty for an annual meeting of the Eurasian Media Forum on April 22. Abdullah, who was the country's top diplomat until a March 2006 cabinet reshuffle, talks about the state of affairs in Afghanistan, the Taliban threat, and Kabul's relations with the world. What follows are excerpts from correspondent Nasibjon Amoni's interview with Dr. Abdullah.

RFE/RL: What is your evaluation of Afghanistan's current situation?

Abdullah Abdullah: On one hand, Afghanistan is facing many problems and, on the other hand, fortunately, there are still opportunities for Afghanistan -- meaning that in recent years when Afghan people had the opportunity to get together and the international community also helped Afghanistan, there was much progress in various respects.

But there are still major questions: Is the security situation improving? Has the process of creating a healthy government been successful?

And there are also...issues like people's economic situations, reconstruction, and others. So the picture cannot be very bright, unfortunately, but we are hoping that good use will be made of opportunities that still lie ahead of Afghanistan.

New Political Bloc

RFE/RL: You said that there are problems. Is this one of the reasons for the creation of the United National Front of Afghanistan [political bloc]?

Abdullah: There should be political movements in Afghanistan. They should grow and become part of [Afghan society]; they should have a role in creating political stability. [The creation of the United National Front] was a necessity; the existence of political movements is necessary in a democracy.

RFE/RL: What forces are involved in the United National Front?

Abdullah: The composition of the [United] National Front has been announced, and prominent figures from all over Afghanistan are part of it. The agenda has also been announced. Former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani is the head of this front. They are trying to get public support regarding their agendas and programs, and also to strengthen ties with people and the international community. This is considered a positive step and a major political move that has taken place recently.

Taliban Threat

RFE/RL: Let's return to the situation in Afghanistan. What are the factors that have contributed to the Taliban's increased activities?

Abdullah: The fact that the Taliban have had the opportunity to be strengthened, trained, and armed outside Afghanistan and then sent to the country has been a major factor. At the same time, I believe that more attention should be paid to places that are being attacked by the Taliban, and areas where residents are facing the Taliban threat. There should be more [action] regarding the economic situation, as well as development.

RFE/RL: If you compare Afghanistan's current situation with two or three years ago, do you see progress or failure?

Abdullah: When you look at the security situation, two or three years ago there were no districts under the control of the Taliban. But today, unfortunately, in some parts of Afghanistan, there is such a thing.

I also think that the gap between the people and the government is growing. And this should be prevented, because the Afghan people can ensure the success of Afghanistan. People should support the political process. Maybe people have high expectations, but attention is needed.

Regarding Afghanistan's international relations, there has been progress in ties with Pakistan in all areas except in the security area because of the presence of Taliban leaders there and Taliban activities from inside Pakistan with the aim of creating unrest in Afghanistan. All of these are major issues that need to be dealt with.
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Afghan president is losing war against Taliban: Pakistan
Thu Apr 26, 10:38 AM ET
MADRID (AFP) - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf accused the Afghan government of "doing nothing to fight terrorism" and of "losing the war" against the Taliban, in remarks published here Thursday.

"Those who do nothing against terrorism, like (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai, are also the ones who criticize those who are fighting, like us," Musharraf told Spanish daily El Pais during a visit to Spain.

He also denied accusations from Karzai that Al-Qaeda head  Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mulla Mohammad Omar were in Pakistan, saying the two men were "probably" holed up in  Afghanistan.

"Those who say that the ISI (Pakistani military intelligence) helps the Taliban because we want a weak Afghanistan are liars," Musharraf said.

"They say these things to hide their shame because they are losing the war against the Taliban."

The comments set the stage for a stormy meeting between Musharraf and Karzai, two key allies of the US, in Turkey next week.

Afghan and US officials have blamed Pakistan for failing to prevent Taliban-led militants from attacking US, Nato and Afghan forces in Afghanistan from their bases in Pakistan's tribal areas along their 2,400-kilometre (1,500-mile) common border.

Later on Thursday in the southern Spanish city of Cordoba, Musharraf defended his country's record.

"Pakistan is the country which has done the maximum in Afghanistan against Al-Qaeda, that is going the maximum against the Taliban," he said during an address to students.

"Yet it is misperceived by those who have no understanding of the area and who have no other idea or strategy. They don't understand the environment, they have no strategy but they criticize, they sit in drawing rooms and they criticize," he added.

Islamabad has 80,000 troops stationed on the Afghan-Pakistani border and has also started putting up a fence on parts of its northwest frontier to stop Taliban fighters sneaking across.

Kabul opposes the fence because it disputes the current border with Pakistan but Islamabad says it has no choice if it is to avoid repeated calls by the international community to stop Taliban rebels based in Pakistan from mounting attacks in Afghanistan.

Pakistan was one of three countries that recognised the harsh Taliban regime in the late 1990s, but later supported the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States by Al-Qaeda.
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Afghan president shrugs off Pakistan leader's barbs
AFP April 26, 2007 via Middle East Times
KABUL --  Afghan president Hamid Karzai said Thursday he was going into a meeting with his Pakistan counterpart to "find solutions" to mounting Taliban unrest even after Pervez Musharraf appeared to call him a liar.

The two key allies in the US war on terror are to meet under the mediation of Turkey from Sunday after months of bickering with each, accusing the other of not doing enough against the extremists attacking on both sides of the border.

Musharraf criticized his Afghan counterpart ahead of the Turkey meet in an interview with a Spanish paper, saying: "Those who do nothing against terrorism, like Karzai, are also the ones who criticize those who are fighting, like us.

"Those who say that the ISI [Pakistani military intelligence] helps the Taliban because we want a weak Afghanistan are liars," Musharraf said in remarks printed in the El Pais daily Thursday.

Asked at a media briefing specifically about the label of "liar," Karzai said: "Yes, he has mentioned me."

He added: "We attend this meeting to find a solution for a problem which is gripping Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the region with good intentions. We hope to come with good achievements.

"We hope to have achievements for peace in the region, peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan, from the tripartite meeting."

Afghan authorities, including Karzai, and some of Afghanistan's Western backers have accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to militant training centers and financial supporters on its soil.

Many say fundamentalist elements in the ISI, which helped bring the Taliban to power in 1996, are especially involved.

Pakistan has always denied all the allegations, saying it has arrested more senior Taliban and Al Qaeda figures than the Afghans.

Tensions have increased in recent weeks as Pakistan has started to fence part of its 2,500-kilometer (1,500-mile) frontier with Afghanistan after allegations it was not doing enough to stop the cross-border movement of militants.

The Taliban were driven from government in late 2001 for sheltering the Al Qaeda terror network behind the September 11 attacks in the US. Their insurgency was at its deadliest last year, with more than 4,000 people killed.
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Infant mortality found to drop 18 percent in Afghanistan
By Carlotta Gall, New York Times News Service via Boston Globe  |  April 27, 2007

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Infant mortality has dropped by 18 percent in Afghanistan, in one of the first real signs of recovery for the country five years after the fall of the Taliban regime, health officials said yesterday.

"Despite many challenges, there are clear signs of health-sector recovery and progress throughout the country," Dr. Muhammad Amin Fatimi, the health minister, told journalists here.

The number of children who die before their first birthday has dropped to 135 per 1,000 in 2006 from 165 per 1,000 live births in 2001, according to a countrywide survey by Johns Hopkins University, Fatimi said.

That represents a drop of 18 percent and means that 40,000 to 50,000 fewer infants are dying now than in the Taliban era, he said. "Thanks be to God they are celebrating, laughing and smiling," he said. "These infants are the future builders of our country."

Research was conducted by visiting 8,000 households around the country -- with four of 34 provinces excepted because of poor security -- from September to November 2006, said Benjamin Loevinsohn, a health specialist from the World Bank.

The findings are probably conservative, he said, since mothers were interviewed about the children they had given birth to over the past five years, and health services only began to improve countrywide in 2004.

Afghanistan still fares worse than Chad and Somalia in infant mortality, Fatimi said. And the number of women dying in childbirth in Afghanistan remains the second highest in the world, after Sierra Leone, he added.

Loevinsohn attributed the lower infant mortality mainly to the expansion of health clinics to rural areas and to the better coverage of the population with basic vaccination against measles, polio, and tetanus.

Immunization coverage in 2003 was 19.5 percent of the child population; in 2006 it rose to 35 percent. The target was 80 percent.

Improvements in natal care also helped, he said, with an increase in trained health workers, midwives, and birth attendants and an increase in the use of contraceptives.
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NATO welcomes Afghan probe of prisoner abuse reports
Friday April 27, 9:38 PM
OSLO (Reuters) - NATO on Friday welcomed Afghanistan's readiness to investigate allegations that Taliban suspects captured by Canadian soldiers had been tortured after being handed over to Afghan police.
NATO Secretary-General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer said he always stressed the importance NATO attached to respect for "universal values" in meetings with the Afghan government and President Hamid Karzai.

"Part of those universal values is adequate treatment of prisoners and detainees," he told a news conference after the issue was discussed at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

"I am happy with what I saw on the basis of these universal values that the Afghan government is ready to launch an inquiry into these allegations."

The Canadian government said on Wednesday it had demanded answers from Kabul after a newspaper published a secret internal report showing Canada's government was aware last year that detainees were regularly abused in Afghanistan.

The Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Monday that it had talked to 30 suspected Taliban militants who say they were beaten, whipped and mistreated by Afghan authorities after being handed over by Canadian troops.

The case is rapidly becoming the biggest crisis to hit Canada's minority Conservative government since it took power after the January 2006 election.

It has increased the uneasiness felt by many opposition legislators about the 2,500-strong Canadian mission in the southern city of Kandahar. Canada has lost 54 soldiers so far, nine in the last two weeks.

International conventions prevent a country from handing over prisoners if there is reason to suspect possible abuse. One leading expert on international law says if the allegations are proven, then Canada would be guilty of war crimes.
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British military sanctions Afghan poppy cultivation
Declan Walsh in Kabul Friday April 27, 2007 Guardian Unlimited
Angry Afghan officials have reprimanded British diplomats over a campaign by UK troops in Helmand telling farmers that growing poppy was understandable and acceptable.
A radio message broadcast across the province assured local farmers that the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would not interfere with poppy fields currently being harvested.

"Respected people of Helmand. The soldiers of ISAF and ANA do not destroy poppy fields," it said. "They know that many people of Afghanistan have no choice but to grow poppy. ISAF and the ANA do not want to stop people from earning their livelihoods."

The message was drafted by British officers and carried on two local stations in Afghanistan's largest province. It infuriated senior Afghan officials - including the president, Hamid Karzai - who demanded and explanation. The Afghan government has been under intense western pressure to rein in the burgeoning drugs trade. Opium cultivation soared 59% last year, earning local traffickers £1.2bn. The spike was concentrated in Helmand.

"This was an error by ISAF," said Zalmay Afzali, a spokesman for the counter-narcotics ministry. "We have asked ISAF to avoid such problems in the future because it can create a hell of a problem."

After a series of stormy meetings, Nato announced this week that it was dropping the ads. "We've recognised this was a mistake and we addressed it as soon as possible," said spokesman Nicholas Lunt. British officials issued an official apology to their Afghan counterparts.

The incident highlights a schism within western policy in Afghanistan between and diplomats and the military. Since 2001 western embassies have channeled hundreds of millions of pounds into hunting for drugs traffickers, encouraging farmers to switch to licit crops and funding eradication efforts.

But Nato refuses to get involved in eradication, arguing that the sight of western soldiers slashing through poppy fields could drive hundreds of farmers into the arms of the Taliban. Western soldiers say their main job is to provide security so the Afghan government can eliminate the poppy trade.

The argument is particularly sharp in Helmand, where combat takes place amid some of the world's largest poppy plantations. To win support from sceptical farmers, British officers are at pains to distance themselves from poppy eradication efforts. Recently in Sangin they discussed paying a farmer the market rate for his field of poppy where they hoped to build a new military base.

"It's all about the civilians. They have to understand that we are here to kill the Taliban, not to cut down their poppy," said Lieutenant Charlie Mayo, a British military spokesman. But he admitted the wording of the recent radio message was "ambiguous and open to misinterpretation" and said that after complaints from the local governor it was removed and an apology issued.

But drugs and the insurgency are closely intertwined - in Helmand the Taliban pushes farmers to grow poppy and takes a percentage profit from the trade. Anti-narcotics officials argue the two problems must be tackled together.

"It's ridiculous. The British embassy is sponsoring a 'don't grow poppy campaign' while the military pays for one that tells people they should," said a western official in Kabul. "Insecurity and poppy are the same issue - one creates the conditions for the other. This won't be over until the poppy is gone."
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Doubts over Afghan poppy fight
By Rachel Morarjee in Kandahar The Financial Times April 26 2007 22:16
Local officials in southern Afghanistan have thrown doubt over government programmes to eradicate opium poppies, alleging widespread corruption and the inflation of figures that claim the effort’s success.

The Kabul government has claimed in recent weeks to have eradicated more poppy crops so far this year than in all of 2006.

Since February, official figures show the government has eradicated more than 21,000 hectares of poppies, almost all in Kandahar and Helmand, the two southern provinces hardest hit by the Taliban insurgency.

Opium is used to make heroin. Afghanistan produces 90 per cent of the world’s opium with last year’s crop reaching record levels. The US Office of National Drug Control Policy said in December that about 172,600 hectares of poppies were cultivated during 2006.

Western counter-narcotics officials say that the destruction of the poppy crop is a keystone of the fight against drugs because it deters farmers from planting in the future.

But there are growing doubts about the veracity of official figures.

Officials on the ground in Kandahar told the Financial Times on a recent visit that widespread corruption meant the numbers bore little resemblance to reality.

One western diplomat said that concerns over the numbers, and allegations of corruption by district officials in Helmand, led the government to send a special investigation team to the province. “In a country where corruption is endemic, the more eradication you do, the more graft there will be,” the diplomat said.

Senior police officers in the south said the drive to destroy Afghan farmers’ opium crops has been marred by richer farmers and opium dealers buying their way out of the eradication by bribing poorly paid police.

A senior police official in Kandahar – where, according to official figures, more than 7,500 hectares have been destroyed – told the FT that the number of hectares of poppies exterminated was inflated. “There are reports that they had eradicated 100 hectares of poppies [in some areas],” he said. “But when I went there [to check], only one hectare had been eradicated.”

He said he had received reports in districts near Kandahar city of police taking 20,000 Afghanis ($406) per hectare to allow farmers to continue growing poppies.

Colonel Mohammed Hussain, an interior ministry liaison officer working with a Canadian provincial reconstruction team in Kandahar, said senior officials were turning a blind eye to bribery. “When teams go out to eradicate, we have had reports that they are making deals and will not start their work if they are paid off.”

Assadullah Khalid, Kandahar’s governor, denied graft allegations and said the drive had been well-monitored by the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime. “With each group of eradicators, we had two guys and the UNODC to monitor our own team. I am happy with the results, but we still need alternative livelihoods to support the people,” he said.

The UN said UNODC teams were present as poppies were destroyed and did not work alone. They also took GPS co-ordinates that could later be verified by satellite photography.

But monitoring the eradication is fraught with trouble. Police are badly paid, poorly equipped and regularly ambushed by insurgents who have encouraged farmers to cultivate the poppies.
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Tajik border guards confiscate 35 kg of heroin on Afghan border
14:29 | 27/ 04/ 2007
DUSHANBE, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - Tajik border guards have confiscated about 35 kilograms (77 pounds) of heroin on the border with Afghanistan, a spokesman for the Tajik National Security Committee's border control department said Friday.

Late Thursday, border guards arrested four trespassers carrying 35 packages of heroin, an AKS-1 rifle and 64 rounds of ammunition.

"A border unit arrested all four offenders, who are believed to be Afghan nationals," the source said. Investigators are trying to establish the destination of the drugs.
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Afghanistan lacks capacity to eradicate poppy
NEW YORK, April 25 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Although the Karzai government had a strong political will, Afghanistan lacked capacity to fight narcotics trade and eradicate poppy cultivation, a top American defence official said Tuesday.

"That's why we're there, Richard Douglas, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Counter-Narcotics, Counter-Proliferation and Global Threats, said at a Pentagon briefing.

"One of the things we've been trying to do since our program started in Afghanistan about three years ago is to build that capacity that not only will allow them to sustain the pressure on narcotics traffickers but also take pressure off of our people, Douglas said at the press conference, which focused on US efforts in fighting drugs trade all over the world.

Afghanistan, which produces some 93 percent of the worlds total opium, poses a major challenge not only in the fight against drug traffickers, but also in the fight against terror as it funds terrorism - specially the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Of steps taken by his department in the past couple of years to enable the Afghans to fight the battle on their own, Douglas said: We are still at the walking stage, but we're getting quickly to where the Afghans themselves are going to be able to pick up a lot of these missions."

Acknowledging they still had a long way to go, Douglas said: Challenges are there, but the fact is we are better off than we were three years ago when we started the programme. And I think there's certainly great cause for optimism that the Afghans themselves, as we continue our training programmes, are going to be able to deal with this mission."

Revealing the five-pillar US strategy to fight narco-trade in Afghanistan, he said the prongs included public information, alternative livelihoods, eradication, interdiction, and justice reform.

The Department of Defence is working to increase the capacity of the government of Afghanistan as well as neighbouring transit-zone countries in Central Asia to stop narcotics trafficking.

"We are training and equipping a specialised Afghan interdiction unit that has Drug Enforcement Administration mentors to directly address trafficking, the official added.

Douglas said his department was developing an Afghan intelligence fusion cell, a communication system, a number of bases of operation, and an MI-17 helicopter squadron to support the Afghan interdiction unit. 

We're also supporting a border management initiative in conjunction with the Department of State which will assist in hindering the flow of drugs leaving Afghanistan and importation of precursor chemicals needed to turn opium into heroin, he continued.

Training the Afghan border police had already reduced casualties during confrontations with drug-traffickers at the border, he observed. Efforts were being made to strengthen the steps in Afghanistan with anti-narcotics measures in its neighbourhood -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Lalit K. Jha
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Local Afghan leader says major strides being made to rebuild his district - thanks to Canada
Jonathan Fowlie CanWest News Service Friday, April 27, 2007
BAZAR-E-PANJWAII, Afghanistan - From the corner of a softly lit room in the Panjwaii district centre Thursday, local leader Niaz Muhammad Sarhadi slowly put down his Afghan bread and began to craft a message for the people of Canada.

"I don't have words for your sacrifices," said the 53-year-old Sarhadi, who represents the estimated 120,000 people of Panjwaii - an area where Canadians fought in heavy combat last fall as they pushed through to remove the Taliban from one of its oldest strong points.

"We appreciate and we salute the Canadian help and assistance in Afghanistan, which they are doing without any agenda," he added, speaking through a translator to a Canadian military officer, though well aware he was talking over the notepads of two scribbling Canadian journalists.

"I don't have words to express our thanks," said the man who has led Panjwaii for more than three years now, and whose widely acknowledged political savvy seems outshined only by the immaculate polish of his gold watch.

Using the rare opportunity to speak before the members of the foreign press, Sarhadi went on to praise Canada's Parliament for its decision Tuesday not to set a definitive end to the mission in Afghanistan - something the well-informed leader had picked up from the BBC on Wednesday night - and declared that every Canadian soldier deserves a "gold medal" for their work in his country.

It was not immediately clear if Sarhadi's effusive speech came from a place of genuine appreciation, or if it was just political opportunism by a man who knows that positive diplomacy can only help the flow of development dollars, but the warm reception enjoyed by Canadians in Panjwaii, and the nodding heads of the 32 members of the shura, or council of elders, seated around Sarhadi, suggested it was likely sincere.

Sarhadi spoke of the positive move his community is making toward development, and the fact that close to 80 per cent of the people who fled during the fighting of last fall's Operation Medusa have returned to their homes.

He said the local police force, which could only patrol a one- or two-kilometre area before Canada's strong military offensive, now has the run of the district.

Of course, though life is better now, Panjwaii is certainly not without its problems, and members of the district shura wasted no time Thursday cutting to one of the most significant issues - education.

Of the area's 36 schools, only three are in operation, members reported.

Members of the group of elders went on to acknowledge the problem stems in part from the fact there are teachers in the district who have still not been paid since last year, and that there are parents in the area who are not sending their children to school.

After much discussion, Sarhadi and other members resolved to sort out the pay issue, and to reopen 22 of those mothballed schools by next year. Sarhadi also asked that members of the shura ensure their children are enrolled in classes.

"If local community provides their assistance, I am 100 per cent sure our schools will be filled up with students," he said in an interview later, explaining local support will be key.

Canadian military officials who are responsible for helping with development and security in the Panjwaii area were obviously keen to see the education issue resolved, although deliberately only played a background role throughout Thursday's two-hour meeting.

"I'm encouraged to see the district leader is encouraging the Department of Education to get this going," Maj. Chris Henderson, the officer in command of 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry's Charlie company, announced to the shura.

"I'm hoping the department of education can solve the outstanding salary issues from last year," he added.

Throughout their brief comments Thursday, Canadian military officials carefully chose their words, making clear they were only making recommendations, and that the responsibility to choose a direction and make decisions lies solely with the members of the shura.

"The community determines the direction it is going to take, not us," said Sgt. Jason Henry, a representative from the Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team's satellite office in the district.

"They enforce it and we support it," he explained.

With that, Sarhadi's challenge was laid bare. Though Canadians are here to help, he and his shura must plot the course for the future of his district.

With characteristic charisma, the leader met that prospect with remarkable aplomb.

"Right now the security situation is under our thumb. We have pressed the enemy. Everything is going on well," Sarhadi said with a smile.

"The development programs are going on well," he added, suggesting things will only continue to get better.

"People are happy."
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Little to cheer on Afghan anniversary
By James Emery Asia Times Online, Hong Kong
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing.

Afghanistan has been at war for 29 years, beginning with the Saur (April) Rebellion. On April 27, 1978, the Communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, with Moscow's support, initiated

a bloody coup. Opposition to the Marxist government was swift and widespread, leading to an invasion by Soviet forces in December 1979.

Twenty-nine years on, the situation in Afghanistan is still bleak and bloody. The Taliban have regrouped, and bolstered by the deteriorating situation in Iraq are poised for a bloody spring offensive against Western troops. The government of President Hamid Karzai is in shambles, plagued by massive corruption and military weakness. Afghans refer to Karzai as the mayor of Kabul because that's about the extent of his influence.

Afghanistan began deteriorating almost immediately after the Taliban were routed by US and Northern Alliance forces in the autumn of 2001. The soldiers, equipment, money and motivation required for a successful campaign - winning the war and winning the peace - were withheld by the administration of US President George W Bush for use in Iraq, which the US attacked March 19, 2003.

Many Afghans no longer view US troops as liberators, but as an occupying army, just like the Russians, British, Mongols and Greeks before them. Lacking sufficient troop strength and clear-cut objectives, some American soldiers may become increasingly demoralized and stressed, leading to erratic behavior and a "shoot anything that moves" mentality. This "collateral damage" will be exploited by the resistance and further turn the Afghan population against their liberators.

Based on field reports from Afghanistan in the past months, this self-perpetuating cycle is already beginning to spiral out of control. In one case, the entire US Marine Corps Special Operations Company of about 120 troops was removed from Afghanistan after some of them fired indiscriminately at civilian vehicles following an ambush on March 4 in Nangahar province.

Insurgents often hide among civilians, creating a win-win situation. If US troops refuse to fire, the insurgents win, but if they do fire, the victory is even greater, especially if it results in civilian casualties.

Most Afghans did not want to return to Taliban rule, but are now resigned to the fact that it appears inevitable. A growing number of Afghans, fed up with corrupt government officials, oppressive warlords, increasing civilian casualties and the continued presence of foreign troops, have switched their support to the Taliban.

If anyone had bothered to ask the Afghan population for their priorities, they would have remained fairly constant during the past 29 years. At the top of the list would be peace and stability. Most of the current population were born after 1978 and have experienced nothing but warfare their entire lives. The concept of peace is as foreign to them as time travel is to the rest of the world.

Afghans also want to end corruption in the government and courts; to have opportunities for employment; and to rebuild the country's infrastructure. Even Kabul does not have sufficient electricity, and most of Afghanistan lacks basic necessities.

This is a pivotal year in which Afghanistan can be won or lost by the Americans. The US needs to reaffirm the fact that Afghanistan and Pakistan are the two most important countries in the "war on terrorism". A significant increase in troops and supplies will be necessary to contain the Taliban offensive and begin to secure the country.

Once individual cities and provinces are safe, the US, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations need to pay for massive public-works projects that will rebuild Afghanistan by hiring local citizens to work in their own communities.

These programs could employ thousands of Afghans to work on roads, bridges, irrigation systems, housing and other projects. The local population would see improvements and thousands of young men would have employment and hope, instead of severe idleness, which leaves them vulnerable targets for Taliban recruiters.

Massive opium cultivation is funding the resistance and further tying the population to the Taliban by providing them with a market for their crops and employment opportunities in the drug trade. The Taliban have a fresh supply of armaments, communications equipment and other provisions paid for with their profits from selling heroin. They also have access to a virtually limitless supply of weapons and equipment through their long-established drug links with Russian criminal organizations.

Some of the Afghan warlords will have to be enlisted to combat the exploding drug trade. The US and the UN can pay the warlords enough money to oversee an opium ban in their respective areas of influence. Seed, fertilizer, irrigation programs and other provisions should be made available to the farmers at little or no charge.

Price supports should be installed that will provide farmers with a guaranteed lucrative income on their wheat or other alternative

crops regardless of the current market prices in Afghanistan. Market access, including adequate roads and transportation, must also be facilitated. Give the Afghan farmers a year to rotate into the program and offer to buy and destroy their current opium crops. However, make it clear that once the grace period is over, anyone caught growing opium will have his crop eradicated without compensation.

The rampant corruption in the Karzai government must be firmly dealt with by removing crooked officials and oppressive warlords. Afghanistan has also been experiencing a rising crime rate that includes kidnappings, robberies and murder, causing many Afghan businessmen and educated elite to flee. The breakdown of law and order is distressing to the civilian population, some of whom will reluctantly support the Taliban if it means an end to the lawlessness.

The worst criminals, including crooked cops and government officials, should be given well-publicized trials and severe punishments. This would go a long way toward re-establishing civilian confidence in the government, while reinforcing Karzai as the central authority figure. Efforts should be made to round up and punish other criminals, giving them lengthy sentences in Policharki Prison in Kabul.

The US must pressure President General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan to begin closing the most radical madrassas (seminaries) and the US should insist that Saudi Arabia quit funding them. Enrollment of foreign students from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East in these madrassas has been increasing over the past 10 years. Indoctrinated in terrorist rhetoric, many of these students return to their respective countries to link up with indigenous cells. This is one of the reasons terrorist activity has been increasing in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries.

Additionally, some Afghan, Pakistani and foreign students are making their way to Balochistan, the Waziristan tribal area and North West Frontier Province in Pakistan to hook up with Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents who have been using these areas as sanctuaries for cross-border attacks against Western forces in Afghanistan.

The recent infighting between insurgent groups in Waziristan should be exploited and expanded to include other groups operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The various leaders of these groups, including numerous Afghan factions, Uzbeks, Chechens, Arabs, Pakistanis and others, do not trust one another. Conflicts could be encouraged through a series of operations specifically targeting individual leaders and groups, exploiting the natural mistrust, jealousy and ethnic, tribal and political rivalries that exist between the various factions.

Musharraf can use the fighting in Waziristan to negate his misguided non-aggression agreement with insurgents. He must be encouraged to attack all of the Taliban strongholds and sanctuaries in Pakistan in coordination with US forces, which could be set up on the Afghan side to catch them as they attempt to cross the border.

The three Pakistani intelligence agencies, all currently headed by military officers, need to be brought in line, especially the Inter-Services Intelligence. They have historically supported the Taliban, warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and other radical elements detrimental to Afghanistan and the United States.

The Taliban and al-Qaeda believe the Americans have lost their resolve, bogged down in Iraq and refusing to allocate the necessary resources for Afghanistan. They are aware that Karzai has been compromised and that Musharraf is weak, facing growing dissent and a possibility that even the military will abandon him.

Insurgents are also monitoring the changing political currents in the West. British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush are on their way out. None of the US presidential candidates wants to deal with Iraq and Afghanistan, meaning there could be a sudden shift of policy leading to an abrupt downsizing and withdrawal of US forces.

If the US wants to save Afghanistan, the Taliban must be decisively defeated this year so that massive reconstruction programs can begin. Failure to stabilize Afghanistan and persuasively address critical issues in Pakistan could result in a change of leadership in these two states that will be devastating to the region and have profound, long-term consequences to the "war on terror".

James Emery is an anthropologist and journalist who has spent considerable time in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other Islamic countries in Asia and the Middle East.

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing.
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No proposal to send Army to Afghanistan to train troops: India
New Kerala - Apr 27 4:04 AM
New Delhi, Apr 27: India today denied that there was any proposal to send Army to Afghanistan to train Afghan troops and said Defence establishments here, already held training programmes for soldiers from other countries.

Replying to a question on media reports that India proposed to send army personnel to Afghanistan for training the Afghan army, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said there was no such proposal.

''Defence establishments in India hold training programmes from time-to-time for military personnel from other countries, including Afghanistan. However, there is no proposal to send Indian army personnel to Afghanistan for training the Afghan army,'' the spokesman said.

Media reports, quoting top military officials, earlier said a team from the Indian Army would be leaving for Kabul in a few months to train the Afghan National Army (ANA).

The team would be in Afghanistan in May to conduct infantry and education corps related training.

After the fall of the Taliban, several Indian military delegations have visited Afghanistan.

India has been actively involved in reconstruction activities in Afghanistan with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) helping build roads and other infrastructure damaged during decades of civil war.

It has, however, steadfastly refused to be part of the NATO-lead International Security Assidstance Force (ISAF) in the war-torn country.

India is also one of the main contributors to the reconstruction programmes in Afghanistan.
--- UNI
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AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN'S HOSTAGE DEADLINE EXPIRES SATURDAY
Paris, 27 April (AKI) - The deadline set by the Taliban for a pullout of French troops in Afghanistan in exchange for the release of two French hostages, expires on Saturday and not Friday, according to Taliban spokesperson, Youssouf Ahmadi who was quoted in the French media on Friday. The French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, said on Friday that France did not plan to stay in Afghanistan. "There is no plan to continue occupying a country in the long term," said Douste-Blazy. "It goes against France's values of respect for sovereignty, national independence and territorial integrity."

On Thursday, the conservative candidate in France's presidential elections, Nicolas Sarkozy, said in an interview with France-2 television that the "the long term presence of French troops" in Afghanistan "does not look definitive" to him.

The two French hostages, a man and a woman who worked as aid workers for the non-governmental organisation Terre d'enfance, have been identified as Eric and Celine by a website said to be close to the Taliban.

They were kidnapped on 3 April together with three Afghan collagues in the western Afghan province of Nimroz. On 20 April, the Taliban have the French one week to pullout the 1,000 soldiers based in Afghanistan in exchange for the release of the hostages.
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Afghan-Pakistan truck strike call
By Ilyas Khan BBC News, Karachi Thursday, 26 April 2007
Truckers working between Afghanistan and Pakistan say they will go on strike from Friday in protest at higher taxes in Afghanistan and extortion there.

The strike will hit supplies to consumers and also Western troops in Kabul and north Afghanistan, they say.

Landlocked Afghanistan receives most of its imports via the Pakistani sea port of Karachi.

Most supplies go to Kabul and northern Afghanistan through the Pakistani city of Peshawar and over the Khyber Pass.

'Too much'

The truckers say the Afghan government has raised road taxes and toll fees by than 11 times in the last year.

They also complain of extortion by security personnel at various points on the highway to Kabul.

The strike was announced when negotiations with the government in Kabul failed, the truckers told a press conference in Peshawar on Thursday.

More than 350 trucks carry an average of 7,000 tons of goods over the Khyber Pass to Kabul every day, Sawab Khan, a member of the truckers' association, told the BBC.

The goods include supplies for Western forces fighting the Taleban, as well as supplies for non-governmental organisations, the government and Afghan traders.

Mr Khan said every truck pays about 400,000 Pakistani rupees (over $6,500) annually in taxes and bribes.

"This is too much for our transporters, who are mostly poor and hard-pressed to make both ends meet," he said.

Fewer problems

Truckers who refuse to pay bribes are often made to park along the road and wait, sometimes for over 24 hours, before they are allowed to move on, he said.

Supplies to the southern provinces of Kandahar and Herat pass through Quetta and across the Chaman border in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

The truckers operating on this route say they confront fewer problems and are not planning to go on strike.
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Dateline Afghanistan: Should German Soldiers Fight? (Part II)
By Stephan Richter The Globalist | Friday, April 27, 2007 you can read Part I on April 26, 2007 news
As Afghanistan continues its slide into lawlessness and anarchy, Germany is divided over whether to take a more active military role in the war-ravaged country. As Stephan Richter argues, Germany should not let the weight of history prevent it from helping Afghanistan secure a peaceful future.

It is certainly true, as one often hears in the German debate, that the Hindukush is far away from Germany — and that there would be a loss of life involved. And yes, Germans in interviews openly wonder whether the country should not focus on using all its hard-pressed national resources to fight the battles at home (such as combating unemployment and securing social services).

Those are all relevant questions — but answers can be found to all of them. First, it is unbecoming of a major democratic nation to use its history as an excuse to demand that its soldiers — unlike those of other nations — be allowed to play it safe by comparison.

Military strategy alone

What privilege one is accorded, and whether one’s troops get to serve in less risky regions in a given country of deployment, should only be a question of military strategy and force posture to be decided by one's alliance and in conjunction 
Either way, the "weight of history" cannot be used as a cop-out. Yes, German soldiers have fought on the wrong side of history too often.
 
with the host government.

There cannot be a two-class NATO of real soldiers and of “safetypins.” One also has to wonder whether the German soldiers themselves don’t feel the pressure of effectively being relegated to second-class soldiers — leaving the task to fight, if the need arises, to the fellows from the other nations.

Deep down, any soldier realizes that he has chosen a risky profession — and that there may be an ultimate price to be paid. While that risk can never be eliminated, what matters in the end is what purpose is served.

The purpose served

Against that backdrop, German history provides a strong argument in favor of deployment. While there is no denying that millions of German soldiers have died for ignoble causes in the 20th century, it is high time for a mature, solidly democratic and prosperous Germany to be prepared, at long last, to sacrifice a few soldiers for good causes.

In its history spanning almost half a century by now, the Bundeswehr has lost a total of 64 soldiers, 18 of them in Afghanistan. Most of them lost their lives due to accidents — not in combat.

No major casualties

Now, there are those who will argue that German soldiers presently in Afghanistan did not sign on 
But that historical fault cannot be used as an argument to keep German soldiers from showing what they can do in Afghanistan — on the right side of history — with the full risks that are entailed with being a soldier.
 
for a potential combat role. Then again, the German forces there are mostly from the ranks of the professional army and supplemented only by some conscripts who voluntarily serve longer.

If Germany decided to change their status, the soldiers over there could certainly be offered an opt-out clause to return home, so as to ensure that nobody could claim that they signed on under conditions that were then changed retroactively.

That still leaves the issue of whether changing the status of German soldiers to allow their deployment abroad from here on out to include combat operations does not represent a slippery slope.

Bad memories

In this context, it is fully legitimate to be mindful of the views of other nations who remember a marauding German army. Likewise, the Germans themselves — for irrefutable reasons — have a painful memory of being marauders — and have every right to be wary of it.

To resolve this potential conflict, two considerations are pivotal: First, the German army can only be deployed with the explicit — and detailed — approval of parliament. Unlike in the United States, those parliamentary debates preceding deployment are extremely rigorous — and very specific.

A rigorous mechanism

Given that approval mechanism, there is no conceivable way that the German military would be 
The country was fortunate that it had a left-of-center government coalition in place when it took the first steps to relax the ban on overseas operations for its soldiers. Now is the time for Angela Merkel's government to take the next logical step.
 
The values test in each case is straightforward: Is it a vital function of well-endowed, mature democracies to help those nations much less well off to have a fighting chance to secure a peaceful way for themselves to reach a prosperous future?

For sure, development aid, hands-on project management and private investment are not just key parts — but the primary response mechanism — of executing such a strategy. But, as the case of Canada again proves most convincingly, in the ultimate analysis one’s involvements cannot be limited to non-combat roles.

An inactive role

The evolution in German thinking about these crucial issues in recent years has certainly been impressive. The country was fortunate that it had a left-of-center government coalition in place when it took the first steps to relax the ban on overseas operations for its soldiers.

When that government convened the Petersberg conference in December 2001 to lay the groundwork for a stable Afghanistan, Germany assumed not just a symbolic responsibility for that country’s future.

The next step

Now is the time for Angela Merkel’s government to take the next logical step.

It won’t be easy. For sure, the enthusiasm and hopes and early positive results of 2001 have given way to the sad realities of 2006. 
One also has to wonder whether German soldiers themselves don't feel the pressure of being effectively relegated to second-class soldiers.
 
And yes, in Hamid Karzai Afghanistan has a president who is caught up in a maze of tribal issues. Warlords are still in place, poppy production is on the rise again and certain parts of the country have seen scant signs of progress.

That is all true — and yet, as trite, or uncomfortable, or overly emotional as it may sound in German ears, few things will provide a better cause worth fighting for than Afghanistan’s maddening regression. Sometimes, it matters a lot to try to make a difference — even against long odds.

Helping out
But since Germans rightfully believe that there is good reason not to let Afghanistan slip back into a state of lawlessness and anarchy, they have to embrace an enlarged role — which implies more sacrifices.

However, this must be part of a well thought-out strategy and not only another quick fix. But then again, one thing that Germans are known for, with good reason, is that they are circumspect planners.

Either way, the "weight of history" cannot be used as a cop-out. Yes, German soldiers have fought on the wrong side of history too often. But that historical fault cannot be used as an argument to keep German soldiers from showing what they can do in Afghanistan — on the right side of history — with the full risks that are entailed with being a soldier.

Editor's Note: The author is a German citizen — and served in the German army as a draftee in the late 1970s.
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Afghan Government Investigating Allegations of Abuse and Validity of Claims
Ottawa – The Government of Afghanistan, cognizant of its obligations under international law and Afghan law, is taking allegations of detainee abuse and mistreatment at the hands of Afghan law enforcement agencies - in this case the National Directorate of Security - seriously and has started to investigate claims that have appeared in the Canadian media this week in regards to detainee mistreatment in Kandahar Province.

Any legal evidence and investigative data that is obtained can and will be shared with parties involved in security and stabilization operations, including Canadian civil-military officials.

The Government has and will continue to provide access to any party that requests access to detention centers and to individual suspects arrested on alleged charges of aiding or abetting terrorists, involvement with drug mafias or illegal armed groups that threaten the lives of Afghan civilians, and international security assistance and NATO forces.

A bilateral arrangement to facilitate access to Canadian civil-military officials to detention centers in Kandahar is in formalization stages.

According to provincial and National Directorate of Security officials, access to facilities and detainees has not been revoked nor suspended in Kandahar for any authorized monitoring group, including the AIHRC and the ICRC.

According to the same officials, while the investigation is ongoing, there is no evidence thus far of any abuse or mistreatment that may have taken place as alleged by some former detainees. The case of individuals named in the media reports will be investigated thoroughly to establish credibility. In case anyone is found guilty of violations of laws to which we are a party, the person(s) shall be brought to justice.

NDS officials also confirm that their employee rosters for Kandahar do not show any person named Sadullah Khan as being employed by the agency in the past year. They also clarify that the person in-charge of NDS in the province is a person by a different name.

It is a fact to all in Afghanistan that the country is in transition from a devastated failed state to a country where all institutions and capacities have to be rebuilt to ensure that security, stability, economic opportunities and democratic rights can be ensured and safeguarded for all its citizens.

This transition, which includes rebuilding institutions and professional capacities, will face numerous challenges until it reaches a stage of maturity, and it will take time and the steadfast, unwavering support of the international community and friendly countries like Canada to prevent a return to Taliban-style governance and a terror-sponsoring state.

In this regard, the people of Afghanistan are grateful for the continued support that Canada and Canadians provide in all areas.
Embassy of Afghanistan April 26, 2007
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200 cases of anti-women violence registered in three months
Zarghona Salehi 
KABUL, Apr 25 (Pajhwok Afghan News): More than 200 cases of violence against women were registered across Afghanistan in the first quarter of the current year, Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said on Wednesday.

AIHRC executive head Dr. Syed Hussain Faramarz told a news conference here the cases registered over the last three months pertained to different crimes against the women.

The rights watchdog recorded 116 cases of beatings, 40 of forced marriages, 11 of expulsion from home, 10 runaways, eight of giving women to settle enmity, 10 of property disputes and a dozen of self-immolation.

Also present on the occasion were United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) head Suria Ahmad Obaid, Minister for Women Affairs Hasan Bano Ghazanfar and Afghan Red Crescent Director Fatema Gillani.

Last year, according to AIHRC, 1,651 cases of anti-women violence were reported from Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Bamyan, Kunduz, Faryab and Daikundi provinces.

Hasan Bano Ghazanfar, voicing concern at the cases, said: "We hope UNIFEM and the international community will help us eradicate violence against females, provide education and better economic conditions to Afghan women."

In response, the UNIFEM head promised: "I have read all your suggestions and will take them to the UN and other donor agencies for further consideration."

Fatema Gillani also vowed cooperation with AIHRC in banishing anti-women violence and improving the overall situation of the other half.
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Band-i-Salma commander, two guards killed in ambush
HERAT CITY, Apr 25 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Security commander of the Band-i-Salma or Salma Dam in the western Herat province was killed along with his two bodyguards in an ambush by unidentified armed men, officials said on Wednesday.

Abdul Hamid Khan, commander of Band-i-Salma security posts, was ambushed by armed men while on way from Guzra district to Herat City, capital of the province, last night.

Major General Ali Khan Huseini, head of the crime investigations department in the western zone, told Pajhwok four bodyguards of the commander sustained injuries in the attack. They were under treatment at a hospital in the city, he added.

Dr Barakatullah Muhammadi, head of the emergency department at the hospital, said condition of two of the injured was serious and were shifted to the ISAF medical facility in the city.

Sayed Abdul Zahir, one of the injured, said they were on way to Herat City when ambushed by armed men from behind a lorry parked on the roadside.

The injured guard added that they escaped unhurt in the first attack. But fire came from another direction killing the commander and two bodyguards and injuring the remaining four.

Husseini suspected personal hostility behind the incident. He said he did not believe it was the handiwork of the anti-government elements.

Band-i-Salma is an irrigation project to be constructed at the cost of $80 million granted by the government of India.

The killing of the commander is pointing to the deteriorating security situation in Herat, once considered the most peaceful province in Afghanistan. Tahir Baghdashti and Nisar Ahmad Ghalwar were the two jihadi commanders killed during the current year.
Ahmad Qureshi
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200 cases of anti-women violence registered in three months
KABUL, Apr 25 (Pajhwok Afghan News): More than 200 cases of violence against women were registered across Afghanistan in the first quarter of the current year, Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said on Wednesday.

AIHRC executive head Dr. Syed Hussain Faramarz told a news conference here the cases registered over the last three months pertained to different crimes against the women.

The rights watchdog recorded 116 cases of beatings, 40 of forced marriages, 11 of expulsion from home, 10 runaways, eight of giving women to settle enmity, 10 of property disputes and a dozen of self-immolation.

Also present on the occasion were United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) head Suria Ahmad Obaid, Minister for Women Affairs Hasan Bano Ghazanfar and Afghan Red Crescent Director Fatema Gillani.

Last year, according to AIHRC, 1,651 cases of anti-women violence were reported from Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Bamyan, Kunduz, Faryab and Daikundi provinces.

Hasan Bano Ghazanfar, voicing concern at the cases, said: "We hope UNIFEM and the international community will help us eradicate violence against females, provide education and better economic conditions to Afghan women."

In response, the UNIFEM head promised: "I have read all your suggestions and will take them to the UN and other donor agencies for further consideration."

Fatema Gillani also vowed cooperation with AIHRC in banishing anti-women violence and improving the overall situation of the other half.

Zarghona Salehi
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$5.5 million grant for Kabul University
KABUL, Apr 25 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The University of Kansas, the United States, will grant $5.5 million to the faculties of engineering and literature of the Kabul University.

The agreement was inked by senior officials of two education institutions in presence of the Higher Education Minister Mohammad Azam Dadfar and other senior governmental officials. 

Speaking on the occasion, Dadfar said the Kansas University would extend academic and technical support to the Faculty of Engineering and the Department of English over the coming three years.

He added arranging visits of professors and establishment of laboratories at Kabul University were among the steps to be taken during that period. Of the total amount, $3.1 million would be given to the Engineering Faculty while the remaining 2.4 million to the Department of English.

The minister said local educational institutions were in dire need of support from the international universities. He would seek support from the foreign educational institutions.

Yar Muhammad Ebadi, administrative officer of the Kansas University, said they would provide all possible facilities for the two faculties. He added decision regarding support to Kabul University was taken during his visit to Afghanistan two years back.
Mustafa Basharat
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Pajhwok celebrates third anniversary
KABUL, Apr 25 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Afghanistan's premier and independent news agency Pajhwok Afghan News celebrated its third anniversary on Tuesday.

A local hotel was the venue of the colourful function, largely attended by ministers, provincial governors, members of parliament and provincial councils, senior government officials, diplomats, NGO representatives and journalists.

Dr. Sharifa Sharif, advisor to President Hamid Karzai on international affairs, read out his message, congratulating the Pajhwok administration and staff. 

In his message, Karzai asked media outlets to present a true picture of the situation in the country and cling to journalistic principles of impartiality objectivity.

In his welcome address, Pajhwok director Danish Karokhel informed the guests of the problems being faced by Afghan journalists, especially those performing their professional duties in lawless and far-flung areas.

He said the country needed a transparent administration and it was the responsibility of the journalist community to promote brotherhood and unity in society.

Seeking cooperation from the international community in ensuring the freedom of expression in the war-battered country, Karokhel said the world community should support and encourage impartial journalists and media organisations.

On the occasion, messages from several ministries, SAFMA, AIHRC and other organisations were read out. Prominent among the speakers were Minister for Information and Culture Abdul Karim Khurram, governors of Kunar and Laghman and Professor Esmatullah Elahi, teacher at the Department of Journalism at Kabul University.

Music, skits and award distribution were the main features of the function, which started lasted about six hours.

Guests from different fields distributed certificates among the reporters and editors of the news agency for their outstanding performances.

On this occasion, Laghman Governor Gulab Mangal presented medals to Danish Karokhel and president of Afghanistan Independent Journalists' Association (AIJA) Rahimullah Samandar for their untiring efforts for upholding the cause of free and independent media in Afghanistan.

Pajhwok Afghan News was established on April 24, 2004. Headquartered in Kabul, it has regional offices in eight provinces.

Besides, it has 38 permanent and freelance correspondents in different provinces and cities.
Zubair Babakarkhail
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