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June 30, 2007 

Taliban Spreading, Pakistani President Is Warned
By JANE PERLEZ and ISMAIL KHAN The New York Times June 30, 2007
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 28 — The Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, was warned this month that Islamic militants and Taliban fighters were rapidly spreading beyond the country’s lawless tribal areas and that without “swift and decisive action,” the growing militancy could engulf the rest of the country.

The warning came in a document from the Interior Ministry, which said Pakistan’s security forces in North-West Frontier Province abutting the tribal areas were outgunned and outnumbered and had forfeited authority to the Taliban and their allies.

“The ongoing spell of active Taliban resistance has brought about serious repercussions for Pakistan,” says the 15-page document, which was shown to The New York Times. “There is a general policy of appeasement towards the Taliban, which has further emboldened them.”

The document was discussed by this country’s National Security Council on June 4 while General Musharraf was present, the document notes. It appears to be the first such document to emerge from the Pakistani government formally recognizing the seriousness of the spreading threat here from Al Qaeda and the Taliban, according to a Western diplomat.

The diplomat, who was not authorized to speak for attribution, called the document “an accurate description of the dagger pointed at the country’s heart.”

“It’s tragic it’s taken so long to recognize it,” the diplomat added.

Indeed, the recognition of the scope of the extremists’ authority comes after heavy pressure on Pakistan from the United States to contain the lawlessness in the tribal areas. Washington has poured some $1 billion a year into Pakistan in the last five years for what are described as reimbursements for Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts along the border with Afghanistan.

The prime purpose of the sizable financial support has been to stop the area from becoming a haven for the Taliban and Al Qaeda as they wage their insurgency in Afghanistan.

But now the Interior Ministry is telling General Musharraf that the influence of the extremists is swiftly bleeding east and deeper into his own country, threatening areas like Peshawar, Nowshera and Kohat, which were considered to be safeguarded by Pakistani government forces.

Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao, the prime mover behind the document, narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack in April by extremists in his home area of Charsadda, 18 miles northeast of Peshawar, the capital of North-West Frontier Province.

The attack on Mr. Sherpao shook his confidence in General Musharraf’s policy toward the militants, which has included a series of peace deals.

Since the peace accords have been signed, the militants have filled a vacuum left by tribal leaders, who have taken a back seat, and by the military, which has retreated to its barracks, the president’s critics say. The policy has been questioned by the United States and by some of General Musharraf’s own officers.

“It’s a policy of appeasement,” said Brig. Mahmood Shah, who was the senior Pakistani government official in charge of security in the tribal areas until last year. “It hasn’t worked. The Talibanization has increased in the past year.”

The American Embassy here currently lacks an ambassador. Ryan Crocker left the post in March, and President Bush’s nominee to succeed him, Anne W. Patterson, appeared before the Senate for confirmation hearings last week. Asked about the document, the embassy had no official comment.

During a visit to Islamabad nearly two weeks ago, Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte sidestepped a direct question about the growing lawlessness as a result of the peace deals in the tribal areas. But he said Washington was considering bolstering the Frontier Corps, an elite force deployed in the border regions. Mr. Negroponte also cited a new $750 million development aid package to be spent over the next several years in the tribal areas as a measure of Washington’s concern.

General Musharraf has made no public comment on the issues raised during the National Security Council meeting. But the secretary of the Interior Ministry, Kamal Shah, said Thursday that in the aftermath of the ministry’s analysis, the government has taken several concrete steps to beef up forces in the region.

In particular, he said 31 platoons of the Frontier Constabulary, consisting of 40 officers each, had been redeployed from elsewhere in Pakistan to the area where the tribal lands and North-West Frontier Province meet.

In addition, he said, the Frontier Police, which operate inside the province, and the Frontier Corps, which patrols the border with Afghanistan, are being strengthened. “We’re getting more mobility, more equipment and more transport” to those forces, he said.

As well, he said, peace committees consisting of members of local tribes were being mobilized, because “we want to bring the people along.”

“It’s important we have the people on board,” Mr. Shah said.

Brimming with details, the Interior Ministry document gives the names of well-known Taliban commanders in this country — like Mullah Muhammad Nazir, also known as Maulavi Nazir, who has close links to the Afghan Taliban — but also lesser-known militants who lead the Taliban patrols responsible for assassinations and suicide bombings in smaller jurisdictions in North-West Frontier Province.

The mention of lesser-known but potent Taliban figures by name shows that the Pakistani government is aware of the far-reaching tentacles of the Taliban and other extremists but cannot do anything about them or chooses not to do anything, the Western diplomat said.

Among the particulars, the document says the Taliban have recently begun bombing oil tank trucks that pass through the Khyber area near the border on their way to Afghanistan for United States and NATO forces. A convoy of 12 of the trucks was hit with grenades and gutted on Thursday night in the third such incident in a month.

The document describes Peshawar, the regional headquarters of the Pakistani military and police, as suffering the “highest number of terrorist incidents, including attacks on local police,” in the province. Many city’s schools were closed because of threats from extremists. Government offices, diplomats and independent relief organizations routinely receive threatening letters.

In Swat, a scenic area that the government recommends for tourists, an extremist imam has begun to issue edicts against vaccination, female education and female health workers. A local FM radio station spouts jihadist beliefs, the document said.

In two areas, Bannu and Tank, the police are “patronizing the local Taliban and have abdicated the role of law and order,” the document said. In an example of the impotence of local government forces, the document said that “every military or sting operation” drew retaliation in the form of suicide bombings or terrorist attacks.

In an illustration of the surge in violence, the report said Taliban fighters had gone on a rampage in Tank, ransacking banks, schools, gas pumps and checkpoints after an assistant to a Taliban leader who was enrolling students for jihad operations was killed by the police.

In a series of recommendations, the document called for the local enforcement agencies to tackle the militants “head on.” But it gave no suggestion how that was to be done. It suggested blocking FM radio transmissions by extremists and called for a media campaign to mobilize public opinion.
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Australia committed long term to Afghanistan
June 30, 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
AdvertisementAustralia is committed to remaining part of an international military force in Afghanistan for as long as necessary, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in Kabul on Saturday.

Australia currently has nearly 1,000 troops serving with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Afghanistan after doubling the contingent last month.

"The relationship with Afghanistan... for us is a strong one," Downer told a news conference in Kabul.

"We very strongly support not just the military efforts made against the Taliban but (also) the efforts being made for reconstruction and development cooperation."

A sizeable portion of the Australian contingent is made up of special forces and most operate in southern Uruzgan province, where a resurgent Taliban and soaring opium production have made security very fragile.

"The Taliban should be very wary of tangling with our special forces in Uruzugan," Downer said.

"They are an extremely highly trained, well-equipped professional force. I think the Taliban are learning that."

Downer, who earlier held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, defended foreign forces against criticism too many civilians were being killed in anti-Taliban operations.

"There was quite a lot of discussion about civilian casualties," Downer said, adding: "I was very happy with my conversation with President Karzai about this.

"It is very, very foolish for any person of goodwill to try to create some sort of moral equivalence between NATO and what the Taliban does.

"We will make every effort to avoid civilian casualties, against the Taliban, which is making every effort to cause civilian casualties."

Nearly 300 civilians have been killed in operations led by foreign forces this year alone, according to government officials, residents and aid groups.

Scores more have been killed in Taliban suicide and roadside bomb attacks.

Afghanistan is going through its bloodiest period since the Taliban's fall and this year is regarded as a crunch time for all sides involved in the conflict.
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13 oil tankers blown up by pro-Taliban militants
Peshawar, June 30 (ANI): Pro-Taliban militants in a Pakistani border town of Landi Kotal blew up 13 oil tankers supplying fuel for international troops in Afghanistan, the officials said.

The explosion targeted tankers parked in Landi Kotal, the main town of Khyber tribal district, the Daily Times quoted a security official, as saying.

"An improvised explosive device planted underneath a tanker went off, triggering a massive fire and gutting 13 tankers and added that it was handiwork of the pro-Taliban militants," the official said on condition of anonymity.

However, the fire was brought under control with the help of the local residents.

Assistant Political Agent Ahmed Khan Orakzai said that the local administration had already asked the tanker owners to park their vehicles at a safer place, but they had chosen this site themselves.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from any party. The attack was the latest in a series on trucks and tankers supplying fuel to US bases in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
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U.S.-led Coalition Looking Into Afghan Civilian Casualties
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan; June 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- RFE/RL's Afghan Service reports today that some civilians were killed in air strikes carried out by the U.S.- led coalition late on June 29 in southern Helmand Province.

The Afghan Service says it's still unclear how many people were killed or wounded.

However, local officials are quoted as saying there were at least 30 causalities, including women and children.

The U.S.-led coalition, which is battling Taliban militants in the area, is looking into the reports.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has recently condemned foreign forces in the country for carelessness.
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Inquiry after deadly Afghan raid
By Charles Haviland BBC News, Kabul Saturday, 30 June 2007
Foreign troops in Afghanistan say they believe some civilians were killed in their bombardments in the southern province of Helmand late on Friday.

Local people say they think more than 50 died, including women and children.

A spokesman for the US-led military coalition told the BBC an inquiry was under way after an incident involving civilian casualties.

Foreign military spokesmen say the coalition led the bombing but it was in support of Nato-led Isaf forces.

Earlier several dozen villagers near the town of Gereshk told the BBC that "foreign forces" had bombed their area for two to three hours late on Friday after earlier clashes with Taleban rebels.

They believed between 50 and 80 civilians had been killed, including women and children, and said they were bringing the bodies to the local authorities.

The Helmand provincial police chief agreed that there had been civilian casualties and accused the foreign forces of not consulting the Afghan authorities before the bombings.

A week ago, after the death of some 25 civilians in the Gereshk area, President Hamid Karzai accused foreign forces of acting recklessly and ordered them to co-ordinate better with his government.

Accounts from on the ground say between 240 and 320 civilians had been killed by foreign forces this year before these latest deaths.

Foreign forces and the Afghan government say the Taleban often take refuge in civilian areas after launching attacks, ordering people to shelter them.
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30 Afghans killed, wounded in airstrikes
By NOOR KHAN Associated Press / June 30, 2007
KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in southern Afghanistan left at least 30 people, including women and children, killed or wounded, an official said Saturday.

Taliban fighters tried to ambush a joint U.S.-Afghan military convoy in Helmand province's Gereshk district late Friday before fleeing into a nearby village for cover, said Mohammad Hussein, the provincial police chief.

Airstrikes targeted the militants in the village of Hyderabad, said Dur Ali Shah, the mayor of Gereshk.

Shah said 30 to 35 people were killed or wounded but he could not provide an exact breakdown. Villagers reported casualty tolls far higher than 30 but those figures were not immediately corroborated by officials. Six houses also were destroyed during the clash, he said.

"Right now we do not know the number of Taliban casualties," Shah said.

Maj. John Thomas, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said there are ongoing NATO operations in the region and that there has been several engagements with Taliban fighters.

"We're investigating further to see what other casualties there might have been there," he said.

Civilians deaths caused by U.S. and NATO-led troops have infuriated Afghans and prompted President Hamid Karzai to publicly condemn foreign forces for carelessness and viewing Afghan lives as "cheap."

He urged restraint and better coordination of military operations with the Afghan government, while also blaming Taliban for using civilians as human shields.

Violence has soared in Afghanistan with more than 2,800 people, mostly militants, killed in fighting this year, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Western military and Afghan officials.

A count by the United Nations and an umbrella organization of Afghan and international aid groups shows the number of civilians killed by international forces was slightly greater than the number killed by insurgents in the first half of the year.

An AP count based on figures from Afghan and international officials found that militants killed 178 civilians in attacks through June 23 and that Western forces killed 203. The U.S. and NATO say they don't have civilian casualty figures.

In the southern Helmand province's Sangin district, NATO-led and Afghan troops clashed with Taliban fighters on Friday, leaving 15 militants dead, said Ezatullah Khan, a district chief.

There were no casualties among NATO and Afghan troops, Khan said.

Also in the south, two suspected Taliban were killed while trying to place a homemade bomb on the side of a road in Zhari district of Kandahar province on Friday, said Ghulam Rasool, the district's police chief.

Three children were also killed Friday and another wounded when an old rocket they were playing with exploded in Zabul province in the south, said Gen. Yaqoub Khan, the provincial police chief.
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65 Afghan civilians killed in air strike: mayor
KABUL (AFP) - Coalition and NATO air strikes in southern Afghanistan killed 65 civilians, including women and children, and 35 Taliban, a district mayor said Saturday, citing the results of an investigation.

"The finding of our investigations about the civilian casualties in Girishk district so far is that 65 civilians including women, children and men have been killed," said district mayor Dur Alisha of Friday's strikes.

"Thirty-five Taliban have been killed," said Alisha.

There was renewed fighting in the district, which is in the southern province of Helmand, he said.
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"We're Falling Behind in Our Commitment to Afghanistan"
Deutsche Welle - Jun 30 3:46 AM
In an interview with DW-TV, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke about the need to step up efforts to rebuild Afghanistan, settle the future of Kosovo and heal tensions with Poland.

Mr Steinmeier, the German parliament will be asked to extend the mandate for the Afghanistan mission in autumn. There are rumors in the Social Democratic Party (SPD) that you might not get the majority you need.

In my judgment there are no rumors. There is a discussion about it and that is necessary. In contrast to many other countries that are engaged in Afghanistan, the continuation of our involvement there requires not only the support of the German public but also of the German parliament. We have to win that support, and I am confident that in the autumn, we will reach the necessary decisions.

Many of your Social Democrat colleagues criticize the US-led operation "Enduring Freedom" because many civilians are being killed. Wouldn't it be better for Germany to withdraw from this part of the mission?

There's no question about it -- such mandates need to be discussed. And in autumn, we shall have to look closely and critically at which parts of the mandate we wish to extend, and, if necessary, change. But it's more important to consider how we are doing with regard to our own commitments to the Afghan people.

You have to occasionally remind people that we are not alone in Afghanistan. After the terrible attacks in 2001 (in New York and Washington) we, together with others, took over the responsibility of dismantling these training grounds for worldwide terrorism. We committed ourselves to do the necessary along with other partners. Along with others, we took a common pledge to ease civilian reconstruction in Afghanistan. The country and its people have been plagued by war and civil strife for 30 years.

I've come to the conclusion that we're falling behind with civilian reconstruction in Afghanistan. And more importantly, in light of our mandate that needs extending, we're lagging in our commitment to help Afghan security officials, the police and the army, take responsibility of their own nation. In other words: we're not doing enough to keep our own commitments to Afghanistan and that's why I think we need to strengthen our efforts here.

We have to ensure that our military presence in Afghanistan is not perceived as a form of occupation. And in all our activities, we have to take the utmost care to avoid civilian casualties. My impression is that the German Bundeswehr soldiers and many others are doing everything they can in that regard. And I know from my own visits to Afghanistan that the Afghan people largely accept the presence of the Bundeswehr. The citizens there realize that a military presence is necessary to enable civilian reconstruction, for example by private aid organizations.

There is another side to the discussion. Some here in Berlin -- and also soldiers in Afghanistan -- say the separation of ISAF and Enduring Freedom is artificial... that the two missions should be brought together under a single command. Would that make sense?

I think it made sense to leave the anti-terrorism tasks, the pursuit of terrorists, in the hands of Operation Enduring Freedom.... and the provision of security for the tasks I have just described -- protection to allow reconstruction to take place -- in the hands of ISAF. I think this division is sensible but it's something we will be discussing this year, not just here in Germany, but also with our European and NATO partners.

The highest-ranking German general in Afghanistan says more troops are needed to stop the Taliban winning this battle. What do you think about such concerns? Could the West fail in Afghanistan?

You can never rule out failure with military missions anywhere in the world. And so of course there is the risk in Afghanistan that we might not be able to achieve our aims, in particular, as quickly as we would like to see. But contrary to some of the reports in recent days, one really should not overlook the fact that even in the South of the country where the security situation is still very precarious as compared with other parts, there has been a significant improvement in recent months.

But I will say one thing and it's something that I have attached clear importance to this year: We will not solve the problem in the south unless we can manage to bring Afghanistan and Pakistan together in a proper political dialogue. We need to get both sides talking about how to provide better protection along the long and difficult border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

As part of our presidency of the G8, we held talks with foreign ministers of both Pakistan and Afghanistan here in Germany and I hope we were successful in kick starting a dialogue between them... so that questions such as this can be dealt with through mutual, co-operative political responsibility.

Afghanistan and other conflict zones were on the agenda during the G8 Presidency and at the recent summit in Heiligendamm. But there doesn't seem to have been a breakthrough in mapping out a clearer future for Kosovo. Why not?

I have to admit that we are still some way away from a solution for the final status of Kosovo and from a consensus among the UN Security Council members. But I have a degree of hope when I look ahead to the talks between President Putin and President Bush in early July. I hope this matter will be discussed, and I hope the basis of this discussion will be the joint recognition that the final status issue for Kosovo cannot be postponed much longer. Otherwise, impatience over the issue will boil over and above all in Kosovo, the situation will become difficult to control.

It's been an exciting and challenging few weeks and months, with the G8 Presidency and EU Presidency. How satisfied are you with what Germany was able to achieve in this dual role?

My impression is that our European partners recognize that this was a very successful presidency overall. We tackled some very important issues and I hope we brought them to a successful conclusion. In my view, these include decisions on climate protection and energy policy that I think were not just courageous, but also ground-breaking. Without those decisions, I don't believe the discussions at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm would have been possible.

And I am also very satisfied with what we achieved in the last few days of our presidency of the European Union. The foundation that was agreed on is no longer called a "constitution" but I think we managed to achieve what we always said was our aim: namely, to preserve the substance of the draft constitution. I think that the form of the treaty that was agreed will be the basis for the future co-operation of the member states.

Poland made things very difficult for the EU Presidency. Warsaw struck a strong anti-German note during the summit. How much has that damaged relations with Poland?

Of course, the memory of these unpleasant rows, covered by the media, lingers. But despite everything I will not lose sight of the fact that the support of the Polish people for Europe was considerable and has grown even further since the agreement reached last weekend. And that tells me that the people of Poland want a good, neighborly relationship with Germany and that they also want to feel a part of Europe for the future.

After these rows, it's very important to remember that this is our joint future. For both Germany and Poland, the future lies in Europe. I intend to work on that, and I am confident that we have partners willing to cooperate to this end in Poland.

Christian F. Trippe interviewed Frank-Walter Steinmeier (sp)

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Senators press NATO on Afghanistan
Sat Jun 30, 1:40 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A fifth of the members of the US Senate has warned the situation in Afghanistan was quickly getting worse and called on Washington's NATO allies to share more of the security burden.

The senators complained that "caveats" restricting how certain members of the alliance's troops could be used in the restive nation were unfair to countries that did put their soldiers in high-risk situations.

"The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating rapidly," said Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd, who laid out his concerns in a letter to NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer.

"The United States alone cannot combat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and the violence that is regaining a foothold, particularly in southern Afghanistan."

"The imposition of caveats by some nations places an unfair burden on the troops of other nations and hinders operational efficiency," said Dodd on Friday.

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, who also signed the letter, along with 21 other senators, warned that without action, NATO ran a "serious risk" of failing in Afghanistan.

"We must ensure that the Taliban are uprooted, and that an effective Afghan force can take responsibility for the security of Afghanistan."

"But, the United States alone cannot effectively accomplish these goals; we need the robust support of our NATO allies," Hagel said.

NATO has appeared increasingly embattled in Afghanistan in recent days, after Afghan President Hamid Karzai, accused the alliance-led ISAF force and separate US-led coalition of killing about 90 civilians this month, most in air operations.

A total of 93 foreign soldiers have died in Afghanistan so far this year, most to hostile action.
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Netherlands ponders extending Afghanistan mission
People's Daily Online
Dutch Defense Minister Eimert van Middelkoop said Friday that he will investigate the possibility of extending the Dutch mission in Afghanistan beyond 2008, Radio Netherlands reported.

The Netherlands is under great pressure from the United States and some NATO allies to extend the mandate of some 1,400 troops in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan. The troops' two-year mandate expires in August next year.

A recent opinion poll showed that a majority of the Dutch public opposes an extension of the mission. The troops were deployed as part of the expansion of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) into the more volatile south of Afghanistan.

Van Middelkoop said Friday that even if the Dutch troops stay on, the mission would have to be reduced as resources, in terms of both money and equipment, are stretched beyond their limit.

Certain Dutch duties would have to be undertaken on by other countries, he said. The cabinet is shortly due to open negotiations with NATO on the future of the mission.

Van Middelkoop said the government's decision to consider extending the mandate was important and that all parties would appreciate the importance of extending the mission.
Source: Xinhua
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'48% Afghan heroin routed through India'
30 Jun, 2007 Times of India, India
NEW DELHI: India is fast emerging as an alternative to the traditionally popular route of Iran and the Balkan countries for the smuggling of heroin originating from Afghanistan, which supplies 92% of the world consumption.

The World Drug Report 2007, released by the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), estimates that 48% of the total heroin manufactured in Afghanistan is smuggled via Pakistan using India as the main transit route.

The emergence of the new trafficking route is the result of huge seizures made along the conventional routes along Iran, Turkey and Balkan countries. International drug syndicates, mostly involving African operators, have been recently using India as a major transit country for all Europe bound drug consignments.

This leaves a sizeable population along the trafficking routes vulnerable to drug addiction, says the UN report which has warned drug enforcement agencies here to carefully monitor the trend over the coming years as the country has high levels of poverty and HIV infected populations, the most vulnerable sections to the scourge.

In 2006, the total opium production in Afghanistan rose to 6,100 tonnes from 4,100 in 2005. A significant jump that also was reflected in huge seizures made in India in the last year by different anti-narcotics agencies.

The drug report said that while opium poppy cultivation is increasing in Afghanistan, the same has come down significantly in the Golden Triangle region of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand by 85%.

“At least in the short-term, conditions in the world’s heroin markets will be determined by what happens in Afghanistan, as the country was responsible for 92% of global opium production in 2006,” the UN report said.

While 48% of Afghan heroin is estimated to have left via Pakistan and India, about 31% left through Iran, less than 21% through central Asia.

Just a few years ago, a majority of it was trafficked through Iran and central Asia.
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U.S. Account of Afghan Deaths at Odds With Head of Rights Group
By BARRY BEARAK and ABDUL WAHEED WAFA The New York Times June 30, 2007
KABUL, Afghanistan, June 29 — Four civilians were killed early Friday by American and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan, according to the leader of a small human rights group who gave an account of the deaths entirely at odds with that of the United States-led coalition.

“The soldiers claimed they were looking for three Taliban suspects, and they blew out the door of the house that belongs to Haji Muhammada Jan, who was about 80 years old, killing him and two of his sons and a grandson,” said Lal Gul, chairman of the Afghanistan Human Rights Organization and a resident of the area in Nangarhar Province where the killings took place. “There were no Taliban here.”

The American-led coalition offered a markedly different version, saying its forces had been fired upon after “credible intelligence” led them to three separate compounds suspected of harboring Taliban fighters. It said that three militants were killed in the ensuing combat. A search of the compounds yielded rocket-propelled grenade launchers and grenades, Maj. Christopher Belcher said. Sixteen militants were taken prisoner, the coalition said.

Such competing versions of reality have become an almost daily part of the war in Afghanistan, where the nation’s president and many of its people vehemently complain that American and NATO military forces are causing needless civilian casualties.

On Friday, the NATO secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, addressed the matter in remarks made in Macedonia, promising, “We will do our utmost to reduce the loss of civilian life.” He continued, “Let me make one point unmistakably: NATO has never and will never intentionally kill innocent civilians.”

But the issue is not one of intent. Last week, President Hamid Karzai rebuked the United States military and NATO for “careless operations.” He spoke after a week in which more than 100 civilian deaths were reported from airstrikes and artillery fire against the Taliban. Among his specific criticisms were what he called “the disproportionate use of force to a situation and the lack of coordination with the Afghan government.”

If Mr. Gul, the human rights advocate, is correct, the events in Nangarhar on Friday may have been a result of another in a series of tragic mistakes. “The people who were taken away are not members of the Taliban,” he said in a telephone interview. “They are mostly farmers. The version being given by the coalition is baseless and a lie.”

Two weeks ago, seven Afghan policemen were killed by Americans in the same region when the two forces mistook each other for insurgents.

Also on Friday, Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, visited Afghanistan for the first time in his present job, meeting with Mr. Karzai and the commander of NATO forces here, The Associated Press reported.

A spokesman for the United Nations, Adrian Edwards, said the visit was aimed at “ensuring solid coordination between the U.N. and Afghan government in their joint efforts here,” The A.P. reported.
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Finnish court convicts 2 former peacekeepers of taking bribes in Afghanistan
The Associated Press Friday, June 29, 2007
HELSINKI, Finland: A Finnish court convicted two former peacekeepers Friday of taking bribes while supervising bidding for construction projects in Afghanistan.

The Helsinki District Court sentenced 1st Lt. Jarmo Olavi Juntunen, 44, to 15 months in prison, while Cpl. Abdul Khaliq Osman, 52, was given a 18-month term. Both are Finnish citizens.

The court said they accepted US$39,000 (€29,100) in bribes from local Afghan contractors bidding for reconstruction projects supervised by Finnish peacekeepers in Kabul in 2004-2006.

The projects included construction of schools, wells and water pipes that were financed by Finland and the European Union.

Juntunen was responsible for arranging the bidding contests for local contractors while Osman, who is originally from Afghanistan, served as an interpreter, court documents said.

Osman also took bribes of US$24,000 (€18,000) in the bidding for five separate reconstruction projects, the court said.

The defendants pleaded guilty to the bribery charges, but disputed the amounts. It was not immediately clear whether they would appeal.

Finland, a neutral Nordic country, has some 100 peacekeepers serving in Kabul and northern Afghanistan. They are part of the NATO-led security force.
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Stage-Managing Disaster
IWPR 06/29/2007 
No amount of public relations work can convince people in Helmand that the situation is improving
The pattern is now all too familiar - a carefully orchestrated "shura" or council at which village elders, government officials and foreign forces tout their successes against the insurgency and promise rapid development. Within days, there is another Taleban attack, another village is destroyed, and dozens of civilians are killed.

This time the setting was Greshk, approximately 50 kilometres from the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, and one of the cornerstones of Operation Lastay Kulang ("Axe Handle"), launched in early June to clear the Taleban out of the upper Sangin valley.

On June 18, the Provincial Reconstruction Team, PRT, and NATO forces invited international and domestic journalists to observe a shura in the district centre. Greshk is under the control of the Afghan government, which means that while no one is saying the Taleban have disappeared completely, the Afghan flag is flying and the national army is holding its ground.

Hajji Pir Mohammad, the deputy governor of Helmand province, made a plea for cooperation from the local community when he addressed the assembled elders.

"After this, we will put a stop to the fighting in our homes, our villages and our country," he said. "We cannot rebuild the country through bloodshed. We can only do it by working together."

Attaullah, the area commander of the Afghan National Army, ANA, in Greshk, told the crowd that his troops could claim numerous successes.

"The security situation in Greshk is now good," he said. "We have disarmed many people, including thieves, terrorists, and other criminals. And we have delivered them into the hands of the law.

"ANA soldiers are sons of the soil, and they are working 24 hours a day, come rain or shine, in the service of Afghans and Afghanistan."

Fergus Cochrane-Dyet, acting head of the Helmand PRT, appealed for cooperation.

"We have promised the government of Afghanistan that we will bring security to Helmand," he said, speaking through a translator. "And we have planned reconstruction work, for example hospitals, schools, roads, But we need people's help."

A cornerstone was laid for a new school, there were smiles and congratulations all around.

But Greshk's mayor, Sayed Daur Alishah, was more cautious in his optimism.

"Things are better than before," he said. "[NATO] began the operation in Greshk and have cleared out the Taleban, to an extent.

"The centre of Greshk is fairly secure. But outside it, there is no security. The enemy is there - they attack the convoys and then run away. Then the bombing begins."

Alishah's assessment was spot on. Three days later, on June 21, the village of Barakzo in the Adamkhan area of Greshk district, was bombed by foreign forces.

According to eyewitnesses and the district authorities, 25 people were killed, including three babies and several women. An elderly mullah was also among the victims.

"ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] bombed the Adamkhan area and killed 25 civilians," said Mohammad Hussein Andiwal, the newly-arrived police chief of Helmand province. "Three children between three and six months old were killed, along with nine women. So was Mullah Abdul Hakim Akhund, the village's religious leader."

Eyewitnesses supplied more details.

"The bombing began at 1:30 in the morning," said Daad Mohammad, a resident of the area. "Two houses were totally destroyed."

Before the aerial bombing began, there was a firefight between the Taleban and foreign ground troops, he added.

"Hajji Nasrullah's house was totally destroyed," said Mohammad Nabi, another local resident. "All his family were killed along with him. And the village mullah was killed and his house was destroyed as well."
When the smoke cleared, the villagers put the dead bodies in a tractor bed, and set off for the district centre to show the victims to the governor.

"We had to pass a checkpoint," said Nabi. "Security men asked us what we were doing, and when we explained they made us go back. They said we would bring disgrace on the government of Afghanistan if we took the bodies to the district centre."

Lieutenant-Colonel Charlie Mayo, spokesperson for ISAF in Helmand, confirmed there had been bombing but insisted that the houses that were hit were used by the Taleban.

"Fighting began when ISAF forces were informed that there were 30 Taleban in the Adamkhan area," he told IWPR. "ISAF forces moved to that area and requested air support."

Lt-Col Mayo was unable to confirm or deny any civilian casualties. Nor did he have any information about casualties among the Taleban or the British troops involved in the clash.

A local Taleban commander who did not want to be named said in a phone interview that the Taleban had caused serious damage to the foreign troops.

"The Taleban attacked when a foreign convoy was passing," he told IWPR. "During the fighting, two tanks were burned out and 12 soldiers inside them were killed."

According to the Taleban commander, only two of those killed in the bombing were Taleban. The rest, he said, were civilian.

Taleban spokesman Qari Yusuf confirmed that two Taleban had been killed, and claimed that the toll among foreign forces was 15.

The issue of civilian casualties is becoming more and more explosive in Afghanistan.

On June 24, Afghan president Hamed Karzai expressed deep anger at the growing civilian death toll, implying that the foreign forces were not exercising sufficient caution.

"Afghan life is not cheap," he told a news conference in Kabul. "It should not be treated as such."

Karzai said that he would require foreign forces to obtain authorisation from the Afghan government in the future.

But just two days later, the Pentagon replied, saying its tactics in Afghanistan were perfectly suited to the situation.

"We think the procedures we have in place are good," Brigadier-General Joseph Votel told a gathering of reporters in Washington. "They work, they help us minimise the effects on civilians."

That might be a difficult message for Afghans to swallow. Over the past two weeks, at least 90 civilians have been killed, according to official figures. The real toll could be significantly higher.

In Helmand, where the majority of fatalities are taking place, people are angry and desperate.

"I spend my days and nights in fear," said Mohammad Nadir, a resident of Greshk. "I don't work for the government - I own a shop; I repair televisions.

"But there is no security. Those who are supposed to provide us with security pay no attention to us. They do not apply military regulations to their own conduct. They make promises and do not keep them. There are not enough police, and we cannot turn to the government because they are one of the major reasons behind the lack of security."

Abdul Shakur, a teacher at Greshk High School, was equally pessimistic.

"Outside the district centre, there is no security," he told IWPR. "There are just Taleban who go back and forth in their cars and on motorbikes and attack NATO. Then the Taleban leave and the bombing starts. Women and children get killed."

Abdul Rahman, who works with the Lashkar Gah PRT, defended the behaviour of the military, although he admitted aerial bombing was causing casualties.

"ISAF is good on security," he told IWPR. "And they treat people well. But there have been bombings in Greshk and a lot of civilians were killed, and not many Taleban.

"Security is very good right now," he continued. "But we can't tell by looking at people who they really are. It is possible that the Taleban are among us."

One man who owns a watch repair shop in Greshk seemed on the verge of despair as he spoke to an IWPR reporter.

"ISAF cannot do anything about security," he said. "They have bombed houses and killed people. I have asked God for many things, and I have always been granted what I asked for. But this time. all I want is unity for the Afghan nation, freedom and liberty, peace and stability. And this is the one thing I have not been granted."
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Give us schools, not supplies, urges Afghan headmistress
PakTribune.Com Saturday June 30, 2007
QUETTA: -Jamila Abbasi runs "mini-Afghanistan" in the heart of Quetta, nurturing a generation of refugees - especially girls - from all over Afghanistan. "I will teach Afghan children till the last breath of my life," said the 35-year-old, a mother of three and headmistress of three schools for more than 1,500 Afghan children in the southern Pakistan town of Quetta. "Even if I'm elected the president of Afghanistan, I will spend my free time in the classroom, teaching my students."

Her dedication is sorely needed. According to a recent report on the registration of Afghans in Pakistan, more than 70 percent of the 2.1 million registered Afghans in this country have had no education. Women and girls constitute less than a quarter of Afghans with primary education, and by the time they reach the levels of higher education they are five times less likely than their male counterparts to have the opportunity to study.

Jamila could easily have suffered the same fate. Her parents arranged her marriage in Kabul when she was just 14 years old. She became a mother at 16, but luckily her in-laws encouraged her to continue her studies and she went on to obtain a diploma in education from Dar-ul-Mualimin, a religious teaching institute in the Afghan capital.

In 1992, when the mujahideen took over Kabul, she and her family fled to Iran, where they stayed for about a year before leaving for Pakistan by train. "Unfortunately, the only person we knew [in Quetta] at that time had already gone back to Afghanistan. We spent the night at the station," said Jamila, her eyes reliving the agony of displacement. "In the morning, an Afghan man who had been observing us came and offered help, and we had to trust him."

The good samaritan helped them find a two-room rented house. Her husband found a clerical job in Quetta, and her children started attending school. "But I was not satisfied, I felt there was a vacuum in my life. My heart would weep to see small Afghan kids running on the streets, barefoot, collecting garbage," she said.

In 1999, she decided to set up a primary school with three Afghan women. Within a year, the enrolment of boys and girls increased from 25 to 400. Jamila paid the rent while the students paid token monthly fees of 30-50 rupees (50-80 US cents) for books. Fifty deserving students were exempted from school fees.

"The number of girls in that school was lower than boys, and that was pinching me the most," said Jamila. "I thought: Change will never come in the lives of Afghan people unless our females are given equal chances of getting educated. A woman is the bearer of a whole generation, how can we expect to have an educated generation without giving equal opportunities of education to girls?"

That was when she decided to establish a free middle school specifically for girls. In 2001, a visiting British journalist was so impressed by Jamila's vision that she promised to send funds to support female education. The journalist is now supporting 200 girls and six teachers in the school.

Today, Jamila runs three schools, including a high school established in 2002 with the support of Muslim Hands, an international non-governmental organization. All her schools are registered with the Afghan Ministry of Education. They teach the Afghan curriculum, so that when the students repatriate they will not face adjustment problems.

Jamila is also an active member of the Afghan Teacher's Association, which sets academic guidelines for all Afghan schools in the urban refugee settlements of Pakistan. To date, 45 Afghan schools with 25,000 students in Quetta have been registered with the association.

The UN refugee agency is supporting primary education only in Pakistan's camps. As funding decreases over the years, UNHCR has been encouraging long-staying Afghans to be more self-sufficient. Jamila's effort is a big step in this direction, but there is still a long way to go to make girls' education less of a taboo in Afghan society.

She hopes that education can bring a brighter future for Afghan children. "We no longer need rations or oil or even a few hundred dollars, because all these things will finish one day. What will we do the next day?," she asked. "If someone really wants to help us, please educate our people. Spend your money on education, buy us books, provide us with schools, and we'll never be a burden again."
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Education under fire
Source: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 29 Jun 2007
NEW YORK / GENEVA, 29 JUNE 2007 – UNICEF today condemned continuing attacks on schoolchildren and educational facilities in conflict zones around the world. "Attacks on schoolchildren are unacceptable,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “Schools must be safe environments for children to learn and thrive.”

In recent weeks: two schoolgirls were killed, and another three students and a teacher were injured outside a girls' school in Afghanistan on 12 June; and one student traveling to national college entrance exams was killed, and in a separate incident another was injured, in crossfire in Gaza on 14 June.

In parts of Iraq parents remain justly concerned about the risks involved in sending their children to school, and insecurity has closed schools in the Central African Republic, in Nepal and in Sri Lanka.

However this month has also provided evidence that where an education system continues to function, students will face real risks to take advantage of the opportunities that education provides. In the occupied Palestinian territory in June, some 60,000 students in both Gaza and the West Bank made it through 10 days of entrance exams, despite the current crisis.

"Children have the right to a safe learning environment at all times, even under the most difficult of circumstances," Veneman stated.

About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

For further information, please contact:

Patrick McCormick, UNICEF Media New York, 917 582 7546, pmccormick@unicef.org

Rafael Hermoso, UNICEF Media New York, 212 326 7516, rhermoso@unicef.org

Veronique Taveau, UNICEF Media Geneva, Tel: +41 22 909 5716 vtaveau@unicef.org
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Quiet courage beyond media glare
`Voices on the Rise' chronicles inspiring work of prominent Afghan women
The Star Jun 29, 2007 Sheila Dabu
Living Reporter
If all Canadians ever hear or see about Afghanistan are stories of suicide bombings and despair, journalists Jane McElhone and Khorshied Samad say it's time to look through a different lens.

At the June opening of "Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News" at Alliance Française de Toronto on Spadina Rd., co-curators McElhone and Samad unveiled 44 photographs of Afghan women journalists, politicians and human rights activists.

These are the women playing leading roles in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, but their efforts are hidden from the glare of the media spotlight, the co-curators say.

The photo exhibit, which features the work of Afghan, Canadian and international photojournalists, will be up until Thursday.

It moves to the Toronto Public Library's City Hall Branch on July 9, where it will hang until the end of August.

"Women who work in media, who have microphones, pens and cameras to make documentaries or take photographs, they are documenting women's lives," says Canadian journalist and international media development specialist McElhone. "But it's also women politicians and women who are fighting for human rights for women, to change the lives of women, who are using media to get those stories told as well."
McElhone, a former CBC journalist, was based in Kabul for two and a half years. She met Samad, then Kabul bureau chief for Fox News, while working with Afghan women journalists. Samad is now married to Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada.

"I think Canadians need to get a more balanced picture presented to them. I think the media have not been doing a good job on that," Samad says. "They're focused on the negative stories, the easy headlines."
The exhibit includes photographs of prominent Afghan radio journalist Zakia Zaki, who was murdered this month. Three years ago, Zaki started Peace Radio, thought to be the first independent radio station in the country. According to local reports, she was shot seven times while she and her six children were sleeping in their home.

In one of the photos, Zaki sits in a room at radio Sohl, holding a pencil, as her husband looks on. The photo beside it is of Zaki's funeral: Veiled women, some so overcome with grief they cover their mouths with their hands as they cry. The body of the journalist lies covered in a white cloth strewn with flowers.

Just a few metres away from Zaki's photos, McElhone describes the pictures she took of journalist-turned-politician Sharifa Zurmati Wardak. In the shot, Wardak is part of a scrum of reporters, holding out a microphone to interview one of the journalists of a newly launched radio station. Wardak won a seat in the parliamentary elections in 2005.

"Not only was she being revolutionary and using media to tell women's stories," McElhone says, "now she's serving as this tremendous role model."

It's women like Wardak who are "fighting to improve other people's lives ... and making sure those stories are being told in the media," she says.

For Samad, it's an all-consuming passion. She completed her master's thesis on Afghan women, media and democracy just two weeks before giving birth to her son.

One of the exhibit's goals, Samad adds, is for Canadians to see Afghan women beyond the burqa.

"Look at these women. They're so inspired, they're so courageous," Samad says, pointing out pictures of an Afghan journalist and mother of four whose husband is supportive of her career. "You could see these women walking the streets of Toronto, couldn't you?"
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Pakistan floods force UNHCR to suspend voluntary return
Islamabad, June 29, IRNA
The UN refugee agency said Friday it has temporarily suspended the voluntary repatriation of Afghans through Pakistan's North West Frontier Province after heavy rains and floods damaged several bridges between Peshawar and the Torkham border crossing into Afghanistan.

Afghans wishing to return through UNHCR Voluntary Repatriation Center (VRC) in Peshawar should not move until further notice, the UNHCR said in a statement.

The VRC will not process anyone for departure until the roads and bridges are repaired and fit for travel, it said.

Locals in the flood-hit Pakistani Kheyber tribal agency say that floods have washed away four bridges between the border point of Torkham and Peshawar, causing traffic suspension between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Officials have confirmed 22 deaths in Kheyber agency in floods-related incidents but locals have put death toll in two days at 38.

Hundreds of trucks, carrying goods for Afghanistan, are stranded along the main highway between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

People are using small cars and walk to reach their destinations.

Heavy rains, which started on Thursday at 12 noon in the area, have also disrupted phone, electricity and water supply lines, multiplying difficulties of the people.

Floods also displaced thousands of people and they have shifted to safer places. Many people have complained that they have not been provided any relief.

Governor of North West Frontier Province Ali Jan Orakzai visited the flood-hit areas in Kheyber agency.
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Afghanistan: Italians deliver medical equipment to Kabul hospital
Source: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
KABUL, Afghanistan (June 29) - Italian ISAF soldiers belonging to the 3rd Alpini Regiment, under the command of Col. Manione Giovanni, delivered 100,000 euros worth of hospital materials June 24 to a clinic in the Esteqlal district in the south of Kabul city.

The materials have been collected in Italy thanks to the president of the "Alpini" National Association. Materials included three operating room tables, three sterilization machines and one corpuscle counting machine.

Mr. Qazawei, the chief of the local shura accepted the supplies along with Dr. Ali, the director of the hospital.

Dr. Ali said in his remarks that he appreciated the donation because the materials will allow to the hospital to reach the highest level of efficiency in the Afghan hospital system.
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UN celebrates 800th birth anniversary of Maulana Balkhi
NEW YORK, June 28 (Pajhwok Afghan News): In a befitting tribute to renowned Persian poet Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi, the United Nations observed his 800th birth anniversary at its headquarters on Tuesday.

The daylong event co-hosted by Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey was attended by the Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon and General Assembly President Sheikh bin Khalifa.

Speaking on the occasion, both Ban Ki-Moon and Sheikh bin Khalifa emphasised the identical nature of the ideals espoused by Maulana Balkhi and UN principles.

The messages of the Maulana are mirrored in the UN Charter and the Declaration of Human Rights, and we must live up to his legacy, said Zahir Tanin, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan at the UN.

Attended by hundreds of Afghans, Iranians and Turks living in the Tri-State area, the event comprised an academic session that included a seminar on the teachings of the celebrated poet, followed by a cultural evening.

The panel discussion featured Dr. Wali Ahmadi, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at the University of California at Berkeley (Afghanistan), Mahmud Erol Kilic (Turkey), Talat Halman (Turkey) and Hossein Nasr (Iran).

The musical evening concluded with a performance from Ustad Mahwish, one of Afghanistans most distinguished vocalists.
Lalit K. Jha
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Taliban commander among six killed in Paktia: Official
GARDEZ, June 29 (Pajhwok Afghan News)-Six insurgents including an important regional Taliban commander were gunned down in a clash with Afghan and Coalition forces in the southeastern Paktia province, officials claimed on Friday.

The 90-minuted firefight erupted as a group of Taliban ambushed a joint Afghan-Coalition patrol in Kolalgi area of Zurmat district around noon, said a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Din Muhammad Darwesh told Pajhwok Afghan News a Zurmat-based Taliban commander named Muhammad Ali was among the militants killed in the encounter.

Two policemen were wounded and the coaster they were traveling in set alight during the fight, the gubernatorial spokesman added.

Speaking on behalf of Taliban, Zabeehullah Mujahid said the movement's fighters killed at least 10 policemen as their vehicle was torched. He scorned as groundless the claim that six rebels including the commander were shot dead.

Earlier in the day, provincial police chief Brig-Gen. Asmatullah Alizai said they had the dead bodies of two rebels killed in the clash. The rest of the fighters fled with their wounded colleagues, said the police head, who would not explain how many guerrillas were injured in the engagement.

The corpses would be handed over to local tribal elders, Alizai said, adding the fleeing combatants left behind a number of weapons at the scene of the clash. Afghan and Coalition personnel suffered no casualties in the Kolalgi encounter, he concluded.
sja/mud
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Attacks on students in conflict zones unacceptable: UN
VIENNA, June 29 -(Pajhwok Afghan News)-Continuing attacks on students and educational facilities in conflict zones including Afghanistan are unacceptable, says a UN agency.

Referring to recent incidents in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Friday denounced assaults on schoolchildren and educational facilities.

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman stressed: "Attacks on schoolchildren are unacceptable. Schools must be safe environments for children to learn and thrive."

In the central Logar province of Afghanistan, where militants have torched many educational institutes, two schoolgirls were shot dead on their way home from school last month.

Another three students and a teacher were injured as armed motorcyclists opened fire at them on July 12, a shooting that scared away many girls from school and drew strong condemnation.

A UNICEF press release issued here quoted Ms. Veneman as saying: "Children have the right to a safe learning environment at all times, even under the most difficult of circumstances."

The release also recalled that a student traveling to national college entrance exams in Gaza one was killed, and another was separately injured in crossfire.

"In parts of Iraq parents remain justly concerned about the risks involved in sending their children to school, and insecurity has closed schools in the Central African Republic, in Nepal and Sri Lanka," the agency said.
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Two border policemen dead, five wounded in Badghis blast
HERAT CITY, June 29 -(Pajhwok Afghan News)-Two border policemen were killed and five others wounded in a bomb explosion in the western Badghis province, an official said on Friday.

Col. Rehmatullah Sapi, commander of 6th Border Police Brigade in the western zone, informed Pajhwok Afghan News the policemen were on a patrol in Manghan area of Bala Murghab district.

With police investigating the explosion, a hunt for the perpetrators has been mounted in the district. But no one has so far been arrested in connection with the remote-controlled bomb attack.

Purported Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, asserting responsibility for the deadly assault, said that the movement's fighters were behind the explosion that took place at 8.00am.

In a telephone call to Pajhwok from an undisclosed location, Ahmadi claimed at least nine policemen perished in the blast that comprehensively damaged their vehicle.
aq/mud
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Flood claims three more lives in Kunar
ASADABAD, June 29 -(Pajhwok Afghan News)-Three people including children were killed in rain-induced floods in the eastern Kunar province, Governor Shalizai Deedar said on Friday.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News a woman a woman was killed in Narang district while two minors perished in Manogi district, where 40 families were marooned in the Pashad locality.

Although the governor promised effective measures to deal with the situation, residents warned the stranded families could run into in deep trouble if a rescue operation was not launched immediately.

At least 16 people have been killed, hundreds stranded , crops over thousands of acres of land washed away and several bridges damaged by the flooding that hit the province in the wake of torrential rains.

More than 80 deaths in flood-related incidents have been reported from different parts of the country. In Kandahar, officials the ongoing wet spell has taken a heavy toll on 50 per cent of crops and orchards. Grape, apricot, cherry and pomegranate orchards are the worst hit.
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Three militants killed, 16 detained in Nangarhar
KABUL/JALALABAD, June 29 -(Pajhwok Afghan News)-Afghan and Coalition forces killed three Taliban and detained 16 others in operations conducted Friday morning in the eastern Nangarhar province.

The US-led Coalition said the forces acted on credible intelligence that led to three separate compounds suspected of harbouring Taliban and foreign fighters in Sherzad district.

The militants had previously targeted Afghan and Coalition forces, the US military said in a statement. But provincial police authorities said the operations were carried out in Khogyani district.

According to the Coalition, Taliban fighters inside two of the compounds attempted to engage the forces as they approached. But the troops fired on the militants, killing three of them and quickly securing the compounds.

During a search of the compounds, the statement said, the forces found rocket-propelled grenade launchers and several grenades. The weapons were removed to a safe distance and destroyed.

No civilians were injured in the operations, the Coalition said, adding the detainees would be questioned as to their identities and involvement in militant activities.

Den Welthch, an official at the press office of the Joint Task Force-82, told Pajhwok Afghan News the militants' killings and arrests took place in Sherzad district during crackdowns Friday morning.

However, Nangarhar police spokesman Col. Abdul Ghafoor said the operations were conducted in Nakorkhel area of Khogyani district at 7.30am.

He put the number of rebel fatalities at four and those detained at 15. Col. Ghafoor claimed a cache of weapons and 420 kilograms of opium were also seized from the militants.
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Two Taliban killed in Paktia firefight, says police chief
GARDEZ, June 29 -(Pajhwok Afghan News)-Two insurgents were killed in a clash with Afghan and Coalition forces in the southeastern Paktia province, an official claimed on Friday.

The 90-minuted firefight erupted as a group of Taliban ambushed a joint Afghan-Coalition patrol in Zurmat district around noon, provincial police chief Brig-Gen. Asmatullah Alizai said.

Police had the dead bodies of the rebels, Alizai informed Pajhwok Afghan News. However, the rest of the fighters fled with their wounded colleagues, said the police head, who would not explain how many guerrillas were injured in the engagement.

The corpses would be handed over to local tribal elders, Alizai said, adding the fleeing combatants left behind a number of weapons at the scene of the clash. Afghan and Coalition personnel suffered no casualties in the Kolalgi encounter, he concluded.
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Operation Maiwand concludes on successful note: Wardag
GHAZNI CITY, June 28 -(Pajhwok Afghan News)-Operation Maiwand, the first clean-up campaign planned and led by Afghan forces in the central Ghazni province, concluded on Thursday.

The joint operation featuring Afghan and NATO forces ended on a successful note, officials claimed, saying 15 schools were opened and 38 local councils constituted during the 26-day crackdown.

Addressing a news conference in Band-i-Sarda, Defence Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardag announced an end to the operation. Also present on the occasion was Gen. Abdul Khaliq, commander of the 203rd Thunder Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA).

Afghan forces, by successfully planning and spearheading Operation Maiwand, proved their growing capability, Wardag argued, saying the NATO-led ISAF played a supportive role in the campaign.

Despite the conclusion of the operation, he explained, some ANA and police personnel would stay in certain parts of the province to continue action against miscreants.

The operation led to greater coordination between Afghan and foreign troops, according to the minister, who appeared excited about what he called good achievements of the swoop.

Reminded of the kidnapping of 17 mine-clearing experts and torching of five vehicles in Andar district during the operation, Wardag replied: "Security checkpoints would be set up soon on highways to prevent a recurrence of such incidents."

Nine militants were killed and 55 including two important Taliban commanders - Mullah Kakar and Mullah Idrees - were detained during the operation, Gen. Abdul Khaliq told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Also killed during the crackdown were three ANA soldiers, an ISAF troop and an Afghan policeman, he said. Four NATO service-members and 11 ANA personnel were injured.
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Burglars rob private firm of eight million afghanis
KABUL, June 28 -(Pajhwok Afghan News)-Gunmen in police uniform robbed a local construction company of eight million afghanis in broad daylight in this capital city Thursday noon, officials said on Thursday.

Project Manager of Tolo-i-Noor Company Noor Rahman told Pajhwok Afghan news: "I was bringing the money from De Afghanistan Bank. Armed men wearing police uniform intercepted my car."

The incident occurred at around 12:00 noon, with six bandits surrounding Rahman's vehicle, smashing its panes and snatching the money. The robbers warned of shooting the project manager if he resisted, the victim alleged.

"The incident occurred few a hundred meters from the Interior Ministry, which is responsible for maintaining security across the country," the company manager observed.

Police at security check-post, only at a distance of 20 metres from the scene of the robbery, did not react to the brazen instance of banditry, Rahman complained.

Col. Khalilullah, in charge of the Fourth Police District, visited the site and ordered an investigation into the robbery in the heart of the capital. But none had so far been arrested in this connection, he concluded.
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Public Health Ministry, AG bicker over employees' arrest
KABUL, June 28 -(Pajhwok Afghan News)-The arrest of two Public Health Ministry employees has sparked a row between two government organs here.

Abdullah Fahim, spokesman for the ministry, told Pajhwok Afghan News on Thursday the attorney-general had kept two ministry staffers in detention for five days without documentary proof of their involvement in any wrongdoing.

"The attorney-general's office (AGO) has kept the two detained despite bail bonds furnished by the ministry for their release," the spokesman claimed.

This act on the part of the top judicial officer has caused a rift between the ministry and the AGO, according to Fahim, who the blamed the AG for acting emotionally and against the law.

Ahmad Samir, secretary to the AG, said the bail application of the two ministry staffers had been referred to court. The employees, the secretary claimed, had misappropriated $70,000 from a project for the elimination of pye-dogs.
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Afghans not cooperating in fight against drugs: Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, June 27 (Pajhwok Afghan News): A Pakistani minister has accused Afghanistan of not cooperating in the struggle for eliminating the menace of illicit drug trafficking.

Minister for Narcotics Control Ghous Bux Khan Mahar asked the neighbouring country - accounting for more than 90 percent of total opium production in the world -to destroy heroin-processing laboratories on its soil.

In a brief chat with journalists after a drug-torching ceremony in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Tuesday, the minister said Pakistan remained committed to banishing the scourge of narcotics.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had taken up the issue with the Afghan leadership during a recent trip to Kabul, recalled Mahar, who believed whole-hearted cooperation from the government of President Hamid Karzai would boost efforts at checking drug smuggling.
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Situation in Afghanistan critical, says Iranian FM
TEHRAN, June 27 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Iran has said the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan is critical, with the Afghans in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki Wednesday suggested that the provision of humanitarian aid to the long-suffering Afghan people could be one of the ways of defusing the crisis in the war-hit country.

At a meeting with Olav Akselsen, chairman of Norwegian Parliaments Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mottaki ruled a military solution to the Afghan problem.

The visiting Norwegian parliamentarian called for increased interaction and cooperation between Muslim states and the West. Greater contact between the two sides would help resolve issues and strengthen international peace.

Mottaki told his interlocutor: "History shows the Iranian nation has always advocated dialogue and has had no record of arrogance and aggression against other countries."

According to IRNA, the Iranian nuclear tangle also came up for discussion during the talks. The foreign minister admitted the era of nuclear weapons had come to an end that Iran's nuclear activities were peaceful.
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