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May 4, 2007 


Religious leaders condemn US operations in Afghanistan
KABUL (AFP) - Religious leaders condemned US forces for taking the lives of "innocents" in Friday prayers in parts of  Afghanistan where dozens of civilians were allegedly killed in anti-militant operations this week.

"The Americans are like the Russians," a preacher said in the western city of Herat, referring to the Soviet occupiers who were driven out in 1989 after a brutal 10-year resistance, referred to as a jihad (holy war).

"The Russians used to kill women and children and Americans do the same. Jihad is (a) must against them," said the cleric, Ghulam Sakhi, at the city's Khirqa Sharif mosque.

Afghan and UN investigations have found that about 50 civilians were killed in US Special Forces, Afghan and US-led coalition operations, including bombing, in Herat province last Friday and Sunday.

The coalition, which initially said only 136 Taliban fighters were killed, has opened an investigation into the claims.

Another Herat mullah, Eshaq Akhlaqi at Sadiqia mosque, told his 1,000-strong congregation foreign forces must plan their operations with Afghan troops, warning of "dire consequences" if they did not.

President Hamid Karzai made a similar statement Wednesday, warning "the patience of the Afghan people is wearing thin with the continued killing of innocent civilians."

Mullah Ali Azghar Rohani told AFP in the city that the repeated "irresponsible" killing of civilians showed a lack of respect.

"Though the Americans try to show a good face, the killing of innocent people, women, children and other atrocities they commit show their real faces," he said.

In the eastern city of Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, provincial council deputy director Abul Aziz Khair Khowa told a congregation, "such repeated killings of innocent people by coalition forces show they do not care about Afghan lives."

There were three demonstrations near the city this week alleging coalition soldiers killed six civilians on Sunday.

The coalition says it killed four militants in a raid on a suspected suicide bombing cell and two civilians were killed in the crossfire.

There have been repeated allegations about military operations in Nangarhar.

"The government must not let this happen again or it will create a big distance between the government and people," Khowa said at the Turkhan Hada mosque.
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More civilians killed in U.S.-led raid: Afghan official
By Saeed Ali Achakzai Fri May 4, 3:59 AM ET
SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan (Reuters) - At least 13 civilians were killed in a bombing raid by U.S.-led forces battling the Taliban, an Afghan official said on Friday, bringing to 70 the number of such deaths reported this week.

The rising toll of civilian casualties will put further pressure on President Hamid Karzai, who warned this week of serious consequences for all if the bloodshed did not stop.

The civilians were killed in bombing on Tuesday night in the Maroof district of southern Kandahar province, near the border with Pakistan, said Janan Gulzai a provincial assembly member.

"I saw all the victims are civilians," Gulzai who was a member of a government team investigating the incident, told Reuters.

"We cannot accept the killing of Afghan civilians by anyone."

The civilians were traveling in three cars along the same stretch of road as coalition troops near the town of Spin Boldak when the troops came under Taliban fire, said Ghulam Farooq, a resident of the area.

The 13 civilians were killed when coalition warplanes were summoned to bomb the area while the Taliban escaped, he said.

A spokesman for the U.S. military said he had no information about the report and would check.

Protesters -- angry over civilian deaths reported in the western province of Herat and in the east of the country -- called this week on Karzai to quit, saying he was powerless to stop the killing.

Several hundred people staged another anti-U.S. and anti-Karzai protest on Friday over the civilian deaths in the east, residents said.

They briefly blocked a road where a convoy of the coalition forces was passing, but police dispersed the crowd and the protest ended peacefully.

The deaths in Herat, an area not known as a Taliban stronghold, prompted many Afghans to reject initial reports from U.S.-led coalition forces that the dead were 136 Taliban.

The Western military are inquiring into that incident, where Afghan officials say 51 civilians were killed.

While the protests over civilian casualties have been mainly small, government officials,  NATO and analysts all warn that a steady stream of such deaths will inevitably erode support for Karzai and the war against the Taliban, who were driven from power in 2001.

Popular anger over civilian deaths caused by Western troops' anti-militant operations has been directed at Karzai, who is already facing criticism over a lack of development, rampant corruption and this year's surge in violence.
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NATO looking into civilian death reports
By FISNIK ABRASHI, Associated Press Writer Fri May 4, 7:07 AM ET
KABUL, Afghanistan -  NATO is looking into reports that dozens of civilians died in clashes and airstrikes in western  Afghanistan, its top commander in the country said in a Friday statement, but insisted that only militants were targeted.

The U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan has said international and Afghan troops killed 136 suspected Taliban fighters in the Zerkoh Valley of Herat province last week, in some of the deadliest fighting so far this year.

However, an investigation by Afghan officials has found that 51 civilians died, prompting President Hamid Karzai to warn that Afghans can no longer accept such losses.

Gen. Dan McNeill, commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said that he was personally examining detailed battlefield reports.

"This much I can tell you about it: Only firing insurgents were targeted," McNeill told a group of journalists in Brussels via teleconference on Thursday, according to an official transcript of his comments."If there have been civilian casualties that's regrettable."

He said, however, that nothing has been proven.

"But there is a lot of allegations and not a whole lot of substantiations. We are going into this and are looking at this thoroughly, and we will take whatever necessary actions there are" to avoid harming civilians, he said.

Civilian deaths have deepened Afghans' distrust of international forces and of the U.S.-backed government as they try to combat a resurgent Taliban — itself accused by human rights groups of indiscriminate attacks that often kill noncombatants.

According to an Associated Press tally, based on reports from Afghan and Western officials, 151 civilians have been killed by violence in the first four months of this year, including at least 51 blamed on NATO and the U.S.-led coalition.

The figures do not include the alleged civilian fatalities in Herat, which earlier this week sparked angry anti-U.S. protests by residents.

Afghan officials who visited the area concluded that 51 civilians had died, including women and children.

Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the  United Nations mission in Afghanistan, said Friday that a separate investigation by its officials found that up to 49 civilians were killed and over 900 families displaced because of the clash.

The Afghan and U.N. officials did not provide details of how they reached their conclusions.

Giving details of the battle, McNeill said scores of insurgents had twice ambushed smaller units of U.S.-led troops trying to reach the site of a weapons cache revealed by two alleged bombmakers captured days before.

One U.S. soldier was killed.

The second battle, which the coalition has said took place last weekend, lasted 14 hours.

NATO forces came to the aid of the coalition in an "extreme situation," McNeill said, without elaborating on the alliance's role.

The last large-scale civilian deaths were in October, when between 30 and 80 civilians were reported killed during NATO airstrikes in Panjwayi, a volatile district in southern Afghanistan. NATO said a preliminary inquiry found 12 civilian had died.

A recent Human Rights Watch report said NATO and U.S. military operations killed at least 230 civilians in 2006 and that most of the year's 900 civilian combat fatalities were from insurgent attacks.
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US blames Taliban for Afghan civilian deaths
Thu May 3, 1:04 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House said Thursday that it shared Afghan President Hamid Karzai's concerns over Afghan civilian deaths in US-led operations but blamed the Taliban militia for putting them "in harm's way."

"The issue of civilian casualties is always one of significant concern," spokesman Tony Snow told reporters amid protests in  Afghanistan over a weekend strike said to have killed about 50 civilians.

Asked about Karzai's warning that Afghans' patience for such incidents "is wearing thin," Snow said "we're continuing to address those concerns and we understand and appreciate them, and we're working with our allies and with the Afghan government on it."

"It's one of the hallmarks of US military doctrine that we take every precaution, not only through doctrine, but also through technology, to try to spare the lives of innocent civilians," he said.

"Unfortunately, the Taliban has had the -- has not only been attacking civilians, but also deliberately placing them in harm's way," said the spokesman.

Karzai called top military and diplomatic officials to his palace on Wednesday to warn "the patience of the Afghan people is wearing thin with the continued killing of innocent civilians."

"Civilian deaths and arbitrary decisions to search people's houses have reached an unacceptable level and Afghans cannot put up with it any longer," he said in a statement released after the meeting.
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Pakistan, Afghanistan plan for tribal gathering
Friday May 4, 06:00 PM
KABUL (Reuters) - Pakistan and Afghanistan, intent on ending a blame game over the Taliban insurgency, have drafted plans for their presidents to jointly address a gathering of tribal elders, intellectuals, writers and politicians.

Visiting Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said Islamabad had nominated around 350 prominent figures to attend the first ever jirga, or tribal council, to be held with representatives from both sides of the disputed border.

"This is a novel experience because we have not had such a joint jirga before, ever," Sherpao told reporters ahead of a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday.

"Hopefully we will be able to have a major impact as far as the situation in both countries are concerned."

No date or agenda has yet been finalised for a gathering that would have to take place under blanket security, as both Musharraf and Karzai are assassination targets for al Qaeda-linked militants.

An Afghan spokesman said his government would propose its representatives after receiving the Pakistani list.

The Taliban have drawn most of their support from the Pashtun tribal lands straddling the rugged border, and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has voiced fears that the insurgency could turn into a "people's war" unless grievances were addressed.

Relations between Musharraf and Karzai have deteriorated over the past two years, as they traded barbs over who was most at fault for a resurgence of the Taliban that has resulted in the worst violence since U.S.-led forces ousted the Islamist militia from power in late 2001.

President George W. Bush encouraged his two key allies in the war on terrorism to bury their differences during a meeting in Washington at which the idea of a joint jirga was first floated.

Ties had remained strained however, and last month Musharraf said Pakistan should quit the coalition if he and his security agencies were not trusted by their allies.

During a meeting in Turkey this week, however, the Afghan and Pakistani presidents agreed to start a new chapter, and Sherpao's visit aimed to carry forward the process.

"The focus is on peace in Afghanistan because it is Pakistan that benefits from peace in Afghanistan," said Sherpao, who narrowly survived a suicide bomb attack that killed 28 people in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province last Saturday.
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Afghan, Pakistan 'peace jirga' due August 1
KABUL (AFP) - About 700 tribal elders, politicians and other influential people from  Afghanistan and Pakistan will meet August 1 for a traditional "jirga" on the Taliban insurgency, the Afghan president said Friday.

An Afghan delegation would travel to Pakistan later this month for more talks on the joint "peace jirga," Hamid Karzai said in a statement after meeting Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao.

"The people of Afghanistan want peace and stability in the area," the president said, stressing the need for cooperation because "terrorism is affecting all of us."

Sherpao said Thursday, after a round of talks about the long-planned gathering, that the two sides were working on the agenda for the meeting, the first of its kind between the neighbours.

The jirga, a tradition in Afghanistan, is intended to involve local people more closely in efforts to end the Taliban insurgency, which has grown steadily since the extremist movement was driven from government in late 2001.

Karzai and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf agreed to the meeting during talks with US  President George W. Bush in September.

Relations between Karzai and Musharraf have cooled as the insurgency has dragged on, with each accusing the other of not doing enough to curb extremist violence growing on both sides of the border.
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French hostage deadline approaches but still no contact: Taliban
KABUL (AFP) - The Taliban said Friday it had not been contacted about its demands for the release of a Frenchman and three Afghans it has held for a month, reiterating its position on foreign hostages was "clear."

The deadline for its demands -- the withdrawal of French troops or release of Taliban prisoners -- is due to expire on Saturday. No precise time has been given.

"The deadline is drawing closer every moment," Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP.

"The French government and the Afghan government not only has not accepted our demands, but they even have not tried to contact us. The situation is unclear and blurry."

Spokesmen for the extremists said Thursday their council of leaders would decide what to do should the demands not be met.

Asked Friday if this could include killing them, Ahmadi said: "The policy of the Taliban movement regarding the foreign hostages is clear: if our demands are not met, we will act based on our policy that we have implemented with foreigners so far."

Taliban militants have beheaded several Afghan hostages whom they have accused of spying; they have also executed several Turks and Indians.

The only killing of a Westerner they have claimed responsibility for was that of a British engineer in 2005.

The movement threatened last month to kill an Italian hostage, who was eventually released in exchange for five Taliban prisoners. His Afghan driver and interpreter were beheaded.

Ahmadi said the organisation the group worked for, Terre d'Enfance (A World For Our Children), had asked for the release of Frenchman Eric Damfreville "under no conditions," as a French woman captured with them was freed April 28.

Celine Cordelier, abducted with the men in the southwestern province of Nimroz, was freed with a letter restating the Taliban demand that France withdraw its 1,000 troops serving with a  NATO-led force.

"We told them (Terre d'Enfance) that they must make that request from the Afghan or French government. We released the French woman on grounds of mercy and good intentions," Ahmadi said Friday.

The group said last Saturday it had extended by a week its ultimatum for the men because France was busy with the May 6 presidential election.

President Hamid Karzai said days later his government was doing what it could to free the four men. "We are in close coordination with France, we are doing everything in that regard," Karzai told reporters.

His administration has been widely criticised for handing over last month five Taliban prisoners in exchange for the Italian journalist, who was held for two weeks.

Critics said the move increased the risk of kidnappings by militants and others groups wanting prisoners freed, or by criminal groups who could "sell" their captives on or demand ransom.

Less than a week after the Italian was freed, a medical team that included Afghan doctors and nurses was captured in southern  Afghanistan. The Taliban has said it has demanded certain prisoners in exchange for the five.
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French aid agency urges Taliban to free workers
KABUL, May 4 (Reuters) - A French aid agency appealed on Friday for Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan to show mercy and release four kidnapped staff, as a deadline set by the kidnappers neared.

The Taliban last month abducted two French aid workers and three Afghans working for Terre d'Enfance, an agency helping children in southwestern Afghanistan.

One of the French workers, a woman named Celine, was released last month in what the Taliban said was a humanitarian gesture.

The militants have demanded the withdrawal of French forces from Afghanistan and the release of jailed Taliban by the Afghan government, and set a deadline of Saturday for a deal.

"We beg you to let Eric, Hashim, Rasul and Azrat live and to give them back their liberty," the aid agency said in an e-mail received in Kabul. The family names of the hostages have not been released.

"The message that you gave to Celine has been passed on to all French leaders and French people. It will be understood all the better if you decide to be merciful."

A Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, told Reuters by satellite phone on Friday that neither the Afghan not the French governments had contacted them to negotiate the release of the four remaining hostages.

"If our demands are not met then our shura (council) will decide their fate according to Taliban's policy," he said.

President Hamid Karzai said this week efforts were under way to secure the release of the French man, after calls from French President Jacques Chirac for him to intervene.

The five were kidnapped in the southeastern province of Nimroz, sandwiched between Iran and Afghanistan's opium centre of Helmand.

Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, who was kidnapped last month, was freed after two weeks when Kabul released five senior Taliban prisoners.

But his Afghan driver was beheaded in front of him before his release and his translator was later beheaded when the Afghan government refused to free more Taliban.

The Mastrogiacomo deal drew criticism in Afghanistan and Italy for encouraging the Taliban to take more hostages.

The Taliban are also holding five Afghan health workers and have threatened to kill one soon unless the government starts peace talks.
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Canada and Afghanistan work out deal on detainees
By Randall Palmer Fri May 4, 3:26 AM ET
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada signed an agreement with  Afghanistan on Thursday allowing it unfettered access to any prisoners handed over by Canadian troops, a move that responds to allegations that Afghan authorities were abusing detainees.

The detainee issue has dominated Parliament for the last two weeks as opposition politicians accused the minority Conservative government of ignoring evidence of possible torture by the Afghan police.

Critics say Canadian soldiers could be guilty of war crimes because they transferred the detainees at a time when Ottawa was aware that Afghan authorities regularly tortured prisoners. International conventions prohibit a country from handing over prisoners if there is reason to suspect possible abuse.

Federal Court Judge Michael Kelen announced details of the agreement with Afghanistan on Thursday during a case brought by a human rights groups demanding the transfers be halted immediately.

Kelen told the court this was a major development that took the urgency out of deciding whether to block future transfers.

"It probably wouldn't have happened if this court hadn't been happening," he said of the agreement.

The deal provides for "full and unrestricted access" by Canadian officials to anyone transferred to Afghan authorities as long as they remain in custody. The Canadians can also interview prisoners in private.

The Globe and Mail newspaper said last week it had spoken to 30 detainees who alleged they had been tortured. The government initially dismissed the report as a rumor but later, as criticism mounted, said it would press Kabul for answers.

Kelen said that, aside from the Globe article, human rights groups had not provided any evidence that those transferred by Canada actually had been tortured, but relied on evidence that inhumane treatment is common in Afghanistan.

Amnesty International, one of the groups that had asked for an end to detainee transfers, said the deal was a step forward but nothing short of establishing a Canadian or  NATO prison, operated in conjunction with Afghanistan, would suffice.

"You don't prevent torture in a country where it is rampant and systematic, as it is in Afghanistan, by sending in monitors on an occasional basis. It simply doesn't work," Amnesty's Alex Neve told reporters.

A Canadian officer with experience in the country, Col. Steven Noonan, told Amnesty's lawyer in cross-examination on Wednesday that he was concerned about things going sour if the Canadian military had to run a prison.

"Without the proper training, without experience in it, the execution of that may go wrong, as has been evidenced in my understanding of -- for example, the  Abu Ghraib situation," according to a transcript of his remarks.

He was referring to abuse by some U.S. troops of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.

Stephane Dion, leader of the main opposition Liberal Party, said he was not sure a Canadian prison was needed in Afghanistan. But he criticized a clause in the accord that allows the Afghans to investigate themselves in the event of an allegation of mistreatment, and report back to the Canadians and to the Red Cross.

"You need to make sure that at every step, NATO will work with the government of Afghanistan," Dion said.

The Afghan detainee affair has been a major embarrassment for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative government, as ministers have contradicted each other and senior defense and foreign ministry officials sniped at each other as to who was to blame.

One poll released on Tuesday showed the Conservatives had slipped into second place behind the Liberals.

Canada has 2,500 soldiers in the Kandahar region as part of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.

(Additional reporting by David Ljunggren)
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Rights groups balk over Ottawa's Afghan prisoner deal
by Michel Comte Fri May 4, 12:10 AM ET
OTTAWA (AFP) - Rights groups were blindsided in court by a deal that would allow Ottawa to monitor Taliban prisoners transferred into Afghan custody, amid allegations that some of the inmates have been tortured.

For months, the rights groups and opposition parties have sparred with the government over the treatment of Afghan prisoners, once handed over to Afghan authorities.

But the government has repeatedly denied allegations of torture by Kabul, and insisted safeguards were put in place to prevent such.

The squabble ended up in court Thursday with rights group seeking an injunction to halt the transfers.

"It seems peculiar that something as significant as this (deal) would emerge at the last minute, in an affidavit," Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, told AFP.

"We were surprised and disconcerted that it came out in this way."

The government said in an affidavit Ottawa would now have greater access to insurgents in Afghan jails, under the terms of the pact signed the same day, and asked the court to adjourn proceedings.

But Amnesty International Canada and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association balked at stopping their legal action.

Neve said he would review the terms of the deal, but insisted his bid for an injunction to halt the prisoner transfers would continue.

"We don't believe it's a solution to the problem and will not be abandoning our court case ... Monitoring doesn't protect people when there is rampant torture," he said outside the federal court.

A better solution, he said, would be for  NATO allies to take responsibility for jailing Taliban prisoners in  Afghanistan, to ensure conformity with international human rights standards.

An investigative report by The Globe and Mail newspaper last month uncovered "a litany of gruesome stories and a clear pattern of abuse by the Afghan authorities who work closely with Canadian troops."

The report, which was based on interviews with 30 former prisoners of Kandahar jails, said detainees suffered whippings with electrical cables, electric shocks, exposure to cold and beatings.

However it contained no mention of abuse by the 2,500 Canadian troops in Afghanistan engaged in a fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters.

The report also sparked opposition calls for Canada's defense minister Gordon O'Connor to resign.

A statement by Foreign Minister Peter MacKay's office, in an email to AFP, said the new agreement builds on a December 2005 pact on detainees, which still remains in effect.

"We said we would work with the Afghan government to clarify their responsibilities for the treatment of Taliban prisoners ... These clarifications make explicit their responsibilities," it reads.

The government affidavit Thursday states the Afghanistan Human Rights Commission and Canadian personnel would have "full and unrestricted access" to the Afghan prisoners, and Ottawa would be informed of any court proceedings, release or allegations of torture involving detainees.

Afghanistan must also heed international human rights obligations, "including prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, protection against torture and using only such force as is reasonable to guard against escape," the document reads.

Canadian soldiers, meanwhile, will be permitted to "interview detainees in private, without Afghan authorities present."
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When things got ugly in Ottawa, Kabul extended an olive branch
BRIAN LAGHI , DANIEL LEBLANC and GLORIA GALLOWAY - With a report from Campbell Clark – Globe and Mail 5.4.07
OTTAWA -- The Afghan government approached Canada to rejig a deal for the handover of detainees as Ottawa faced a maelstrom of criticism last week, sources have told The Globe and Mail.

The approach came April 25, after the conclusion of a particularly raucous session of Question Period and just before Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor blurted out at a foreign affairs committee meeting that a deal between the government and Afghanistan was at hand. It was the third day running that the Tories had faced a pummelling in the House of Commons.

"The Afghan government talked to us, and then Gordon said we might have a deal," said a source. "It was after QP, before committee." The source would not say who in the Afghan government made the approach.

The agreement that emerged included a series of enhancements in the protection of detainees transferred by Canadian soldiers to Afghan control. The detainee issue has been controversial, especially after Mr. O'Connor was obliged to apologize for misleading the House on the issue and after the emergence of government documents in which references to torture and poor treatment of detainees had been blacked out.

Mr. O'Connor's dramatic announcement came as the Prime Minister's Office began taking a more active hand in the issue. The PMO stepped in after a series of ministerial contradictions over torture allegations and who was assigned to monitor the detainees.

A source within the government said the mixed messages originated with bureaucrats in both the Department of National Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs. The issue has been made more difficult to co-ordinate, he said, because of the fact that Afghanistan is halfway around the world and the mission requires input from a number of different departments.

By that same Wednesday, the Prime Minister's Office demanded that it be provided with accurate information from all departments.

From that point on, the PMO and the Privy Council Office have handled all the messaging because, as the government official explained, they are the only ones that can co-ordinate a broad range of material across different branches.

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, Brigadier-General Tim Grant checked in on the same day with Afghan authorities to follow up on a Globe and Mail investigation into the treatment of detainees in local jails.
That same day, Mr. Harper was clearly emboldened as he launched his toughest attack against the Liberals and the other opposition parties for raising the issue.

"The fact of the matter is this: The real problem is the willingness of the Leader of the Liberal Party and his colleagues to believe, to repeat and to exaggerate any charge against the Canadian military as they fight these fanatics and killers who are called the Taliban. It is a disgrace," Mr. Harper said to a roar of applause from the Conservative caucus in the Commons.

But even after that point, the normally focused communications from the Conservatives seemed to be in disarray, with the Prime Minister and at least five other ministers answering questions on the matter.

On Sunday, Government House Leader Peter Van Loan told CTV's Question Period that "we have yet to see one specific allegation of torture." On Monday, one of his cabinet colleagues, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, said Correctional Service Canada officials tasked with helping improve Afghanistan's jails were told by two prisoners that they had been tortured.

When Mr. Van Loan was asked after the Conservative caucus meeting Wednesday to explain where his messaging had originated, he remained completely mum. Instead, he grinned broadly at reporters and ducked into his office.

Mr. Day has been equally silent in recent days on the matter outside of the House of Commons. When the Public Security Minister wanted to speak to reporters this week about the RCMP's handling of DNA testing, he did so only on the condition that he not be asked questions about Afghanistan.

Yesterday, as the deal was reached, Afghanistan's ambassador to Ottawa, Omar Samad, could not confirm the moment the deal was clinched, but praised the result of the long negotiations.
However, another official familiar with the agreement told The Globe that it was approved in Ottawa Tuesday, then sent to Kabul to be signed. The Afghan government accepted all parts of the new arrangement without objection, the source said.

In Vancouver yesterday, Mr. Harper seemed baffled as to why the story was still making headlines.

"Why has the story gone on? I'm not sure we've heard any new information beyond the unsubstantiated allegations from a handful of former Taliban prisoners," he told reporters. "Apparently the opposition has little else to do these days than attack the good work that the Canadian troops are doing."

New provisions
The new supplement to Canada's agreement with Afghanistan on the transfer of people detained by Canadian soldiers contains a number of provisions not included in the arrangements other countries, such as Britain and the Netherlands, have made. Among them:

Paragraph 7 In order to facilitate ongoing access and capacity building projects by the Government of Canada, the Afghan Government will hold detainees transferred by Canadian Forces in a limited number of facilities.

Paragraph 8 The AIHRC [Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission] and officials of the Government of Canada will have full and unrestricted access to detention facilities where detainees transferred by Canadian Forces are held.

Paragraph 9 During such access, representatives will, upon request, be permitted to interview detainees in private, without Afghan authorities present.

Paragraph 10 In the event that allegations come to the attention of the Government of Afghanistan that a detainee transferred by the Canadian Forces to Afghan authorities has been mistreated, the following corrective action will be undertaken: the Government of Afghanistan will investigate allegations of abuse and mistreatment and prosecute in accordance with national law and internationally applicable legal standards; the Government of Afghanistan will inform the Government of Canada, the AIHRC and the ICRC of the steps it is taking to investigate such allegations and any corrective action taken.
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British soldier killed, Australian hurt in Afghanistan
Thu May 3, 2:34 PM ET
KABUL (AFP) - A British soldier was killed and an Australian wounded in attacks in  Afghanistan Thursday that also left two children hurt, while a bomb in Kabul wounded 25 Afghan soldiers and killed their driver.

The Briton was killed in a battle that erupted after Taliban attacked soldiers at a checkpoint near a military base in the southern province of Helmand, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Up to 10 fighters attacked with small arms fire, which the soldiers returned. The Taliban later used rocket-propelled grenades.

Two Dutch F16 fighter jets were then called in and a 500 pound (225 kilogram) bomb was dropped on the Taliban firing position.

The soldier was shot early on in the battle and evacuated to receive medical treatment but died later, the MoD said.

The death brings to 54 the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since the hardline Taliban were ousted from power in late 2001.

Britain has pledged an extra 1,400 troops for Afghanistan, who are due to arrive within weeks, taking the country's contingent in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by  NATO to 7,700.

Most are based in Helmand, where the Taliban have a strong presence.

ISAF gave no details of the incident, saying only a soldier died in an "engagement with enemy fighters."

In a separate incident, a suicide bomber blew himself up near an ISAF convoy in the southern province of Uruzgan, the force said.

"One ISAF soldier and two Afghans received minor injuries," a spokesman said.

The provincial police chief, Mohammad Qassim, said two children were hurt in the attack. The Australian Department of Defence said one of its soldiers was slightly wounded.

Denmark's armed forces said Thursday they had suffered their first combat loss in Afghanistan after a soldier who was seriously injured last weekend died in a Copenhagen hospital.

The victim was shot in the throat when rebels attacked his unit in Helmand as it headed to join a NATO operation against the Taliban.

ISAF includes about 37,000 soldiers from 37 countries. It works alongside a separate US-led coalition of about 14,000 troops.

In another Taliban attack, a bomb hidden in a cart was remotely detonated to hit a bus carrying Afghan soldiers to work in the capital early Thursday.

The driver was killed and 22 soldiers and three civilians were wounded, the defence ministry said. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the extremist movement had carried out the attack.

Violence linked to the Taliban-led insurgency has risen steadily over the past years. More than 4,000 people were killed last year, most of them rebels, and more than 1,000 have died so far this year.

A Spanish military commander said in a newspaper interview Thursday Spain should send reinforcements to help tackle growing violence in the west of the country, which has previously been relatively quiet.

"The greater the military presence, the easier it will be to guarantee security," Colonel Miguel Garcia de las Hijas, chief of general staff of ISAF in western Afghanistan, told El Pais.

A major operation in the western province of Herat at the weekend, involving US Special Forces and Afghan soldiers, killed about 50 civilians, according to two reports by Afghan delegations and one from the  United Nations.
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AFGHANISTAN: PRTs accused of spending unequal amounts on development
04 May 2007 09:17:44 GMT
KABUL, 4 May 2007 (IRIN) - For Afghanistan's only female governor it is not poppy cultivation or insurgency that impedes development, but Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) with modest development budgets.

"Larger PRTs spend more on development while smaller PRTs have less to spend," Bamiyan's governor, Habiba Sarabi, told IRIN in Kabul on Wednesday.

Sarabi longs for a US-led PRT in her impoverished province, which would have spent, she says, more development money than the existing New Zealand PRT.

Led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has PRTs in 25 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, most of which execute short-term development projects in addition to their main task of supporting provincial authorities in improving security.

Helmand

Assadullah Wafa, the governor of the conflict-ridden southern province of Helmand - where a large British-led PRT is based, does not agree with Sarabi that larger PRTs spend more and smaller ones less.

"Contrary to what many people say Helmand does not receive sufficient funds from its PRT for rebuilding," said Wafa.

"Each PRT is funded by its own nation and each of those nations has slightly different priorities and mechanisms by which they invest money in Afghanistan," said Maj-Gen Garry Robinson, a deputy commander for ISAF in Kabul.

Neither the government of Afghanistan nor ISAF has strong control over the PRTs budgets, officials say.

Afghan minister comments

Afghanistan's minister for rural rehabilitation and development, Ehsan Zia, told IRIN: "We cannot make a decision which should equalize PRTs development budgets in all provinces. It is impossible for us to ask the British-led PRT in Helmand province and the Lithuania-led PRT in Ghor province to spend equal amounts of development money."

However, some Afghan officials say development money spent by PRTs should comply with the same reporting mechanisms as assistance provided through Afghanistan's overall reconstruction and development.

"NATO, in consultation with the Afghan government should develop means of harmonising and balancing assistance across provinces so that aid is allocated in accordance with the government's principles and priorities," said Adeeb Farhadi, director of Afghanistan National Development Strategy.

NATO officials in Kabul said they are willing to harmonise the PRTs' humanitarian and development efforts with government policies.

The PRTs have critics in the international aid community. A recent analysis from the think tank Overseas Development Institute, said "In Afghanistan, Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) were perceived as blurring the lines between humanitarian and military action."
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Floods kill 23 Afghans, NATO soldier
FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, May 4 (Reuters) - Floods triggered by heavy rain killed 23 Afghans and a NATO soldier, and destroyed scores of houses in Afghanistan's northeastern province of Badakhshan, officials said on Friday.

Authorities were searching for some missing people after the flooding, which hit on Thursday night in an area of the impoverished and mountainous province near the border with Tajikistan, China and Pakistan, the provincial governor said.

"The people are in a very bad state," Munshi Abdul Majid said.

A soldier with the NATO-led forces died in another area of the province when his car was washed away by the floods, an Afghan aid worker said in Faizabad, the provincial capital of Badakhshan.

Earlier, NATO said one of its soldiers had died in a non-combat incident in the north, but gave no details.

After years of harsh drought, Afghanistan received much more snow and rain this year.
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Afghan Deported From Iran Dies From Injuries
May 4, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Officials in Afghanistan's western province of Herat say an Afghan worker has died in hospital from injuries received at the hands of Iranian security forces, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reported.

The man was one of four Afghan workers who say they were pushed from the second floor of a building in Iran on May 2 by Iranian authorities assigned to expel Afghan refugees. All four were deported.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry says it will investigate the allegations through the Afghan Embassy in Tehran.
(with material from agency reports)
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Southwest Asia: Afghan Refugees Allege Abuse From Iran Repatriation
By Ron Synovitz
May 3, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Tehran has expelled tens of thousands of Afghans from Iran since mid-April in a move Iranian authorities say is aimed at repatriating 1 million unregistered Afghan refugees by March 2008.

But Afghans affected by the campaign claim that even legally registered refugees are being forced to leave. They say those who remain in Iran face pressure that makes it difficult for them to survive.

Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta says Iran should immediately stop repatriating large numbers of Afghan refugees because Afghanistan does not have sufficient resources to help them resettle.

Spanta told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that the reported expulsion of 50,000 Afghan refugees from Iran during the past two weeks is contributing to instability in Afghanistan.

"The massive expulsion of Afghan refugees [from Iran] is against the friendly and neighborly principles between our two countries," Spanta said. "It's very unfortunate that, on one hand, Iran is helping Afghanistan with reconstruction in order to build stability but, on the other hand, is expelling the Afghans en mass. This causes instability for Afghanistan. We are not able to provide the thousands of returning refugees with a place inside Afghanistan."

'Illegal Citizens'

Authorities in Tehran say they are only expelling those Afghans who are living illegally in Iran and have failed to register their presence.

A statement issued by Iran's Interior Ministry stresses that only refugees with valid documents may stay in Iran. The statement also argues that every country has sensitivities about "illegal citizens" on its territory. It says the presence of so many Afghan refugees has created "political, social, economic, and security consequences" for Iran.

Millions of Afghans fled to Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asia to escape the wars that have devastated Afghanistan since the Soviet invasion of 1979.

Iran accepted several million Afghans -- mostly Shi'ite Hazara or Sunni Persian-speaking Tajiks.

Since the collapse of the Taliban regime in late 2001, Iran has been working with authorities in Kabul and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on a voluntary repatriation program.

Illegals 'Not Of Concern' To UN

Vivian Tan is a spokeswoman for the UNHCR's Southwest Asia office in Islamabad -- the office responsible for UNHCR activities in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Tan told RFE/RL that the UNHCR's mandate is to help those individuals who have the legal status of refugees. Afghan refugees in both Pakistan and Iran must therefore be legally registered in their host country to qualify for UNHCR aid.

"Anyone outside of this group who was not around to register is not of concern to UNHCR. They are not refugees," Tan said. "They are not of concern. Everybody who is not registered is considered an illegal migrant. In Iran, from what we know, the recent deportations are of unregistered Afghans. So these are people who did not take part in the registration and did not get the [reintegration] cards that were issued by the Iranian government."

But some Afghan refugees tell a different story.

Several Afghans tell RFE/RL that Iranian authorities in the past two weeks confiscated and destroyed their registration cards before expelling them from the country.

Others say their money and personal property -- even extra clothing -- was confiscated by Iranian authorities before they were forced across the border back into Afghanistan.

...But Legality Is Not Everything

Haqdad, an Afghan refugee originally from Ghazni Province, is still living in Iran. But he says Tehran's repatriation campaign makes life difficult even for those who are legally registered.

"We live in a very difficult situation here because the [Iranian authorities] detain us and send us to the other side of the border," Haqdad said. "There are even some families whose wives remain here but their husbands have been sent to the other side of the border. The Iranian officials who detain us take all the money we have in our pockets."

Agha Mussa, an Afghan refugee from Herat, in western Afghanistan, who also is struggling to survive in Iran, says many Afghans he knows have been beaten by Iranian police -- alleging there is a campaign of intimidation aimed at driving out all Afghans refugees, regardless of whether they are registered or not.

Afgha Mussa told RFE/RL that many Iranian employers are taking advantage of the vulnerability of Afghan refugee laborers by refusing to pay them wages that they are owed.

"We -- refugees living in Iran -- are under a lot pressure," Afgha Mussa said. "Our jobs are left here. The employers don’t pay our money. We are being detained and sent out of the border. They harass us and they beat us."

Tan said UNHCR officials have not heard such complaints. But she said any legitimate refugee who is being intimidated in Iran or Pakistan can get help from her organization.

"Even if you are an unregistered Afghan in Pakistan or Iran, UNHCR's doors are always open," Tan said. "So if you wish to claim asylum, you are free to come in and protest. If you have the proper grounds and you are recognized as a refugee, then we will offer you the protection that you need in the host country -- in Iran or in Pakistan."

Beleaguered Society

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary confirmed that Afghan refugee families are being separated by Iran's expulsion campaign.

Beshary said those being repatriated also face other serious problems when they arrive back in Afghanistan -- including a lack of food, employment, and shelter.

"These problems are a result of a lack of a system and also haste in this work," Beshary said. "I say, once more, that we are willing to have more cooperation with our friendly [neighbor], and we hope that they will provide us assistance regarding this issue."

The UNHCR has helped provide resettlement aid to millions of repatriated Afghan refugees since the start of 2002.

That includes a six-week campaign earlier this year in which Pakistan repatriated 200,000 unregistered Afghans who had been living in Pakistan.
(RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan contributed to this report)
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Afghanistan: 'Threats Forced One Reporter To Leave His Job'
May 3, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Akbar Ayazi, director of RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, discusses the perils of reporting on the conflict between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

"A few months ago our correspondent in Khost, Amir Bahir, was actually attending the funeral of the governor of Khost Province, who was killed in a suicide bomb just the day before. At the funeral another suicide bomb took place and hurt [our reporter] and actually threw him.

"Luckily he didn't get injured seriously. He's doing a great job and he's a brave guy and still there. We do face dangers like this.

"We have had many difficult situations. The most violence taking place in the country is in Helmand Province, where we have a very brave reporter, Saleh Mohammad Saleh, who has received numerous threats on his telephone -- text messages, telephone calls -- not only him, but his family.

Threats From The Taliban

"Most of the time our initial remedy for such a problem is to send the reporter to exile for a week or two to calm things down and then he goes back.

'If they don't find things to their liking they always go after our reporters and ask them to give reports to their liking'"In one instance the Taliban even threatened and [told[ him this was their last message to him, and the Taliban even asked me, the director of Radio Free Afghanistan, to talk to them. Also we had the situation in the Kandahar Province where our reporters were threatened.

"Even in Pakistan, I have a reporter in Quetta, I have the audio of that, someone calling and saying, 'You're reporting for Radio Free Afghanistan and we're not happy with your reporting and it should be your last report.'

Pressure From All Sides

"The other incident I had was that one of our reporters in Quetta, Pakistan, was practically forced to leave the job because of numerous threats that he received. He was arrested on the border by the Pakistani authorities, he was interrogated, and it reached the point where the guy said, 'I'm giving up,' and we had to hire another reporter.

"It's not only the Taliban side, sometimes our reporters get under pressure from the warlords, from the drug lords, from government officials, if they don't find things to their liking they always go after our reporters and ask them to give reports to their liking. So that is unfortunately a big dilemma in Afghanistan, and our people are facing really big problems."
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Karzai Allocates $100,000 For Mass Grave Memorial
KABUL, May 4, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has allocated $100,000 for the construction of a memorial center near a recently discovered mass grave in northeastern Afghanistan, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reported today.

Karzai announced the project on May 3 at a memorial ceremony for the 500 people found in the grave in the Qorogh Desert of Badakhshan Province.

The grave was discovered on April 22 near the border with Tajikistan, in the province's Fayzalbad district.

Karzai also said the victims were "murdered" in the 1980s "because of the Soviet invasion" of Afghanistan and "internal treason."

Many of those buried had been shackled with handcuffs, chains, or barbed wire. Karzai said that evidence proves the "sheer cruely" of the crimes committed against those buried in the grave.

Karzai also told families of the victims who attended the ceremony that justice is being sought. But he said Afghans should not seek revenge.

The funds allocated by Karzai are to be used to build a memorial monument, a museum, and a mosque.
(RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan)
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AFGHANISTAN: Some 1,600 displaced after US air raids
03 May 2007 16:50:57 GMT
SHINDAND, 3 May 2007 (IRIN) - Almost 1,600 families have been displaced and many others need urgent humanitarian assistance two days after US war planes bombed several villages in the Shindand district of the western province of Herat, Afghan officials said. Reports of displacement follow claims that up to 60 civilians may have died in the fighting.

"Hundreds of houses have been destroyed and thousands of people need emergency relief," the director of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in Herat, Ghulam Nabi Hakak, told IRIN on Thursday.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and some other relief organisations are reportedly working on aid delivery. "Sixty metric tonnes of food items will be dispatched to the affected regions very soon and further aid will be delivered after assessments," said Rick Carsino, WFP's country director for Afghanistan.

Civilians killed
Between 27 and 29 April United States Special Forces fighting with the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police killed more than 130 Taliban fighters in the Shindand district, a US military press release reported. During the engagement a coalition aircraft bombed targets and an AC-130 gunship was also called in. According to the military press release "there were no civilian casualties reported".

However, the government of Afghanistan and the United Nations has confirmed reports which say more than 45 civilians, including women and children, died as a result of US military operation in Shindand.

On Tuesday a UNAMA assessment team visited the area to investigate what UN Spokesman Adrian Edwards described as "possible indiscriminate use of force and possible civilian displacement". Edwards says the UN believes figures of up to 49 civilian deaths, including 18 women, are credible.

Others say the figure could be higher, according to AIHRC "about 60 civilians have been killed in the air raids". Bahauddin, a resident of Shindand, said "more than 100 people have been killed all of whom are civilians". IRIN cannot confirm these reports.

IRIN understands that the UN team visited bombed villages, including Polmakan. Sources described the village as "heavily bombed" with eight houses destroyed and with women sitting and crying saying that their children were still under the rubble.

People were still digging bodies out of the rubble of their mud-walled homes on Tuesday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the governor of Herat province confirmed, saying that 52 people were wounded.

Of those, at least 25 wounded individuals have been admitted in Shindand's only hospital, and six more with severe injuries have been taken to a hospital in Herat city, local officials said.

A truck driver from Zerkoh valley who arrived in Herat on Tuesday confirmed to an IRIN reporter that 25 wounded people were taken from Bakhtabad village to Shindand hospital, saying he was the driver who took them there.

Denial
While a press release by US forces in Afghanistan says the operation in Shindand was jointly conducted by US Special Forces - operating outside NATO command - and Afghan National Police, a police official in Herat denied the Afghan forces' involvement.

"Unfortunately the operation was not coordinated with us," General Shafiq, a police commander in Herat, contended.

Major Chris Belcher, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force 82, confirmed that US forces under Operation Enduring Freedom were in command during the engagement. He said other forces, including NATO/ISAF forces, joined in support, and that the Afghan police were also involved.

Major Belcher said the US forces were leading a joint reconnaissance patrol with the Afghan National Police when they were ambushed by around 80-90 insurgents on 27 April. They withdrew but were ambushed again when they returned on 29 April. On both occasions close air support was used.

He said US forces have no official reports of civilian casualties, and they conducted a battle damage assessment following the engagement. However, they are cooperating with ISAF and the Afghan government to investigate other reports of civilian deaths.

Nangarhar raid

In another incident on 27 April US forces raided a house in the eastern province of Nangarhar in which six people were killed and three others, including a woman, have been taken away by the American soldiers.

Hundreds of people marched in the streets of Nangarhar, accusing US forces for killing civilians and using search tactics that harm peoples' cultural values.

Civilians are the major victims of armed conflicts in Afghanistan, prominent Afghan and international human rights watchdogs reported in April.

"This report is also available as a radio story in Dari and Pashto on IRIN's Afghanistan Radio Page."
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Registration report offers insight into Afghans in Pakistan
By Vivian Tan in Islamabad, Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 3 (UNHCR) – The government of Pakistan and the UN refugee agency on Thursday launched a report on the registration of Afghan citizens in Pakistan, offering important baseline data and valuable insight into the demographic profile of this population.

The 200-page report is the result of a 15-week registration exercise conducted from October last year to February by Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority under the auspices of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees and UNHCR. The US$6-million exercise was funded by Pakistan, the European Commission, the United States and the United Kingdom.

A total of 2.153 million Afghans were registered in the government-led exercise. All registered Afghans above the age of five received Proof of Registration cards recognizing them as Afghan citizens temporarily living in Pakistan. The cards are valid for three years, until December 2009.

Registration findings show that the large majority live in North West Frontier Province (64 percent) and Balochistan (21 percent). Afghans constitute 6 percent of the population in North West Frontier Province and 5.9 percent of Balochistan.

A total of 976,605 Afghans live in 86 camps across Pakistan; more than half (55 percent) of all registered Afghans live outside camps. Some 78 percent of the total number are women, children, youth and the elderly.

Registration results also reflect a very young Afghan population in Pakistan – 55 percent are below 18 years of age while 74 percent are aged under 28. This suggests that many of them were born and raised in Pakistan after the influx started in 1979, and have never lived in Afghanistan.

Most Afghans (71 percent) have no formal education and only 20 percent are active in the labour market. Of the latter group, nearly half (48 percent) are working as unskilled or daily wage labourers. A staggering 83 percent of working Afghans earn less than Pakistan's minimum wage level of 4,000 rupees (US$67) per month for unskilled workers.

Nearly 14 percent of registered Afghans said they had special needs, including the need for special legal and physical protection, female-headed households, important medical conditions and children or young people at risk.

Some 55 percent of Afghans originate from the provinces of Nangarhar (21 percent), Kabul (11.2 percent), Kunduz (9.7 percent), Logar and Paktya (6.6 percent each). Despite the challenges they face in Pakistan, the majority of registered Afghans (82 percent) said they have concerns about returning home in the near future. Security (41.6 percent) was their foremost concern, followed by shelter (30.7 percent) and livelihood opportunities (24.4 percent) in Afghanistan. Access to land or shelter remains a major obstacle to return, with 89 percent of Afghans indicating they do not own land in Afghanistan.

Of the 62,200 families that said they wished to return home, most were originally from Nangarhar, Laghman, Kabul, Baghlan, Kunduz and Logar.

"The registration report confirms what we know about Afghans living in Pakistan – who they are, where they live, where they're from, what they do for a living, what their needs are," noted UNHCR Representative in Pakistan Guenet Guebre-Christos.

"We will use the findings from registration to work closely with the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to develop arrangements to manage Afghans living in Pakistan and to facilitate solutions for them," she added.
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Demand Increases for Women to Join Afghan Police
by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson NPR (National Public Radio) Morning Edition, May 3, 2007
The role of women in Afghan society is a complex one. Tradition and a conservative interpretation of Islam relegate most women to the role of subservient wife and mother. Daughters in Afghanistan are often sold or traded into marriage to strengthen tribal ties.

But the new, democratic Afghanistan is under pressure to give women the same opportunities that men have — such as allowing them to become police officers.

During the Taliban era, watching an action thriller about a karate-savvy, female detective could cost you your life. But these days, the heroine of the film Ghanoon (Law) is a role model to Nahid Rezaie.

She has no real Afghan women detectives to look up to. That's because Rezaie is the first female detective in her province of Bamiyan.

The 23-year-old mother of three, who carries a handgun and wears a traditional veil, says she'd love to save the day like her fictional role model.

But on a recent day, Rezaie sits in a plywood office at police headquarters, interrogating a 50-year-old woman accused of hitting a neighbor. The suspect, Golshah, claims that she merely defended her daughter from a neighbor who hit her on the way home from school.

The suspect's 14-year-old son, Jahan Mir, tells a different tale.

Rezaie, who addresses the boy in a motherly tone, orders him to tell the truth. The frightened boy stares at the detective, ready to burst into tears. He blurts out that his sister wasn't hit, only threatened after she cursed at the neighbor. He shyly confesses to pulling the neighbor's hair.

Rezaie takes the boy's thumb and presses it onto a red inkpad, then onto his statement that she's written down. She turns to his mother, her eyes narrowing. Rezaie orders Golshah to find a storeowner known to the family. He will serve as the Bamiyan equivalent of bail.

She tells Golshah that if she fails to show the next day, the storeowner will be arrested.

Still, the suspect named Golshah sings the detective's praises.

"Women know how to talk to women," Golshah says. "Men don't know how to talk to women. But I spoke the truth, no matter what she thinks."

Rezaie's ability to get to the bottom of the dispute is one of the things that makes Gen. Sayed Akbar Saeedi happy to have women in his department. The head of the provincial police force boasts that his eight female officers give him the highest percentage of women on any police force in Afghanistan.

"In Afghan society, where religious values dominate, it's no surprise to find reluctance over women becoming police officers," Saeedi says. "But in Bamiyan, most residents are liberalized because they lived abroad during the Taliban era. Bamiyan is also a center of police training, so girls we recruit don't have to go far from home."

Saeedi adds that he'd like to hire up to 100 policewomen. He says they are needed to handle crimes involving women, given that men refuse to let other men see female relatives.

That doesn't mean women are always happy to see Rezaie. Five months ago, she suffered a broken hand while trying to arrest a female suspect. Rock-throwing villagers also cracked the skull of Rezaie's husband, Mohammed Zahegh.

But it hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for her chosen career. He is a driver for the police force and often drives Rezaie to her cases.

"I'm very happy, really," Zahegh says. "I hope she gets promoted. We may have been hurt that time, but we brought the suspect and everyone else in."

Rezaie says she wants to be the best officer in Bamiyan. She says she owes it to her people. Like most residents of this province, she is a member of Afghanistan's Hazara minority, Shiite Muslims descended from Mongol invaders.

"I want to break the stereotype of this province as being poor and unaccomplished," she says. "We may be poor, but we show that we have the will to serve."

New Zealand police officers who train Afghans in Bamiyan say they are impressed with the women's dedication. But as open as Bamiyan may be to having policewomen, conservative traditions do get in the way.

"Definitely one of the challenges is having them physically take part in some of the training," New Zealand police officer Claire Robertson says. "For example, drill [marching in formation] — some of them would like to do it, but it's almost frowned upon."

Robertson says it took a lot of negotiating to allow women to take part in drill. It's not considered a dignified activity for Muslim women in public.

Nor is physical fitness. Robertson says she had to clear the classroom of 28 male trainees so the women could exercise. Nevertheless, Robertson says Bamiyan's policewomen are impressive.

She jokes that they are so good, she's almost out of a job.
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Stockwell Day's Afghan comment helps bolster human rights groups
Canadian Press  - Thursday, May 03, 2007 - stop the Canadian military's handover of Afghan detainees may have been given some unexpected ammunition by Stockwell Day.

The public safety minister's acknowledgment that Canadian correctional officers heard allegations of torture by Afghan officials appears to contradict one of the principal arguments federal lawyers will make in court Thursday.

A federal judge will be asked to grant an injunction, halting the transfer of captured Taliban fighters from the Canadian army to Afghan authorities.

The case comes as the Conservative government reels under the allegations of torture and abuse, which on Wednesday included accusations that Prime Minister Stephen Harper misled the Commons in his defence of Day's comments.

In their draft written response to the court action by Amnesty International and the B.C. Civil Liberties Union, Justice Department lawyers contend that claims of abuse within the Afghan prison system are based on "broad hearsay" statements in newspaper articles that have not been investigated or verified.

"Canadian officials have not received any notification of mistreatment or torture of detainees transferred from Canada to Afghan authorities," said the submission filed with the Federal Court on May 1 and obtained by The Canadian Press.

On Monday, Day told reporters that corrections officers had "talked to detainees about the possibility, if they were tortured or not. They've actually had a couple incidents where detainees said they were."'
But he was quick to point out the allegations had not been verified and was unable to say whether they had been investigated by Canadian or Afghan authorities. Day was also unable to say whether the prisoners in question had been captured by Canadian, Afghan or NATO forces.

The assertion, contradicting earlier statements from the Conservative government, strengthens the case of human rights groups, a spokesman for Amnesty International said Wednesday.

"He bolstered the case that there has been a problem with torture in Afghan prisons," said spokesman John Tackaberry. But a spokeswoman for Day, Melisa LeClerc, said the minister does not believe he has given a boost to the proponents of the injuction.

"Not at all; quite the contrary," she said. If Day has undercut the government's case, it would be the latest in a series of missteps involving the abuse claims.

Since allegations surfaced that at least 30 detainees, captured by Canadians and turned over to Afghan authorities, might have been abused, the Conservatives have offered confusing and contradictory explanations.

Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor last Wednesday told a Commons committee that a deal has been struck to allow Canadian authorities access to captured prisoners. He was contradicted the next day by Harper and Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, who both said the arrangement was still being negotiated.

Opposition parties were outraged that the oral report from corrections officers - obtained by Day last week - was not clearly laid before the Commons.

But both Day and Harper insist the Commons was informed, when on April 26, in response to a question, Day said: "Two of the individuals talked with them about their treatment there and our officers raised the issue of them being in leg irons; we don't think they should be in leg irons."

Harper rose in question period on Tuesday to defend Day, waving a written transcript of the minister's statement, though he didn't quote from it. "The prime minister once again misled the house," Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said.

"He claimed the minister of public safety informed this house on April 26 of torture allegations received by Corrections Canada. That never happened."

International law experts have said Canada or NATO should take over responsibility for detainees, but the written brief filed by Justice Department lawyers at Federal Court said that's not possible.

"The (Canadian Force) does not have the infrastructure, training or personnel to maintain a detention facility in Afghanistan," said the document. It warned that holding prisoners at the temporary facility, located at Kandahar Airfield, would give captured Taliban fighters the opportunity to plan escapes.
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Former Liberal government approved controversial Afghan detainee deal, records show
 - Andrew Mayeda and Mike Blanchfield - CanWest News Service, Wednesday, May 02, 2007
OTTAWA — Former prime minister Paul Martin gave approval almost two years ago to then-defence minister Bill Graham to negotiate a detainee transfer agreement with the Afghanistan government, government documents obtained by CanWest News Service show.

The revelation, contained in cabinet correspondence and Defence Department briefing notes, comes as the Harper government continues to face heavy criticism over allegations that Afghan detainees were abused after being transferred to Afghan authorities.

The documents show that Martin, now an ordinary Liberal MP_who has yet to speak publicly on the controversy, was briefed on the outlines of the agreement more than six months before it was signed.

In a May 27, 2005 letter from Graham to Martin, the former prime minister was told that Canada planned to negotiate an agreement with the Afghan government that would spell out “explicit undertakings” on how the detainees would be treated.

The same day as the letter, Graham “authorized the Canadian Forces to seek arrangements with relevant authorities on the transfer of detainees,” according to a Defence Department briefing note.  “The Prime Minister concurred with this approach on 10 June 2005,” the note states.

The documents appear to undermine an increasingly popular view in Ottawa’s corridors of power that says Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of the defence staff, acted without proper government authority when he signed the detainee deal on behalf of the Canadian government in Kabul on Dec. 18, 2005.

The papers also shed new light on how the former Liberal government crafted a deal that has become Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s biggest political headache since taking power, sparking daily calls for the resignation of Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor.

Graham’s May 2005 letter states that the government wanted an agreement under which Afghan detainees transferred by Canada would “be afforded treatment consistent with the standards set out in the Third Geneva Convention, regardless of the legal status of those detainees.”

The letter also says that Canadians would pass information on detainees to the International Committee of the Red Cross, “which has the mandate and resources to track Prisoners of War and detainees captured during armed conflict.” However, it does not clarify whether the ICRC would report back to Canada on the condition of the detainees.

O’Connor recently apologized for incorrectly telling Parliament that the ICRC was reporting back to Canada.

On May 31, 2005, Graham and Hillier met Afghanistan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah to discuss the possibility of a bilateral “framework agreement,” according to the briefing note. In a July 28 letter, Hillier asked Graham for authority to work toward the negotiation of a bilateral agreement on the treatment of detainees. Graham signed off on the plan.

In the House of Commons Wednesday, the Conservative government faced continued criticism that it has exposed prisoners to torture in Afghan prisons after they were transferred there by the Canadian military personnel.

Harper insisted that Hillier could not have signed a bilateral agreement on the treatment of detainees without approval from the ministers of the day.

Meanwhile in Kandahar, Hillier admitted that the agreement may not have been enough to stop the torture of Afghan captives. But he insisted that signing the accord had not been a mistake because it allowed Canada to move forward with its mission.

“Truly, at the time we felt that was the right thing to do,” Hillier said, adding:_“Obviously, we would reassess that as allegations come out that perhaps that was not sufficient.”

Hillier also said that many Canadian soldiers are angry that the detainee controversy is overshadowing the good work they feel they are doing in the country.

For his part, Kandahar governor Asadullah Khalid continued to deny allegations of detainee torture, which he denounced as “enemy propaganda.” He added that his government hopes to release the details of its investigation into the matter very soon.

Unlike similar agreements reached by the Dutch and British governments, the original Canadian deal with the Afghan authorities did not contain a guarantee that Canadian officials could follow up on transferred detainees. The government has since negotiated a new agreement under which Canadian officials will have access to detainees after they are transferred.

In Ottawa, meanwhile, Amnesty International Canada and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association will ask the Federal Court of Canada today to temporarily block the Canadian Forces from transferring prisoners to the Afghan government on the grounds that the practice violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canada’s international obligations under the Geneva Convention.

“There is a serious issue to be tried as to whether the detainees transferred into Afghan custody are subject to a substantial risk of torture or other forms of cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment,” says the notice of motion filed in the court by lawyers for the two organizations.

The motion argues there are “no territorial limits” to the charter and that its reach extends “to government agents acting in foreign countries.” Justice Department lawyers acting for the military and the government filed notice with the court to oppose the action.

In their court filings, the Amnesty and civil liberties associations argue the Forces should build their own detention facility in Afghanistan, rather than relying on the Afghan government to warehouse prisoners in jails that have prompted numerous reports of torture from groups such as the U.S. State Department, Canada’s own Foreign Affairs Department and the United Nations human rights commissioner.

The motion goes on to say that the military has “had years to make arrangements for interning detainees safely ...” The court documents indicate that between 2002 and 2006, the Forces detained 40 people in Afghanistan. With files from Jonathan Fowlie, CanWest News Service
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Afghanistan figures at Indo-US talks
NEW YORK, May 2 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Afghanistan figured at Indo-US foreign secretary-level talks held in Washington on April 30 and May 1, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

Although details of the deliberations were not available, sources familiar with the meetings told Pajhwok Afghan News that Indias role in rebuilding institutions and strengthening the democratic set-up of Afghanistan came up for discussion between officials of the two countries.

Visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon held wide-ranging discussions with Paula Dobriansky, the undersecretary of state for global affairs, and Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs. Menon also called on the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on May 1.

The main purpose of Menon's visit was to hold negotiations with administration officials on the so-called 123 Agreement, which has put a hold on further progress on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

But diplomats familiar with the meetings said Indias role in Afghanistans peace process figured at the talks. The US wanted India to play a more active role in Afghanistans development and reconstruction and help the country strengthen its fragile democracy, officials said.

So far India has pledged to Afghanistan nearly half a billion dollars in aid - of which more than $200 to 300 million has been disbursed. The issue of a transition route to Afghanistan via Pakistan also briefly came up.

Both Afghanistan and India have been urging Pakistan to provide a transition route so that Delhi's assistance to Kabul could be quicker and more effective. But Pakistan has declined the request.
Lalit K. Jha
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Afghan TV Station Clashes With Prosecutor
Wahidullah Amani, Afghan Recovery Report, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, May 2, 2007 - A conflict between Afghanistan's chief prosecutor and Tolo TV, the country's most popular television station, has raised fears that media freedom is being eroded.

After journalists from the station were detained and hauled off to the prosecutor's office, it is Tolo TV that is being forced to apologize, under threat of prosecution.

The latest clash between the media and the government has provoked public outrage—but this is directed more against Tolo than at the authorities. This has some observers wondering whether democracy is developing just a bit too quickly for the average person in Afghanistan.

It started with a television broadcast on the evening of April 17, when Prosecutor General Abdul Jabar Sabet was shown giving a speech to parliament in which he lambasted the country's judiciary. The clip selected was, according to Sabet, misleading and distorted the true sense of what he was saying.

He settled on a fairly radical solution, sending armed men to escort the news editor and two other staff members of Tolo TV to his office.

What happened next is unclear. Some reports said the journalists were beaten, and they were shown on television looking disheveled after their encounter with the police and attorney general. Reporters say that some had bruises on their arms and backs.

But before they were released, they all signed statements saying that they had no complaints against the police or the prosecutor.

The television then began its own campaign against Sabet. It showed numerous reports that highlighted unflattering incidents from his biography, including his past as an associate of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the rogue warrior now labeled a terrorist by the United States government. It also alleged that Sabet had received land and a house from the government.

Sabet appealed to the media commission, a government body headed by Information and Culture Minister Karim Khuram. The commission's decision, delivered on April 22, was that Tolo should apologize for its behavior, while Sabet was not to be punished for his actions.

Several demonstrations occurred throughout the country, some supporting Sabet and others Tolo TV. The television station has so far refused to issue an apology, saying that all of its broadcasts were within the bounds of journalistic standards and ethics.

"We have documents that support our reporting," said Mohammad Abdullah, legal advisor to Tolo TV. "We sent these documents to the Supreme Court and the media commission."

Tolo, which was begun with assistance from the United States in 2004 by the Afghan-Australian Mohseni brothers, has been at the cutting edge since its inception.

Its news programs are widely valued for their accuracy and comprehensive coverage. The station also serves up a blend of Bollywood films, music videos, and satire, along with the tremendously popular "Afghan Star" modeled on "American Idol."

But it has offended many who feel that it violates Afghan cultural values. The parliament, made up of staunchly conservative elements, has repeatedly sought to place sanctions on the station for its "un-Islamic" programming.

Now Tolo is under attack from those who think that it has taken sides in a growing political debate that pits the Pashtun majority against the members of the former "Northern Alliance"—a collection of fighters who battled the Soviet occupation, then went on to wage a bloody civil war among themselves until they were chased out of much of the country by the Taliban in the mid-90's.

The scars from those years run deep, and many Pashtuns feel that they are being unfairly pilloried by media dominated by members of other ethnic groups. Mohammad Abdullah, legal advisor to Tolo TV, denies the accusation that the station is partisan.

"It is absolutely untrue that we are taking sides," he said. "We are very careful about balance, accuracy, and fairness in our news. And we do not pick on one group—everyone complains about Tolo."

Many have said that Tolo crosses the boundaries of what is acceptable in Afghanistan. "Tolo is not broadcasting in accordance with our culture," said political analyst Fazel Rahman Oria. Nor is there a shortage of ordinary people who dislike Tolo's irreverent attitude.

"Tolo is against Islam," said Mohammad Rahim, 35, a Kabul resident. "The prosecutor did a very good thing. Tolo is always insulting famous people. It goes completely against our culture. When I wake up at 4:30 in the morning and turn on the television, I want to hear a reading of the Koran or other religious programs. But Tolo is dancing at that time."

Another Kabul resident, Rahmin Karimyar, agreed. "If Tolo had no mistake with the news, why were they afraid to go to the prosecutor general's office?" he said. "Most of Tolo's programs are against the government, against the regime. It's okay that we have freedom of speech, but that does not mean that you can say anything you want."

Despite such grumblings, Tolo has quickly become the most watched station in the country, according to numerous polls.

This popularity has made it an attractive vehicle for those with a message, according to Oria. He believes political factions such as the recently created Jabhe-Motahed-e-Milli (National Unity Front) are trying to use Tolo as a wedge against the government.

"Tolo is being manipulated by Jabhe-Milli," he said. "They want to remove Sabet because he may make trouble for them. Tolo is the best way for them to do that."

Oria believes Tolo has targeted Sabet unfairly, saying, "They abandoned journalistic principles and started attacking Sabet from the moment he began his work."

But Oria also condemned Sabet's use of force against Tolo, even though he was provoked. "Sending police to Tolo and arresting them was also against the law," he said. "Sabet should use only legal methods."
The case has highlighted concerns that media freedom is slowly being chipped away in Afghanistan. A new law being debated in parliament may increase government controls over journalists.

"The law is generally good, but it does contain some dangerous things," said Rahimullah Samander, head of the Committee to Protect Afghan Journalists. "In particular, Article 33 states that the media must be careful to respect Afghan nationality, they cannot use swear words, they cannot insult people, libel them, and so on. But there are no definitions for these things."

If passed, the bill would also place limitations on private television stations. Programming could be censored, and they would be required to include Islamic programming in their daily schedules.

"We are worried because the fundamentalists, the mujahideen, are the majority in the parliament," said Samander. "They do not want freedom of the press, and they do not want the press to publish anything negative about their activities, about what they did in the past and are still doing. They just want the press to be under their control."

Samander said that with journalists under attack in parliament, in the government, and, increasingly, from the revived Taliban, media outlets are beginning to seek protection elsewhere—leading to bias.

"I am worried about journalism in Afghanistan," he said. "Most publications and media organizations are now starting to work for specific sides. They are losing their objectivity, and if things continue this way Afghanistan's media will lose the trust of the people and of the international community."

Journalists face a growing array of problems, he said, foremost among them interference from armed groups. "Everywhere is controlled by the gun," said Samander. "But the government's reaction to journalists is also very bad. They do not know what journalists are—for them, journalists are spies."

Nor do the soldiers of the international forces deployed in Afghanistan respect the media. "The Coalition forces and NATO make problems," he said. "Many times they have taken cameras and recorders, and only given them back after erasing everything."

The number of abuses against journalists is growing yearly, he added. "In 2004, we had 34 cases of violations against journalists," he said. "In 2005, the number grew to 50. So far in 2007, we have already had 20. These included killings, beatings, arrests, and warnings."

Oria agrees that Afghan journalists face a host of problems. "Afghan journalists are sleeping on a bed of thorns," he said. "Passing the new law will just increase the number of thorns."

But for many ordinary Afghans, the doings of the government and the media are of little concern. "Don't ask me about Sabet and Tolo," said Kabul resident Zare, 75. "I haven't had my lunch yet. Can they give me lunch?

"Whatever they're doing is up to them. I have to have a job and find food for my family. What Tolo and the prosecutor general get up to is not my business."

This article originally appeared in the Afghan Recovery Report, produced by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, www.iwpr.net.
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