 |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serving you since 1998 | ||||||||||||
|
|
France takes charge of NATO troops in Afghan capital
KABUL (AFP) - France took command Tuesday of about 5,000 NATO-led soldiers deployed in Kabul and surrounding areas with the aim of handing over to Afghan forces within a year, a French general told AFP.
Marines ordered to stay longer in Afghanistan
By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press / August 5, 2008
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has ordered roughly 1,250 Marines serving as trainers for the Afghan security forces to stay on the warfront almost a month longer to continue a mission that military leaders say
Karzai says 'confident' of evidence linking Pakistan to bombing
August 5, 2008
NEW DELHI (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday repeated allegations that Pakistan was linked to a car bomb attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, saying he was "confident" of the evidence.
Pakistan linked to Afghan bombing
The Australian August 5, 2008 Bruce Loudon, South Asia correspondent
THE driver of the car bomb that destroyed the Indian embassy in Kabul was identified yesterday as a 22-year-old Pakistani apparently recruited by Lashkar-e-Toiba, a militant group long suspected of working closely with Pakistan's ISI spy agency.
Al-Qaeda woman suspect sent to US
Tuesday, 5 August 2008 BBC News
A Pakistani woman suspected of links with al-Qaeda has been extradited to the US from Afghanistan to face charges of trying to kill American agents.
FACTBOX - Security developments in Afghanistan, August 5
August 5 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Afghanistan reported until 0900 GMT on Tuesday:
Clashes leave 16 Taliban militants dead in S Afghanistan
KABUL, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Clashes between the police and Taliban militants have left over 16 militants dead in the restive southern Afghanistan, the police said on Tuesday.
Fuel prices surge in Afghanistan after imports stop
KABUL, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The price of fuel has risen sharply in Afghanistan after major foreign suppliers stopped exports to the landlocked nation, an official said on Tuesday.
India completes Zaranj-Delaram highway in Afghanistan
[UNI] - New Delhi, Aug 5 : India has completed the construction of the 218 Km Zaranj-Delaram Highway in South-Western Afghanistan despite attacks by Taliban and the loss of precious lives of Indian nationals working on the project.
Afghanistan: $50 mln to coax farmers away from opium growing in south
AKI - Adnkronos International
Lashkar Gah, 4 August (AKI) - The US overseas aid agency and the Afghan agriculture minister on Monday unveiled a 50 million dollar investment project to halt opium production in southern Helmand province.
‘I fell in love with Afghanistan’
Financial Times By Ann Marlowe
Belinda Bowling, 34, a lawyer born in South Africa, lives in Kabul and works on environmental issues for the United Nations. A stencil she bought in Paris and applied to a living room wall describes her philosophy:
'Militancy will not run out of steam'
Monday, 4 August 2008 BBC News
Journalist Ahmed Rashid's new book Descent Into Chaos is an investigation into what he describes as the "failure of nation building" in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia and the threat from radical Islam.
DynCorp International Selected to Continue Police Training in Afghanistan
Tuesday, Aug. 05, 2008 Centre Daily Times
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — The U.S. Department of State has awarded DynCorp International (NYSE:DCP) a new task order for the Afghanistan Civilian Advisor Support (ACAS) program under the International Civilian Police (CIVPOL) contract.
American-trained neuroscientist charged with trying to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
By Eric Schmitt International Herald Tribune Tuesday, August 5, 2008
WASHINGTON: An American-trained Pakistani neuroscientist with ties to operatives of Al Qaeda has been charged with trying to kill American soldiers and FBI agents in a police station in Afghanistan last month
AIDS adds sting to Afghanistan misery
In a nation already suffering from plagues both natural and man-made, the rising prevalence of HIV—exacerbated by ignorance and drug addiction—threatens to become an epidemic, writes Tribu
Chicago Tribune, United States By Kim Barker Tribune correspondent August 5, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan-The man, thin as a coat rack, said he started shooting heroin because a friend told him it was easier to quit the needle than to stop smoking the drug. His friend died, and now the young man is dying too.
Airlines blame airfare hikes on fuel costs
www.quqnoos.com Written by Zabihullah Jhanmal Monday, 04 August 2008
Dramatic increases in the cost of a plane ticket blamed on oil prices
'Child rape may plunge country into anarchy'
www.quqnoos.com Written by Tamim Hamid Monday, 04 August 2008
Sex attacks on Afghan children continue to rise, rights group says
Back to Top
France takes charge of NATO troops in Afghan capital
KABUL (AFP) - France took command Tuesday of about 5,000 NATO-led soldiers deployed in Kabul and surrounding areas with the aim of handing over to Afghan forces within a year, a French general told AFP.
France took over from Italy, which also routinely rotates with Turkey in commanding the troops from the 40-nation International Security Assistance (ISAF) deployment.
"Our mission is to transfer within a year the responsibility for the capital region to the Afghan security forces," French General Michel Stollsteiner told AFP after a ceremony attended by the head of ISAF, US General David McKiernan.
The handover of power would happen in stages, starting with Afghan security forces taking charge of the city centre around summer and then gradually expanding their role to cover the whole of Kabul province, he said.
The transfer of command is significant because it would be the first province where Afghan security forces take over from ISAF, which is deployed across the country.
France has about 2,800 soldiers in ISAF, which numbers about 52,700 troops -- most of them Americans. Most of France's soldiers are in Kabul province.
By taking command of the Kabul region, France is confirming its growing engagement in Afghanistan as announced by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in April.
French reinforcements are being deployed to Kapisa province, east of Kabul, and the country's deployment is expected to reach 3,000 by the end of August.
Kabul has seen several deadly attacks over the past years, most blamed on insurgents aligned to the extremist Taliban movement that was driven from government in an invasion led by the United States in late 2001.
But the most intense unrest is in the south and east of Afghanistan, areas along the border with Pakistan.
The violence has climbed steadily despite a growth in the number of international soldiers in the country, now at nearly 70,000 in all between ISAF and a separate US-led coalition.
Back to Top
Back to Top
Marines ordered to stay longer in Afghanistan
By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press / August 5, 2008
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has ordered roughly 1,250 Marines serving as trainers for the Afghan security forces to stay on the warfront almost a month longer to continue a mission that military leaders say is a top priority, according to a senior military official.
In addition, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has authorized the deployment of up to 200 other troops to Afghanistan to support the Marines. That includes eight helicopter crews that could be shifted from Iraq if commanders decide.
The senior military official spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on condition of anonymity because the formal announcement has not yet been made.
The decision to extend the tour of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment in Afghanistan comes just a month after defense officials told the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit that it would stay an extra month in Afghanistan.
According to the official, the decision to hold the battalion there longer is part of an effort to capitalize on the gains the Marines have made in the training mission. The extension means that the battalion would return home in late November.
Asked about Gates' decision, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said the secretary was responding to a request from the commanders.
Gates "is always pained to have to extend tours. He understands the effect that has on the families of our forces, but he also appreciates our commanders' need to make additional progress while the weather is still good in Afghanistan," Morrell said.
Gates' decision to send the other support forces comes after weeks of discussions by top military leaders who scrambled to find needed troops. He authorized Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who is temporarily in charge of U.S. Central Command, to shift up to eight helicopters and their crews from Iraq to Afghanistan — four Cobra attack aircraft and four MH-53 heavy lift helicopters.
The remainder of the support forces being deployed are smaller units, including engineers, route clearance troops and explosive ordnance disposal teams. It was not clear Monday whether those support forces also would return home in late November, or if they would stay longer in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon announced in January that the Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., was being ordered to Afghanistan, largely because efforts to press other NATO nations to increase their troop levels at the time had failed. The MEU has been fighting Taliban militants in the volatile south.
At the same time, the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, which is based at Twentynine Palms, Calif., was ordered to deploy also.
Gates has said he would not replace the Marines with other U.S. troops when they left later this year. But commanders have said they need three more combat brigades — or as many as 10,000 troops — to bolster the fight in Afghanistan. And U.S. officials have indicated they would like to send extra brigades there next year.
Military leaders, however, have made it clear they need to free units from Iraq deployments in order to send more troops to Afghanistan. As security in Iraq continues to improve, officials have suggested that units initially headed for Iraq late this year or early next year could be sent to Afghanistan instead.
___
On the Net:
Defense Department: http://www.defenselink.mil
Back to Top
Back to Top
Karzai says 'confident' of evidence linking Pakistan to bombing
August 5, 2008
NEW DELHI (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday repeated allegations that Pakistan was linked to a car bomb attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, saying he was "confident" of the evidence.
"We and some of our allies have evidence not only from the scene of the explosion but evidence beyond it that unfortunately indicate a hand like that," Karzai told the NDTV television news network.
When asked if explosives found at the bombed embassy carried markings of Pakistani ordinance factories, Karzai said: "we are fairly confident of what you are talking about."
About 60 people, including two Indian diplomats, were killed in the July 7 suicide car bombing at the mission.
Afghanistan has repeatedly accused Pakistan of backing Taliban rebels. Karzai said the problem was "elements" in the Pakistani establishment.
"Unfortunately, there are elements within the establishment in Pakistan who do not see things as we see (them), and who perhaps are not opting for a life that the absolute majority of our people seek and are working for," Karzai said.
Back to Top
Back to Top
Pakistan linked to Afghan bombing
The Australian August 5, 2008 Bruce Loudon, South Asia correspondent
THE driver of the car bomb that destroyed the Indian embassy in Kabul was identified yesterday as a 22-year-old Pakistani apparently recruited by Lashkar-e-Toiba, a militant group long suspected of working closely with Pakistan's ISI spy agency.
Lashkar, which is officially proscribed in Pakistan, is a member of the al-Qa'ida-led International Islamic Front.
It is closely allied to the Islamist warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, who has been accused of masterminding the July 7 attack on the embassy in which 54 people died, among them senior Indian diplomats and an army general.
Reports last night that the white SUV with more than 100kgs of military-grade explosives welded into its chassis was driven by Pakistani Hamza Shakoor seem likely to increase pressure on the embattled civilian Government in Islamabad over the ISI and allegations against it of double-dealing and dirty tricks.
So, too, will claims in the influential Indian newspaper The Hindu that Shakoor's suicide mission was praised at a closed-door meeting by Lahore-based Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, who heads Lashkar's parent spiritual and political organisation, Jamaat-ud-Dawa.
Last night, there were signs the Pakistani Government was planning a series of military deployments to answer international criticism over the ISI, and its own failure to stem the rapidly worsening situation in its tribal areas.
The US will also be allowed to deploy "more sophisticated" equipment in the tribal areas in what one report yesterday said would be a "joint effort to track and kill insurgents".
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani promised at the weekend to order an independent investigation into allegations that the ISI was involved in the Kabul embassy bombing, after India presented him with new evidence of its culpability, including confirmation that ordnance from a government armament factory were used in the attack.
His backdown came after US, Afghan and Indian intelligence agencies also revealed telecommunications intercepts had led them to conclude the ISI was involved in planning the attack.
But speaking to a Sri Lankan newspaper before returning from the weekend seven-nation regional summit in Colombo, Mr Gilani said: "We reject the Indian allegations levelled against our intelligence agencies and armed forces."
Back to Top
Back to Top
Al-Qaeda woman suspect sent to US
Tuesday, 5 August 2008 BBC News
A Pakistani woman suspected of links with al-Qaeda has been extradited to the US from Afghanistan to face charges of trying to kill American agents.
Aafia Siddiqui, 36, a former US resident, was arrested on 17 July in Afghanistan's Ghazni province.
When US military officials went to pick Mrs Siddiqui up from the detention centre, she fired two rounds at them.
While she did not hit anyone, she was shot in the chest by a US officer who returned fire.
A US attorney said Mrs Siddiqui, who is married with three children and is a former student of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is scheduled to appear at New York's Southern District court.
At the time of her arrest, Mrs Siddiqui was carrying documents on how to make explosives and descriptions of various US landmarks, including in New York City, in her handbag, said Michael Garcia, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Mrs Siddiqui is charged with assaulting US officers and employees and attempting to kill US officers and employees.
If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each charge, Garcia said.
Mrs Siddiqui's lawyer, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, called the charges "a tall story" and disputed claims by the US that her client had gone underground for several years before her capture.
Her family believes that Mrs Siddiqui was secretly held by US agents since her disappearance in Pakistan in 2003, before authorities finally brought charges to justify her detention.
"I believe she's become a terrible embarrassment to them, but she's not a terrorist," Ms Sharp was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
"When the truth comes out, people will see she did nothing wrong."
Back to Top
Back to Top
FACTBOX - Security developments in Afghanistan, August 5
August 5 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Afghanistan reported until 0900 GMT on Tuesday:
KANDAHAR - Five Taliban insurgents died in a clash with Afghan police in southern Kandahar province overnight, an official said on Tuesday. Police suffered no casualties, he said.
HERAT - A roadside bomb hit a convoy of U.S.-led troops and wounded four soldiers in an area of western Herat province late on Monday, the U.S. military said.
(Compiled by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by David Fox)
Back to Top
Back to Top
Clashes leave 16 Taliban militants dead in S Afghanistan
KABUL, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Clashes between the police and Taliban militants have left over 16 militants dead in the restive southern Afghanistan, the police said on Tuesday.
Abdullah Khan, deputy police chief of Kandahar province, told Xinhua that a group of Taliban rebels ambushed and engaged with the police Monday evening in Panj Wayi district.
"The police returned fire and called for reinforcement," Khan said. "One hour's fighting left five rebels dead but caused no casualties of police."
Meanwhile, Juma Gul Humat, police chief of Uruzgan province, confirmed that the police on Monday afternoon launched three separate operations targeting Taliban militants respectively in the Khash Uruzgan, Chora and Charchinu districts.
"Eleven militants were killed including two commanders and five policemen were also wounded in the clashes," Humat said.
Afghanistan has been the scene of increasing insurgency led by Taliban militants in terms of suicide bombings and ambushes though a 70,000-strong foreign troops are deployed.
Conflicts and Taliban-led insurgency have left more than 2,500 people including over 700 civilians so far this year in the war-torn country.
Back to Top
Back to Top
Fuel prices surge in Afghanistan after imports stop
KABUL, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The price of fuel has risen sharply in Afghanistan after major foreign suppliers stopped exports to the landlocked nation, an official said on Tuesday.
The rise has also pushed up prices of food and other commodities in one of the poorest countries of the world which is already struggling to cope with a virulent Taliban insurgency and faces poor harvests this year due to drought.
Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan stopped fuel exports to Afghanistan two months ago in order to maintain their own domestic supplies, the head of Afghanistan's fuel and gas department said.
"That is the main cause for the rise in prices," Azizullah Roozi told Reuters. Prices will likely rise further until September when exports are expected to be resumed, he said.
A litre of diesel cost 58 afghanis ($1.16) at privately owned petrol stattions on Tuesday, compared with 48 afghanis two weeks ago, retailers said, a rise of 21 percent.
The government has also increased prices at state-run stations which sell subsidised fuel a few cents a litre cheaper than private retailers, Roozi said.
Imports from Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan meet around 70 percent of Afghanistan's demand for fuel, he said, while the rest is smuggled illegally from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran.
But the lack of security in the east and southwest, the entry points for imports from the two countries, was also causing some disruption to supplies, Roozi said.
With the approach of winter and the prospect of more fuel price increases in international markets, the government is planning to allocate $50 million to store fuel for emergencies, he said. (Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by Ben Tan)
Back to Top
Back to Top
India completes Zaranj-Delaram highway in Afghanistan
[UNI] - New Delhi, Aug 5 : India has completed the construction of the 218 Km Zaranj-Delaram Highway in South-Western Afghanistan despite attacks by Taliban and the loss of precious lives of Indian nationals working on the project.
The prestigious highway that will connect India with Central Asia will be handed over to the Afghanistan government soon.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who conveyed this to visiting Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai described the construction of the road as ''a major test of our joint resolve.'' Mr Karzai is here on a two-day State visit after attending the 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo. He held talks yesterday with the Prime Minister and other leaders.
''...one of the important infrastructure projects in Western Afghanistan--the road from Zaranj to Delaram--is now complete and will be handed over soon to the Government of Afghanistan.
The construction of this road was a major test of our joint resolve,'' the Prime Minister said.
He described the road as a symbol of India-Afghanistan cooperation and a tribute to the precious Indian and Afghan lives that were lost in making this project a reality.
''The road has brought our two peoples closer together,'' Dr Singh said.
He said India's efforts for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan were part of a larger international endeavour to help the Afghan people in forging a pluralistic and democratic society.
The highway, which has been constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) of the Indian Army, is in Nimroz province and Indian engineers have repeatedly been targeted by the Taliban.
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said recently that Taliban want India out of Afghanistan.
Back to Top
Back to Top
Afghanistan: $50 mln to coax farmers away from opium growing in south
AKI - Adnkronos International
Lashkar Gah, 4 August (AKI) - The US overseas aid agency and the Afghan agriculture minister on Monday unveiled a 50 million dollar investment project to halt opium production in southern Helmand province.
The project is at aimed encouraging farmers in the province switch from opium to other crops. Part of the cash will be spent on a modern agricultural research centre and a new airport at Lashkar Gah - the first purely civilian-controlled airport in Helmand.
Over half of the world's opium was grown in Helmand in 2007. The joint US-Afghan project will give opium growers incentives to cultivate new crops such as pomegranates, pistachio nuts and almonds instead of poppies.
A purpose-built processing centre at the new Lashkar Gah airport will enable the new crops to be properly stored and packaged.
Fighting between Taliban insurgents and NATO forces in Helmand makes it hard to transport perishable produce to markets.
Much of Helmand's opium production was under Taliban control until they were forced to withdraw partially from the province earlier this year.
Ninety percent of the anti-opium project's funding will come from the US government's overseas aid agency (USAID) and 10 percent from the Afghan government.
Some 18 million dollars will be allocated to paving the 2,200-metre (yard) runway, building the new airport terminal and constructing the agricultural centre.
The remainder will be spent on agricultural development in the province, ensuring markets for the farmers and providing technical assistance.
Back to Top
Back to Top
‘I fell in love with Afghanistan’
Financial Times By Ann Marlowe
Belinda Bowling, 34, a lawyer born in South Africa, lives in Kabul and works on environmental issues for the United Nations. A stencil she bought in Paris and applied to a living room wall describes her philosophy: Mets toi ici en plein milieu de la vie. De là, on voit toute chose dans sa perspective réelle. (“Put yourself in the middle of life. From there, one sees everything in its real perspective.”)
What brought you to Afghanistan?
As a child of apartheid and an adolescent witness to the early days of my country’s painful transition to democracy, I’m sensitive to the day-to-day difficulties encountered by a battered population making a transition from one regime to another. When I turned 30 I decided to take a year’s career break from my law firm and explore my fragile sense of national identity by travelling to other countries in transition. My journey took me to Kurdistan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Afghanistan. Entranced by the soft light that envelops Kabul at dusk, I fell in love with Afghanistan immediately. Four and a half years later I’m still here.
Tell me about the garden.
Like many Afghan homes, mine has mature grape vines and fruit-yielding apple, pear, pomegranate and almond trees. Only roses over-winter naturally in Kabul’s snows; I have to dig out the geraniums and other perennials and keep them inside until spring. Each spring I have to replace the flower and vegetable beds with a new topsoil and sand mixture because in this part of the Taimani neighbourhood – as in much of Kabul – the water is contaminated, which makes the soil very saline. But once this is done the seedlings flourish, along with birds and insects.
You have the only house I’ve been to in Afghanistan where you enter directly into the kitchen.
Typically in Afghan homes the kitchen is an outhouse shed, since the fumes from the charcoal-burning stoves are unpleasant, and cooking – done by women, of course – is a low-status activity. I wanted to bring the kitchen into the main house, so I converted the large entrance hall. I installed a modern gas stove, built a breakfast bar, so friends can chat with me while I’m cooking, and added a wall of open shelves to hold all my spices and condiments, most of which I’ve brought back from trips to India, Zanzibar, France and West Africa.
Is the dining room furniture from Afghanistan?
It is from India and Afghanistan. The antique wood-framed and tile-inlaid Venetian mirrors are from Goa and so is the sideboard. The dining room table weighs a ton – it is made from railroad sleepers. It was a nightmare getting it here from India. I eventually flew it in.
The love seat was bought in Kabul from a well-known carpet designer who has branched into furniture design. I had it upholstered in a bold black and white striped kelim made by the nomadic Koochi people.
The circa-1930 gramophone on top of the sideboard is also from India. It works without electricity, which is something that is useful here in Kabul where the municipal power supply is intermittent at best and well-off Afghans and foreigners rely on diesel generators.
Power is a big issue in Kabul, isn’t it?
The wastefulness of generators is morally abhorrent. I have tried to limit the use of mine by installing inverters that store a limited amount of energy in car batteries when there is municipal power. These batteries run appliances such as the fridge, computers and TV in the absence of electricity. I’m in the process of building a beach house in South Africa and am trying to incorporate all the lessons I’ve learnt here regarding energy conservation.
Tell me about your modernist chairs and sofa.
I spotted them by the side of the road at a used furniture shop. I painted the rusted metal black and reupholstered the fabric with white vinyl. Afghans see the style as common but designer friends from abroad have asked where they can find them.
You have a cat. It’s not very Afghan to have her indoors, is it?
No. My Afghan colleagues think I am a bit of a loony foreigner. Having pets is utterly alien to them. Shortly after I arrived in Kabul I found Screw (short for the Screwdriver cocktail – it’s yellow and she’s a ginger cat) in a sewage ditch. It was snowing and she was whimpering because she had been run over by a bicycle. Like all Afghans, she’s a survivor – she pulled through and we’ve been together ever since.
What’s the best part of the house when it’s 40°C in the summer?
The thick mud walls of old Afghan houses like mine keep the soaring temperatures at bay to some extent. However, I prefer to be outside (as long as there is no dusty windstorm). I had a local carpenter make a large wooden daybed, on which are a kelim and kelim-covered floor cushions, and a low coffee table. One can lounge about on it and read and relax or chat with friends. My other indulgence is a kiddie pool. I spend many summer Friday afternoons on a lilo reading and looking up at the children’s kites in the sky.
Back to Top
Back to Top
'Militancy will not run out of steam'
Monday, 4 August 2008 BBC News
Journalist Ahmed Rashid's new book Descent Into Chaos is an investigation into what he describes as the "failure of nation building" in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia and the threat from radical Islam.
Mr Rashid, who has written a best-selling book on the Taleban and is an authority on the region, is also a BBC News website guest columnist. He spoke to the BBC's Soutik Biswas.
BBC: You say Islamic radicalism flourishes in a vacuum and cite the cases of Central Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. What kind of vacuum are you talking about and why has it lasted for such a long time?
The vacuum has been created by the lack of effective state controls, the deprivation of the people and the lack of opportunities such as in education and jobs. In Afghanistan we have seen nearly continuous war since 1978 and in Pakistan the tribal areas have been wilfully neglected since 1948. In Central Asia there has been no attempt to carry out political and economic reforms since these states gained independence in 1991. These vacuums have existed for decades because local governments and the international community have refused to deal with them in a comprehensive manner.
BBC: Going by your book, some things never change in Pakistan - the US's short sighted policies which end up boosting an army which takes power at the slightest opportunity and politicians who refuse to reform and move towards building institutions. Do you see any hope and change from the new government, especially after a rather rocky start?
No genuinely elected political government in Pakistan has ever been allowed to finish a full term in office and then - if disliked by the people - be voted out of office. Democracy has failed to take root largely because the army has never allowed it to take root, but also because the politicians have never practiced democratic norms of behaviour and tried to build institutions rather than personal power bases. Historically the US has never whole-heartedly supported democratic governments in Pakistan preferring to deal with the military - which has not helped secure democracy. Once again the public had high hopes from this elected government but so far they have failed to come up to expectations.
BBC: You say that the US has consistently blundered and ended up mollycoddling dictators in Pakistan. Do you think that a new Democratic administration under Barack Obama would change that or will it be less of the same?
I am very hopeful that a new Democratic administration would be more positive to the Muslim world in general than what we have seen from President Bush. In particular I hope that they would make a better attempt at understanding the root causes of Islamic extremism and help weak states deal with them - the need for economic and social improvement, a genuine diplomatic effort to resolve outstanding issues like Palestine and Kashmir and the promotion of democracy. In Pakistan you have a situation when most of the public are supporting Obama but the establishment, including the army, is very wary of him because of the kinds of demands that he may make upon them.
BBC: Do you think the new "war against terrorism" is going to be fought in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), which you mention as the world's "Terrorism Central"? How serious is the situation?
Fata is now almost entirely controlled by the Pakistani Taleban militias who in turn provide protection to the Afghan Taleban and to al-Qaeda. Over the last few years the army has failed to protect those tribal elders and people opposed to the Taleban, as a result they have either been killed or fled. There are at present between 200,000 and 400,000 refugees from Fata scattered in other parts of Pakistan - a huge number considering there are only about three million people who live there. Now the Pakistani Taleban are expanding their area of control in the settled areas of the North West Frontier Province and have reached Attock on the Indus river, which is really the cultural and social dividing line between Afghanistan-Central Asia and Punjab and the Indian subcontinent. This is a very dangerous development.
BBC: Across the border, in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai has come under severe criticism for running an ineffectual administration which is weak against warlords and corruption. Do you think Afghanistan requires a new leader?
The international community should do everything possible to hold free and fair elections by the autumn of 2009 so that the Afghans can decide for themselves whether Hamid Karzai has been an effective leader or not. Any pre-cooking of the elections by the international community or interference by any of Afghanistan's neighbours could lead to a civil war situation in the country as ethnic tensions, exasperated by the Taleban insurgency and the weak government, are on the rise. If elections are not held because of the worsening security situation I fear there will be much greater chaos.
BBC: Do you see any signs of a developing Afghan nationalism of sorts, where traditionally hostile ethnic groups are ready to bury the hatchet and share power together? After a quarter of century of war, and seven years after the fall of the Taleban this should have happened, don't you think?
The key to this happening is reconstruction of the country. We have seen that the most successful programmes in Afghanistan have been national programmes, such as the rebuilding of schools and education, health clinics and the national solidarity programme that reaches into villages. Unfortunately, there have not been enough of these programmes and more importantly reconstruction of the infrastructure - that would help kick start the national economy - has been neglected. How can Afghans prosper or unite when only six to 10% have electricity and when you cannot create industry? The Afghan people have had enough of war and are looking for the opportunity to live in peace but that cannot happen without some degree of economic security.
BBC : Do you believe that Afghanistan's experiment with democracy is fundamentally flawed because of lack of political parties?
It is the lack of political parties and the refusal of President Karzai to allow elections to be run by political parties that is one of the main causes why democracy and parliament are not becoming more effective. I hope the government will see sense and hold the next elections under a political party system because without that we only continue political warlordism, the concentration of politics around individuals and the failure to build state institutions.
BBC: How do you see prospects for peace in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India in the next five years? Do you think militancy will run out of steam and peace efforts will gain momentum?
Militancy will not run out of steam until there is a more comprehensive and regional approach to dealing with the issue. We are seeing the growth of Pakistani Taleban, Central Asian Taleban and even now a small group of Iranian Taleban (Iranian Sunni Baloch opposed to the Teheran regime). Stemming this tide needs a major international diplomatic initiative which must include securing the end of interference by neighbouring states in Afghanistan's domestic affairs, ending India and Pakistan's rivalry in Kabul which is replacing Kashmir as the main area of antagonism, talking to Iran and making it part of the international effort to help Afghanistan, trying to urge greater reforms in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan so that their young people out of despair do not travel south to join up with al-Qaeda and the Taleban.
Back to Top
Back to Top
DynCorp International Selected to Continue Police Training in Afghanistan
Tuesday, Aug. 05, 2008 Centre Daily Times
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — The U.S. Department of State has awarded DynCorp International (NYSE:DCP) a new task order for the Afghanistan Civilian Advisor Support (ACAS) program under the International Civilian Police (CIVPOL) contract.
The new task order has a value of $317.4 million over a performance period of 18 months. DynCorp International has provided and supported civilian police advisors in Afghanistan under the CIVPOL program since 2003, and is also working under the CIVPOL contract to strengthen law enforcement institutions and activities in Haiti, Sudan, Liberia, and Afghanistan, and for the Palestinian Authority.
Under the task order, DynCorp International will provide at least 580 civilian police advisors to advise, train, and mentor the Afghanistan National Police and the Ministry of Interior. These police advisors will assist the U.S. State Department and the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan to meet the U.S. goals of increasing Afghanistan's overall capability to provide police presence, improve public security, and support the rule of law. DynCorp International will also provide support services for the civilian police advisors, including life and mission support, security services, and IT and communication services.
"This is more than a contract for us," said DynCorp International CEO William L. Ballhaus. "It's an opportunity to contribute to peace, stability, and democracy in the world, something very few companies get the chance to do. It's an honor to support our government's efforts to improve people's lives, for us as a company and for every person who serves on the CIVPOL program."
About DynCorp International
DynCorp International is a provider of specialized mission-critical services to civilian and military government agencies worldwide, and operates major programs in law enforcement training and support, security services, base operations, aviation services, contingency operations, and logistics support. DynCorp International is headquartered in Falls Church, Va. For more information, visit www.dyn-intl.com.
Back to Top
Back to Top
American-trained neuroscientist charged with trying to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
By Eric Schmitt International Herald Tribune Tuesday, August 5, 2008
WASHINGTON: An American-trained Pakistani neuroscientist with ties to operatives of Al Qaeda has been charged with trying to kill American soldiers and FBI agents in a police station in Afghanistan last month, and was scheduled to face a judge in New York on Tuesday, the U.S. Justice Department.
The scientist, Aafia Siddiqui, who studied at Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was transferred Monday to New York and was expected to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of attempted murder and assault, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York said in a statement.
Siddiqui disappeared with her three children while visiting her parents' home in Karachi, Pakistan, in March 2003, leading human rights groups and her family to believe that she was being secretly held.
But in interviews and in a criminal complaint made public Monday, U.S. officials said they had had no knowledge of Siddiqui's location for five years, until July 17, when Siddiqui and a teenage boy were seized in Ghazni, Afghanistan, after the local authorities became suspicious of their loitering outside the provincial governor's compound.
When they searched Siddiqui's handbag, the police found documents describing the creation of explosives. She also carried sealed bottles and glass jars filled with liquids and gels.
The Pakistani ambassador to Washington sought consular access to Siddiqui on Monday, a day after she was taken into custody, Pakistan's state-run news agency said.
Meanwhile, a U.S. team of two FBI agents, two soldiers and interpreters went to the police station to talk to her. The FBI has wanted her for questioning since May 2004, a Justice Department spokesman said.
The complaint gave the following account of what happened next.
Americans entered a room in the police station, unaware that Siddiqui was being held there, unsecured, behind a curtain. One of the soldiers, a warrant officer, sat down and placed his M-4 rifle on the floor next to the curtain.
Shortly after the meeting began, the other soldier, a captain, heard a woman yelling from behind the curtain. He turned to see Siddiqui pointing the warrant officer's rifle at him.
The interpreter sitting closest to Siddiqui lunged at her and pushed the rifle away as she pulled the trigger and shouted, "God is great!" She fired at least two shots, but no one was hit. The warrant officer returned fire, hitting Siddiqui at least once in the torso.
Siddiqui struggled when officers tried to subdue her, shouting in English that she wanted to kill Americans. She eventually lost consciousness.
Siddiqui was charged Monday with one count of trying to kill U.S. officers and employees and one count of assaulting the officers and employees, the Justice Department said. If convicted she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count.
The wild scene in the police station is the latest chapter in one of the strangest episodes in the U.S. campaign against terrorism.
Human rights groups and a lawyer for Siddiqui, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, said they believed that Siddiqui had been secretly held since 2003, much of the time at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
"We believe Aafia has been in custody ever since she disappeared," Sharp said in an interview before the complaint was made public, "and we're not willing to believe that the discovery of Aafia in Afghanistan is coincidence."
But U.S. military and intelligence officials said Siddiqui had been in Pakistan for most of the past five years until she was seized by the Afghan authorities.
"She was not in U.S. custody," said a senior American intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the pending legal action.
U.S. intelligence agencies have said that Siddiqui has links to at least two of the 14 men suspected of being high-level members of Al Qaeda who were moved to the U.S. detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in September 2006.
A government statement said that Siddiqui had helped Majid Khan, a former Baltimore resident and terrorism suspect now being held in Guantánamo, get documents to re-enter the United States.
The statement said Khan had been directed by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the chief organizer of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to conduct research on poisoning reservoirs and blowing up service stations in the United States.
The statement said Khan had delivered money for terrorist attacks to another operative and discussed a plan to smuggle explosives. The government also said that Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, known as Ammar al-Baluchi, ordered Siddiqui to help get Khan's paperwork.
Mark Mazzetti and Eric Lichtblau contributed reporting from Washington, and William K. Rashbaum from New York.
Back to Top
Back to Top
AIDS adds sting to Afghanistan misery
In a nation already suffering from plagues both natural and man-made, the rising prevalence of HIV—exacerbated by ignorance and drug addiction—threatens to become an epidemic, writes Tribu
Chicago Tribune, United States By Kim Barker Tribune correspondent August 5, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan-The man, thin as a coat rack, said he started shooting heroin because a friend told him it was easier to quit the needle than to stop smoking the drug. His friend died, and now the young man is dying too.
The addict is 28, but sharp cheekbones and tiny wrinkles around his lips make him look much older. His is the face of AIDS in Afghanistan, a conservative Islamic country that has been reluctant to acknowledge the problem the disease poses.
A former refugee in Iran, he said he tested positive in March and already has full-blown AIDS. His fate is fairly certain. There is no treatment for AIDS in Afghanistan yet.
"Life is just passing, one day starving, one day a full stomach," he said, crying and wiping his eyes where he sleeps on the floor of the bombed-out grounds of the Russian cultural center, now home to as many as 1,000 itinerant drug addicts. He did not want to be identified because of the shame associated with the disease here.
In a country plagued by war and Islamic militants, by one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world, by malnutrition and starvation and even by locusts, AIDS has arrived. So far the Afghan government has officially identified only 435 cases of HIV — a small number, considering how many there are in neighboring countries—but international and Afghan health experts say there are likely thousands in Afghanistan.
1 scourge falls, 2nd rises The rising number of cases is the unexpected fallout of the end of the strict Taliban regime in 2001, the rise in Afghan-grown heroin use and the intrusion of the world into this once-isolated, war-torn country that is now a focus of U.S. and Western efforts to contain the terrorist threat in South Asia.
AIDS now is a test for the government of President Hamid Karzai, caught between Western backers and conservative clerics, many of whom believe AIDS victims deserve their fate.
"You see where Afghanistan is going," said Dr. Saif-ur-Rehman, director of the National HIV/AIDS Control Program in the Health Ministry. "How do we tackle this problem before it turns into a major fire, an epidemic?"
Although there were cases of HIV before in Afghanistan — the first was registered in 1989 — only a handful were identified. The Taliban health minister insisted in 1998 that there was no AIDS in Afghanistan, because it was against Islam.
But after the Taliban fled, refugees addicted to heroin and opium returned from Iran and Pakistan, some bringing HIV with them. More and more Afghans who never left the country are now using drugs and injecting them as the heroin trade booms in the post-Taliban era.
More long-distance truck drivers are carrying goods to this landlocked country and using Afghan prostitutes. Sex between men, never acknowledged, is common, health workers say.
The conditions could be ripe for many more cases, especially given the average Afghan's ignorance of the disease. Nationwide, the medical infrastructure is rudimentary at best, and many doctors know nothing about AIDS. Most people are illiterate, and women have such a low status that they cannot insist on condoms.
Several parliament members at a budget debate in March described people living with the disease as "criminals and adulterers who deserve death."
Hiring Afghan doctors for HIV-prevention programs can be difficult. Hospitals often refuse to treat addicts.
"To recruit a doctor willing to work with drug users is a nightmare," said Carole Berrih, general coordinator with Doctors of the World, a French aid group that runs a clean-needle and education program for addicts.
Last year, the government's HIV testing center in Kabul conducted 6,700 tests, but mostly for people going abroad for work or school. That's a tiny amount, considering that about 4 million people live in the capital.
Some gains in fight But some Afghans and many international donors are waking up to the problem. The amount of money devoted to the government AIDS program has increased from $100,000 in 2003 to a total of more than $23 million as of this year, officials said. Six centers in Afghanistan now test for HIV and hand out condoms. Another program tests drug addicts in the field. Other programs target sex workers.
The UN and international aid groups soon will pay for anti-retroviral drugs to start treating patients.
UNAIDS is supposed to set up a program here soon. Clean-needle programs will be expanded throughout the country, including to jails in eight cities. Education campaigns are planned. Doctors of the World is hoping to bring methadone to Afghanistan to wean addicts off heroin; with methadone, HIV-positive addicts could be stable enough for treatment.
There is some evidence that the message is working, in Kabul at least.
At the Russian cultural center, where anti-American films were shown in the 1980s and addicts now shoot up and smoke heroin amid piles of trash and human waste, there are also plenty of wrappers from disposable needles. The addicts know about AIDS and that they should not share needles—although some do.
Last week, one man known for sharing needles was lying on the floor on his side, breathing fast, unable to talk. When other addicts lifted his blanket, sores could be seen over his entire body. The next day, his friends tried to get him help, but no hospital would take him. Friends and aid workers later said he had died.
Abdul Hamid, 36, squatted as a friend shot heroin into his arm with a new needle. Hamid said he has been addicted since a rocket killed his wife and two children in the civil war. He started using needles 1 1/2 years ago and recently tested negative for HIV.
"I know nothing about AIDS," he said. "But I have heard it's a dangerous sickness and can kill you. I've heard from some people that it's even more dangerous than cancer."
Kim Barker is the Tribune's South Asia correspondent.
kbarker@tribune.com
Back to Top
Back to Top
Airlines blame airfare hikes on fuel costs
www.quqnoos.com Written by Zabihullah Jhanmal Monday, 04 August 2008
Dramatic increases in the cost of a plane ticket blamed on oil prices
RISING fuel costs have forced airline companies operating in Afghanistan to impose dramatic increases on the cost of a plane ticket, the government and plane companies say.
The price of a plane ticket has risen by as much as 70%, putting air travel beyond the reach of many Afghan businessmen.
The Ministry of Transport and Aviation said plane companies had increased ticket prices without obeying government regulations.
National and private plane companies are legally allowed to increase airfares by a maximum of 20%, the ministry said.
Head of Kam Air, Captain Jahid, said: "We have lots of problems, which also include the increase in oil prices. Right now we buy a ton of oil for $1,800, which we were buying for $700 in the past."
The ministry said Safi Airways, Pamir Airways, Kam Air and the national carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines have all increased airfares, especially foreign tickets, by at least 50%.
All the airlines say the rising cost of oil and steep taxes have forced them to raise ticket prices.
The companies also complain that they are only allowed to land for 16 hours in Kabul International Airport but are forced to pay for the full 24 hours.
The minister for transportation and aviation, Hamidullah Qadri, said: "We had meetings with these companies and we hope to solve this problem as soon as possible. We have determined a maximum 20% increase for the air tickets."
One Kabuli said air travel was the only way to guarantee a traveller’s safety because of the insecurity on the country’s roads.
Another said many Afghans were unable to afford the new air tickets.
The government plans to build 15 local and international airports throughout the country in the next three years. Work to build an airport in the country’s volatile southern province of Helmand has already begun.
Back to Top
Back to Top
'Child rape may plunge country into anarchy'
www.quqnoos.com Written by Tamim Hamid Monday, 04 August 2008
Sex attacks on Afghan children continue to rise, rights group says
AN AFGHAN human rights organisation has said the increase in the number of child rapes may drag the country into anarchy.
Child rapes have risen sharply in recent years, according to Afghanistan’s Human Rights Organisation (AHRO), which claims most of the sexual assaults are carried out by government officials and other powerful men.
A two and a half-year-old girl was recently raped in the northern province of Jowzjan. The child is thought to be in a critical condition in hospital.
In the last month, five children have been raped in the country, the AHRO said.
Head of the organisation, Lal Gul, said: "The situation is getting more critical every day. The government must not be quiet and must do its best to stop this problem. Law must be enforced equally on everyone."
Most rapes in Afghanistan go unrecorded because families fail to report them under pressure from criminals, AHRO said.
The Interior Ministry recently arrested and then fired five security officials in the northern province of Sar-e-Pul for failing to properly investigate the rape of a 12-year-old girl.
Badakhshan MP Sadullah Abo Aman said: "Such crimes have increased so much that even children are raped. There is no pity, nor any sense. These incidents show that the government is very weak."
Abdul Hameed Aimaq, a senator from Kunduz, said: "The courts take bribes, the attorney offices take bribes, and there is no one to ask about all this. For this reason, there are killings, rapes, thefts, and everything else. There is no government in reality."
The Interior Ministry refused to comment on the rape of the two and a half-year-old girl in Jowzjan.
Back to Top
Disclaimer:
This news site is mostly a compilation of publicly accessible articles
on the Web in the form of a link or saved news item. The news articles
and commentaries/editorials are protected under international copyright
laws. All credit goes to the original respective source(s).