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Afghan president clashes with US envoy
By Heidi Vogt And Amir Shah, Associated Press Writers – Fri Aug 28, 8:23 am ET
KABUL – President Hamid Karzai angrily accused the U.S. of pushing for a runoff in the Afghan presidential election during a heated meeting with the special envoy to the region, officials familiar with the encounter said Friday.
Accusations Of Vote Fraud Multiply in Afghanistan
Complaints on All Sides Threaten to Discredit Result, Hinder U.S. Policy
By Joshua Partlow and Pamela Constable Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, August 28, 2009
MAZAR-E SHARIF, Afghanistan -- One week after Afghanistan's presidential election, with the winner still undeclared, increasing accusations of fraud and voter coercion threaten to undermine the validity of the results
Obama's envoy Holbrooke 'in heated row' with Karzai
Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 August 2009 02.02 BST
The US special envoy to Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, had a heated row with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, in the aftermath of the election, according to reports. Sources described the meeting as "a dramatic bust up" and "explosive", according to the BBC.
US Afghan 'row' worries Ashdown
Friday, 28 August 2009 01:03 UK BBC News
A senior British diplomat has said an "explosive" meeting between the US special envoy to Afghanistan and the country's president is very worrying.
Analysis: Vote snarls US job instead of easing it
By ANNE GEARAN
WASHINGTON —(AP)— Inconclusive election results in Afghanistan, disappointing voter turnout and the prospect of rising ethnic tensions and political turmoil are new roadblocks to the Obama administration's plan to turn around a backsliding war.
Quick Declaration in Afghan Presidential Election Unlikely
By Steve Herman VOA News 28 August 2009
Hopes are fading in Afghanistan of quickly declaring last week's presidential election a success amid widespread fraud allegations. Additional, partial results from the on-going vote count are not due to be released until Saturday.
US Concerned About Alleged Drug Ties of Karzai Running Mate
By David Gollust VOA News State Department 27 August 2009
A senior State Department official said Thursday that the United States is concerned about reported links between one of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's vice presidential running mates and the country's illegal drug trade.
UN plans Afghanistan summit in Kabul
Diplomats want to shore up whatever government is formed by holding first ever top-level meeting in capital
Jon Boone in Kabul guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 August 2009 13.59 BST
The United Nations is planning to host an international summit on the future of Afghanistan for the first time in Kabul – an attempt to bestow credibility on the new government that emerges from the country's bitterly contested presidential election.
British PM, Pakistani president discuss Afghanistan
LONDON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Friday discussed a range of regional issues, including Afghanistan, local media reported.
New British Army chief pledges Afghanistan focus
Reuters via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News - Aug 28 4:18 AM
The country's new army chief General David Richards took command on Friday, pledging to focus on the conflict in Afghanistan where 9,000 British soldiers are on duty. Skip related content
Turkey to Increase Military Presence in Afghanistan (Update1)
By Steve Bryant
Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Turkey pledged to double its contribution to peacekeeping in Afghanistan, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
Feared Taliban grab of Kandahar would be significant blow to U.S.
By Noor Khan and Nahal Toosi Associated Press 08/27/2009 11:23:16 PM CDT
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Southern Afghanistan's largest city, Kandahar, is slipping back under Taliban control as overstretched U.S. troops focus on clearing insurgents from the countryside
New U.K. Army Chief Faces Two Battles: Taliban and Resources
Wall Street Journal By ALISTAIR MACDONALD AUGUST 28, 2009
When Gen. Sir David Richards takes over as head of the British army on Friday he inherits two battlefields: the war in Afghanistan, and a battle for resources between the U.K.'s military and government.
August deadliest month for US in Afghanistan
By Heidi Vogt And Amir Shah, Associated Press Writers
KABUL – An American service member died in a bomb blast in Afghanistan on Friday, making August the deadliest month of the eight-year war for U.S. forces.
NATO wants troops to boost Afghan forces training
By Ibon Villelabeitia – Fri Aug 28, 9:10 am ET
ANKARA (Reuters) – NATO's secretary-general urged member countries on Friday to increase the training of Afghan security forces and said the alliance would stay in Afghanistan "as long as it takes".
Afghanistan: NATO chief calls for more local soldiers
Ankara, 28 August (AKI) - NATO's secretary-general has urged member countries to step up the training of Afghan security forces but said the alliance would remain in Afghanistan for "as long as it takes".
19 Pakistanis killed in suicide bombing at Afghanistan crossing
Associated Press August 28, 2009
Peshawar, Pakistan - A suicide bomber attacked the main border crossing for convoys ferrying supplies to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 19 security officers, officials said.
Australia mulls changes after 2 Afghan police shot
AP via Yahoo! News - Aug 28 1:19 AM
CANBERRA, Australia – The Defense Department will consider changing check point procedures in Afghanistan after Australian soldiers shot two Afghan police officers, one fatally, an army general said Friday.
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Afghan president clashes with US envoy
By Heidi Vogt And Amir Shah, Associated Press Writers – Fri Aug 28, 8:23 am ET
KABUL – President Hamid Karzai angrily accused the U.S. of pushing for a runoff in the Afghan presidential election during a heated meeting with the special envoy to the region, officials familiar with the encounter said Friday.
The reported exchange was another sign of strains between the U.S. and Afghan authorities. An Afghan lawmaker accused the U.S. of violating international and Islamic law by firing on a clinic where a wounded Taliban commander had taken refuge. U.S. officials said they attacked only after taking gunfire and determining there were no civilians inside.
The verbal exchange occurred the day after the Aug. 20 vote during a meeting in Kabul between Karzai and U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke, according to two officials who were briefed about the meeting. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
They said Karzai assured Holbrooke that he would accept the election results but bristled when the envoy asked if he would also agree to a runoff if none of the 36 candidates won over 50 percent, the officials said.
An angry Karzai accused the U.S. of pushing the idea of a second round even before all the votes had been counted and he would accept the election commission's tabulation as long as they reflected the facts. He did not elaborate.
Final results are due next month but preliminary figures released this week show Karzai leading former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and 34 other candidates but falling short of the 50 percent mark needed to avoid a runoff.
The U.S. Embassy confirmed the Aug. 21 meeting and said the two discussed the election but would not go into details.
"There was no shouting and no one stormed out," said Caitlin Hayden, an embassy spokeswoman. She noted that Holbrooke and Karzai met again a few days later.
"Whether there is a runoff is an issue for the Afghan electoral bodies to determine," she added.
Karzai's office also confirmed the meeting but gave no further details.
"We are not discussing the contents of discussions that take place between the president and a foreign representative," said Karzai spokesman Humayun Hamidzada.
Strains in U.S.-Afghan relations emerged after President Barack Obama's administration took office this year. Karzai enjoyed close ties with the Bush administration, which helped propel him to power after the collapse of the Taliban government in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
U.S. officials have accused Karzai of weak leadership in the face of the resurgent Taliban, corruption and the flourishing drug trade. However, the U.S. has insisted it is neutral in the election and will work with whoever wins.
In another sign of strain, The New York Times reported this week that the Obama administration is alarmed at the prospect that Karzai's running mate, Mohammad Qasim Fahim, may be linked to the drug trade.
Quoting an unidentified administration official, the newspaper said that if Fahim becomes vice president, the U.S. would likely consider imposing sanctions such as refusing him a U.S. visa or going after his personal finances.
A U.S. official in Washington confirmed the essence of the report, saying there were "a number of individuals" whom the U.S. would not like to see in a future Afghan government. The official said the U.S. had conveyed those sentiments to the Afghan government. He spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.
Relations between the Americans and Afghans have also been strained by the U.S. policy of detaining suspected insurgents without charge and killing civilians in military operations. The new U.S. commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has issued new orders sharply limiting use of airstrikes and encouraging U.S. troops to protect civilians.
Nevertheless, friction persists.
On Friday, an Afghan lawmaker accused the U.S. military of violating Islamic and international law by using a helicopter gunship to fire on a medical clinic two days before where an injured Taliban commander had bunkered down. The U.S. military said it cleared the clinic of civilians and that government officials approved the use of the helicopter to end the firefight.
After the battle, Afghan and U.S. forces met with villagers and discussed rebuilding the clinic, a U.S. summary of the meeting said. The wounded Taliban commander was taken prisoner.
"There must have been another way or tactic to use to get to him without destroying the hospital," said lawmaker Khalid Faroqi.
"It is an offense to shoot on a hospital like that," he said. "The international forces should have higher standards than the insurgents."
Human rights group Amnesty International has urged NATO forces to launch a "transparent, credible" investigation into the attack, saying the military alliance may have violated international laws of war that protect wounded fighters getting medical aid.
Afghanistan's health minister said insurgents violated the sanctity of the clinic by bringing their guns into the clinic. He said they hid the weapons under their clothes, and that they were the first to fire. The Taliban turned the clinic into a bunker, he said, and the U.S. forces were needed to rout them out.
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Associated Press Writer Matt Lee contributed to this report from Washington.
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Accusations Of Vote Fraud Multiply in Afghanistan
Complaints on All Sides Threaten to Discredit Result, Hinder U.S. Policy
By Joshua Partlow and Pamela Constable Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, August 28, 2009
MAZAR-E SHARIF, Afghanistan -- One week after Afghanistan's presidential election, with the winner still undeclared, increasing accusations of fraud and voter coercion threaten to undermine the validity of the results, deepen dangerous regional divisions and hamper the Obama administration's goals in this volatile country.
With U.S. popular support for the war in Afghanistan wavering, an election viewed as illegitimate by many Afghans would be a major setback for President Obama, who has increased U.S. military and economic efforts in a conflict central to his foreign policy. Officials worry that a Kabul government tainted by allegations of election-stealing or destabilized by a potentially violent backlash could derail U.S. efforts to beat back a resurgent Taliban and build Afghan security forces.
In interviews here in the capital of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan, the governor, election officials and residents described incidents of ballot-box stuffing and voter intimidation, particularly by election monitors. The many allegations of fraud add to the chorus of doubts from candidates and observers in other parts of the country about the fairness of the election process.
In a jailhouse interview, election monitor Abdul Hakim Ghafurzai, bruised and bloodied and slumped in his cell, said he knows how it feels to challenge election fraud in Afghanistan. "I am in pain," said Ghafurzai, who alleged he was beaten and arrested after complaining that police outside this northern city shut down polling places because people were voting for President Hamid Karzai.
"Fraud has taken place by the Independent Election Commission, and there were also many threats," said Atta Mohammad Noor, the governor of Balkh, who broke with Karzai before the election and backed his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, who is very popular in the north. "If this government wins through fraud, I won't be with this government."
All five leading candidates have filed complaints of ballot-box stuffing or destruction, intimidation and pressure on voters at polling stations, and ballots cast by phantom voters. One candidate, former anti-drug official Mirwais Yasini, personally delivered boxes full of shredded ballots to the foreign-led Election Complaints Commission. Yasini and five other candidates issued a joint statement this week saying the election was marred by "widespread fraud and intimidation" that threatened to "increase tension and violence in the country."
Because the complaint process is slow and cumbersome, officials at the complaints commission office in Kabul said they do not expect to finish their investigations until mid-September, at least two weeks after the official election results are announced. That could create public tension and possible unrest, especially if Karzai is announced as the winner before the numerous complaints have been resolved.
Karzai and Abdullah have denied allegations that their followers committed systematic fraud.
In the past week, Abdullah has held two news conferences to allege "widespread rigging" by the Karzai administration, its campaign aides and employees of the Independent Election Commission. He has shown reporters thick blocks of ballots with identical check marks next to Karzai's name and photograph, and shown videos of people sitting on the floor in closed polling stations and systematically marking ballot after ballot.
Legislators and other leaders in a number of provinces, especially those threatened by insurgent violence such as Kandahar, Khost and Wardak, have complained that at polling stations where very few people were able to vote because of insecurity, sealed ballot boxes inexplicably full of hundreds of ballots were sent to Kabul.
Election observers have described northern Afghanistan as a place where the election proceeded relatively peacefully, with as many as half of registered voters going to the polls -- far more than in some Taliban strongholds in the south. But interviews with those monitoring the election here and looking into allegations of irregularities painted a bleaker portrait that implicated the followers of both Karzai and Abdullah.
"I was a witness to fraud, and I couldn't do anything to stop it," said a female election monitor at a voting site in Barga village, in this province, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. She said her fellow staff members voted at least 100 times for Abdullah and forced other residents to make the same choice. "I was really upset. The voting system was not good. People didn't have the right to choose," she said.
At least one polling center was set ablaze, destroying all records, and an election supervisor was gunned down while driving with boxes of ballots, said the top provincial election official, Dur Mohammad.
"Some candidates bought off the election officials. I think there were several cases," said Mahgul Yamam, the head of the Election Complaints Commission in Balkh. "The system is not great in Afghanistan."
In a jailhouse interview, Ghafurzai, 47, the top election monitor in the Chimtal district outside Mazar-e Sharif, said he received a phone call about 3:30 p.m. on election day that police were shutting down polling centers in his district because too many people were voting for Karzai.
"Police interfered with the counting. They didn't let people vote; they locked the boxes," he said.
Ghafurzai said that he alerted his provincial superiors about the problem, and that the next day, while counting votes at the Wali Asr High School, he was visited by the local police commander and three of his guards.
The guards "punched me and kicked me," he said, showing his bruised arms and back and blood-speckled scarf. "I said, 'Why are you arresting me? You have no documents.' They didn't say anything. They just handcuffed me and took me away."
Ghafurzai is accused of assaulting the police commander, a charge he denies. Noor, the governor, described the matter as unrelated to politics and as a personal dispute between the police commander and the official, but he said he had formed a team to investigate the incident. Noor said Abdullah won 3,988 votes in the Chimtal district, compared with 2,287 for Karzai.
One tribal elder from Chimtal, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Abdullah supporters collected registration cards from poor villagers and cast votes themselves. He said these supporters offered food -- taken from Red Crescent aid supplies delivered to the area this year after a flood -- in exchange for the voting cards.
"I am the elder of the tribe. People share their problems with me. I know this was going on," he said.
Palwa Shah, a 20-year-old university student, said that the polling site she attended was decorated with posters of Abdullah and that the election staff members and police there told people to vote for him.
"That voting center was not free. People could not choose their own candidate. They were being forced; they were not happy," said Shah, who voted in the Dehdadi district of Balkh. "They said, 'If you don't vote for Abdullah, the security situation could get worse, and you won't be able to live here anymore.' "
At the Election Complaints Commission office in Kabul this week, teams of workers began sorting through thousands of brown envelopes filled with complaint forms. More than 80 percent were blank, officials said, suggesting that there were few problems with fraud or, more likely, that many people were reluctant to file complaints for fear of retaliation or because they were illiterate. Few forms have been received from the southern regions, where fraud is generally thought to have been the most widespread.
"One reason so few forms were filled in may be because people didn't trust them," said Nellika Little, a public information official at the commission. "They do have to be in writing. If someone is being intimidated at a polling station, are they really going to complain to the officials there?"
Little said the commission had received nearly 1,500 formal complaints, including 150 that it considers potentially serious enough to affect the result of the election. Those 150 cases are being investigated by teams of professionals, including some who are traveling to the districts where they originated to question witnesses and officials.
Commission officials said many complaints would be difficult to investigate because they are vague and contain little or no evidence.
"I'm really worried about the result of the election. All the candidates are complaining, and they are feeling there were many problems," said Farid Muttaqi, a human rights worker in Mazar-e Sharif. "For sure the people will not cooperate with the government or feel they are a part of this government. And this could give a chance for the Taliban to come and do their work here."
Constable reported from Kabul.
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Obama's envoy Holbrooke 'in heated row' with Karzai
Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 August 2009 02.02 BST
The US special envoy to Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, had a heated row with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, in the aftermath of the election, according to reports. Sources described the meeting as "a dramatic bust up" and "explosive", according to the BBC.
Holbrooke is said to have challenged Karzai over allegations of ballot-stuffing and fraud and suggested that a run-off to decide the next president – which would be held if no candidate obtained more than 50% of the votes – would boost the credibility of the democratic process.
Karzai reportedly reacted angrily to Holbrooke's criticisms, which also focused on deals struck by the incumbent president with warlords in a bid to garner support before the election. The tense meeting, held on the day after the poll, was said to have been noticeably briefer than a discussion Holbrooke held with Karzai's main rival for president, Abdullah Abdullah.
Abdullah and international observers have been critical of the conduct of the vote. Britain's ambassador, Mark Sedwill, said on Wednesday that the authorities were investigating 200 allegations of electoral fraud, 35 to 40 of which could be "material to the outcome" if upheld.
With 17% of the votes counted, Karzai had 45% of the votes compared with Abdullah's 35%, according to the official election commission. The final election result is not expected until 17 September, with a preliminary result expected between 3 and 7 September.
A spokesman for the US embassy in Kabul rejected reports that there had been shouting, or that Holbrooke had stormed out of the meeting. A spokesman for the presidential palace also denied that there had been a row.
Relations between the US and Afghanistan have been strained since Barack Obama entered the White House. Senior figures in Washington have criticised the alleged incompetence and corruption of Karzai's administration, while Karzai has hit back by insisting he is not a puppet of the international community.
US plans to push for a western-style chief executive to work under the president are seen as reflecting a lack of faith in the ability of whoever wins the election to curb corruption and extend the influence of the Kabul government in the face of Taliban advances.
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US Afghan 'row' worries Ashdown
Friday, 28 August 2009 01:03 UK BBC News
A senior British diplomat has said an "explosive" meeting between the US special envoy to Afghanistan and the country's president is very worrying.
US special envoy Richard Holbrooke is believed to have complained about the use of fraud in last week's election.
But Lord Ashdown, a former special envoy to Bosnia who was put forward as special envoy to Afghanistan, said foreign interference was "unhelpful".
He said foreign criticism could "de-legitimise the whole process".
Lord Ashdown told the BBC: "I think if there are doubts about corruption in the election, etc, it would be far better, at least in the first instance, to let the Afghan procedures with UN support run their course before jumping to conclusions."
Taliban 'could benefit'
Lord Ashdown added that undermining the election could have disastrous consequences.
He said: "The effect of it could be to de-legitimise the whole process.
"If it is the case that the Americans by some form or another have declared these elections illegitimate as it were, have undermined the legitimacy of the electoral process, then our capacity to be able to win back the support of the Pashtun tribes from the Taliban is lessened.
"And the people this is likely to help most are the Taliban themselves."
Mr Holbrooke is believed to have complained about the use of fraud in last week's election by some members of the president's campaign team - as well as by other candidates.
Sources report that Mr Karzai reacted very angrily to the accusations, although a spokesman for the presidential palace has denied the account of the conversation.
A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Kabul denied there had been any shouting or that Mr Holbrooke had stormed out.
There have been growing doubts over the legitimacy of the Afghan elections following reports of fraud and corruption.
An investigation by the BBC found evidence that thousands of voting cards have been offered for sale and thousands of dollars have been offered in bribes to buy votes.
Low turn-out
There have also been concerns over low voter turnout after was revealed that in one region of about 55,000 voters, only 150 people cast their ballots.
The low turnout triggered particular controversy as it follows hard on the bloodiest month so far for British soldiers in Afghanistan, who are said to be fighting in part to secure democracy for the country.
The Foreign Office has said reports about low turnout during are "anecdotal".
The Ministry of Defence insists British troops "know exactly" what they are fighting for and that their efforts had brought security to the region.
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Analysis: Vote snarls US job instead of easing it
By ANNE GEARAN
WASHINGTON —(AP)— Inconclusive election results in Afghanistan, disappointing voter turnout and the prospect of rising ethnic tensions and political turmoil are new roadblocks to the Obama administration's plan to turn around a backsliding war.
The U.S. had hoped the national voting, run by Afghans themselves with heavy international backing, would demonstrate that stability was within reach in Afghanistan and worth the steep price in dollars, time and American combat deaths.
Instead, the presidential election last week highlighted old problems and pointed to disturbing new challenges, including the prospect of political paralysis and parochial squabbling while U.S. combat deaths soar.
August is on pace to be the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the war began nearly eight years ago. A U.S. service member died Thursday in a militant attack involving a roadside bomb and gunfire, bringing to 44 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Afghanistan this month.
With the war worsening on President Barack Obama's watch, an increasingly skeptical American public may soon be asked to support a fresh infusion of U.S. combat troops on top of 21,000 combat forces and others Obama sent this year as part of a start-from-scratch strategy to protect Afghans and peel off support for the Taliban insurgency.
Just above 50 percent of respondents to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released last week said the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting.
"We want to try and enable the Afghan government to take responsibility not only for its reconstruction, but also for its own security," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said when asked whether the election would help reduce violence and allow new economic development.
Violence is at peak levels this summer, and the Taliban has the edge in some unexpected places. Top U.S. military leaders said this week that reversing insurgent gains will take significant time and lives.
"Despite important achievements in various areas, given the deterioration in the security situation, an enormous amount of hard work and tough fighting lie ahead in Afghanistan," Gen. David Petraeus, who has overall responsibility for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, told the American Legion's national convention in Louisville, Ky.
A week since the Afghan election, there is no clear winner and no definite timetable for determining who is on top. That leaves the United States, the single largest backer of the fragile Afghan government and the largest contributor of troops, without a clear Afghan partner for ambitious development and anti-corruption plans that have been on hold pending the election.
Afghan election officials have released two early batches of vote tallies that show incumbent President Hamid Karzai with 44.8 percent of the vote and top challenger Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's former foreign minister, with 35.1 percent. The next partial results are expected Saturday.
A candidate needs to get above 50 percent to avoid a runoff. Final results won't be known for weeks. A runoff, if there is one, probably would be in October.
As frustrating as a runoff might be, from the U.S. perspective it is preferable to a first-round victory by Karzai that comes by suspicious margins.
Allegations of fraud are mounting along ethnic lines, and the United Nations and other international officials are worried about the possibility of violence if Abdullah's followers believe the election was stolen.
A few international analysts have said the fractures on display in the election could spread to north-south civil war.
The tensions may not subside either if Abdullah ends up the winner. He is half ethnic Tajik, and is considered the "northern" alternative to Karzai's Pashtun-dominated southern base.
Analysts are split on whether ethnic Pashtuns would embrace a Tajik leader, but Pashtuns were a key ethnic supporter of the Taliban when the fundamentalist militants seized power in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. Now stateless insurgents fighting U.S. forces, the Taliban is again strongest in Afghanistan's Pashtun regions in the South.
Obama and his aides have distanced themselves from Karzai, a favorite of former President George W. Bush, but have tried not to appear close to Abdullah either.
Meanwhile, turnout was paltry in southern districts where British forces and U.S. Marines all but held the door for Afghan voters. Obama dispatched 17,000 additional combat forces to Afghanistan ahead of the election, but the threat of Taliban violence and reprisal apparently kept voters at home.
The Times of London reported Thursday that only 150 of the several thousand Afghans eligible to vote in the Babaji area of Helmand province cast ballots. Four British soldiers were killed there this summer, a toll the newspaper recalled with the blunt headline: "Four British soldiers die for the sake of 150 votes."
The election was supposed to launch new development, agricultural reform and other advances that U.S. Afghanistan policy chief Richard Holbrooke has said require a foundation of political legitimacy.
A runoff probably would mean a further delay of at least two months for many of the most ambitious plans. Obama's new war commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is expected to lay out a bleak assessment of the deteriorating war next week that will point fingers at an underperforming Afghan government and recommend vastly expanding the size of Afghanistan's own security forces.
Later in September, Obama may be asked to approve several thousand more troops for next year. A record 62,000 U.S. troops are now in the country, with 4,000 more due to arrive before the end of the year.
National security adviser James Jones and others have made plain the White House distaste for a troop increase, and the expected request will force Obama to decide whether to further expand the war.
A runoff also would mean changes to the military plan for the fall, when fighting typically subsides. U.S. military planners said American forces presumably would replay their roles helping to secure polling places in formerly Taliban-held reaches of Helmand province and elsewhere, but Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman declined to spell out details before election results are known.
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Associated Press writer Robert H. Reid in Kabul contributed to this report.
EDITOR'S NOTE _ Anne Gearan has covered U.S. foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press since 2004.
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Quick Declaration in Afghan Presidential Election Unlikely
By Steve Herman VOA News 28 August 2009
Hopes are fading in Afghanistan of quickly declaring last week's presidential election a success amid widespread fraud allegations. Additional, partial results from the on-going vote count are not due to be released until Saturday. Incumbent President Hamid Karzai, so far, has a modest lead over former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.
Afghanistan's Election Complaints Commission, partly appointed by the United Nations, has received 1,500 formal complaints - and one out of every ten have been deemed serious enough to merit investigation. That is a process that could delay next month's timetable to certify the election results.
Meanwhile, the Independent Election Commission has fallen behind in releasing preliminary and partial results. Eight days after the election, votes from less than one-fifth of all polling stations have been made public.
Allegations of stuffing ballot boxes involving many hundreds of thousands of votes, amid a lower than expected voter turnout, have tarnished the image of the August 20 election.
In some districts, where Taliban insurgents are active, few people cast ballots due to concerns of violent retaliation against voters.
Marvin Weinbaum, a Middle East Institute scholar and former State Department intelligence analyst, told a Heritage Foundation forum in Washington Thursday a flawed election could "delegitimize" the Karzai administration.
"There's hard evidence now of large-scale ballot box stuffing, destruction of ballots, falsification of tallies. And I think that there's going to be much more evidence presented in the next few weeks," said Weinbaum.
Complaints of ballot-box stuffing have also been leveled at the Abdullah campaign.
If electoral officials declare Mr. Karzai received less than a majority of the votes, he and his top challenger would have to compete in a second round of voting.
Former CIA South Asia analyst Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation explains the risks and advantages of that.
"While this may prolong the period of uncertainty, thus raising the potential for more Taliban violence and intimidation, it could also bolster the Afghans' faith in the democratic process by demonstrating it was truly a competitive campaign," said Curtis.
The vote-rigging allegations and the possibility of a runoff appear to have been raised with President Karzai as early as the day after the election. The Afghan president met with U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke at a dinner in Kabul that evening.
The U.S. Embassy here, commenting on the media reports of a less-than-diplomat conversation that night says, in a statement, "there was no shouting and no one stormed out." An Embassy spokesperson tells VOA it is up to the electoral bodies of the country to determine whether there should be a run-off.
There are indications the new administration in Washington may be putting greater pressure on the Afghan president to take a harder line on corruption and minimize ties with warlords and other supporters who are accused of human rights abuses or drug trafficking.
President Obama may soon have to decide whether to bolster the presence of American forces here, already numbering more than 60,000. Recent opinion polls in the United States find public support dropping for American military involvement in Afghanistan.
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US Concerned About Alleged Drug Ties of Karzai Running Mate
By David Gollust VOA News State Department 27 August 2009
A senior State Department official said Thursday that the United States is concerned about reported links between one of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's vice presidential running mates and the country's illegal drug trade. The New York Times newspaper reported on Thursday that Mohammad Qasim Fahim could face U.S. sanctions if the Karzai slate is elected.
The Obama administration maintains that it is strictly neutral in the multi-candidate Afghan presidential race.
But a senior official here says the United States does have concerns about the reported drug connections of former Afghan Defense Minister Fahim - one of two of Mr. Karzai's running mates - and that it has raised those concerns with Kabul authorities.
The comments follow a New York Times report that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had warned President Karzai that running with Fahim would damage his standing with the United States and other countries.
The Times report said that if Fahim took office, the United States probably would treat him like other foreign officials suspected of corruption and impose sanctions against him, such as a U.S. travel ban.
The senior official, who spoke on terms he not be identified, said the United States has concerns about several Afghan political figures who are suspected of corruption and having links to the illegal drug trade, and that it has communicated its concerns about them.
Asked whether that included Fahim, the official replied in the affirmative and said that if Fahim becomes vice president then, in his words, "We will have to take that into account," while noting that his assumption of office is by no means guaranteed.
At a news briefing, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P.J. Crowley was less specific, saying that the United States has long been having discussions with Afghan authorities about the need for the Kabul government to perform effectively and deal with the issue of corruption.
"We are working hard with the international community, with the sitting Afghan government, to create institutions that will meet the needs of the Afghan people, who want to see an Afghan government that progresses, that deals with the issue of corruption, that deals with the issue of narcotics, that is able to build a government that the people can have confidence in, that can build an economy that is legal and legitimate," said P.J. Crowley. "These are significant issues. They are issues that we are going to continue to address with the new Afghan government. But I don't want to prejudge who will be the leader of that government and who will be the various ministers."
Earlier this month, the State Department expressed "serious concerns" about the return to Afghanistan of exiled warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic-Uzbek leader accused of involvement in Afghan war crimes.
Dostum, who returned from Turkey and endorsed the re-election of President Karzai, is alleged to be at least partly responsible for the massacre of some 2,000 Taliban prisoners after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.
President Barack Obama recently asked his national security team to investigate Dostum's background. His return to Afghanistan was widely seen as a bid by Mr. Karzai for ethnic-Uzbek voter support.
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UN plans Afghanistan summit in Kabul
Diplomats want to shore up whatever government is formed by holding first ever top-level meeting in capital
Jon Boone in Kabul guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 August 2009 13.59 BST
The United Nations is planning to host an international summit on the future of Afghanistan for the first time in Kabul – an attempt to bestow credibility on the new government that emerges from the country's bitterly contested presidential election.
Foreign ministers such as Hillary Clinton and David Miliband from the main countries bankrolling the international effort in Afghanistan will be asked to meet in the capital despite a recent series of spectacular insurgent attacks there.
All such top-level meetings between Afghan leaders and the country's international backers since 2001 have been held in foreign capitals such as London, Tokyo and Paris. In the French capital, $21bn in aid for Afghanistan was raised last summer.
Western diplomats say a similar conference in Kabul would improve the standing of the newly elected government in the eyes of the Afghan people. A pitifully low turnout in the country's south and allegations of widespread electoral fraud are threatening to undermine the new administration's legitimacy.
Kai Eide, the Norwegian head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, told the Guardian that the international community would want to "give the new government some momentum" and the conference, to be held once the administration is in place, would be a "political manifestation of that support".
He said that by holding it in Kabul the international community would highlight its desire to "rebalance" its relationship with Afghanistan.
"We need over the next few years to have a stronger Afghan role and Afghan ownership. Having it in Kabul would be a signal of that. The international community has a long term commitment but it must be an increasingly supportive role."
Despite protests that the west wants to see Afghans take the lead, foreign powers will be pushing hard for rapid progress on reform of corrupt and ineffective ministries and peace talks with insurgents.
Eide said the conference would be held on the condition that the next Afghan government put "a good reform orientated programme in place" and that it should have "the governance that is capable of implementing such a programme".
Many foreign observers are concerned that if Karzai is re-elected progress will be stalled by the Afghan president's need to pay back the warlords and powerbrokers who supported his campaign in return for promises of government jobs. One western diplomat said Karzai should defy them because "they haven't delivered the votes they promised and just resorted to ballot stuffing".
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British PM, Pakistani president discuss Afghanistan
LONDON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Friday discussed a range of regional issues, including Afghanistan, local media reported.
The two leaders, who last met in London in May, said after Friday's meeting that Britain and Pakistan would work more closely together to fight terrorism.
Britain and its allies in Afghanistan called for full cooperation from Islamabad in controlling the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.
The London talks came the day after a suicide bomber killed 22 Pakistani border guards in an attack at a checkpoint in the Khyber Pass, on the border between western Afghanistan and northern Pakistan.
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New British Army chief pledges Afghanistan focus
Reuters via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News - Aug 28 4:18 AM
The country's new army chief General David Richards took command on Friday, pledging to focus on the conflict in Afghanistan where 9,000 British soldiers are on duty. Skip related content
Richards takes over as chief of the general staff from General Richard Dannatt following the bloodiest month for the British military since the 1980s Falklands War after July's loss of 22 troops in the Afghan conflict.
His arrival will be closely watched to see if it results in additional British forces being sent to the region.
In October last year, when his appointment was announced, Richards suggested in a newspaper interview that he wanted to see a surge of up to 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, including 5,000 more British soldiers.
His comments came shortly before U.S. President Barack Obama, newly elected, decided to pursue a surge strategy in Afghanistan, sending around 20,000 more U.S. troops to the warzone, some of them to reinforce British units in the south.
Earlier this month Richards said comments he had made about the conflict in Afghanistan lasting up to 40 years were misconstrued and that he did not believe British soldiers would be fighting there that long.
Public anger at the rising British military death toll in Afghanistan, which passed 200 this month, has put Prime Minister Gordon Brown under increased pressure to send more troops and equipment.
Richards has first-hand experience of the region as a former commander of the International Security and Assistance Force there.
"As part of the defence team, I will continue to focus on what is needed to meet the Government's aims in Afghanistan and the region, and ensuring the Army achieves the tasks laid upon it," Richards said.
"The Army's most valuable assets are its people. It is essential that we continue to look after our soldiers and their families, especially those injured or affected adversely through conflict.
"Looking to the longer term, I will be focussing on making sure that the Army is geared up for future conflict as it evolves in this highly interdependent and globalised era."
In Afghanistan most of Britain's troops are deployed in the southern province of Helmand, where the Taliban remain strong.
British and U.S. forces launched offensives in recent weeks to try to drive militants out of southern strongholds before the country's presidential election, taking heavy casualties in the process.
(Reporting by Tim Castle)
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Turkey to Increase Military Presence in Afghanistan (Update1)
By Steve Bryant
Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Turkey pledged to double its contribution to peacekeeping in Afghanistan, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
The reinforcements will bring the Turkish force to 1,600 troops from 795 and will arrive when Turkey takes over control of the rotating command of NATO operations in the Afghan capital Kabul in November, Davutoglu said at a news conference in Ankara today with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Rasmussen thanked Turkey for its contribution and called for “even more,” particularly trainers to help develop Afghanistan’s own security forces. Davutoglu said Turkey is already helping with training and didn’t make any new pledge.
Improving security and civil infrastructure in Afghanistan is essential to winning a conflict in which NATO “must prevail,” Rasmussen said.
He also called on Turkey and Greece to find “pragmatic solutions” to a stalemate over Turkish participation in the European Union’s defense system. The lack of a cooperation accord between the EU and NATO has produced “absurd consequences” on the ground that endanger troops’ lives, he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Steve Bryant in Ankara at sbryant5@bloomberg.net.
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Feared Taliban grab of Kandahar would be significant blow to U.S.
By Noor Khan and Nahal Toosi Associated Press 08/27/2009 11:23:16 PM CDT
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Southern Afghanistan's largest city, Kandahar, is slipping back under Taliban control as overstretched U.S. troops focus on clearing insurgents from the countryside — a potentially alarming setback for President Barack Obama's war strategy.
Afghan authorities promise a counteroffensive against the militants in Kandahar — a pledge that appears aimed primarily at boosting public morale after a devastating bombing killed 43 people Tuesday.
Losing Kandahar, a city of nearly 1 million and the Taliban's former headquarters, would be a huge symbolic blow because it is effectively the capital of the ethnic Pashtundominated south, the main battlefield of the Afghan war.
It is difficult to measure the extent of Taliban control, and NATO officials publicly discount the possibility that Kandahar is about to fall to the militants.
Thousands of U.S. and Canadian troops are deployed throughout the province and around the city, which includes a major NATO base. NATO officials said the U.S. troop buildup in Afghanistan will enable them to send more troops into Kandahar.
"Because there's one bombing, it doesn't mean the situation is going down the tubes," said Maj. Mario Couture, a spokesman for NATO in Kandahar province.
Nevertheless, many Afghans believe more Taliban forces are operating clandestinely in the city, while the Islamist movement tightens its grip on districts just outside the urban center.
As guerrillas, the Taliban doubtless don't want to capture and run the city. Instead, their goal is probably to wield enough influence to block any government efforts to expand services, prevent international relief agencies from operating there, force merchants to pay protection money and undermine the government's image in one of the country's major cities.
"The Taliban are inside the city. They are very active. They can do anything they want," said an Afghan employee of an international aid organization who requested anonymity because he feared reprisals from the militants.
The Taliban's resurgence in Kandahar city, the movement's main power base during the 1990s, has been slow and gradual over the past four years, said an international security official who is familiar with the area.
These days, the Taliban control many of the city's streets at night, the official said. Residents also said militants were active at night, though they did not describe them as being in control.
A chilling indicator of the militant presence are fliers posted in the city.
Haji Tooryalai, a 45-year-old Kandahar resident, said he'd seen some of the so-called shabnamas, or "night letters," ahead of the Aug. 20 elections warning people not to vote. No voting figures have been released from Kandahar but turnout appears to have been low.
"Poor men, rich men — everyone is worried about their security," Tooryalai said. "A few months ago, business was good, but now we are just sitting in our shops and there are just not that many customers."
Tuesday's explosion was especially unnerving.
It struck near a Japanese construction company involved in reconstruction efforts. The Taliban denied responsibility, as they typically do when attacks kill many civilians.
Kandahar province Gov. Tooryalai Wesa said authorities planned to review the security of the city as part of their investigation of the attack, a report likely to be finished in the next three or four days.
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New U.K. Army Chief Faces Two Battles: Taliban and Resources
Wall Street Journal By ALISTAIR MACDONALD AUGUST 28, 2009
When Gen. Sir David Richards takes over as head of the British army on Friday he inherits two battlefields: the war in Afghanistan, and a battle for resources between the U.K.'s military and government.
On both counts Gen. Richards, a respected soldier who earned his stripes in the jungles of Sierra Leone, faces tough challenges. As the second-biggest contributor of North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops in Afghanistan, the U.K. has suffered high casualties, sapping public support for the war at home.
One reason for that, according to some critics in the U.K., is that the army is hampered by a lack of resources after decades of cutbacks by Downing Street. Gen. Richards may soon hit the same quandary his predecessors struggled with: trying to play the role of a superpower with a military that hasn't been funded to play that part since World War II.
The U.K. has found it difficult to adapt its military hardware, within a budget, for conflicts that have morphed from the Cold War to peacekeeping operations to insurgency over the past 20 years. That problem will get harder as the U.K. faces budget cuts to battle its record debt, a situation that is heightening tensions between military and political leaders.
"Gen. Richards steps into the role when the military has become both a heated political debate and at an important stage in the Afghanistan campaign," said Professor Theo Farrell, of the department of war studies at Kings College, London. That debate, he adds, will intensify as the U.K. nears a general election that must be held by June.
Gen. Richards also assumes the role ahead of an expected strategic defense review, an overhaul of military priorities. In it, he will need to defend the army's interests against not just politicians, but also the heads of Britain's navy and air force, which are just as ravenous for resources.
The U.S. faces the same problem, but has more money to throw at a solution. Last year U.K. defense spending was equivalent to 2.8% of its gross domestic product, compared with the U.S. spending almost 5% of an economy more than five times the size, according to Jane's International Defense Review.
Gen. Richards, in a statement ahead of taking over from Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt, acknowledged the challenge. "Looking to the longer term, I will be focusing on making sure that the Army is geared up for future conflict as it evolves in this highly interdependent and globalized era," he said. Gen. Richards declined to be interviewed for this article.
Since 1997, when the current Labour government came to power, the number of people in the U.K. armed forces has been cut around 20% to fewer than 175,000. During that period, Britain has fought in the former Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan, and maintained a presence in Germany and in former and current colonies such as the Falkland Islands. Because the U.K. is the U.S.'s biggest military ally in Afghanistan, Gen. Richards will be a key player in the conflict going forward.
Those who have fought alongside Gen. Richards say he is suited to play both military and political operator.
"He is a very charismatic, popular leader, who has a balanced appeal as a field soldier to soldiers," says Stuart Tootal, who in 2006 led 1,200 soldiers into Afghanistan's restive Helmand province under Gen. Richards's command. Mr. Tootal said Gen. Richards also "will be a highly capable operator" when it comes to dealing with the Ministry of Defense.
Gen. Dannatt earned a reputation as an outspoken critic of what he saw as the army's overstretched resources. He once warned that the strain of fighting in both Afghanistan and Iraq could "break" the army. In July 2008, as casualties in Afghanistan mounted, he sent a "shopping list" of equipment to the Ministry of Defense for the fight against the Taliban.
Last month, Gen. Richards told the Times of London he won't be presenting a "shopping list" to Downing Street. "Dave Richards will say what needs to be said, but he will do that internally," said Mr. Tootal, who is now an author and security expert.
Gen. Richards is widely credited with persuading former Prime Minister Tony Blair to send British troops on a successful operation to free British peacekeepers held hostage by a gang of rebel militia in Sierra Leone. Mr. Blair then ordered a successful military operation under then-Brigadier Richards to end the civil war there.
The 57-year-old Gen. Richards joined the Royal Artillery in 1971 and saw stints in Asia, Germany and Northern Ireland. In May 2006, he became the first head of the International Security and Assistance Force in Afghanistan, making him the first British general to command American troops since World War II.
His personal experience in Afghanistan may give confidence to an army that on Tuesday saw its casualty list rise to 207 deaths. The U.K. has lost more soldiers in Afghanistan than any nation but the U.S.
In the field "he was hugely respected, and thought of as being a smart cookie, a bright guy," said Patrick Hennessy, who commanded a platoon of Grenadier Guards in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gen. Richards, who cites British military history as one of his hobbies, has said he never feels pressure and believes himself "genetically" suited to carry out the role of commander. In a 2007 interview, he told how he was visited in Sierra Leone by then-Chief of Defense Staff Charles Guthrie, who explained the difficulty of the young brigadier's job and the pressure on his shoulders. Gen. Richards said he remembers thinking: "My God, I was simply enjoying it."
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August deadliest month for US in Afghanistan
By Heidi Vogt And Amir Shah, Associated Press Writers
KABUL – An American service member died in a bomb blast in Afghanistan on Friday, making August the deadliest month of the eight-year war for U.S. forces.
The service member's vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the east, NATO forces said. U.S. forces spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias confirmed the nationality but did not provide further details.
The death brings to 45 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Afghanistan this month, surpassing the 44 troops killed in July, which had been the deadliest.
More than 60,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan to fight rising insurgent violence, boosted by about 21,000 pouring in this summer as part of President Barack Obama's effort to rout the resurgent Taliban and increase security for presidential elections held last week.
Attacks typically rise in Afghanistan during the summer and U.S. officials had warned that violence was likely to increase along with the troop surge. Roadside bombings have skyrocketed as U.S. troops move into areas where insurgents have been entrenched for years.
The increased military presence and the political tension surrounding this month's presidential election have strained U.S.-Afghan relations.
President Hamid Karzai has angrily accused the U.S. of pushing for a runoff vote during a heated meeting with the special envoy to the region, according to officials familiar with the encounter.
The verbal exchange occurred the day after the Aug. 20 vote during a meeting in Kabul between Karzai and U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke, according to two officials who were briefed about the meeting. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
Karzai assured Holbrooke he would accept the election results but bristled when the envoy asked if he would also agree to a runoff if none of the 36 candidates won more than 50 percent, the U.S. officials said.
An angry Karzai accused the U.S. of pushing the idea of a second round even before all votes had been counted. He said would accept the election commission's tabulation as long as it reflected the facts. He did not elaborate.
Final results are due next month but partial figures released this week show Karzai leading former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and 34 other candidates but falling short of the 50 percent mark needed to avoid a runoff.
The U.S. Embassy confirmed the Aug. 21 meeting and said the two discussed the election but would not go into details.
"There was no shouting and no one stormed out," said Caitlin Hayden, an embassy spokeswoman. She noted Holbrooke and Karzai met again a few days later. Karzai spokesman Humayun Hamidzada also confirmed the meeting but gave no further details.
Tension in U.S.-Afghan relations emerged after President Barack Obama's administration took office this year. Karzai enjoyed close ties with the Bush administration, which helped propel him to power after the collapse of the Taliban government in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
U.S. officials have accused Karzai of weak leadership in the face of the resurgent Taliban, corruption, and allowing the flourishing drug trade. However, the U.S. has insisted it is neutral in the election and will work with whoever wins.
The New York Times reported this week that the Obama administration is alarmed at the prospect that Karzai's running mate, Mohammad Qasim Fahim, may be linked to the drug trade.
Quoting an unidentified administration official, the newspaper said if Fahim becomes vice president, the U.S. would likely consider imposing sanctions such as refusing him a U.S. visa or going after his personal finances.
A U.S. official in Washington confirmed the essence of the report, saying there were "a number of individuals" whom the U.S. would not like to see in a future Afghan government. The official said the U.S. had conveyed those sentiments to the Afghan government. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive subject matter.
Relations between the Americans and Afghans have also been strained by the U.S. policy of detaining suspected insurgents without charge and killing civilians in military operations. The new U.S. commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has issued new orders sharply limiting use of airstrikes and encouraging U.S. troops to protect civilians.
Nevertheless, friction persists.
On Friday, an Afghan lawmaker accused the U.S. military of violating Islamic and international law two days before by using a helicopter gunship to fire on a medical clinic where an injured Taliban commander had bunkered down. The U.S. military said it cleared the clinic of civilians and government officials approved the use of the helicopter to end the firefight.
After the battle, Afghan and U.S. forces met with villagers and discussed rebuilding the clinic, a U.S. summary of the meeting said. The wounded Taliban commander was taken prisoner.
"There must have been another way or tactic to use to get to him without destroying the hospital," said lawmaker Khalid Faroqi, calling the action "an offense."
Human rights group Amnesty International has urged NATO forces to investigate the attack, saying the military alliance may have violated international laws of war that protect wounded fighters getting medical aid.
Afghanistan's health minister said insurgents violated the sanctity of the clinic by bringing their guns inside. They hid the weapons under their clothes and were the first to fire, he said.
Also Friday, militants ambushed a police convoy in central Ghazni province, killing three policemen and wounding 28, said Abdul Karim, a police official.
___
Associated Press writer Matt Lee contributed to this report from Washington.
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NATO wants troops to boost Afghan forces training
By Ibon Villelabeitia – Fri Aug 28, 9:10 am ET
ANKARA (Reuters) – NATO's secretary-general urged member countries on Friday to increase the training of Afghan security forces and said the alliance would stay in Afghanistan "as long as it takes".
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who earlier this month called for reinforcements, would not comment further on troops numbers, preferring to wait until the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan issues a review of the conflict in the coming weeks.
"I think it is premature to present exact numbers. We are waiting for an analysis from (U.S. Army General Stanley) McChrystal and on the basis of that analysis we will be able to calculate the exact number of troops," Rasmussen said in an interview with a small group of foreign media in Turkey.
But he added: "The number of troops does matter."
Rasmussen urged allies to boost efforts to train Afghan security forces, which he has said must be doubled in size to 400,000 personnel to allow them to take over security from Western troops who hope eventually to withdraw.
"We need trainers. I urge all allies to step up in the endeavor."
There are now more than 100,000 Western troops in Afghanistan, including about 62,000 Americans -- nearly double the U.S. strength at the start of the year.
Rasmussen, who was recently in Afghanistan, said security had improved, including in the violent Helmand province, but said it was still "not satisfactory".
"We will prevail. We cannot allow Afghanistan to become a safe haven for al Qaeda. A lot of progress has been achieved. It is premature to present a timetable for withdrawal, but we will stay as long as it takes."
Partial results from an August 20 presidential election show President Hamid Karzai leading his main rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, who has said the polls were "widely rigged."
Rasmussen said he was not concerned about the long wait for a result. "Responsibility and care are more important than speed when it comes to releasing the elections results," he said.
"We should not be surprised if we are presented with examples of fraud," he said, adding it was up to the Afghan officials to deal with alleged irregularities.
NATO was ready to provide security in the event of a second round run-off, he said.
(Writing by Ibon Villelabeitia; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
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Afghanistan: NATO chief calls for more local soldiers
Ankara, 28 August (AKI) - NATO's secretary-general has urged member countries to step up the training of Afghan security forces but said the alliance would remain in Afghanistan for "as long as it takes". Speaking on a visit to Turkey, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who called for reinforcements earlier this month, would not comment further on troop numbers.
"I think it is premature to present exact numbers. We are waiting for an analysis from (U.S. Army General Stanley) McChrystal and on the basis of that analysis we will be able to calculate the exact number of troops," Rasmussen said in an interview with a small group of foreign journalists in Turkey.
But he added: "The number of troops does matter."
Meanwhile, Rasmussen joined Turkish leaders at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner Thursday in what he described as a manifestation of his respect for Islam.
"Please see my presence here tonight as a clear manifestation of my respect for Islam as one of the world's great religions," Rasmussen said at the iftar, or the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
"Fasting is meant to teach patience, modesty, self-restraint and giving and reaching out to the less fortunate. These are all universal human values that go beyond cultures and religions," he said.
Turkey had objected to the appointment of the former Danish foreign minister to NATO's top post, partly due to his stance during the controversy over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published in Denmark in 2005.
The row was resolved at a NATO summit in April when US President Barack Obama convinced Turkish leaders to drop their objections.
Rasmussen praised Turkey's role as "a bridge between Europe, the Arab world and Central Asia" and pledged to work for better ties between NATO and Muslim countries.
"I'm confident that we will make real progress in building trust and cooperation between the alliance and partners in the Mediterranean and the Middle East," he said.
Rasmussen had invoked freedom of expression to defend the publication of a series of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper in September 2005, which triggered outrage and deadly unrest among Muslims worldwide.
Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a practicing Muslim who had previously criticised Rasmussen, said the NATO chief's participation in the iftar "will be a meaningful message to the people of my country and the Muslim world."
Rasmussen held talks with Erdogan and Turkish president Abdullah Gul on Thursday.
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19 Pakistanis killed in suicide bombing at Afghanistan crossing
Associated Press August 28, 2009
Peshawar, Pakistan - A suicide bomber attacked the main border crossing for convoys ferrying supplies to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 19 security officers, officials said.
The assailant walked up to a group of border guards outside their barracks at the Torkham checkpoint in the Khyber region and detonated his explosives, police officer Sadiq Khan said. The border had closed for the day a few hours earlier.
Ali Raza, an official in the administration office, said he heard a huge explosion in the building next door.
"We rushed out and saw destruction all around," Raza said.
At least 19 people were killed and 20 wounded, according to Fazal Akbar, the head doctor at Landi Kota hospital, where the victims were taken.
The Torkham checkpoint marks the main crossing from Pakistan's Khyber Agency into Afghanistan.
U.S. and NATO troops in landlocked Afghanistan rely on the supply line for up to 75% of their fuel, food and other logistical goods. Thousands of civilian vehicles also use the route.
Pakistan's government dispatched paramilitary forces to escort supply convoys through the Khyber Pass after several attacks last year, and there has not been a major assault on a convoy for nearly six weeks.
No one claimed immediate responsibility for the bombing, but the Pakistani Taliban is a likely suspect.
Also in the border region, two U.S. missiles hit a suspected militant compound, killing six people, the latest in a string of such attacks, intelligence officials said.
Pakistan's lawless border with Afghanistan is a main front in the battle against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Under heavy U.S. pressure, the Pakistani military has launched ground offensives and air attacks on the insurgents in recent months, but much of the region remains under militants' control.
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Australia mulls changes after 2 Afghan police shot
AP via Yahoo! News - Aug 28 1:19 AM
CANBERRA, Australia – The Defense Department will consider changing check point procedures in Afghanistan after Australian soldiers shot two Afghan police officers, one fatally, an army general said Friday.
An internal inquiry into the shootings on Aug. 11 found that the Australian soldiers had acted according to their rules of engagement when they fired at the two Afghanis, who failed to obey instructions to stop their motorbike, Lt. Gen. Mark Evans said.
The victims were later confirmed to be members of the Afghan National Police, he said.
"I have initiated a comprehensive inquiry to review the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident in order to provide recommendations on possible changes to procedures," Evans said in a statement.
He did not say how many Australian soldiers were involved in the shooting in the southern province of Uruzgan or whether the Afghanis were in police uniform.
Australia, with 1,500 troops in Afghanistan, is the largest contributor to the U.S.-led coalition outside NATO.
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