The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread (March 2007)

[GAP]

Articles found March 16, 2007

Two more suspects arrested in beating of Afghanistan war hero
The Canadian Press Published: Thursday, March 15, 2007
Article Link

MORRISBURG, Ont. — Two more men are facing charges after a highly decorated soldier was beaten at a bar in Morrisburg in eastern Ontario.

Master Cpl. Collin Fitzgerald was awarded a Medal of Military Valour last month for his heroic actions in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan.

On Saturday, he was attacked in the bar by four men, who had also allegedly taunted him about his war hero status.
Fitzgerald suffered a badly broken foot and several facial injuries.

Police have charged 22-year old Ian Tait and 19-year old Jeremy Stewart with assault.

Twenty-one-year-old Travis Baldwin was arrested earlier in connection with the assault and police continue to seek a fourth suspect
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DND doubts watchdog's role in Afghan abuse probe
OLIVER MOORE From Friday's Globe and Mail
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The Department of National Defence says it doesn't believe a military watchdog has jurisdiction to look into a complaint about the handover of prisoners in Afghanistan.

The dispute may end up in a court showdown between DND and the Military Police Complaints Commission. If DND refuses to co-operate in its investigation, the commission says, it may be forced to hold public hearings.

In a letter, DND says it is set to seek a judicial review, but has given chairman Peter Tinsley until Monday to explain why the commission accepted the complaint from two civil-liberties groups.

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association and Amnesty International Canada lodged the complaint last month, arguing military police are typically the last Canadians to have custody of prisoners before they are given over to Afghan authorities. The groups said troops handed prisoners over to Afghan authorities, even though they should have known Afghan police and the security directorate "routinely tortures prisoners."

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PM considering increasing Afghanistan troop commitment  
The World Today - Friday, 16 March , 2007  12:10:00 Reporter: Louise Willis
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ELEANOR HALL: Australians are being warned to brace for casualties if the Federal Government does increase Australian troops numbers in Afghanistan.

The Prime Minister used a surprise visit to Kabul overnight to reveal he's considering increasing Australia's troop commitment, with speculation that 450 extra soldiers could be sent.

Mr Howard won't confirm the plans, or give a figure, but the move is reportedly under consideration by Cabinet's National Security Committee.

But while there is bipartisan support for the extra troops, Labor leader Kevin Rudd says Afghanistan is extremely dangerous. And security analysts are already warning about the increased risk of Australian casualties.

Louise Willis has our report.

LOUISE WILLIS: It's beginning to warm up in Afghanistan, both the weather and the fighting.

NATO-led (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) forces in the country are preparing for a major spring offensive by the Taliban and that may prompt Australia to boost its already 500-strong troop commitment to the country.

JOHN HOWARD: We are looking at the possibility of some increase in our commitment to Afghanistan. You asked me about Iraq, we announced recently an increase of military trainers for Iraq, and we have no plans to, certainly have no plans to reduce our commitment and we are planning a modest increase in military trainers.

We think, in the case of both countries and both operations, providing as much training as possible to the Iraqi forces, both the army and also the police, and also providing training assistance to the National Army of Afghanistan, we think in both cases that is an extremely valuable commitment.
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Afghanistan Says 5 Police Mistakenly Killed By Coalition Forces
Friday, March 16, 2007
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KABUL, Afghanistan —  U.S.-led coalition forces mistakenly killed five Afghan police in a clash in a southern province, the government said Friday.

The police were manning a checkpoint in Gereshk district, Helmand province when the clash broke out Thursday evening, said Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary.

"Coalition forces mistakenly opened fire on police," Bashary said. "Unfortunately five policemen were killed."

A high-ranking Afghan delegation was sent to the area to investigate, Bashary said. He could not provide further details of how the friendly fire broke out.

U.S. military officials were not immediately available to comment on the matter.

The clash came as NATO-led forces pressed on with their largest operation yet in Afghanistan, trying to secure a region of Helmand province — a stronghold for resurgent Taliban militants.

Lt. Col. Angela Billings, a spokeswoman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, said their troops were not involved in the clash.
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Funeral today for soldier killed in Afghanistan
Updated Fri. Mar. 16 2007 8:07 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff
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Hundreds of soldiers will be in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, today for the full military funeral of Cpl. Kevin Megeney -- killed in Afghanistan in what the military is calling an "accidental shooting."

Megeney, 25, was killed in his tent at the Canadian base in Kandahar on March 6 by a gunshot wound to the chest. He died 20 minutes later from the wound.

"The funeral today will be about celebrating Kevin's life not just as a soldier but as a friend and family member," Megeney's cousin, Brian MacLeod, told Canada AM on Friday.

He said there will be about 100 family members at the funeral.

"The family has been coping quite well ... There's been a lot of grieving but also a lot of reflection and thinking about those happy times with Kevin," said MacLeod.

He described his cousin as someone with "a great sense of humour" who was "not a leader of the pack but very influential in any group he was ever a part of."

"Kevin honestly thought that he could make a difference by contributing to his country through service in the army through the reserves and he wanted to do his part in Afghanistan to try to help bring peace throughout the world," said MacLeod.

Local residents are also honouring Megeney with a yellow ribbon campaign.
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No easy way out for Prodi on Afghanistan
Friday, 16 March, 2007, 01:47 PM Doha Time By Phil Stewart
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ROME: Italy is paying a higher political price than other Nato partners for keeping troops in Afghanistan, but analysts say the cost of withdrawal would be even greater for Rome and its closest allies.
Prime Minister Romano Prodi, already forced to resign briefly last month over foreign policy, including the Afghan mission, still faces major tests on the peacekeeping issue.
The Taliban are piling pressure on Prodi by holding an Italian reporter hostage and demanding Rome withdraw its forces. Closer to home, leftist senators who oppose the mission will vote this month on a bill financing Italy’s 1,900 troops there.
Keeping troops in Afghanistan may seem unnecessary given that Italy has a smaller contingent than even the Netherlands and operates in the safer, western sector of the country.
But military strategists and political analysts say any meaningful pullout would ostracise Italy from its allies abroad and anger moderates at home.
From a military perspective, the size of Italy’s contingent belies its strategic importance, they say. Withdrawal would leave a gaping hole in an already understaffed force so far unable to defeat the Taliban.
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What’s wrong with Afghanistan’s suicide bombers?
March 15, 2007
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Afghanistan has seen a precipitous rise in suicide bombings (from 25 in 2005 to 136 in 2006) but they have failed to cause many fatalities among their targets: foreign and international security forces. And while they may have achieved their goal of impeding the goals of Karzai's government and its international backers, these tactics are earning the Taliban enmity among the people whose support they most need.

So conclude Brian Glyn Williams and Cathy Young of the Jamestown Foundation, who recently conducted a five month study on 158 documented suicide bombings in Afghanistan from 2001-2007. One of their conclusions is that despite surface similarities with Iraq, “the suicide bombing campaign in Afghanistan has its own specific dynamics.” MORE


When you glance at the statistics, one thing is evident: suicide bombings in Afghanistan have had a shockingly low rate of success. During the first seven weeks of 2007 there were 22 attempted bombings (punctuating Mullah Hayat Khan’s claim that they Taliban has deployed 2,000 suicide bombers to make 2007 "the bloodiest year" in Afghanistan.) However, in 16 of these 22 cases the only fatality of the explosion was the suicide bomber himself, and in another two cases, the perpetrator was shot even before detonating his bomb.

The three “successful” attacks killed two policemen and eight civilians (Jan 23), three policemen (Feb 4), and 23 people, including several coalition soldiers. Such “numbers hardly compare to Iraq where suicide bombers often carry out synchronized attacks that regularly kill anywhere from 60 to 130 people.” And the eighteen failed attacks “translate to 19 Taliban suicide bombers for one Afghan policeman, hardly an inspiring kill ratio for would-be-suicide bombers.”
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Howard pays surprise visit to Afghanistan
Web posted at: 3/16/2007 8:58:22
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KABUL • Australian Prime Minister John Howard said during a surprise trip to Afghanistan yesterday that his government may send more troops to combat Taleban militants in the insurgency-hit country.

Howard visited Australian troops stationed in Tirin Kot, the capital of the volatile southern province of Uruzgan, and later met Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

“We are looking at the possibility of some increase in our commitment to Afghanistan,” Howard told a news conference, without giving details. Australia, an ally in the US-led “war on terror”, already has 550 troops in Afghanistan.

He ruled out any corresponding decrease of Australian troops in Iraq. Howard also reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to Karzai’s government as it takes on Taleban-led militants who have waged a bloody insurgency since their ouster by US-led troops in late 2001.

“We remain committed as a nation to assisting Afghanistan in resisting terrorism, in resisting the Taleban forces,” he said.Howard acknowledged the challenging task ahead for Nato and Afghan troops. Last year was the deadliest in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban, with around 4,000 people killed.

The Islamist movement has promised to launch a spring offensive as the harsh Afghan winter comes to an end.
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Self-immolation by Afghan women rising
By Alisa Tang, Associated Press Writer  |  March 15, 2007
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KABUL, Afghanistan --One woman committed suicide by setting herself ablaze after her father-in-law tried to rape her. Another set herself on fire because her brothers would not let her marry, preferring that she remain their servant at home. Yet another told her mother before she died that her husband beat her daily.

Testimony gathered by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission documents how life for many Afghan women remains so bleak that some choose a horrific and painful death instead.

The group interviewed about 800 Afghans whose sisters, daughters and daughters-in-law have killed themselves by self-immolation to escape domestic abuse, forced marriage and other misogynistic social customs.

The report and anecdotal evidence from other rights workers suggests the phenomenon is growing, with desperate women sometimes mimicking what they have seen reported on TV.

"It's really a big problem in Afghanistan," said Nabila Wafiq, who has researched the issue for the aid group Medica Mondiale, which has interviewed women who survived their self-immolation attempts.

"When we asked most people why they committed self-immolation, they said that when they take pills, they don't die, but when they commit self-immolation they believe they will die, 100 percent."

Reports from Herat, in western Afghanistan, show about 90 women set fire to themselves last year there and more than 70 percent died. Afghanistan's poor health system can do little for the badly burned.

The commission report, released last week, covers Badghis, Herat, Farah, Nimroz and Kandahar, provinces that media and other reports suggest are the worst affected. However, women's rights advocates suspect that self-immolation is a nationwide problem.
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[MarkOttawa]

French Rafale Heading to Afghanistan (Title in print edition: "Call to Combat")
AW&ST, March 12
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw031207p2.xml&headline=French%20Rafale%20Heading%20to%20Afghanistan

French Rafale strike fighters will be operational in Afghanistan within days, after undergoing a crash course to integrate precision-guided bombs and other wartime enhancements.

Both the French air force and navy are participating in the surge of combat capability, aimed at bolstering NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

The French air force was to deploy three F2 standard Rafales late last week to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where they will be primarily based, although excursions to Kabul are possible. The aircraft should be operational within days of arrival and remain there about four months, says a senior air force officer planning the deployment. It is the first operational mission since the air force declared Rafale operational last year.

The navy will also have Rafales in the F2 standard in the region of operations. The deployment represents the first of the type for the navy, which is only starting to field this version.

Last week, three F2s were sent to join the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which was already deployed near the Horn of Africa. The ship is now heading close to Afghanistan, with Rafale operations likely to commence mid-month, says a senior navy aviator. The de Gaulle will operate a mix of Rafales, with the three F2s supplemented by nine early-model F1s, which have only an air-to-air capability and a different processor...

The rapid-response program for the Rafales, however, leaves the strike fighter largely dependent on other aircraft. The Rafale itself is not yet fitted with its Damocles laser-designator pod, so someone else has to provide the targeting information. Operational plans for the air force foresee the use of Rafales in conjunction with Mirage 2000Ds, three of which are also in Dushanbe. They will perform the lasing, with the Rafales delivering ordnance. For the navy, the so-called buddy-lasing duties will be performed by Super Entendards. Ground forces can also be used for target designation...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

German Soldiers Contest Tornado Mission in Afghanistan
Deutsche Welle, March 16
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2387099,00.html

A group of German soldiers are contesting the military's decision to send Tornado jets to Afghanistan to carry out surveillance missions for NATO, the defense ministry confirmed on Friday.

Officers have published a letter in the online newspaper Netzeitung accusing Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung of misleading the country about the mandate of the mission.

The group, who belong to an army association called the "Darmstädter Signal," dispute Jung's repeated assurances that it is not a combat mission.

"The results of the reconnaissance flights will be used directly to support the combat led by ground troops and fighter aircraft," [emphasis added] they said.

Defense ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe on Friday rejected their argument as "false."

Opponents' argument

The same claim was made by political opponents of the Tornado mission, which was approved by parliament last week with 405 votes to 157.

The German military has 2,750 soldiers in the relatively stable north of Afghanistan, but has resisted pressure from NATO allies to extend its mandate to the south where they would likely face combat against the Taliban.

Raabe confirmed reports that an officer who organizes logistical support for German forces in Afghanistan has filed an application asking to be relieved of these duties because he had misgivings about the Tornado deployment...

The soldier argues that the mission might contravene both the German constitution and international law.

Taliban fleeing NATO forces, more offensives coming, top U.S. general says
CP, March 16
http://www.recorder.ca/cp/World/070316/w031635A.html

The top NATO general in Afghanistan said Friday the alliance's latest offensive is the first of a "rolling series" of operations against Taliban insurgents, some of whom have been fleeing western forces in the south.

U.S. Gen. Dan McNeill, commander of the 36,000-strong NATO-led force in Afghanistan, said western troops were exchanging fire with Taliban fighters "in a number of areas" in southern Afghanistan but that many militants were fleeing the 5,500 NATO and Afghan soldiers participating in Operation Achilles...

The top NATO general in Afghanistan said Friday the alliance's latest offensive is the first of a "rolling series" of operations against Taliban insurgents, some of whom have been fleeing western forces in the south...

"I expect we'll have a rolling series of exercises just like this one, operations that run through the spring and summer. I expect for us to continue attacking these insurgents."..

McNeill said the vice-chief of staff of the Pakistani army updated him last week on what the Pakistan army is doing to control the border area, where the Taliban train and resupply and cross into Afghanistan. The Pakistani official said locals were becoming intolerant of foreigners and had recently killed 14 Chechens and Uzbeks, McNeill said [emphasis added].

McNeill said he had "heard talk" and "read in newspapers" reports of al-Qaida and Taliban training camps in Pakistan's border region, but said "I don't have any first-hand knowledge." He noted that Pakistan had arrested "significant" al-Qaida and Taliban leadership since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

"I think that those who are derisive of what the Pakistanis are doing need to look at what they have done and there's no question that in my view they are doing a lot now," McNeill said.

About 47,000 western forces are deployed in Afghanistan. NATO leads 36,000 troops, and the U.S.-led coalition maintains a 11,000-strong force engaged in independent operations throughout the country...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Bigmac]

Child killed in suicide attack targeting Canadian military in Afghanistan
NOOR KHAN



KANDAHAR (AP) - A suicide bomber targeting a Canadian military convoy killed a child and wounded two other people Saturday in southern Afghanistan. police said. No Canadian soldiers were hurt.

The bomber rammed his explosives-packed vehicle into the passing convoy on the main highway linking the southern city of Kandahar with Herat in the west. said Ghulam Azrat. a regional police officer.

A child on the side of the road was killed in the blast. Azrat said. Another child and a man. members of the same family. were injured.

A Canadian military vehicle sustained minor damage. but no one was hurt. he said.

Meanwhile. a mortar attack on NATO's largest base in southern Afghanistan on Friday left three soldiers wounded. said Lt. Col. Angela Billings. an alliance spokeswoman.

The attack occurred in a vast military base and airport on the outskirts of Kandahar. she said. Billings did not identify the wounded soldiers. but said they suffered minor injuries.

Some 36.000 troops currently serve in NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

http://www.recorder.ca/cp/World/070317/w031703A.html

    I always hate to hear that innocent children were killed or injured in the conflict. Condolences.

    Speedy recovery to the soldiers injured.

 

[GAP]

Articles found 18 February, 2007



Italian journalist freed in Afghanistan: report
Mar 18, 2007, 10:55 GMT
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Rome/Kabul - Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo was released by his kidnappers in Afghanistan, after being held hostage by Taliban insurgents for two weeks, reports said Sunday.

A Taliban spokesman was quoted by the Italian news agency Ansa as saying that the 52-year-old journalist for Le Repubblica had been freed.

The foreign ministry in Rome has not yet confirmed the report.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai promised to free two detained Taliban spokesmen in exchange for Mastrogiacomo's release, Italian media reported.

Earlier in the day, a Taliban spokesman had announced that the journalist and his interpreter would be freed soon.

Mastrogiacomo and his two Afghan guides were abducted on March 4 in the Nad Ali district of Helmand and accused of spying for foreign forces.

Italian newspapers reported Sunday that the contacts between Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Afghan President Hamid Karzai had been 'decisive' in bringing about progress in the case.

The Taliban had demanded that the Italian government should begin talks to withdraw its about 1900 soldiers in Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan's silent plague of AIDS
By Carlotta Gall Sunday, March 18, 2007
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KABUL: Sitting and eating quietly on his father's lap, the 18-month-old boy was oblivious to the infection running through his veins.

But his father, a burly farmer, now a widower and father of four, knew only too well. It was the same one that killed his wife, the boy's mother, four months ago. The man started to cry.

"When my wife died, I thought, well, it is from God, but at least I have him," he said. "Then I learned he is sick too. I asked if there is medicine and the doctors said no. They said, 'Just trust in God.'"

Long cloistered by two decades of war and then the strict Islamic rule of the Taliban, Afghanistan was for many years shielded from the worst ravages of the AIDS pandemic. Not anymore.

HIV and AIDS have quietly arrived in this land of a thousand calamities. Still, little is known of the disease in Afghanistan. It remains almost completely underground, shrouded in ignorance and stigma as the government struggles with the help of U.S. and NATO forces to rebuild the country amid a new offensive by Taliban insurgents
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Mom: military seduces young
2007-03-18 By IAN FAIRCLOUGH Valley Bureau
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WOLFVILLE — The military is seducing impressionable youth into service in the Armed Forces, says the mother of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan.

Andria Hill-Lehr says youth of all ages are being led to join the military before they have the ability to think critically.

She said Forces’ advertisements, shown at movie theatres, target teens. She also said the cadet program starts as young as age 12 and puts youth in touch with military life.

"We’ve used words like brainwashing and indoctrination and they’ve lost their emphasis," she said. Now she uses the word seduction. The Wolfville mom spoke on the issue at a Voice of Women for Peace rally in Halifax last month and she is writing a book for Pottersfield Press, a Halifax County publishing company.

She said teens who become involved in cadets, the reserves and the regular forces are being taught to follow when they should be learning to lead and to think for themselves.
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1,400 artifacts of Afghanistan's museum in exile in Switzerland return to Kabul
the associated press Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.18.2007
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Afghanistan (AP) — More than 1,400 artifacts — protected from looters and the Taliban since 1999 at a museum-in-exile in Switzerland — were returned to the National Museum of Afghanistan on Saturday.
The collection, which includes a piece from a foundation stone that was "touched by Alexander the Great" and several items thousands of years old, was assembled in Switzerland by Afghans who wanted to save their cultural heritage after decades of war.

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UN worker injured in ambush in Afghanistan
Mar 18, 2007, 8:03 GMT
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Kabul - A UN mine-clearing worker was wounded during an ambush in the Kapisa province north of Kabul, the US-led coalition forces said Sunday.

Afghan and coalition forces were also hit with rocket-propelled grenade, machine gun and small-arms fire while travelling in the opposite direction as the UN vehicle in the Tag Ab district Saturday, a statement said.

It did not state the nationality of the wounded worker.

The coalition also rejected a claim posted on a Taliban insurgent website that one of its helicopters had been shot down in the eastern Nuristan province Friday.
End

Australian Soldiers Wounded In Afghanistan
March 17, 2007 10:11 p.m. EST Richard Bowden - All Headline News Staff Writer
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Kandahar, Afghanistan (AHN) - Three Australian soldiers have been wounded in a rocket attack at Kandahar airfield in southern Afghanistan today according to a report from the Australian news agency Australian Associated Press (AAP).

The three received minor injuries when an enemy rocket hit their accommodation quarters at the airfield but will return to active duties after treatment according to a statement released by the Australian Defense Department.

The rocket attack caused minor damage though most of the impact was absorbed by a purpose-built barrier system, the statement said. The soldiers are amongst 550 Australian military serving in the country.

Prime Minister John Howard, who paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan this week, has said he is considering sending a further contingent of Australian troops to combat recently resurgent Taliban forces.
end


Taliban chop drivers' noses, ears in Afghanistan
Reuters Sunday, March 18, 2007; 3:15 AM
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ASADABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban guerrillas chopped noses and ears of at least five truck drivers in eastern Afghanistan as punishment for transporting supplies to U.S.-led troops, officials and residents said on Sunday.

The drivers were part of a convoy headed for a coalition military base when they were attacked in the province of Nuristan on Saturday.
The number of drivers who had their noses and ears cut varies, it is between five and eight," Ghulamullah, the police chief of Nuristan who uses only one name, said citing locals and officials in the area.

Several trucks were destroyed in the attack.

Ousted from power in 2001 in a U.S.-led invasion, the Taliban have launched what they call a holy war against Western troops and the government in Kabul.

The militants have in the past killed a number of drivers for supplying goods and fuel to the troops.
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Afghanistan: NATO Commander Discusses Challenges
March 16, 2007 (RFE/RL) Saturday, March 17, 2007
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Less than two weeks ago, NATO and Afghan forces launched a massive offensive to stabilize Helmand Province. The man who is four months into the job of overseeing the NATO mission in Afghanistan, General John Craddock, the supreme allied commander of NATO forces in Europe, spoke to RFE/RL correspondent Heather Maher.

RFE/RL: Reports from Afghanistan are that as civilian deaths and injuries mount, popular support for the Taliban is increasing, because local populations are turning to the Taliban for protection. The Taliban is now firmly in control of three districts in Helmand Province. How is NATO attempting to counter this?

John Craddock: I think the first thing that ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] is doing is telling the truth, and that may be a rare commodity. The fact is you will see reports of operations that ISAF has conducted that have resulted in the loss of noncombatant life, many of those are patently false, they are not true.
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NZ troops set for return to war in Afghanistan
By ANTHONY HUBBARD and JOHN STEPHENSON - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 18 March 2007
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New Zealand SAS troops are to return to Afghanistan within two months to help in the increasingly dangerous and controversial war with the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Military sources say a contingent of the elite SAS will return to Afghanistan, perhaps as early as next month. Previous contingents have numbered between 40 and 65.

But former SAS troopers have told the Sunday Star-Times soldiers who had served there were worried about the conduct of some US and Australian special forces.

The New Zealand SAS's last round of duty in Afghanistan ended in November 2005.

Defence Minister Phil Goff says the government has "no plans at present" to send the SAS back, but will not rule it out.

Prime Minister Helen Clark may be saving the announcement for her meeting with president George Bush in the White House on Wednesday. Last week she announced that New Zealand's 120-strong provincial reconstruction team would remain in Bamiyan province in Afghanistan for another year.

Sources say some New Zealand SAS soldiers were concerned about the "trigger-happy" attitude of American and Australian special forces in Afghanistan. One former SAS soldier told the Sunday Star- Times that colleagues who had served in Afghanistan were unhappy with some American troops whose conduct was "nothing but murder".

Another former SAS soldier said there had been concern about the systematic killing by coalition snipers of Afghanis seen carrying weapons, but who did not pose a threat.

"A guy comes out of the town with an AK (47) in his hand, maybe he's the goatherd or whatever, and `bang'. The (New Zealand) chaps weren't happy with that."
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Afghanistan: Kabul's Relations With Its Other Neighbor, Iran
By Amin Tarzi March 16, 2007 (RFE/RL)
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The Afghan government and ordinary Afghans are quick to say that most of the destabilizing factors in their country have a foreign origin -- and Pakistan is most likely to be blamed.

But recently, more attention is being paid to the possibility that Afghanistan's neighbor to the west -- Iran -- may also be pursuing its own agenda in Afghanistan to the detriment of Kabul.

Iran and Pakistan became actively involved in the internal affairs of Afghanistan during the mujahedin's resistance against Soviet forces and the subsequent communist regimes from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.

Pakistani Involvement

Both countries also became host to millions of Afghan refugees. During the jihad period -- as the anticommunist resistance is referred to by Afghans -- Pakistan hosted and manipulated the mostly Sunni Muslim and Pashtun mujahedin groups, while Iran managed the mostly Shi'ite Muslim groups.
Not causing trouble does not mean that Iran lacks the ability to do so, if such a policy would suit Tehran's dealings with the West.


With the collapse of the communist government of President Najibullah in 1992, the Pakistani-backed groups initially took control of most levers of power.

Gradually, however, Iran, and -- even less obviously, India and the Russian Federation -- cultivated their own relations with new clients to oppose the domination of Pakistan over the future of Afghanistan.

With the advent of the Taliban phenomenon in 1994, Tehran began not only to actively support the loose grouping of former mujahedin parties and communist strongmen -- the United Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (popularly known as the Northern Alliance) -- but also gave refuge to Pakistan's one-time favorite Afghan client, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, as a potential card to be played.
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A clouded atmosphere of hurt and hostility
jfriesen, today at 10:11 AM EDT
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On a day when swirling dust seemed to block out the sun, I sat down in a quiet room in Kandahar city with a mullah recently returned from Quetta, Pakistan, home to many of the Taliban’s top leadership.

The mullah, who sat cross-legged and sipped a soft drink, said he doesn’t support the Taliban, but he doesn’t like the foreigners either. British, American, Canadian – they are all Harijan (foreign) to him. He has never travelled abroad, he said, so how is he supposed to tell the difference?

The mullah had been speaking with a man who is tailor to the Taliban in Quetta. The Taliban are feeling harassed lately, he said. The CIA and the Pakistani ISI are hunting them and the Taliban have had to change their appearance to blend in. Men who grew their beards for decades have shaved them off and gone with close-cropped Pakistani-style haircuts, he said. They don’t move around much, but stay in safe houses and plot the wider scope of the Afghan war.

He brought with him Taliban videos that we sat and watched. They showed Mullah Dadullah, a feared military commander who is now reportedly number three in the Taliban hierarchy, flanked by men carrying RPGs, speaking before a flag-waving crowd. He was welcoming recruits of suicide bombers, perhaps one or two hundred (although they claimed 2,000) who sat before him with their bowed heads cloaked in black. The mullah exhorted them to fight against the unbelievers.

The video also showed Taliban attacks on NATO convoys, and the brutal, bloody execution of soldiers from the Afghan National Army. It was unpleasant to watch, but the local Afghans in the room were quite interested. They spent a great deal of time trying to deduce where Mullah Dadullah’s speech took place. It must be Pakistan, they said. Probably Waziristan, judging by the countryside. They blame the Pakistani government for most of Afghanistan’s woes. Pakistan doesn't want to see a strong and stable Afghanistan, they said, because it fears a Pashtun independence movement.
End

Teams train at Bragg for Afghanistan reconstruction work
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.
Article Link

Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Phillips is getting ready for a job on the ground.

He's set to command a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan. The teams work with local governments to coordinate rebuilding efforts.

Building relationships with local leaders is key.

Recently the team trained at Fort Bragg. Phillips led his team into a make-believe village. The members looked a at a clinic and provided medical care after a fictional earthquake.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams also work in Iraq. Their number is set to double there in the wake of the Bush administration's new strategy.
end

Maybe Layton was right about Afghanistan
TheStar.com -  March 17, 2007 Thomas Walkom
Peace deal with the Taliban only way out, analyst says
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When New Democratic Party chief Jack Layton suggested last fall that talking to the Taliban might bring peace to Afghanistan, he was laughed out of court.

The major newspapers dismissed him as either naive or reprehensible. The Conservative government was contemptuous, as were the Liberals.

They called him Taliban Jack.

Eventually, Layton stopped talking about negotiating with the Taliban. Which is ironic, given that the idea is now gaining credibility among those who travel in more established circles.

Indeed, the latest figure to call for a political settlement to the Afghan conflict is a pillar of the Ottawa establishment. Gordon Smith, now director of the Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria, is Canada's former ambassador to NATO and a former deputy minister of foreign affairs. His Canada in Afghanistan: Is it Working? was done for the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, a Calgary think-tank that is not known for being squishy on matters military.

Unlike Layton, Smith does not say Canada should pull its troops out of Afghanistan. Quite the contrary. He writes that Canadian troops should remain there past 2009 as part of the NATO-led force.

But he also writes that the current NATO strategy of trying to defeat the Taliban militarily cannot work.

"We do not believe that the Taliban can be defeated or eliminated as a political entity in any meaningful time frame by Western armies using military measures," he says.

The reasons for this are fourfold. First, the Taliban are still the dominant force among Pashtuns in Afghanistan's south, where Canadian troops are operating. NATO bête noire Mullah Omar "remains unchallenged as leader of the Taliban," Smith writes. "There is no alternative representing Pashtun interests who has more clout than he."
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Afghanistan: the task gets tougher
Saturday, 17 March 2007 
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PRIME Minister John Howard never tires of trumpeting his claim to be the true custodian of Australia's national security to the point where pictures of him rubbing shoulders with Australian Defence Force soldiers are now a familiar staple of newspapers, particularly around federal elections. He has again boarded the Hercules this week for a fleeting visit to Afghanistan and the region to both thank the men and women of the ADF for their efforts in what are, without doubt, two of the more dangerous theatres of conflict in the world today.
After addressing about 150 troops in the southern Afghan town of Tarin Kowt, Howard flew to Kabul for talks with President Hamid Karzai to discuss the potential for boosting troop numbers there. With another Taliban and al-Qaeda offensive forecast for this northern spring, there is little likelihood that Karzai will be playing down the need for extra troops. Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd is unequivocal that Howard should be sympathetic to "any reasonable request for additional resources" suggesting that on this issue, the ALP and the Coalition are as one (unlike Iraq where the ALP has committed to bringing home Australia's combat troops).

As perilous as the situation is in Afghanistan, cynics might argue that Howard's visit there has as much to do with pushing his national security credentials ahead of the election later this year as it does with viewing first-hand the existential threats facing Karzai's Government.

It's thought Howard might announce a doubling of military personnel to Afghanistan to about 1000, including a detachment of Special Air Service troops. If so, Rudd is unlikely to demur. The bipartisan support suggests both leaders are well aware that international efforts to free Afghanistan from the tyranny of the Taliban, al-Qaeda, warlords and ethnic rivalries have gone backwards in the past year
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Bulgaria okays larger contingent in Afghanistan
March 17, 2007
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The Bulgarian government adopted a decision on Friday to increase the Bulgarian military presence in Afghanistan by 335 personnel, reported BTA news agency, citing the Government Information Service.

Up to 200 soldiers will be committed for the first time to guard the internal perimeter of Kandahar Airport, and a 120-member company will be sent to the capital airport, plus 15 staff officers.

The commitment of these contingents will bring the total number of Bulgarian peacekeeping contingent in Afghanistan to some 400.

The whole troops are expected to be sent off by July.

Bulgaria sent its first one-year-mandate rotation of contingent to Afghanistan in 2002, said the agency.
end

Afghanistan faces challenges from within, says Shaukat Aziz
Article Link

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Friday that the challenges Afghanistan faced were indigenous and required a holistic approach to win the hearts and minds of Afghans.

He told a NATO parliamentary delegation at PM’s House that the causes and solutions of the Afghan problem lay in Afghanistan and that Pakistan would continue helping the Afghan government for peace and stability.

He said a stable and peaceful Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s strategic, economic and political interest and that Pakistan would lose if Afghanistan got destabilised. The PM said a stable Afghanistan could help Pakistan open avenues of cooperation and forge energy, trade and transportation links with Central Asia.

He said all stakeholders in Afghanistan needed to be recognised and involved in finding a settlement of the Afghan problem. Aziz said Pakistan was of the view that a Marshall Plan type approach needed to be adopted in Afghanistan to speed up the process of reconstruction and to bring about meaningful improvement in the lives of the Afghan people.
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RUSSIA RETURNING TO AFGHANISTAN WITH NOT-SO-SOFT POWER
By Vladimir Socor Friday, March 16, 2007
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Russian power is returning to Afghanistan in military and security terms, albeit without a military presence on the ground, at least for now. Moscow is using the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) as a thin cover.

On March 9 through 13, a CSTO Working Group on Afghanistan held talks in Kabul with senior officials of the Afghan Ministries of Defense, Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and other security and civilian government departments. The Russian-led delegation proposed to institute regular contacts with Afghanistan’s military, security, and law-enforcement agencies and invited Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak to Moscow. The delegation offered assistance to Afghanistan to build its army, security agencies, and border protection units and to combat “terrorism” and the drugs trade. Specific proposals include delivering arms and military equipment and training Afghan military and border-troop officers as well as “special services” personnel. In the civilian sphere, Russia and the CSTO are offering “help in establishing the organs of executive government both at the central level and in the regions” (Interfax, RIA-Novosti, Itar-Tass, March 12, 13).

Although such assistance could only be initiated politically and supplied in practice by Russia, the official reporting presents it as an initiative of the CSTO’s Central Asian member countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan). The delegation held meetings with these countries’ embassies in Kabul. There were apparently no working meetings with Western representatives there.
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[GAP]

Articles found March 19, 2007

Dutch military chief opposes extension to mission in Afghanistan
Friday March 16, 2007 (0443 PST)
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NETHERLAND: Dutch troops in Afghanistan should return home after their mandate expires in a year's time, Dutch Commander of the Armed Forces Dick Berlijn has told Dutch newspaper the Algemeen Dagblad.
Berlijn said Dutch troops' mission in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan must be taken over at that time by another NATO country, the newspaper reported.

The remarks ran contrary to the United States' repeated calls in recent months for more troops contributions to Afghanistan from NATO allies. Up to now only Britain has agreed to send reinforcements to the Asian country.

The Netherlands has about 2,200 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Along with Britain, Canada and the United States, the Netherlands has been responsible for southern Afghanistan since last August.

Berlijn said that bringing the troops back after their two-year mission is completed will avoid excessive pressure on the military
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O’Connor can’t be that blind
By SCOTT TAYLOR On Target
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OVER THE PAST few weeks, Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor has been facing an increasing barrage of questions concerning the Canadian military’s handling of Afghan detainees.

Initially, O’Connor had deflected the responsibility for the continued monitoring of apprehended Taliban suspects to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

We were told that prisoners captured by Canadian soldiers were transferred to Afghan security forces at the earliest possible opportunity and from that point forward, the Red Cross would ensure the physical well-being and oversee the legal proceedings of the accused Afghans and inform Canada of any wrongdoing.

This all sounded well and good until the Red Cross publicly contradicted O’Connor by saying that its agency has traditionally not informed third parties, such as the Canadian government, once detainees were in the possession of another government.

When it became obvious that Canadian officials were not quite sure what happened to Afghan prisoners after our forces relinquished control, O’Connor flew to Kandahar to sort matters out for himself.

The purpose of the hastily organized unannounced visit to Afghanistan was so that O’Connor could meet face-to-face with the head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Abdul Qadar Noorzai. It is now Noorzai’s organization the Canadian government will trust to ensure that any abuses inflicted upon our ex-prisoners will be dealt with by the Afghan authorities.

However, by their own admission, the commission has limited resources, little clout with the local police and only eight staff members to monitor Afghanistan’s southern provinces. For example, it was noted the commission have no access to Uruzgan, north of Kandahar province, because it is too dangerous to visit.
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Afghani asks for better weapons
Mon Mar 19 2007 By John Cotter
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MA'SUM GHAR, Afghanistan -- One of Afghanistan's top field commanders wants Canada to provide his troops with better weapons to fight the Taliban.
For the past year, Lt.-Col. Shereen Shah Kohbandi's 2nd Kandak (battalion) has been roaring into battle in Ford Ranger pickup trucks while their Canadian brothers-in-arms ride in heavily armoured LAV-3s and RG-31s.

While some of the Rangers are mounted with Soviet-era heavy machine-guns, the "Built Ford Tough" slogan used by the automaker provides little protection against Taliban rocket-propelled grenades or roadside bombs.

"We have nothing. We have no strong weapons," Kohbandi told The Canadian Press inside his mud-brick compound through an interpreter.

"I have good officers and soldiers -- brave. For four years they have fought in Uruzgan, Kandahar and Helmand. The best thing that we need are weapons."

Earlier this month, one of Kohbandi's officers died when his Ranger was destroyed by a landmine. Eight other
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Taliban extends deadline on Italian journalist
Sunday March 18, 2007 (0230 PST)
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KABUL: Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan have extended a deadline to execute a kidnapped Italian journalist by three days to Monday.
A spokesman says the extension is to give Rome more time to respond to their demands.

Italy appealed for more time after the Taliban rebels said they had killed an Afghan driver abducted along with La Repubblica reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo.

The Taliban want Italy to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and are also insisting on the release of one of their spokesmen, captured in January.
end

2 police killed, U.N. deminer wounded in Afghan violence
Monday March 19, 2007 (0916 PST)
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KABUL: A two-hour clash between suspected Taliban militants and police left two officers dead in western Afghanistan, a spokesman said Sunday.
The Taliban attacked the highway police checkpoint Saturday night in the Bakwa district of Farah province, and two police were killed in the subsequent gun battle, said Baryalai Khan, spokesman of the provincial police chief.

Separately, a U.N. mine-clearing worker was wounded by suspected Taliban militants during an ambush on Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces north of Kabul, the coalition said Sunday.

The militants fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at Afghan and coalition forces on Saturday in the Tag Ab district of Kapisa province, said a statement from the coalition.

No Afghan or coalition forces were wounded or killed in the attack, it said.

A U.N. vehicle carrying the mine-clearing worker, which was traveling separately from the convoy in the opposite direction on the same road, was hit in the attack.
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Afghan police seize over 100kg of heroin
Monday March 19, 2007 (0916 PST)
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KABUL: Afghan authorities said they had seized and destroyed more than 100kg of heroin and a large quantity of chemicals used in drug making in southern Helmand province.
The anti narcotics force captured the drugs including 1,000kg of chemicals used in making heroin from Dishu district as part of an ongoing crackdown on the nation's drug trade, the interior ministry said.

"It's a significant seizure. The drugs were destroyed in the area," it said in a statement.

The seizure comes less than a week after the anti-narcotics force - an internationally-backed commando unit - captured hundreds of kilograms of opium and heroin along with notebooks with guidelines for suicide bombers in Helmand.

The insurgency plagued province is Afghanistan's top drug producing region. Experts say illicit drugs are funding the insurgency run mainly by Taleban loyalists.

The insurgency launched months after the 2001 toppling of the Taleban includes Iraq-style suicide bombings. Afghanistan saw some 140 suicide bombings in 2006 which killed hundreds of people most of them civilians.

Afghanistan produces 92 per cent of the world's opium, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Most of it is smuggled across the underpoliced borders with Pakistan and Iran from where it is believed to be taken to Europe
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Suicide attack on US embassy convoy in Afghanistan
Monday March 19, 2007 (1350 PST)
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KABUL: A suicide attacker drove an explosives-filled car into a US embassy convoy in Afghanistan's capital city Kabul on Monday, wounding some embassy staff and at least one child, officials said.

The attack on the road to the eastern city of Jalalabad was the first suicide bombing inside Kabul this year, after several deadly blasts last year blamed on Taliban insurgents.

"There was a vehicle-borne IED (improvised explosive device) that struck a US embassy convoy on Jalalabad Road," embassy spokesman Joe Mellot told AFP.

"There were some injuries, including one seriously injured who has been evacuated for treatment."

Ambassador Ronald Neumann was not in the convoy, he said. An investigator at the scene and an eyewitness told AFP they had seen one child being taken to hospital by ambulance.

Foreign troops sealed off the road, often used by US troops travelling to the main US coalition base at Bagram outside the capital and also the route to various military bases on the outskirts of Kabul.

An AFP correspondent could see a vehicle in flames and a damaged bullet-proof, four-by-four vehicle of they type used by diplomatic missions and foreign forces in Afghanistan.
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BearingPoint Lands Afghanistan Project
By David Hubler Special to the Washington Post Monday, March 19, 2007; Page D04
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BearingPoint of McLean has won a five-year, $218.6 million contract from the Agency for International Development to help modernize and upgrade ministerial, private-sector and educational services in Afghanistan.

The Afghans Building Capacity Program contract is one of USAID's largest individual awards for economic reform and private-sector development since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

BearingPoint will work with USAID and the Afghan government to train government, public-sector and education officials in performing essential tasks such as budget preparation and disbursement, interagency coordination and human resources. Graduate programs set up at Afghan universities will give middle managers the opportunity to earn advanced degrees.

Mid-level managers and officials in Kabul and the provinces will receive on-the-job training, individual coaching and classroom instruction, said Pat Bryski, managing director of BearingPoint's emerging markets practice and head of the financial and private-sector development program in Afghanistan.
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Another sign the Democrats will leave Afghanistan if given the chance
Monday, March 19, 2007 Posted by D.J. McGuire on March 19, 2007 in International Affairs
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It's been about two weeks since I made my assertion that the Democratic Party, if its won the White House in 2008, would pull the nation out of Afghanistan. One of my reasons was that only 56% of Americans supported the Afghanistan war in a Washington Post poll I cited.

Today, CNN released its own poll, reaffirming my point that support for the liberation of Afghanistan is dangerously weak (emphasis added):

Support for the war in Afghanistan also has seen a considerable decline as 88 percent of those polled in 2001 said they were behind the conflict. This month's poll indicates that support lingers around 53 percent.

As I opined earlier, something tells me the 47% that do not support the war doesn't include a whole lot of Republicans. The rest of my arguments, about the nature of the Democratic Party, the weakness of support for the mission around the world, the Pakistan factor, and the opportunity to blame President Bush for it all, are as true today as when I wrote it two weeks ago.

The 2008 election will not only determine the fate of Iraq (and BTW, it continues to improve over there, as Iraq the Model is noting), but the fate of the entire WBK War (a.k.a. the War on Terror). The terrorists and their allies - up to and including Communist China - are watching. This could be our most important election since 1864.
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Standing guard against a grim, invisible enemy in Afghanistan
Depression and combat stress can strike like a bullet, but Canadian troops have help
JOE FRIESEN
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KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- Colonel Randy Boddam stole headlines earlier this month when he said Canada was deploying soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder to Afghanistan. But in four months as a military psychiatrist in Afghanistan, he has treated more patients for combat-related stress than PTSD, which is only the fourth most common mental illness in the military.

Canadian soldiers are nearly twice as likely to suffer from depression and nearly 40 per cent more likely to suffer from panic disorder than the general population. And while he has seen a slightly greater incidence of combat stress in Kandahar, the bulk of his work has been treating depression and anxiety disorders.

"There's something about the Canadian Forces. Is that a factor of attraction, is that part of the work environment? What is it? We don't know," said Dr. Boddam, the Canadian Forces' chief psychiatrist.

"Certainly some of this has been brought on by the stress of combat and operations."
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Merkel and Karzai: No backing down on course
19 March 2007
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Berlin (dpa) - Pakistan's relationship with Afghanistan was a central focus of talks in Berlin Monday between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

'We touched on the issue of cooperation with Pakistan, because this relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan is of crucial importance for the future of Afghanistan,' Merkel said.

She highlighted 'the extent to which there is a commitment by Pakistan for a peaceful future.'

The German government spoke 'very much the same language' to the governments of both Pakistan and Afghanistan, she said.

Karzai noted the precarious security situation in the south of the country, where the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) is engaged in combat operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

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[GAP]

Articles found March 20, 2007


Italian hospital's head arrested in Afghanistan
Reuters Tuesday, March 20, 2007; 4:48 AM
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LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Security forces arrested an Afghan hospital head on Tuesday after hundreds of people protested to demand information about the executed driver of kidnapped Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo.

Rahamatullah Hanafi was arrested outside the Italian charity hospital in the southern town of Lashkar Gah, where the journalist was housed for the night after his release by the Taliban who had kidnapped him two weeks ago.

Reasons for his arrest were not immediately known.

But it came hours after hundreds of family and friends of the executed driver, Syed Agha, blockaded the emergency hospital, demanding to know what happened to the dead man.

They chanted "Death to Rahamatullah!," and said they would not let Mastrogiacomo be driven away for a flight to Kabul until he met them to say what had happened to his driver.

Mastrogiacomo spent the night in the hospital after being freed by the Taliban following almost two weeks in captivity, accused of spying and threatened with execution himself
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Bribery, corruption pervasive in Afghanistan, survey says
Tue Mar 20 2007 By Rahim Faiez
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KABUL -- Bribery and corruption are pervasive in Afghanistan's current government, according to a survey released Monday that said most Afghans believe their leaders are more corrupt than the Soviet-backed government in the 1980s or the Taliban-run government in the 1990s.
About 60 per cent of respondents said the current administration is more corrupt than any other in the past two decades, said the report by Integrity Watch Afghanistan, an independent group.

"Over the last five years, corruption has soared to levels not seen in previous administrations," it said.

Money "can buy government appointments, bypass justice or evade police," while the government is "unable or unwilling to seriously tackle corruption," it said. The group said it interviewed 1,258 Afghans for the study.

The courts and the Interior Ministry were highlighted as the most corrupt institutions. The group's executive director, Lorenzo Delesgues, pointed to weak law enforcement as a main reason for corruption and bribery.

"Corruption has undermined the legitimacy of the state," Delesgues told a news conference.   
The group, which conducted the survey in 13 provinces, said 93 per cent of the respondents believed that bribes had to be paid for more than half of public services and administrative work. The report said impunity and unaccountability of civil servants underpinned corruption.
End

Pakistani sentenced to death for killing lawmaker
Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:57:08 
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A Pakistani court has sentenced a cleric to death for shooting dead a female minister for not wearing a veil.

Mohammad Sarwar was convicted and sentenced at the court in the city of Gujranwala, a month after he gunned down Zilla Huma Usman, the social welfare minister for Punjab province at a public meeting, AFP reported.

"Judge Tariq Iftikhar has sentenced Sarwar to death on two counts, one for the murder of Zilla Huma and the other for spreading terrorism by the action," said court official, Amjad Ali. Sawar was also ordered to pay a fine of 200,000 rupees ($3,333).

The cleric told police after the murder on February 20 that he killed Usman because she was not wearing Islamic dress and that he opposed the involvement of women in politics.

The cleric was arrested in 2003 after confessing to the murder of four prostitutes, but was released due to a lack of evidence.
End

Warning: This sounds like propaganda
U.S. chopper crashes in Afghanistan
Tue, 20 Mar 2007 09:41:37 
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Taliban insurgents have reported the crash of a U.S helicopter in the Nuristan province of eastern Afghanistan.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mojahid, said in an interview with local media on Monday that the helicopter crashed over Kamdesh city, killing all passengers on board, IRIB reported.

U.S. military forces have issued a press release denying they have any information about a possible helicopter crash in the area.
End

Afghan Extremists Killed During Coalition Operation
American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 20, 2007
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Three suspected extremists were killed after firing at Afghan and coalition forces during an operation in Afghanistan’s Helmand province today, officials said.
The primary target of the operation was a known Taliban leader and facilitator of suicide bombers, believed to have controlled as many as 200 fighters in the area.

In addition to ordering assassinations of Afghan government officials, the militant leader is believed to have helped move suicide attackers into Helmand province by way of Kandahar and other nearby cities, military officials reported. There have been several recent attacks on Afghan and coalition forces in the area, including improvised explosive devices and small-arms fire.

The combined Afghan-coalition force responded to numerous shots from within the target compound. There were no injuries to any of the women and children in the compound, and there were no Afghan or coalition casualties in the operation, officials said.

Additionally, a motorcycle driven by an Afghan detonated a pressure-plate bomb, killing its operator on a highway southwest of Kandahar yesterday, military officials reported.

Afghan National Police immediately took control of the situation, secured the site, and prevented any other injuries to Afghans. No coalition members were injured during the attack.
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Kidnapped Reporter: I Witnessed Beheading
ROME, March 19, 2007
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(AP) An Italian journalist held for two weeks in Afghanistan said after his release Monday that he saw his captors cut off the head of one of the two Afghans kidnapped with him and thought he would be next to die.

In an interview with RAI Tg3 News, Daniele Mastrogiacomo described a harrowing experience. "I saw him be decapitated," he said.

He said the kidnappers threw the Afghan to his knees and suffocated him in the sand as they cut his head off.

"Then they wiped the knife on his clothes. I was shaking. Obviously I thought 'it's my turn now,"' Mastrogiacomo said.

Mastrogiacomo said he was struck in his back and head with an AK-47 during his capture, but was not hurt at any other time. "If they needed a blanket, they gave me one too. If there was bread to share, they shared it with me, so that was not a problem," he said.

The fate of the other Afghan who had been with the journalist was not immediately known.

In an earlier audio posted on the Web site of his newspaper, La Repubblica, Mastrogiacomo said he slept in 15 different prisons that were "as small as sheep pens." His hands and feet were chained, and he was made to walk for miles in the desert, he said.

Mastrogiacomo said knowledge of the support of his colleagues and countrymen gave him strength.

"I knew that Italy was supporting me, and that was the only comfort in the most desperate moments, when I feared I was going to be killed at anytime soon," he said. "This is the most beautiful moment of my life."

Mastrogiacomo, 52, who had worked for the newspaper in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and elsewhere since 2002, was kidnapped March 5 along with the two Afghans while traveling in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility.

The journalist arrived Monday at a hospital in Lashkar Gah, in southern Afghanistan, where the Italian-led aid group Emergency is based, Italian Premier Romano Prodi said.
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AFGHANISTAN: Floods and avalanches kill dozens and displace hundreds
20 Mar 2007 12:25:27 GMT Source: IRIN
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KABUL, 20 March (IRIN) - More than 50 people have been killed and hundreds displaced because of heavy rainfall, avalanches and floods over the past few days in Afghanistan's southern and south-western provinces, officials say.

In Uruzgan, Helmand, Badghis and Ghor provinces, more than 500 houses were destroyed or damaged by floods.

In the most recent incident, an avalanche in the Murgab area of central Ghor killed 16 people and injured 25, Mohammad Asif, a provincial official, told IRIN on Tuesday.

In another incident on Monday, floods killed more than 30 people in Ghor's neighbouring province of Uruzgan, where officials have urged the United Nations and international relief organisations to provide humanitarian assistance.

Qayom Qayomi, a spokesman for the governor of Uruzgan, said hundreds of people affected by floods were now stranded in Dehraoud and Charcheno districts.

"For the time being we cannot access the affected areas and provide assistance. Roads are destroyed and we do not have helicopters to deliver aid," Qayomi said.

In the neighbouring Helmand and Badghis provinces, at least 12 people, including several women and children, died in flash rains and floods.
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AFGHANISTAN: UNHCR increases cash grant for repatriation
20 Mar 2007 13:37:55 GMT Source: IRIN
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KABUL, 20 March 2007 (IRIN) - Afghan refugees living in Iran and Pakistan will receive a six-fold increase in cash grants upon their return to Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

"We want to support the reintegration of Afghan returnees in their country by paying them more," Nadir Farhad, a UNHCR spokesman in Kabul, told IRIN.

Each Afghan national who returns to Afghanistan in 2007 will receive US $100. This is in addition to transportation assistance which the UN agency provides to repatriating individuals.

UNCHR began its Afghan voluntary repatriation programme in 2002 following the ousting of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The agency has since helped 3.7 million Afghans repatriate - the single largest repatriation operation in the organisation's 55-year history. A further one million refugees returned to Afghanistan without assistance.

More than two million Afghan refugees currently live in Pakistan and about 900,000 stay in Iran.

UNHCR plans to assist about 250,000 Afghans who want to voluntarily repatriate in 2007, a significant slump in numbers from the post-Taliban period of 2002 and 2003 when more than one million returned.

Insecurity in the south and south-eastern parts of Afghanistan coupled with limited socio-economical opportunities has slowed the repatriation pace.
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Israeli drones fly over Iraq, Afghanistan
Tue, 20 Mar 2007 02:04:08 
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Pilotless planes small enough for a single soldier to carry and operate are gathering intelligence for U.S.-led forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Israeli manufacturer said Monday.

Elbit Systems, one of Israel's leading defense electronics companies, said its little "Skylark" can cover an area within a range of 10 kilometers day or night. It is about 2 meters long with a wingspan of nearly 2.5 meters, AP reported.

"Skylark is operational and is currently deployed in Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan," the statement said.

Lt. Col. Matthew McLaughlin of CENTCOM, the American command that handles Iraq and Afghanistan, said the military "would not confirm the use of the drone," but is always looking for aircrafts with such capabilities.

The U.S. relies heavily on pilotless planes of all shapes and sizes for surveillance, launching missiles and other missions in the region.
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Taliban support rising in Afghanistan: study
Updated Mon. Mar. 19 2007 8:02 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff
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Canadian troops are facing another challenge in Afghanistan as Taliban support among civilians has rocketed to nearly 27 per cent.

The findings stem from a large-scale survey conducted this month by Brussels-based thinktank Senlis Council. The organization polled 17,000 Afghan men in the Canadian-controlled areas of Kandahar province and in neighbouring British and U.S.-controlled regions of Helmand and Nangarhar.

Surveyors said the real figure is likely higher than the 27 per cent figure, since some respondents were probably hesitant of admitting support for the Taliban to a Westerner.

The men polled said they were disillusioned with the NATO military effort.

"Afghanis in southern Afghanistan are increasingly prepared to admit their support for the Taliban, and the belief that the government and the international community will not be able to defeat the Taliban is widespread in the southern provinces," the report concludes.

Only 19 per cent of Afghan civilians felt that international troops were helping them personally -- with only 6.5 per cent in regions where U.S. soldiers were in control.

"The widespread perception of locals is that the international community is not helping to improve their lives," says the report.
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[GAP]

Articles found March 21, 2007

Canadian injured on patrol in Afghanistan
Updated Tue. Mar. 20 2007 3:29 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
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A Canadian soldier in Afghanistan suffered "non-life-threatening injuries" Tuesday when an explosives-detection dog set off a roadside bomb, said the Canadian Forces.

The dog was killed by the blast, Canadian Forces spokesperson Lt. (Navy) John Nethercott told reporters, and the dog's handler was "very seriously injured."

Nethercott would not disclose the handler's nationality, but he said the dog team is from a foreign company -- American Canine -- subcontracted by the Canadian Forces to support Joint Task Force Afghanistan operations.

The soldier and handler were transported by helicopter to hospital at the Kandahar Airfield military base for treatment. "The next of kin of both the soldier and the dog handler have been notified," Nethercott said.

The chain of events began earlier in the day when a Canadian Coyote reconnaissance, while on a routine patrol near Ahmadkhan -- a village west of Kandahar City -- struck and detonated an IED (improvised explosive device).

"It was an armoured vehicle but the explosion was big enough to disable the vehicle," reported CTV's Paul Workman in Kandahar.

No one was injured in that explosion. But the team of bomb-sniffing dogs was brought in to search for other explosives on the road while they readied to return the vehicle to the Kandahar base. During the course of that search, one of the dogs detonated another bomb.

The Canadian soldier has not been identified but is from the Second Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment.

Workman reports that dog teams are used every day to assist soldiers, to search for hidden bombs.

Nethercott said the team today was "conducting dismounted route clearance to get to the location of this earlier strike'' when the second explosion happened."
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Afghan troops learning to become modern army
Updated Tue. Mar. 20 2007 1:37 PM ET Canadian Press
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PANJWAII, Afghanistan -- "Come on, spread it out,'' Warrant Officer Chuck Graham says as a platoon of Afghan National Army troops and their Canadian advisers begin a patrol.

There are reports that up to 12 Taliban insurgents are operating in nearby villages and fields.

ANA troops, backed by a handful of Canadians such as Graham, have been sweeping the area for weeks, speaking with village elders and farmers, showing them with their presence that the Panjwaii district is Afghan government turf.

The Canadians are members of the Observer Mentor Liaison Team. They hang back, allowing the Afghan platoon commander and his men to make the decisions -- to take the lead.

A bearded machine-gunner is out in front, his crisp new camouflage body armour criss-crossed with belts of oily bullets for his old Soviet-era weapon.

Troops armed with battered AK-47s, some held together with red duct tape, scan the flanks as the column slowly snakes its way by ramshackle shops and into a labyrinth of back alleys, open sewers and mud-brick compounds.

A soldier, his eyes gleaming above a black scarf tied around his face, brings up the rear toting a rocket- propelled grenade launcher.

Villagers sit impassively but stare hard.

"Right now their formations and movements are being well executed, but their spacing is too tight for this area,'' says Master Warrant Officer Wayne Bartlett as he follows closely behind, keeping an eye out for trouble.
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U.N. calls for increased support in Afghanistan
1:15 AM
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The top U.N. envoy to Afghanistan said Tuesday the international community must step up efforts to help develop the war-ravaged country, improve security and eradicate the drug trade in order to counter a Taliban resurgence.

"To be candid, international participation needs to improve," Tom Koenigs, the U.N.'s special representative to Afghanistan, told an open meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

"I am counting on the support of the council to make the Afghanistan National Development Strategy work," he said, referring to the Afghan government's overarching plan for rebuilding the country. "It will only deliver results if everyone contributes to the process."

Afghanistan's U.N. Ambassador Zahir Tanin echoed the call for international aid, saying his country has received "far less assistance from the donor community in comparison to other post-conflict countries."

Tanin said reconstruction projects and basic services should be expanded throughout Afghanistan and more attention should be paid to the "inextricable link between development and security."

The Bush administration has said it would ask Congress for $10.6 billion for training Afghan security forces and reconstruction. The U.S has given $14.2 billion in aid to Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban government.

Afghanistan has seen a surge in violence over the past year as supporters of the former Taliban regime have increased suicide and roadside bombings, particularly in the volatile south.
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UN Head Says Taliban Emboldened In Afghanistan  
March 21, 2007
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said despite mounting losses, the insurgency in Afghanistan appears "emboldened by their strategic successes."

In a report to the Security Council, he said insurgents continue to mount widespread roadblocks on the key road connecting Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat and to target senior public officials and community leaders.

Ban said the September 2006 peace agreement between Pakistan and the local Taliban of North Waziristan did not prevent the tribal area from being used as a staging ground for attacks on Afghanistan.

Ban said a record number of 77 suicide attacks were recorded in the last six months, up from 53 over the previous six months, with most directed against foreign military convoys.

Many attacks appear to have been financed from abroad, he said in the report.
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Italian reporter leaves Afghanistan
21st March 2007, 3:53 WST
Article Link

An Italian journalist, freed after being held hostage, has left Afghanistan for home after facing protests from the relatives and friends of his driver who was beheaded by the Taliban kidnappers.

La Repubblica reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo left Kabul for Rome around 8pm (0230 AEDT) in an Italian government aircraft, Italy's ambassador to Afghanistan, Ettore Francesco Sequi, told Reuters.

The reporter had earlier been expected to stop over in the Afghan capital and address a news conference. But he was brought from the southern town of Lashkar Gah and flown straight out of Kabul airport, without any reason being given.

Mastrogiacomo's departure marked the end of a dramatic day in which protesters blockaded an Afghan hospital where he was staying, demanding details of the death of his driver, Syed Agha.

More than 200 relatives and friends of Agha protested outside the Italian-run emergency hospital in Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand province, demanding to talk with the Italian, who was kidnapped by the Taliban two weeks ago.

His translator, Ajmal Nakshbandi, is still being held.

Mastrogiacomo, accused by the Taliban of spying for British troops, described in his paper how he was forced to watch Agha be killed.

"I can still see it now," he said. "I get off my knees. Four young men grab the driver and shove his face into the sand. They cut his throat and continue until they have cut his whole head.
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Landslides kill 31 in Pakistan's Kashmir
Updated Wed. Mar. 21 2007 6:18 AM ET Associated Press
Article Link

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan -- Heavy rains triggered landslides that buried three homes in Pakistan's portion of Kashmir, leaving 31 people dead, officials said Wednesday.

At least 21 people died when a landslide hit two homes Tuesday in Doba Sayedan, a remote village in the mountainous Himalayan territory, said Maj. Farooq Nasir, an army spokesman in the regional capital, Muzaffarabad.

Ten members of one family died when their home collapsed under a landslide in Bagh, a town further south, police officer Mohammed Liaqat said.

Villagers had pulled 15 injured people from the rubble in Doba Sayedan and were digging for seven others feared trapped under the debris, officials said.
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1 killed as US Embassy convoy attacked in Afghanistan
Article Link


KABUL: A suicide car bomber ended months of relative calm in the Afghan capital by exploding his car next to a US Embassy convoy, killing an Afghan teenager and wounding five embassy security personnel on a notoriously dangerous stretch of road.

The suicide blast y, the first in Kabul since December, propelled one of the armored SUVs across Jalalabad Road, which sees more bombings and rocket attacks than any other area in the capital.

The two other US vehicles were also damaged, and flames shot through the wreckage of the suicide car bomb.

A 15-year-old Afghan on the side of the road was killed, said Hasib Arian, the district police chief.

Five US Embassy security personnel were wounded, one seriously, said Col. Tom Collins, the spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force. The US ambassador, Ronald Neumann, was not in the convoy, said embassy spokesman Joe Mellott.

A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, said in a phone call to The Associated Press that a Taliban militant from Khost province carried out the attack.
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Iraq, Afghanistan Limit Army Preparedness
Wednesday March 21, 2007 (0310 PST) WASHINGTON
Article Link

U.S. troop and supply demands in Iraq and Afghanistan limit the military's ability to engage in another conflict, Pentagon officials told the U.S. Congress.
"The readiness continues to decline of our next-to-deploy forces," the Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. Richard A. Cody told the House Armed Services Committee's readiness panel last week, The Washington Post reported. "And those forces, by the way, are ... also your strategic reserve."

Cody described the U.S. Army units' level of readiness as "stark."

The Post said that when Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace was asked by a House panel last month whether he was comfortable with Army unit preparedness, he replied, "No ... I am not comfortable."

"You take a lap around the globe -- you could start any place: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Venezuela, Colombia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, North Korea, back around to Pakistan, and I probably missed a few. There's no dearth of challenges out there for our armed forces," Pace said, the newspaper reported.
End

 

[MarkOttawa]

Afghan-based UK troops 'have changed tactics'
Daily Telegraph, March 21
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/20/ndefence120.xml

British forces in Afghanistan have switched tactics to counter a new wave of Taliban bombings and suicide attacks, a senior commander has said.

The Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Nick Houghton, said that they were now deliberately targeting key Taliban leaders in an attempt to drive a wedge between them and ordinary Afghans.

Giving evidence to the Commons Defence Committee, he acknowledged that attempts at the wholesale "eradication" of the Taliban and their supporters would simply alienate the local population.

At the same time, Defence Secretary Des Browne indicated that he was preparing to send more helicopters in support of military operations in Helmand province where British forces are concentrated.

Lt Gen Houghton said the Taliban appeared to have abandoned their tactics of last summer when they suffered heavy casualties mounting mass attacks on heavily-defended British positions.

"Increasingly, the switch this year has been towards the Taliban not taking on this tactic of mass attack but adopting a more asymmetric approach - the utilisation of IEDs (improvised explosive devices), suicide bombers, that sort of thing," he said.

"What we are attempting to do is use a far more intelligence-focused approach to the elimination of key Taliban leaders.

"We recognise that the (wholesale) eradication of the Taliban is not a sensible option. That alienates the public, locally and internationally.

"Therefore to attempt to dislocate the key Taliban leadership and attempt to drive a wedge between the irreconcilable, tier one Taliban leadership and the local potential Taliban fighters - that is the nature of the tactic we are following."..

UN right on Afghanistan
Canada: Reconstruction: 'We cannot lose sight of millions outside capital'
CanWest News Service, March 21
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=ff292917-9fd5-4712-8a37-5cef67678c13

Canada signalled yesterday the United Nations is on the right track with its approach to the reconstruction of Afghanistan, saying in a statement before the UN Security Council that a new focus on political and economic development in the country's provinces offers the best hope for long-term stability.

"We cannot lose sight of the millions who live outside the capital," John McNee, Canada's ambassador to the UN, told Council members as they prepared to renew the international mandate for the UN's Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another 12 months.

For many, spreading resources and goodwill beyond Kabul is long overdue -- and UNAMA chief Tom Koenigs told Council members that extending a hand of friendship to some of the less dedicated insurgents stands a good of winning them over -- something that would reduce the security burden on NATO-led forces.

"As a complement to military action, there is considerable potential for improved security through political outreach to disaffected tribal groups and other commanders with a 'soft' commitment to the Taliban and other insurgent groups," he said.

"There are signs that more groups than ever are receptive to Afghan government overtures when they are credibly made."

But he also warned that the Afghan government has to shape up -- and realize that help will not been open-ended.

"The continued passivity of many government agencies in the expectation that the international community will come to their rescue ... only serves to delay progress, and in some cases, undermine it," he said...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[The Bread Guy]

Hansard, House of Commons, 21 Mar 07

Right Hon. Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, CPC):  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has provided a clear explanation to the House of Commons. As the member knows, this government was at the time operating under an agreement signed by the previous government. We have since entered into a new arrangement with the Independent Afghan Human Rights Commission.  I can understand the passion that the Leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for Taliban prisoners. I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers.

(....)

More Hansard

Hon. Stéphane Dion (Leader of the Opposition, Lib.):  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made two shocking statements. First, he said that the government does not care about human rights and, second, that the official opposition does not care about Canadian soldiers.  The Prime Minister must understand that he has insulted the entire Parliament with his statement and he should apologize.

Right Hon. Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, CPC):  Mr. Speaker, I said absolutely no such thing. What I clearly said was that the government does care about this issue, which is precisely why the Minister of National Defence, upon learning the information he learned, acted to correct the situation. We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure we make progress.  The only other point I want to make is that I would like to see more support in the House of Commons from all sides for our Canadian men and women in uniform. I think Canadians expect that from parliamentarians in every party. They have not been getting it and they deserve it ....


Liberals' 'passion' is with Taliban, PM says
Accuses Opposition of caring for enemy more than troops
Daniel Leblanc, Globe & Mail, 22 Mar 07
Article link

Prime Minister Stephen Harper accused the Liberals yesterday of caring more about Afghan insurgents than Canadian troops and refused to apologize for the latest in a series of hard-hitting attacks against his political opponents.  "I can understand the passion that the Leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for Taliban prisoners. I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers," Mr. Harper told the House of Commons to a standing ovation from his caucus.  Mr. Harper's comments were reminiscent of his allegations last month that the Liberals are "soft on terrorism" and refused to extend anti-terrorism measures in order to protect the family of a Liberal MP. They came two days after the minority Conservative government released a well-received budget and with the possibility of a spring election still in the air ....


Harper accuses Liberals of being sympathetic to the Taliban
Mike Blanchfield, CanWest News Service, 21 Mar 07
Article link

Prime Minister Stephen Harper accused the Liberals of showing "passion" for the Taliban and not supporting Canadian troops Wednesday during a bitter exchange in the House of Commons after Grit Leader Stephane Dion called for the resignation of Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor.  "I can understand that the leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for Taliban prisoners. I just wish occasionally they’d show the same passion for Canadian soldiers," Harper said in the House of Commons.  Dion immediately called on the prime minister to apologize for the remarks ....


Liberals furious at Harper's Taliban accusation
CBC Online, 21 Mar 07
Article link

Prime Minister Stephen Harper went into attack mode in the House of Commons on Wednesday, accusing the Liberals of caring more about Taliban prisoners than Canadian troops.  The attack came during Question Period, as the Liberals called for the resignation of Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor over the erroneous information he provided to the government two weeks ago.  O'Connor incorrectly told the House of Commons that the Red Cross would keep Canada informed about the condition of prisoners handed over to Afghan officials by Canadian soldiers. On Monday, O'Connor apologized, admitting that the Red Cross has no obligation to report to Canada and must only keep Afghanistan informed ....


Liberals furious over Harper's Taliban remarks
CTV.ca, 21 Mar 07
Article link

Prime Minister Stephen Harper played hardball partisan politics again, saying Liberal MPs care more about Taliban prisoners than Canadian soldiers.  "I can understand the passion that the leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for Taliban prisoners," Harper said Wednesday during Parliament's question period.  "I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers."  As his MPs jeered the prime minister's remarks, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion called the statement shocking and asked for an apology.  He didn't get one.  "I would like to see more support in the House of Commons from all sides for Canadian men and women in uniform," Harper said.  "I think Canadians expect that from parliamentarians in every party. They have not been getting it, and they deserve it." ....



Top military officers off base on detainee file
Minister given questionable information on safeguards for prisoners, papers show
Jeff Esau, Globe & Mail, 22 Mar 07
Article link

Beleaguered Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor wasn't the only person at National Defence who was off base regarding detainee follow-up in Afghanistan. A gaggle of senior military officers and top civilian departmental officials also seem to have had it wrong, and they repeatedly drafted responses for Mr. O'Connor to deliver to Parliament, documents show.  On Monday, the minister apologized to Parliament for "providing inaccurate information" about prisoner safeguards in Afghanistan. As minister, he said, he took "full responsibility" for repeatedly asserting that the International Committee of the Red Cross would tell Canada of any detainee abuse or torture once captives were handed over to Afghan authorities.  The ICRC never tells third parties about its inspections and monitoring of prisoners, and reports back only to the government holding the captives. That principle has been central to its role for nearly 150 years and is crucial to its ability to deal confidentially with all parties to a conflict.  But according to documents entitled Advice for the Minister and made public under the access to information law, a high-level group of half a dozen senior policy, legal and parliamentary advisers told the minister to imply that the ICRC would inform Canada if detainees it handed to Afghanistan were mistreated.  The group, led by assistant deputy minister for policy Vincent Rigby, first advised Mr. O'Connor last May that "if pressed" in the Commons with questions about detainee follow-up, he should respond by saying: "If the ICRC advised us of some problems with transferred detainees, we would discuss the issue with the government of Afghanistan." ....


Fumbling Afghan file
Editorial, Halifax Chronicle-Herald, 22 Mar 07
Article link

HOW does a minister of national defence get a high-profile piece of information related to a controversial subject dead wrong – not just briefly, but for 10 months?  Gordon O’Connor conveniently chose federal budget rollout day on Monday – when he, like all politicians, knew media attention would be on the financial numbers – to publicly apologize to Parliament for repeatedly misstating the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross in monitoring treatment of Afghan detainees handed to local authorities by Canadian troops ....



NATO attacks kill 38 Taliban
Reuters (UK), 22 Mar 07
Article link

NATO-led forces killed 38 Taliban guerrillas in two separate attacks in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, a provincial police official said.  Backed by air support, the attacks targeted insurgent hideouts in two areas in Girishk district of Helmand province, the main drug producing region of Afghanistan, world's leading producer of heroin, the district police chief said ....



Italy confirms 5 Taliban were released in swap for reporter
JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press, 22 Mar 07
Article link

Italy's deputy foreign affairs minister, Ugo Intini, confirmed Wednesday that the Afghan government released five Taliban prisoners to win the freedom of a reporter kidnapped in lawless Helmand province.  Daniele Mastrogiacomo, who writes for Italy's La Repubblica newspaper, was freed Monday after two weeks in captivity. His Afghan driver, who was also seized, was beheaded, and the fate of his translator is not known.  Though the Afghan government called the swap "an exceptional case," the deal was sharply criticized.  "When we create situations where you can buy the freedom of Taliban fighters when you catch a journalist, in short term there will be no journalists anymore," Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said during a visit to Kabul on Wednesday.  Joe Mellott, the spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, said: "The U.S. does not make concessions to terrorist demands. End of story." ....


International protests over deal with Taliban for journalist
Agence France Presse, 22 Mar 07
Article link

The United States, Britain and the Netherlands have all criticised a prisoner release deal made with the Taliban by Italy and Afghanistan to secure the release of an Italian journalist.  The United States has complained to Italy over the exchange of several members of the Afghan militia in exchange for Daniele Mastrogiacomo, who was freed on Monday in southern Afghanistan, a US official in Washington said.  The United States, Britain and the Netherlands -- who all have troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan -- all said that handing over Taliban fighters sent the wrong message to hostage-takers.  "The UK has serious concerns about the implications of releasing Taliban in return for hostages," a spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign Office told AFP. "This sends the wrong signal to prospective hostage-takers."  In Washington, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity, said the swap increased the risk of similar kidnappings of
NATO and Afghan troops.  "Although we are pleased with the release of the Italian journalist, Mr Mastrogiacomo, we do have some concerns about the circumstances surrounding his release," the official said ....



Pakistani Taliban commanders negotiating ceasefire
Agence France Presse, 22 Mar 07
Article link

Pakistani Taliban commanders tried Thursday to negotiate a ceasefire between tribesmen and foreign Al-Qaeda militants after fierce battles left 114 people dead, officials said.  Intermittent heavy weapons fire continued Thursday in the rugged South Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, after a brief truce the previous night to allow the tribesmen and their Uzbek opponents to bury the dead.  The Pakistani government says the clashes, which broke out on Monday, show that its efforts to get Taliban-sympathising tribesmen to expel foreign extremists are working.  However intelligence officials said that the "jirga" or tribal council overseeing the negotiations included Baitullah Mahsud, a Taliban chief wanted in connection with a string of suicide bombings in Pakistan earlier this year.  Another member of the "jirga" or tribal council running the talks is Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of former minister in Afghanistan's 1996-2001 Taliban regime, Jalaluddin Haqqani ....


‘Waziristan deal unrelated to Afghan violence’, says Ambassador Munir Akram
South Asia Terrorism Portal, 22 Mar 07
Article link

Pakistan Ambassador to United States Munir Akram told the United Nations (UN) Security Council on March 20 that there was no proven direct co-relation of an increase in incidents inside Afghanistan with the conclusion of the North Waziristan agreement signed by the Pakistani Government with tribal leaders, Daily Times reported. He told the council during a debate on the situation in Afghanistan that Pakistan was pursuing a comprehensive strategy to promote peace and progress in its frontier regions, and this involved military, political, economic and administrative components. The objective of this strategy is to win the hearts and minds of the local population and isolate the militants from the moderates ....

 

[GAP]

Articles found March 22, 2007

Top military officers off base on detainee file
Minister given questionable information on safeguards for prisoners, papers show
JEFF ESAU Special to The Globe and Mail
Article Link

OTTAWA -- Beleaguered Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor wasn't the only person at National Defence who was off base regarding detainee follow-up in Afghanistan. A gaggle of senior military officers and top civilian departmental officials also seem to have had it wrong, and they repeatedly drafted responses for Mr. O'Connor to deliver to Parliament, documents show.

On Monday, the minister apologized to Parliament for "providing inaccurate information" about prisoner safeguards in Afghanistan. As minister, he said, he took "full responsibility" for repeatedly asserting that the International Committee of the Red Cross would tell Canada of any detainee abuse or torture once captives were handed over to Afghan authorities.

The ICRC never tells third parties about its inspections and monitoring of prisoners, and reports back only to the government holding the captives. That principle has been central to its role for nearly 150 years and is crucial to its ability to deal confidentially with all parties to a conflict.

But according to documents entitled Advice for the Minister and made public under the access to information law, a high-level group of half a dozen senior policy, legal and parliamentary advisers told the minister to imply that the ICRC would inform Canada if detainees it handed to Afghanistan were mistreated.
More on link

The fight to win Kajaki dam
Control of area believed crucial in bid to win Afghans' hearts and minds
JOE FRIESEN From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Article Link

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — The Kajaki dam sits near the head of the Great Helmand River, surrounded by picturesque mountains and the most fertile land in Afghanistan. It's one of the country's only strategic infrastructure sites and the centrepiece of Operation Achilles, the large-scale NATO offensive launched two weeks ago.

For several weeks, British Royal Marine commandos have waged a fierce campaign for control of the area around the dam. They aim to create a 10-kilometre safe zone that would allow engineers breathing space to begin work on the dam's refurbishment. But the battle for Kajaki has been slow and difficult.

Four British soldiers have died since the fighting began at the beginning of March, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization still has not achieved its goal and work on the dam has stalled.

NATO says British forces have won the high ground in the area, giving them a significant strategic advantage. They have been clearing Taliban positions, blowing up arms caches and slowly gaining ground, they say. Coalition forces have also encircled most of northern Helmand, with Canadians from the Royal Canadian Regiment on the eastern edge of that movement.
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NATO evacuates 600 in Afghanistan floods
Article Link

KABUL: NATO-led troops used helicopters to evacuate some 600 stranded villagers in southern Afghanistan after their homes were destroyed by widespread flooding, the alliance says.

Despite poor weather and persistent rainfall, Dutch and American helicopters managed to land and rescue people in the border regions between the southern provinces of Helmand and Uruzgan, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement."In some cases, ISAF had to persuade frightened people to accept being hoisted out of danger," the statement said.

The rescue operation happened at the time when NATO is conducting its largest ever offensive in southern Afghanistan, aimed at winning over a population long supportive of militant fighters.

The UN mission to Afghanistan together with the government have prepared food, tents, tarpaulins and blankets for an estimated 400 affected families, said Aleem Siddique, a UN spokesman.
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Waziristan jihadis wage war on each other
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
Article Link

The present bloody infighting between al-Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban in Pakistan's Waziristan tribal areas is likely to end in reconciliation between the two groups that will mark the beginning of the Taliban's major Afghan offensive.

Well-placed sources maintain that the chief commander of the Taliban in South Wazirstan, Baitullah Mehsud, was in Afghanistan's Helmand province when the fighting, in which scores have died this week, erupted. He immediately rushed to South Waziristan on the orders of Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah.

He put his foot down, and the fighting has now eased. A new protocol is imminent, under which all parties will agree to fight in Afghanistan and not inside Pakistan.

How did this internecine strife in South Waziristan evolve? Is it just a battle between foreign militants and Pakistani Taliban - a clash of interests - or is it a blessing in disguise for the Taliban and a serious problem for the US-led forces in Afghanistan
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US-led coalition forces arrest 8 suspected Taliban in Afghanistan
Mar 22, 2007, 8:55 GMT
Article Link

Kabul - Afghan and US-led coalition forces arrested eight suspected Taliban in separate raids in Afghanistan on Thursday, the US military said.

Five suspected Taliban were arrested by joint forces during an operation at a compound near Asadabad the capital city of eastern Konar province early Thursday, US military said in a statement.

The operation targeted extremist facilitators suspected of helping militant fighters enter Konar province from Bajaur Agency in neighbouring Pakistan, the statement said, adding that 'credible information led the combined force to the compound.'

Meanwhile, the joint forces arrested another suspected Taliban in the neighbouring province of Khost after the Afghan and coalition forces recovered a weapons cache including several AK-47s, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades and materials used for detonating explosives, the statement said.

In a separate raid by the Afghan and coalition forces in volatile southern Helmand province, two other Taliban militants were arrested after credible information led the combined forces to the compound, the statement said.

No shots were fired and there were no injuries reported as a result of the three operations that all took place on Thursday morning.
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Taliban says it attacked Blackwater convoy in Afghanistan
By BILL SIZEMORE, The Virginian-Pilot © March 22, 2007 | Last updated 10:05 PM Mar. 21
Article Link

The Taliban is claiming responsibility for a suicide car-bomb attack on a Blackwater USA diplomatic convoy Monday in Kabul, Afghanistan.

A 15-year-old Afghan bystander was killed and five security guards wounded, one seriously.

Tommy Cullinan, 27, of Irmo, S.C., was scheduled to be flown Wednesday to a military hospital in Germany for treatment of leg injuries, his mother, Harriet Cullinan, told The State newspaper of Columbia, S.C.

Cullinan said her son, a former Marine, was commander of a convoy of three armored Chevrolet Suburbans caught in the attack. The blast knocked the engine of the vehicle into the passenger compartment, shattering his leg, she said.

Blackwater, a Moyock, N.C.-based private military company, provides security for U.S. diplomatic personnel. A company spokeswoman confirmed that the incident involved a Blackwater convoy.

A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to The Associated Press. It was the first such attack in Kabul since December. The U.S. Embassy closed down as a result and sent out a warning to Americans living in the area, the AP reported.
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EDITORIAL: Is the anti-Al Qaeda policy working?
Article Link

In clashes that are said to have taken place between the Uzbek foreigners and the tribal men of South Waziristan, around 40 people were killed on Tuesday, the dead (33) being mostly foreigners. The clashes took place after local tribesmen and foreign militants began to disagree over the law and order situation. Both blamed each other for the increasing crime rate and deaths in the area. The tribesmen were said to be pro-government. Heavy rocket and mortar fire was exchanged for two days, taking toll of some children too who came in the crossfire. Mullah Nazir, backing President Pervez Musharraf’s policy of getting the foreigners out of the Tribal Areas, ordered the Uzbek militia of warlord Tahir Yuldashev to disarm. After that the battle started. There were rumours that the clash took place after an Arab belonging to Al Qaeda was killed by the Uzbeks.

Tahir Yuldashev is the leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which arose in the Uzbek-Tajik region in the mid-1990s and was hunted out of Central Asia by President Karimov of Uzbekistan after three unsuccessful terrorist attempts on his life by IMU. Tahir Yuldashev was accompanied by another firebrand Uzbek Islamist, Juma Namangani, who was killed somewhere in Afghanistan after the IMU was accepted by the Taliban as their protégées.

The IMU trained in Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and the organisation became closely aligned with the Arabs. After 2001, the IMU warriors fled into Pakistan’s Tribal Areas from Afghanistan and were given the wherewithal to live safely among the Pakistani tribes on payment of money. Over a long period the government kept announcing that the Uzbeks were in South Waziristan but the religious opposition and the government in the NWFP kept denying it. The government claimed killing the Uzbeks many times but failed to present any proof to convince the people of Pakistan. The press was kept away from the region altogether and couldn’t give evidence one way or the other.
More on link

 

[GAP]

Articles found March 23, 2007

Eight Suspects Captured in Afghanistan; Weapons Cache Found
American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 22, 2007
Article Link

Coalition forces in Afghanistan captured eight suspected terrorists and discovered a weapons cache today.
Afghan forces, with coalition advisors, captured five suspected extremists during an operation this morning at a compound near Asadabad in Konar province.

The operation targeted extremist facilitators suspected of helping militant fighters enter Konar province from Bajaur Agency in neighboring Pakistan, military officials said.

Nearby Afghan National Police members also arrived on scene shortly after the operation began. To prevent possible misunderstanding between police and military forces mixing in the compound, and due to the military nature of the targets, Afghan military personnel retained control of the operation. No shots were fired, and there were no injuries reported as a result of the operation.

During an operation this morning near Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghan and coalition forces detained two suspected extremists.

These arrests were the latest in a string of successful operations by Afghan and coalition forces targeting known militant groups in the area, primarily members of the ousted Taliban regime.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan today, Afghan and coalition forces arrested one person at a compound in Khost province after uncovering a small weapons cache and other contraband items.
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American Medical Humanitarian Organization Helps in Fight to Reduce Afghanistan's High Maternal and Infant Mortality Rates
Contact: Mike Schwager, 954-423-4414 HARRISBURG, Penn., Mar. 23 /Christian Newswire/
Article Link

CURE International, an American Christian medical humanitarian organization, which for the last two years has been administering care to Afghanistan's neediest children and families, is now helping to reduce maternal and infant deaths in that country, one of the highest in the world.

Every day, 44 Afghan women die giving birth. The most significant constraints toward improving maternal health have been women's unmet needs for skilled delivery care, and inadequate access to comprehensive emergency obstetric care arising out of the inadequate number of qualified female staff and equipped facilities.

In addition, the infant mortality rate in Afghanistan is 165 per 1,000 live births, compared to only 7 per 1,000 in the USA; and child mortality before age 5 is 257 deaths per 1,000, compared to 8 per 1,000 in the USA.

CURE International, based in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania (near Harrisburg) has treated more than 120,000 patients in Afghanistan since early in 2005. CURE provides general practice and OB/GYN care and specializes in the orthopedic rehabilitation of children with disabilities. It has also instituted an OB/GYN medical training and treatment fellowship program, qualifying Afghan doctors with the most modern obstetric and gynecological knowledge and techniques.

The non-profit provides First World medical care and the training of doctors who are nationals in their own country - for the benefit of disabled and needy children in the hardest places of the world void of modern medicine or medical practitioners.

Dr. Jacqui Hill, Medical Director of the CURE Kabul International Hospital, says CURE's OB/GYN medical training and treatment fellowship program "is the finest in Afghanistan by far." Dr. Hill said that "there is a great hunger by doctors in Afghanistan for the knowledge and skills of the West, and we are training and inspiring the Afghans with precious knowledge that can be passed onto others."
More on link

Two new helicopters handed over to Air Force
Friday March 23, 2007 (0526 PST)
Article Link

KABUL: Two new helicopters purchased by the United States were formally handed over to the Air Force.
Ahmad Yousaf Nooristani, deputy defence minister, received the helicopters at Kabul airport. The two choppers will be used by President Karzai for provincial visits, Nooristani said.

The Russian-made helicopters are equipped with wireless communication, TV and armored plates and were bought from the Czech Republic for $ 5 million.

Nooristani added that the helicopters are part of the US support to strengthen the Afghan Air Force.

Washington has promised to provide 12 transport and combat helicopters to Afghanistan by the end of 2007.
More on link

CIDA contradicts Ottawa on funding Afghan monitor
PAUL KORING  From Friday's Globe and Mail
Article Link

Canada has not funded the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission for years, despite the government's insistence that it plays a vital role in safeguarding captives transferred by Canada to Afghanistan's notorious prisons.

The detainee issue has already ensnared Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor in its coils -- he was forced to apologize in the House on Monday for misleading MPs on the issue -- and now the question of funding is further complicating the Conservatives' story.

Government House Leader Peter Van Loan said Monday, that "the government of Canada has funded the Independent Human Rights Commission to the amount of $1-million."

Mr. Van Loan did not mention that the $1-million was given five years ago by the previous Liberal government.

"No new money has been issued to AIHRC by CIDA" since 2002, Greg Scott, a spokesman for the Canadian International Development Agency, said in an e-mailed reply to The Globe and Mail.

On Monday, Mr. Van Loan and Mr. O'Connor were keen to explain that the AIHRC could monitor detainees, thus meeting Canada's obligations under international law to make sure they weren't abused, tortured or killed in Afghan custody.

Mr. O'Connor had just apologized to Parliament for misleading MPs about the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross in informing Canada about the fate of transferred prisoners.

During a raucous Question Period, as Mr. Van Loan defended both Mr. O'Connor and the arrangements with the AIHRC, he made no mention that the $1-million was old money.
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President announces special remission in sentence of prisoners
Article Link

ISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf on the advice of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has announced special remission in sentences of prisoners throughout Pakistan Jails on the occasion of Pakistan Day 23rd March 2007.

According to a press release issued by Ministry of Interior, President General Pervez Musharraf in exercise of his prerogative under Article 45 of the constitutions of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has grant special remission of 90 days to the prisoners convicted for life imprisonment accept those convicted for murder, espionage, anti-state activities, sectarians, Zina, robbery, dacoity, kidnapping/abduction and terrorists acts.

While special remission for 45 days to all other convicts except the condemned prisoners and also except those aforementioned.

Similarly, total remission to male and female prisoners who are 65 years of age and 60 years of age respectively or above and have undergone at least 1/3rd of their substantive sentence of imprisonment, except those involved in culpable homicide and those involved in terrorist acts, as defined in the anti Terrorism Ordinance 1999.
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Q&A

General Rick Hillier on the Canadian mission in Afghanistan
Globe and Mail Update Update Thursday, March 22, 2007
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General Rick Hillier has answered your questions (see below). Due to reasons beyond our control, Gen. Hillier was not able to provide answers last week as expected. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience. The reader response to this Q&A was phenomenal. Many questions were submitted after the cutoff.

There is no shortage of news coming out of Afghanistan and the Canadian Forces mission there.

Canada has about 2,500 armed forces personnel on the ground, referred to as Joint Task Force Afghanistan, joining troops from 36 other nations.

The UN-sanctioned mission seeks to rebuild a democratic, self-sufficient society in Afghanistan. Canada's role is to provide security, support the Afghan National Security Forces, strengthen governance, extend the Afghan government's authority in the south of the country, and to support economic recovery programs and Canadian humanitarian organizations.
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Britons Say Troops in Afghanistan Are Useless
March 23, 2007  (Angus Reid Global Monitor)
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
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A majority of people in Britain would like their country’s soldiers currently deployed in Afghanistan to be brought home soon, according to a poll by YouGov released by the Sunday Times. 53 per cent of respondents believe the troops are serving no useful purpose and should be withdrawn.

Conversely, 30 per cent of respondents consider British soldiers should stay in Afghanistan until the job is done, and 16 per cent are undecided.

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Britain committed troops to both the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the U.S.-led coalition effort in Iraq. At least 538 soldiers—including 52 Britons—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

This week, British chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown announced that the new budget will allocate an additional $170 million U.S. to the country’s security forces to fight terrorism locally and abroad. The sum will bring the total annual spending of different British agencies working on this matter to about $4.4 billion U.S. The number doubles the amount of resources allocated to Britain’s security services before the 9/11 attacks.

Brown also pledged an extra $785 million U.S. to the ongoing efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Britain has spent almost $10 billion U.S. in the Iraq war since it started in 2003, and about $4 billion U.S. in its commitment in Afghanistan.
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''Pakistan's Strategic Goals and the Deteriorating Situation in Afghanistan''
23 March 2007
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Pakistan is reeling under a host of problems and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf seems unable to tackle them. With this, the frustration in the West is rising along with skepticism about Pakistan's role in Afghanistan. The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has been openly blaming Pakistan for the deteriorating security environment in his country. A few months ago, the BBC acquired a paper written by a senior official at the Defense Academy run by the U.K. Ministry of Defense. The paper alleges that Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (I.S.I.), has been indirectly supporting the Taliban. The paper continues to argue that Pakistan's promotion of terrorism cannot be tackled unless the I.S.I. is dismantled and Pakistan moves away from the rule of the military.

While the Bush administration continues to support Pakistan's government publicly, during a recent trip to Islamabad U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney invoked the U.S. Congress' growing frustration with Pakistan by underlining the Democratic Party's threat to make aid conditional on a crackdown of Islamic militants in Pakistan's tribal areas, which are located on the border with Afghanistan.
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More suicide bombers enter Afghanistan
By SAM DOLNICK, Associated Press Writer Tue Mar 20, 11:19 PM ET
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UNITED NATIONS - Suicide bombers are crossing the border from Pakistan into Afghanistan with increasing frequency, launching attacks directed against foreign military convoys with funding from abroad, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the Security Council on Tuesday.

The September 2006 peace agreement between Pakistan and pro-Taliban fighters in that country‘s North Waziristan region did not prevent the border area from being used as a staging ground for attacks on Afghanistan, Ban said. Instead, the agreement led to a 50 percent increase in security incidents involving insurgents in Afghanistan‘s Khost province and a 70 percent increase in Paktika province — both on the border — between September and November, he said.

"Many attacks appear to have been financed from abroad," he said in the report.
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Al-Qa'ida allies killed by tribesmen in Pakistan
By Justin Huggler, Asia Correspondent  Published: 23 March 2007
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More than 100 people have been killed in fighting near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan over the past four days. Most of the dead are believed to be foreign militants allied to al-Qa'ida. But this time it is not the Pakistani military which is fighting them, but local tribesmen.

The clashes have been so fierce that a traditional truce was declared yesterday to let both sides collect the bodies of their dead.

The fighting could not have come at a better time for Pakistan, just weeks after the US Vice-President, Dick Cheney, flew into Islamabad to tell President Pervez Musharraf he had to do more against al-Qa'ida in the Afghan border region. Local reports suggest the Pakistani army is covertly supporting the tribesmen with artillery fire.

But this is not a simple battle between pro-Pakistan government forces and al-Qa'ida allies, but an internecine war between different factions in the loose alliance of al-Qa'ida, Taliban and local tribesmen that exists in the lawless areas along the border with Afghanistan. The tribesmen are known locally as Taliban, and although they are not directly linked to the Afghan Taliban, they are believed to have a close relationship, and allow the Afghan insurgents to launch cross-border operations from their territory.
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EC contributes 4.75 million to assist Afghans in Afghanistan, Pakistan
Friday March 23, 2007 (0500 PST)
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KABUL/ISLAMABAD: The European Commission (EC) contributed amount of 4.75 million (over US$6.3 million) to support the UN refugee agency`s work in Afghanistan and Pakistan this year.

Earlier this week, the Directorate-General for the European Commission`s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) in Brussels signed two agreements confirming its support to one of UNHCR`s largest operations in the world.

This includes 4 million to assist returnees, internally displaced people and women at risk in Afghanistan, and 750,000 to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan in 2007.

"Despite the relative improvement in the political situation in Afghanistan, the absolute level of needs remains high and requires a continued humanitarian engagement," said Louis Michel, the Commissioner in charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid.
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Afghanistan: UN Issues Sharp Warning On Poppy Cultivation
UNITED NATIONS, March 22, 2007 (RFE/RL)
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Antonio Maria Costa, the executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said in New York that opium-poppy production is decreasing or being eliminated in some provinces, but increasing in others.
But Costa said the production in southern Afghanistan is "out of control," and this huge increase is likely to offset the success fighting poppy cultivation in the north and central parts of the country.

Costa, speaking on March 21, says the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan's southern provinces is playing an active role in the increase of the poppy growth and opium trade.

So far this year some 8,000 hectares of poppy fields have been eradicated. This is double the figure for the first quarter of 2006.

Uneven Results

But Costa says that recently a new trend began to emerge in opium cultivation in Afghanistan.

"The evidence which we provided to the Security Council points to a new and potentially promising development in Afghanistan, namely the fact that in the country now we see a divergent trend between the central-northern part of the country, [a decrease] on the one hand, and southern part of the country, [an increase]," Costa said.

In its 2006 report, the UN identified a total of 166,000 hectares of poppy fields in Afghanistan. Costa said that in 2006 six Afghan provinces were declared "opium free." And he expects by June that several more of Afghanistan's 35 provinces will also be declared "opium free."
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Dozens of Taliban, 7 police killed in southern Afghanistan
Mar 23, 2007, 9:31 GMT
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Kabul - At least 69 Taliban and seven policemen were killed and when Afghan forces launched an offensive against a Taliban hideout in southern Helmand province, a Defence Ministry spokesman said on Friday.

   The operation, conducted solely by Afghan military forces in the districts of Nadali, Gerishk and Lashkargah, started on Thursday morning and left 69 Taliban militants killed, spokesman Zahir Azimi told reporters in a press conference.

   Azimi said 49 bodies of Taliban fighters were recovered from battlefields while the rest were taken by the militants as they were fleeing the areas.

   He said that seven Afghan policemen were killed and 19 Afghan security forces were wounded in the gun-battle.

Afghan army and police forces arrested 17 armed Taliban, three of whom were injured during the firefight, Azimi said, adding that forces also seized more than 60 weapons, including 50 AK-47s from the dead militants.

Azimi said that the operation was still ongoing in the three villages captured from the Taliban on Thursday. Operation Nauroz, which means 'New Year' in Dari (one of Afghanistan's two formal languages), will conclude its mission on Friday, he added.
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McNeill man prepares for Afghanistan battle
By Teresa Bird Gazette staff Mar 22 2007
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PORT McNEILL – Warrant Officer John Beddows spent a year trying to talk himself out of going to Afghanistan, but the death of a comrade inspired him to sign up.

Beddows is an engineer for B.C. Timber Sales at the Ministry of Forests office in Port McNeill, where he has worked since 1994. But he is also a reservist with the 5th Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery in Nanaimo. He has served as a reservist since 1999, but also served with the regular armed forces for 12 years with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.

“There have been frequent calls for reservists for Bosnia and all over the world, but I didn’t have the opportunity to go,” says Beddows, who served in Cyprus during his regular service. “About two years ago they started asking for reservists to go to Afghanistan and some members of my regiment went.”

But one of them didn’t come back. Last year, Bombardier Miles Mansell was killed in Afghanistan.

“I had already submitted my name to go on tour but it wasn’t coming together well,” says Beddows. “Then last fall the call came again for reservists and this time they guaranteed deployment. I had spent a year trying to talk myself out of it, but when the call came for 500 reservists I thought about it, talked it over with my wife and decided to go. Miles’ death sort of inspired me and watching others from the regiment go, I thought this is the time for me.”

But Beddows says it really comes down to more than that.

“The most compelling reason I’m going is I feel that we as Canadians have made a promise to Afghanistan to help them in a very dark time. I believe in that mission. I believe we are doing a good job with NATO.”

At the end of this month, Beddows will head to the Canadian Forces Base at Shilo, Manitoba for training. In February 2008 he will be deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan for a six-month tour.

Beddows believes his part in the fighting is important to the future of Afghanistan.
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Afghan, Canadian troops celebrate Afghanistan's New Year
March 21, 2007 By JOHN COTTER
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MAISUM GHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Wasn't that a party. Afghan soldiers and their Canadian advisers briefly put down their weapons on Wednesday to celebrate Afghanistan's New Year's Day with tribal music, traditional dancing and a feast of freshly slaughtered lamb.

Preparations began early with Afghan and Canadian troops squatting on the floor of a mud-brick cookhouse, adding rice, potatoes, spices and meat into iron cauldrons bubbling over fires.

Wood smoke mingled with the tangy scent of the food was soon wafting over the camp shared by the Observer Mentor Liaison Team and an Afghan "kandak," or infantry battalion.

"It's all part of the program. Live, fight and prepare food together," said Master Warrant Officer Wayne Bartlett, the team's sergeant major, as he peeled potatoes in the ash-filled cookhouse.

"Every soldier has to fight on a full stomach."

Bartlett and the other 64 members of the team are helping train the Afghan soldiers into a modern army, capable of conducting and planning long-term military operations on their own.

New Year's in Afghanistan falls on the first day of spring, a time of hope and renewal as parched grapevines and fields begin to blossom with sprigs of green.

Afghans, who have large extended families, usually celebrate together by going on picnics.

For the soldiers of 2 Kandak, the extended family this year is their comrades in the battalion, who have been deliberately recruited from different parts of the country. It's part of a plan to foster loyalty to the central government instead of to their traditional tribes.

"I wanted to be with my family on this day but I'm here," a young soldier named Matulha from Kunar province said through an interpreter. "I miss them."
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[MarkOttawa]

Taliban flourishes in 'power vacuum'
UN expert says NATO must shore up Afghan government to succeed
Ottawa Citizen, March 23
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=1bf70ebb-de78-448a-b186-e3db35b1c5f7

Canada and its allies in Afghanistan have "completely underestimated" the importance of building strong and effective local government institutions, and will not defeat the Taliban until they do so, said Tom Koenigs, the United Nations' most senior official in Afghanistan.

"We have made mistakes, and we shouldn't repeat them," Mr. Koenigs said this week in Washington. "We have completely underestimated the challenge of governance in the southern provinces. The resurgence of the Taliban there was only possible because there was a power vacuum."

Mr. Koenigs, a longtime UN official and former deputy mayor of Frankfurt, was speaking Wednesday during a symposium on Afghanistan at the United States Institute of Peace, an independent think-tank founded by the U.S. Congress.

He has completed his first year in Afghanistan, where, he said, "the Taliban have not been defeated" despite more than 14 months of hard military action by Canada, the U.S., Britain and other allies.

More important, he added, "the victory over Afghans' hearts and minds, which at the moment is everybody's language, hasn't been seen."

Mr. Koenigs said at least "50 per cent" of the problems in Afghanistan are a result of inadequate, corrupt or non-existent government services, particularly in the rural parts of southern provinces, such as Kandahar, where the Taliban draws much of its power...

Mr. Koenigs said one of the great failures of the NATO coalition in southern Afghanistan has been to focus on a military, rather than a "governance" solution, to the insurgency.

Even more recent attempts to defeat the insurgency by winning the hearts and minds of civilian Afghans -- by building roads, holding health clinics in local villages, and focusing on economic aid -- won't solve the problem, he said.

"A focus on governance is even more necessary than on other kinds of development. Hearts and minds will not be won in Afghanistan by development aid, but by governance...

Mr. Koenigs said NATO must refocus its military campaign from one of fighting battles and manning distant garrisons to one of training and supporting Afghan government forces to do the fighting and patrolling instead.

He said a study of the 139 suicide bombings carried out in Afghanistan last year showed an interesting pattern: The only areas of the country where no attacks took place were those where the population felt it wasn't under occupation by foreign soldiers, or soldiers of a different religion...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[The Bread Guy]

Kandahar sitting on fence as coalition, Taliban fight: Canadian officer
John Cotter, Canadian Press, 23 Mar 07
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The vast majority of people in Kandahar province remain sitting on the fence as coalition forces and the Taliban slug it out, Canada's battle group commander in Afghanistan says.  Lt.-Col. Rob Walker said Friday the Afghan people are waiting to see if the coalition can get rid of the insurgents and whether the international community can deliver promised aid before they will openly support the Afghan government.  "They can't put themselves at risk because if you overtly support the government you could be killed," said Walker of the Gagetown, N.B.-based 2 Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment.  "Eighty per cent of the people are just sitting there and want to get on with their daily lives."  Walker said the high number of uncommitted Afghans doesn't mean there is growing support for the Taliban. In fact, there is evidence to suggest the insurgency is starting to lose steam, he said.  Since Operation Achilles began almost three weeks ago to clear Taliban out of northern Helmand province, insurgents have only fought a few stand-up battles with coalition forces - including some minor skirmishes with Canadian troops in the Kandahar region.  Instead, the Taliban have resorted to what the military calls "asymmetrical attacks" - suicide bombers, roadside bombs and shoot-and-skoot tactics ....



SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN UNTIL 23 MARCH 2008, UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTING RESOLUTION 1746 (2007)
United Nations news release, 23 Mar 07
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Stressing the central role that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) continues to play in promoting peace and stability in the nascent democracy, the Security Council this morning extended the Mission’s mandate for one year, until 23 March 2008.  By its unanimous adoption of resolution 1746 (2007), which followed a debate on Afghanistan held on 20 March (see Press Release SC/8972), the Council also stressed UNAMA’s role in promoting a more coherent international engagement in the country, supporting regional cooperation in the context of the Afghanistan Compact, promoting humanitarian coordination and contributing to human rights protection and promotion, including monitoring the situation of civilians in armed conflict.  The Council called on all Afghan parties and groups to engage in an inclusive political dialogue, within the framework of the Afghan Constitution and Afghan-led reconciliation programmes, and in the social development of the country, stressing the importance of those factors to enhancing security and stability.  In that regard, the Council also stressed the importance of the Government’s ongoing national reconciliation process and encouraged the full and timely implementation of the Action Plan on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation .....


Security Council extends UN mission in Afghanistan
UN News Centre, 23 Mar 07
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The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) by another year, welcoming the mission’s recently expanded presence in the provinces and voicing concern at the harm caused by the production and trafficking of opium.  In a resolution adopted unanimously, the Council also urged the Afghan Government and members of the international community to do more to implement the Afghanistan Compact, five-year UN-backed blueprint launched early last year which sets benchmarks for certain security, governance and development goals.  The resolution stresses the importance of meeting the benchmarks, particularly those focused on “the cross-cutting issue of counter-narcotics,” and calls for accelerated reform in the justice sector as called for in the Compact ....


Security Council extends UN mission in Afghanistan one year
Agence France Presse, 24 Mar 07
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The UN Security Council unanimously extended the mandate of the UN assistance mission in
Afghanistan (UNAMA) by a year and hailed its expanded presence in the provinces.  The 15-member body endorsed a resolution that also stressed UNAMA's role in promoting "a more coherent international engagement" in support of Afghanistan, which is facing mounting insecurity due to a resurgent Taliban-led insurgency.  The Council extended the mission's mandate through March 23, 2008, and welcomed UNAMA's "expanded presence in the provinces, through regional and provincial offices, which support efforts to coordinate and implement the country's economic reconstruction blueprint." ....



Symposium hears Afghan aid leaving rural areas behind
Mike Blanchfield, CanWest News Service, 23 Mar 07
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Southern Afghanistan is being left behind when it comes to Canadian efforts to reconstruct the war-torn country because aid workers dare not confront the "traumatic" lack of safety in rural areas, a leading U.S. academic said Friday.  "There is reconstruction around the city, Kandahar City, and then in places like Panjwaii and Zahari District," Seth Jones, a political scientist with the Washington-based Rand Corporation, told a major symposium on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  "There is nothing, virtually nothing, that goes on anywhere else in the province. In other words, governance has not reached the rural areas of the south," he told the symposium, sponsored by the Centre for Security and Defence Studies at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. "The key point here is that basic government services have not reached most of the rural areas in Afghanistan." ....



Afghan irked by squabble
Edmonton Sun, 23 Mar 07
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The latest round of name-calling in the Commons over Afghanistan may be "good for a laugh," but it doesn't do anything to help suffering Afghan citizens, an Afghan-Canadian said yesterday.  "They're just trading insults. They're not addressing the real problems with the mission," said Abdul Alami, a local Afghan with family living in Kandahar.  On Wednesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper fired back at Liberal opponents asking questions about whether Afghan detainees captured by Canadian troops had been tortured by their Afghan jailers.  "I can understand the passion that the Leader of the Opposition and members of his party feel for Taliban prisoners," he said during a heated Question Period exchange. "I just wish occasionally they would show the same passion for Canadian soldiers." ....



Marine Unit Ordered Out of Afghanistan
Robert Burns, Associated Press, 23 Mar 07
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Marines accused of shooting and killing civilians after a suicide bombing in Afghanistan are under U.S. investigation, and their entire unit has been ordered to leave the country, officials said Friday.  Army Maj. Gen. Francis H. Kearney III, head of Special Operations Command Central, ordered the unit of about 120 Marines out of Afghanistan and initiated an investigation into the March 4 incident, said Lt. Col. Lou Leto, spokesman at Kearney's command headquarters in Tampa, Fla.  It is highly unusual for any combat unit, either special operations or conventional, to have its mission cut short.  A spokesman for the Marine unit, Maj. Cliff Gilmore, said it is in the process of leaving Afghanistan, but he declined to provide details on the timing and new location, citing a need for security ....


Inquiry opens into whether U.S. forces killed 10 Afghans
David S. Cloud, International Herald Tribune, 24 Mar 07
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A formal investigation has begun into whether marines in eastern Afghanistan killed civilians after a suicide bombing near their convoy on March 4, U.S. Marine Corps officials said Friday.  As many as 10 Afghans were reportedly killed and 34 wounded in the incident in Nangarhar Province.  U.S. military officials said shortly afterward that the civilians had been caught in cross-fire between the marines and insurgents who opened fire after the attack.  But hundreds of Afghans protested afterward, with some witnesses saying that the marines had fired on bystanders and civilian vehicles after the bombing and that there had been no cross-fire. President Hamid Karzai condemned the marines' actions at the time.  Major General Francis Kearney 3rd of the Army, commander of Special Operations troops in the Middle East and Central Asia, opened the investigation and ordered the marines involved to remain in Afghanistan until it is complete, a spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Lou Leto, said ....


Marine unit under investigation for Afghan deaths ordered home
Agence France Presse, 24 Mar 07
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A Marine Corps special operations unit has been ordered out of Afghanistan amid an investigation into a March 4 incident in which the US soldiers allegedly fired on civilians, marine spokesmen said.  At least eight civilians were killed and 35 wounded after a US military convoy was ambushed by a suicide bomber in Nangahar province, prompting the US forces to open fire.  The Afghan government charged that the civilians were killed by US gunfire, prompting a US military investigation.  Members of the unit who are still required for questioning in the ongoing investigation will remain in Afghanistan, said Lieutenant Colonel Lew Leto, a marine spokesman, on Friday.  But the rest of their 120-member company is being redeployed out of Afghanistan and will rejoin the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit elsewhere in the region, he said ....

Marines expelled from Afghanistan after retaliating against civilians
Rowan Scarborough, Washington Examiner, 24 Mar 07
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A top American general has expelled a U.S. Marine special operations company from Afghanistan for the way the men responded to an ambush on March 4, Marine sources said. Maj. Cliff Gilmore, a spokesman for Marine Special Operations Command, confirmed to The Examiner that the company of 120 Marines are being sentto Kuwait.  He said the decision followed an ambush on the company's convoy by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. A second Marine source said the Marines retaliated, and some civilians were killed.  No Marine was killed in the attack. One received minor injuries.  The action brought an abrupt end to what promised to be a historic deployment. The unit sailed in January from Camp Lejeune, N.C., as the first Marine Corps special operations company sent overseas. The Corps joined U.S. Special Operations Command a year ago.  The company had been in Afghanistan for only a few weeks in what was supposed to be a six-month tour.  A Marine officer assigned to special operations said that commanders took the extraordinary step of expelling the unit after they consulted with Afghan Prime Minister Hamid Karzai.  "The unit responded to the ambush and the local population perceptions of that response have damaged the relationship between the local population and the Marine special operations company," Gilmore said ....



Report Faults Officers in Tillman Case
Associated Press, via Military.com, 24 Mar 07
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Nine officers, including up to four generals, should be held accountable for missteps in the aftermath of the friendly fire death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan, a Pentagon investigation will recommend.  Senior defense officials said Friday the Defense Department inspector general will cite a range of errors and inappropriate conduct as the military probed the former football star's death on the battlefront in 2004, said one defense official.  The official, who like the others requested anonymity because the Army has not publicly released the information, said it appears senior military leaders may not have had all the facts or worked hard enough to get the facts of what happened on April 22, 2004, when Tillman was killed by members of his own platoon.  Dozens of Soldiers - those immediately around Tillman at the scene of the shooting, his immediate superiors and high-ranking officers at a command post nearby - knew within minutes or hours that his death was fratricide ....


Nine Officers Faulted for Missteps After Pat Tillman's Death
Michael David Smith, AOL Sports, 23 Mar 07
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CBS News is reporting that nine officers, including four generals, will be cited by the Pentagon for failing to follow regulations and using poor judgement in keeping the truth about Pat Tillman's death from his family. Tillman, a Cardinals safety, was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.  The Army will decide what if any action to take against the nine officers. Several soldiers have previously been punished in connection with Tillman's death. Punishments have ranged from verbal reprimands to expulsion from the Rangers.  Tillman's mother said today that she had not been informed of the Pentagon's finding. She and other members of the Tillman family have been critical of the Pentagon's handling of Pat's death ....


Tillman Inquiry Finds Errors, Official Says
DAVID S. CLOUD, New York Times, 24 Mar 07
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A Pentagon investigation into the death by friendly fire of Cpl. Pat Tillman in Afghanistan will make recommendations that nine officers, including four generals, be held responsible for mistakes in the way the incident was handled and disclosed, a defense official said.  The Pentagon’s inspector general, in a report expected to be released Monday, has found a series of errors, including violations of regulations and poor judgment by the officers in the aftermath of the 2004 shooting death of Corporal Tillman, the official said.  The exact nature of the inspector general’s findings, which were first described by CBS News, and the identities of the officers involved could not be learned. The official was given anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the findings.  Corporal Tillman, a professional football player, enlisted in the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, spurning a lucrative new contract with the Arizona Cardinals. His death on a craggy stretch of land in southeastern Afghanistan was originally attributed to enemy fire.  The report, by acting Pentagon Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble, also concludes that the Army failed to take adequate steps to gather the facts about the shooting of death of Corporal Tillman, the official said. He added that the inspector general report does not recommend specific punishments for the officers, whose identities could not be learned.  The Army, which requested the inspector general report last year, said in a statement that it “plans to take appropriate action after receiving the Inspector General’s report.” ....

 

[The Bread Guy]

Canadians, Afghans on joint show-of-force mission
Graham Thomson, CanWest News Service, 24 Mar 07
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Under cover of darkness, with the moon a mere sliver in the night sky, Canadians launched a new operation in southern Afghanistan this weekend.  More than 200 troops teamed up with a large contingent of Afghan Army soldiers to swoop down on the Zhari district of Kandahar province in a meticulously planned exercise designed to drive out the remnants of the Taliban and bring some desperately needed security to the troubled region.  It is called Operation Marguerite. And you didn’t know about it until now. Not because it’s top secret but because the operation hasn’t grabbed the news media’s attention.  Marguerite is a discreet and modest operation, unlike her cousin Medusa, which saw Canadians fight a bloody conventional battle with the Taliban last summer and fall.  The objective of Operation Marguerite is to move through the district in a show of force, meet with local villagers, engage any Taliban who stand and fight — and when the area is deemed secure, set up a new police check point ....



Operation takes place in Babaji in support of Op ACHILLES
ISAF news release # 2007-222, 23 Mar 07
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(On March 22) at approximately 6 a.m., Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) supported by ISAF troops launched a series of deliberate operations in the general area of Babaji, along the Helmand River, north of Lashkar Gah.  This operation falls within the framework of Operation Achilles launched on 6 March.  The ANSF manoeuvre element, consisting of several company sized groups, launched this series of attacks on Taliban extremist strongholds in the area. ANSF continue to push through the area today, supported by ISAF troops from Task Force Helmand providing flank protection, close air support and medical support.  “The scale of this ANSF led operation is a clear sign that the ANSF have greatly increased their capacity over the months,” said Maj Gen Ton van Loon, commander of Regional Command South. “We are working closely with the ANSF on this operation and ISAF is paying particular attention to ensuring that all efforts are made to reduce collateral damage given Taliban extremist tactics are to hide within the general population,” he added.  This particular component of Operation Achilles is being conducted to put pressure on Taliban extremists, foreign terrorists and their narco-trafficking criminal associates that continue to operate within the general population in the communities north of Lashkar Gah ....



NATO soldiers injured in roadside blast
Pajhwok Afghan News, 23 Mar 07
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Two NATO soldiers were wounded and their vehicle damaged in a roadside bomb attack in Gilan district of the southern Ghazni province, officials said on Friday.  The explosion took place when a military vehicle hit a roadside landmine last evening, chief of Gilan district Dad Mohammad told Pajhwok.  Mohammad said the NATO soldiers were returning to their base after conducting a search operation in Sapidar village. Mostly US soldiers are operating in Gilan district under the NATO command.  The district chief said the soldiers received minor injuries, while their vehicle was partially damaged in the blast.  However, Taliban claimed the vehicle was fully destroyed and all the soldiers, traveling in it, had been killed. Mulla Dawood, calling himself Taliban commander in the area, said the vehicle was blown up with a remote-controlled bomb ....



Conflicting claims about Helmand fighting
Pajhwok Afgan News, 23 Mar 07
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Afghan security forces in the southern Helmand province claimed eliminating 60 Taliban in two days of search operation and fighting.  General Mohyuddin, commander of the 4th brigade of the 205 Atal Military Corps in the southern region, told journalists on Friday the two-day operation was concluded today.  Of the 60 dead, the commander said, bodies of 50 had been found on the sites of clashes in the area. He said Taliban had shifted their injured colleagues to the Deh Adam Khan area.  The operation was conducted in parts of the provincial capital of Lashkargah and Grishk district. On Thursday, the government claimed killing 40 militants in fighting.  Mohyuddin also rejected as baseless Taliban claims regarding occupation of some areas. This was baseless propaganda, said the officer.  He admitted injuries to only six soldiers in the operation. On Thursday, a police officer in Grishk Amanullah Khan said six soldiers had been killed ....


TRIBAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES SLOW DOWN SECURITY OPERATIONS IN HELMAND
Fajer-e Omid, AfghanWire.com, 17 Mar 07
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....  The Afghan defence minister told reporters in Kabul that that Operation Achilles was progressing slowly. He reasoned that tribal and political issues had caused the slow progress of operations but he did not elaborate as to what sort of tribal and political issues were involved to slow the progress of operations. Perhaps the defence minister meant that some tribal and political issues were being discussed to persuade the Taliban to peacefully leave the districts because in the past the Afghan government had also declared that it wanted to retake Musa Qala district by means of negotiation.  Analysts say that if theoretically the Taliban leave the district, then where will they go? It is clear that they will go to the neighbouring countries. Is this the solution? No, not at all. The solution is that the Taliban should put down their weapons and surrender to the government, analysts say. Anyhow, the Taliban have threatened that they will begin massive military attacks in the spring.


The Taleb’s Tale
A Helmand man tells the story of why he was press-ganged by the Taleban in the months before 9/11, and how he got away
Afghan Recovery Report, 21 Mar 07
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I joined the Taleban because I fell in love. I was just 18, and although I was born in Helmand, I’d spent my whole life in Pakistan.  Afghanistan in those years was too dangerous; there was so much fighting, first with the Russians, later among the warlords. So my father sent us to Peshawar, where I went to school. He and his brothers stayed on in Lashkar Gah, the administrative centre of Helmand, where they ran shops.  In early 2001, when the Taleban were still in power, I came back for a visit. It was the first time I’d been to Afghanistan since I was a baby.  On my first day back, I was in my father’s shop when I met a girl.  I am a simple man – what did I know of these things? In Peshawar it was different; we studied with girls, and they did not wear burqas.  Now here was a girl whose face I could not see, yet she gave me a letter and told me she loved me ....



Govt satsified with reconstruction process
Pajhwok Afghan News, 22 Mar 07
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Despite the challenging obstacle of terrorism, which impedes reconstruction efforts in the country, in the past year there have been many great improvements made in reconstruction around the country, the annual report released by the President's Press Office said Saturday.  This information, compiled from various government organ reports, cited the reconstruction ventures completed or undertaken by different governmental organs in different provinces across the country.  According to the report the revenue from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs MOFA, reached 300 million afghanis, which signifies a 100% increase compared to 2005.  Vocational training for some 40,000 women in 28 provinces, aimed to support the women economically and the facilitation of educational facilities to another 15,000, were cited as the major achievements of the Women's Affairs ministry (WAM), in the past year ....



Central/South Asia: U.S. Official Sees Progress In Volatile Region
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 23 Mar 07
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RFE/RL: How does the United States plan to face the Taliban's much-publicized plan of increased attacks during this coming spring? Is the Taliban winning the psychological war?

Richard Boucher: I think the first thing to remember is that we've got a basic process under way in Afghanistan that's working well, and that's extending government -- helping the army of Afghanistan get out and bring services and benefits to the people of the country. And that's actually going well. And we're better set in those terms this year than we were last year to face the renewal of fighting in the springtime.  And the Taliban have been threatening a lot of things, including suicide bombings, which is horrible. But frankly they've failed to take towns and cities and territory, and this is what they resort to: killing school kids and policemen and government officials and ordinary citizens in the marketplaces.  In the end, I think this process is under way, and the government's extending itself, and the Taliban is frankly under pressure from all sides, including from Pakistan, and that's how we're going to face it. We're going to face it by giving the people of Afghanistan the safety and the justice and the opportunity that they want ....



Deal with Taliban dented govt's image: Analysts
Pajhwok Afghan News, 23 Mar 07
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Voicing concern over the 'secret deal' with Taliban for the release of the Italian journalist, analysts say such compromises may pose serious threat to the restoration of peace in the country.  The government had agreed to set free five senior Taliban members in exchange for the safe release of Italian journalist Danielle Mastrogiacomo, who was kidnapped in Helmand province on March 4.  Political analyst and official of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission Mohammad Qasim Akhgar said the deal was tantamount to giving concessions to Taliban.  "The government created a big problem for itself by entering into such a deal with the Taliban," said Akhgar, who believed it would encourage the militants to continue their kidnapping spree ....


Taleban Voice New Demands for Driver’s Body
The nightmare is not yet over for the families of the Afghan driver and translator who were kidnapped along with an Italian journalist in Helmand
Afghan Recovery Report, 21 Mar 07
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The Taleban have demanded the release of another commander in exchange for the body of Sayed Agha, the driver who was killed when the Taleban took him hostage along with Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo in Helmand.  After Mastrogiacomo was released earlier this week, the guest house in the provincial capital Lashgar Gah where he was housed before leaving for home was the scene of protests by Afghans complaining about their government’s seeming lack of concern for the local men who had also been kidnapped ....  When the Taleban made it known they had killed Sayed Agha, three family members went to retrieve his body from Garmseer, a town about two and a half hours’ drive south of Lashkar Gah. On their way back they were detained by Taleban, and only released through the mediation of a group of elders.  Family members told IWPR that Sayed Agha’s body was still being held in Garmseer.  Meanwhile, the fate of Ajmal Naqshbandi, the 23-year-old translator who accompanied Mastrogiacomo, is still unclear. His brother, Munir Naqshbandi, told IWPR that the family had no information other than Mastrogiacomo’s account of the release. The Italian journalist told them that Ajmal had been freed on March 18, at the same time as Mastrogiacomo himself, but that the two were sent off in separate cars ....



Australia to boost troops to Afghanistan
News.com.au, 25 Mar 07
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AUSTRALIA was likely to send a special forces task group to Afghanistan to counter an expected offensive by Taliban rebels, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said today.  Dr Nelson, who had said last month that Australia was considering plans to double its deployment in Afghanistan to about 1000, said on Channel 9 that the Government had completed a study on troop levels.  "We believe there is a need, we think that the Taliban will be mounting a very strong offensive shortly," he said.  "If we do re-deploy, and I think it's likely that we will, it will be a special forces task group," he said.  Dr Nelson said he would soon consult US Secretary for Defence Robert Gates, British Defence Minister Des Brown and other defence ministers with forces in Afghanistan ....


Australian special forces likely to head to Afghanistan
Agence France Presse, 25 Mar 07
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Australia is close to committing special forces soldiers to Afghanistan to counter an expected Taliban spring offensive, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said Sunday.  Nelson said it was likely that elite Special Air Services (SAS) troops would be sent to southern Uruzgan province, a former stronghold of the fundamentalist Taliban regime.  "We believe there is a need. We think that the Taliban will be mounting a very strong offensive shortly," he told Australian television.  "We are very close to making a decision about it."  Canberra, which currently has 400 soldiers in the Central Asian nation, pulled a 200-strong SAS contingent out of Afghanistan in September ....


Afghanistan troops
Sky News Australia Online, 25 Mar 07
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Defence Minister Brendan Nelson says Australia is preparing to send a special forces task group to Afghanistan, amid fears the Taliban is about to mount a major offensive.  Australian special forces were withdrawn from Afghanistan in September last year.  550 troops are currently there, 370 of them as part of a reconstruction force, but Afghanistan wants Australia to send special forces back in.  He says a study has been carried out to determine whether more Australian troops are necessary and the Government thinks there is a need for extra forces ....


Troops boost to Afghanistan likely
thewest.com.au, 25 Mar 07
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Australia is preparing to send a special forces task group to Afghanistan amid fears the Taliban is about to mount a major offensive.  Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said a small scoping group sent to Afghanistan last week had determined that a larger commitment would be needed to curtail a resurgent Taliban.  "We have had a scoping study done to look at whether we should increase our numbers in regions beyond the 400 we have got," Dr Nelson told the Nine Network.  "We believe there is a need, we think that the Taliban will be mounting a very strong offensive shortly."  Dr Nelson said he has spoken to defence chief Angus Houston and the likely re-deployment would be a special forces task group.  "We believe we have satisfied and settled the commander control arrangements that are necessary for us to do." ....



Pak official: Repatriation of Afghans without registration cards to end on April 15
Xinhua, via www.chinaview.cn, 25 Mar 07
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The voluntary repatriation of Afghans without Proof of Registration (PoR) cards would end on April 15 across Pakistan, officials said on Sunday.  The Afghans have been given a period of six weeks to repatriate with assistance averaging 100 U.S. dollars per person starting on March 1, an official was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.  Accordingly, Afghans who did not register in the recent registration exercise conducted by the Pakistani government have been advised to avail this opportunity.  "After this period, Afghans without PoR cards will be subject to the laws of the land," the official said.  Assisted repatriation for registered Afghans with PoR cards will start on April 16 till November 15 this year under new return modalities linked to the PoR card.  More than 2.15 million Afghans were registered in the government registration exercise that was carried out from October 2006 to Feb. 15, 2007 ....

 

[a_majoor]

From Canada Conservative:

http://canadaconservative.blogspot.com/2007/03/were-winning-afghan-hearts-and-minds.html

We're Winning Afghan Hearts and Minds
Listening to the news on CBC Radio this morning, I heard this little report... I'm still looking for the web report... "15 Canadian soldiers came under attack by insurgents this morning in Afghanistan... the Canadian soldiers were assisted in repelling the attackers when local villiagers came to their rescue."

I don't know about you, but that makes it sound like the hearts and minds are well on their way to being won.

Then I also read this report on CBC... looks like Pakistani villiagers are getting sick and tired of the militants too...

    Militants under pressure from Afghan forces, Pakistani tribesmen

    Local forces on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border have killed as many as 200 militants without the active backing of Western soldiers, reports said Friday.

    Afghan security forces killed at least 49 militants in Helmand province without the participation of NATO troops, Afghan officials said.

    Pakistani villagers had killed up to 160 foreign fighters in the lawless border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a Pakistani provincial governor said.

    There were smaller number of casualties among the Afghan forces and Pakistani villagers.

 

[GAP]

Articles found March 26, 2007

Coming spring a concern for Canadians in AfghanistanLush spring canopy provides cover for Taliban
By CP March 26, 2007  SANGSAR, Afghanistan
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The greening of the Arghandab River valley is a time of hope for Afghan farmers but a time of concern for troops of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group.

The hot spring sun is starting to transform stark brown fields and vineyards into a lush canopy that will soon provide cover for the Taliban.

Major David Quick said Afghans have told the Canadians to expect more insurgent activity.

From sandbagged observation posts on the rocky heights of Mah’ Sum Ghar to patrols in Zhari district to the mobile armoured column operating in Maywand, Canadian troops are watching.

At the same time, the battle group is trying hard to win over people to the government of Afghanistan and undermine any community support for the insurgents.

A new Afghan police post has been built near Sangsar in the heart of Zhari’s opium poppy growing area and more checkpoints are planned
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Canadians deal with increased roadside bombs, rocket attacks in Afghanistan
John Cotter Canadian Press Sunday, March 25, 2007
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GHUNDY GHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - With a loud thud, a roadside bomb erupts beneath a Coyote armoured vehicle in clear site of Canadian troops dug in on a dusty, sunbaked hill overlooking green poppy fields.

"I-E-D!" soldiers shout as they point toward a cloud of greasy blackish-grey smoke rising from the improvised explosive device just over a kilometre away.

Members of the battle group's reconnaissance squadron fall silent until radios crackle with word that their comrades are safe.

The bomb blew one of the Coyote's eight wheels off.

"Starting about a week ago we have been finding IEDs on all the roads around here pretty much every single day," said Maj. Steve Graham of the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

"The fact there has been a spike of IEDs tells me that the places we are going and things we have been doing are starting to hit closer to the areas the Taliban have been working in."

Roadside bombs, random rocket attacks and suicide bombers are the main dangers Canadian troops face so far this year in their efforts to bring security to Kandahar province.

The pitched battles in the Panjwaii area last summer, where Canadian and Afghan forces along with NATO air power killed hundreds of Taliban, have forced the insurgency underground.

Graham, whose force is lodged deep in a dangerous part of Zhari district, said their goal is to help the Afghan army and police stabilize the area.

The squadron conducts presence patrols and meets with village elders in the lush agricultural zone between the main highway and the Arghandab river - the main watercourse in the parched province.

The idea is that the show of force and the friendly diplomacy will help win the people over into supporting the Afghan government.
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Canadians launch new operation
Modest exercise aims to drive the Taliban from Zhari district
Sun Mar 25 2007 By Graham Thomson Canwest news service
Lt.-Col. Wayne Eyre (right) patrols with Afghan army soldiers during Operation Marguerite in Afghanistan. 
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE GUNDY GHAR, Afghanistan -- Under cover of darkness, with the moon a mere sliver in the night sky, Canadians launched a new operation in southern Afghanistan this weekend.
More than 200 troops teamed up with a large contingent of Afghan army soldiers to swoop down on the Zhari district of Kandahar province in a meticulously planned exercise designed to drive out the remnants of the Taliban and bring some desperately needed security to the troubled region.

It is called Operation Marguerite. And you didn't know about it until now. Not because it's top secret, but because the operation hasn't grabbed the news media's attention.

Marguerite is a discreet and modest operation, unlike her cousin Medusa, which saw Canadians fight a bloody conventional battle with the Taliban last summer and fall.

The objective of Operation Marguerite is to move through the district in a show of force, meet with local villagers, engage any Taliban who stand and fight -- and when the area is deemed secure, set up a new police checkpoint.

The backbone of the operation is Charlie Company from the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton. For them, it is a typical operation and for anyone tagging along as an observer it offers a glimpse into the day-to-day life of soldiers in a war zone where the fighting is unconventional and "asymmetrical." That's the military's way of describing suicide bombings, land mines and improvised explosive devices.   
By the end of the first day, Operation Marguerite will bump up against all three.

The objective of the operation is simple enough, but as an observer you quickly realize nothing in Afghanistan is simple.
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Forces Thwart Insurgent Attack in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 25, 2007
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American and Afghan forces killed 12 insurgents yesterday during a firefight near Fire Base Tillman in Paktika province, Afghanistan, officials said.
The insurgents attempted to attack the fire base located along the Afghanistan and Pakistan border, officials said, but they were detected and came under small-arms fire from pro-government Afghan and U.S. troops. Coalition forces also called in aviation and artillery support against the insurgents.

Two coalition soldiers and two pro-government Afghan troops received minor injuries. Coalition forces’ injuries were minor and did not require medical evacuation. One Afghan soldier was medically evacuated for treatment at a coalition medical treatment facility and is expected to fully recover from his wound.

“As the continued efforts of the military and civil leaders on both sides of the border takes a toll on (the) insurgents’ freedom of movement, they will continue to become more desperate as the people work with the military and other leaders to rid themselves of these criminals,” said Army Maj. Donald A. Korpi, a spokesman for the Task Force Fury.
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Afghan emerald miners see no sparkle in foreign investment
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KHENJ: Outside Kabul, where the city's cosmopolitan character dissipates into tribal communities cloistered by high mountain passes, "foreign" and "investment" are fighting words. There is a deeply rooted sense that foreigners have come to Afghanistan only for conquest, and that foreign investment is just a form of economic imperialism.

High on the slopes of the mountains that encompass this narrow valley, the men of Panjshir have long burrowed into the granite in search of emeralds. There are few trappings of modernization - a drill here, a head lamp there. In Khenj, miners gather in the center of town every Saturday to take the three-hour trek several thousand feet straight up to the high shoulders of the Hindu Kush. They stay for the entire week, living in stone huts and returning to town only for Friday prayers, to sell what little they find, and to see their families.

Yet Mohammad Feda says he doesn't want foreign companies here - even if they could bring paved roads and regular salaries. "They will cheat us, and nothing else," he says, sitting in the dim light of Khenj's one restaurant on a Friday afternoon.

His colleagues nod. "We will not let them come here," says Hayatallah Asadi, his expression stony beneath a furry black hat.

Lacking the stability needed for businesses to take root, Afghanistan has instead developed an informal economy of traders, merchants, smugglers, and middlemen. "The conflict went on so long that it created a conflict-based economy, and that becomes hard to change even after the conflict ends," says William Byrd, an analyst at the World Bank.

But Khenj's district chief has higher hopes. Some 55 percent of Panjshiris have moved elsewhere because there is little arable land, no factories, and no border for trade, he says.

Sitting on a wide, ankle-high platform in a general store that appears to double as a district headquarters, he presents a regal figure, calm and wise. Unmistakably, Mr. Sayed is proud, but his words betray some desperation.
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Afghan border security put on high alert
Monday March 26, 2007 (1029 PST)
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KABUL: Afghan Security forces have been put on high alert in Patika province to stop infiltration of armed militants from Pakistan.
The Afghan official alleged that armed militant enter from Pakistan and return to the country after carrying out subversive activities in Afghanistan, Radio Mashed reported.

Pakistan Government says it has deployed more than 80,000 troops at borders with Afghanistan to check entry of armed militants
end

Strength of Afghan forces will reach 64,000 this year: Spokesman
Monday March 26, 2007 (1029 PST)
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KABUL: Spokesman of the Interior Ministry has said that the current strength of the forces would be increased to 46,000 thus year which would reach 64,000.
Addressing a press conference, he said that number of Afghan forces is increasing day by day. Afghan and foreign forces supported to people who were facing problems in many provinces due to floods.

He added that starting operation in Helmand at the beginning of this year have given a good message
end

End graft, strengthen borders to run drug cartels out of business?
Saturday March 24, 2007 (0400 PST)
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KABUL: Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has said that corruption must be stamped out and borders strengthened to run emerging Afghan drug cartels out of business.
Most of the Afghan opium is exported either to Iran or Pakistan, said the UN officer, who described the region for drug traffickers as a new "golden triangle" of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Briefing journalists at the UN headquarters, he called for strengthened relations among the three countries to stem illicit drug trafficking.

The UN official, who briefed the Security Council on his agency's latest report on opium cultivation in Afghanistan, called corruption the "major lubricant" facilitating both the cultivation and trading of opium. Acknowledging the financial incentives for harvesting illicit drugs, the director said:

"Robbing a bank is much more profitable than working for a bank." In this connection, he asked for provision of alternative livelihood for farmers engaged in opium production
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Over 18,000 unregistered Afghans repatriate as deadline nears
Saturday March 24, 2007 (0400 PST)
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ISLAMABAD: ? More than 18,000 Afghans have returned home from Pakistan since this year's voluntary repatriation season to Afghanistan started on March 1. This comes amid increased checks at the voluntary repatriation centres (VRCs) to prevent abuse of the system.
The Afghans who repatriated thus far are those who did not register in the recent registration exercise and thus do not have Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. The Pakistan government has given this group a period of six weeks to repatriate with assistance averaging $100 per person, starting on March 1 and ending on April 15.

After this period, Afghans without PoR cards will be subject to the laws of the land, said the authorities.
end

 

[GAP]

Articles found March 27, 2007

Two Canadian soldiers injured after Taliban attack
Updated Tue. Mar. 27 2007 6:32 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

Two Canadian soldiers were injured in Afghanistan after their convoy was ambushed west of Kandahar City, in the Zhari district.

The soldiers were travelling in a small convoy of LAV 3 light armoured vehicles just east of Patrol Base Wilson when Taliban fighters began launching rocket-propelled grenades.

The platoon, from the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group, drove through the attack and returned fire.

However, the convoy later drove over a roadside bomb which blew four tires off the LAV.

The military has not released the names or conditions of the wounded soldiers. No other details are available.

Roadside bombs, random rocket attacks and suicide bombers are the most common dangers facing troops as they struggle to bring security to the Kandahar province.

The coalition battles in the Panjwaii last summer killed hundreds of Taliban and forced the insurgency underground.
End

Afghans want more cash for lost farmland
Canadian sergeant besieged with requests wherever she goes
Graham Thomson The Edmonton Journal Monday, March 26, 2007
Article Link

ZHARI DISTRICT, Afghanistan - It would seem money can't buy happiness, not even in a dirt-poor country like Afghanistan.

One month after Canadians paid Afghan farmers $1 million in compensation for land bulldozed to make a combat road, some are not at all happy. They say they weren't paid enough or were cheated by fellow land owners or were left off the list altogether.

Now, whenever there's a tribal meeting involving Canadian soldiers, the disgruntled farmers seek out the one person they think can help them get more money -- Sgt. Nicky Bascon.

They flock around her like seagulls after a fishing boat, an alien experience in a patriarchal society where women are treated as second-class citizens and are rarely allowed outside the home.

And yet here is a woman who wields great power and influence over their lives -- and curiously they don't seem to mind. The farmers know her well because it was Bascon who handed out the compensation payments last month in a day-long meeting.
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Afghan hearts and minds refuse to be won
Tuesday March 27, 2007 (0303 PST)
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KABUL: Troops fighting in Afghanistan are meeting resistance not only from the Taliban, but from the people they are there to support.
In the dustbowl settlement of Ghowrak in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, a senior Allied delegation, lead by a British colonel, flies in on a hearts-and-minds mission to halt the leaching of support for the Allied mission.

"I'd say that was an artillery shell," said Col Simon Marr, of the 1st Bn Fusiliers, as the distinctive crump of high explosives reverberated across the scorched plateau.

It was good preparation for the verbal attack his delegation was to endure. "You do not need to be here in town," said Ghowrak's headman, Haji Pasha. "With your soldiers standing looking over us, watching our women and driving their vehicles destroying our land. Go into the hills to find the Taliban, don't disturb us."

Far from being enticed into repudiating the Taliban, elders lined up to complain about the foreign troops in their midst and, more bitterly, the lack of assistance from the Afghan government.

"Why are we not with you?" asks another villager rhetorically. "Why are we not thanking you for our security? Why should we do anything at at all for our government when it does nothing to help us?

"Please do something for us but do it in Kandahar to make our government give to us not to themselves."
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Investigators find no criminal negligence in death of football star in Afghanistan
Published: Monday, March 26, 2007 | 5:25 PM ET Canadian Press
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - U.S. military investigators looking into the friendly fire death of former professional football star Pat Tillman found no criminal negligence but are recommending that nine officers, including a three-star general, be held accountable for missteps in the aftermath of the his shooting, government officials told The Associated Press.

The findings, due to be released later Monday, end twin inquiries into whether criminal acts were committed by the soldiers who opened fire on Tillman in Afghanistan, and whether the government covered up the circumstances of the army ranger's death.

Among other things, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said previously that investigators would determine whether any of Tillman's fellow soldiers were "firing a weapon when they should not have been."

A government official who was briefed on the findings of that investigation said Monday that acting Defense Department Insp.-Gen. Thomas Gimble found no instance of criminal negligence. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the Pentagon had not yet publicly released its findings.

The other inquiry looked at everything that happened after Tillman's April 2004 death. Senior defence officials told The Associated Press, also on condition of anonymity, that investigators would recommend that nine officers, including up to four generals, be held accountable for their missteps,
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21 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan
March 27, 2007         
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Twenty-one Taliban insurgents and two policemen were killed in two clashes in central Afghanistan, the government said on Monday.

Some Taliban militants ambushed a convoy in Andar district of Ghazni province on Monday, which was transporting logistics to foreign troops, killing one Afghan driver and setting on fire two vehicles, provincial police chief Alisha Ahamazi told Xinhua.

Policemen rushed to the site and fought the militants, killing six and wounding seven, he said, adding 23 suspected militants were captured.

On another clash, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that Taliban insurgents attacked the administrative building in Jalarez district of Wardak province on Sunday night.

The police exchanged fire with the militants, killing 15 and injuring 10, the statement said.
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Wana militants vow to fight in Afghanistan
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WANA: Tribal militants praised by the government for a bloody assault on foreign fighters in Pakistan said on Monday they would continue to go to Afghanistan to fight foreign forces.

The government hailed the last week’s bloodletting in South Waziristan as a sign that local tribes would evict foreign militants without the involvement of Pakistani forces. A spokesman for the Pakistani military described them as “patriots”.

However, the tribal militia told reporters that they had not turned against the foreigners for the government’s sake.

“We will continue our jihad (in Afghanistan) if that is against America, the Russians, British or India as long as we have souls in our bodies,” Haji Sharif, an aide to to Maulvi Nazir, told reporters in Wana.

Nazir’s representatives escorted reporters to the area, where sympathies for the Taliban run high and which is generally off-limits to outside journalists. Sharif said “Our activities across the border have been affected by our crisis with the Uzbeks. We have enemies in our home,” he said. ap
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Italian Senate to vote on whether to keep troops in Afghanistan
The Associated Press  Monday, March 26, 2007
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ROME: Italy's center-left government faces a crucial vote Tuesday in the Senate on whether to keep the country's troops in Afghanistan.

It is a decision that comes amid increasing violence there and controversy back in Rome over the release of an Italian hostage kidnapped in Afghanistan.

The Senate vote is expected Tuesday evening. The lower house gave its backing to the measure — which provides financial coverage to all missions abroad — earlier this month.

Italy has about 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, deployed between Kabul and Herat, far from the more restive south of the country. But a series of small incidents involving the Italians and reports of heavy fighting elsewhere in the country are heightening concerns in Italy over the security of the troops.
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20,000 FLOOD VICTIMS IN AFGHANISTAN NEED FOOD AND EMERGENCY AID
UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com, UN/ - 26 March 2007
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Some 20,000 people are victims of floods across Afghanistan and relief efforts are being stepped up to nearly 4,000 families.

“A huge effort is taking place by UN agencies, including UNICEF (UN Children’s Fund), the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) with the Government and provincial authorities to ensure that essential humanitarian relief supplies reach the affected populations,” said UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) spokesman Aleem Siddique at a news briefing in Kabul.

The WFP already pre-positioned 350,000 tons of mixed foods in five different locations for distribution to the most vulnerable families.

UNICEF trucks are carrying essential food, medicine, warm clothing for children and shelter material.
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Suicide bomber attacks police station in southern Afghanistan, 4 police killed
The Associated PressPublished: March 27, 2007
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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: A suicide bomber on foot disguised in an army uniform blew himself up outside a police station in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing four policemen and wounding at least one, a police chief said.

The bomber, who was wearing an Afghan National Army uniform, tried to enter the police headquarters in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, before being challenged by police at the gate, said Ghulam Nabi Mulakhail, the province's police chief.

The bomber, who tried to use the official entrance into the building, told the guards he needed to see the police chief before guards asked to search him, he said.

"That is when he exploded himself," Mulakhail said.

Initially, Abdul Manan Khan, another police official, said the blast wounded at least seven policemen and civilians. Mulakhail, however, said no civilians were hurt.
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Pakistanis near Afghanistan sign pact
By HABIBULLAH KHAN ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER March 27, 2007 · Last updated 4:41 a.m. PT
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KHAR, Pakistan -- Pakistanis living along the Afghan border have signed a third peace deal with the government promising not to shelter foreign militants, residents and officials said Tuesday.

The agreement was signed Monday in the Bajur region of Pakistan's mountainous border zone. Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, escaped a U.S. missile strike in Bajur last year.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has sought accords across the semiautonomous, tribal region after a series of bloody military operations failed to catch al-Qaida's top leadership or prevent Taliban militants fighting in Afghanistan from finding sanctuary there.

Malik Abdul Aziz, head of Bajur's tribal council, said the latest agreement was signed during a ceremony on Monday attended by about 700 tribal elders and government officials near the main town of Khar.

"After hectic efforts and talks with the local Taliban, we have signed a peace deal with the government to help it fight terrorism," Aziz told The Associated Press. "Local Taliban have assured us that they will not shelter foreign militants in their areas, and they are also part of a written agreement."

Pakistanis routinely refer to tribal militants, who are suspected of aiding their ethnic Pashtun brethren fighting in Afghanistan, as "local Taliban."
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Afghanistan taking back madrassas: Education minister
Tuesday March 27, 2007 (0303 PST)
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KABUL: Afghanistan`s government is setting up its own madrassas, or religious schools, to counter the Taliban`s use of education as a "weapon of terrorism," Education Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar says.

The first will be established in two months, with one eventually to open in each of Afghanistan`s 34 provinces, the minister said in an interview with AFP.

"The enemies of democracy in this country, the enemies of stability in this part of the world, are actually using education as a weapon of terrorism. They have established for some time now across the border hate madrassas," he said.

Afghans from poor backgrounds who are enrolled into these free boarding schools are ripe for recruitment into the Taliban insurgency.

"They teach them hate and they teach them the kind of things that have no consistency with our religion.

"And as a result they get suicide bombers recruited from these madrassas and they get Taliban fighters from these madrassas," said the 39-year-old minister, one of the youngest in President Hamid Karzai`s cabinet.
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Britain boosts spending to fight Afghan drugs trade
Tuesday March 27, 2007 (0303 PST)
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KABUL: The British attorney general announced ?9mn ($18mn) in funding for efforts to put Afghan drug traffickers behind bars, saying 90% of heroin in Britain was from Afghanistan.
Lord Goldsmith toured a compound of Afghanistan's criminal justice task force where he met officials involved in prosecuting drug traffickers and saw stashes of heroin and opium seized by authorities.

"Drugs are one of the gravest threats to the long-term security, development and government of Afghanistan," the attorney general told reporters. Afghanistan is the world's top producer of opium, the raw ingredient of heroin.

The government, which says drugs are funding the Taliban-led insurgency, is working with several countries to try to end the trade by rounding up those involved and persuading farmers to grow other less lucrative crops.
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First wool, animal skin plant inaugurated in Herat
Tuesday March 27, 2007 (0303 PST)
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HERAT CITY: The first plant for the processing and sorting of animal skins and wool, was inaugurated in Herat Industrial Park.
The project, costing $2 million, is a joint Sino-Afghan investment venture. The plant is called Afghan Mekaw and has been built in Herat industrial park.

Azim Aqa, Head of the plant, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the facility would be used to process the skin and prepare it for leather, besides washing and cleaning the animal skins and examining the quality of the hide.

He added that most of the processes are electronic and the goal is to provide better quality and to reduce wastage of animal skins.

He said the factory was built on 3.5 acres of land, currently employs 100 people and has the capacity to process 10,000 skins a day.

He said skins from all provinces would be imported and if needed, hides from Iran and Turkmenistan could also be imported.
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Prisoners protest maltreatment in Baghlan jail
Tuesday March 27, 2007 (0303 PST)
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PUL-E-KHUMRI: Prisoners in the Baghlan jail staged a protest to complain against maltreatment, appalling accommodation and delay in their trial procedures.
Officials say the protest ended after they reached an agreement with prisoners, but locals claim the matter had not yet been resolved and that the protest was continuing.

Lt. Gen Abdul Rahman Saidkhel, told Pajhwok Afghan News that over 200 prisoners charged with different crimes had begun a protest the day before, against maltreatment, delay in trail procedures and poor living conditions, but that it ended after they reached an agreement later in the day.

Shukria Asil, a member of the Provincial Council, who visited the jail along with the special delegation to assess the condition of the prisoners, said they talked with the prisoners and accepted their demands about faster trial procedure and maltreatment, after which the protest was called off.

She said the demands would be referred to the concerned officials, so that their trials could commence expeditiously. However Muhammad Zubair, a relative of one of the prisoners, said the protest was still going on.
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Restore power supply or leave the province?
Tuesday March 27, 2007 (0303 PST)
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BAMYAN CITY: Governor of the central Bamyan province Habiba Sarabi has warned head of the energy and power department to restore power supply or leave the province.
According to residents, power supply to the city is suspended for the previous three weeks prompting a barrage of complaints from people.

The country's sole female governor conveyed the terse message during a meeting called to review complaints of people regarding the long suspension of power supply.

The governor said she had called the concerned officials to the general meeting and informed them about the concerns of the government and the people. She said the director had been told to leave the province if his department failed to restore power supply within three weeks.

Contacted for comments, head of the department engineer Ikramuddin said electricity had been cut off due to the huge expenses. He said the more expenses and less number of consumers forced them to stop the power supply. However, residents say the director does not know his job.
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[GAP]

Articles found March 28, 2007

The greening of Arghandab valley
March 26, 2007 By JOHN COTTER
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SANGSAR, Afghanistan (CP) - The greening of the Arghandab River valley is a time of hope for Afghan farmers but a time of concern for troops of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group.

The hot spring sun is starting to transform stark brown fields and vineyards into a lush canopy in southern Afghanistan.

Every blossoming vine and tree will soon provide cover for the Taliban, allowing insurgents to move more freely, to plant more roadside bombs or to launch attacks.

"Every local we have spoken to while patrolling, every Afghan National Security Force individual that we have worked with have said the time is coming," said Maj. David Quick of India company.

"They have said 'standby.' Now that the foliage is coming up we have had some increased activity in the area such as IEDs and sporadic fire." IED is the acronym for improvised explosive device, or roadside bomb.

Being able to see the enemy is vitally important to the Gagetown, N.B.-based battle group, which has 1,200 troops covering a huge region of Kandahar province.

From sandbagged observation posts on the rocky heights of Mah' Sum Ghar and Sperwin Ghar to patrols in Zhari district, and all the way west to the mobile armoured column operating around Maywand, Canadian troops are watching for Taliban.

At the same time, the battle group is trying hard to win over local people to the government of Afghanistan and undermine any community support for the insurgents.

Thanks to improved security, damaged irrigation canals and schools have been repaired.
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JTF2 scopes trained on Taliban elite
Elite commandos 'in demand,' says Gen. Hillier after speech
Mike Blanchfield The Ottawa Citizen Wednesday, March 28, 2007
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Canada's ultra secretive JTF2 special forces commandos are becoming "tools of choice" in targeting top Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, the country's top soldier said yesterday.

Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of defence staff, spoke briefly on the operations of the Canadian Forces elite commando unit during an address to the Canadian Club of Ottawa.

"Our special forces are the tools of choice. They are in incredible demand. Our special forces are world class," Gen. Hillier told a luncheon gathering of several hundred.

In the past two years, Gen. Hillier said, JTF2 has been "growing their capacity" to conduct operations on Canadian soil "when needed" and also abroad, specifically Afghanistan.

"They have had significant impact in Afghanistan helping Afghans rebuild their country," Gen. Hillier said in a 45-minute speech in which he quickly singled out the unit for the work it is doing in Afghanistan before he moved on to other topics.

Asked after the speech to expand on the role of JTF2, Gen. Hillier indicated that the unit has taken the fight against the Taliban and anti-western insurgency in southern Afghanistan directly to its top leaders
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Hillier predicts renewed attacks
JOHN WARD Canadian Press
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OTTAWA — Spring in Afghanistan will see Canadian soldiers facing renewed attacks by suicide bombers and roadside booby traps, Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff warns.

Gen. Rick Hillier acknowledged yesterday that Taliban insurgents will step up their attacks as the weather warms. But he rejected the notion of a Taliban spring "offensive."

"I don't think that's really the kind of terminology which describes what the Taliban will try to do and is indeed trying to do now," he told reporters after a speech yesterday to the Canadian Club.

"We know we're going to have a surge of the Taliban, that's without question. They are going to try to do things during the campaign season, the better-weather season, that they could not do during the winter months."
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Taleban Target Helmand's Capital
By IWPR trainees in Helmand (ARR No. 248, 27-Mar-07)
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Over the past weeks, Lashkar Gah has become increasingly unstable, with bombs and murder almost daily fare. Now, for the first time in Helmand, the Taleban have killed a woman.

It has been a bad few days in Helmand’s capital, with a high-profile kidnapping and murder followed by a suicide bomb at police headquarters. Residents say the Taleban are becoming more and more visible in Lashkar Gah, and enjoy support among some segments of the population.

On March 27, a suicide bomber dressed in army uniform attempted to assassinate the chief of police.

“A man dressed as an Afghan National Army soldier came to police headquarters saying he needed to file an application for a passport,” said police chief Nabijan Mullahkhel. “He was targeting me, but the police stopped him at the gate checkpoint. So he blew himself up, killing four police and injuring two more.”

Another police official confirmed the incident, saying that a police commander was among the dead. He added that in addition to police, two civilians were wounded in the explosion.

The blast could be heard throughout the centre of Lashkar Gah, and was followed by rapid gunfire. Local residents say the police were shooting into the air to discourage crowds of onlookers from gathering at the site.

A high-ranking Taleban commander in Helmand took responsibility for the blast, although his estimate of the casualties differed from that given by police.

“We killed a lot of police, and injured many more,” said the commander, who did not want to be named.
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David Hicks terror profits blocked
By Nick Butterly March 28, 2007 12:00
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THE Federal Government is set to block self-confessed terrorist David Hicks from making millions of dollars selling his story.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock hinted today any move by Hicks to profit from a book or other media deal would likely by blocked by federal proceeds of crime laws.

Mr Ruddock also said state and federal governments would be unable to alter any sentence US authorities handed down to David Hicks if he was returned to Australia.

However, the attorney-general confirmed Australia would have a say on the conditions under which Hicks served out his sentence if he were returned under a prisoner transfer deal.

Meanwhile, DDavid Hicks will make a full admission of his activities in Afghanistan following his guilty plea, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today.

The guilty plea by Hicks at a US military commission hearing in Guantanamo Bay will lead to a full admission of what he did in Afghanistan, Mr Downer said.
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Detainees' suit against Rumsfeld dismissed
By Bloomberg News Article Last Updated: 03/28/2007 12:45:40 AM MDT
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Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has won dismissal of a lawsuit against him and three Army officers filed by nine people from Iraq and Afghanistan who claim they were tortured at U.S. military prisons.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan in Washington said Tuesday that the officials are entitled to immunity from claims of international-law violations. Those who sued can't claim protection from the Constitution's Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment because they haven't been convicted of a crime, the judge said. He also expressed reluctance to intervene in military affairs.

"Military discipline and morale surely would be eroded by the spectacle of high-ranking military officials being hauled into our own courts to defend against our enemies' legal challenges," the judge's opinion said.

Hogan also dismissed the suit against retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, former Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski and Col. Tho mas Pappas.

The former detainees - civilians who weren't designated as enemy combatants - claimed they were tortured in U.S military prisons in Afghanistan and Iraq, including Abu Ghraib, where mistreatment of prisoners was disclosed in 2004. All were released from custody after being held for as long as a year without being charged with a crime, the judge's opinion said.
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Militant commander arrested in E Afghanistan
Wednesday March 28, 2007 (0502 PST)
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KABUL: Afghan and the U.S.-led coalition forces arrested a regional militant commander in Kunar province of eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, a coalition statement said.
The operation was carried out at a compound near Asadabad, the provincial capital, the statement said, adding the militant commander had connections to improvised-explosive device attacks and facilitating the movement of foreign fighters into Kunar province.

Also on Tuesday, Afghan and coalition troops arrested four Afghan males and uncovered weapons at a compound near Jalalabad, capital of the eastern Nangarhar province, the military said.

Credible information linked to multiple attacks in Jalalabad led the combined forces to the compound, where they discovered rocket-propelled grenades and propellant, it added.
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Tracking the Taliban keeps Canadian troops busy
Wednesday March 28, 2007 (0502 PST)
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GHUNDY GHAR: In the heart of Taliban country, two Canadian armoured vehicles belt along a road that cuts through green fields of opium that are strangely deserted.
Then, an explosion. A cloud of dust enveloped one of the vehicles. "Hey... another one," shouted Captain Steve Graham, watching the bomb blast from his post at the top of a sandy hill in Ghundy Ghar, 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Kandahar city.

Further on a handful of labourers tended to their fields of opium, perhaps protected by the Taliban, as though nothing happened.

The vehicle was damaged but there were no casualties. Last year the Canadian military lost 36 troops serving with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

This is the area where the Taliban picked up arms in the early 1990s. Today it is deeply embroiled in an insurgency launched after the extremists were driven from government in 2001.

"In this area every day we face bombs, remote-controlled or booby-trapped, not to mention suicide attacks and rocket fire," said Canadian battalion commander Colonel Robert Walker, visiting 250 of his soldiers taking part in Operation Achilles, launched three weeks ago.
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House GOP protests drug czar for Afghanistan
By SHAUN WATERMAN WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) - UPI Homeland and National Security Editor
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Republicans in Congress are angry at the Bush administration's choice of a State Department official to fill a new post to oversee U.S. efforts against drug smuggling and corruption in Afghanistan.

"It's putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop," said one senior House GOP staffer.

A little-noticed announcement from the White House last week named Thomas Schweich to the new job: coordinator for counter-narcotics and justice reform in Afghanistan.

The announcement said that Schweich, who currently oversees part of the Afghan drug portfolio as the principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the State Department, would be granted the personal rank of ambassador in the new post.

White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore told United Press International that the ambassador rank was a technical appointment "necessary for him to hold negotiations with foreign countries" in the new post and was not Senate confirmable.
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Direct from Afghanistan - Blog
by :: Lt(N) Desmond James
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My job here
Posted by: des_james 03/21/2007 03:16PM
This image is of the Van Doos and a soccer game they organized for local kids. The Van Doos, on their spare time, built a soccer pitch for the local kids. The photo was taken by a Van Doo.

I guess I have never explained what I actually do here in Kandahar.

I am a Public Affairs Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar. I work both inside and outside Camp Nathan Smith, also known as "outside the wire."

I spend some amount of my time in convoys going from place to place, taking reporters to events they want to see, and myself learning about Afghanistan. I am also a soldier. I watch the back of reporters as they go about their work because they can't do that as well as their job.

My job is to try and get factual reporting on the PRT. As I work in the PRT, that means showing journalists (local, Canadian, and international) PRT operations and work. Journalists speak to Afghans along the way to get their views. I don't edit, screen, or approve any work they do unless it concerns operational security. If it does, I screen things to ensure we aren't endangering our soldiers or Afghans.

Some days are more difficult than others depending on the amount of journalists on a convoy or at an event. Trying to get 3 media outlets the stories they want within a time limit for them is challenging. I have to be quick on my feet and know who is the best person to answer a question they may have.
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Afghanistan: Tightening Grip on Media
March 27, 2007, 12:08PM By ALISA TANG Associated Press Writer
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KABUL, Afghanistan — Political talk show host Razaq Mamoon never held back with the cameras rolling. He railed at former warlords now in government and accused Afghanistan's Parliament of being a den of war criminals and drug smugglers.

Not surprisingly, he caught the attention of government leaders.

"I started receiving messages from them: 'We don't know who you're with or who you're against. You attack everybody,'" Mamoon said.

His employer, Tolo TV, came under intense pressure from government ministers, and soon Mamoon was fired, he said. His popular round-table news program "Gaftmon" _ or "Hardtalk" _ was yanked from the air.

Hailed as a major success of five years of democracy-building, media freedom in Afghanistan is under increasing pressures, including a proposed law that would cripple media rights, and threats and physical abuse of journalists by government and military officials.

"Effectively we've moved from an open media environment to a state-controlled media environment, which is a considerable turnaround from the direction media was heading in Afghanistan up until 2005-06," said Adrian Edwards, spokesman of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

The Afghan media has changed radically since Taliban times, when there were no television stations and only a handful of newspapers that were completely state-controlled. There was just one Taliban radio station _ broadcasting news and religious poetry but no music.

Now there are more than 40 private radio stations, seven TV networks, and more than 350 newspapers and magazines registered with the information ministry. Afghan TV broadcasts everything from breaking news to cooking shows and the local version of "American Idol."

But critics say the new legislation, expected to be debated in Parliament within weeks, is an ominous sign that Afghanistan's experiment with open media is on borrowed time.
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Uzbek Fighters in Pakistan Reportedly Return to Afghanistan
By John C.k. Daly Pakistani Tribal Leaders
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Since the fighting between local militants and foreign guerrillas began in South Waziristan's capital of Wana and its suburban areas on March 18, more than 160 people have been killed in the violence (Pakistan Times, March 24). The action may well have been generated by internal Pakistani political concerns since it follows the March 12 unrest generated by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's decision to suspend the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, for alleged abuses of office. International pressure may have also been involved, as the conflict erupted following the February 26 visit to Islamabad by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney who reportedly castigated Musharraf for Pakistan's lack of vigorous progress in its anti-terrorist campaigns in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. Many analysts believe that the violence is the direct result of the government's attempt to prove to Washington that it is serious in clamping down on militant activity in the border regions along the Afghan frontier. There is also the possibility that Pakistan may be pushing the problem of foreign militants out of its territory and into Afghanistan.

Pakistani security officials said that the fighting began after pro-Taliban tribesmen discovered the corpse of Saiful Adil, an Arab fighter, who tribesmen suspected of having been murdered by Uzbek militants. "Maulavi Nazir supports the Arabs and suspected that the Uzbeks had murdered Adil," Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said (Geo TV, March 22). MNA Maulana Mirajuddin, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl from South Waziristan, subsequently said that the majority of Ahmadzai Wazir tribes had "withdrawn the hospitality" granted to foreign militants since they crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan in November 2001 in the wake of U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom (Daily Times, March 25). The conflict erupted following reports on March 8 of the capture of Tahir Yuldashev, co-founder of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), who fled to the mountainous Waziristan region following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001 (Geo TV, March 7). Where Yuldashev may have been captured is uncertain, as Kyrgyzstan's Habar news agency placed the arrest in Afghanistan (Habar, March 8). On March 9, Pakistani Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Vahid Arshad denounced the rumors of Yuldashev's arrest as false (Ferghana.ru, March 9).

Pakistani army units in the area stayed largely out of the war zone, according to one source, only observing the conflict through binoculars. Islamabad was not unhappy with the outbreak of conflict in southern Waziristan; an official of Pakistan's Ministry of Internal Affairs said, "the current shooting means that the local elders finally quarreled with the foreign cutthroats. Without the support of the Pashtuns, the 'Taliban' will not last long" (Arba.ru, March 23). It appears likely that Islamabad helped instigate the conflict between the Pashtuns and the foreign Muslim extremists based in Waziristan. Earlier this year, Pakistan's special services reportedly began to negotiate with the local Pashtun elders, promising that troops would only carry out operations against foreign Islamists. In return, Islamabad told the elders to offer the Uzbeks the option of either returning to Uzbekistan to continue their struggle with Karimov, or to lay down their weapons.
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[GAP]

Articles found March 29, 2007

Taliban demands Karzai swap prisoners for Afghans
Updated Wed. Mar. 28 2007 1:43 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
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The Taliban have kidnapped six Afghan medical workers in another attempt to exploit President Hamid Karzai's government into releasing more prisoners.

"The latest is that the Taliban are demanding that two of their prisoners in the Kandahar jail be released," said CTV's Paul Workman from Kandahar.

Contact has been made with the Taliban and with the prisoners, Workman said, but no deadline has been set for demands to be met.

The request comes after Karzai approved the release of five Taliban prisoners in exchange for Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo.

"It's a very difficult issue for Afghan President Hamid Karzai," said Workman.

"The precedent was set last week by releasing the Italian so the question for the Afghans is: 'Is the life of an Italian journalist worth more than the life of six Afghans who are now being held by the Taliban?'" asked Workman.

The Afghan workers -- a doctor, nurse, midwife, pharmacist and two drivers -- were on their way home from a refugee camp last night when they were grabbed.

"Everybody predicted that by giving into the Taliban in the first place it was really an invitation to them to take more hostages," said Workman.
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Security issues hinder aid agencies in Afghanistan
Updated Wed. Mar. 28 2007 1:59 PM ET Canadian Press
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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Security concerns are making it difficult for aid agencies to help thousands of families who have been displaced by fighting and drought in southern Afghanistan.

A United Nations spokeswoman in Geneva estimates that almost 5,000 families have been displaced in Helmand province, where NATO and Afghan troops have been battling the Taliban for months.

The difficulties for relief agency can be seen in neighbouring Kandahar province, where five members of an Afghan medical team have been kidnapped by insurgents near a refugee camp.

A senior Afghan official says the Taliban have threatened to kill members of the team unless the government releases insurgent prisoners.

The UN estimates that 15,000 families were displaced last summer during intense fighting between Canadian forces and the Taliban in the Panjwaii and Zhari districts.

The UN says most of those people have returned to their homes, but some have not because of fear and security concerns.
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Taliban demands release of prisoners in exchange for kidnapped health workers
The Associated PressPublished: March 29, 2007
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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: Militants in southern Afghanistan demanded the release Thursday of Taliban prisoners in exchange for four Afghan health workers and a driver kidnapped by the hardline militia this week.

A doctor, three nurses and a driver were kidnapped on Tuesday while driving back from a refugee camp in Kandahar province, where they administered vaccines and other treatment, said Esmatullah Alizai, the provincial police chief.

By kidnapping health-workers, the Taliban deny Afghans the chance to be treated, Alizai said.

A Taliban commander, Mullah Tur Jan, told The Associated Press by phone that the militants "want some of our prisoners to be released in exchange for these medics."

Jan did not say how many prisoners the Taliban wanted released. He said the five Afghans were safe.
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Afghanistan to join SAARC : Food bank, regional university on summit agenda
[ 2007-3-29 ]  By Khagendra Bhattarai KATHMANDU, Mar. 28
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Upcoming 14th SAARC Summit being held in New Delhi on April 3-4 would ratify proposals on establishing regional food bank and a South Asian University, while a joint declaration would formalise entry of Afghanistan as the eighth member of SAARC, Foreign Ministry sources said Wednesday.

The Summit meeting agenda would also particularly consider on the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) and relaxing of visa policy between the member countries. Other major agendas include controlling terrorism and bolstering connectivity among the member states.

The member countries have already exercised and agreed on the three major issues in the ministerial and secretary level talks earlier and a meeting of the state heads would formalise them during the Summit meeting.

The proposed regional food bank would be established to meet the growing pressure on food security in the region. "The food bank will come into operation to meet the exigencies during calamities so that the SAARC member states could immediately tackle the crisis," the source said.

Once the deal is finalised, the food bank will start initially with a reserve of 241,580 tons of food grain, which would be gradually increased.

According to the proposal, India will contribute 153,200 tons of food grain while Pakistan and Bangladesh 40,000 tons each, Sri Lanka and Nepal 4,000 tons each, Maldives 200 tons and Bhutan 180 tons of food grain.
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Hicks set to give evidence on Friday
March 29, 2007 - 2:59PM
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David Hicks is expected to speak publicly for the first time on Friday about his life with terrorists in Afghanistan.

The US military commission hearings that will sentence Hicks for providing material support for terrorism will begin at Guantanamo Bay on Friday morning (11pm Friday AEST), officials announced.

Hicks faces a maximum of life in prison, but is expected to receive a lighter sentence in return for pleading guilty, with any sentence likely to be served in a South Australian jail.

The 31-year-old Adelaide man could be handed a short sentence or even be set free, after Australia asked that any punishment take into account the five years he has already spent in custody.
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New tactic for British troops in Afghanistan
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KABUL: In the most violent part of Afghanistan British marines are now changing their tactics in the fight against the Taliban.

Based in Helmand Province, Britain’s new military tactic involves fast and mobile armoured convoys and patrols designed to enter the Taliban’s backyard provoking them into fighting.

British forces then hope to defeat the Taliban with their heavier firepower.

The idea is to get away from fixed bases that attract Taliban attacks.

The Afghanistan national police are also involved in the fight to remove the Taliban despite often being accused of corruption and being without the necessary equipment.

It is believed around a quarter of the local population support the Taliban, with poverty often driving people into their hands.
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Two soldiers hurt in Afghan traffic
Graham Thomson, CanWest News Service Published: Monday, March 26, 2007
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan
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The chaotic traffic in Kandahar province has left another two Canadian soldiers injured.

They were riding in a LAV-3 armoured vehicle about 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City on Monday when they collided with what is known locally as a “jingle truck” - a transport truck that is decorated with vibrant colours and metal ornaments.

“During the accident the turret of the light armoured vehicle was forcibly swung around pinning one soldier and injuring another,” said military spokesman Maj. Dale MacEachern
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Canucks hurt in convoy attack
March 27, 2007 By JOHN COTTER
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SPERWIN GHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - A Canadian convoy was fired on with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms, then hit by a suicide car bomb as it moved through "ambush alley" in southern Afghanistan. Two Canadians were injured, military officials said Tuesday.

The attack happened as Canadian troops are bracing for more attacks with the arrival of warmer weather. Spring foliage transforming the barren Afghan landscape also provides cover for insurgents lying in ambush.

The Canadian two soldiers were wounded when the blast from the suicide bomb damaged their LAV-3 armoured vehicle Monday night, minutes after the convoy fought through a Taliban ambush.

The convoy of three LAV-3s had come under fire by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms a few kilometres east of Patrol Base Wilson in Zhari district, officials said. The suicide bombing happened on the outskirts of Kandahar city, in an area commonly known as ambush alley.

Capt. Matt Allen, commander of the convoy, had nothing but praise for the way his soldiers, members of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group, responded to the Taliban attacks.

"They were brilliant, their performance was outstanding," Allen told The Canadian Press as tired troops unloaded a LAV-3 that had four tires destroyed in the attack
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Bomber targets Afghan intelligence chief
March 28, 2007 By RAHIM FAIEZ
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An Afghan man, right, sells books as others chat together in the background at a market in Kabul. A NATO airstrike hit a house during a firefight between Western troops and militants. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A suicide bomber trying to blend in with street beggars exploded himself near a top intelligence official in a crowded part of the capital early Wednesday, killing four people and wounding 12, police said.

The bomber apparently targeted the investigations chief of Afghanistan' intelligence service, said deputy police chief Gen. Zulmay Khan. The explosion went off near Kabul's main market place, killing four people and injuring 12, Afghanistan's intelligence service said. No members of the intelligence service were hurt or killed, officials said.

The attack's apparent target, Kamulladeen Khan Echekzai, is a powerful Afghan elder from the southern city of Kandahar, the Taliban's former power base when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001.

An intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of agency rules, said authorities believe Echekzai was targeted because he knows details of top Taliban leaders suspected of operating from Pakistan.

The attack in Kabul came one day after a suicide bomber on foot disguised in an army uniform blew himself up outside a police station in Helmand province, killing four police.
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Avalanche in northern Afghanistan kills 12
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Kabul - At least 12 people were killed and 12 more wounded when their houses were buried by avalanches in northern Badakhshan province, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.

A police team was sent to Raghistan district to help extract the people from under the destroyed houses and snow, the ministry said in a statement. It said the wounded were taken to provincial hospital.

This year Afghanistan has been experiencing greater rains and snowfalls after six years of severe drought that badly damaged the plantations in the country and caused animal deaths.

The rain has caused severe flooding and mudslides in various parts of the country, leaving at least a dozen of people dead in the past fortnight through out the country.

The UN mission in Afghanistan said Monday that its officials and the Afghan government had assisted over 20,000 people affected by the floods, while UN World Food Programme provided 350,000 tons of food to distribute to vulnerable families.
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The perils of sniffing out safety on Afghan roads
JOE FRIESEN From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
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KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — Sergeant Sheldon Herritt stared through his ballistic glasses at the ground ahead. Something wasn't right.

An expert in roadside-bomb detection, he had been summoned to the scene of a Canadian convoy stuck on a stretch of road in Panjwai. A few hours earlier, a Coyote surveillance vehicle had struck a mine and gone off the road. The soldiers were trying to recover it, but they had to ensure there weren't more mines in the way. It was painstakingly slow, and in three hours they still hadn't reached the Coyote.

Sgt. Herritt turned to the soldiers massed behind him and called for a bomb-sniffing dog. He had worked with dogs in the past, always with success. But he had never met this crew before, a U.S. handler and his German shepherd. They worked for American K-9, a private company hired by the Canadian military to do dangerous work.

Sgt. Herritt brought the man and dog forward to the site, then pushed everyone else 20 metres back.
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Military sets up video-phone link to Afghanistan
Updated Wed. Mar. 28 2007 6:41 PM ET Canadian Press
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HALIFAX -- It's hard to have an intimate conversation with the ones you love when a roomful of reporters, half a dozen television cameras and a forest of microphones are recording every whispered syllable.

But Warrant Officer Chris Saunders, who is posted to Afghanistan, and his wife Lori back home in Halifax with their five-week-old son, gamely gave it a try Wednesday.

The couple helped showcase a new real-time video-teleconferencing link the military says will allow families to stay in closer touch with those serving overseas.

As Chris sat in a small, humid booth thousands of kilometres away in Kandahar, Lori sat on a couch at the Military Family Resource Centre in Halifax, gently rocked a sleeping, blissfully oblivious Liam in her lap.

"I can see everybody," Chris said as a black-and-white image of the young soldier sprang to life on a video screen about three metres away from his wife.

"Hi honey, how are you? How are things?" Lori asked tentatively, mindful of the audience of reporters and military officials in the room.

After a few moments of awkward silence, shy greetings and small talk about the weather, they finally plunged in, mostly responding to questions posed by the media.

The Canadian soldier was home for his son's birth last month but has seen him only in e-mailed photos for a couple of weeks.

"I can't believe how much he's grown. He's so much longer," said Saunders, whose platoon is charged with base security in Kandahar
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