U.S. Troops Begin Afghan Offensive

Kandagal (AP 8/13/05) - U.S. Marines and Afghan troops launched an offensive Saturday to take a remote mountain valley from insurgents tied to the deadliest blow on American forces since the Taliban regime was ousted nearly four years ago.

The operation is the biggest yet aimed at rebels believed responsible for twin attacks that killed 19 U.S. troops in June. Three Navy SEALs were killed in an ambush, and all 16 soldiers on a helicopter sent to rescue them died when it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

The offensive came at the end of a deadly week for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Seven Americans have died along with dozens of militants and civilians, reinforcing concerns that crucial legislative elections next month could be threatened by a surge in violence.

U.S. and Afghan commanders said militants in the Korengal Valley, in eastern Kunar province near the Pakistani border, were intent on disrupting voting. They said the valley held hundreds of Afghan rebels, as well as extremists from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Chechnya.

"We want them running for their lives way up in the hills where they can't attack polling stations," said Capt. John Moshane of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based in Hawaii. "We want to isolate them from the community."

Hundreds of Marines and Afghan special forces troopers started moving into position at one end of the valley Thursday, about 120 miles east of the capital, Kabul. They dug mortar and machine-gun pits for a resupply base in a corn field near Kandagal, a village of about 100 farm families.

Reacting quickly, rebels fired rockets at a nearby U.S. post and a troop convoy but did not hit anything.

American and Afghan forces hiked into the rugged mountains Friday and Saturday, many leading lines of donkeys laden with food and water. A-10 attack planes circled high above. The operation was expected to last at least two weeks, Moshane said.

One of the main objectives is breaking up a network of militants led by a local Taliban officer, Ahmad Shah, also known as Ismail, who claimed responsibility for the June 28 attacks, said Kirimat Tanhah, a commander in the U.S.-trained and financed Afghan Special Forces.

Shah is suspected of having ties to al-Qaida militants in Pakistan, he said. "Ismail's men ambushed the SEAL team and shot down the helicopter," Tanhah told The Associated Press. "Many of them are foreigners and have trained in Pakistan and elsewhere." He said Shah also pays impoverished villagers to fight for him.

Lt. Col. Jim Donnellan, commander of the Marine battalion, said the valley was a base for lots of other "bad guys" besides Shah, including al-Qaida militants, fighters loyal to renegade former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and other Taliban groups.

Dozens of criminals involved in timber and gem smuggling are there, too, he said. "Some of them are thugs, others are political ideologues, coming in and throwing their money around," Donnellan said. "Many villagers are paid good money to work with the militants."

Meanwhile, a local shepherd who rescued the only member of the ambushed SEAL team to survive June 28, was reported in hiding after militants threatened to kill him.

Donnellan, the Marine commander, confirmed the fourth SEAL was sheltered by a villager, but he declined to elaborate. He didn't comment on the accounts of tribesmen who said shepherd Sher Alam was hiding from extremists.

"Men distributed leaflets around our village saying they were going to kill him," said Shah Wali, a neighbor. "His wife and children are being protected by others in the village, but Sher had to leave."

He said Alam was grazing his animals when he found the wounded commando hiding in the mountains after the ambush. Wali said the SEAL pointed his gun at Alam, but the shepherd raised his shirt to show he had no weapon and was not a threat.

Alam took the man to his home and bandaged his wounds, before walking to a nearby U.S. base to alert them, Wali said. He said Alam, who is Pashtun, the same ethnicity as most Taliban fighters, gave sanctuary to the American because "it is our culture." "We would help anyone who asks, anyone ... well, except Osama bin Laden because he damaged our country," Wali added.

At least 28 militants dead in clashes with Afghan government forces – AP 8/15/05

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan Fighting continues between Afghan government forces and militants in the southern part of the country.

At least 28 suspected Taliban and other insurgents have died in recent clashes.

The bloodiest battle took place yesterday, as Afghan forces attacked a group of suspected militants, killing 16 and taking one into custody.

The defense ministry says a top local Taliban commander is among the dead.

In another incident, authorities say militants mistakenly detonated a mine that was intended to hit a U-S-Afghan convoy. Instead, one militant was killed in the blast and another was wounded. Nearly one-thousand people have died in violence in Afghanistan since March.

Seven Taliban killed in Afghan clashes

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug 15 (AFP) - Seven suspected Taliban militants were killed and 15 were arrested, including one of the militia's commanders, in separate incidents in southern Afghanistan, officials said Monday.

Six of the insurgents were killed Sunday as they fled after attacking a security post close to Tirin Kot, the capital of restive Uurzgan province, provincial governor Jan Mohammed Khan told AFP.

In addition nine suspected Taliban fighters were arrested in a village near Tirin Kot as part of a search operation by the Afghan National Army and US-led forces.

"We arrrested nine Taliban including a local Taliban commander, Mullah Janan," governor said. Six other armed Taliban were arrested in another district of Uruzgan province on Sunday, Khan added.

Meanwhile, in the Souray district of neighboring Zabul province, one suspected Taliban rebel died and one was wounded by a bomb they were planting on a road used by Afghan and US forces, said district governor Rozi Khan. The US military on Sunday said that it had arrested a key Taliban commander, named as Qari Baba, and killed four militants over the weekend.

Violence has surged ahead of next month's landmark parliamentary elections in Afghanistan. Political attacks so far this year have left more than 900 people dead, mostly militants, compared with 850 people in 2004.

Cash Said to Drive Afghanistan's Militia - By DANIEL COONEY –

ASADABAD, Afghanistan - (AP) It doesn't take much money to set up a militia force in Afghanistan. A few dollars a day buys the loyalty of impoverished villagers, and weapons are cheap and available.

It's so easy that one Afghan province, Kunar, near the eastern border with Pakistan, has 10 illegally armed groups, U.S. military officials say. Though each has its own agenda, they are believed to share a common aim: to disrupt or even stop landmark legislative elections next month.

"I got them all: Taliban, al-Qaida, Hig, foreign fighters, smugglers and other criminals," said Lt. Col. Peter Munster, a U.S. Army commander in Kunar. "They are like the Mafia." Hig refers to a militant network led by renegade former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who is wanted by the United States. Munster said the militias "are against the elections. ... They are coming in with money and throwing it around. This is a poor area. People can be bought."

The Sept. 18 elections are Afghanistan's next key step toward democracy after a quarter century of war and subverting them would be a highly symbolic blow to the U.S.-backed nation-building process that is slowly marginalizing the Taliban and other extremist groups.

The amount being spent on recruiting new fighters and the number of foreign militants coming into the region has spiked in the lead-up to the vote, said Kirimat Tanhah, an Afghan Special Forces commander in Kunar.

"This area is full of foreigners: Pakistanis, Chechens, Arabs. Weapons caches have been hidden and the local villagers are being paid to fight," he said, before a joint operation with U.S. Marines into Korengal Valley, a militant stronghold in remote mountains in Kunar.

The U.S. military in Afghanistan suffered its deadliest blow in the valley on June 28, when militants killed three Navy SEAL commandos in an ambush and shot down a special forces helicopter with 16 troops on board who had gone to rescue them.

The attacks came amid a major upsurge in fighting nationwide that since March has left nearly 1,000 people dead, more than half of them suspected militants _ some of the bloodiest months since the Taliban's ouster by U.S.-led forces in late 2001.

To counter the worsening violence and the threat of attacks during the elections, the U.S. military has brought in extra troops and gone on the offensive, launching major operations in southern and eastern regions, where most of the militants are based.

"We want to keep the bad guys off-balance in the lead-up to the elections. We want to disrupt them," Lt. Col. Jim Donnellan, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, said in an interview with The Associated Press at a U.S. base in Asadabad, the main town in Kunar.

"We want to show villagers before the elections that there is security, that they have nothing to fear," he added. One such operation is the deployment of hundreds of Marines and Afghan Special Forces into Korengal Valley to flush out Taliban rebels suspected in the June 28 assaults.

The U.S. military and the Afghan government also have set up local militia forces of their own. In Kunar, nearly 1,000 villagers have been recruited, trained and armed in the past month to provide security. This force is in addition to the police and Afghan army.

And the military has launched a string of reconstruction projects for roads, schools and medical clinics, that employ poor villagers so they won't become militants. But persuading them to vote won't be easy.
Militants have distributed leaflets in some regions, threatening to kill anyone who takes part in the election. They've even tried to intimidate Afghan troops by tuning into their radio frequencies and threatening to attack, said Tanhah, the special forces commander.

"They accuse us of being bodyguards for the Americans," he said. "They say we are brothers and should join them. But we radio back and tell them that we are fighting for our country and that they are fighting for foreigners who want our country ruined."

The militants have extensive resources in some areas, including satellite phones and digital cameras, which they use to record attacks and then post them on Web sites, Tanhah said. Other communication methods are more basic.

"The bad guys pay little kids to flash mirrors from hilltops to warn them of approaching troops," Munster said. "Many villagers are paid good money to work with the militants." Tanhah said that while most of the militants claim to be fighting for Islam, many are just in it for the money.

"Many foreign fighters are only here to be paid," he said. "And the locals don't care who pays them, whether it be the Taliban, al-Qaida or the U.S. military. They just want to earn money."

Afghan government to draw up five-year plan to battle drugs

KABUL, Aug 14 (AFP) - Afghanistan's government is drawing up a five-year plan to battle the country's burgeoning drugs trade, officials said Sunday. "The government is currently working on a five-year drug elimination strategy," Counter-Narcotics Minister Habibubllah Qaderi told reporters.

Afghanistan currently produces 90 percent of the world's opium and the US and UN have warned that the country is on the brink of becoming a narco-state. Speaking after a seminar at which provincial officials from northern Afghanistan met to discuss drug problems, Qaderi said the strategy includes eradicating poppy fields, fighting drug traffickers and providing alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers.

General Mohammad Daud, deputy interior minister for counter-narcotics, also said the fight against illegal drugs was a long-term problem. "This problem can not be solved overnight -- we need years," he said.

Daud said his government however, was determined to eliminate drugs, claiming major successes in the battle against narcotics over recent months. He said that his ministry was handling more than 80 cases against drug traffickers. "Currently the special counter-narcotics court is reviewing 86 drug trafficking-related files," Daud said.

Afghanistan: UN appeals for urgent donations to make up election shortfall - U.N. News Service; 11 August 2005

11 August 2005 - Just 10 days after reporting additional funding for Afghanistan's elections, the United Nations mission said today that no further money had come in and it appealed urgently to donors to make up the nearly $20-million shortfall for holding the September poll.

"The current funding gap remains a serious concern six weeks before the elections and we hope other donors will soon come up and make further contributions to fill, without delay, the remaining funding gap of $19.3 million," UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) spokesperson Ariane Quentier told a news briefing in Kabul, the capital.

On 1 August, UNAMA reported that over $31 million of the requested $149 million were still needed to fund the elections, and it expressed concern that this gap could affect preparations for the legislative and provincial polls.

Within a week, donors contributed an additional $12 million, bringing the funding gap down to $19.3 million, but no new pledges or contributions have been made since then.

Announcing the $12 million in new funding on 8 August, Ms. Quentier said the elections would not be postponed and the funding gap was not threatening the poll.

"The problem is not whether we are going to get the money; rather, when are we going to get the money – this is always a slow process," she said then.

"It is just a matter of getting the money rapidly so that the preparations of the elections can be conducted in the best possible way."

Pakistan to beef up security along Afghanistan border - IRNA (Iran) 12 August 2005

Pakistan will beef up security along the porous Pak-Afghan border in the run up to the upcoming polls in Afghanistan, said a local army official here Friday. Speaking to IRNA, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Shaukat Sultan said that security would further be beefed up along the border.

The issue of security on Pak-Afghan border and the upcoming parliamentary election in the war-devastated country figured prominently during the recent meeting in Kabul of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Calling for increased security during the presidential election, Karzai urged Pakistan to take similar security measures during the first parliamentary elections in Afghanistan after some three decades.

The ISPR chief maintained that more personnel would be deployed to check infiltration and cross-border movements along the almost 2400- -kilometer long porous rugged Pak-Afghan border.

Two Pakistani provinces (the North West Frontier Province and Baluchistan) share border with Afghanistan. Asked if the border would be sealed, the ISPR official said that the Foreign Office would be in the best position to answer this question.

Pakistan had already deployed about 70,000 security personnel along the border following the fall of Taliban regime in 2002. The reconnaissance helicopters and checkpoints set up at different points are part of efforts to check cross border movements.

GERMANY AGAINST PULLOUT FROM AFGHANISTAN, TO PROPOSE INCREASING ITS CONTINGENT - DDP (Germany) 12 August 2005

Defence Minister Peter Struck (SPD [Social Democratic Party of Germany]) is strictly opposed to a withdrawal of German soldiers from Afghanistan. According to a pre-release, he told Passauer Neue Presse (Friday [ 12 August] edition): "There was a danger that the country would relapse into Taleban conditions, becoming a base for international terrorism. The Taleban and Al-Qa'idah have not yet been completely defeated. A withdrawal would be a major setback for the international community in the fight against terrorism."

Instead, the minister announced an expansion of the Bundeswehr's [German Armed Forces] commitment to Afghanistan: "In October, I will present to the cabinet and the Bundestag [lower chamber of the German Parliament] a proposal to increase the maximum number of German troops from 2,250 to 3,000. Furthermore, we will expand our range of regional operation to western Afghanistan in order to provide additional assistance there."

In the run-up to the parliamentary election in Afghanistan on 18 September, "the situation there will become more restless and unstable," Struck said, adding: "The security situation is getting more difficult. Our soldiers there know this and are prepared for it."

Helping Afghans build their Islamic republic - Toronto Star - August 14, 2005

Are Canadian troops doomed to be fighting in Afghanistan 20 years from now? Is that what Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie meant when he suggested "Afghanistan is a 20-year venture" at the annual Couchiching Summer Conference?

Hopefully not. While Afghans will need time to "break out of the cycle of warlords and tribalism," as Leslie noted, they are eager to shape a future free from foreign interference.

If Canada helps the fledgling Islamic Republic through a few tough transition years by providing a little security and a lot of aid, Afghans should not need two decades of heavy military assistance by Canada or any other country to rebuild.

That's the thinking behind Prime Minister Paul Martin's decision to deploy Canadian troops in Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold near the Afghan-Pakistan border where Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar are on the run. The first 250 Canadians began patrolling this past week. They are the vanguard of a 1,500-member force that will replace American troops and will remain for 18 months.

Martin has pledged that Canada will do what it can to prevent Afghanistan from reverting to anarchy, and becoming a haven for terror that threatens us all. He has opened an embassy in Kabul, earmarked $600 million in aid and sent in the troops.

This makes Afghanistan our biggest foreign commitment. Canadian soldiers are risking their lives to help 28 million Afghans get their Islamic Republic up and running, as they see fit. So much for the "clash of civilizations," and Al Qaeda's complaints about "crusaders" invading the Muslim world.

The high-risk Kandahar mission puts Canada in the advance guard of a welcome military shift that will leave Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government less dependent on Americans for security in the next few years, and more on the United Nations, the broad international community, and on Afghanistan's growing army.

Some 18,000 Americans currently provide security across most of the country. In Kabul, the capital, the 8,000-member International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is in charge. At the same time, the Afghan army has 24,000 troops.

By the end of next year, ISAF plans to spread out across the entire country. Canada's Kandahar mission kicks off the risky part of that expansion. Canadian troops will help Karzai's government extend its writ beyond Kabul. They will provide security for the national assembly elections on Sept. 18, and deter instability as the vote creates winners and losers. They'll hunt down Taliban and Al Qaeda forces and local thugs, and help train the Afghan army.

But chiefly, they will shield Afghans and aid workers as they rebuild local government, put kids back in school, repair roads and bridges, upgrade water and sewage systems, set up small businesses and deliver health care. All of this creates jobs desperately poor Afghans need.

The Canadians expect to be rotated out of Kandahar in 2007. Canada's diplomats, meanwhile, will be lobbying for more of the $28 billion the Afghans need to rebuild. So far, $8 billion has been pledged. Of that, only a small part has been delivered.

Ottawa will be well placed, too, to lobby for more peacekeepers. And to encourage Pakistan to suppress cross-border attacks. Despite persistent Taliban attacks on defenceless civilians, much progress has been made. Millions of Afghans freely elected a president last year, defying feudalism, anarchy and terror. Millions will vote again next month. Millions of children are back in school. Millions of refugees have returned. And 60,000 gunmen have been disarmed.

Rebuilding will no doubt be a 20-year process, or longer. But Afghans can shoulder most of it, with help. Canada is right to be there for them.

Canadian soldiers extra cautious as they patrol roads in southern Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Driving slowly down a bumpy, half caved-in dirt road, Canadian soldiers on patrol southeast of Kandahar don't openly talk about what happened to two of their colleagues outside Kabul nearly two years earlier.

There's no time to think about the past, focused as they are on looking for tell-tale signs of danger. Still, every one of the soldiers in the four-vehicle convoy is aware that two others, just like them, were killed on Oct. 2, 2003, when their Iltis jeep struck a landmine on a road very similar to the one they're travelling.

There are many similarities between what happened then and how Canadian soldiers conduct patrols now around Kandahar, home to Canada's new 250-member provincial reconstruction team, or PRT.

Sgt. Robert Short of Fredericton, N.B., and Ottawa native Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger were killed along a roadway near Kabul that had been assessed as safe by numerous reconnaissance missions before them. The incident happened a short time after the Canadians first arrived in Kabul as part of Operation Athena.

On Friday, Canadian soldiers began assessing similar barren tracks outside Kandahar with the same motive - determining whether the roads are safe and passable enough for future vehicle convoys in the area.

It's a necessary risk, said Sgt. Chris Thombs, who headed Canada's first such convoy down the creviced pathways since the Canadians began arriving in the Kandahar area just two weeks earlier.

"We have to know our surroundings," he said. "It's like being a good cabbie in downtown Toronto. You've got to be able to know all the streets, where you can go and where you can't go."

The deadly blast in 2003 changed the way Canada's soldiers did their job in Kabul, and how they are doing it now in Afghanistan's most volatile province, where the Taliban militia and their supporters are active.

The most notable difference is the vehicles troops use to get around. Gone are the open-sided Iltis jeeps that were so derided by soldiers for their lack of armour. Now, patrols are conducted in G-Wagons: heavy Mercedes four-by-four vehicles that cocoon soldiers inside air-conditioned walls of thick steel and bullet-resistant glass.

"It's a great vehicle," said Pte. Dan Cote as his G-Wagon bounced from pothole to pothole along a route lined with tree-sized marijuana plants. "On the open road it rides pretty smooth," he said. "Out here, it's got just enough (power) to get through just about anything."

There is also much more of a focus on intelligence-gathering in Kandahar - information commanders can use to determine whether the risk is simply too great.

"What we do is we look, based on the data that's provided through allies, of where mine fields are," said Col. Steve Bowes, who is in charge of Canada's PRT.

"So before we go blindly rolling down a road, we go through a formal process of making sure that, to the best of our knowledge, that route is clear." Still, no one can eliminate the risk of a mine strike or Taliban attack to zero, said Bowes.

"What you can try to do is mitigate that risk as much as possible and to manage that risk," Bowes said. "But there's no way to bring that down. "This is a high-risk environment. It's a high-threat environment with mines, unexploded ordinance, and the other associated packages (improvised explosive devices) that are being brought along by the anti-coalition militia."

Canada officially took full command of the Kandahar PRT on Saturday from a smaller American unit that has all but left the compound. But local residents apparently have yet noticed the difference. Following a bomb blast Friday at a market in the city of Kandahar, Canadian soldiers were deployed to assist with policing the area.

"They had no idea we were Canadians," said Sgt. Clayton Schoepp of Grande Prairie, Alta. "They thought we were Americans." "I tried to explain hockey to them, but when that didn't work I just showed the Canadian flag emblem on my shoulder. I still don't know if they understood."

RUSSIAN ENVOY QUESTIONS PRESENCE OF US MILITARY BASES IN AFGHANISTAN
BBC Monitoring (Kabul Weekly) 12 August 2005

Russia's Ambassador to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov has questioned why the USA needs military bases in Afghanistan given its claims that the Taleban no longer exist. In an interview with the Afghan newspaper Kabul Weekly, he said Russia supported the war on terror and Afghanistan's reconstruction, although he admitted he did not understand why Russia's assistance in rebuilding the Afghan army has not been publicized. He expressed the hope that economic cooperation could be improved as that is crucial to Afghanistan's rehabilitation.

In an exclusive interview with Zamir Kabulov, the Russian Federation's ambassador to Afghanistan, Kabul Weekly discussed Russia's policy towards Afghanistan, the US military presence in Afghanistan and Central Asia, ongoing regional issues and Pakistan's involvement in these issues.

Russia's attitude to Afghanistan

[Kabul Weekly] Does the Russian Federation see any positive developments in the situation in Afghanistan? How do you assess Russia's role in the current situation in Afghanistan?

[Zamir Kabulov] Every government's foreign policy is based on its national interests. It is in Russia's national interests for Afghanistan to emerge as an independent and developed country. Russia's policy towards Afghanistan suggests that Afghanistan should enjoy the same rights as other members of the international community and the country could play an important role in the region.

If we talk about Russia's role in the current situation in Afghanistan, we need to look back. Russia offered remarkable assistance to the people of Afghanistan during their resistance to the extremist Taleban regime. Our aim was to help Afghans build a desirable, active and stable country. The concept of the war on terror came to the world's attention after the 11 September incident in America, but we had already started this war when the Taleban came into existence back in 1994.

[Kabul Weekly] Are you talking about the forced landing of a Russian plane at Kandahar airport at that time?

[Zamir Kabulov] Even before that. Our support for the Islamic government of Afghanistan - even though it had its problems - was part of our war against the Taleban. We have always fought extremism in Afghanistan and we are concerned about the continuation of war in the country. We expected all efforts to be channelled towards rebuilding Afghanistan and we are ready to help this process. The war on terror, however, continues in Afghanistan and we believe that foreign troops cannot put an end to the war in the country. It is only the people of Afghanistan who can resolve the problem.

Russian aid to Afghan army

[Kabul Weekly] Is your opinion based on the experience you gained from the former Soviet military presence in Afghanistan?

[Zamir Kabulov] Yes. It is a historical lesson and it is a mistake if we do not learn from history. I told you that Afghans can themselves address this problem, but only when they have a strong army and an efficient police force strong enough to ensure security in the country. That is why our contributions are focused more on the Afghan army.

Russia has donated approximately 100m dollars to Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban regime. We donated hundreds of military trucks, jeeps, radios, wireless and communications units and heavy artillery spare parts to the newly-established national army of Afghanistan. We have also repaired six military helicopters of the Afghan National Army.

We are very eager to offer economic cooperation because we cannot have a strong army without a strong economy and we cannot have stability without a strong army. But there are some problems in offering economic assistance.

[Kabul Weekly] Can you explain what the problems are?
Problems with economic assistance

[Zamir Kabulov] In the very first days of the establishment of the interim government, we suggested that major and minor projects, previously initiated by the former Soviet Union, should be revived. There were around 140 such projects. We proposed that if these projects were useful, we should carry them out alongside the other big countries of the world. But unfortunately, some members of the Afghan cabinet said the projects were old and that Afghanistan needed modern projects. Of course they have the right to say this, but, for instance, you import cement from Pakistan and other countries while you have many cement factories that could be restored at a minimal cost. Is it not a good idea to revitalize these factories? You could have built modern factories, too. There are still some technical problems between the two countries, which are being discussed and should be resolved soon.

[Kabul Weekly] Can you give me an example of these problems?

[Zamir Kabulov] When Russian investors wanted to invest in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taleban, some 70 to 80 per cent of them started to complain of mistreatment by government departments. They complained about widespread bribery, bureaucracy, mismanagement and lack of cooperation in Afghan government departments. They claimed that it was difficult for them to invest if Afghan officials did not help them. There were problems on the side of Russian investors too. For instance, they did not fill in their tender forms properly. For various reasons there has not yet been any significant investment in Afghanistan. We therefore decided to establish a corporation of Afghan and Russian investors. This could be a good way of encouraging direct cooperation between investors from the two countries.

[Kabul Weekly] You said Russia has cooperated in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, particularly in the revival of the Afghan National Army. Why do you think the Afghan authorities have not yet mentioned anything about this Russian assistance to the national army?

[Zamir Kabulov] I do not know. It is a puzzle to me too. I think the media and other institutions do not want to mention our contribution. Anyhow, we will continue our efforts and we are sure one day the people of Afghanistan will realize this. We are now economically ready to continue our cooperation with Afghanistan.

[Kabul Weekly] You also said war was ongoing in Afghanistan. As the heir of the former Soviet Union, Russia has greater experience of the situation in the region. What do you think is the reason for the continuation of the war and what is the solution?

[Zamir Kabulov] There are various reasons. Foreign interference is one of the main ones because neighbouring countries prepare the ground for the enemies of Afghanistan to establish their bases in the country.

[Kabul Weekly] Are you talking about the bases of Afghan government rivals in Pakistan?

[Zamir Kabulov] Yes, but I think internal problems and the lack of a strong economy or a powerful government in Afghanistan are the main reasons for the continuation of the war. This is natural given that it has been only three years since Afghanistan emerged from war. Nevertheless, I think the main reason for the continuation of war in Afghanistan is the disunity among Afghans. The problem will continue unless Uzbeks, Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras and Nuristanis regard themselves as Afghans ahead of their tribal or ethnic affiliations.

[Kabul Weekly] If we look at the international angle of the Afghan issue, how would you assess the US military presence in Afghanistan, taking into consideration the rivalry between Russia and America?

[Zamir Kabulov] The rivalry only existed between America and the former Soviet Union in the past. If you recall, not only Russia, but many other countries of the world agreed with the US presence in Afghanistan back in 2001. We are working together to uproot terrorism. We support the military presence of every country as long as they are here to fight terrorism. If it proves to be otherwise, the Russian Federation will have to make a decision.

[Kabul Weekly] If we look at the current situation in the region, it reminds us of the 'Great Game' played by the Russian and British empires [in the 19th century]. Do you think this is a rerun of the same game?

[Zamir Kabulov] I do not think so. The world cannot be unipolar. If a world power wants to make it so, this will cause great misery for the whole world.

[Kabul Weekly] But the world has become unipolar following the disintegration of the former Soviet Union. Do you think the world is being split into two poles, both restarting the Great Game?

[Zamir Kabulov] I think the world is going to be multipolar and this is a natural trend in history. The world has become unipolar, bipolar and unipolar several times over and now the world is once again moving towards multipolarity. The USA is one pole and a united Europe is another pole. China is becoming more powerful and Russia will also find its place.

[Kabul Weekly] Right now, the relationship between different countries is changing drastically. India, which was a longtime ally of Russia's, is pursuing strategic relations with the USA. US troops are present in Afghanistan. Russia, China and some other Central Asian countries have come together to form the Shanghai Pact. Iran, which is currently facing problems with the USA and Europe, seems to be more interested in developing relations with Russia. At this point, do you not think that Afghanistan will once again become a disputed region for these powers?

[Zamir Kabulov] We need to know why everyone is looking for allies. First we should find out why Afghanistan may become a disputed region? Afghanistan is close to the three main petroleum-producing regions on earth; the Middle East and Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. Today, the country that owns petroleum and gas, or the lifeline of the world's economy, leads the world. I think the problem starts here. We should not forget that there are also other countries that are trying to emerge as dominant economic and military powers powerhouses.

[Kabul Weekly] Are you talking about Russia?

[Zamir Kabulov] Yes, and China and India. We can see that the economic growth of China is greater than that of any other country in the world.

[Kabul Weekly] The Shanghai Pact nations asked the USA to specify when it would withdraw its troops from Central Asia as soon as possible. How effective do you think that could be in the long term and short term?

[Zamir Kabulov] China and other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) realize the need for the coalition forces fighting terrorism and they will be patiently watching the war on terror. But over the past year, US troops have reiterated that the Taleban no longer exist and the game is over. If that is true, no reason remains for the US bases to remain in the region.

[Kabul Weekly] Does this mean that the war on terror is still not over?

[Zamir Kabulov] Yes. When they say the game is over and our mission is accomplished, they should be thanked and asked to remove their bases.

[Kabul Weekly] So you mean the bases should be closed down?

[Zamir Kabulov] Yes. All the independent countries of Central Asia, whether they are members of the Shanghai Pact or not, have the right to know what the plan is. They want to know when the game is over and we would then bid them farewell.

[Kabul Weekly] Some publications in the West have quoted the Kyrgyz authorities as saying that they signed the Shanghai Pact under pressure from Russia and China. How true is that?

[Zamir Kabulov] I do not know. Those who have made the claim should answer that question. As far as I am concerned, Kyrgyz officials have not said anything about any pressure.

[Kabul Weekly] Do you think the military presence of NATO and the USA has other goals beyond the war on terror in the region?

[Zamir Kabulov] We want to know. When the government of Afghanistan signs agreements that allow the establishment of permanent military bases on its soil, we want to know why these bases are being established. What will these bases be used for if terrorism is uprooted in Afghanistan. It is our right to know.

[Kabul Weekly] Have you ever officially asked the Afghan or US governments about this?

[Zamir Kabulov] Yes. They say these bases are to maintain stability and defend the national sovereignty of Afghanistan. If this is true, we have no problem whatsoever.

[Kabul Weekly] Is the US military presence in Afghanistan against your interests?

[Zamir Kabulov] Not for the time being. We are more concerned about the future.

[Kabul Weekly] What do you think about the role of Pakistan in the ever changing circumstances in the region and the world? As has been said before, the main bases of terrorism and their training centres are in Pakistan. Do you think Pakistan will continue to play its role?

[Zamir Kabulov] We hope Pakistan will prove to be Afghanistan's best neighbour in the region. At the moment, we can see that Afghanistan has the strongest commercial relationship with Pakistan, but we are also worried about the existence of extremists on Pakistani territory. However, we hear that Pakistan is doing its best to eliminate these extremists, for instance Pakistan says that it has deployed 74,000 troops to foil extremist activities in the region. But that is not enough. We hope that Pakistan steps up its efforts.

[Kabul Weekly] Taking into consideration the pressure Pakistan is coming under from its traditional allies - Britain and the USA - regarding the fight against terror in that country, and bearing in mind the improving economic and military relations between Pakistan and China, to what extent do you think Pakistan could move closer to the Shanghai Pact and break its ties with its former allies?

[Zamir Kabulov] It is up to the people and the government of Pakistan to decide what is in their interests. But changing sides is very common in international politics.

[Kabul Weekly] Does this mean you could envisage such a possibility?

[Zamir Kabulov] Why not. There are no exceptions. If such relations are based on positive objectives, we are not against this.

[Kabul Weekly] But relations between different countries have not always been positive. We have examples of such relations throughout history.

[Zamir Kabulov] That is right, but for us, it depends on Pakistan's relationship with India. If the dispute between these two nuclear powers intensifies, this could only cause an escalation in tension in the region and the world. In addition to the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the problems in the region have other dimensions that need to be taken into consideration.

I’m now ‘strong’ to stop terrorists - Musharraf says JUI allowing Taliban to hide in Pakistan - Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: President General Pervez Musharraf has admitted that previously his hands were tied when it came to reining in extremists in Pakistan, but says he is now “much stronger”.

In an interview to British newspaper The Telegraph, Gen Musharraf said that previously his hands were tied, either because of the 10-month-long confrontation with India in 2002 or political insecurities at home and abroad. “The situation is now far different from what I faced before,” he said. “Now I am much stronger.”

Gen Musharraf said he had made it clear to the police and government ministries that they must crack down on banned extremist groups which have re-emerged under new names, close all “hate” publications, create a new syllabus for the madrassas and register them by December. “This time those madrassas who don’t register by December will be shut down,” he said. Now the government would no longer distinguish between “terrorists”, Pakistanis linked to Al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups, and Islamic “extremists” who fought in earlier jihads considered legitimate, such as that in Kashmir.

Improving relations with India weighed heavily on the president’s mind. “I see the sincerity of the Indian leadership. But if we can move faster towards Kashmir resolution my hands will be stronger to deal with extremism,” he said. “I have told the Indians we can only control the extremists to a degree. He insisted that ISI officers dealing with Afghanistan had been changed “two or three times” since 2001 and nobody was left from the old guard who might have ideological affiliations with the Taliban, he said. “All this talk about the ISI being a government within a government is wrong.”

Much of the Taliban resistance was being generated from inside Afghanistan, he said, but admitted that there were some Taliban elements clandestinely based in Pakistan. He accused the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam of allowing Taliban to use sanctuaries inside Pakistan.

Pakistan to contribute for regional peace and security: PM

Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Sunday that his country was pursuing an independent foreign policy and it would make every possible contribution for regional peace and security.

Addressing the nation after the flag hoisting ceremony in Islamabad on the occasion to celebrate Pakistan's 58th anniversary of independence from the British rule in 1947, Azia said a strong and stable Afghanistan was not only in the interests of Pakistan but also for the region and the world.

While emphasizing China was a strategic partner of Pakistan and Islamabad was striving to improve its relations with the United States and the European Union, Aziz said Look East was a new element in the country's foreign policy and Islamabad was giving new dimensions to its relations with countries like Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore.

Aziz said Pakistan also attached great importance to its relations with the Muslim world and that with their active collaboration, it was formulating a strategy to address the challenges facing them.

On the recent successful test-firing of Babur cruise missile, Aziz told the nation that Pakistan's defense capability is a guarantee of peace and regional balance of power and the nation would provide all resources to strengthen this capability.

Referring to the Pak-Indo relations, Aziz said Pakistan was trying to promote friendship and cooperation with India with a view to address all their disputes.

He reiterated that solution of the Kashmir dispute was a must for durable peace in South Asia and that its resolution must reflect aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Pakistan's Good Faith - NY Times Published: August 12, 2005 - Letter To the Editor: Several assumptions of "Afghanistan's Forgotten War" (editorial, Aug. 5) are questionable.

Afghanistan has been largely stabilized despite disturbing attacks by foreign quarters, tribal and political rivals, narco-criminals, as well as neo-Taliban forces. Transferring blame for continued violence to infiltrators from Pakistan is unfair.

Pakistan is doing all it can for the stabilization and accelerated economic reconstruction of Afghanistan. It has contributed $200 million to Afghanistan's development, promoting trade with it and still sheltering its three million refugees. Pakistan's 1,800-mile border with Afghanistan in the most difficult terrains, with Pashtun tribes on both sides, cannot be forcibly sealed.

With deployment of more than 70,000 troops, Pakistan is preventing border-crossing by forces opposed to the Karzai government and hunting down remnants of Al Qaeda. We have captured more than 600 Qaeda and Taliban terrorists and smashed Al Qaeda's command-and-control structures. Unwarranted criticism against Pakistan at this critical juncture will only strengthen those opposing Pakistan's policy of moderation and of fighting terrorism.

Mansoor Suhail Minister (Press) Pakistan Mission to the U.N. New York, Aug. 10, 2005

Musharraf vows to turn fighting talk into action - By Ahmed Rashid Daily Telegraph (UK) Filed: 13/08/2005

It took six years in the making but when it came it was still an unexpected summons. For during that time I have been refused an interview with President Pervez Musharraf and for the past two years not even invited to his press conferences.

In a quarter of a century as a journalist I have never had a problem meeting a Pakistani head of state. After September 2001 and the success of my book Taliban I met many western leaders and foreign ministers.

But, despite many requests, a meeting with Gen Musharraf, the head of my own country, eluded me. The commando turned general who became army chief and ultimately president had no desire to grant me an interview.

So when I met him in the flesh for the first time on Thursday I discovered - six years after everyone else - why he enjoys the trust of the likes of President George W Bush and Tony Blair. The man is unabashedly charming and persuasive.

Our scheduled half-hour meeting turned into two hours 20 minutes of conversation, even though it was his birthday. In recent months, however, his sincerity has been severely doubted. So I asked him what almost every concerned Pakistani would if they had the chance: why his fighting words and pledges to curb Islamic extremism at home have not matched his actions?

After last month's London bombings Gen Musharraf promised another crackdown against extremists. He arrested 800 militants and asked 1,400 foreign students attending madrassas - Islamic schools - to leave the country. But there have been many such crackdowns and extremism only seems to be gaining ground.

He admitted that previously hands were tied, either because of the 10-month-long confrontation with India in 2002 or the last general elections or political insecurities at home and abroad. "The situation is now far different from what I faced before," he said. "Now I am much stronger."

He has made it clear to the police and the concerned ministries that the government is deadly serious about the following: a crackdown on those banned extremist groups who have re-emerged under a new name, the closure of all publications propagating "hate", creating a new syllabus for the madrassas and their registration by December.

The registration of the country's 15,000 madrassas was announced in January 2002, but barely a few hundred registered. "This time those madrassas who don't register by December will be shut down," he said.

Now the government would no longer distinguish between "terrorists", Pakistanis linked to al-Qa'eda or other international terrorist groups who have been vigorously pursued and arrested, and Islamic "extremists", those who have fought in earlier jihads considered legitimate, such as that in the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Improving relations with India weighs heavily on the president's mind. ''I see the sincerity of the Indian leadership. But if we can move faster towards a resolution of Kashmir my hands will be stronger to deal with extremism," he said. ''I have told the Indians we can only control the extremists to a degree. But there will be nowhere for the extremists to go once there is a settlement on Kashmir."

Accusations that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) still backed the Taliban were false, he insisted. Its officers dealing with Afghanistan had been changed ''two or three times" since 2001 and nobody was left from the old guard who might have ideological affiliations with the Taliban, he said.

''All this talk about the ISI being a government within a government is wrong. There is no government within a government. There is only one government." Much of the Taliban resistance was being generated from inside Afghanistan, he said. But he admitted that there were some Taliban elements clandestinely based in Pakistan, crossing the border.

He accused extremist elements belonging to the Jamaat-e Ullema Islam, a religious party that governs the two Pakistani provinces bordering Afghanistan, of allowing these Taliban to use sanctuaries inside Pakistan.

The key question now is whether the president will be able to break the long alliance between the military and fundamentalists that has driven past policies in Kashmir and Afghanistan and fuelled extremism at home.

ADB helps improve Afghanistan air transport system – Xinhua 12 August 2005

The Asian Development Bank Friday said that it has approved a technical assistance (TA) grant of 1 million US dollars to help improve Afghanistan's air transport system by boosting management of the country's civil aviation administration. The ADB said in a statement that the TA will improve the air safety oversight of the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and maintenance of a financial management system that will be developed to enhance financial governance of airport operations.

The TA will help develop air safety regulatory frameworks in coordination with other aid agencies, with the ultimate goal of establishing an independent civil aviation authority, the statement said.

It will also help draft a civil aviation act that will remedy the deficiencies of the existing acts, as well as other civil aviation regulations and safety orders needed, it added. To address financial management problems facing the sector, the TA will develop financial management systems for airport operations.

"With air traffic growing in Afghanistan, there is a pressing need to upgrade air safety oversight and financial management," says Dong-Soo Pyo, an ADB Principal Financial Specialist. According to the ADB, in the past two decades of war, Afghanistan's civil aviation infrastructure was left in ruins.

As air traffic picks up along with the rapid expansion of economic activities over the country, the issue of air safety looms larger, while the capacity of MOT to address this is virtually nonexistent, the bank said.

On the financial front, while revenue from airport operations grows in tandem with increasing air traffic, the current financial system employed does not provide reliable accounting, leading to significant losses for the government, it added.

Bush: All Options Open for Iran Nukes

JERUSALEM - In a stern warning to Iran, President Bush said "all options are on the table" if the Iranians refuse to comply with international demands to halt their nuclear program, pointedly noting he has already used force to protect U.S. security.

Bush's statement during an interview on Israeli TV late Friday was unusually harsh. He previously said diplomacy should be used to persuade Iran to suspend its nuclear program and if that failed then the U.N. Security Council should impose sanctions.

The U.S. government and others fear Iran's nuclear work is secretly designed to produce nuclear weapons. Iran's leaders deny that, saying it is only for the generation of electricity.

In the interview, Bush said the United States and Israel "are united in our objective to make sure that Iran does not have a weapon." But, he said, if diplomacy fails "all options are on the table."

"The use of force is the last option for any president. You know, we've used force in the recent past to secure our country," he said.

Iran's government resumed uranium conversion at its nuclear facility in Isfahan this past week. The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, responded by issuing a warning to Iran on Thursday that expressed "serious concern" about Iran's intentions.

Bush welcomed the warning, which signaled that the West wanted to give diplomacy time to ease the standoff.

In Vienna, Austria, where the IAEA is based, diplomats said Iran faced a Sept. 3 deadline to stop uranium conversion or face possible referral to the Security Council, which has the power to impose crippling sanctions. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the IAEA board's proceedings. Iran, which insists its nuclear program is peaceful, responded with indignation to the IAEA warning.

Members of banned Muslim group convicted in Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan: A Tajikistan court sentenced nine members of a banned Muslim extremist group to prison terms ranging from three to 13 years, court officials said on Saturday. The group, Hizb ut-Tahrir, aims to create an Islamic state in Central Asia. Several other governments in the region besides Tajikistan have also outlawed it. The court convicted the defendants of encouraging extremist activity and recruiting new members of the organization, judge Allamish Akbarov said during proceedings in the capital, Dushanbe. Umar Umarov, who fled Uzbekistan after being detained in connection with a series of shootings and bombings in his country last year, received a 13-year sentence. The other eight activists, all Tajiks, were sentenced to between three to five years, Akbarov said. Hizb ut-Tahrir has traditionally claimed to endorse no violence in pursuing its goal, but Uzbek authorities accuse it of inspiring the terror attacks in Tashkent and the central city of Bukhara last year that killed more than 50 people. Tajikistan is one of the world’s poorest countries and straddles a major drug smuggling route from Afghanistan to Russia and Europe.

[Disclaimer: The content of this news bulletin does not necessarily reflect the view or policy of the Afghan Government, unless specifically stated as such. The collection of articles and commentaries from Afghan and international news sources is provided for informational purposes, and accuracy of the news is the responsibility of the original source.]