Fuel tankers destroyed in blast at coalition base in Afghanistan

Kandahar (AFP) - Eight fuel tankers were destroyed in an explosion outside a base for US-led coalition and Afghan forces in southern Afghanistan, military and government officials said.

An Afghan military commander said bombs had caused the explosion at the base at the Kandahar air field at about 2:00 am, but the Kandahar governor said the blast was sparked by cooking fires.

"Two of the tankers exploded after each other from mines inside them," deputy commander Mohammad Sarwar told AFP on Friday. "Six other tankers also exploded and burnt," he said. Two of the drivers of the tankers, which had carried fuel to Afghanistan from neighbouring Pakistan, were hurt, he said.

The tankers had been among several vehicles waiting to go through security checks before entering the adjacent Afghan National Army (ANA) and US-led coalition bases.

"The enemies are trying all ways to attack us. One is that they place mines or other ordnance in the vehicles coming to our bases which explode after a certain time," Sarwar said.

The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency said a spokesman for the ousted Taliban movement had called their office in the Pakistani city of Peshawar to claim responsibility. There was no way to verify the claim.

The governor of Kandahar, Asadullah Kalid, said however that the blasts were caused by flames from a gas cooking fire. "The explosion was caused by a fire that the drivers used to cook dinner," he said.

An ANA soldier at the scene said the tankers were engulfed in a fireball. "I heard a big bang and then a second one. I could see flames bursting out. And then the other vehicles took fire," he said.

A US-led coalition spokeswoman in the capital Kabul said its latest report was that seven fuel tankers had caught fire but it had no information on the cause. Kandahar city has over the past week seen an upsurge in violence linked to an insurgency launched by the Taliban after they were removed from power in a US-led campaign in late 2001.

Officials have blamed four recent attacks in and around the city on Taliban-linked suicide bombers. At least three people were killed in the blasts, excluding the attackers.

Two were aimed at foreign nationals: three Canadian soldiers were hurt in a blast that killed an Afghan child on Wednesday last week, and four private British security guards were hurt in a suicide attack on a British embassy convoy days later.

On Wednesday five aid workers were shot dead and three seriously hurt in an ambush near the city while on a mission to a refugee camp. President Hamid Karzai, who is struggling to forge unity in a country torn apart by decades of civil war and the Taliban's Islamic fundamentalism, condemned the attacks as cowardly and a sign of "desperation and weakness".

He said drugs barons profiting from the tonnes of illegal opium that are smuggled out of the country to make most of the world's heroin could be behind some attacks, including one late Monday in southern Helmand province in which 18 policemen were killed.

The Taliban insurgency has been focused on southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the bulk of a US-led coalition of 20,000 troops in the war-ravaged country has been hunting down Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgents.

More than 1,400 people, most of them militants, have been killed in insurgency-linked violence this year, up from 850 last year. The US-led campaign that removed the Taliban in late 2001 was launched after they failed to hand over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden for the September 11, 2001 attacks on Washington and New York.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in Kabul Wednesday that the United States would work with the Afghan government as long as was necessary to "make certain we defeat terrorists and Afghanistan becomes a place of stability and progress".

Afghan clash leaves 2 police dead, 13 injured – Xinhua 10/14/2005

KABUL - Two police were killed and 13 others sustained injured as suspected Taliban militias ambushed a police convoy in the volatile Kandahar province in south Afghanistan Thursday night, an official confirmed Friday.

    "The country's enemies ambushed us in Miwand district last night at 8 p.m. local time killing two police and wounding 13 others," Deputy police chief of Miwand district told Xinhua.

    It is the third deadly attack on police since weekend as the militants earlier eliminated 18 and six policemen in the neighboring Helmand and Uruzgan provinces on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

    Kandahar and the neighboring mountainous provinces close to Pakistan has been the scene of surging violence since early this year during which over 1,300 people including rebels, Afghan and US troops as well as pro-government figures have been killed.

Afghanistan: UN deeply shocked at ‘cowardly’ murder of doctors - UN News Centre

13 October 2005 – The United Nations has expressed deep shock over the brutal killing in Afghanistan of five local members of a mobile medical team which worked closely with the world organization, the latest of dozens of humanitarian workers killed in the strife-torn country since 2002.

“We are outraged by this cowardly attack on our courageous humanitarian partners and friends who gave their lives helping others,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres said yesterday.

The workers for Afghan Help Development Services (AHDS) were slain yesterday in the Kandahar area of southern Afghanistan when two insurgents riding a motorbike opened fire and threw a hand grenade at their vehicle. The vehicle was carrying eight AHDS staff. In addition to the five killed, three others were wounded, including a nurse who lost her husband in the attack.

“The gravity of this incident is further compounded by the fact that the aid workers, a medical team, were on their way to help Afghans staying at an Internally Displaced Persons camp,” the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.

The mission said the Afghan people “will see in this brutal attack further reason to rally against all forms of violence.” Two of the dead were doctors, on their way to Talo Qan camp for displaced people in the Panjway district of Kandahar. More than 45 humanitarian workers – Afghans and internationals – have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002.

Taliban name three new spokesmen - Rahimullah Yusufzai The News International, Pakistan

PESHAWAR: In an effort to revive their media campaign following the arrest of their spokesman Latifullah Hakimi in Quetta last week, the Taliban have revamped their press office and appointed three new spokesmen.

Abdul Hye Mutmain, who was named head of the Taliban media section, told The News that the two new spokesmen were Qari Yousaf and Dr Hanif. He said Qari Yousaf would provide information about Taliban resistance against the US-led coalition in southwestern Afghanistan including Kandahar, the spiritual capital of the Taliban and the birthplace of their movement. He added that Dr Hanif would be the Taliban spokesman for military operations in Kabul, southern and eastern provinces and in parts of western Afghanistan.

Mutmain, who was speaking from an undisclsosed place, said the two men were committed Taliban members. He said both the spokesmen would speak on behalf of Taliban on military matters only.

On political issues, Mutmain himself would be the Taliban spokesman and contact person. "I would be heading the Taliban information set-up. Qari Yousaf and Dr Hanif would report to me and seek instructions," Mutmain rxplained. During Taliban rule, Mutmain served as head of the culture and information department in Kandahar.

For a few days after Hakimi’s arrest, there was no Taliban spokesman. Then one Salimullah Khan Mujahid came forward and said he would be the acting Taliban spokesman until a new person is appointed. Prior to Hakimi, the Taliban had Hamid Agha and Ustad Yasir as spokesmen and head of their information section.

Afghan, Iraqi insurgents unite against Americans

Afghan insurgents go to Iraq to learn deadlier techniques to use them against Americans troops back home - By Michel Moutot - PARIS – Middel East Online

Afghan rebels are now travelling to Iraq to learn from insurgents there and returning home equipped with deadlier weapons and new techniques to use against US troops, analysts and reports say. And the increasing use of suicide bombers in Afghanistan suggests that outsiders are now working alongside the homegrown insurgents, they say.

"There have been some changes in the way things are being done in Afghanistan," said Milton Bearden, a former CIA agent who was based in Pakistan during the Afghan rebellion against Soviet occupation.

"Whether it's some old Taliban or some new insurgency, some of the things we're seeing happen have the fingerprints of things that are going on in Iraq," he told AFP.

The Taliban insurgency has been focused on southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the bulk of a US-led coalition of 20,000 troops in the war-ravaged country has been hunting down Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgents. More than 1,400 people, most of them militants, have been killed in insurgency-linked violence this year, up from 850 last year.

The US magazine Newsweek in late September said its reporter had met two Taliban regional leaders, Mohammed Daud and Hamza Sangari, who told of spending several weeks in Iraq being trained by insurgents there.

"I'm explaining to my fighters every day the lessons I learned and my experience in Iraq," Daud told the weekly. "I want to copy in Afghanistan the tactics and spirit of the glorious Iraqi resistance". US-led coalition forces and Iraqi security forces have been battling insurgents since the 2003 American-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

Olivier Roy, a leading French expert on the region, said there was clearly an increase of foreigners among the Taliban, the Islamic movement which ran Afghanistan from 1996-2001.

"In September there was a declaration by an Al-Qaeda spokesman, who was speaking in northwestern Pakistan, saying that there had been an influx of volunteers to go and fight against the Americans in Afghanistan," he said.

"It's an internationalisation of the line of the Taliban, a part of which wants to join the global jihad," Roy added. "The aim is to create an esprit de corps, an international mindset."

"In this case Fallujah (the Iraqi city that saw a pitched battle between Iraqi fighters and US forces last November) plays the role that Afghanistan played for Abdullah Azzam (the mentor of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden) - not so much to create an Islamic state but to raise a legion of internationalist Islamists, a generation devoted to global jihad."

Afghan officials, in particular the country's defence minister, have also recently said that the Al-Qaeda network has been sending Arab agents into Afghanistan.

Taliban insurgents had not previously used suicide bombing in their campaign, nor had the anti-Soviet fighters before them, suggesting that such recent attacks in Afghanistan may have been carried out by foreigners.

In Iraq, suicide bombings are an almost daily event, and are believed to be carried out mostly by foreign fighters. Getting to Iraq from Afghanistan requires crossing Iran. "There's nothing easier if you follow the smugglers' route," said Roy.

In May this year the UN drug agency said Iraq had become a transit country for heroin produced in Afghanistan -- the country produces about 87 percent of the world's opium, most of which ends up as heroin on the streets of Europe --

and then shipped out via Iran. An Afghan interior ministry spokesman has said that the Taliban now possess SAM surface-to-air missiles they bought in Iraq's northern Kurdish region.

"If Afghans are going out of the country to receive training, that's entirely new," said Bearden, the former CIA agent. Further signs suggesting this inlcuded, he said, the recent increase in Afghanistan of "improvised explosive devices, the roadside bombs that are blowing up."

"And that could be something that could tell us that we're in for big, big problems in Afghanistan. I believe that we are, and that if it wasn't for Iraq we might be worried more about Afghanistan."

The US-led campaign that removed the Taliban in late 2001 was launched after they failed to hand over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden for the September 11, 2001 attacks on Washington and New York.

Afghan president hopes for meeting with Sharon

Jerusalem (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed hope in an interview that he would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon whom he praised for pulling troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip.

Karzai said that he would follow the lead of neighouring Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, who shook hands with Sharon at the UN General Assembly last month, if the opportunity arose.

"In my eyes it is a positive development that Musharraf shook Prime Minister Sharon's hand," he told the Yediot Aharanot daily. "If I had an opportunity to meet the Israeli prime minister, I would do so. "Inshallah (God willing) I will also meet Prime Minister Sharon soon," he added.

Karzai came to power after the November 2001 downfall of the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban regime which had tried to erase traces of other religions' history in the central Asian republic.

The president however recalled how Afghanistan had played host to a now rapidly dwindling Jewish community which was concentrated in the western city of Herat. "In Afghanistan there was an impressive Jewish community, and the relations between them and the Afghans were excellent," he said.

But when pressed on whether he would envisage diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, Karzai stuck to the line that full ties would not come about until the creation of a Palestinian state.

"We want to see peace between Israel and the Palestinians, we want to see an end to violence on both sides. The Palestinians have a right to live in peace and Israel has a right to live in peace," he said.

"We welcome Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. This is a good thing that the Israeli government did. When there is further progress and the Palestinians begin to get a state of their own, Afghanistan will be glad (to establish) full relations with Israel."

Canada not direct target in Afghan rocket attack

OTTAWA, Oct. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Canadian Defense Minister Bill Graham said he did not believe the Canadian embassy was specifically targeted in a rocket attack Wednesday morning in Kabul, local media reported.

    One of two rebel rockets fired on the Afghan capital exploded near the Canadian ambassador's residence early Wednesday, injuring two local men employed as guards at the residence. Several Canadians were in the building at the time, but none was injured, the Canadian Press reported from Kabul citing embassy officials.

    Graham is currently in Afghanistan visiting with Canadian troops but "was not involved," Defense Department spokeswoman Kiersten Leus said from Ottawa. "we do not believe that the Canadian Embassy itself was specifically targeted," said Graham, reached by phone later Wednesday. "There was also an attack on a Norwegian camp last night, he said.

    The rocket hit just seconds after another exploded inside a large compound housing the Afghan government's intelligence service, said an embassy official. The new Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan, David Sproule, has been in the country for about a week. It was not known where he was when the rocket exploded.

    There are currently about 700 Canadians with the NATO security force in Kabul and about 250 Canadian troops are stationed in Kandahar, four hours by road from Kabul. By early next year, the contingent in Kandahar is expected to number about 1,000.

    A small special forces unit from Canada is also operating in the Kandahar area fighting Taliban and al-Qaeda rebels. Canada will also take command of the international operation in the region next year.

CANADIAN MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF VISIT CANDIAN TROOPS IN KABUL – Headquarters International Security Assistance Force Kabul, Afghanistan -

12 Oct 05 KABUL, Afghanistan -

Today, the Canadian Chief of Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier, visited Canadian troops serving at Camp Julien and met with Commander ISAF in order to discuss the recently expanded Canadian contribution to operations in Afghanistan. He was accompanied by Team Canada, a group comprising representatives from the sporting, business and media world, who met the soldiers and discovered more about life as a serving member of ISAF.

General Hillier's visit is not his first to Afghanistan; he is familiar with the challenges and issues that face the ISAF soldiers because he served as Commander ISAF in October 2003. Canada plays an increasingly influential role within the International Security and Assistance Force and have recently expanded their military responsibilities by taking over the Provincial Reconstruction Team in the Southern Province of Kandahar within the structure of Operation Enduring Freedom.

As a result, the Canadian presence in Camp Julien will be drawn down and the Camp will close as a military facility. However, the site will remain in use, as it is planned to be handed over to the Government of Afghanistan on 01 December 2005. The visit by General Hillier follows a trip last week by the North Atlantic Council to Kabul, which was escorted by the current Chairman of NATO's Military Council, Canadian General Raymond Henault.

Camp Julien has also recently hosted the Canadian Minister of National Defence, who visited the Canadian units and met commanders there.

UK CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF VISITS AFGHANISTAN – Headquarters International Security Assistance Force Kabul, Afghanistan -

14 Oct 05 KABUL, Afghanistan - The UK Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir Michael Walker GCB CMG CBE ADC Gen visited ISAF Headquarters today, meeting with Commander ISAF General Mauro del Vecchio and his British Deputy Commander for Operations, Major General Roger Lane.

During his visit to Afghanistan, General Walker discussed the British military contribution to ISAF and the United Kingdom's continued support to Afghanistan. General Walker also visited troops serving at Camp SOUTER, the British camp in Kabul, which is home to the UK contingent serving with ISAF's Kabul Multinational Brigade.

Britain currently has around 500 troops in theatre and has the lead at the PRT Mazar-e-Sharif as well as supporting the PRT at Meymaneh. The troops there are working with provincial authorities to extend the influence of the Afghan Government, create a stable and secure environment and assist in the reconstruction of the country within ISAF's area of responsibility.

The UK has indicated an intentions to support ISAF's planned expansion of its area of operations to the South of the country and has expressed an interest in assuming the lead for one of the provincial reconstruction teams.

"Iran favors peace, stability in Afghanistan"

LONDON, October 13 (IranMania) - Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia, Pacific and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Mehdi Safari underlined Iran's call for establishment of sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan, said IRNA.

In a meeting with the Leader of the New Afghanistan Party Mohammad Yunis Qanuni, Safari congratulated the successful parliamentary election in the country and said that formation of parliament plays a crucial role in promotion of peace and stability.

Stressing the continuity of Iran's fundamental policies on establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan and participation in its reconstruction, he hoped that the Afghan parliament would manage to expedite the reconstruction process through close cooperation with the government.

For his part, Qanuni who is elected as a member of Afghan parliament from Kabul constituency, appreciated Iran's assistance over the past three decades and said that the Afghan people are grateful to the Iranian nation

Daily Afghan Report - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - October 12, 2005

More Afghan Provisional Election Results Released - The Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) announced on 11 October the release of provisional results from the 18 September elections in Bamiyan, Parwan, and Zabul provinces, bringing the number of provinces where all the votes have been counted to seven (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 October 2005). JEMB Chairman Besmellah Besmel vowed that his agency will "not compromise the accuracy" of its counting operation and asked candidates for patience. There is a five-day period after each provisional result is announced in which complaints may be filed.

Complaints will be adjudicated by the Electoral Complaints Commission before certified final results are released. In the restive Zabul Province, former mujahedin commander and Taliban ally Mullah Abdul Salam Raketi appears to have won the highest number of votes and, unless challenged, is assured of a seat in the national People's Council (Wolesi Jirga). AT

Kabul Daily Warns Vote Irregularities Could Undermine Parliament's Legitimacy

The independent "Arman-e Melli" charges in a 10 October editorial that "an overwhelming majority" of candidates are "questioning the legitimacy" of the 18 September elections in a wave of protests. The editorial claims officials of the JEMB have "been criticized" for fraud, adding that the "level of fraud and offenses during the elections and vote count is too great to be ignored" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11 October 2005). The protests and popular dissatisfaction with the electoral process are fostering "hatred and anger toward both the national and foreign authorities" working for the JEMB, "Arman-e Melli" adds. Evidence so far "includes the stealing of ballot boxes, using fake ballot papers, changing the results of the vote count, and the buying and selling of people's votes," the paper says, before concluding that popular disdain for the electoral process "will undermine the partial reputation and credibility of our still-nascent democracy." AT

Protests Follow Arrest Of Suspects In Murder Of Northern Afghan Candidate

An unspecified number of residents of Mazar-e Sharif, the provincial capital of Balkh, staged a demonstration on 10 October to demand the release of suspects facing charges in the case of slain parliamentary candidate Mohammad Ashraf Ramazan, Mazar-e Sharif-daily "Baztab" reported on 11 October. Ramazan, a leading People's Council candidate, was gunned down in Mazar-e Sharif on 27 September, leading to protests in Balkh and Kabul in which some people accused Balkh Governor Ata Mohammad Nur of involvement in the killing (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 4 and 5 October 2005). Police sent from Kabul subsequently arrested as many as four suspects, but the 10 October protesters claimed the authorities have the wrong men. The killing of Ramazan, who was poised to win a parliamentary seat, has become an ethnically charged case. AT

Warlords, ethnic groups to dominate Afghan parliament – WebIndia 10/14/2005

Kabul - Afghanistan's new parliament promises to be a fractured one with former warlords, ethnic groups and a few former anti-Karzai ministers faring well in the polls. Ahead of the formal declaration of results for the Sep 18 elections, the counting of votes for the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) shows that the warlords continue to be a force and cannot be wished away easily.

With the days of the bullet seeming to be over, the former warlords or jehadis have opted for the ballot instead to keep themselves relevant as parliamentarians. Though 50-odd warlords were barred from elections due to their links with armed groups, the big ones remained in the fray because of reluctance to confront them.

Significantly, a slew of prominent warlords against whom the human rights watchdogs have been crying hoarse also did well. They include Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, Pacha Khan Zadran, Commander Perum Qul, Hazrat Ali and Gulubuddin Hekmatyar's follower Khalid Farooqi.

Besides, former president Burhanuddin Rabbani, former education minister and Ahmed Shah Masoud's close associate Mohammad Yunus Qanuni and General Abdur Rashid Dostum's spokesman Faizullah Zakki have also been elected. There are a very large number of complaints of electoral malpractices against commanders-turned-politicians.

While pointing out several serious violations, European Union observers have asked the UN-led Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) to "handle the issue in a transparent and effective manner to safeguard the integrity of the elections".

In Paghman, just at the outskirts of Kabul, from where the notorious warlord Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf has won, boxes from 95 polling stations were quarantined for alleged rigging but later counted, obviously under pressure.

During the fight against the Russians, Sayyaf was reported to be close to Osama bin Laden, who used his training camps for training Al Qaeda recruits. The international rights body Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Sayyaf of a series of war crimes.

The Hazara Northern Alliance Commander and former vice president in Karzai's transitional government, Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, who bagged the most votes in Kabul, is also accused of serious atrocities like hammering nails into the heads of prisoners of war.

A striking feature of the new parliament is its constitution on ethnic lines, with the Pushtuns grabbing the highest number of seats. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, himself a Pushtun, may use this factor to manipulate a majority in the house. The Tajiks have also won many seats, with the hardworking Hazara community finishing third. The smaller ethnic groups of Uzbeks led by Abdur Rashid Dostum and Pashayees by Hazarat Ali won seats on the basis of their numbers and areas of influence.

A number of former ministers alienated from President Hamid Karzai have also done well at the hustings. They include French-educated former planning minister Ramazan Bachardost, Mustafa Qazami, Sayed Mohammad Ali Jawed, Mohammad Arif Noorzai and Shakir Karyar.

They left the cabinet after differences with Karzai and are now daggers drawn with him, promising to give him a tough time in parliament. The only silver lining of the poll is the emphatic victory of women, 63 of whom have been elected.

Human Rights Commission Strives For Justice - RFE/RL 10/14/2005 By Golnaz Esfandiari

Since 2002, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has worked to define a human rights agenda in a country long plagued by abuses. The commission has instigated a nationwide debate on transitional justice, promoted the rights of women and children, and investigated reports of human rights abuses. In addition to its headquarters in Kabul, the commission has also set up offices in several provinces, where citizens can register their concerns and complaints.

Kabul - In Afghanistan, those working to protect human rights and prosecute offenders are often themselves under threat. The country has suffered more than three decades of war, during which serious rights abuses were committed by warlords, local militia commanders, and their supporters. Some are still in power.

"There have been cases of threats against our spokesperson, our commissioner in charge of transitional justice, and those who are dealing with the land mafia," Hossain Ramoz, the executive director of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, told RFE/RL. "Their security has been of concern. But I think the time has come to open a new chapter in Afghanistan by [taking risks]."

The commission -- created by the December 2001 Bonn Agreement -- has investigated thousands of cases of human rights violations. It has provided training and workshops on women and children's rights and has monitored conditions in the country's prisons. It also deployed hundreds of observers to help monitor the 18 September parliamentary elections.

Sam Zia-Zarifi, deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch (HRW), last year called the commission "brave, but beleaguered." He said the commission has listened to ordinary Afghans and voiced their concerns, "even as each report it issues on abuses by members of the current government is followed by threats to AIHRC members."

In Ramoz's opinion, the commission's greatest achievement has simply been to introduce Afghans to the concept and culture of human rights. "A human rights discourse never existed in Afghanistan during the years of war," Ramoz said. "And before, the word justice was very rarely used by the rulers and those in power or by different social groups."

Praise For The Commission - The commission has been particularly praised for its January report titled "A Cry For Justice," in which it called for the prosecution of war crimes and urged Afghanistan to confront the horrors of its past.

"The courageous publishing of the 'A Cry For Justice' report -- which without doubt has put the commission under serious threats from inside the country and also from the opposition in the government and even today we are facing many challenges because of it -- was the first time in the history of Afghanistan that a call was made publicly for [transitional] justice," Ramoz said. "The report brought the issue of war crimes to the attention of Afghan politicians and also the international community."

He says the commission contributed significantly to the adoption of a national plan against child trafficking and the enshrinement of women's rights in the Afghan Constitution. The organization has also received and addressed citizens' complaints regarding issues such as forced marriage, torture, illegal detention, murder, and rape. In a June interview with RFE/RL, the UN's special rapporteur on violence against women, Yakin Erturk, praised the commission's work.

"The constitution also places a responsibility on the government to comply with international human rights law, and there is also a quota system for women in the electoral process," she said. "In addition to this, they have created the Ministry for Women's Affairs, which is doing considerable work, but it needs to be strengthened. Another very positive sign I found was the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, which is doing really invaluable work in defending human rights and providing options for people who are searching for help."

Mohammad, who asked to be identified only by his first name, is a member of the commission's complaint unit. He says the majority of the cases he deals with are related to the confiscation of land and property.

"The properties and lands have been grabbed by people who are in power -- in the government or by commanders. In most cases, the property of people who live outside Afghanistan -- for example, immigrants -- has been confiscated," he said.

He says there have also been several complaints regarding alleged torture by police forces in order to extort confessions from detainees. The organization has also heard accusations of rights violations by U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. They include alleged beatings, the detention of innocent people, damage to houses, and a lack of respect for Afghan culture during coalition raids.

The Government's Commitment - While the commission says it has been able to deal with many of the country's problems, there is still a long way to go. Ramoz says the future of human rights in Afghanistan depends on a commitment by the Afghan government to strengthen the rule of law.

"I hope that the government will reconsider its interpretation of stability and does not believe that justice contradicts stability in Afghanistan," he told RFE/RL. "Today, the government cannot make people happy just by building a road or doing some reconstruction. Afghans -- who have lost millions [of their loved ones] -- also want issues such as justice, freedom, and human rights to be addressed, not just reconstruction. People who have elected this government expect their voices to be heard, just as the voices of those who have money and power are being heard."

Human Rights Watch has complained that while the Afghan constitution contains several provisions enunciating basic political, civil, economic, and social rights, there is little strong language empowering institutions to uphold them. HRW noted that the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission -- while given a mandate -- lacks many of the powers necessary for it to credibly protect basic rights.

Afghan Army head to visit Fort Drum - October 13, 2005

FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- The Afghan National Army's Chief of Staff will watch a live-fire training exercise Friday during a tour of the U.S. Army's Fort Drum. Gen. Bismullah Khan, along with several members of his staff, will observe training exercises involving the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat team, which will be heading to Afghanistan early next year, said post spokesman Ben Abel.

Khan also will visit the division's Light Fighter School and its Military Operation in Urban Terrain site to see the 2nd Brigade Combat team's urban-warfare training. Khan and his entourage also will have the opportunity to meet and have dinner with local elected officials and dignitaries.

SURGE IN PAKISTANI IMPORTS OF VEGETABLES FROM AFGHANISTAN

ISLAMABAD, Oct 14 Asia Pulse - Pakistan's imports of essential vegetables from Afghanistan recorded a massive growth during the August-October period of the current fiscal year.

The government recently exempted the commodities and livestock from customs duty and withholding tax with a view to encouraging imports and bringing down prices in the local market.

According to the statistics, the import of onions from Afghanistan stood at 15,538.508 tons, tomatoes at 272 tons and pulses stood at 2,214.162 tons during the Aug-Oct period. The import of potatoes from Afghanistan started in May this year, and up to October its quantity stood at 2,231.479 tons. (PPI)

Afghan Cotton Farmers Blast Govt for Failing to Keep Promises

LASHKARGAH, Oct 14 Asia Pulse - Farmers in Afghanistan's major poppy-producing southern province of Helmand Thursday accused the government of failing to honour its commitment to finding a market for their cotton crops.
The growers recalled they had agreed last year to drop poppy cultivation for cotton sowing after the government promised to give them agricultural inputs at subsidized rates and find market for their produce. But the prices of cotton - replacing poppies - are much lower this year, causing concern to the growers.

A cotton-processing factory has been established in Helmand to buy farm products for use in the manufacture of ghee, soap and other things.

Sayed Ghulam from Bust area said he had planted two acres of his land with cotton; he had cultivated poppies on the land last year before the government banned opium production. Officials were not willing to buy the cotton produce at reasonable rates, he griped.

Another farmer, Abdullah Jan said: "This year they buy one kilogram of cotton for 14 afghanis compared to last year's price of 17 afghanis. Each of us was given a bag of fertilizer last year."

Eng. Saadullah, deputy director of the Bust Enterprise which is in charge of processing cotton and making cotton products, argued the price trend largely depended on international market situation and customer mood.

Of the complaint regarding delayed payments to farmers, Saadullah said the issue concerned the central government. If it sent the money in time, the farmers would get it without any delay, he maintained. There is a great demand in the international market for the Helmand cotton - the best quality produced by Afghanistan. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

Bush included Saudi Arabia, Pakistan in weapons concern

Washington (AFP) - Two months before the Iraq war, President George W. Bush told British Prime Minister Tony Blair that his concern over the spread of weapons of mass destruction went beyond Iraq and mentioned Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, The New York Times said.

The details of a January 30, 2003 telephone conversation between the two leaders, according to notes taken by a Blair adviser, is reported in a US edition of "Lawless World," by Philippe Sands, the newspaper said Friday.

The reference, in one sentence in the document the daily said it has reviewed, said Bush "wanted to go beyond Iraq in dealing with WMD proliferation, mentioning in particular Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea and Pakistan."

Taken down by Matthew Rycroft, Blair's private secretary at the time, the comment would be significant since Bush at the time often mentioned in public Iraq, Iran and North Korea as members of an "axis of evil," but never close allies.

The New York Times said neither the White House or the British Embassy here would comment on the report. Details of the January 30, 2003 conversation between Bush and Blair, the daily said, were not included in an earlier edition of Sands' book published in Britain in February.

The notes taken by Rycroft, marked secret and personal, were addressed to Simon McDonald, then the principal private secretary to the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, the daily said.

The daily said the document it reviewed also showed that Bush and Blair discussing seeking a second UN resolution giving Iraq an ultimatum to give up weapons of mass destruction or face military action.

Bush agreed with Blair that "it made sense to try for a second resolution, which he would love to have," but also said he was "worried about Saddam playing tricks," and the possibility UN weapons inspectors would report that Saddam Hussein "was beginning to cooperate."

"His biggest concern was looking weak," Rycroft said in his notes. The United States and Britain launched military action in March 2003 without such a UN resolution, arguing earlier resolutions authorized the use of force given Saddam Hussein's non-compliance.

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