President Karzai Returns to Kabul After Visit to Pakistan - Date of Release: 24 October 2005

Arg, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, returned to Kabul this afternoon after a short visit to Pakistan. The President, on behalf of the people of Afghanistan, expressed his heartfelt sympathies and condolences to President Musharaf, the people of Pakistan and the victims of the earthquake.

The President said, “The people of Pakistan have generously helped the people of Afghanistan during the years of Jihad and now we want to assist them in their time of need”. During this visit, the President met with H.E. Pervez Musharaf, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, at the presidential palace and discussed the ongoing international relief operation and the role of the Afghan relief and medical teams and helicopters currently helping with the operation in areas worst affected by the quake.

President Musharaf thanked President Karzai for the assistance of the Government and the people of Afghanistan to the victims of the earthquake. President Musharaf said, “I appreciate the solidarity that the people of Afghanistan have shown with our people over the past days and it demonstrates a spirit of goodwill between our peoples.” The President also met with H.E. Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of Pakistan, at his office and discussed the earthquake. Prime Minister Aziz thanked President Karzai for the assistance of the Afghan relief and medical teams and said that the Afghan helicopters have proven to be effective in the search, rescue and relief operations.

At the end of the meeting, President Karzai and Prime Minister Aziz gave a joint press conference and stressed the need for strengthening friendly relations between the two countries. The President was accompanied on this visit by H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Foreign Minister, H.E. General Abdul Rahim Wardak, Defense Minister, H.E. Dr. Zalmay Rasul, National Security Advisor, H.E. Dr. Sayed Muhammad Amin Fatimi, Health Minister, H.E. Muhammad Ismail Khan, Minister of Energy and Mrs. Fatema Gillani, Head the Afghan Red Crescent Society. The President was also accompanied on this visit by a medical team from the Ministry of Health, which included 14 doctors and 16 medical staff, destined for areas worst affected by the earthquake. During this visit, the Government of Afghanistan donated an extra 5 tons of medicine and equipment to the victims of the earthquake.

Released by the Office of the Spokesman to the President Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Rocket Attacks Near Afghan Capital Kills 7

Kabul (AP) - Militants attacked security forces on two sides of Kabul, killing seven people in some of the deadliest attacks near the Afghan capital in months, police said Tuesday.

Security forces also uncovered a cache of bombs inside the city of 4 million. Militants were suspected of plotting to use the weapons against international peacekeepers, police said.

It was not immediately clear whether the two attacks were coordinated, but they underscored the security threat facing the tightly guarded capital, home to thousands of foreign aid workers and diplomats, among others.

The first attack was late Monday when rebels fired rockets at a U.S.-led coalition convoy 10 miles south of Kabul. But the rockets missed their target and instead hit three civilian cars, killing six Afghans, said Khan Mohammed, the police chief in Logar province.

Three civilians were also wounded. A child was among the dead, he said. The civilian cars were traveling close behind five military Humvee vehicles on a main north-south road when they were hit by two rockets and small-arms fire, Mohammed said.

The police chief said extra security forces rushed to the area and surrounded a run-down fort where the assailants were thought to be hiding. A coalition spokeswoman, Sgt. Marina Evans, said she had no details on the attack.

The second assault came hours later, just before dawn Tuesday. Militants opened fire with assault rifles on a police vehicle 30 miles east of Kabul, near a key trade route linking the capital with the eastern Pakistani border, said Ghafor Khan, a police spokesman in the eastern town of Jalalabad.

The attack killed a senior police officer who was a teacher at a police academy. Two others were wounded, he said. Khan said investigators suspect the victims were targeted because they "are teaching new police recruits and are crucial to bringing peace to our country."

The fledgling police force has been hit hard in recent months in a string of ambushes that have left dozens of officers dead. The bombs discovered in Kabul were found in a junkyard of old military vehicles in the northern part of the city, said Interior Ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanekzai.

The explosives were made from old anti-personnel mines, and rebels were "suspected to be planning to use them against ISAF," he said, referring to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, which guards the capital.

Militants fired rockets at the northern city of Fayzabad during the past two nights, wounding a local U.N. staff member and damaging a compound belonging to the government's intelligence agency, police chief Fazil Ahmad Nazari said.

Taliban-led rebels have stepped up violence in the past half-year and killed more than 1,400 people. The bloodshed has left many southern and eastern regions off limts to aid workers and raised fears for the country's fragile democracy.

Afghan 'drug lord' handed to US – BBC

Mr Baz Mohammad denies all the allegations

An alleged drug lord with reported links to the Taleban has become the first Afghan citizen to be extradited to the US, prosecutors in New York say. Baz Mohammad is accused of heading an international cartel responsible for taking more than $25m (£14m) worth of heroin into the US and other countries.

He is alleged to have said that selling heroin in the US was an act of "jihad", or holy war, against America. Mr Mohammed, 47, says he is innocent. He faces life in prison if convicted.

Mr Mohammad was extradited from Afghanistan late last week, US federal prosecutors announced on Monday. He is accused on two counts of conspiring to violate US narcotics laws since 1990.

According to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court, Mr Mohammad controlled opium fields in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, processed the opium into heroin and shipped it into the US.

He is also alleged to have told members of his organisation that "selling heroin in the US was a jihad because they took the Americans' money and at the same time the heroin they sold was killing them".

The prosecution believes Mr Mohammad had close links to the Taleban regime that was ousted from power during the US-led invasion in 2001. "The extradition... is an historic step in our work with the Afghan people to end the dual threat of narco-terrorism," said US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Mr Gonzales said the move also "sends a clear message to drug lords around the world: those who seek to destroy American lives will be brought to justice". At his arraignment, Mr Mohammad pleaded not guilty to all charges. "I am innocent," he said through a translator. A further hearing is scheduled on 14 November.

U.N. Criticizes Afghan Editor's Jailing - By DANIEL COONEY, Associated Press Writer Mon Oct 24

Kabul (AP) - The United Nations on Monday criticized a two-year jail sentence given to the editor of a women's magazine for publishing articles deemed anti-Islamic, while a friend expressed concern for his safety in prison.

Ali Mohaqiq Nasab was convicted Saturday after his magazine Haqooq-i-Zan, or Women's Rights, published a series of articles about Islam. One challenged a belief that Muslims who convert to other religions should be stoned to death — as sanctioned by some interpretations of Islamic Shariah law — while another criticized the practice of punishing adultery with 100 lashes.

The United Nations said it was concerned about the case. "We are certainly following it very closely," U.N. spokesman Adrian Edwards said. Edwards noted that a government-backed media commission that has the responsibility to control the press had exonerated Mohaqiq, but Kabul's Primary Court, which is largely controlled by conservative Islamic clerics, convicted him.

The case underlines the fragility of press freedoms in Afghanistan's nascent democracy and highlights a struggle between religious moderates and extremists over what form Islam will take in the country as it emerges from two decades of conflict and the ouster of the hard-line Taliban in a U.S.-led war in late 2001.

Afghanistan is a conservative Islamic country. Under a revised March 2004 media law signed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, content deemed insulting to Islam is banned. Criminal penalties were left vaguely worded, leaving open the possibility of punishment in accordance with Shariah.

Mohaqiq has appealed the verdict to the Second Court. It was not clear when the case would be heard. Attempts by The Associated Press to talk to Mohaqiq in prison were barred.

One of the journalist's friends, Mohammed Hasan, an Afghan-American teacher, claimed that no one had been allowed to see him in prison, including his lawyer. At his trial, Mohaqiq represented himself.

"This is a matter of persecution. I fear for his life in prison. His family has not even been able to talk to him. His rights are being withheld," he told AP. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists and local media-protection bodies have called for Mohaqiq's immediate release.

"Mohaqiq is innocent. The court has ignored the facts of this case. He is being hounded by the clerics who oppose his moderate views," said Rahimullah Samandari, director of the Afghan Protection of Journalists Committee.

Women fare unexpectedly well in Afghan polls - Financial Times 10/24/2005 By Jo Johnson

Women fared unexpectedly well in Afghanistan's first parliamentary elections since 1969, but will be heavily out numbered in an assembly dominated by warlords, druglords and socially conservative religious leaders.

Provisional results show that although female candidates failed to win more seats than the 68 reserved for them under the constitution, many would have been elected even with out the quota system.

"This is the positive news from this election," said Andrew Wilder, former director of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, a think-tank. "I was expecting women to get in on a quota basis with just 200-300 votes rather than in their own right."

In Herat, a western province bordering Iran, Fauzia Gailani, whose posters sold in a hormonally-charged secondary market, topped the ballot with nearly 17,000 votes and eclipsed powerful allies of the area's former ruler and warlord Ismail Khan.

In Farah, a south-western province, Malalai Joya, who made name during the constitutional loya jirga by speaking up against warlords, took second place with nearly 8,000 votes.

In Kabul, Shukria Barekzai, editor of Woman Mirror weekly magazine, finished 24th in a province in which the 33 best-placed get elected, and told the FT: "This is great news for Afghanistan. Next time women will do even better."

Afghanistan's 249-member parliament will have a higher percentage of women representatives – 27.3 per cent – than many western ones, including the UK (19.7 per cent) and the US (15.2 per cent), according to Inter-Parliamentary Union data.

Former mujahideen fighters, ex-Taliban and others with a conservative agenda won over half the seats. Analysts say this will increase disillusionment with democracy evident in the fall in turnout since last year's presidential election.

"These elections had more of a legitimising effect for the international community than the Afghan people, who see the worst offenders – the druglords and warlords – using the polls to legitimise their positions," Mr Wilder said.

Many female candidates claimed they deserved to win because, unlike the dozens of ex-Taliban fighters and mujahideen seeking election, they did not have "blood-stained hands" and were the only ones who could legitimately renew the country.

"This was a contest between the notorious and the unknown," said Barney Rubin of New York University's Center on International Cooperation. "People did not know the unknowns, but guessed that at least women would not have blood on their hands."

Under the Taliban regime that fell in 2001, mullahs prohibited female education, restricted women's participation in the workforce, enforced the wearing of burqas and imposed strict controls on unaccompanied movement outside the home.

Analysts are watching to see whether leaders such as Younus Qanooni and Haji Mohammad Mohaqeq can form opposition groupings within the new parliament, which was elected on a non-party basis, and provide a counterweight to President Hamid Karzai.

Final results for the September 18 election will emerge towards the end of this month, subject to the adjudication of over 2000 complaints filed since polling day by Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission.

Moscow welcomes proposal to hold conference on Afghanistan - Interfax Russia, Russia

MOSCOW. Oct 25 (Interfax) - Russia supports the idea of holding a high-level conference on Afghanistan in January, said Anatoly Safonov, who is special presidential envoy in charge of international cooperation in fighting terrorism.

"The Afghan government has proposed that a UN-assisted, high-level conference be held in late January 2006, following the inauguration of parliament, to work out the main parameters of aid to Afghanistan in the transitional period. We will back this initiative," Safonov told Interfax.

Islamabad Names New Ambassador to Kabul

ISLAMABAD, Oct 25 [Asia Pulse] - Pakistan has appointed Tariq Azizudin as new ambassador to Afghanistan, a foreign ministry official here said on Tuesday.

Requesting anonymity, the official told Pajhwok Afghan News the envoy designate had a chance to meet President Karzai during the later's visit to Islamabad. In his meeting with the Pakistani leaders, Karzai had welcomed the appointment of the new ambassador, the official added.

The new ambassador would assume charge of his office after his return from a visit to Moscow as part of a delegation accompanying Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz next month, he added.

Confirming the appointment, press counsellor at Pakistan Embassy in Kabul Naeem Khan said Tariq Azizudin had been named new ambassador who would take up charge of his officer after Eid-ul-Fitr. Earlier, Tariq Azizuddin has been Pakistan's ambassador to Bosnia. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

Over 1,400 Private Cos Issued Licences In Afghanistan This Year

KABUL, Oct 24 [Asia Pulse] - The Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) has registered more than 1,400 private investment companies during the current year.

AISA investment manager Shakib Noori told Pajhwok Afghan News on Sunday the existing registration figure was 80 per cent higher than the number of companies registered last year.

He said with registration of these companies, an investment of more than US$300 million had been attracted into the country, creating jobs for over 60,000 people.

Most of the companies registered this year are local and operate in construction, manufacturing and agriculture sectors. The country is luring investors despite complaints regarding a lack of power, space and high customs tariffs.

The government has estimated economic growth at 11 per cent for the current year. It merits a mention here that 1,700 companies were registered last year while the investment stood at $800 million. The new ventures also created 100,000 jobs. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

Afghanistan To Receive Military Equipment From China

KABUL, Oct 24 [Asia Pulse] - The People's Republic of China plans to help the Afghan Defence Ministry with military equipment worth US$2 million, a high-ranking official said on Sunday.

Deputy Defence Minister Lieutenant General Hamayun Fauzi told a news conference the assistance would be provided in accordance with a list the Afghan Defense Ministry would hand over to the Chinese government.

Apart from supplying the equipment, Beijing would impart training and education to Afghan Defence Ministry personnel, said Fauzi, who was given the assurance by the Chinese defence minister during his trip to that country.

Heading a Defence Ministry delegation, the deputy minister met different Chinese officials during his eight-day official trip that began on October 12.

He said China wanted to play a role in fighting terrorism and was ready to present its airport for use by foreign forces to fight the scourge in Afghanistan.

He revealed Defence Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak would soon pay an official visit to China, which shares a 95-kilometer border with Afghanistan in the northern province of Badakhshan. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

PRESS CONFERENCE ON DIAG MAIN PHASE LAUNCHING - Kabul, 13 October 2005

[Excerpts of Thursday 13 October press conference held in Kabul on the launching of DIAG’s main phase. This press conference is the second held by the Afghan authorities on DIAG. The first press conference took place in Kabul on 11 June 2005 under the leadership of Vice-president Khalili, Chairman of the Disarmament and Reintegration (D&R) Commission. Vice-president Khalili then publicly announced the launching of the DIAG process. DIAG: Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups Please bear in mind this is the translation of the Dari original text]

The press conference was attended by:

Dr. Stanekzai, Vice-Chairman of the Disarmament and Reintegration (D&R) Commission and Advisor to President Karzai

General Muhibullah, Ministry of Defence (MOD), Deputy-minister of Defense

General Manan, Ministry of Interior (MOI), Head of the anti-terrorist department

Eckart Schiewek, UNAMA, political advisor of the SRSG

Dr. Stanekzai, Vice-Chairman of the Disarmament and Reintegration (D&R) Commission and Advisor to President Karzai

I want to announce the next phase of the weapon collection process which is now taking place - after the parliamentary and provincial elections. (…) As you might remember, the President of Afghanistan and also the Vice-president Mr. Khalili, chairman of the D&R Commission, have officially announced the programme of weapons collection from armed groups out of governmental framework three months ago [11 June 2005]. We initially focused on candidates for the parliamentary and provincial council elections and asked them to give up their weapons and ammunition. Thanks to this process, around 20,000 heavy and light weapons as well as thousands of ammunition rounds have been collected. The removal of weapons and ammunition is still ongoing in remote areas. It was a successful process.

The presence of weapons remains a big problem in Afghanistan. (…) It is still the cause of clashes between commanders in relation with the collection of illegal taxes or other issues endangering the lives of normal people. The government of Afghanistan wants to continue this programme very actively (…) It will continue until July/August 2006.

As of now, the D&R Commission will act in three directions to implement the programme. This will be done before winter, with the assistance of International Community:

• Collection of weapons from individuals or commanders whom we already know and know they detain weapons . The Provincial Committees in each province have been tasked to collect weapons, but in this case there is also an issue of timetable. In fact, once demonstrated that a commander or an individual has kept weapons, he will get a notification [to surrender weapons]. As of the date of notification, he will be given a month to surrender his weapons and ammunition. If there is no compliance, he will be dealt with in accordance with the Gun Law and face legal consequences. This programmeme will cover 4 to 6 individuals with a significant number of weapons and ammunitions per province.

• Collection of weapons from individuals working as government officials and having weapons outside the government [and legal] framework. They will also receive a notification once evidence about them has been gathered. Based on a decision from the D&R Commission, and if demonstrated that they have not surrendered their weapons, they will be dismissed. I am sure that government officials having weapons outside the legal framework will play a leading role [in complying with this process].

• Collection of weapons at the district level , where weapons collection will also take place. Afghanistan has more than 365 districts and it will be impossible to cover them at once. There will be three criteria to select the districts:

• First priority will go to districts where there are armed conflicts related to Osher [land taxation] as well as other illegal taxes, leaving innocent people killed and wounded.

• Second priority will go to districts and areas, where there is narcotic smuggling and other related activities, and where illegal armed groups and narcotic smugglers cooperate and support each other. A lot of complaints have arisen from these areas (…)

• Finally, districts where there is low governance, weak rule of law and where the local district governor, the chief of police or the judges are less powerful than the illegal armed groups. Addressing the issue of weapons collection in these districts will help building capacity.

Once compliance is achieved in a district or an area, [assistance] programmes will follow. Such districts will be under the coverage of national and rural development programmes while the Ministry of Interior will increase its efforts in securing a better administration, and enhancing security. This will be one more step towards stability in Afghanistan. (..)

I will add that with the implementation of the Bonn agreement thanks to Jihad [holy war] and resistance in Afghanistan, our country is moving toward democracy. The constitution has been approved; we have an elected President and Parliament. So, keeping weapons cannot be politically justified, it supports illegal activities and prevents the implementation of the rule of law. It is an active danger to security, (…) and innocent people are killed. So, the weapon collection process should be done decisively. Based on MOI, MOD and National Security Directorate decrees, Provincial Committees in each province are tasked to support the process. There are already good improvements and I appreciate the cooperation offered by leading Provincial Committees like in Badakhshan, Herat, Mazar-e Sharif and Samangan provinces but also in provinces I am grateful to as they promised their support for the cantonment of weapons.

General Muhibullah, deputy Minister of Defense

Mr. Stanekzai spoke in details on DIAG process. The basic task of the ANA [Afghan National Army] is to go to the areas and help the successful implementation of the process. (…)

DIAG is a national process [Afghan-led] and will have its role in establishing stability in Afghanistan. It is impossible to bring peace and the rule of law wherever if there are weapons and they are in the hands of irresponsible persons.

General Manan, director of counter-terrorism of the Ministry of Interior

I will raise two issues

• There are a too many clashes between unauthorized commanders who want to rule areas, get votes for candidates, grab land, perceive land taxes and seize economical resources. While having weapons with them, they are disrupting security. It is the responsibility of the government, of the D&R Commission and especially of the Ministry of Interior to make efforts to ensure security and collect weapons from irresponsible individuals and commanders so they can be handed over to ANA, ANP [Afghan National Police] or stored in depots.

There were many clashes taking place in Afghanistan in recent months. This has been reflected in the media:

• Ghor province: clashes between Rais Salaam and Ahmad Khan Morghabi. Rais Salaam attacked and occupied the areas of Ahmad Khan Morghabi, there were human casualties. Despite the intervention of the police and the PRT [Provincial Reconstruction Team], there is still violence there.

• Faryab province: Clashes between Gul Mohammad Pahlawan and Rais Rahmat in Dawlat Abad and Shirin Tagab districts on who rules the area. There were also casualties. Neither Gul Mohammad nor Rais Rahmat has official responsibilities. They are unauthorized.

• Faryab province: clashes between men of commander Farooq and the parliamentary candidate Sarajudin Safari in Almar district during the election campaign. As a result, Sarajudin Safari’s brother was killed; other people were murdered or injured in the bazaar of Almar district.

• Badakhshan province: clashes between the governor of Shahri Buzurg and Mullawi Mohammad Nabi. Fortunately, as a result of the efforts of the D&R Commission and the Provincial Committee, they surrendered their weapons and security is restored.

• Badakhshan province: right now, as I am talking, clashes are ongoing between people of Danishe and Qaree Ziaudin in the Arwee district. These clashes were ongoing last night and MOD and MOI units have been deployed.

• Takhar province: clashes between a commander Bashir and men of other commanders who separated, especially during the election campaign.

2- The second issue is the work of the Provincial Committees under the chairmanship of the governors.(…) These committees, under the supervision of governors, comprise the provincial chief of police, chief of the National Security Directorate (NSD), representatives of the ANA, of the departments of Rehabilitation and Rural Development, of Agriculture and of Information and Culture. These Provincial Committees are functioning across the country in 34 provinces. They hold meetings once or twice a week as required. The committees select areas facing security problems, identify which local commanders are mostly threatening security, who of them have connections with smugglers and so disrupt security. As a first step, the committee starts by negotiating with the commanders to encourage them to hand over their weapons. [Eventually], when necessary, the police and the ANA will interfere and disarm them.

Following the [adoption] of a legislation regarding [the detention and use] of weapons, UXO and ammunition, one of the responsibilities of the Provincial Committee is to identify who is entitled to possess or bear weapons for security reasons, and the others will have to disarm. A directive was passed by MOI [for the implementation of the legislation]. It has been sent to the provinces but not launched it. However practical work will start as soon as possible.

Food Prices Sky-Rocket In Afghanistan's Bamyan Province

BAMYAN CITY, Oct 24 [Asia Pulse] - Residents of Afghanistan's central Bamyan province complained against rising prices of food items during Ramazan (the fasting month).

They said the prices of food items were recording a perpetual increase while the administration was silent over the exploitation of citizens at the hands of shopkeepers and vendors.

Allah Mohammad, a resident of the Bamyan province, told Pajhwok Afghan News price of a 100 kilogram floor bag had increased from 1,350 (US$31.50) to 1,500 afghanis (US$35) while that of one 7kg tin of cooking oil went up from 600 to 650 afghanis during the month.

Mohammad Kabir, aged 35, another inhabitant of the area, said he had to support a family comprising nine members. The sky-rocketing prices were unbearable for him, he added.

The prices of kerosene oil, petrol and diesel have also recorded an upward trend during Ramazan. A merchant Syed Mohammd Hussain, said the prices of fuel increased due to the recent devastation spread by Hurricane Katrina.

Mayor of the Bamyan City Nisar Ali Nisar said the administration could keep a check on hotels, bakeries and butchers but were unable to control prices in the open market.

He referred to the Afghan Constitution which states that the government will support, encourage and protect private investments based on open market system. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

How Britain botched the Iran stand-off - By Mahan Abedin / Asia Times Online / October 22, 2005

As anticipated, the British government officially accused Iran of complicity in the targeting and killing of its troops in southern Iraq. However, the accusations are weak and clumsily constructed, to the point of being silly. The bomb technology that the British refer to is more than 50 years old, has been used in a variety of conflicts around the world, and is also known to have been in the possession of the former Iraqi military intelligence service.

The real concern is that the Blair government is using Iran as a smokescreen for its increasingly desperate plight in Iraq. The British dilemma in Iraq is simple but also intractable: they have devoted significant resources to the conflict, but have only marginal influence on the real decision-making (which is done by the Americans).

Moreover, there is every reason to believe that the United Kingdom is using the excuse of Iranian meddling in Iraq as a subterfuge for its own plans for a long-term intelligence presence in Iraq and as a device for applying further pressure on the Islamic Republic over the nuclear stand-off.

Odd accusations - The accusations of the British government are odd for principally four reasons. Firstly, the manner in which the accusations were announced to the world was unusual. They were first disclosed by an "anonymous" senior official to a group of correspondents in London on October 5.

The "anonymous" official claimed, in no uncertain terms, that Iran was helping to kill British troops by providing bomb technology to Shi'ite insurgents, possibly through the Lebanese Hezbollah. But the very next day, Prime Minister Tony Blair was more diplomatic about Iranian complicity, claiming that the evidence led either to Iran or its Lebanese militant allies Hezbollah, but adding, "We can't be sure of this."

There was also disquiet in the British military establishment, with the Guardian reporting on October 6, "Defense sources suggested that blaming the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps for supplying the explosives technology was going too far."

Secondly, bringing the Lebanese Hezbollah into the equation simply makes no sense. Iran has direct access to southern Iraq and, moreover, has many official representatives (not to mention hundreds of covert operatives) in the Basra area alone. Given this impressive presence, it is difficult to see why the Iranians would want to involve a Lebanese political party/militia in their dealings with Shi'ite forces in the south of Iraq. The British, it seems, have unwisely copied Israeli disinformation methodology. Indeed, whenever Israel levels an extraordinary allegation against Iran, it almost invariably involves the Lebanese Hezbollah.

Thirdly, the accusation that "rogue" elements in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) are behind the transfer of technology seriously undermines the British government's position. Either the British know very little about Iranian security policy or they are deliberately employing a deceptive argument.

The fact is that there are no "rogue" elements in the IRGC. The IRGC is, first and foremost, an ideological military organization with its own independent command, comprised of ground, naval and air forces. This makes Iran the only country in the world to operate two completely independent military structures (ie, the regular military and the IRGC).

Moreover, aside from being a military organization, the IRGC has security/intelligence capabilities and other civilian infrastructure. For instance, the best specialized medical clinics in Iran (particularly those pertaining to dentistry and laser eye surgery) are owned and operated by the IRGC.

Overall, the IRGC directly employs up to 350,000 personnel, 120,000 of whom serve in its ground, naval and air forces. The IRGC is a vast organization, and as such it is subject to intense discipline.

The idea that "rogue" elements within this organization are actively engaged in undermining Iranian foreign policy is simply a non-starter. These deceptive arguments are usually deployed to buttress unsubstantiated accusations against the Islamic republic.

Last, but not least, the transfer of bomb technology (which is at the heart of the British government's accusations) simply makes no sense from a technical perspective. The technology in question (which involves specially shaped charges capable of penetrating armor) is up to 50 years old and there is nothing particularly "Iranian" about it.

It has been used in a variety of conflicts, notably in Sri Lanka, where it has been deployed by the Tamil Tigers. While it is true that the Lebanese Hezbollah deployed these types of devices against the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in southern Lebanon in the 1990s, it is equally true that the technology was widely known to the Istikhbarat, the former Iraqi military intelligence service.

In fact, the Istikhbarat closely tracked Iran's military relationship with Hezbollah, and had even sent a specialized team to Lebanon in 1995 to study Hezbollah tactics against the IDF. This expertise is being widely used by Iraqi Arab Sunni insurgents (who are mostly led by former Istikhbarat and Mukhabarat officers) against US forces in the western, central, north-central and northern regions of Iraq.

Given that this technology is widely available to and exploited by the Arab Sunni guerrilla movement, there is no reason why it should not travel further south to benefit the emerging Shi'ite insurgency against the British presence.

In any case, the circuitous route through which this old and well-known technology is supposed to have been transferred (ie from Iran to Hezbollah and then to the Iraqi Shi'ites) is implausible, if not downright spurious.

Iran strikes back - Taken aback by the British accusations, the Iranian government has hit back by implicating Britain in the twin bombings that occurred in Ahwaz (the capital of Iran's Khuzestan province) on October 15, killing four people. Although the Iranian government has provided no solid evidence to implicate the British, these accusations are not altogether extraordinary.

The consensus in Iran (both in the security/intelligence community and the media establishment) is that the bombings in Ahwaz, as well as six bombings in June, are the work of very small Arab separatist groups that are ultimately controlled by elements in the (former) Iraqi military intelligence service.

Privately, Iranian officials are worried that the events in Khuzestan signal the export of the Iraqi insurgency to Iran. But there is a British connection, albeit one which is not necessarily decisive. The Khuzestani Arab separatists (who call this southeastern Iranian province "Arabistan") were closely nurtured by the former Ba'athist government in Iraq and were an integral part of (former) Iraqi intelligence operations in Khuzestan. But they have also had a presence in Britain since the late 1970s.

Indeed, they seized the Iranian Embassy in 1980, prompting the British authorities to deploy the Special Air Services against them. But throughout much of the 1980s, Iranian Arab separatists were able to operate freely in the UK, even though the British authorities were well aware of their Iraqi intelligence connections. The atmosphere changed in 1990, after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the end of the prolonged honeymoon between the West and Saddam Hussein.

Indeed, during a number of occasions in the 1990s, Iranian Arab separatists based in the UK were intercepted at Heathrow airport by UK security service (MI5) officers as they were about to board flights to locations such as Larnaka, Athens and Istanbul, where they would meet Iraqi intelligence officers.

The message from the British was clear: Iraqi intelligence activity on UK soil would not be tolerated (as it had been in the 1980s). But since the downfall of Saddam, Iranian Arab separatists are back in favor in London. They have met Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, on at least one occasion and the Iranian government alleges that many more secret meetings have taken place. Interestingly, Iranian Arab separatists have also been openly courted by the Canadian government.

None of this implicates the British government in the bombings in Ahwaz, but the very fact that UK officials are showing greater hospitality to elements which, at the very least, applaud these bombings, makes the Iranian government understandably nervous. Seen from this perspective, Iranian accusations pointing to British complicity in the bombings in Ahwaz have more merit than British accusations implicating Iran in the emerging Shi'ite insurgency.

Moreover, the Iranians are increasingly concerned over British intelligence activity in Khuzestan, despite the fact that the pattern of British military intelligence activity in the province since the summer of 2003 points to irregular, amateurish and in some cases completely pointless operations.

For all the legend erected around British intelligence over the past 100 years, on the ground in today's Iraq and Iran their methodology and operations are amateurish and least suited to generating quality long-term intelligence. While the British military in Iraq has been able to access useful short-term intelligence and has exploited it to quell any serious resistance to their increasingly unpopular presence, the wider UK intelligence community has failed to lay the foundations for a long-term intelligence presence in Iraq. However, the Iranians fear that as they stay longer in the region, the British will correct their mistakes and be able to operate more successfully.

In order to deter British penetration, the Iranians initially resorted to heavy-handed tactics. This was best exemplified by the seizure of three Royal Navy vessels and eight marines and sailors by IRGC naval units in the Arvand River (Shatt al-Arab) in June 2004. Although it is not clear if the marines had strayed into Iranian waters, the IRGC claimed that they had and subjected them to public humiliation.

The message to the British was clear: keep well away from Iran. According to journalistic sources in Tehran, over the past 16 months several British military intelligence operations have been thwarted by the IRGC, either right on the border with Iraq or inside the extreme eastern regions of Khuzestan.

In one case, it is claimed, the IRGC even detained two British soldiers (of Gujarati origin) who were presumed to be involved in a Force Research Unit (FRU) operation in Khuzestan. The IRGC wanted to publicly humiliate them, but was overruled by senior officials, who delivered the captured soldiers to the British Embassy in Tehran.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi, referring to Tehran's complaint that the UK had not provided evidence to support its accusations against Iran, recently stated: "We don't talk without proof and documentation."

This is probably a message to the UK government that any further accusations against Iran might be met by Iranian revelations on thwarted FRU operations in Khuzestan. In any case, accusations and counter-accusations (even if backed up with solid evidence) will have a significantly negative impact on already tense Anglo-Iranian relations.

British end game in Iraq? - Attacks against British soldiers in southern Iraq are likely to increase in the coming months. These attacks are primarily motivated by one factor alone: the British are no longer needed in southern Iraq. The south is largely peaceful and the security structures created by Shi'ite militias have proved highly effective.

Much of the tension between the UK military and the militias is rooted in the almost universal wish in the Shi'ite south that the British begin withdrawing immediately. While the British government has hinted that it might start withdrawing substantially from May 2006 onwards, no firm guarantees to this effect have been given to Iraqi authorities in the south.

But there is a deeper reason why Iraq is now such a dilemma for UK foreign policy. From a British perspective, the country has invested significant resources in the Iraq conflict, but has reaped very few benefits apart from consolidating the "special relationship" with the US.

Indeed, British prestige in the region and the wider world has declined since the war and the Iraq conflict may have even been the decisive factor that propelled four young British Muslim suicide bombers to attack their own country in July.

Instinctively, the Blair government wants to stay in Iraq as long as the Americans, if only to reap the final rewards of a "democratic" and "stable" Iraq. But evidence on the ground suggests that while a stable Iraq is, at best, 10 years away, a democratic Iraq may forever remain a neo-conservative fantasy.

From a wider geostrategic perspective, if the British government is hoping to apply pressure on Iran in the nuclear stand-off, then it has completely misread events in Tehran over the past few months. While this kind of pressure might have had an impact on the previous Mohammed Khatami government, the new government of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is stridently nationalist and has made it clear that Iran will not make any concessions over its right to master the nuclear fuel cycle.

The message from the Ahmadinejad administration, and the Iranian nationalists who stand behind him, is clear: even if the British believe in their own propaganda there is not much that they can do about it.

Given this state of affairs, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the British government has badly miscalculated. Indeed, if the British government wanted to portray itself as a key player in the nuclear stand-off, the uncompromising message from Tehran leaves little doubt that the UK is merely a pawn in an escalating geostrategic conflict between the Islamic Republic and the United States.

Mahan Abedin is the editor of Terrorism Monitor, which is published by the Jamestown Foundation, a non-profit organization specializing in research and analysis on conflict and instability in Eurasia. The views expressed here are his own.

'If the LoC is opened, more harm will be caused to Pakistan' Hafiz Saeed - October 24, 2005 – Mohammad Shehzad – The Rediff Interview (Pakistan)

Jihadis are doing much of the relief work in earthquake-hit areas across Pakistan. The Jamatud Dawa (the reincarnation of Markaz Dawatul Irshad whose armed brigade was the Lashkar-e-Tayiba) has emerged as the most organised and well-equipped outfit in far-flung areas, providing relief through motorboats and mules.

The Jamat set up mobile X-ray machines and operation theatres in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Its 350 workers were connected with each other through wireless in Muzaffarabad and Bagh that are left with no communication infrastructure.

The difference between India and Pakistan - They are being assisted by orthopaedic surgeon Dr Amir Aziz who was arrested in 2002 for treating Osama bin Laden. Dr Aziz has set up a mobile orthopaedic unit at the Jamat's relief camp near the Sangam Hotel where he treats victims.

Mohammad Shehzad approached Lashkar-e-Tayiba founder Professor Hafiz Saeed and interviewed the jihadi leader. This is what he discovered:

The world knows him as one of the most dreaded jihadis. India wants him dead or alive. His name is on India's list of most 'wanted terrorists'. He is the architect of suicide attacks in Kashmir. At his call, women in Pakistan donate ornaments and men stack currency notes at his feet. He is the founder of the largest jihadi network in Pakistan, currently known as Jamatud Dawa.

On Saturday, October 22, evening, I dined with Hafiz Saeed -- a rare opportunity -- at his Islamabad headquarters, the Jamia Mosque Quba, in I-8 Markaz.

Just 24 hours ago, I had attended his lecture at the Green Palace Hotel in Rawalpindi. I had requested an interview. He was willing to speak, but his bodyguard wanted him to leave for Bagh, one of the worst hit districts by the October 8 earthquake in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

"Let us do it some other time," he said. "Hafizsaheb, could it be done tomorrow after your address in Islamabad?" I enquired. "I am not sure I would be able to make it because I will be travelling back from Bagh," he replied and sat in his van.

Saeed moves around under strict security. A convoy of vehicles guards him. The next day, I arrived at I-8 Markaz. To my surprise his guards gave me a warm welcome. They took me to his room where he was having his iftaar dinner along with close aides, squatting on the floor. The guards asked me to sit besides him. He served me food.

"I am pleased to see you eating with a spoon and fork. At least you have dispelled this propaganda that jihadis are uncivilised," I said. "We use spoons and forks when they are available. But we are not after them!" He was referring to the term chamcha! (or spoon that denotes a sycophant).

"When (Afghan President )Hamid Karzai eats on the floor it is called culture and when we do that it is tantamount to extremism," Saeed, who has a sense of humour, said. "The same Newsweek and Time that call our struggle terrorism used to declare it a holy war during the Afghan jihad. The US was earlier uncomfortable with our jihad. And now it is uncomfortable with our relief work!"

"Start the interview. I have to drive back to Lahore," he said. "But I won't discuss controversial issues today. Your questions should be earthquake-specific," he warned. Saeed spoke for 30 minutes.

How do you look at the earthquake? - The earthquake is the result of the rulers' sinful policies.

They wanted the women to abandon hijab; run with men nude in bikinis; and learn dance and music. They were not afraid of Allah but (US President George) Bush. At his (Bush's) behest, they wanted to purge our schoolbooks from verses on jihad; befriend India and recognise Israel.

They banned all the jihadi outfits and abandoned jihad. They made jihad an abusive term. They wanted all the Pakistanis to adopt the 'get-up' of Bush. They blatantly ridiculed the commandments of Allah. Thus they invited the wrath of God in the form of the earthquake.

But the earthquake didn't kill the rulers?

Allah knows better why He didn't kill the rulers. He has warned the rulers by killing a section of the population. He wants the rulers to learn a lesson from the quake and become pious Muslims.

There is also a lesson for common folk like us. We too are sinful. We too should seek Allah's forgiveness and adopt the right path. Otherwise, a bigger devastation will completely ruin us.

You have been visiting the affected areas. What have been your observations?

The biggest issue is rehabilitation. The quake has either completely destroyed houses or rendered them unsafe for living. People are fearful to take shelter in their half-destroyed houses. They prefer to stay in the open and get wet. The entire Kashmir has to be reconstructed.

What is Jamatud Dawa doing in this regard?

We will construct fibre houses consisting of a big room, a toilet and a kitchen for each family. Each house will cost 50,000 rupees. It is cheap, easy, immediate and sustainable for three years. It is better than tents.

The earthquake has destroyed all the mosques. We will construct 400 fibre mosques. We want to move on it very quickly before snowfall.

Most of the people have received bone injuries. Therefore, we have set up mobile orthopaedic and surgical centres in Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Dheerkot (three districts in PoK), Mansera and Balakot (the North West Frontier Province). We are providing people all the necessities of life. In inaccessible places, we are reaching people through mules.

Do you have the money to undertake these tasks?

It requires a lot of money. We don't have it. But we are raising funds. We are motivating people to donate money for fibre mosques and fibre houses. I am visiting every town of Pakistan and setting targets for the people -- for mosques and houses. People are cooperating and the task is deliverable.

Is the government helping Jamatud Dawa?

The government is not helping at all. In fact, it created hurdles in our work initially. Our camps in Multan, Lahore and Peshawar were removed. The government did not realise the magnitude of loss. It thought it would do the relief work singlehandedly. It realised later that it cannot do everything alone. At least, it is not stopping us from working now.

However, impressed with our wonderful job, some foreign countries are working with us very closely. Singapore donated 10,000 tents. The Turkish team donated $5,000 to purchase mules. Indonesian and Turkish doctors are working in our camps.

Let me share that during the tsunami, we helped Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government wrote us a letter of appreciation. We wanted to help the US during the hurricanes. We offered the Americans help through a letter to the US embassy in Islamabad, but we never heard from the embassy.

Some clerics are propagating that accepting foreign aid is unIslamic. What are your thoughts on it?

Accepting foreign aid is not unIslamic or against the Shariat. But we should not beg for it. We should not degrade ourselves. We have the resources to start from zero.

General Musharraf has solicited help from Israel. Is that unIslamic?

We should not solicit help from Israel. It is the question of Muslim honour and self-respect. The Jews can never be our friends. This is stated by Allah. Instead of Israel, we should seek help from Muslim countries and we should depend on our people.

General Musharraf has agreed to open the Line of Control for free movement of Kashmiris to help each other in the aftermath of the earthquake. How do you look at that?

We don't accept the LoC. It should be finished. Kashmir should be a one unit. And it should be with Pakistan because its geographical location supports its union with Pakistan. Kashmir and Pakistan are the same sides of one coin. If the LoC is opened, more harm will be caused to Pakistan. India will use it as an opportunity to send the spies of RAW (Research And Analysis Wing).

The Indian media reported that around 3,000 militants have died in the earthquake.

It is malicious propaganda. I urge you to fight it. There are no militants in Kashmir. Every Kashmiri is a mujahid. And the mujahideen are helping the people. If they are dead then who is undertaking the relief work? Ghosts?!

[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.]