Famine claims 15 lives in Badakhshan

FAIZABAD, September 24 (Pajhwok Afghan News): At least 14 children and a woman reportedly died as a famine is spreading in remote villages in the Zibak district of the northeastern Badakhshan province.

Residents and officials said 15 deaths have so far been registered in the Sang Leech village over the past one week. These people, mostly children, died of starvation.

Dr Momin Jalali, director of the public health department, told Pajhwok Afghan News many people in the remote villages were eating grass and shrubs due to non-availability of food which caused the deaths.

Explaining the reasons, she said remoteness of the areas, heavy rains that washed away the farmland and standing crops and excessive snowfall last year led to acute shortages of food.

Highlighting the measures to avoid large-scale deaths, she said the provincial government had dispatched two tons of medicine and biscuits along with three medical teams to the affected areas. Besides, the World Food Programme (WFP) will also send 45 tons of foodstuffs including wheat, cooking oil, biscuits in a day or two.

Expressing concern over the shortage of food in the area, an official of the WFP in Badakhshan, Dr Said Nasir Mazari said they were trying their level best to avert the gory situation.

Regional director of rural and rehabilitation department Engr Pir Mohammad said as the roads leading to the famine-hit area remained closed due to heavy snow, residents collect food items in advance. But this time, the heavy rains shattered their plans by washing away the standing crops and farmland.

Describing the remoteness of the Sang Leech village, he said it took the residents three days to reach the provincial capital from the Zibak district.

With no modern means of transportation and a difficult journey through rough hilly areas, Sang Leech village, inhabited by more than 240 families, is located some 185 kilometres northeast of Faizabad.

'Taleban' storm Afghanistan jail – BBC

Taleban insurgents have stormed a prison and police HQ near the eastern Afghan city of Khost, leaving one inmate dead, Afghan officials say. The attack took place in the early hours of Saturday in Ali Sher district. One policeman was injured. Provincial police chief, Mohammad Auyub, told the BBC some of the attackers spoke Arabic and Urdu.

Afghanistan says Pakistan does not do enough to stop rebels crossing the border, an accusation Pakistan denies. The insurgents attacked with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades. An arms depot inside the prison was blown up before the rebels fled across the border with Pakistan, Mr Auyub said. "We couldn't find them despite a search," he said.

Provincial deputy intelligence director, Naqeebullah Asmati, said the prison could not call the capital for help as communications were down. Mr Auyub said an insurgent was killed overnight in another operation in Ali Sher district.

The violence comes barely a week after parliamentary elections which the Taleban had vowed to disrupt but which passed off relatively peacefully. Afghanistan and Pakistan have traded accusations over border raids, with both saying the other side is not doing enough for security. More than 1,000 people have died in militant-related violence in Afghanistan this year.

Two killed as militants attack jail in Khost

KHOST, September 24 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Two people were killed after suspected Taliban attacked a prison and police headquarters in the southeastern Khost province overnight, officials said.

The dead included a militant and a jail inmate. The fighters stormed the two buildings in Tariz and Alishiro districts of the province, said provincial police chief General Mohammad Ayub.

Speaking to Pajhwok Afghan News Ayub said exchange of fire continued for thirty minutes resulting in the killing of an attacker and a jail inmate. He added the firefight was followed by a blast that damaged the district headquarters building.

Meanwhile, residents said the assailants blew up a weapons depot by firing rockets at the district headquarters building in Alisher. Blast occurred in the arms stock that killed a civilian.

Insurgents have stepped up attacks after a hiatus during the election days. Ten Taliban were killed in a clash in Uruzgan on Thursday. On Friday, the militants blew up a coalition military vehicle in Kandahar, which injured two US soldiers.

Two rockets fired at the regional count centre in Jalalabad on Saturday morning but missed the target. In yet another attack, four rockets landed near the ballot count centre in Kabul but caused no casualties. The rockets were apparently fired at the count centre but officials said the centre was not the target.

Afghan capital rocketed, no casualties

(AFP) - Unknown attackers fired four rockets on a rural suburb of the Afghan capital Kabul but there were no casualties, the interior ministry said.

The rockets landed in a village which is not far from a compound where electoral workers have been counting the ballots of last weekend's parliamentary elections, interior ministry spokesman M. Yousuf Stanizai said on Saturday.

"Last (Friday) night four rockets were fired which landed in Deh Sabz village -- there were no casualties," Stanizai said. He ruled out the ballot counting center in Pul-i-Charkhi district, east of Kabul, as the target of the attack. Stanizai did not blame the attack on any particular group but said: "Obviously it was the work of the enemies of Afghanistan's peace and stability."

Similar attacks have been blamed on the remnants of the Taliban whose ultra-conservative regime was ousted by a US invasion in late 2001 since when the militia has continued to attack government targets. Afghanistan held its first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years last weekend without any major violence despite Taliban threats to disrupt the vote.

A NATO-led peacekeeping force of some 10,000 soldiers is deployed in Kabul and some northern cities to maintain security. The peacekeepers were not aware of the rocket attack. A separate 20,000-strong coalition force under the leadership of the United States is hunting remnants of the Taliban mainly in country's south and east.

Bomb destroys US military vehicle in former Taliban stronghold

KABUL, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- A roadside bomb attack Friday night destroyed one US military vehicle in southern Kandahar province, the former stronghold of Taliban, local officials said Saturday.

"A US army vehicle hit a landmine 30 km away form Kandahar city and was destroyed," Abdul Hakim Angar, a senior police official, told Xinhua. But Angar did not reveal if there were any casualties. No US military officials were available to comment on the issue.

Kandahar and the neighboring provinces of Uruzgan, Zabul and Helmand, the hotbed of Taliban, have been the scene of spiraling insurgency over the past several months.

Ten suspected Taliban and one Afghan soldier, according to US military, have been killed and three American troopers were wounded since last Thursday in the volatile region mentioned above.

Australia's defense minister in Kabul to discuss troop deployment

KABUL, Afghanistan - (AP) Australia's defense minister held talks in the Afghan capital on Saturday to discuss the proposed deployment of some 200 Australian troops to the war-battered country next year.

Australia already has about 190 troops in Afghanistan on a one-year assignment as part of a U.S.-led coalition. They arrived earlier this month, ahead of landmark legislative elections on Sept. 18.

After meeting with his Afghan counterpart, Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak, Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill said a decision would be made in November on whether Australia will send another 200 troops early next year to help in reconstruction projects.

"We have quite a substantial aid program now," Hill told reporters. "Apart from the military aspect, (we) want to continue to assist Afghanistan in building its economic base, in expanding its education opportunities, improving health care, reconstruction of infrastructure."

Wardak said it had been agreed that Australia would play a role in the training of Afghanistan's new national army. Australia sent 150 troops to back the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban in late 2001. But by late 2002, Australia had withdrawn all of its troops except for a single soldier who remained to clear land mines.

200 Australian troops to aid Afghan rebuilding bid - Pajhwok Report

KABUL, September 24: Australia has promised to deploy another 200 soldiers to Afghanistan next year to set up a provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in the war-torn country, where a number of civil-military bodies are already active in different regions.

An announcement to the effect came at a news conference jointly addressed by visiting Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill and his Afghan counterpart Abdul Rahim Wardak here on Saturday.

Hill said the PRT would be established in a province after consultations with the Afghan government and other teams of the kind engaged in the ongoing reconstruction effort. A final decision in this regard will be taken after talks.
Wardak told journalists Australia had agreed to support the training of Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers. He added Australia was desirous of greater links with the Afghan government.

Endorsing Wardak's view, Hill observed: "Besides military cooperation, we want to continue helping Afghanistan in building its economic base, expanding its education opportunities, improving health care and reconstruction of infrastructure."

It will be pertinent to recall that Australia contributed 150 troops to the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban in late 2001. By late 2002, however, it pulled out all its troops, leaving just one soldier tasked with clearing land mines.

The visiting minister, who arrived here on Friday to meet Australian troops stationed in Afghanistan, is believed to have held meetings with high-ranking Afghan officials. "We have quite a substantial aid programme now."

Afghan arrested in northwestern Pakistan for suspected Taliban links - By RIAZ KHAN

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - (AP) Pakistani police and intelligence agents arrested a 35-year-old Afghan national in the country's northwest for suspected Taliban links, an official said Saturday.

The man, identified as Hamidullah Khan, was blindfolded and taken to an undisclosed location after he was picked up late Friday from his home in Dhirmakhel, a village on the outskirts of Bannu city, an intelligence official said on condition of anonymity, citing the secretive nature of his job.

Khan was wanted for links to the Taliban, the official said, without giving further details. Pakistan, a key supporter of the Taliban regime before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, switched sides to become an ally of Washington in its "war against terrorism."

A U.S.-led military campaign ousted the Taliban from power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2001 for harboring al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who is accused of orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks.

Bannu is located on the edge of the North Waziristan tribal region where officials have said foreign militants _ allegedly linked with al-Qaida _ are hiding.

In recent weeks, security forces have carried out a major offensive against fighters in North Waziristan, seizing weapons, ammunition, and arresting several suspected militants. Bannu is about 150 kilometers (95 miles) southwest of the provincial capital of Peshawar.

Turkmenistan, Afghanistan to improve joint control of borders

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan - (AP) Turkmenistan and Afghanistan on Thursday agreed to improve joint control of their shared border, which stretches across a major route for drug smugglers.

A document signed by both sides also reaffirmed that the two countries have no territorial claims against each other, Turmenistan's Foreign Ministry said. The accord came at the end of two days of talks in the Turkmen capital.

Turkmenistan, an isolated, gas-rich Central Asian nation ruled by autocratic President Saparmurat Niyazov, shares 860 kilometers (535 miles) of border with Afghanistan.

Afghanistan remains the world's largest opium producer, and Central Asia is one of the main smuggling routes for illegal Afghan drugs. That transit is taking an increasing toll on the region through rising addiction and diseases transmitted by needle-sharing.

A parliament for Afghanistan - The Washington Times, Editorial 09/23/2005

The Afghan people defied threats of violence once again on Sunday to exercise their right to vote for parliamentarians and members of provincial councils. The elections were a triumph over remaining insurgents, the country's rough landscape and a history of despotism -- demonstrating how democracy can unfold in a traditional Muslim society.

Early U.N. reports indicate that the turnout was about 50 percent of registered voters, or 6 million people. A sizeable number of women cast ballots, but significantly lower than the 70 percent that participated in the October 2004 presidential election -- perhaps suggesting that this time around Afghans were more interested in the prospect of an election than in the cast of candidates. Twenty percent of the seats in the lower house were reserved for women, but in one-third of the provinces, there were not enough women candidates to meet that quota.

Despite threats by insurgents, violence surrounding the election was not out of the ordinary for Afghanistan. Suspected Taliban militants in the south and east killed about 14 people. A French peacekeeper was killed by a land mine while conducting a security operation on the eve of the vote. Seven parliamentary candidates and six election workers were killed in violence during the two-month campaign before the Sunday election.

Afghan officials said it will take more than a month to collect and count all the ballots, some of which are transported by donkey from districts with have no connecting roads. Preliminary results might be available by Oct. 5, and final results are expected around Oct. 22.

The vote marked a good start to Afghanistan's evolving democracy. While there were some reported irregularities in the election and some alleged human-rights abusers were among the candidates, the election reflects the country's still stratified and tribal society. As the country's economy and institutions develop, new individuals will challenge current power structures and potentially offer Afghans more attractive political choices. Importantly, the vote demonstrated that a significant number of people want a stake in their country's political future, and clearly believe a democratic system is in keeping with their Muslim faith.

While elections for mayors and district, village and municipal councils have yet to be held, Sunday's elections marked the successful fulfillment of the Bonn Agreement, under which donor countries laid out a framework for Afghanistan's transition to democracy. The international community should now reward Afghans' perseverance with a new donor conference.

An Election Not to Be Ignored - The National Review 9/23/2005 By James S. Robbins

Democracy took another important step forward earlier this week, though you might not have heard about it through the hurricane coverage and the Supreme Court hearings. Afghanistan held its first legitimate parliamentary election since 1969. About six and a half million people, 53 percent of the electorate, turned out to vote for candidates for the 249-seat Wolesi Jirga (People's Council, the lower house of the national assembly, the equivalent of our House of Representatives) and for 34 provincial councils. The election came off with comparatively little violence — 19 attacks leaving nine dead, including the first French soldier to die in the country.

Given the size of the country and the low-tech voting system, the results will not be known for several weeks. It is difficult to make predictions because political parties were banned and all 5,800 candidates ran as individuals. There were some reports of irregularities, but a six-member European Union observer team said that the election was free, fair, and transparent. The best news was the women's vote: 44 percent of registered voters were women, and turnout was high even in former centers of Taliban influence such as Khandahar. 582 female candidates competed for the 68 Wolesi Jirga seats that have been reserved for women.

Naturally, the hard-core oppositionists opposed the election. The Taliban, who vowed not to mount attacks on election day in order to spare innocent lives, nevertheless said the election was not lawful, and any laws passed by the assembly would be illegitimate. They threatened all the elected representatives with violence, and said even losing candidates "would not be safe from [their] bullets." Al Qaeda's number two man Ayman al Zawahiri released a tape calling the election a "fraud," and making similar threats.

However, not all the radicals agreed. This election was noteworthy for the participation of many former Taliban, under the conditions of a general amnesty President Hamid Karzai announced last spring, part of a general national reconciliation program. The amnesty extended even to Mullah Omar, who as one might expect rejected it. Since then Karzai has denied he even made the offer, and the United States still has a $10 million bounty on Omar's head.

The purpose of the amnesty was to bring more Pushtuns — the traditional Taliban base — into the political process, and to divide the opposition. The plan has been effective, but it has also demonstrated that one must develop a tolerance for ambiguity in democratic politics in the developing world. Some people running for office were until recently prime candidates for a vacation at Gitmo. Take for example, Abdul Salam, a.k.a. Commander Rocketi, so named for his skill with the RPG-7 rocket launcher. He used to command Taliban forces in Jalalabad, was in custody for eight months, and now says he wants to bring unity and peace to his country.

More troubling is the candidacy of Maulavi Qalamudin, former head of the Taliban's religious police. Qalamudin's ministry enforced the lifestyle strictures of the Taliban utopia, and he oversaw the systematic application of intimidation, torture, stonings, and other atrocities against Afghans who did not show sufficient ardor in pursuit of the regime's religious ideals. President Karzai released Qalamudin from prison in 2004, and the former Taliban minister is now a strong presidential supporter. He has even reconciled himself to the presence of Coalition forces in the county, saying that they are the only means of staving off civil war.

The Taliban still in the field are not sanguine about their former comrades "selling out" to the regime, which is of course the point of the program. The diehards will never reconcile with the system, they will fight it to the end. But if you ban everyone from the former regime from participating in the political process, those who might make peace are forced into the ranks of the irreconcilables. We have seen similar reconciliation processes in post-Junta Argentina, and post-Apartheid South Africa, where retribution was discarded in favor of compromise and stability. We saw it at home as well — many U.S. politicians from the south in the late 19th century had borne arms against the federal government in their youth.

Perhaps there are limits when dealing with people like Qalamudin, who still points with pride to some of the actions he took as the Taliban's chief inquisitioner. However, allowing him to run was a choice made by the legitimately constituted authority in the country, and something we will have to live with. I hope few voters in Longar Province wanted a return to Qalamudin's "tough love" approach and he will remain a private citizen. I think the Afghan people have outgrown the stage where they want to get stoned.

— James S. Robbins is senior fellow in national-security affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council, a trustee for the Leaders for Liberty Foundation, and an NRO contributor.

Minister warns of new Afghan risk

MONTREAL – (CP – 09/23/05) - Canadians must prepare for casualties as Canada's contingent in the volatile southern region of Afghanistan grows, Defence Minister Bill Graham warned Thursday.

The army's move from Kabul, the relatively stable capital, to the heart of Taliban country boosts the odds of Canadian deaths and injuries, Graham pointed out in a speech designed to put the Canadian public on notice. A small Canadian force of about 250 troops is working in Kandahar right now with about 1,000 more set to deploy early next year.

A small special forces unit is also operating in the area, hunting and killing Taliban and al-Qaida rebels. Canada will also take command of the international operation in the region next year.

"Canadians should have no illusions," Graham told reporters following a speech to the International Relations Council of Montreal. "This is a very complex, very demanding and quite dangerous mission. Our troops recognize they are going into a more dangerous mission than Kabul. It is more dangerous."

Graham pointed out three Canadian soldiers died and several more were injured in explosive attacks around Kabul in the past two years. Two more were injured by a roadside bomb just last week.

"Kabul was a downtown patrolling mission and we know we lost some lives in that mission," he said. Roadside and suicide bombs, rocket attacks and shootouts are frequent in the Kandahar area but only occasionally strike Kabul.

Lewis MacKenzie, a retired major-general who led Canadian troops on dangerous missions in Bosnia and other hotspots, said he hopes Graham is not on just on a public-relations exercise to soften the blow of potential casualties.

"I hope the aim is to explain to the people that this peacekeeping myth perpetrated by the previous government has been dead for about the last 10 years except for Ethiopia and Eritrea," MacKenzie said in a phone interview. "All the rest have been enforcement missions that are extremely dangerous."

MacKenzie said 26 Canadian soldiers and civilians were killed in Bosnia and dozens more injured and "it didn't even cause a ripple or make the front page when it happened." The risk those soldiers faced was unfairly downplayed by the government because it did not fit with Canada's peacekeeping image, MacKenzie pointed out.

Canada's is currently running a reconstruction team in Kandahar, a mission that combines security with development efforts. A handful of civilians from the RCMP, Foreign Affairs and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) are part of the effort.

MacKenzie questioned whether such a scant civilian presence can effectively deliver aid or run diplomatic activities. "They don't want to be associated with the military," MacKenzie said. "For the government to tout diplomacy and development and then only have this modest representation is surprising."

Graham said the RCMP trains local police and one or two CIDA officials on the ground work with civilian agencies in Kandahar, so they don't need big numbers to be effective. "The international community's desire is that Afghani authorities take over the running of their own country," Graham said. "They don't need us to do the job for them."

Kandahar mission carries risks, Graham warns - Irwin Block The Montreal Gazette - Friday, September 23, 2005

MONTREAL - Defence Minister Bill Graham warned yesterday that higher casualties might result from Canada's expanding military mission in Afghanistan.

Mr. Graham declined to speculate on numbers, but stressed Canadian troops will face increased risk in February when they begin patrolling in rural Kandahar province -- "one of the most unstable and dangerous regions in Afghanistan."

This is more dangerous -- he would not not say how much more -- than the current role, which he described mainly as "a downtown patrolling mission."

"Even there, some lives were lost," he told 180 guests at a luncheon of the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations. He later told reporters: "Our troops know there's danger, I want the Canadian public to know that there's danger and to support them in the mission they've got."

Seven Canadians have been killed in action since fighting against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces began after Sept. 11, 2001, including four killed by "friendly fire" from a U.S. jet. Canada's military has the training and skill to face the risks, Mr. Graham said. "It is for this reason we were asked to go and for this reasons that we accepted."

Canadian Forces will establish a 350-member brigade headquarter in Kandahar province, and deploy 1,000 troops in Kandahar for regional security. Meanwhile, commandos of the highly secretive Joint Task Force 2 will continue to engage the enemy in special combat operations.

Mr. Graham said Canadians should be "under no illusions" about "all the sacrifices" Canada's military might have to make. Canada has a direct interest in helping reconstruct Afghanistan -- a "failing state" marked by instability criminality and drugs -- because it is "a breeding ground for terrorism."

Armed Forces 'beacon of hope', Hillier says - Top general argues country needs to expand operations abroad - Patrick Dare The Ottawa Citizen, September 23, 2005

Gen. Rick Hillier made a spirited argument for continued and even expanded Canadian military operations abroad last night, to an audience at Carleton University that included anti-military protesters.

The chief of the Canadian Forces told a packed Alumni Theatre that Canada is viewed around the world as an extremely affluent, politically sophisticated country, with a strong rule of law, that can easily give "leadership in a rudderless world." He said international leaders expect Canada to be able to provide large contingents of soldiers for peacekeeping efforts in the world's hotspots, and they are surprised when Canada has only a small contingent, of perhaps 2,000 soldiers, to send abroad.

When Canada does send a military force abroad, it does an immense amount of good, not just in regaining security in the streets but in establishing social and economic stability. He said there's no use providing military presence in a country like Afghanistan if the warring youths of the country have 15 years of fighting experience, but no prospects for a job or a future.

He said the task for the Canadian Forces has changed abroad, and that they must sometimes be involved in getting police forces established, assembling a national army, laying the foundations for economic development and even establishing governments.

He said in countries that have been torn apart by civil war, such as the former Yugoslavia, the vast majority of residents appreciate the Forces and want them to stay so that they can start to consider things like rebuilding their houses, helping children and starting to bring war criminals to account. "We're there to help people. We're not there to occupy," said Gen. Hillier. "We become a beacon of hope. We become a light."

An anti-war group called the Student Coalition Against War protested the lecture and members of the group took to the microphones after his talk to argue with the general. Graduate student Lincoln Addison said he was disappointed the university invited Gen. Hillier, though he felt the general should be able to speak in the interests of open university debate. Mr. Addison would have preferred a roundtable discussion that included peace activists.

The protesters accused the Canadian military of being part of the American world "imperialist" military machine. One asked the general if he would resign. Gen. Hillier walked to the microphone and simply said "No," prompting a loud and prolonged round of applause from the audience.

When another protester accused the Canadian Forces of being involved in an unrepresentative Afghan election, Gen. Hillier shot back that he witnessed Afghan citizens walk eight hours to register as voters and that 12 million people voted, 80 per cent of the adult male population.

Gen. Hillier, who recently toured parts of the Southern U.S. that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, said Canadians don't realize how massive the effect of that storm was, and he compared it to the effect of a nuclear bomb. "The greatest weapon of mass destruction is mother nature," he said.

Gen. Hillier vowed the Canadian Forces will have a streamlined domestic command structure so that if a huge natural calamity happens here, the military will be capable of responding quickly.

USTDA grant supports cement production in Afghanistan – USTDA 09/23/2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Support for reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan is the goal of a U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) grant awarded today to the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Industries. The $1,200,000 grant will be used to partially fund a study that will facilitate the development of the cement industry in Afghanistan.

"Cement is one of the building blocks of the Afghan reconstruction effort, and this cement study, which will look at the rehabilitation of existing plants, as well as the establishment of a new plant, has the potential to make a significant contribution to those reconstruction efforts," said USTDA Director Thelma J. Askey at a signing ceremony held today at USTDA's office in Arlington, Virginia.

"This USTDA grant will provide the Afghan government with the information needed to promote growth in the cement sector, revitalizing it and creating employment opportunities and hope for the Afghan people," added His Excellency Dip. Engineer Mir. M. Sediq, Minister of Mines and Industries.

USTDA Director Askey and Minister Sediq signed the grant agreement on behalf of the U.S. and Afghan governments, respectively. Ms. Mariam Nawabi, Commercial and Trade Counsel at the Embassy of Afghanistan in the United States, and Mr. Daniel Stein, USTDA Regional Director for Europe and Eurasia, signed as witnesses to the grant agreement.

The Ministry of Mines and Industries has selected Box International Consulting, L.P. of Richardson, Texas to conduct the study. The company's President, Mr. Tom Box, was present at today's grant signing ceremony. In addition to the USTDA grant awarded today, Box International Consulting, L.P. will contribute additional resources toward the completion of the study.

Afghanistan's capacity to produce cement is severely limited by a lack of production facilities. In fact, the country has the lowest cement production per capita in the world. Reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan would greatly benefit from an expansion of locally produced construction materials, such as cement. To support the development of Afghanistan's production capacity in the cement industry, the USTDA-funded study will include an assessment of existing and half-built cement plants in Afghanistan, an analysis of plans to construct a new cement plant in Afghanistan, and the results of a cement market study.

Since 2002, USTDA has provided more than $9 million in funding to support reconstruction and development activities in Afghanistan. These activities include a wide range of sectors, including telecommunications, oil and gas, civil aviation, human capacity building, power and hotels.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment.

USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.

Afghanistan's future perfect - Asia Times 09/23/2005 By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KABUL - As Afghanistan waits for the results of its parliamentary elections to be announced early next month, people can only speculate on the composition of the new chamber.

The low turnout (about 50%) in last weekend's polls has led many to suggest that the Afghan masses don't believe that anything will change for the good in the country, while others debate the merits of the return of a strong Islamic movement in the corridors of power.

There is even talk that people with a similar ideology to that of the radical Taliban, whom the US drove from power in 2001, could come back to haunt Washington.

This led Asia Times Online to Ahmed Shah Ahmed Zai, a former acting premier before the Taliban came to power in 1996 and who was a candidate in the recent elections. He has wide influence in Kabul and southern Afghanistan.

Ahmed Shah is an engineer who graduated from Kabul University and did his masters at Colorado University in the US. He was among the pioneers of the Islamic movement in Afghanistan that emerged from Kabul's campuses in the mid-1960s when Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani, Ahmed Shah Masoud, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Professor Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf were together under one umbrella.

All of these people went on to play important roles in the country, firstly as mujahideen in the Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union in the 1980s, and then as political leaders in the chaotic period between the withdrawal of the Soviets and the ascendency of the Taliban.

Ahmed Shah, who had allied with Masoud's Northern Alliance against the Taliban, went into exile in Turkey when they took power in Kabul. After the collapse of the Taliban he returned to his country, and last year formed his own party.

Asia Times Online: Do you believe the Taliban were a part of an Islamic movement?

Ahmed Shah: Nobody can deny that they were Muslim, therefore nobody could oust them from the Islamic circle. The only difference was in their approach, which was merely a misinterpretation of Islam.

ATol: When the US invaded Afghanistan, Islamic movements from all over the world supported the Taliban.

AS: True. But it happened because nobody knew what they were actually all about. Everybody in the outside world thought that they applied Islamic laws. However, they make a mockery of Islamic teachings. For example, growing a beard is Islamic. But nobody can penalize somebody if he refuses to grow a beard. I know that in many instances they killed people only because they refused to grow a beard. Penalizing women was another thing. They victimized them in the name of Islam. In the name of adultery, they killed a lot of women.

ATol: But is this not Islam?

AS: No, it is not. You must understand that a number of witnesses are required to penalize somebody. There is also a question of how fair the witnesses are. Without that applying, such penalties are victimization. At the same time, they cut off hands for stealing. But they ignored the examples of Omar Farooq [the second righteous Muslim caliph] that he waived that law during times of starvation, saying that if a ruler could not provide food to his subjects, he did not have the right to cut off hands on stealing.

The process of Islamization is a long process which needs a lot of motivation so that people adopt the ideology rather than they are forced to embrace it. Moreover, they [Taliban] imposed things which were fictitious. There is no precedence that wearing a turban is an Islamic tradition. They made it an Islamic identity.

ATol: Was the ouster of the Taliban from government a jolt to the cause of Islam in Afghanistan?

AS: Of course it was. The first thing is that we are under occupation.

ATol: Do you think that the presence of peace troops is an occupation?

AS: Yes it is. Though generally the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] people are good, excluding US forces, they are coercive and forcing Afghans against their will.

ATol: Do you think that the reemergence of an Islamic movement and a movement for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is possible in the near future?

AS: The process is already started, with the mujahideen set to win 90% of the parliamentary elections. This is a major milestone in the reemergence of an Islamic movement in Afghanistan. Now the next target is to bring all Islamic factions together to bring about an Islamic revolution in society. There is no other system which would be workable in Afghanistan. Those who tried to implement communism or a secular system met with fierce resistance, as our 25-year national struggle is a witness.

ATol: What is your opinion of the "war on terror"?

AS: It is a crusade against Muslims and Islam and all those who are against Muslims banded together in this war.

ATol: What about Osama bin Laden?

AS: As far as I know him he was a good Muslim and a mujahid. However, I never had interaction once he settled in Sudan.

ATol: What program do you have for a stable Afghanistan?

AS: To bring all Afghans together, including Gulbuddin and [Taliban leader] Mullah Omar.

ATol: Have you taken any initiative for this?

AS: I do not have any authority for that. However, currently we are under negotiations with various mujahideen groups to form a single line of action in the future parliament so that we can get rid of the foreign occupation.

ATol: Do you think that Mullah Omar or Hekmatyar [also involved in the Taliban-led resistance] will agree to join the present Afghan government?

AS: I cannot speak for Mullah Omar, but as far as Hekmatyar is concerned, he is a power-hungry man, and once [President Hamid] Karzai asks him to come over to Kabul, he will give up whatever he is doing right now.

ATol: Is there any chance of an armed struggle against the foreign presence in Afghanistan emerging from the ranks of the former mujahideen?

AS: To get rid of the foreign presence, first we Afghans should come together. Even if foreign forces leave Afghanistan, it would be a mess all over again. Once we are united, foreign forces will leave Afghanistan automatically because there will be a majority opinion, and that is why they want us to remain divided. You know, it was nobody else but we mujahideen who were responsible for the emergence of Taliban. We fought so badly with each other for power that despite being a prime minister, I said to then-president Rabbani that it was better for the Taliban to grab power. As far as armed struggle is concerned, I don't agree with that. However, gradually the situation will be ripe for a public reaction against the foreign presence, and the low turnout in the election was a clear message that the public is not satisfied with the helm [government] in Afghanistan.

ATol: Are the Taliban still strong in south and southeastern Afghanistan, and if so, why?

AS: The south and southeast are historically religious areas, and that is why the Taliban are strong there.

ATol: You mean people there approve of the Taliban's version of Islam?

AS: Yes, overwhelmingly. Had there been anyone else with such support, they would never have lost power. But a lack of political wisdom and acumen has left them where they are standing now.

150 Warlord, Taliban Candidates - Tehran Influence – NewsBlaze 09/22/2005
By Willard Payne

KABUL - The warlords of Afghanistan will be well represented as a result of the country's election on Sunday that seemed to indicate growing disillusionment among a large part of the population.

Among the 150 warlords who used the election to retain their influence included some who were implicated in the civil war of the early 1990's that devastated so much of the country: Islamic fundamentalist Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, Hazara warlord Mohammad Mohaqiq and important leaders of the Jamiat-Islami faction, among them Younis Qanooni. Other warlords used women to stand in for them as proxies.

When the Taliban were first overthrown in November 2001 the news mentioned that Iran may have found some of them useful. In the meantime Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai realizes that although Washington installed him as President, without Tehran's support he would have no future except perhaps in exile.

Among the Taliban leaders Tehran has found useful and had Karzai urge to run: Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil, former Foreign Minister for the Taliban, and Maulavi Qalamuddin who was head of the Department for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue, that was noted for abusing men and women for breaches of the Taliban's primitive Islamic codes.

While Karzai claims, "It's opening a new life, a new avenue to the Afghan nation to participate…" In reality it is Tehran that has opened up a new way of luring more NATO units into the country, especially its south and south-east, by increasing its military support of Islamic groups who are attacking the 30,000 Allied troops.

Tehran's Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Mostafa Mohammad Najjar realizes that the more the West is forced to commit to Afghanistan the less he will have to face on other fronts. He is continuing Iran's and the Jihad's preparation to engage the West on several fronts simultaneously to eliminate any chance of a coordinated attack on Iran by the West.

In Afghanistan, as in Iraq, Washington-London are protecting a government controlled by their enemy. As mentioned recently, resistance fighters in Afghanistan are learning lessons from the successful attacks conducted against the occupation in Iraq.

To further solidify relations between the two capitals, Tehran-Kabul, Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met his Afghan counterpart Abdullah Abdullah during the UN General Assembly meeting. He stated the purpose of increasing joint projects and emphasized the need for continued promotion of commercial and economic relations between the two countries.

Kabul realizes that when the foreign occupation is called elsewhere, due to other international crisis Iran is going to create, the rest of Afghanistan will be eligible to receive the same amount of investment Tehran has been making in and around Herat, western Afghanistan and close to Iran's border. Tehran's massive economic presence has stabilized that area.

Afghan youngest female candidate strives for youth rights

HERAT, Afghanistan, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) by Xu Qun -- "Although facing challenges from the male candidates and traditional idea, I will not feel regret of running for the parliament member," Qaida Afif,a 26-year-old girl, told Xinhua Thursday in her home in Afghan western province of Herat.

As the youngest female candidate in her hometown and the country, her posters and slogan "choose the right person, choose the good life"in the city as well as her experience and motive tostand for election have attracted many people.

"I have the intention to run for the election. I am an independent candidate, and my emphasis is on the rights and prosperity of the youth as I have seen many cases showing that the young boys and girls always remain weak in decision-making no matter on their study, marriage or family affairs,"the short but confident girl said.

After finishing the 12th grade three years ago, Qaida opened a beauty shop. Her family is very liberal which gave her freedom to decide on her future. Although there is no government official in her family, her father encouraged her to run for the parliament, and all her family members also supported her both mentally and financially.

"I have one sister and one brother who are living abroad. Both of them and my father gave me some money for campaigning," Qaida said with a smile of happiness on her face.

During the one-month campaign period, she often went to villages to call for support. "The villagers welcomed me very warmly and many young boys and girls were in particular interested in my speech and expressed their support to me," she said.

In a conservative Muslim country, a young girl faces unimaginable difficulties to run for the parliament. "My posters on the wall were always removed by other persons, and we have to keep sticking more to let more people know me. Besides, when I delivered the speech in a vehicle driving around the city, many people even pointed at me and said it's a shame that a girl not stays at home but does this kind of things in the street," she said.

"Usually the candidates make their campaign in some mosques where women are forbidden. But I got the permission to enter and deliver the speech because of the identity of being a candidate. So besides mosques, I have to go to some other public places to make more women know my idea," she added.

The most important thing for the country is to achieve the utter unity and solidarity, she said, adding "I will do my best to develop education of Afghanistan if I can be elected, since education is one of the basic and most important elements for the development of the country."

There are 104 observers in Qaida's province, most of them volunteers, to help oversee a fair process of the election. Qaida is very confident about winning the election, "I am 95 percent confident about winning the election. I think many young voters will vote for me because I am on their behalf," she said.

Indian PM urges Iran to make concessions on nuclear issue

New Delhi (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has advised Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to make concessions on the issue of its nuclear program, the foreign ministry here said in a statement.

Singh received a phone call from Ahmadinejad at the Iranian's request during which they discussed the growing storm over Iran's nuclear agenda, said the statement, issued late Friday.

"(Singh) advised him that Iran should consider taking a flexible position so as to avoid a confrontation. The prime minister repeated the necessity for Iran to make concessions to this end," it said.

Iran's resumption last month of uranium conversion, a first step in making enriched uranium, has set off a crisis in which the United States and the European Union (EU) want to call in the international weight of the Security Council, which could in principle impose trade sanctions.

Some US legislators have said that if New Delhi does not support any bid by Washington to refer Iran to the Security Council, the administration should freeze its landmark July agreement to expand civilian nuclear cooperation with India.

The agreement to lift restrictions on India's access to sensitive nuclear technology can only be implemented if the US Congress amends certain laws.

At a congressional hearing on September 8, US legislators expressed anger over what they viewed as anti-US remarks by Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh when he held talks in Tehran with Ahmadinejad early in the month.

The EU on Friday tabled a motion at the UN atomic watchdog that finds Iran in violation of international nuclear safeguards, setting the stage for it to be reported to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions, diplomats said.

Delaying immediate referral for activities which the United States claims hide covert nuclear weapons work was a compromise to win support on the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board of governors for a tough move that could draw sharp Iranian reaction escalating the crisis.

The board is to reconvene Saturday to "decide on the draft resolution," with the decision coming either by consensus, as is usual at the IAEA, or a vote, which is likely due to the divisive nature of the issue, a diplomat close to the IAEA said.

The resolution is bitterly opposed by Russia, which is building Iran's first nuclear reactor, and China, which buys Iranian oil, as well as non-aligned states which see the threat of Security Council referral as an escalation of the crisis.

Iran warned Friday that it would view the IAEA's referring it to the Security Council as a "confrontation," in comments in Vienna by Iranian security official Javad Vaidi.

Pakistani-American 'jihad' charge – BBC

Prosecutors in California have charged a man of Pakistani descent with "intending to wage jihad", or holy war, in the United States. Hamid Hayat, 23, faces one count of providing material support to terrorists and two of lying to the FBI.

The FBI says that during interviews, Mr Hayat admitted being trained in an al-Qaeda camp in Pakistan and that he came to the US to carry out jihad. His lawyer says no evidence has been offered to back up such claims.

The charge sheet filed in Sacramento alleges Mr Hayat provided support for terrorist acts between March 2003 and June 2005. The charges carry a maximum term of 31 years in prison. He was arrested in June in the town of Lodi, 60km (38 miles) from Sacramento.

The indictment said Mr Hayat attended a camp in Pakistan to be trained in "physical fitness, firearms, and means to wage jihad" which he would carry out "upon receipt of orders from other individuals".

Prosecutors said Mr Hayat told an FBI informant he "understood the nature and structure of various known Pakistani terrorist groups and that he had detailed knowledge regarding the mechanics of attending a jihadi camp".

But Mr Hayat's lawyer, Wazhma Mojaddidi, said no evidence had been offered that Mr Hayat had attended the camp. Relatives have also denied he has been involved in any kind of terrorism.

Prosecutors are still unsure what activities were intended for Lodi but lawyer McGregor Scott said: "Whatever was taking shape in Lodi isn't going to happen now." Two Islamic leaders, Shabbir Ahmed and Muhammad Adil Khan, were deported as a result of the investigation.

At an immigration hearing last month, an FBI agent said Mr Khan had received orders from a Taleban commander linked to al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and passed them to Mr Ahmed.

The agent said Mr Hayat was to take orders from Mr Ahmed. Mr Hayat's father, Umer, 47, was arrested at the same time as his son and faces charges of lying to the FBI. Father and son are to appear before a Sacramento court on Friday. The US has launched numerous terrorism prosecutions since the September 2001 attack on the World Trade Centre, although many of these cases have fizzled out.

[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.]