In this bulletin:

• Afghan raids 'kill 17 militants'
• Bomb kills two Afghan policemen
• One NATO soldier dead, three wounded in Afghanistan accident
• Gen. Pace: 11,000 Troops to be Sent to Afghanistan
• Afghanistan accepted as ECT observer
• Around 800 S.Korean Christians leave Afghanistan, hundreds prepare to go
• CJ, SC members sworn in
• Kabul's Uneasy Summer
• Afghan Capital Faces Energy Crunch
• British Army chief defends Afghanistan mission after 'exhaustion' claim
• Testing Canada's Afghan resolve
• Massoud Memorial renovated and opened for the Afghan people
• Ex-CIA contractor David Passaro to stand trial in Afghan beating
• Floods in southern Afghanistan kill 3, leave thousands homeless
• Feature: Afghan bee-keepers returning to country
• Kidnapper arrested, opium seized in Kabul
• Deployed to Afghanistan's 'Hell'

Afghan raids 'kill 17 militants' – BBC

Seventeen Taleban militants have been killed by Afghan security forces in the southern Helmand province, police say. A police spokesman said Afghan police killed three of the militants in a gunfight on Saturday in the Garmser district of Helmand.

Police, Afghan and Nato soldiers then raided the area, killing 14 others. Militants have recently stepped up their insurgency against the government and foreign forces, particularly in south and east Afghanistan.

In a separate incident on Sunday, a car bomb struck a US military convoy in neighbouring Kandahar, injuring one US soldier. Nato forces formally took control of military operations in southern Afghanistan from the US-led coalition which overthrew the Taleban in 2001.

Bomb kills two Afghan policemen - BBC News / Saturday, 5 August 2006

Two Afghan policemen have been killed in a roadside bomb attack targeting a district chief in the south of the country, a local spokesman has said. Shadi Khan escaped unhurt after the bomb hit his car in the province of Kandahar, spokesman Daud Ahmadi said.

Eight policemen were wounded in the blast, which Afghan officials blamed on Taleban insurgents. Separately, a soldier from Nato-led troops died when his armoured jeep crashed in Kandahar, Nato said.

Three other soldiers from the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) were injured in the incident, a Nato statement said. It said the crash was not the result of hostile action.

The nationalities of the soldiers - who were airlifted to a local army hospital - were not immediately known. Nato forces formally took control of military operations in southern Afghanistan from the US-led coalition which overthrew the Taleban in 2001.

One NATO soldier dead, three wounded in Afghanistan accident - August 5

KABUL (AFP) - A soldier with NATO-led peacekeepers died and three others were wounded in a traffic accident in southern Afghanistan, a statement has said.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers were traveling in an armoured jeep as part of a convoy when the accident took place. The cause is not known but "enemy action has been ruled out", it said.

"One ISAF soldier is dead and three others are wounded following a vehicle accident at noon today in Kandahar province," according to the NATO statement said.

The wounded soliders were evacuated by helicopter to the multinational forces hospital at Kandahar Airfield after receiving first aid by a ISAF soldier at the site. Their nationality has yet to be released.

NATO took control of southern Afghanistan, which is hard-hit by an ongoing insurgency waged by remnants of the Taliban regime, this week from their American predecessors.

The coalition, which has been in Afghanistan since helping to overthrow the Taliban in late 2001, is maintaining a counter-terrorism force alongside NATO in the restive area.

Gen. Pace: 11,000 Troops to be Sent to Afghanistan - The Conservative Voice - August 04, 2006

by Jim Kouri - WASHINGTON, DC -- During a press conference on Thursday, General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that the Pentagon will deploy at least 11,000 more US troops to Afghanistan later this year.

However, the announcement did not mention if the troops were additional forces or will replace soldiers for recall. There are currently about 22,000 US troops stationed all-over Afghanistan.

According to the AP, the combat brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division, headquarters staff and various unidentified support unit will be shipped from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Kabul in the fourth quarter of the year.

In a press conference held inside the Pentagon and aired on Fox News Channel and CNN, Gen. Pace said he is optimistic about the peace and stability in the region. Pace has just visited Afghanistan and Pakistan. "The U.S. contribution has stayed stable and will remain stable," he said.

Afghanistan accepted as ECT observer - Kabul, Aug 5, IRNA

Afghanistan was formally accepted as an observer of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) of the European Union under an agreement signed here Saturday by the Dutch ambassador to Afghanistan, on behalf of the European Union and Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister for economic affairs.

According to IRNA correspondent in Kabul, the prime goal of the agreement is to consolidate the rule of law in energy-related issues in Afghanistan.

The treaty paves the way for its 51 members to cooperate in the fields of investment, production and transmission of energy across common borders of the member states.

Afghanistan's membership in the treaty may lead to an increase in investment in energy production in that country since its members are committed to safeguarding investment against political risks. Iran, China and Pakistan have observer status in the treaty.

Afghanistan's Deputy Foreign Minister for economic affairs Mahmoud Seighal expected that his country's membership in the treaty will increase the exchange in electricity with regional states and improve the energy facilities without affecting the environment.

Afghan Minister of Energy and Water Mohammad Ismail-khan said that his country's energy sector suffered the most during the civil war and Jihad against Soviet army.

He pointed out that Afghanistan currently has the least energy production in the the world. He told IRNA that his country is suffering from shortage of electricity despite the fact that it has very good potential for power generation.

He added, "Afghanistan has untapped potential for producing 3000 MW hydro-electric and 1000 MW of thermo-electric power."

While the demand in his country stands at about 1000 MW, it can only generate 240 MW of electricity domestically, he concluded.

Around 800 S.Korean Christians leave Afghanistan, hundreds prepare to go - Sun Aug 6

KABUL (AFP) - Around 800 South Korean Christians have left Afghanistan and some 350 were to leave after their planned "peace festival" was called off amid concerns that their presence could spark violence, officials said.

Some 350 of the Koreans would be flown to New Delhi, Dubai or China and some of them would be escorted overland across the border from the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif into Uzbekistan, a South Korean official told AFP on Sunday.

"Around 400 South Koreans are still in Afghanistan and some 350 of them are leaving today via Kabul airport and overland," the official who requested anonymity said, adding that a total of around 1,200 had originally arrived.

The weekend "peace festival" that had been organized by a South Korean-based humanitarian group linked to evangelical Christians was cancelled last week amid growing concern about the safety of the visitors, who included hundreds of children.

They had arrived in recent weeks on tourist visas despite calls from the South Korean government for them to cancel their trip because of the security situation in Afghanistan, which is battling a Taliban insurgency.

More than a dozen, mostly children, were suffering diarrhoea and were being treated by a South Korean military medical team, the official said.

Around 195 South Koreans were flown to Mazar-i-Sharif on Friday. They crossed into Uzbekistan on Saturday, provincial government spokesman Qari Qudratullah said.

"It is said that they were here to preach Christianity and the Ulema Shura (council of religious clerics) also said in a gathering that they should not stay in Mazar and should be deported," he said

South Korean Christians are noted for aggressive evangelism, notably in communist China and Islamic nations.

The conversion of an Afghan to Christianity caused weeks of debate around March over whether he should be executed under Islamic Sharia law. The controversy died down when the convert, Abdul Rahman, was spirited away to Italy amid fears for his life.

Weeks earlier, European cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed sparked nationwide protests directed at foreign troops and organisation that left 11 demonstrators dead.

CJ, SC members sworn in

KABUL, Aug 6 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Chief Justice and six members of the Supreme Court took the oath of office here on Saturday. President Hamid Karzai administered oath to them under the Constitution.

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by vice presidents Ahmad Zia Masoud and Karim Khalili, head and members of the parliament, former chief justice Fazal Hadi Shinwari, members of the cabinet and senior civil and military officials.

The Chief Justice and the SC members were nominated by President Hamid Karzai early last month. They were introduced in the parliament late last month for vote of confidence under the Constitution.

Voting was held in the parliament on July 31 under which the CJ and five members were announced successful. As a result of the voting, Chief Justice Abdul Salam Azimi got 158 votes. Among other members, Zamin Ali Besudi got 137, Mohammad Omar Babrakzai, 124, Ghulam Nabi Nawabi, 147, Bahauddin Baha, 103 and Abdul Rashid Rashid, 110 votes in their favour.

Of the 179 members present during the session, the sixth member of the Supreme Court Mohammad Qasim Hashemzai secured 87 'yes' votes. However, announcement regarding his success or failure was stalled because he was required to get 50-plus per cent votes. Later, the House decided to hold voting for second time on Sunday (today) to decide his fate.

Kabul's Uneasy Summer

Returning to the Afghan capital after four years, a reporter finds a new openness and vibrancy, but detects a hint of Iraq in the air.

By Alissa J. Rubin Los Angeles Times August 5, 2006

KABUL, Afghanistan — The new Kabul Serena hotel rises in the middle of the city, a palace of sandstone, built around gardens that even in summer's drought gleam green.

Step inside and you step out of Afghanistan. The central air conditioning produces a perfect temperature, the inlaid marble floors are a soothing cream and, miraculous for a city where open sewers crisscross most neighborhoods and dust coats every surface, the place smells clean. Croissants and hand-twisted Danish pastries fill the baskets in the cafe — a far cry from the flat oblongs of Afghan naan bread sold everywhere outside.

But getting into the Serena compound isn't easy. Armed men pace its fortress walls and watchmen examine cars for bombs before allowing them to drive through massive metal gates. Like Afghanistan itself, the hotel is perched precariously on the edge.

Afghans look at the new affluence with an air of disbelief. The Serena's prices are far beyond their means, and there is no hint in its well-appointed reception rooms of the violence that haunts many Kabul neighborhoods: a government worker kidnapped here; a grenade thrown into a shop selling Western music there.

Still, in many ways, the capital has an air of openness and vibrancy it lacked four years ago when I last was here. Nearly 2 million people have returned to Afghanistan, the vast majority to the Kabul area. Many city women eschew burkas, walking on the street with just a white veil on their heads, their faces uncovered. The stores are flush with the latest flat-screen TVs and computers. There's hardly a Western soldier on the street.

New buildings sprout like weeds — planning is unheard of. Whole enclaves of flashy three-story palaces in white with green or salmon trim, guarded by 10-foot-high gates, dominate once modest residential neighborhoods. Kabulis believe the buildings, built by onetime mujahedin commanders, are funded by drug money.

Four years ago, the city's northern edge was a ramshackle bazaar of fruit sellers and empty lots. Now it booms with construction. There's a burgeoning wood and carpentry trade; in small shops workmen crowd cheek by jowl cutting window frames, and in the adjacent lots traders heap loads of wood from the country's southern forests.

Just a few miles beyond, the Shomali plains — raped by Taliban in the late 1990s, the grapevines and fruit trees chopped down, the farmers' houses smashed and burned, the fields sown with mines — have been reborn. Now partly de-mined, the orchards have begun to bear fruit again and castles of mud bricks rise amid the greenery.

All this activity gives the city a busy feel, a confidence, the past mingling with the present, pushcarts wedged on sidewalks next to high-speed printers.

But an unease haunts the capital as well, a mounting apprehension, a mood similar to what I witnessed in Iraq a few months after the U.S.-led invasion, when the euphoria of the first weeks without Saddam Hussein evaporated in the desert air.

In July, a bomb targeted a busload of Afghan national army soldiers barely 10 minutes away from the Serena. No one died but 35 were injured, and five or six suffered severe burns. In a city that hadn't seen bombings in more than a year, the attack was among four blasts in two days.

For anyone with a memory of the early days of the insurgency in Iraq, the piles of shattered glass and charred metal, the government targets, the multiple bombs in the capital, seemed all too familiar.

Much else seems reminiscent of Iraq as well. At night, the moonlight illuminates the neighborhood where I stay, providing more light than the few generator-powered bulbs that hang in my neighbors' kitchens.

There's a vulnerability to Kabul — just as there was in Baghdad in the early days. I walk through the city imagining myself as a suicide bomber and know I would find no shortage of targets. Some ministries have only a flimsy metal gate like those at railway crossings. Bored guards barely glance at your bag as you walk through the front door of government offices. At the airport, you can pay $1 to have the guards forgo the search altogether.

I still go out to buy fresh bread for breakfast and dinner, but I hurry a little. I feel a slight skip in my pulse when a car slows as it approaches me. A few days ago, I visited a widow's sewing workshop in a pastoral village on the city's outskirts. As I was leaving at midday, the woman who ran it took me aside.

"Where did you leave your car?" she asked. "You should drive to the door next time. It's not safe for you. It's easy to grab a foreigner out here. They burned a school last night."

"Who?" I asked. She shrugged and shook her head. Taliban, criminals, others who oppose the government. No one knows who they are: unknown assailants, men who hit in the night; men with guns, men with masks. Insurgency often looks like this.

As in Baghdad, there is rising resentment of the United States on the streets of Kabul. Why has America let its aid organizations contract with corrupt companies that keep it for themselves; why don't they use more local labor? Why, in five years, are so many places, even in Kabul, still without electricity, still without drinkable water?

Afghan Capital Faces Energy Crunch - By Benjamin Sand Voice of America (VOA News) Kabul / 04 August 2006

Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, faces a crippling energy shortage with basic electricity only available six hours a day. Officials say demand is soaring, but international support for the city's energy needs is being cut and widespread power outages are expected throughout the coming winter.

Abdur Rahim, 23, uses a metal crank to help kick start the old Russian generator he keeps behind his leather shop in downtown Kabul.

He says the city only provides electricity from six in the evening to midnight. During business hours, he says, the only way to run his shop is to generate the power himself.

The Afghan energy ministry predicts the situation will get worse in the months ahead. Mohammed Amin Munsif, Afghanistan's deputy minister for energy says Kabul does not have the budget to purchase fuel for its massive diesel generators.

Without that additional support, he says, the entire city faces energy cuts during the bitterly cold winter.

"We will be faced with a lot of problems," he said. "The people will be too cold and the people are too poor. All the children and the eldest men and women they [could] die from this weather."

International aid to purchase fuel has fallen this year, aid workers say, as other priorities are being addressed. However, several countries, including the United States are donating millions of dollars to modernize and expand Kabul's electricity infrastructure. But Munsif says that so far no one is stepping forward to fill the breach in providing fuel.

Electric outages are already becoming more frequent throughout the ancient city. Kabul's international airport is now running almost entirely on backup generators. Even the Ministry of Energy is in the dark most of the day. The city's business leaders warn the problem is spiraling out of control.

Akam Khan Hamdard works with Afghanistan's International Chamber of Commerce. He says nearly 80 percent of all local businesses have to generate their own power using expensive diesel generators.

"So this is increasing the production cost, the per unit cost in Afghanistan, which is destroying the economy. And on the other side we are in tough competition with China, Pakistan and Iran," he noted.

Hamdard says attracting foreign investors to Kabul is hard enough given the ongoing violence. Without electricity, he says, it is almost impossible.

The Afghan government says it is working on long-term plans to increase energy supplies for the city.

An international project is under way to import electricity from neighboring central Asian states but critics say it could be years before any electricity actually reaches Kabul.

International donors have pledged more than $10 billion for Afghanistan's reconstruction. But local residents say that so far they have not seen many improvements and frustrations are mounting.

Back inside his shop, Abdur Rahim says he spends at least five dollars a day on fuel for his generator. In a country where the average income is less than $1 a day, he says, something has to change.

British Army chief defends Afghanistan mission after 'exhaustion' claim - August 6, 2006

LONDON (AFP) - The chief of the British Army has defended the military operation in Afghanistan after it was reported that soldiers there were being stretched to "the brink of exhaustion" by the Taliban.

General Sir Mike Jackson, Chief of the General Staff, said Sunday that British troops were "getting stuck in" to militia from the deposed Taliban regime and said the soldiers' presence was vital for rebuilding the country.

He was reacting after an unnamed senior officer told The Sunday Telegraph that troops were extremely tired as they battled Taliban militia and the fierce heat.

"The men are knackered -- they are on the brink of exhaustion," the source told the weekly newspaper. "They are under considerable duress and have suffered great hardship.

"This is a situation which is ultimately unsustainable. The shock of battle, the lack of sleep and back-to-back operations are beginning to impact on the troops."

The newspaper said commanders on the ground wanted an extra 1,000 soldiers. Britain sent 3,600 troops to the restive southern province of Helmand earlier this year and announced last month that a further 900 would be dispatched.

Nine British soldiers have been killed in Helmand in the last two months. But Jackson told BBC television: "We, the international community, must be doing what we're doing in Afghanistan.

"We cannot afford to let that country go back to where it was, as a safe haven for international terrorism. That is simply unacceptable.

"The notion that somehow the Taliban in southern Afghanistan would not react to a much-increased international military presence seems to me to be very ill-founded indeed. They were bound to react and they have done."

He added: "We are getting stuck in. "The other side of that coin is that in which case, don't do this at all, let the Taliban take over Afghanistan again, let Al-Qaeda have another safe haven there."

The main opposition Conservatives weighed in, with homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer saying it was "completely incomprehensible" that more troops were not on the way to Afghanistan.

Leader David Cameron, who recently visited troops in Afghanistan, told BBC radio: "I am not saying necessarily that there should be far more troops sent, but a number of people said that there really is such a need for helicopters and military aircraft to make sure we are a really mobile force."

Testing Canada's Afghan resolve - The Toronto Star Aug. 5, 2006.

Canada's military losses in Afghanistan have shocked a nation more used to keeping peace than waging war. But the deaths of four soldiers and the wounding of 10 on one day would test the resolve of most democracies.

Canada's 2,300 troops are paying a heavy price by taking on the Taliban. Their sacrifice is helping a fledgling democracy take root and a shattered nation rebuild. Yet while the Kabul government is slowly making progress in strengthening its forces, yesterday's bomb attacks on a Canadian military convoy, coming just one day after the bloodiest day for Canada so far in Afghanistan, is a harsh reminder that the insurgents will continue to test our resolve until they are defeated.

Given recent casualties, it is no wonder many Canadians now question whether the mission in Afghanistan is too dangerous, and too ambitious.

For that reason, Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to expand on his call this week to Canadians to join him in honouring the sacrifice of Pte. Kevin Dallaire, Sgt. Vaughn Ingram, Cpl. Bryce Jeffrey Keller, Cpl. Christopher Reid and their 10 wounded comrades.

To do that, Harper must use the first chance he has to outline his views on how this mission is evolving, and how it might be judged a success. Ideally, he should do it before Parliament reopens in late September. Failing that, he should address the Commons immediately upon its return.

As the Star has argued before, the public must have confidence that our troops are in fact adding to Afghanistan's stability as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization takes over what until now has been an American-led counter-insurgency mission. Canadians must also see NATO bringing diplomacy and development aid to help improve Afghans' lives.

Harper should indicate what he expects of the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in terms of building political cohesiveness, extending its authority beyond the capital city of Kabul, building the national army and disarming warlords. Ultimately, the Taliban can be defeated only by Afghans themselves, not by us. And Harper must press Pakistan to prevent the Taliban from regrouping and training there.

Most important, Canadians want assurance that our $1 billion in development and humanitarian aid, which is part of a $10 billion international package, is rebuilding schools, clinics, roads in Afghanistan. Parliament must demand a full accounting, when it resumes.

In the meantime, Canadians should bear in mind that this battle is not ours alone. There are 40,000 American and NATO troops from three dozen nations in Afghanistan, under a United Nations mandate. More than 400 have died since 2001, including 323 Americans and now 23 Canadians, as well as one of our diplomats.

Those troops are fighting to prevent a return of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and his ilk, who befriended Osama bin Laden before 9/11 and who have turned their fury on 100 schools in recent months, killing children. They blew shoppers to pieces at a bazaar this week, in a scene of indescribable carnage. They bombed mourners as they emerged from a funeral service at a mosque. They murder teachers and aid workers.

Canada promised when it agreed to join the Afghan mission that we would help the people of that war-ravaged country fight the Taliban. We also promised that we would help them reconstruct their shattered nation. Harper needs to tell both Canadians and the Afghan people that this country will keep both of those promises.

Massoud Memorial renovated and opened for the Afghan people - ISAF PRESS RELEASE # 073

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (5 August 2006) - Last week, the former headquarters of the famous Afghan mujahedin commander, Ahmad Shah Massoud, was renovated with ISAF help and reopened for visitors. The building is located in the village of Khusdi, in the Northern Takhar province.

The German led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Kunduz helped reconstruct this important piece of Afghan history. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is also part of the PRT, spent approximately 5000 Euros reconstructing the building with several working and living rooms.

The building will now serve as a museum for the memory of Massoud, the “Lion of Panjsher Valley,” who in 1989 was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the greatest freedom fighters of the 20 th century.

At the inauguration ceremony, the commander of the German led PRT, Colonel Hans Werner Patzki said: “The young lions of Panjsher valley need a role model. What could be better than the building in which Massoud developed his ideas for a free Afghanistan.” Mr. Stephan Hiller, the representative from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in PRT Kunduz, stated that the Memorial should be: “ A place of bravery, hopes and dreams for a better future, a place for a free modern Afghanistan which is governed by the will of its people.”

Ex-CIA contractor David Passaro to stand trial in Afghan beating

ESTES THOMPSON Associated Press / August 5, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. - In the weeks after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal stunned Iraq, a story emerged from Afghanistan about a CIA contractor named David Passaro, a former Special Forces medic accused of beating an Afghan detainee so severely that he later died.

More than three years later, after several soldiers working at Abu Ghraib have been sentenced to prison, Passaro will finally stand trial when jury selection begins Monday - in a civilian court in his home state of North Carolina. He is the first, and so far only, civilian to be charged with mistreating a detainee during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To bring charges against Passaro, who as a civilian isn't subject to military justice, prosecutors turned to the USA Patriot Act, arguing the law passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks allows the government to charge U.S. nationals with crimes committed on land or facilities designated for use by the U.S. government.

When U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle agreed last year, prosecutors received a license to enforce the nation's criminal laws in "any foxhole a soldier builds," said Duke University law professor Scott Silliman.

"Until 2005, Passaro ... was unreachable in federal courts," said Silliman, who runs Duke's Center on Law, Ethics and National Security. "What we're seeing is Congress moving to ensure there is criminal accountability for civilians accompanying the forces."

Silliman said the law represents a dramatic expansion of the reach of federal prosecutors, whose jurisdiction most experts believed was limited to places like embassies and consulates, and not locations like the remote U.S. base in Afghanistan where detainee Abdul Wali turned himself in to U.S. forces.

"What the Patriot Act said was that part of Afghanistan is now part of our ... jurisdiction," Silliman said. "The charge of assault is as if it had occurred in Raleigh. All you have to show it's an assault."

Neither prosecutors nor defense lawyers are willing to talk about the case, which is expected to include a significant amount of evidence considered classified by the government. Before the trial, a secure area was built inside the courthouse so lawyers could review such classified material safe from electronic eavesdropping.

"What we're seeing is a piercing of a normally very tight veil around the agency," Silliman said.

The government has said its case includes three eyewitnesses, paratroopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, who will testify they saw Passaro beat Wali with his hands, feet and a large flashlight in June 2003 during two days of questioning about a series of rocket attacks on a remote firebase housing U.S. and Afghan troops in Afghanistan's mountains.

Wali later died in his cell, although Passaro isn't charged with his death. Instead, he faces two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of assault resulting in serious injury. If convicted, he will face up to 40 years in prison.

Passaro, a 39-year-old from Lillington, N.C., has insisted he is innocent, calling the charges a "knee-jerk reaction" by the Bush administration to the Abu Ghraib scandal. To prove it, his attorneys have said they wanted to call former CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, formerly the White House counsel, as part of a "public authority defense" - namely, that Passaro was following orders.

Such a defense could be a challenge. Boyle has limited the defense's access to several classified documents and e-mails Passaro wants, including a memo Passaro believes the Justice Department gave the CIA on what kind of interrogation techniques U.S. law allowed. But until Passaro shows who approved of his actions in Wali's interrogation, Boyle has ruled such documents - if they even exist - will remain off-limits.

"This is going to be a very hard sell," said Eugene Fidell, a Washington lawyer and president of the National Institute of Military Justice. "People have tried to suggest in the military cases that an environment was established that there were vague rules of engagement that allowed things to happen that everybody knew were illegal.

"The difference here is that this is a jury drawn from civilians. The whole fog of war aura is less likely to get any traction."

It's not clear if Tenet, Gonzales or any Bush Administration official will actually end up testifying, since both the prosecution and defense witness lists are among the many court documents under seal. Boyle has also upheld a government request to delay enforcing defense subpoenas of unidentified government employees until he first determines whether their testimony is necessary.

The trial comes amid a renewed focus on the actions of Americans in the Middle East. Officials are investigating allegations a group of Marines deliberately shot 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha last November. Federal prosecutors in Kentucky have charged Stephen Green, a former member of the Army's 101st Airborne, with raping a young Iraqi girl and killing her and three family members earlier this year.

But despite the attention focused on Passaro, Abu Ghraib and the latest incidents, misconduct by Americans on the battlefield appears to be relatively rare, said John Pike, a military analyst at globalsecurity.org in Washington.

"How many people have we had on the ground? It's got to be half a million," Pike said. "And how many instances of indiscipline have been brought to trial - a dozen? That's not very many bad apples."

via Charlotte Observer (USA)

Floods in southern Afghanistan kill 3, leave thousands homeless - Sat Aug 5

KABUL (AP) - Heavy rains caused floods that killed at least three people and destroyed 1,600 homes in southern Afghanistan, a local official said Saturday.

The floods, which hit southern Ghazni province late Friday, also destroyed over 250 shops and submerged hectares of farmland, said Abdul Ali Fakuri, a spokesman for Ghazni's governor.

The districts of Andar, Qarabagh and Jaghatu were badly affected by the flooding, he said.

"We provided aid and assistance for 175 families, and we have already asked for more assistance and help from the government and NGO's," Fakuri said. "I hope they respond as soon as possible."

via The Canadian Press (CP)

Feature: Afghan bee-keepers returning to country - Nouman Dost Translated and edited by Rahman

KABUL, Aug 4 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Currently, working in the neighbouring Pakistan, Afghan bee-keepers are firmed to set up business in Afghanistan and export produce to the world.

A delegation of Bee Keeper Association have arrived in Kabul and held discussions with top officials of the government. Head of the association Haji Mohammad Naeem Babakarkhel told Pajhwok Afghan News they had started negotiations with the relevant departments regarding setting up bee-farms here.

Elaborating his business, he said Afghans living in Pakistan had 8,000 bee-farms and every farm had 150-200 bee-boxes. About 0.1 million people were busy with this profession, he added. He said they were getting 50-60 kilograms honey from one box in a year and were selling the produce both in and outside the country.

Babakarkhel said Pakistan was receiving millions dollars as tax with the honey. He said now they could not wait to develop the business in this landlocked country and improve Afghanistan economy.

Spending 27 long years in Pakistan, Babakarkhel is now determined to return back to Afghanistan and develop his business here. He also wanted to motivate his other colleagues to come to the war-battered country and play their role in its rebuilding process.

He said with this project not only Afghanistan would get millions dollars tax but thousands people would also get jobs. The countrymen would have chance to get honey in low prices, head of the association added. He asked for building of markets in big cities of the country.

Babakarkhel said their business was never remained static and they had to move around in search of flowers. He demanded of the government to provide them transport facility and also relax checking procedure for them.

He said if a car loaded with bee-boxes was stopped for 10 minutes in hot, death of the bees was certain.

Answering a query, he said: "We spend nights in forests of Punjab and are hopeful none will tease us in our own country."

Mohammad Salman, a bee-keeper, who worked for 18 years in Pakistan and two years in the war-torn country, complained they were facing numerous problems here.

Keeping 400 bee-boxes in Khogiani district of the eastern Nangarhar, he said police were demanding of them money or sometimes honey in bribes during transportation of the produce.

He said there was no market for honey in Afghanistan, they were compelled to send the produce to Peshawar and were thus losing great money in paying fares.

He said there were no pills for bees in the central Asian country and they had to bring more medicines from Peshawar that was much costly.

Deputy minister for Agriculture and Irrigation Mohammad Sharif Sharif termed establishing such farms a great benefit to the country.

He said some bee-farms were producing honey in the country. Sharif declined construction of markets in big cities to be a special or great problem. He said: "If they are not fraudulent, they can produce market on their own."

Though not vowing great assistance, he said he would try his level best to provide basic facilities to the bee-keepers.

He said they had many experts that could provide valuable suggestions to the bee-keepers.

Head of foreign trade in commerce ministry Mohammad Azim Wardak said though granting trade facilities was job of the government, but traders should not be lethargic spectators.

He said officials of the farms should also publicise their product, they should arrange national and international exhibitions for their country produce.

He said though some companies wanted to invest money in Afghanistan but unavailability of electricity, industrial parks and security were the great hurdles in the way.

Another official Syed Aqa Naeem also voiced pleasure on coming of such businessmen to this war-battered country. He said the people were doing the business individually and if they start working in group, government would help them. He said working in groups would help in creating markets for the honey.

Haji Naeem also demanded of the government to provide the bee-keepers authority letter that they might be able to easily transport their produce to neighbouring Pakistan.

He said even if they got produce with their bees in Pakistan they would bring it into Afghanistan for selling. He said during spring season they were receiving 8-9 kilograms honey from one box. Naeem said the bee-farming was started in 1974 for the first time.

He said during that time Afghanistan exported 40 tons pure honey. According to a verse of the Holy Quran, "Allah has stored healing touch in honey for human beings." A survey report says in the development countries every individual was using one and a half kilograms honey in a year.

Kidnapper arrested, opium seized in Kabul - Habib Rahman Ibrahimi 

KABUL, Aug 4 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Police on Friday caught a kidnapper red-handed when he was trying to abduct an eight-year-old girl in the vicinity of Kabul. Separately, two smugglers were arrested with 15 kilograms opium in the superb of this central capital.

Crime branch chief Gen Alishah Paktiawal told Pajhwok Afghan News police arrested a resident of Balochistan Shamsullah, who wanted to kidnap Zuhra.

He said the eight-year-old girl was handed over to her family and the kidnapper was under investigation. Separately, two smugglers were arrested with 15 kilograms opium in the superb of this central capital.

Gen Alishah Paktiwal told this news agency the drug-traffickers had skillfully packed the opium n their goods. He said the detainees were passing through investigation.

Deployed to Afghanistan's 'Hell' - By Alistair Leithead BBC News, Kandahar
Saturday, 5 August 2006

In the first ever land deployment outside Europe for Nato forces led by the UK and Canada, 8,000 soldiers are now positioned in six of Afghanistan's southern provinces. Helmand province, in particular, has been the scene of heavy violence.

In the fierce heat of the Kandahar summer, eking out what little shade I could while waiting by the runway for a military flight, I got chatting to a British soldier.

He was on his way to what here they call "Hell"... the itchingly sandy and repressively hot Camp Bastion in the Helmand desert, miles from the nearest town, where sandstorms can last for days and where thousands of British troops are now based.

"When I joined up 10 years ago," he said, "people rarely knew anyone who had died in action. Now, pretty much everyone you speak to knows someone who's been killed here or in Iraq."

Helmand is not a pleasant place to be. It is not only hot and dusty, but as a heartland for the Taleban and the biggest producer of opium poppies in the country, it is also a very dangerous place

I spoke to a medic about how she was getting on. "Eight weeks to go before R and R (rest and recuperation)," she said. I smiled and added that most troops I spoke to knew exactly the number of days they had left on their tour.

"Fifty-seven" she quickly replied, and went on to explain that new technology was helping them keep track.

Every day when they log on to their computers, an updated bar chart shows how much money they have made so far, and a pie chart fills in another slice of their little circle showing how many days, hours and minutes they have left in the country.

It made me think of the play Journey's End, about British troops in the trenches during World War I. One of the characters, Trotter, obsessively fills in his little circles every day with a pen, counting down to the end of his war.

And I am not the only one harking back to World War I. In an off-the-cuff remark, one commander said: "At least back then troops were rotated out from the front line every 12 days."

"In one of Helmand's districts," he continues - the scene of some of the heaviest attacks - "the Gurkhas were only relieved after more than three weeks of intensive fighting."

At one stage, he tells me, they had to use hand grenades to fight off the Taleban. And hand grenades are only effective up to 30 metres.

There has been plenty of discussion about what the British troops are here to do: help the government bring security and then governance and development.

The line is well rehearsed. Some argue this was supposed to be a peacekeeping mission, but in Helmand there is little peace to keep.

The Paras - some of the best of Britain's regular forces - were sent here and they knew they would have a fight on their hands. But they did not expect to lose so many soldiers so quickly.

I think they expected more of an Iraq-style insurgency campaign rather than this guerrilla warfare that they now find themselves caught up in. And they are caught up in it because they have gone on the offensive, moving into the remote areas trying to bring security by chasing the Taleban out. It is in these operations that the Taleban militia are hitting them hard.

Of course everyone says Afghanistan is not Iraq. There is not the religious division and the insurgency has not reached anything like that kind of intensity, but having worked in both places there is something that worries me.

Sitting in Baghdad for a month at a time watching the news wires flashing up the latest reports of car bombs, roadside bombs, assassinations and kidnappings, I would sometimes find myself losing track, by the end of the day, of the number of incidents and the number of people killed and injured.

Now sitting here in Afghanistan I am finding myself doing a similar thing.

A key difference between the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan is that the majority of Afghans still want the international forces to be here and they know things would be a lot worse if they left.

The commanders in the Nato force and among British troops insist the Taleban are coming off worse and that hundreds are being killed.

That is hardly a measure of success, one can argue, but what they ask for is time.

The Nato force has only just taken over control of the south from the American coalition and they need six to nine months, they say, before they can be fairly judged.

In the meantime the Canadians, the British and the Americans are losing men and women.

I spoke to another soldier in Camp Bastion and asked her why she thought the British forces are here.

"I don't know" she said. "Something about drugs I think... but it seems more like we're here to be shot at by the Taleban."

From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Saturday, 5 August, 2006 at 1130 BST on BBC Radio 4.

[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.]