In this bulletin:

• Taliban kill six Afghan police in ambush - Tue 15 Aug 2006
• Bomb blast in Afghan capital wounds NATO soldiers
• 2 foreigners attempting to explode UN office captured in Afghan capital
• US, Afghan Troops Kill Al-Qaeda Suspect
• ANA soldiers among 16 wounded in Paktika suicide attack
• NATO, Afghanistan to ink long-term partnership soon: envoy
• ISAF to replace some soldiers with Afghan forces at sites in Afghanistan
• NATO SENIOR CIVILIAN REPRESENTATIVE, HIKMET CETIN – REMARKS TO MEDIA
• In Afghanistan, Lamenting Refuge for Militants Across Border
• Picture bleak for women in Afghanistan
• The Government of Afghanistan's Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF)
• On the road to provision of alternative livelihood in Badghis, Baghlan and Takhar Provinces
• Pakistan 'vital in war on terror'
• Airline Terror Plot: Pakistan Stays a Terrorism Source
• Afghanistan stun India
• Afghanistan beats Qatar by 66 runs

Taliban kill six Afghan police in ambush - Tue 15 Aug 2006

HERAT, Afghanistan, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Taliban guerrillas killed six Afghan policemen in an ambush on Tuesday, officials said, in the latest incident in the bloodiest phase of Afghan violence since the Taliban were overthrown.

Those killed in the attack in the western province of Farah were a district police chief and five of his men, said provincial police chief Sayed Agha Saqib.

Saqib said the attackers were Taliban and a spokesman for the militant group said it was responsible.

In a separate incident, U.S.-led troops battling insurgents and hunting their leaders in the east of the country killed a suspected al Qaeda member and detained 13 militants in a raid on Monday in the southeastern province of Khost, the force said.

The man killed had been disguised as a woman, the force said. No members of the U.S.-led force or Afghan troops working with it had been hurt, it said.

Violence has surged in Afghanistan this year and more than 1,800 people including more than 80 foreign troops have been killed.

The Taliban, ousted in a U.S.-led invasion in 2001, are mostly active in southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan but attacks have increased this year in the west and north.

Bomb blast in Afghan capital wounds NATO soldiers - Reuters

KABUL - Four NATO soldiers and three Afghan civilians were wounded in Kabul on Monday in a bomb blast blamed on the Taliban, officials said.

The bomb, apparently attached to a bicycle, went off as the soldiers' convoy passed on a road in a northern area of Kabul, a spokesman for the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan said. They were in stable condition, he added.

Three pedestrians also suffered injuries from the blast, said an Afghan police official. The explosion may have been triggered by a remote controlled device, and was almost certainly carried out by Taliban guerrillas, he added.

On Sunday, up to 20 militants were killed in a battle with Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces in the southeastern province of Paktika, a statement issued by the U.S.-led coalition said.

The battle erupted after insurgents attacked an Afghan army post. Five Afghan soldiers were killed. No Taliban official could be immediately reached for comment about either incident.

Afghanistan is going through the bloodiest phase of violence since U.S.-led coalition forces overthrew Taliban's Islamic government in 2001. More than 1,400 people have been killed this year alone. The toll also includes over 80 foreign troops.

2 foreigners attempting to explode UN office captured in Afghan capital

Two foreigners carrying explosives were arrested when they planned to attack a UN office on Monday morning in east Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, an official told Xinhua.

"The two men were captured before an office of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on Jalalabad road," said Yusuf Stanizai, spokesman for Interior Ministry.

The police discovered they were attempting to attack the UN office, Stanizai said. However, he declined to say the motivation behind the attack, and the arrestees' nationality.

Also on Monday morning, an attacker detonated a bomb fixed on a bicycle in north Kabul when a NATO military convoy passed by. Three soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were injured in the explosion.

A Xinhua reporter on the spot saw the attacked vehicle had been drawn away and broken glass scattered on the ground. Some ISAF armored vehicles and jeeps were staying on the road, and some ISAF soldiers were guarding beside.

ISAF is facing a tough mission after it takes command in southern Afghanistan, the stronghold of the Taliban, from the U.S.- led coalition forces on July 31.

Nine ISAF soldiers were killed in conflicts with militants, and four others in accidents since Aug. 1. Most of the casualties occurred in the south.

Kabul, which enjoyed relative calmness due to tight security measures, has suffered from about 10 small explosions in the past two months. Each of the explosions only caused some injuries, or killed one or two persons.

Afghanistan has witnessed a rise of Taliban-linked violence this year, during which more than 1,700 people have been killed. Source: Xinhua

US, Afghan Troops Kill Al-Qaeda Suspect

KABUL, August 15, 2006 -- The U.S. military says that U.S. and Afghan troops killed a suspected al-Qaeda militant during a raid on a residential compound in southeastern Afghanistan today.

The raid, aimed at disrupting a weapons smuggling operation, was conducted in the village of Yaqubi in Khost Province. The military says 13 other suspected militants were detained in the raid, which also resulted in the seizure of explosives and detonators.

In other developments, suspected militants killed five police including a local police chief in an attack in Afghanistan's western Farah Province.

Local officials say the attackers ambushed a two-vehicle police convoy in the Gulistan district of Farah on Monday (August 14). At least three other police officers were wounded in the ambush.

ANA soldiers among 16 wounded in Paktika suicide attack – Pajhwok News Agency

SHARAN - Six ANA personnel and 10 civilians were wounded in a suicide attack in the Bermal district of the southeastern Paktika province Monday morning.

General Murad Ali, deputy commander of the regional cops in southeastern region, told Pajhwok Afghan News the blast took place when a suicide bomber struck his car against a military vehicle.

The blast resulted in killing of the attacker and injury to six ANA personnel, including two officers and four enlisted. Besides the military personnel, 10 civilians were also injured in the attack, said the officer.

Earlier, the coalition forces said the ANA had gunned down 20 Taliban fighters in a clash in the same district on Sunday. Five ANA soldiers were also reported dead and six wounded in the fighting.

NATO, Afghanistan to ink long-term partnership soon: envoy

KABUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Afghanistan would ink a long-term strategic partnership within month, the outgoing civilian envoy of the Western military alliance said Tuesday.

"Next month NATO and Afghanistan will sign an agreement on the NATO/Afghanistan enduring partnership cooperation," Hikmet Cetin said at a press conference here. "We want the people to see Afghanistan as a prosperous stable country," he said.

He made the remarks amid growing security incidents in the post-Taliban nation particularity in the southern provinces where the Western military alliance took over the command from the U.S.-led coalition forces on July 31.

Since assuming the command, nine soldiers of the NATO troops have been killed and 17 others injured either in hostile fire or road accidents.

To root out militants in the southern region and stabilize security there, NATO has decided to increase its strength up to 23,000 in the volatile southern provinces of Helmand, Zabul, Uruzgan and Kandahar by the end of year.

More than 600 Taliban-linked militants have been killed in the restive southern region over the past two months, according to military officials, bringing the number of casualties to 1,700 since January this year in Afghanistan.

"We are committed to support the government for as long as required and NATO/ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) will not abandon the people of Afghanistan," NATO's top diplomat in Afghanistan said. Enditem

ISAF to replace some soldiers with Afghan forces at sites in Afghanistan -
Xinhua

The NATO-led ISAF would replace some of its soldiers with Afghan forces at static defensible locations in volatile Afghanistan, an ISAF officer said at a press conference on Sunday.

The Afghan troops at static sites will receive very strong support from ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), but the rebalancing will release more mobile ISAF forces to take the initiative against the insurgents, said Toby Jackman, chief of ISAF media operations. However, he refused to give specific details of future plans for "security reasons."

Jackman said ISAF is focusing on how to best expand areas of security to pave the way for development and improved governance, but would fight robustly and toughly against insurgents when necessary.

He denied ISAF has launched what UK media called on Friday a " major combat offensive" in southern Afghanistan. ISAF is facing a tough mission after it takes command in south Afghanistan, the stronghold of the Taliban, from the U.S.-led coalition forces on July 31.

Jackman said nine ISAF soldiers had been killed in hostile conflicts, and four others in accidents since Aug. 1. Most of the casualties occurred in the south.

Mark Laity, spokesman for NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan, said at the press conference that many residents in the county's southern region have mixed feelings toward government troops and insurgents, both of whom are regarded as " brothers" by them.

Laity said the residents are anguished to see the two sides, who possibly are from the same ethic tribes, fight each other.

Laity said one of ISAF's tasks is to demonstrate that Afghanistan's future lies with the government, which brings stability and development, and not with Taliban insurgents, who only cause violence and poverty.

Afghanistan is suffering from a rise of Taliban-linked turbulence this year, during which more than 1,700 people have been killed.

NATO SENIOR CIVILIAN REPRESENTATIVE, HIKMET CETIN – REMARKS TO MEDIA

15 AUGUST 2006, ISAF HQ, KABUL

IT IS BOTH A PLEASURE AND A SADNESS TO BE WITH YOU TODAY. A PLEASURE BECAUSE I HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED GOOD RELATIONS WITH MY FRIENDS IN THE MEDIA, AND A SADNESS BECAUSE, AS MY TOUR OF DUTY FINISHES, THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH YOU, AT LEAST AS THE NATO SENIOR CIVILIAN REPRESENTATIVE.

FOR YOU, AS JOURNALISTS, IT IS TODAY’S NEWS THAT INEVITABLY IS THE FOCUS OF YOUR ATTENTION, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU A PERSPECTIVE THAT STRETCHES BACK TWO AND A HALF YEARS OVER MY TERM OF OFFICE, AND MAY HELP PUT CURRENT EVENTS IN A FRESH LIGHT.

PUT SIMPLY, THIS IS A DIFFICULT TIME, WHERE IT IS TOO EASY TO BE PESSIMISTIC. BUT I RECALL THE PROBLEMS THAT SEEMED SO OVERWHELMING WHEN I ARRIVED, AND HAVE SEEN HOW SO MANY HAVE BEEN TACKLED SUCCESSFULLY, AND SO I REMAIN OPTIMISTIC THAT AFGHANISTAN WILL KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

THESE ACHIEVEMENTS ARE HUGE, AND I WILL NOT GO THROUGH AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ADVANCES, BUT TO JUST MENTION A FEW SUCH AS THE DEFEAT OF THE TALIBAN REGIME, SUCCESSFUL PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, AND THE FACT THAT SIX MILLION CHILDREN ARE NOW AT SCHOOL, INCLUDING TWO MILLION GIRLS WHO WOULD PREVIOUSLY NEVER HAVE HAD ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATION. THE MAIN POINT IS THAT FOR THE GREAT MAJORITY OF AFGHAN PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE MILLIONS OF RETURNING REFUGEES, LIFE IS BETTER.

THIS IS WHAT THE PEOPLE CONSISTENTLY TELL RESEARCHERS DOING OPINION POLLS, AND THIS IS WHAT I SEE AND HEAR WHEN I VISIT THE PROVINCES AS I HAVE DONE SO OFTEN OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS. IT HAS BEEN ONE OF MY PLEASURES TO TOUR THIS COUNTRY WIDELY TO MEET THE LEADERS AND THE PEOPLE, AND I SEE THE CHANGES AND THE FORWARD MOVEMENT.

YOU YOURSELVES ARE A PART OF THAT PROGRESS; A LIVELY, EXPANDING AND INDEPENDENT MEDIA IS A SIGN OF VITALITY AND THE RETURN OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND NORMALITY.

BUT OF COURSE I ALSO SEE THE CONTINUING PROBLEMS, INCLUDING A CRISIS OF EXPECTATIONS. LIFE IS BETTER, BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE, AND MANY OTHERS EXPECTED TO GET MORE, FASTER. AS A POLITICIAN I CAN SEE THAT FOR ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS PEOPLE ARE STILL DISSATISFIED, AND THAT IS NOW PART OF THE CHALLENGE FOR THE PARTNERSHIP OF GOVERNMENT, SECURITY FORCES AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY – TO WIN THE SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE BY DEMONSTRATING WE CAN MEET THEIR NEEDS.

HOWEVER FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THERE IS A POSITIVE VISION, BUT WE HAVE TO DO BETTER AT EXPLAINING IT, AND PUTTING IT INTO EFFECT. VICTORY IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE INSURGENTS WILL COME THROUGH SUCCESS IN WINNING THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE AFGHAN PEOPLE, WHO I KNOW WANT US TO SUCCEED, BUT NEED TO BE GIVEN MORE CONFIDENCE.

AS MY TERM OF OFFICE DRAWS TO A CLOSE I AM HEARTENED WHEN I SEE THE NEW EFFORTS BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, BOTH CIVILIAN AND MILITARY, AND GOVERNMENT TO WORK TOGETHER MORE CLOSELY AND EFFECTIVELY. I AM ALSO INTENSELY PROUD OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF NATO, WHICH I HAVE REPRESENTED, AND ITS OTHER ALLIES IN ISAF.

WHEN NATO TOOK ON THE ISAF MISSION OUR ROLE WAS RESTRICTED TO ASSISTING WITH SECURITY IN THE KABUL AREA. NOW THREE YEARS LATER WE ARE ON THE VERGE OF TAKING OVER THE SECURITY ASSISTANCE MISSION THROUGHOUT AFGHANISTAN. THIS HAS BEEN A MASSIVE CHALLENGE FOR NATO AS IT HAS REFORMED ITSELF TO COPE WITH THE NEW SECURITY ENVIRONMENT AFTER 9/11, AND AS IT EXPANDED INTO THE SOUTH I BELIEVE IT IS SUCCESSFULLY COPING WITH ITS TOUGHEST MILITARY CHALLENGE SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATO.

NATO/ISAF IS FIGHTING HARD WHERE IT HAS TO, BUT IT IS ALSO KEEPING ITS EYES FIRMLY ON THE GOAL OF CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND THE RETURN OF EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT, SECURITY, DEVELOPMENT AND GOOD GOVERNANCE. NONE CAN STAND ON ITS OWN. THAT STRATEGY IS THE RIGHT ONE, TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE PEOPLE OF THE AFGHANISTAN THAT THEIR GOVERNMENT AND ITS INTERNATIONAL ALLIES HAVE A CLEAR VISION TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES AND THE DETERMINATION TO DEFEAT THE INSURGENTS WHO STAND IN THE WAY.

I ALSO WANT TO MAKE CLEAR MY CONFIDENCE THAT NATO AND OTHER ISAF NATIONS ARE HERE FOR THE LONG HAUL. THE NATO SECRETARY GENERAL HAS REPEATEDLY STATED THAT WE REALIZE THIS IS A WORK OF MANY YEARS, AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT FOR AS LONG AS REQUIRED. NATO/ISAF WILL NOT ABANDON THE PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN.

INDEED THE DEPTH OF THAT LINK IS SHOWN BY THE FACT THAT NEXT MONTH NATO AND AFGHANISTAN WILL SIGN AND AGREEMENT ON THE NATO/AFGHANISTAN ENDURING PARTNERSHIP CO-OPERATION. WE ARE HERE BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WANT US HERE. WE WANT THE PEOPLE TO SEE AFGHANISTAN AS A PROSPEROUS STABLE COUNTRY.

TO DO THAT WILL REQUIRE A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT NOT JUST OF NATO BUT THE WHOLE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AND WILL NEED MORE RESOURCES THAN ARE CURRENTLY COMMITTED. WE, AS WELL AS THE GOVERNMENT OF AFGHANISTAN, HAVE TO DO EVEN BETTER. THIS YEAR IS A CRITICAL YEAR, TO PUSH BACK THE THREAT OF THE INSURGENTS, AND TO SUCCEED, TO BUILD ON THE PROGRESS OF LAST YEARS WE NEED TO BE EFFICIENT, WELL CO-ORDINATED, DETERMINED AND TO TACKLE PROBLEMS SUCH AS CORRUPTION, WHICH UNDERMINE THE FAITH OF THE PEOPLE.

IT IS ALSO VITAL THAT AFGHANISTAN’S NEIGHBORS RECOGNIZE THEY MUST HELP. A STABLE AFGHANISTAN IS CRITICAL TO REGIONAL STABILITY AND NO NEIGHBOR WILL HAVE SECURE BORDERS UNLESS AFGHANISTAN IS ALSO SECURE AND PEACEFUL.

AFTER TWO AND HALF YEARS EXPERIENCE, I KNOW THE QUALITY OF NATO/ISAF AND ITS COALITION PARTNERS AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO THEIR JOB, AND I ALSO KNOW THE DETERMINATION AND ABILITY OF SO MANY OF MY AFGHAN FRIENDS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, BOTH IN AND OUT OF GOVERNMENT. KNOWING THIS I FEEL WE CAN DEFEAT OUR CURRENT CHALLENGES, ESPECIALLY WITH THE BACKING OF THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE OF ALL – THE AFGHAN PEOPLE.

I WOULD LIKE TO FINISH ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE. IN MY CAREER I HAVE TRAVELED WIDELY, BUT THE LAST TWO AND HALF YEARS HAVE BEEN MORE THAN JUST A HIGHLIGHT. THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY, AND EVEN MORE ITS MARVELOUS PEOPLE, HAS LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK UPON ME. AS I LEAVE HERE, I LEAVE A PART OF HEART BEHIND.

In Afghanistan, Lamenting Refuge for Militants Across Border

By CARLOTTA GALL
The New York Times
Published: August 15, 2006

SHARANA, Afghanistan, Aug. 11 — In the memorial garden at the American military base in this dusty provincial town, the names of four Afghans — a soldier, two policemen and an intelligence officer — were recently added to the list of American soldiers who have died here since 2002.

The names are a sign that Afghan government forces are now bearing more of the burden for security in this eastern province, Paktika.

But they are also an indicator of how, in the nearly five years since Al Qaeda and the Taliban were chased from Afghanistan, the groups have continued operating from bases just across the border in Pakistan.

While the terrorist scare in London last week provided a fresh reminder to the United States and its allies of the threat from militant groups that have made Pakistan their home, the soldiers here did not need reminding. That threat has been constant, and it has largely frustrated American efforts to rebuild the country and bring peace and stability.

In Paktika itself, there are a few remote places where the Taliban have a foothold. Most of the insurgents filter across the border repeatedly from Pakistan, military commanders here said.

[On Sunday, five soldiers of the Afghan National Army were killed and six wounded in fierce fighting on Paktika’s border, the United States-led coalition reported. The clash, with a group of up to 20 insurgents occurred at Bormol, a frequent crossing point for insurgents.]

“The enemy is fighting hard, and we have to fight harder,” the commander of the American-led coalition forces in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, told a unit of Afghan National Army soldiers on Friday as he toured their new, half-built barracks here.

“Since the fall of the Taliban, things have got better, but they are still hard,” he added. “In the next 10 years things will get better, but things will still be hard.”

Military and government officials in Afghanistan say they are resigned to the fact that establishing security and defeating the insurgency is going to take years, partly because the insurgents continue to enjoy a refuge in Pakistan’s turbulent tribal areas. Pakistani government efforts to combat them have largely failed.

“There is deep concern about the cross-border insurgency among Afghans and the international community,” said Samina Ahmed, the director of the International Crisis Group in Pakistan, an independent policy analysis group.

For their part, Afghans see that they still have much left to do, such as setting up and improving government administration in the rural areas and furthering reconstruction and security. But they also want to see more pressure on Pakistan, Ms. Ahmed said.

The issue has created tensions between Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, and Pervez Musharraf, the leader of Pakistan, who accuse each other of not doing more to contain militants in the region.

General Eikenberry would not comment on the cross-border problems because of the political nature of the issue.

During a day visit by helicopter to Sharana, the provincial capital, he pushed the mixed strategy that has been the hallmark of his two years in command in Afghanistan: encouraging American and Afghan soldiers who are doing the fighting and training, while urging Afghan government officials to do a better job in serving their people.

As much the politician as the military commander, he brought a group of Afghan ministers and communications officials with him. He shook hands and chatted with shopkeepers in the bazaar and spoke at the opening of a new government communications department.

“Now there is a cellphone service, you should ask the ministers here for their telephone numbers so that you can call them directly,” he told assembled elders during a visit to Sharana, the provincial capital. “But make sure you get the correct telephone numbers.”

“In four years the amount of change here is extraordinary,” he told them. He promised continued American commitment to bringing security and development to the province, which is one of the most impoverished in Afghanistan.

In an interview afterward, he conceded that one of Paktika Province’s 22 districts still remained outside government control, and that Taliban insurgents had the run of remote mountain areas where the rugged terrain and lack of roads have made it virtually impossible for the government to establish a presence.

“Where there are no roads, and no current funding, that is exactly the area where the Taliban is,” he said.

The provincial governor, Muhammad Akram Khapalwak, 35, in the job for only five months, said that two months ago things were far more perilous. American military units had been diverted to Helmand, new Afghan army units were rotating in and the police were still weak.

“We suffered a lot of problems two months ago,” he told General Eikenberry in a meeting. “Now we are stronger. We are able to attack the Taliban.”

There are other provinces in the south where the government’s hold remains precarious, General Eikenberry conceded.

Taliban insurgents have swarmed in large numbers into neighboring Ghazni, which lies just three hours from the capital, Kabul, and in the provinces of Helmand, Kandahar and Uruzgan, where newly arrived NATO forces have taken casualties from a stronger-than-expected insurgent force.

“In those hard-to-get-to areas, we need a security presence and then good governance,” General Eikenberry said. The money, men and time needed to bring just this one province to order are significant, he said.

“But ask me, ‘Is the government of Afghanistan winning?’ I’d say ‘Yeah, there is steady progress.’ ”

Picture bleak for women in Afghanistan - By FISNIK ABRASHI - Associated Press August 14, 2006 KABUL, Afghanistan

Violence against women in Afghanistan is widespread and mainly happens inside victims' homes, according to a U.N. survey released Monday.

The survey, conducted between January 2003 and July 2005, paints a bleak picture for women who undergo physical, sexual and psychological violence in this conservative, Islamic country, which has long been wracked by violence and where women enjoy considerably fewer rights than men.

The survey warned that domestic violence against women is "hugely underreported" because of the stigma attached to it.

"Acts of violence (against women) are happening with impunity," said the report, conducted by the U.N. Development Fund for Women, or UNIFEM. "It appears that the government, communities and families are not doing enough to prevent violence against women."

Under the hard-line Taliban regime, which was toppled in late 2001, women were unable to vote, receive education or be employed. In recent years, some gains for Afghan women have been made, including the right to cast ballots and have female candidates run for parliament, but women are often still regarded as second-class citizens.

Domestic violence, which accounts for 82 percent of the cases, is the most prevalent form of violence against women reported, according to the survey. Partners are responsible for nearly half the cases, said Meryem Aslan, the country director for UNIFEM.

"The shame associated with reporting most forms of domestic violence, such as rape and other forms of sexual abuse, may contribute to the fact that women often suffer in silence," said the report, which was based on more than 1,300 cases of violence against women.

The Government of Afghanistan's Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF) - UNDP

KABUL - The Afghan Counter Narcotics Trust Fund announced today that it has approved funding for a number of rural development projects. In the first, 61 kilometres of roads and a bridge will be constructed. Another project will see two hundred protected agricultural greenhouses being built. Both projects are designed to provide people with access to social services, markets and employment.

The rural roads will be constructed in Badghis and Baghlan provinces, the bridge in Takhar and the greenhouses in Nangarhar and Balkhand either Ghor or Uruzgan.

The road building project worth US$ 5,293,238 will be implemented over a year by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. The greenhouses project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation over two years, at a cost of US$ 1,477,193. The greenhouses will be used for the production of high value cash crops.

"The CNTF has been established to support projects that the Afghan Government thinks are priorities in the Government's overall Counter Narcotics strategy", General Khodaidad Deputy Minister of Counter Narcotics said. "We want to see more of such important projects are funded and implemented. We also ask the donor nations and institutions to increase their donations to the CNTF".

Established officially on 29 October 2005 by the GoAand UNDP, the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF) aims to support the Government of Afghanistan in its efforts to fight poppy production and the drug trade. The CNTF is designed in a way that the GoAretains the overall responsibility for the programme. The Ministry of Finance is the executing entity and the Ministry of Counter Narcotics acts as the programme directorate GoAline ministries are the primary implementing partners for projects funded through the CNTF.

The National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS) of Afghanistanwas launched during the London Conference in January 2006. The NDCS outlines four priorities for combating and ultimately ending the illicit narcotics trade in Afghanistan. These are: law enforcement; provision of diversified and legal livelihoods; drug demand reduction; and institution-building at Central and Provincial level. The CNTF supports counter narcotics related projects and activities that contribute in fulfilling the objectives of the NDCS's priorities.

The NDCS identifies a further four activity areas (pillars): public information; law enforcement and criminal justice; eradication; and regional cooperation. Projects addressing these issues may also be funded through the CNTF.

"The Scourge of Narcotics must be fought through a comprehensive approach as described in the National Drug Control Strategy." General Khodaidad added. "MCN is here to ensure that this happens".

On the road to provision of alternative livelihood in Badghis, Baghlan and Takhar Provinces

Source: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Date: August 14, 2006

Ministry of Counter Narcotics and UNDP Press Release The Government of Afghanistan's Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF) Kabul, August; The Afghan Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (day, date) announced today that it has approved funding for a number of rural development projects. In the first, 61 kilometres of roads and a bridge will be constructed. Another project will see two hundred protected agricultural greenhouses being built. Both projects are designed to provide people with access to social services, markets and employment.

The rural roads will be constructed in Badghis and Baghlan provinces, the bridge in Takhar and the greenhouses in Nangarhar and Balkhand either Ghor or Uruzgan.

The road building project worth US$ 5,293,238 will be implemented over a year by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. The greenhouses project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation over two years, at a cost of US$ 1,477,193. The greenhouses will be used for the production of high value cash crops.

"The CNTF has been established to support projects that the Afghan Government thinks are priorities in the Government's overall Counter Narcotics strategy", General Khodaidad Deputy Minister of Counter Narcotics said. "We want to see more of such important projects are funded and implemented. We also ask the donor nations and institutions to increase their donations to the CNTF".

Established officially on 29 October 2005 by the GoAand UNDP, the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF) aims to support the Government of Afghanistan in its efforts to fight poppy production and the drug trade. The CNTF is designed in a way that the GoAretains the overall responsibility for the programme. The Ministry of Finance is the executing entity and the Ministry of Counter Narcotics acts as the programme directorate GoAline ministries are the primary implementing partners for projects funded through the CNTF.

The National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS) of Afghanistan was launched during the London Conference in January 2006. The NDCS outlines four priorities for combating and ultimately ending the illicit narcotics trade in Afghanistan. These are: law enforcement; provision of diversified and legal livelihoods; drug demand reduction; and institution-building at Central and Provincial level. The CNTF supports counter narcotics related projects and activities that contribute in fulfilling the objectives of the NDCS's priorities.

The NDCS identifies a further four activity areas (pillars): public information; law enforcement and criminal justice; eradication; and regional cooperation. Projects addressing these issues may also be funded through the CNTF.

"The Scourge of Narcotics must be fought through a comprehensive approach as described in the National Drug Control Strategy." General Khodaidad added. "MCN is here to ensure that this happens".

Pakistan 'vital in war on terror' – BBC

The Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said the country's future rested on defeating terrorism. Mr Aziz was speaking at a flag-raising ceremony in Islamabad on the occasion of Pakistan's 59th Independence Day. He also said that the country had a "vital role in the international war against terrorism".

Last week Pakistan helped British and US intelligence agencies foil an alleged plot to blow up US-bound passenger planes from London.

Mr Aziz also said Pakistan would promote peace in Afghanistan. "We will continue our support for promotion of peace and democracy in Afghanistan."

Mr Aziz also assured Kashmiris that the on-going peace process with neighbouring India does not imply that the cause of Kashmir will be abandoned. "I assure Kashmiri elders, brothers and sisters that Pakistan will support them politically, diplomatically and morally until they get their rights."

In 2004, Pakistan and India began a peace process that led to improved relations between the two countries. But little progress has been made on the Kashmir issue, which is the core issue between the two rivals.

Late on Sunday, President General Pervez Musharraf said in a speech that Pakistan would not be threatened. "We are a strong nation and nobody dares threaten or coerce us." Pakistan won freedom from British rule on 14 August 1947, a minute before its neighbour, India.

Airline Terror Plot: Pakistan Stays a Terrorism Source - The Wall Street Journal

Extremist Islamic Groups Rooted in Kashmir Dispute Join Attacks Against West

Five years after the U.S. began counterterrorism operations inside Pakistan, the country remains a principal center for terrorist training globally, say intelligence and counterterrorism officials in the U.S., Central Asia and Middle East.

Over the past year alone, the U.S., Lebanon, Afghanistan and the United Kingdom have arrested suspected militants who either had trained in Pakistan, or were preparing to do so -- most recently in what British authorities said was a London-based plot they interrupted that would have attacked U.S.-bound airliners.

British officials have categorized 24 suspects they arrested Thursday as "homegrown" terrorists radicalized while living inside the U.K. But there is evidence the suspects had ties to Pakistan, and some had traveled there recently. A U.S. official said some of the conceptualizing for the plot had occurred in Pakistan.

Pakistan is a nexus for extremist Islamic groups, many of which grew out of militant groups active in Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region Pakistan and India have fought over since 1947. "If you're in southeast London, who is your first point of contact if you want to get into terrorism?. . . . You make contact with Kashmiri groups," said Hussain Haqani, a Boston University expert on Pakistan who has advised three Pakistani prime ministers.

Pakistan's role as a terrorist breeding ground is a legacy of both tensions with its neighbor and rival, India, and of the distortions that the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union forced on the region. In recent years, groups that emerged from those conflicts appeared to blur with al Qaeda and assume its mission of attacking the West. They also have helped to fracture Pakistan, an autocracy that Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, attempts to rule without a popular mandate.

Pakistan's troubles mirror in many ways the role Lebanon has played in destabilizing the Middle East in recent months. In both countries, pro-Western governments have been undercut by militants largely operating outside their direct control. In Pakistan's case, the main forces are the Taliban, the Islamists who once ruled Afghanistan, and al Qaeda; in Lebanon's, it is Hezbollah. In both countries, as well, elements in the security services have sympathized, if not cooperated, with these extremist groups.

Mr. Haqani and other Pakistan experts also say they believe elements of the country's intelligence service keep in contact with militant groups. Those links came under scrutiny in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S. The Bush administration showered Pakistan with aid and military hardware, including recently approved F-16 fighter jets, in exchange for Gen. Musharraf's tolerance of U.S. military activities in Afghanistan and help in arresting al Qaeda operatives in his country.

But despite Islamabad's arrest of more than 600 militants over the past five years, Pakistan keeps producing extremists. Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that it broke up a seven-nation al Qaeda cell that was plotting to bomb underground subway stations and other infrastructure inside the U.S. Among the masterminds of the plot, said the FBI and Lebanese government, was a 31-year-old Beirut-based economics teacher, Assem Hammoud, who was detained in Lebanon with detailed maps of U.S. infrastructure. Lebanese officials say Mr. Hammoud was communicating with operatives ranging from Syria to Iran via the Internet and was set to fly to Pakistan for munitions training.

"We arrested him two days before he was supposed to begin" in Pakistan, said the chief of Lebanon's police forces, Major Gen. Achraf Rifi, in an interview. "He was then to move to Canada" to begin executing the plot, he said. Another alleged terrorist plot involving the Internet and multiple countries also was tied directly to training camps in Pakistan, say counterterrorism officials in the U.S. and the U.K. In June, Canadian authorities arrested a cell of alleged Islamist militants in Toronto after monitoring the Internet traffic they posted through a London-based Web-site operator. The Toronto arrests were tied to a global investigation that also involved suspected militants operating in Bosnia, Denmark, the U.K. and Atlanta.

As the investigation broadened, U.K. police arrested two ethnic-Pakistani men in Manchester airport on terrorism-related charges in June. One of the men, 21-year-old Abed Khan, was charged with threatening to use explosives and poisons as part of a terrorist plot. An official working on the investigation said Mr. Khan had been trained in Pakistan's tribal areas. "More and more we're seeing people going to Pakistan for munitions training," said the official. "The camps that were in Afghanistan have moved to Pakistan." Members of President Hamid Karzai's government in Afghanistan also assert that militants operating inside their country are trained in Pakistan. They apparently draw inspiration from another theater of violence: Their attacks have grown increasingly lethal, as Pakistan-based militants employ many of the same suicide attacks that are common in Iraq. They also have been developing the same improvised-explosive devices that Sunni militants have been using against U.S. military targets in Iraq. "Pakistan needs to do a lot more to combat the activities of the Taliban" and other groups, said Afghanistan's ambassador to Washington, Tayeb Jawad, in an interview last month. "Pakistan is also a victim of this . . . I hope the generals of Pakistan realize this." Pakistani officials, in turn, say it is Afghanistan that remains the terrorist breeding ground. Mahmud Ali Durrani, Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S., told reporters Friday that he thought that the London terrorist plot had roots in al Qaeda affiliates in Afghanistan. "There are no training camps in Pakistan for jihad," he said. The continuing links to terrorism in Pakistan draw sharp criticism from many counterterrorism officials and South Asia experts.

Gen. Musharraf has constantly stressed that his government has done more than any other country to combat al Qaeda, and cites the numbers of arrests and the fierce battles waged by Pakistani troops against militants in the tribal areas. He also has described how difficult it is for Islamabad to fully control some border areas, which have traditionally been autonomously run under tribal law. Gen. Musharraf himself has been the victim of two attempted assassination attempts since 2003. In both cases, elements of Pakistan's armed force conspired with militant Islamist groups, say Pakistani officials. Still, many counterterrorism officials say Islamabad's failings against terrorism stem from its continuing attempt to differentiate between al Qaeda and the Kashmir-focused groups it has trained to fight against India for decades.

Letting these groups flourish inside Pakistan, say counterterrorism officials, has served as a magnet for self-starting militants from Europe and the Middle East that continue to seek out training. The Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Kashmiri group, often trains these aspiring terrorists themselves, or puts them directly in contact with al Qaeda. This is seen as the process that brought some of the July 7, 2005, London bombers in contact with al Qaeda militants last year.

Afghan jobs popular - Up to 2,000 apply for 55 service positions in war zone By MAX MAUDIE, EDMONTON SUN

Would you like a job abroad where a rocket could explode at your feet? It turns out there are thousands of Canadians applying to fill 55 twice-yearly rotations into the Middle East supporting Canadian troops.

"It's difficult (work)," said Gordon Wells, the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency's (CFPSA) manager for deployed operations.

"It's a unique environment. It's very long hours. It's very hot. We're always under the same threats as soldiers when we're in camp." Wells was on the ground in Afghanistan when Canada's Provincial Reconstruction Team set up its Kabul shop in 2003.

There are three sites in the region now where civilian contractors operate things like canteens, fitness centres, troop travel co-ordination for leave and mess halls. "Our slogan is serving those who serve," said CFPSA spokesman Brenna Morell.

Rockets occasionally rain down on the bases, but injuries to civilian workers have been minor and few, said Wells. "We had a couple of people lose a bit of their hearing from some of the blasts, but no permanent damage and no serious injuries ... knock on wood."

And the workers are protected with flak vests and helmets. "It's only if they come under attack. They're trained to get their flak vests and helmets on," said Wells.

As for pay, he said a cashier there makes more than your average cashier in Canada. While a cashier's contract - based on a 40-hour work week - will pay them about $15 an hour, Wells said contractors know they won't be working 40-hour weeks.

"They're working at least 12- to 15-hour days," said Wells. "You're there until the job is done. We try to give them a half day off a week, as much as we can."

Workers also get $1,800 a month, tax free, in risk allowance and foreign service pay, as well as a three-week paid break halfway through their six-month tour.

Wells said there have been up to 2,000 applications for the 50-plus positions, timed to rotate in and out halfway between the troops' rotations.

He said the number of applications may drop in the wake of the recent increase of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan. "Not everyone wants to go into a war zone."

Those deaths have been hard on service personnel, said Wells. "We see them on a 24-7 basis. You can't (help) but get to know them," he said. "You're speaking to them the night before, and the next day ..."

He said workers range in age from 19 to 50, and most are female. He couldn't say yesterday whether any Edmontonians were working on a Canadian base in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan stun India - The Daily Star

Afghanistan put on a spirited show to hold three-time SAF Games champions India to a goalless draw in the opening match in Group B.

Sri Lanka, undaunted by the day's bomb-blast in the heart of the capital that killed seven people, edged Maldives 1-0 in the day's second match.

A last gasp penalty helped Nepal snatch a point from Bangladesh as the two sides shared a 1-1 draw in the third match and last match of the opening day of the 10th South Asian Games football competition at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Monday.

Afghanistan beats Qatar by 66 runs - Javid Hamim - KABUL, Aug 14

(Pajhwok Afghan News) - The national cricket team defeated Qatar by 66 runs in its first match in the 17-nation cricket tournament played in Malaysia.

Winning the toss, skipper of the opposite team invited Afghanistan to bat first. The team piled 239 runs in the limited 50 overs for the loss of seven wickets. Captain Raees Ahmadzai was the top scorer with 59 runs followed by Nabi Ahmadzai with 52.

In reply to the huge target set by the Afghan squad, Qatar scored 173 runs for all-out in 48th over of the game. Raees Ahmadzai was declared man-of-the-match for his best performance with bat.

Expressing satisfaction over the performance of the team, chief of the cricket federation Shahzada Masoud told Pajhwok Afghan News the players had got valuable experience and morale boost during their England visit.

National coach Taj Malik Alam hoped the team would remain successful in the next matches as well. He said the players were feeling well in the environment.

Describing the tournament in Malaysia as of utmost importance for the Afghan squad, Alam said victory would pave way for the team's entry in international level games.

The teams from 17 countries have been distributed in four groups and Afghanistan has been placed in group 'D' with Qatar, Iran and Thailand.

Names of Afghan players participating in the tournament are: Raees Ahmadzai (C), Nauroz Mangal (V/C), Karim Sadiq, Hasti Gul Abid, Daulat Ahmadzai, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Asghar, Pacha Hussain, Samiullah, Hamid Hussain, Ahmad Shah, Khaliqdad Nuri, Noor Ali, and Nasir Khan.

[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.]