In this bulletin:

• As drought and floods strike different Afghan regions, UN agencies rush to help
• Pakistan Arrests 29 Taliban Suspects
• Al-Qaida Havens Raided in Afghanistan
• Four policemen killed in Ghazni ambush
• NATO says Taliban use Hezbollah tactics
• Pakistan claims Afghan tie to bombing plot
• Detainee confesses links with Taliban
• Canadians hurt in Afghan attack
• Deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan beyond difficult, Hillier says
• Opposition to Afghan mission rises in latest poll
• Prince Harry Could Be Sent To Afghanistan
• China willing to invest in mining sector: Minister
• Development agency assistance totals over $3.5 billion
• Development agency notes positive quarter in Afghanistan
• Alternative livelihood: CNTF approves fund for projects
• Japan Aids Afghan Refugees in Pakistan - $2.5 million donation to UNHCR
• Vocational center opened in Bamyan
• Minister to consult women intellectuals
• Sayaf's tirade against AIHRC, Tolo TV
• Afghan TV coverage gets up MPs' noses
• SAF Games: India, Afghanistan match ends in tie
• India's foray into Central Asia
• Clinton Sounds Off on Terror, Republicans

As drought and floods strike different Afghan regions, UN agencies rush to help - U.N. News Service;  15 August 2006

15 August 2006 - The United Nations humanitarian arm has stepped in to
assist Afghanistan, where the population is suffering on two fronts –
drought is devastating large swathes of the country and recent floods have
caused damage to two provinces.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is giving
$11 million in emergency drought relief, according to a statement issued
yesterday in New York, as part of a programme to provide food, water and
health services to those in need.

An estimated 2.5 million Afghans face an imminent food crisis because of
inadequate rainfall during April and May, OCHA said, swelling the ranks of
roughly 6.5 million people considered to be at seasonal or chronic risk of
food insecurity because of the harsh conditions.

Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Margareta Wahlström
said “drought devastates communities in many ways and leads to spiralling
impoverishment. Households consume their harvests much sooner than usual,
which leads to increased malnutrition; seeds are eaten before the next
year’s planting season; animals and household goods are sold; and migration
to cities takes place.”

Nearly all of the money from OCHA will go to a World Food Programme (WFP)
operation to bring food to 1.7 million people across 13 provinces, while
some funds will go to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health
Organization (WHO) to help them with their work.

Meanwhile, recent floods have affected more than 5,500 families in Ghazni
and Paktya provinces in Afghanistan’s east, a spokeswoman for the UN
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told reporters at a briefing in
Kabul.

UNICEF and WFP are distributing medical kits, food and other items such as
blankets and cooking utensils, and have announced they will hand out more
aid once a full assessment of the needs in the two provinces has been made.

Pakistan Arrests 29 Taliban Suspects – RFE/RL

QUETTA, Pakistan; August 15, 2006 -- Pakistani forces arrested 29 Taliban suspects today after raiding a private hospital in southwestern Pakistan.

The raid took place at a hospital in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province, where at least "10 men" were being treated for wounds sustained in fighting in
southern Afghanistan's Kandahar Province. Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said security agents arrested 29 suspected Taliban insurgents, including two local commanders. He said the men were brought to the hospital from Afghanistan "in recent days," but did not specify when.

Al-Qaida Havens Raided in Afghanistan

By FISNIK ABRASHI The Associated Press Wednesday, August 16, 2006

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- U.S. and Afghan forces raided compounds suspected of being al-Qaida sanctuaries in southeastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, seizing weapons and explosives and arresting eight people, the U.S. military said.

Meanwhile, insurgents hit a Canadian base in southern Afghanistan with mortars, wounding six soldiers, a Canadian military spokesman said.

The compounds targeted in the pre-dawn raids near the villages of Paru Kheyl and Jabeh in the Yaqubi district of Khost province were believed to be sanctuaries for "al-Qaida facilitators," according to a military statement.

"Credible intelligence linked the targeted terrorists to assisting foreign fighters and plotting improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Khost province," the statement said.

Weapons, explosives and communications equipment were found during the searches, it added.

Those captured were being questioned to determine their identities and "their level of involvement in known terrorist activities," the statement said.

In a similar operation in the same district Tuesday, U.S. and Afghan forces seized bomb-making materials and killed a suspected al-Qaida operative and arrested 13 other suspects.

In that raid, most people inside the compound complied with the troops' request that they surrender, but a militant disguised as a woman resisted arrest and was shot dead, said Col. Tom Collins, the chief U.S. military spokesman.

More than 60 women and children were inside the compound at the time of the operation, he said.

The attack on the Canadians occurred in Zhari district in southern Kandahar province Tuesday, but none of the soldiers' injuries was life-threatening, said Capt. Edward Stewart, a Canadian military spokesman.

Seven Canadian troops have been killed in the area since NATO-led troops took control of security from the U.S.-led coalition on Aug. 1 in Afghanistan's insurgency-wracked southern provinces.

U.S. and NATO forces have stepped up operations along Afghanistan's eastern and southern borders with Pakistan, where wanted al-Qaida fugitives are believed to be at large along with allies from the toppled Taliban regime and Islamic extremists belonging to Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Afghanistan is suffering its deadliest bout of violence since the hard-line Taliban regime was ousted in late 2001.

Four policemen killed in Ghazni ambush

Pajhwok - By Sher Ahmad Haidar - GHAZNI CITY - Four policemen were killed in an ambush by Taliban fighters in Gero district of the volatile province of Ghazni on Monday.

A police party was on way from Qarabagh district to assist their colleagues in Gero when they were attacked by Taliban in Jilam village. Four of them died in the ambush.

Provincial police chief Tafsir Khan Khogyani told Pajhwok Afghan News the slain were part of the police convoy despatched to help the Gero district chief Abdul Rahim Disiwal, who was besieged along with a police party by Taliban.

Disiwal, who later escaped unhurt, said the US-led coalition forces came to their rescue. He said the coalition's planes bombarded positions of Taliban paving the way for their escape.

Taliban's local commander Mulla Haroon said the US bombing did not inflict any losses on them. Ghazni province is witnessing an upsurge in Taliban's attacks against government and coalition forces and residents say fighters in some areas roam freely with guns and RPGs on their shoulders.

NATO says Taliban use Hezbollah tactics

Kabul (AFP) - A senior NATO official likened the tactics of Taliban militants who hide among civilians to those of Hezbollah in Lebanon on Tuesday. U.S. and Afghan forces killed an al-Qaida suspect disguised as a woman during a raid.

Meanwhile, insurgents in western Afghanistan killed six police officers, including a new local police chief, and wounded four other officers.

Taliban-led militants have escalated attacks in recent months, sparking the deadliest fighting since the country's hard-line regime was ousted in the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001 for hosting Osama bin Laden.

Most of the violence has taken place in volatile southern provinces where a NATO-led force took control of security from the American-run coalition on Aug. 1. Militants have used suicide bombings, rocket attacks and ambushes with an intensity that has surprised Afghan and Western officials.

Hikmet Cetin, NATO's top civilian representative in Afghanistan, said the Taliban's method of blending in with local civilian populations after attacks is similar to a tactic used by Hezbollah and militants in his own country, Turkey, where troops are fighting separatist Kurdish guerrillas.

"This kind of strategy is very, very difficult not only for NATO in Afghanistan but also in other parts of the world," Cetin said at a news conference in the capital, Kabul.

Afghan and U.S. troops killed one al-Qaida suspect and detained 13 others Tuesday in a raid on eastern Afghanistan's Khost province, seizing numerous detonators and other bomb-making material, chief U.S. military spokesman Col. Tom Collins said.

The troops asked people inside the compound in the village of Yaqubi to surrender. Most did, but a militant disguised as a woman resisted arrest and was shot dead, Collins said. More than 60 women and children were inside the compound at the time of the operation, he said.

Militants also fatally shot a new local police chief and five other officers in an ambush on a desert road in the volatile Dalaram district of Farah province, provincial police chief Gen. Sayed Aqa Saqib said.

Taliban fighters have moved into the district after fleeing NATO-led military operations in southern Helmand province.

In neighboring Pakistan, government forces arrested 29 Taliban suspects, including two local militant commanders during a raid on a private hospital, Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said.

The raid took place at the Al-Khair Hospital in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province — a city viewed by Afghan and Western officials as a hotbed for Taliban militants and their leaders, despite persistent Pakistani denials.

Hospital official Mohammed Amir confirmed that 10 men who were arrested from the hospital were being treated for wounds sustained in fighting in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province. It appeared that others arrested at the hospital had been accompanying the wounded.

With the increased violence in southern Afghanistan and NATO's deployment there, Western diplomatic pressure has been growing on Pakistan to crack down on militants and take more action to prevent cross-border infiltration.

Afghan soldiers elsewhere killed a police officer during an armed clash following a car crash, police said.

Five soldiers were arrested after the incident in the Jabalussaraj district of the northern Parwan province, said Gen. Abdul Rahman Sayidkhail, the province's police chief. Vehicles driven by the police and the soldiers crashed, sparking an argument and a gunbattle, during which soldiers shot the policeman dead, he said.

Pakistan claims Afghan tie to bombing plot

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Pakistani officials investigatiing the foiled aircraft bombing plot in Britain say they have uncovered links to al-Qaida in Afghanistan.

The Mail and Guardian reported Aug. 14 that Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao told journalists that bombing suspect Rashid Rauf gave investigators "many, many clues which link this plan with Afghanistan, especially the al-Qaida of Osama bin Laden."

Following a court hearing Rauf has been remanded in custody for a further two weeks. Rauf, a British citizen, was arrested in Pakistan last week. Both British and Pakistani intelligence agencies believe that Rauf was the mastermind behind the failed attack. Britain has begun efforts to extradite Rauf to Britain.

Afghan-Pakistani relations have become more tense recently, with Kabul charging that Pakistan does not do enough to rein in militants along the border, a charge that Islamabad strongly denies.

Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected any suggestion of an Afghan connection to the aircraft bombing plot, asserting, "As the recent evidences and ongoing investigations have revealed, al-Qaida continues to enjoy safe haven outside Afghanistan." The ministry labeled Pakistani allegations "diversionary."

Detainee confesses links with Taliban

SAR-I-PUL, Aug 14 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Security officials in northern Sar-i-Pul province said they had arrested a man allegedly involved in bomb and arson attacks on three schools in the province.

Sources in the intelligence department told Pajhwok Afghan news the accused had been identified as Sayed Abdul Wahid, local leader of Taliban militants in the area.

The source said the detainee was police chief of Gosfandi district during the Taliban regime. After the fall of Taliban, Abdul Wahid fled to Pakistan. After living with other Taliban leaders in Quetta for some time, he had returned to

Afghanistan to become part of the anti-government campaign.

The source said Wahid had confessed that he was sent by Maulvi Gul Muhammad to Sar-i-Pul with some remote-controlled explosive devices for disruptive activities.

In a video-tape received to Pajhwok Afghan News, the arrested man said he was planning a terrorist operation in the province. He also confessed burning of Gul Tipa school in Sar-i-Pul. He said they had received 40,000 afghanis from Maulvi Gul Ahmad for the attack.

He said two of his associates Sayed Rasul and Sayed Noor Muhammad torched two schools in Baghavi and Asiab villages of this province. He said Maulvi Gul Muhammad had links with Paksitan's intelligence agency ISI.

Ahmad Khalid Moahid

Canadians hurt in Afghan attack – BBC

Six Canadian soldiers have been wounded in a mortar attack in southern Afghanistan, Canadian officials say. A Canadian military spokesman blamed Tuesday evening's attack in Kandahar province on Taleban forces.

About 2,000 Canadian soldiers are based in Kandahar, as part of the Nato-led international force in Afghanistan. Meanwhile US-led and Afghan security forces say they have raided two suspected al-Qaeda compounds in eastern Afghanistan and arrested eight people.

The Canadian patrol came under mortar attack in Zhari district, about 25km (15 miles) west of Kandahar, military spokesman John Nethercott told AFP news agency. "During that attack, six Canadian soldiers were injured. None of the injuries is life-threatening."

In Khost province, another hotbed of insurgency, pre-dawn raids were carried out near the villages of Paru Kheyl and Jabeh in Yaqubi district, the US military said.

Weapons, explosives and communications equipment were seized, a statement said. Several women and children were present in one of the compounds. "During each operation, the assault forces requested a peaceful surrender of people within the compounds," the statement said.

"Eight suspected terrorists were taken into custody during the operations, five in Paru Kheyl and three in Jabeh." Al-Qaeda and Taleban militants have mounted a series of attacks in Afghanistan in recent months.

The Nato peacekeeping force is intended to help extend government control across the country, but is increasingly occupied with fighting militants.

Deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan beyond difficult, Hillier says

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. (CP) - The recent rash of Canadian deaths has been "beyond difficult" for troops based in Afghanistan and their relatives, the country's top soldier said Tuesday.

"I don't think tough quite describes it," said Gen. Rick Hillier in his first public remarks since the bodies of four Canadians killed on Aug. 3 were returned home. "Tough is when you lose one soldier. When you lose the number that we've lost over these 10, 12 days here, that goes beyond that difficulty."

Seven Canadians have died in Afghanistan this month. Hillier, who attended the repatriation Monday night of a military medic at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario, said the knowledge that the victims were helping rebuild the war-torn country does little to console their mourning families.

"All of that, when you meet grieving parents or a young widow with young children, is actually not a great deal of comfort when you're talking to them," Hillier said in a speech at the annual Canadian Bar Association conference.

"But you know what? I go to Trenton to show my respect and show my gratitude to those great young soldiers and their families, maybe trying to help inspire the families to get through the toughest days of their lives. And you know something? I always leave Trenton inspired by them."

Cpl. Andrew Eykelenboom was killed Friday when a suicide bomber plowed an explosives-laden pickup truck into a NATO convoy in southern Afghanistan. The 23-year-old is the first Canadian military medic killed in action since the Korean War.

A funeral for Cpl. Bryce Keller, who was killed along with three other Canadian soldiers on Aug. 3 during a battle with Taliban fighters, will be held Tuesday in Sherwood Park, Alta. Twenty-six Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died in Afghanistan since deploying to the war-torn country in 2002 .

Opposition to Afghan mission rises in latest poll

Support for sending troops hits new low; Harper's Mideast policy also under fire- JEFF SALLOT (Globe and Mail 8/16/06)

OTTAWA -- As Canadian casualty figures climb, public support drops for the military operation in Afghanistan, according to a new poll that suggests a 55-per-cent majority now oppose sending troops to that troubled country.

The minority Conservative government also seems to be out of step with the public mood on support for Israel in its war with Hezbollah. A plurality of 44 per cent of poll respondents said they disagree with Stephen Harper's support for Israel, while only 33 per cent said they agree with the Prime Minister.

Opposition to Mr. Harper's position on these two foreign policy issues is strongest in Quebec, a province he has been courting in the hope of building a national majority in the next election.

But even in the rest of the country, including the Conservative-dominated West, most Canadians clearly believe the Afghan mission is a mistake.

The poll by the Strategic Counsel for The Globe and Mail and CTV was conducted from Thursday through Sunday, a period in which Canadian news was dominated by a string of casualties suffered by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. A thousand Canadian adults responded to the poll, which should be accurate nationally within 3.1 percentage points.

"Afghanistan is one of the problem issues for the government. It is a point of vulnerability. It remains a nagging concern for Canadians," said the Strategic Counsel's Tim Woolstencroft.

Support for the Afghan mission has been sliding since March and is now at its lowest point. Mr. Harper paid a surprise visit to the troops in Afghanistan in early March. Polls just after that showed a 55-per-cent majority supporting sending troops. The numbers have now flipped, with 55 per cent saying they oppose the involvement and only 37 per cent saying they support the mission.

A follow-up question suggests that opposition to the Afghanistan policy is even stronger if people are reminded of the casualties. Asked if the lives of more than 20 Canadian soldiers was too high a price to pay to bring stability and peace to Afghanistan, 58 per cent said it was. Only 36 per cent said it is the price that must be paid. About 6 per cent didn't know or didn't answer.

Foreign policy issues rarely determine the outcome of Canadian elections, except in time of war, Mr. Woolstencroft said.

The more Canadians come to believe their country is involved in a war, the greater the chance the issue will become decisive in the minds of voters, the pollster said. This is likely if casualties climb.

But the Conservatives could turn opinion around with a concerted effort to sell the idea of the Afghan mission as being a multinational effort to help that country, Mr. Woolstencroft said.

Many people don't seem to understand Canada's involvement is part of a mission with a number of other countries from NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, he said, noting that Canadians tend to support peacekeeping missions conducted along with other countries.

The new poll indicates many Canadians don't know whether Mr. Harper has taken sides in the Israeli-Hezbollah war. About 52 per cent told the pollsters they didn't know or refused to answer when asked if they thought Ottawa is neutral. Another 13 per cent thought Mr. Harper was in fact taking a neutral stand while 35 per cent said the government was not neutral.

When told in a follow-up question that Mr. Harper "fully supports Israeli actions" in the conflict, 44 per cent said they disagreed with that policy. Only 33 per cent agreed.

There is little change in these numbers since the pollsters first asked the question in late July. Once again, Quebeckers are most likely to say they disagree with Mr. Harper's position -- 63 per cent disagreeing and only 12 per cent agreeing.

*****

Difference of opinion

Canadians across the country increasingly say they oppose sending Canadian troops to Afghanistan and believe the Conservative government is taking a lopsided stance on Israeli military action in Lebanon.

Do you support or oppose sending Canadian troops to Afghanistan?

CANADA OVERALL Support: 37% Oppose: 55% Don't know: 8%

QUEBEC Support: 21% Oppose: 75% Don't know: 4%

REST OF CANADA Support: 42% Oppose: 49% Don't know: 9%

*****

Canadian casualties: Is this the price we have to pay to bring stability and peace to Afghanistan, or is the price too high?

CANADA OVERALL Price we have to pay: 36% Too high a price: 58% Don't know: 6%

QUEBEC Price we have to pay: 23% Too high a price: 74% Don't know: 3%

REST OF CANADA Price we have to pay: 41% Too high a price: 53% Don't know: 6%

*****

Do you think the Canadian government's position on the Israel-Hezbollah conflict is a neutral one or is it supporting one side?

CANADA OVERALL Neutral position: 13% Supporting one side: 35% Don't know: 52%

QUEBEC Neutral position: 8% Supporting one side: 42% Don't know: 50%

REST OF CANADA Neutral position: 15% Supporting one side: 32% Don't know: 53%

*****

Do you agree with Prime Minister Harper's support for Israeli actions?

CANADA OVERALL Agree: 33% Disagree: 44% Neither agree or disagree: 17%

Don't know: 6%

QUEBEC Agree: 12% Disagree: 63% Neither agree or disagree: 22% Don't know: 4%

REST OF CANADA Agree: 40% Disagree: 38% Neither agree or disagree: 16% Don't know: 6%

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. SOURCE: THE STRATEGIC COUNSEL

Prince Harry Could Be Sent To Afghanistan - August 15, 2006 - Julie Farby - All Headline News Staff Writer

London, England (AHN)-Britain's Prince Harry could be sent to fight in Afghanistan.

The 21-year-old royal-who is currently training at Bovington Army barracks in Dorset, England-will reportedly find out where his regiment will be posted before Christmas.

Harry, who is third in line to the throne, will apparently be flown out to join his Blues and Royals regiment next spring and it is likely they will be based in Afghanistan.

A source told Britain's newspaper The Mail that "Harry has started preparing himself to go to war. He expects to be sent to Afghanistan to join the rest of his regiment. The Blues and Royals provide valuable reconnaissance work, seeking out where the enemy is hiding, and there is a need for that in Afghanistan at the moment."

Meanwhile, Harry's father, Prince Charles, is said to be concerned his son could be sent to the war-torn country and is allowing him to have some fun before he is posted, adding that, "Prince Charles has not been so strict when it comes to disciplining him recently, and has said he appreciates Harry needs some freedom."

The source goes on to say, "Charles seems proud his son will soon be serving his country on foreign shores and Harry has been allowed drinking more often in the past few weeks."

China willing to invest in mining sector: Minister

(Pajhwok Afghan News) Zainab Mohammadi - KABUL, Aug 13 - Minister for Mines engineer Mohammad Ibrahim Adil has said that Chinese investors are eager to invest in mining sector in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a news conference after return from his two-day visit to China, the minister said the Chinese investors wanted to explore the mining sector. They did not invest in the past because they were not fully informed about the prospects.

He said during his meetings with officials and investors, he had informed them about the investment-friendly environment in Afghanistan. They were also briefed about security and told that 80 per cent of the country was peaceful.

He said after briefing them on security, laws and investment opportunities, several companies had shown interest in coming to Afghanistan to venture in the mining sector.

The minister said Turkey was the only country which had invested in the mining sector while Britain would soon start its project. He said the Chinese officials had been asked to extend the China-Tajikistan railway track to Hajigak Port of Afghanistan.

The minister said during his meetings, he had asked the Chinese authorities to pay the one billion US dollar of $10 billion China had allocated for the poor countries. The Chinese authorities promised to cooperate with the Afghan government, said the minister.

PRESIDENT OF ARIANA AFGHAN AIRLINES ADVANCES MAJOR INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT OF AIR SERVICE TO AFGHANISTAN –

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President of Ariana Afghan Airlines, Dr. Mohammed Nadir Atash, announced today two major investment proposals by U.S. and European companies.  Ariana, Afghanistan’s national carrier, has provided air passenger and cargo service to Afghanistan for over five decades and has expanded its operations and service since the fall of the Taliban.  The special presentation took place at the Embassy and included officials from the companies seeking to invest in Afghanistan, as well as U.S. government, industry, and media representatives.

Dr. Atash stated, “These investments will create further improvements to air service for Afghanistan, including domestic, international and cargo services.  I am pleased to have made this opportunity possible, which assures a very positive and bright future for Ariana.” 

One proposal includes a major capital commitment in the amount of $400-700 million USD, marking one of the largest scale wholly private financed foreign direct investments in Afghanistan.  The investment proposal entails new mechanisms to finance and implement the full upgrade of Ariana, which includes: upgrade and operation of aircraft fleet for international and domestic routes, ground handling equipment, computer, communication, reservations and security systems, passenger and cargo handling systems, provision of management expertise, and training for pilots, engineers and crew.  These steps will help to improve Ariana’s operations in accordance with current worldwide standards and help Ariana to regain its former reputation as one of the best air carriers in Asia.

The other proposal is from a U.S. company establishing much-needed direct air cargo service between the U.S. and Afghanistan.  As part of Dr. Atash’s commitment to promote the export of Afghan products, Ariana would receive at-cost air cargo space for use by Afghan companies to export their products to the United States and other countries.

Dr. Atash further stated, “During my service as President of Ariana, the airline has achieved significant goals.  This includes improvement of aircraft fleet, financial systems, reservation processes, maintenance and operations standards, training, and most importantly, bringing transparency and accountability to an important Afghan institution.”

Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad expressed support to the President of Ariana at the historic signing ceremony and stated, “We look forward to turning Ariana into a world class airline.” “The infusion of raw capital and expansion of cargo services will help materialize the goals set by the capable leadership of Ariana.”

Both agreements will be presented to the Government of Afghanistan for review and approval.

Development agency assistance totals over $3.5 billion

COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN - COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER Aug. 15, 2006

BAGRAM AIRFIELD , Afghanistan – Over the last four years, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has contributed more than $3.5 billion to Afghanistan , the agency has reported. The following is a breakdown of where USAID funds contributed to improve Afghan civil programs:

Democracy and Governance: $316.06 million

Economic Growth: $475.89 million

Education: $208.92 million

Health: $242 million

Infrastructure: $1,093.02 million

Agriculture: $164.59 million

Alternative Livelihoods Program: $175 million

Provincial Reconstruction Teams: $144.45 million

Reintegrating Former Combatants: $20.42 million

  “Together with Afghan National Security Forces and the Coalition, USAID is working with the government of Afghanistan to build a safe, free and prosperous future, at peace with its neighbors and a friend to freedom around the world,” said Col. Thomas Collins, Coalition spokesman.

Development agency notes positive quarter in Afghanistan

COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN - COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER - Aug. 15, 2006

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society, or I-PACS, enjoyed a productive second quarter, from April to June, according to the program’s sixth quarterly report.

The I-PACS program is managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a non-governmental organization with a mission to provide economic and humanitarian assistance to countries in need.

Dr. Dianna Wuagneux, USAID development advisor for Combined Joint Task Force – 76, said the program’s success was a result of coordinated efforts by all major Afghan non-governmental organizations at several joint events.

Wuagneux said three of the major events conducted included a seminar on NGO Law and Code of Conduct, a workshop on Civil Society and human rights conventions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“This was the first time seven major coordinating bodies, including the Afghan Civil Society Forum, the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and the Afghan NGO Coordinating Bureau, worked together with a common voice on issues of concern for civil society in Afghanistan ,” said Wuagneux. “Together, the seven represented agencies make up virtually all civil society organizations in this country.”

The Coalition works along side USAID to bring reconstruction and economic development to the people of Afghanistan . Since this spring, the two entities have combined to contribute over $40 million in reconstruction aid to the country.

Alternative livelihood: CNTF approves fund for projects

KABUL, Aug 14 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The Afghan Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF) has approved funding for a number of developmental projects in rural areas.

The projects included construction of 61-kilometre roads, a bridge and two hundred protected agricultural greenhouses.

A press release issued here said the roads would be constructed in Badghis and Baghlan provinces, the bridge in Takhar and the greenhouses in Nangarhar and Balkh province.

The road construction project will be completed by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development at the cost of $5,293,238 in one year. The greenhouses project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in two years at the cost of $1,477,193. The greenhouses would be used for production of high value cash crops, said the release.

Commenting on the initiation of the new projects, Deputy Minister for Counter Narcotics General Khodaidad said CNTF would support projects which existed on the priority list of the government. He asked donor countries and organisations to increase funds for the government's counter-narcotics strategy.

Established in October 2005, the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF) is the joint venture of the UNDP and government of Afghanistan to uproot poppies and successfully push forward the war against drugs and its smuggling.

Japan Aids Afghan Refugees in Pakistan - $2.5 million donation to UNHCR

Japan has contributed US$2.5 million to support the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) local chapter for the assistance of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.

"We are very grateful to the government and people of Japan for their continued support for Afghans in Pakistan," said UNHCR's Deputy Representative in Islamabad, Michael Zwack.

"Japan has been a long-time supporter of our work here, from annual contributions, to civil initiatives like the peace pack, and refugee health screenings provided by the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia," he added.

Japan has included in the top 10 contributors list of UNHCR its total annual contribution for UNHCR's global operations, which is $60 million for this year, Babar Baloch, senior media assistant, told OMNI.

He said the Japanese have already contributed $1 million for earthquake victim rehabilitation operations since October last year.

The $2.5 million will go towards UNHCR's projects in water, health care, education, and community development for Afghans living in camps, Baloch explained.

"Afghans may be one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations in the world, but Japan has not forgotten them," said, Seiji Kojima, Ambassador of Japan in Islamabad.

"We are committed to helping them while the search continues for more durable solutions to their plight," he said.

About 2.5 million Afghan refugees are still living in Pakistan, including more than 1 million housed in 74 camps.

So far this year, over 117,000 Afghans have repatriated with the UNHCR assistance program, bringing the total number to 2.85 million of Afghans who have returned home with UNHCR since 2002.

UNHCR will also support Pakistan in November to register Afghans counted in the census of February-March 2005 in Pakistan.

The registration exercise will provide a clearer profile of Afghans in Pakistan, and help in developing policies for voluntary repatriation and to manage the future of Afghan nationals living in Pakistan.

Vocational center opened in Bamyan

BAMYAN CITY, Aug 14 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has opened a technical training centre in the central Bamyan province.

The centre will impart six-month training to boys and girls. The training programmes included computer courses, English language courses as well as courses in carpentry, wiring ets.

Deputy Minister for Martyrs and Disabled Affairs Muhammad Ghaus Bashiri, JICA representative Soma Kawa and provincial Governor Habiba Sarabi were present during the inauguration ceremony of the training centre.

JICA representative told Pajhwok Afghan News they would provide all equipment for the centre. He said JICA would also pay $30 to each student on monthly basis.

Appreciating the assistance extended by JICA, the deputy minister hoped the centre would prove helpful in enabling the young boys and girls to get jobs. He said the ministry was planning to establish such centres in all other provinces.

Minister to consult women intellectuals

Zarghona Salehi KABUL, Aug 13 (Pajhwok Afghan News) - Minister for Women Affairs Hasan Bano Ghazanfar has said she will try to run the ministry's affairs in consultation with women intellectuals and scholars.

In her maiden press conference here on Sunday, the newly-appointed minister said she would travel to provinces and meet women in the provincial capitals to apprise herself of their problems and get their view point on a number of issues confronting women.

She assured of all-out efforts and use of all possible resources to get support of relevant government departments and non-governmental organisations. Hasan Bano Ghazanfar has replaced Masouda Jalal as Minister for Women Affairs.

Women from different walks of life have expressed diverse views about her speech at today's news conference. Soraya Parlika, head of the Afghanistan Nationwide Women Association, is one of them.

She hailed the new minister's views regarding her meeting with women intellectuals but said it was better to practically prove it. Ghazanfar is the only female member of the new 25-member cabinet. She was among the last five ministers approved by the parliament last week.

Sayaf's tirade against AIHRC, Tolo TV

KABUL, Aug 14 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Terming the recent demonstration as a conspiracy against him, member of the Wolesi Jirga or lower house of parliament Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf said officials of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and the private Tolo TV were involved in inciting people against him and his colleagues.

Lodging his complaint against the AIHRC and Tolo with the speaker of the lower house, Sayaf said last month's demonstrations were part of a conspiracy to discredit him and his colleagues in eyes of the countrymen.

Hundreds of people from Sayyaf's native Paghman district raised voice against the alleged land grabbing of the former mujahidin leader and his loyalists. Three people were killed and two wounded when the protest turned violent. A cameraman of the Tolo Television was also among the wounded.

Although today's session was to discuss prisons condition and existence of private jails, Sayyaf was perturbed when some MPs tried to turn attention of the House towards the demonstrations in Paghman.

"I have proofs that AIHRC and Tolo TV has planned the demonstrations and we will bring those involved to justice," said Sayyaf in his knee-jerk reaction.

Going a step forward in his tirade against AIHRC, Sayaf described it 'conspiratorial commission'. Officials of the commission had informed Tolo TV and other media organisations a day before the demonstration, said the MP. He added they would reveal names of two officials of the AIHRC who organised the demonstrations.

The commission, on the other hand, rejected the allegations as baseless. Deputy chairman of the commission Fahim Hakim ruled out involvement of AIHRC or its officials in any such act.

The private Tolo TV also rejected Sayaf's claim. Seddiq Ahmadzada, an official of the channel, said the accusations were baseless and relevant government authorities must take notice of it.

Afghan TV coverage gets up MPs' noses

KABUL (Reuters) - Dozens of members of the Afghan parliament walked out of a session on Wednesday to protest against a television station that has been airing what the politicians regard as unflattering footage of them. 

Private Tolo television station has screened pictures of MPs yawning, napping and picking their noses during debates, infuriating some members of the assembly. 

"I am leaving the session unless Tolo is sent out of parliament," woman member Safia Sediqi told the assembly. A short while later she and dozens of colleagues walked out. 

The parliament, elected in landmark polls last year, is a mixed bag of former anti-Soviet guerrillas, technocrats, women activists, as well as some former communists and former Taliban members. 

Tolo is among a handful of private television channels that have sprung up along with scores of radio stations and publications since the overthrow of the Taliban government in 2001. 

The popular network, which has in the past been criticised for what conservatives see as its racy programming, defended its coverage of parliament. 

"These are public figures at a public place and we have to show what they do," the station's director, Saad Mohseni, told Reuters. "The media has the right to show what they do." 

SAF Games: India, Afghanistan match ends in tie

Javid Hamim - KABUL, Aug 15 (Pajhwok Afghan News) - The opening day football match between India and Afghanistan at the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games ended in a draw on Monday.

The match was played at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, capital of Sari Lanka. Teams from eight member-countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are participating in the games with India and Sri Lanka among the favourites.

The games will be formally inaugurated on Friday; however, football competitions were launched on Monday, four days ahead of the formal inauguration of the games.

The Indian and Afghan teams played well and launched several attacks at each others goals but none of them succeeded to subdue the other in the limited time. Afghanistan will play its second match against Bangladesh on Wednesday.

Appreciating performance of the Afghan squad, press office in charge of the Afghanistan's Football Federation Nadir Wadid said ending the game with a strong team like India in a draw was the proof of the team's good performance.

Teams from the eight member countries have been divided into two groups. Afghanistan is placed in Group B with India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Group A includes Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bhutan.

There will be 12 league group matches before the two top teams from each group qualify for the semi-finals, followed by the final on Aug 26. About 2,000 athletes from the eight countries are participating in 20 sports disciplines.

Afghanistan had secured one gold, two silver and 28 bronze medals during the 9th SAF Games played in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, in 2004.

India's foray into Central Asia

By Sudha Ramachandran - Asia Times Online August 12, 2006

BANGALORE - Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov's five-day visit to India that ended on Thursday might not have grabbed much media attention in New Delhi, but it is in Tajikistan that India is taking quiet strides toward furthering its ambition of becoming a global player: India's first military base abroad will become operational in Tajikistan soon.

During Rakhmonov's visit, the two countries signed pacts on strengthening cooperation in the fields of energy, science and technology, foreign-office consultation, and cultural exchange. India also offered to rehabilitate the Varzob-1 hydropower plant in Tajikistan.

Two days before the Tajik president's visit, the India-Tajikistan joint working group (JWG) on counter-terrorism met in Delhi. At the JWG meeting, the two sides agreed on bilateral mechanisms

to exchange information on various aspects of terrorism, including the financing of terrorism, that affect their two countries. India also offered to provide Tajikistan with counter-terrorism training.

This cooperation is, however, just the tip of the iceberg. Less visible and more significant is the India-Tajik cooperation at Ayni Air Base, near the Tajik capital Dushanbe. Work on the base is expected to be completed next month, and the base will become operational by the year's end.

India is constructing three hangars at Ayni, two of which will be used by Indian aircraft. India will station about 12 MiG-29 bombers there. The third hangar will be used by the Tajik air force. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is also stationing trainer aircraft under a 2002 defense-cooperation agreement whereby India has been training the Tajik air force.

Neither New Delhi nor Dushanbe officially admits to an Indian air base at Ayni. Delhi maintains that it is only renovating this base. The first reports of India's intentions surfaced in 2002, and speculation gathered momentum in 2003 and into April this year when reports indicated that India's base at Ayni would become operational by end-2006.

India and Tajikistan were on the same side during the Afghan civil war in the 1990s. Both opposed the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and backed the Northern Alliance. In the late 1990s, India set up a 25-bed hospital at Farkhor, near Afghanistan's northern border, where injured Northern Alliance fighters battling the Taliban were treated.

According to Rahul Bedi, Jane's Defense Weekly's correspondent in Delhi, India supplied the Northern Alliance with high-altitude-warfare equipment worth US$8 million. The Northern Alliance also received input on strategy from Indian "advisers". Technicians from the Aviation Research Center of the Research and Analysis Wing (India's external intelligence agency) repaired the Northern Alliance's Soviet-made Mi-17 and Mi-35 attack helicopters. It was out of Tajikistan that India channeled this help to the Northern Alliance.

It is Tajikistan's geographic location that has drawn India to this former Soviet republic. Tajikistan shares borders with China, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. A narrow stretch of Afghan territory separates Tajikistan from Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The significance of this region for India's security is immense. It is close to areas where scores of camps for jihadist and anti-India terrorist groups are based, and it is in the proximity of territory where Pakistan and China are engaged in massive military cooperation. Besides, Tajikistan is in Central Asia, a gas-rich region in which India has growing interests.

There are several reasons underpinning India's interest in a base at Tajikistan, one being the Pakistan factor. The Pakistani incursion at Kargil in 1999 laid bare the failure of Indian intelligence and opened India's eyes to the need for a military presence outside its borders, Phunchok Stobdan, research fellow at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, told Asia Times Online. Such a presence in Tajikistan, India realized, would enable it to monitor anti-India activities in the region.

After the fall of the Taliban regime, India was determined not to lose the foothold it had gained in Afghanistan thanks to its ties with the Northern Alliance in the late 1990s. Delhi was anxious not to allow Pakistani influence to grow again in Afghanistan. This was behind India's decision to remain at Ayni/Farkhor after the fall of the Taliban, say Indian intelligence sources. A military base in Tajikistan is attractive as it also enhances India's options in the event of war with Pakistan. From Tajikistan, India would be able to strike Pakistan's rear.

It is its presence at Ayni that has enabled India to play a significant role in Afghanistan's reconstruction and stability since 2002. Since Pakistan does not allow India overland access to Afghanistan, India has had to channel its economic and relief assistance to Afghanistan through Farkhor. The IAF airlifts supplies to Ayni, which are then transported to Farkhor and onward to Afghanistan by road.

India's growing military profile in the region might have been prompted by the need to counter Pakistan's influence, but there is more to Ayni Air Base than India-Pakistan rivalry. A base at Ayni enables India to project power in Central Asia. It is testimony to the fact that India is no longer content with a geostrategic role in South Asia; its ambitions extend outside the region as well.

India's foray into Central Asia is also fueled by its interests in the region's vast gas reserves. India is among the actors in the "New Great Game" - the scramble for Central Asia's resources. Bedi points out that "though India remains powerless to engineer or overtly influence the 'New Game', its size, military and nuclear capability make it a not altogether insignificant part of the complex jigsaw puzzle".

Not surprisingly, India's "forward policy" in Central Asia has generated unease in Islamabad and Beijing. Pakistan has perceived India's air base at Ayni as part of the Indian attempt to "encircle Pakistan".

As for China, steps are afoot to counterbalance India's rising profile in Tajikistan. Stobdan points out that Chinese-Tajik cooperation is growing. Visits by senior Chinese leaders to Tajikistan have been followed up with generous military assistance to that country. While growing Chinese engagement with the Tajiks is perhaps motivated more by the increasing US presence in the region, India is no doubt a factor weighing on Chinese minds.

India has come under pressure over Ayni Air Base from an unexpected quarter - Russia, its friend of several decades during the Cold War years. Russian arm-twisting seems to have resulted in India agreeing to joint maintenance with Russia of Ayni Air Base. While economic consideration might have played a role in India considering joint maintenance of the base, arm-twisting seems to have forced the decision.

India's new friend the United States, however, is not very worried about Delhi's foray into Central Asia, as it sees India's growing profile there as a check on Russian and Chinese influence in the region.

India has become the fourth power after Russia, the US and Germany to have a base in Central Asia. As a small but not insignificant player in the "New Great Game" in Central Asia, India announced that it had interests beyond its immediate neighborhood. With the air base at Ayni, India has signaled that it is a keen contestant in Central Asia's "great base race" as well.

Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore.

Clinton Sounds Off on Terror, Republicans - ABC News

Taking a break from his work at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto on Monday, former President Clinton warned Republicans not to politicize the London terror arrests, slammed Sen. Joe Lieberman, whom he campaigned for just a couple weeks ago, and tackled some of the controversies surrounding his work to fight AIDS.

"I don't think the thought in that London bomb plot has any bearing on our Iraq policy," Clinton said. "The Republicans should be very careful in trying to play politics with this London airport thing, because they're going to have a hard time with the facts."

Clinton said that the London terror plot had raised two questions about the Republicans' political strategy.

"They seem to be anxious to tie it to al Qaeda. ... If that's true, how come we got seven times as many troops in Iraq as in Afghanistan?" he said. "Why have we imperiled President [Hamid] Karzai's rule and allowed the Taliban to come back into the southern part of Afghanistan? Why was Iraq deemed to be seven times more important than finding the al Qaeda leaders for the last five years?"

Secondly, Clinton asked why the administration and congressional leadership had opposed tighter security on cargo containers at ports and airports.

ABC News spoke with the former president at the International AIDS Conference, where he was promoting the William J. Clinton Foundation's work on HIV/AIDS.

It is helping provide low-cost medicine to nearly half a million impoverished people with HIV/AIDS around the world.

"It needs doing, and it's both the right thing to do in terms of our national self-interest and on a purely personal moral basis," Clinton said.

"It's imperative. ... Too many people are dying, not only because there's not enough prevention, but also because we don't get affordable medicine out to them and we don't reach children early enough and we don't build health-care networks in rural areas. All these things require organization and systems that I know how to do."

Clinton, who will turn 60 on Saturday, praised President Bush's program to fight AIDS, though he acknowledged some concerns about the administration's requirements.

Almost a third of the prevention funding goes to abstinence and related programs, which Clinton said were often not effective.

"The fact that they require 30 percent of the money to be spent on abstinence education - that is a big chunk of money when you consider how expensive the medicine and other things are," Clinton said.

"On the other hand, you have to give them credit. They are getting $3 billion a year out there that wouldn't have been out there otherwise, and they have saved a lot of lives."

Clinton said that considering all the money the Bush administration was spending on wars while giving tax cuts, "they're still giving quite a bit of money to AIDS. That's good."

On Sunday at the conference, Microsoft founder Bill Gates - who has pledged almost $2 billion to combat AIDS - said that women and girls in developing nations needed to become more empowered in order for the fight against HIV/AIDS to succeed.

Clinton agreed, but said it was difficult to change cultures. "It's much more likely for HIV to be spread in areas where women's and girls' role in society are weak and where they are not valued and not developed," he said.

[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.]