In this bulletin:

• Karzai Presses Musharraf on Militants
• No anti-Pak activities in Afghanistan: Karzai
• Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to expand strategic ties
• Afghanistan relations with India not to affect its relations with Pakistan: Karzai
• Six killed in new Taliban attacks in Afghanistan
• 2 Italians found dead in Afghanistan
• Four Canadian soldiers hurt in two vehicle accidents in Afghanistan
• Canadian troops ready to go 'hunting' for Taliban
• Few notice our troops' leading role
• Afghanistan, Pakistan And US Put Defence Meeting on Hold
• PAKISTAN: New arrangements for Afghan refugees under discussion
• Turkmen gas to reach Pakistan via Afghanistan
• 1989: Soviet troops pull out of Afghanistan
• UN council endorses development compact for Afghanistan
• "Temporary marriage" stirs Afghan controversy

Karzai Presses Musharraf on Militants 15 February 2006 By ROD McGUIRK,

Associated Press Writer Afghan President Hamid Karzai pressed his Pakistani counterpart on Wednesday to root out militants Afghanistan claims have launched a spate of recent cross-border suicide bombings. Karzai asked for a "more intensive pursuit of terrorists wherever they may be, in Afghanistan or Pakistan." Gen. Pervez Musharraf, after meeting with Karzai in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, called on "all the progressive political elements" in Pakistan to cooperate to suppress elements who may be abetting the Taliban. Both leaders agreed more cooperation was needed between the military and intelligence agencies to stop terrorism along their shared border.

"The question of terrorism, the question of the Taliban, the question of the bomb blasts in Afghanistan -- we are in this fight together against terrorism," Karzai told reporters after what he described as a "brotherly" two-hour meeting with Musharraf.

Before arriving, Karzai's spokesman Khaleeq Ahmed said the president would urge Pakistan to show the same commitment to defeating Taliban rebels based on its side of the rugged frontier as it does in fighting al-Qaida. Bilateral relations have long been touchy because of Afghan assertions that Taliban rebels find sanctuary in Pakistan, but they've soured in recent months, with Afghan officials becoming increasingly outspoken in blaming Islamabad for an upsurge in violence.

In Kabul, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanezai said Wednesday that security forces have arrested "a large number" of Pakistanis and others linked to the spate of over 20 suicide attacks in the last four months. Many of the detainees have admitted during questioning that they received training at militant bases in Pakistan and were given money, explosives and other equipment there to launch attacks in Afghanistan, he said.

"The terrorists who come here for suicide attacks are attending training bases in Pakistan and are getting all their equipment there," Stanezai said. "We've arrested a large number who are either Pakistani or came from Pakistan." He said some of the leaders of the Taliban regime before it was ousted in 2001 are now living in Pakistan and are orchestrating the attacks.

He declined to name them. Pakistan, a former supporter of the Taliban but now a key U.S. ally in the war on terror, has deployed 70,000 troops along the Afghan border, and says it does its best to stop cross-border attacks. Pakistan has complaints of its own about the situation along the frontier. The issue of Pakistani civilian casualties from rockets and artillery fire originating from Afghanistan would be raised with Karzai, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Monday.

No anti-Pak activities in Afghanistan: Karzai

February 16, 2006

Rejecting Pakistan's allegation that Indian consulates in Afghanistan fuelled militancy in Balochistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said that his country would never allow any such thing against a 'brotherly' Muslim country.

Karzai, who arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday night on a two-day visit, stated this after holding extensive talks with President Pervez Musharraf.

Afghanistan's close ties with India would in no way impact Kabul's ties with Islamabad, Karzai told a joint press conference with Musharraf on Wednesday night.

"I assure (you) that our relations with India in no way will impact our ties with Pakistan. We are joined together like twins, nothing can come between us," he said, replying to a question.

Senior Pakistani leaders, including Musharraf himself, had alleged in the recent past that there was foreign hand behind violence in Balohistan and also claimed that India provided financial assistance to Baloch nationalist rebels.

The rebels have been demanding more autonomy and are opposed to the construction of Pakistan army cantonments in the province.

Pakistan formally protested to India in December over New Delhi's statement expressing concern over the human rights situation in Balochistan. However, Islamabad has not conveyed its allegations to India nor forwarded any evidence, which it claimed to have.

Much of Thursday's talks between Musharraf and Karzai centred around Afghanistan's allegations that Taliban militants continued to infiltrate from Pakistan to fight with Afghan and international security assistance forces there.

About countering terrorism, Musharraf said both Pakistan and Afghanistan were part of the international coalition fighting the menace and were also jointly tackling it.

"It is a joint fight by Pakistan and Afghanistan as the evil is afflicting both the countries. Intelligence agencies and armed forces of the two countries should work together to uproot terrorism, which is our common enemy," he said.

Pakistan looked forward to all cooperation to fight terrorism in their respective areas, he said, adding both Pakistan and Afghanistan must progress together.

Replying to a question, Musharraf said Pakistan has deployed 82,000 troops on its border with Afghanistan. Of these, 600 have laid down their lives. It was the biggest contribution made by any nation in the fight against terrorism, he said.

Karzai said both Pakistan and Afghanistan have to progress and move forward together, while Musharraf expressed satisfaction over the volume of trade that had risen to $1.2 billion and was still rising.

They said the two sides have agreed to jointly fight terrorism to strengthen regional peace and security.

 The two leaders also condemned the publication of cartoons of Prophet Mohammad in European newspapers, saying that nobody had the right to hurt sentiments of Muslims in the name of press freedom. They also urged world leaders to condemn the act.

Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to expand strategic ties - Isl amabad | February 16, 2006

Pakistan and Afghanistan today decided to raise their bilateral relations to strategic level through increased security, diplomatic and economic cooperation.

The decision was taken during the talks between Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Afghan President Hamid Karzai here this afternoon. Following a 45-minute-long tête-à-tête, the two leaders were joined by their respective foreign and interior ministers and ambassadors.

The two sides agreed to increase contacts between foreign ministries of the two countries and consult each other on major issues. They also discussed steps take to increase their ties at all fronts.

The issue of arms and production of drugs in Afghanistan also came under discussion. Both the leaders also stressed the need of increasing security cooperation in terms of intelligence sharing that would help restrict cross-border movement of undesirable elements.

Prime Minister Aziz reiterated that Pakistan desires a peaceful and stable Afghanistan that was in the interest of the Afghan people and for Pakistan.

He assured that Pakistan would take all possible measures to achieve this objective.

Both leaders also expressed satisfaction over the growing economic ties and noted that the two-way trade could reach to 1.5 billion dollars by the end of current year. The two sides also discussed the possibility of Pakistani entrepreneurs setting up a textile factory if Afghanistan has a market access and allowed to set up an industrial zone there.

President Karzai , who met his Pakistani counterpart General Pervez Musharraf yesterday and assured him that his country will never be allowed to be used against Pakistan, said that Afghanistan would continue to seek Pakistani support in different areas.

Mr Karzai’s assurance came in the backdrop of reports in Pakistani media, which quoted intelligence officials as claiming to have found proof of Indian involvement through their consulates in Afghanistan in creating unrest in the southwestern Baluchistan province.

Both the leaders also discussed the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which is going to have Afghanistan as its eight member.

The decision to include Afghanistan in SAARC fold was taken during the Dhaka Summit in December last year. President Karzai thanked Pakistan for its support to Afghanistan for the SAARC membership.

Afghanistan relations with India not to affect its relations with Pakistan: Karzai

Thursday February 16, 2006 (0121 PST)  PakTribune.com, Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf, right, shaking hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai prior to a meeting at the Presidency.
 
ISLAMABAD, February 16 (Online): Pakistan and Afghanistan have strongly denounced publication of blasphemous sketches and called upon the western and European world to initiate stern action against those responsible for this blasphemous act. This was said in a joint press conference addressed by the President General Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counter part president Hamid Karzai here Wednesday after their talks in Aiwan-e-Sadr.

President Musharraf said that he welcomes Afghan president Hamid Karzai on his arrival in Pakistan. The bilateral trade and economic relations between the both countries were improving and the trade volume has swelled to 1.2 billion dollars and it will gain further momentum in the future.

" Our war against the terrorism, Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants is common and joint war as both the countries are being affected in terrorism, he said adding that it is incumbent on the intelligence agencies and army of both the countries to fight a joint war against the terrorism and stamp out this menace.

Responding to a question he said that we have to wage fight against the terrorism jointly and have to repose trust on each other. Pakistan has deployed its 80000 troops on Pak-Afghan borders and our 600 soldiers have embraced shahadat. We have taken part in this war more than any country. However we will have to move forward under a joint military, administrative and political strategy.

Regarding blasphemous drawings the president said that all the Muslims may be extremist, moderate, terrorist or modern condemn it and all the Muslims are united against this act. I however condemn the loss of life and property being caused during the violent demonstrations in Lahore, Peshawar and other parts of the country. What media has done in Europe and west does not mean that we defeat objectives in violent processions.

The elements who are indulging in such activities are not protesters but are the persons who want to take political mileage out of the situation. I warn them strongly not to misuse this opportunity otherwise they would be crushed. We are suffering in these violent demonstrations. We are not condemning the West by annihilating our selves.

I hope that the European countries and those countries which are involved in this blasphemous act will perceive the situation and slam the blasphemous act . Any country or nation which is describing these sketches correct are devoid of facts and realities. No one has any right to speak against any other religion and indulge in any blasphemous act against holy Prophet. No one can be given right to hurt the feelings of one billion Muslims.

Replying to a question he said that we have talked about Pak-Afghan border situation and Indian consulate activities in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Hamid Karazi said that the terrorism is common issue of both the countries and we will have to fight against it jointly. Pakistani exports stood at 25 million dollars in Taliban regime and now these are far greater than earlier.

He went on to say that we appreciate Pakistan role in war against the terrorism but we need more cooperation from Pakistan so that security and peace come here.

Hamid Karzai condemned the publication of blasphemous cartoons and urged the western leaders to condemn this act. The freedom of expression does not meant to disparage others beliefs. We have faith on all prophets , therefore, other religions should also respect our religion and our Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

He underscored that violent processions should not be taken out in Pakistan and Afghanistan as we are the sufferers in these demonstrations.

We are grateful to Pakistan for the generous assistance extended by it to the Afghan refuges, he said stressing that both the countries however will have to fight against the terrorism jointly,.

About Indian consulate anti Pakistan activities he said that " our relations with India will never affect our relations with Pakistan as we are maintaining special relations with Pakistan.

He said that no arms were being smuggled to Afghanistan from Pakistan nor Afghanistan would allow it as any loss caused to Paskistan will be ours loss., We will have to fight against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in more effective manner as Afghanistan has been more affected by terrorism.

President General Pervez Musharraf hosted a dinner in honour of Afghan President in Aiwan-e-Sadr.

President Hamid Karzai extended invitation to President General Pervez Musharraf to visit Afghanistan. President Musharraf accepted it saying both the countries are brethren countries. You come her e again and I go there, this will continue, he added.

Musharraf asks Karzai each other’s ideological, geographical boundaries be respected in war on terror. Meanwhile, President General Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai on Wednesday discussed wide ranging issues that covered bilateral political affairs, regional situation, war on terrorism and other global matters.

Musharraf in his 45 minutes long one-on-one meeting with Karzai has expressed reservations over porous Pak-Afghan border issue and stressed on the latter that each other’s ideological and geographical boundaries should be respected in the backdrop of ongoing war on terror, the meeting between the two leaders held at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Later, both the Presidents included their foreign ministers in the meeting. President General Pervez Musharraf soon with the commencement of the meeting raised the border issue and told his Afghan counterpart about his reservations in this connection.

"Islamabad wants close ties with Kabul," Musharraf reiterated. Both the leaders expressed satisfaction by observing that bilateral Pak-Afghan trade volume had reached upto $1300 million, which should be increased further.

Earlier, on arrival President Hamid Karzai at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, a special reception was arranged in his honour. Both the leaders introduced each others officials. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri and his Afghan counterpart Abdullah Abdullah were also present on the occasion.

Six killed in new Taliban attacks in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) - Suspected Taliban rebels killed four policemen in

Afghanistan while a bomb blast claimed the lives of two militia soldiers working with security forces, officials said.

About 60 suspected Taliban rebels armed with machine-guns and rockets raided a police post in southwestern Nimroz province on Wednesday, killing at least one policeman and injuring four others, the provincial governor said.

Some Taliban fighters also appeared to have been killed in the almost two-hour gunfight, judging by blood and ripped clothes and shoes left at the scene, governor Ghulam Dastagir Azad said on Thursday.

A purported Taliban spokesman confirmed the clash but said the guerrillas did not suffer any casualties.

"Yes, we carried out that attack but we had no casualties. We believe four police were killed," Qari Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by satellite phone from an unknown location.

Ahmadi said the Taliban were also behind an ambush in southern Kandahar province's volatile Maiwand district Thursday which district officials said killed two police and wounded two others.

The spokesman also claimed two attacks in central Ghazni province Wednesday in which another policeman and two militia soldiers were killed.

The policeman was shot dead by two men on a motorbike, provincial governor Haji Sher Alam said. The two militiamen were killed in a remote-controlled bomb blast, he said.

Attacks linked to remnants of the ousted Taliban regime occur almost daily across Afghanistan despite an intensive hunt for the militants since their government was toppled four years ago in a US-led invasion.

Violence blamed on the Taliban and other militants killed more than 1,700 people last year. Nearly 100 more, most of them militants, have died since the beginning of this year.

At least six US soldiers helping to hunt down Taliban remnants have also been killed in action this year. Four US troops were killed Monday when their vehicle struck a bomb in volatile Uruzgan province.

NATO -led peacekeeping force is due to expand in the coming months, sending thousands of extra troops to insurgency-plagued southern Afghanistan as the United States cuts the number of troops by about 3,000.

Bush's Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina funding requests imminent –Feb.16- AFP

US President George W. Bush's emergency funding requests for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Hurricane Katrina reconstruction will likely be made public, his spokesman said.

Scott McClellan told reporters it was "a very real possibility" that the budget supplementals would reach the US Congress by mid-afternoon.

Earlier this month, the White House said Bush would seek 120 billion dollars to cover operations in Iraq and Afghanistan on top of another 50 billion dollars in a defense spending bill approved in December.

Pentagon estimates place the monthly bill for the war in Iraq at about 4.5 billion dollars and Afghanistan at around 800 million dollars.

2 Italians found dead in Afghanistan
Thursday February 16,

(Kyodo) _ Two Italian nationals working in Afghanistan were found dead Thursday in the capital Kabul, the Italian ambassador said.

The bodies were found in their residence in a heavily guarded area in the center of Kabul, said Ambassador Ettore Francesco Sequi.

The bodies bore no signs of violence, and an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of their death, he said.

The Italian Foreign Ministry identified the bodies as Iendi Iannelli, who worked for a judiciary reform program in Afghanistan, and Stefano Siringo, who was employed by the Italian Foreign Ministry.

The bodies will be flown to Italy for further investigation, said the ambassador.

Four Canadian soldiers hurt in two vehicle accidents in Afghanistan

February 16, 2006 Les Perreaux Canadian Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Two more Canadian soldiers have been injured in a road accident, this time in a collision Thursday involving a light truck and an armoured vehicle, military officials said.

One of the soldiers was described as being in serious but not life-threatening condition and was flown to Germany for treatment. Reports said he was able to phone home to his family. The second Canadian soldier injured in Thursday's accident was treated for minor injuries at a Canadian military medical facility in Kandahar.

On Wednesday, a Canadian military vehicle was in a rollover accident, injuring three soldiers, two of them Canadians.

One of the Canadians was also flown to Germany for followup treatment, while the other two soldiers suffered only minor injuries. No names have been released.

The accidents were not caused by an enemy attack but are both under investigation, said Col. Steve Noonan, head of Canada's Task Force Afghanistan.

The evacuated soldiers were sent to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre in Germany for followup tests - and "not because of the potential seriousness of the injury," Noonan said.

"People are starting, particularly in Canada, to associate Landstuhl with bad things" Noonan said, apparently referring to previous cases of serious injuries treated there.

Wednesday's accident occurred within a few kilometres of the Canadian provincial reconstruction team site in downtown Kandahar. The soldiers were in a Canadian Mercedes G-wagon patrol vehicle.

The Canadian reconstruction team has been in Kandahar since last summer. Its roughly 200 members include soldiers, diplomats and aid workers.

Canada's military presence in the Kandahar region, in southern Afghanistan, is being increased to 2,200 this month in an effort to improve security in the region. Noonan said that with more troops arriving, accidents are bound to happen.

Canadian troops ready to go 'hunting' for Taliban

Soldiers will help rebuild, but won't shy away from a fight

Chris Wattie The Ottawa Citizen -Thursday, February 16, 2006

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The Canadian general who will command coalition forces in restive southern Afghanistan arrived yesterday in Kandahar saying his soldiers are here to help Afghans, but also to take on the Taliban if need be.

"Simplistically put, this is all about Canadians and the international community helping Afghans help themselves ... so they can deal with their challenges their way," said Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, the incoming commander of a multinational brigade of Canadian, Dutch and British troops responsible for the southern province of Kandahar.

"We'll be training the Afghan national security forces, the police, the Afghan National Army, so when they want to go out and do operations against that minority that's trying to destabilize the good people here, we'll be out there to support them. And if that means hunting, we'll be out there hunting."

The last of more than 2,000 Canadian troops will arrive over the next few weeks to form the headquarters of the multinational brigade and Task Force Orion, the battle group based on 1st Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

British and Dutch soldiers are also flowing into the bustling Kandahar Air Field to form two more task forces to patrol areas frequented by guerrillas alongside the Canadians.

But Brig.-Gen. Fraser said while the soldiers in his three battle groups are prepared for combat with the Taliban, al-Qaeda and allied guerrillas in the mountains and foothills north of Kandahar, they will also help rebuild a region that was all but destroyed by decades of civil war and years of rule by the Taliban -- the hard-line Islamic militia that was ousted in 2001.

"I know there's been a lot of emphasis on the combat operations, but I've got to tell you that while we're trained in combat operations, we're also trained in humanitarian support, peace support operations," he said.

"We're going to be out there helping build governance ... so that the economic reconstruction happens.

"That means you need a safe and secure environment and we're prepared to do whatever it takes to establish that environment."

But just two days before the general flew to his new command, four U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Dihrawud district, a "hot spot" of Taliban activity that will become part of the Dutch battle group's area of responsibility.

The attack, the greatest loss of life for the U.S. military in Afghanistan in the past four months, took place just 25 kilometres north of where a patrol of Canadians was operating at the time.

Brig.-Gen. Fraser said he was not trying to minimize the risks involved in Operation Archer, the code name for the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.

"This is not a safe place; this is a dangerous area," he said.

"We wouldn't be sending the Canadian Forces or the forces of the other international coalition members down if it was."

Few notice our troops' leading role - Feb. 16, 2006. Toronto star

Invaded only weeks after the trauma of Sept. 11, 2001, Afghanistan briefly held the attention of the world. Almost immediately, though, the U.S. administration diverted attention away from Osama bin Laden to concentrate on Iraq, where the media focus has remained firmly ever since.

Lost in the shuffle is the front-line war against terror waged in the barren mountains of Afghanistan against the Taliban and its patron, bin Laden. And lost even deeper in that shuffle is the leading role Canadian troops are playing in that bloody war. Even as the grim body count mounts in Kandahar or Kabul from firefights, roadside bombings and ambushes, you'd be hard-pressed to find any mention of Canada in an international news dispatch.

The harsh reality is that things might get worse. Next month, Canadian Brigadier-General David Fraser will take over command of the multinational brigade in southern Afghanistan from the Americans, and key Canadian troops will soon launch combat operations against Taliban strongholds near the Pakistan border from their new base in Kandahar.

We Canadians are a diffident lot, sometimes to a fault. Despite the hype, even jingoism, of much U.S. and British reportage, Canadian soldiers have done much of the grunt work there, and will keep at it. Few Canadians seem to be aware of this service.

And astonishingly enough, we're sending our soldiers to fight in their biggest combat missions since the Korean War with guns that date back to World War II, like the Browning High Power pistol. That's outrageous. A few million dollars to buy them decent protection — say, a gun built in the 1980s or 1990s — is the least we could do for these soldiers.

Raising the awareness of our own men's and women's contribution to the war effort is also proper. Toiling away in obscurity is well and good for hermits and academics, but it makes little sense that front-line fighters in one of the world's hottest hotspots get little or no acknowledgment, let alone recognition or praise.

We're fighting in Afghanistan because — unlike Iraq — it was the source of an indisputable, clear and serious threat. Despite an embarrassingly bare cupboard in terms of military hardware, Canadian troops rose to the challenge and have been fighting bravely. Let's buy them guns. And maybe a few helicopters. They deserve it.

Afghanistan, Pakistan And US Put Defence Meeting on Hold
Thursday February 16,

KABUL, Feb 16 Asia Pulse - The 15th meeting of the tripartite commission between military officials of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States has been postponed, officials said on Tuesday.

The meeting was scheduled for Wednesday in the southeastern Khost province; however, it was postponed due to President Hamid Karzai's trip to Pakistan, Defence Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Azimi said new date for the meeting would be fixed after the president's return. Approached for comments, coalition spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mike Cody said unfavourable climate caused the delay.

Khost police chief brigadier General Mohammad Ayub also stated the same reason for the postponement of the meeting. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

PAKISTAN: New arrangements for Afghan refugees under discussion
16 Feb 2006

ISLAMABAD, 15 February (IRIN) - Speakers at a conference in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday called for realistic policies to regulate Afghan population movements in Pakistan, citing migration as not only a reaction to war and insecurity but also a key livelihood strategy.

The day-long meeting was arranged by an independent Kabul-based think-tank, the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), to explore and discuss the potential responses to Afghan migrants in Iran and Pakistan.

In recent years, the reluctance of many of the more than 4 million Afghans currently living in Iran and Pakistan to return has called the existing policies into question, according to social scientists.

"The protracted nature of Afghans' displacement and the multiple reasons for their flight, including periods of conflict and drought and economic pressures, have made it increasingly difficult for host countries and humanitarian assistance programmes to find solutions to this ongoing situation within the refugee framework," Haris Gardaz, a researcher at the Karachi-based Collective for Social Science Research (CSSR), said.

Better social support structures in Pakistan and Iran are key factors in keeping Afghans from going home. "Despite some variation in quality and affordability, Afghans are able to access health and education services here that are unavailable in their home country, which is one of the main concerns, particularly for women," Gardaz noted.

With lack of legal status, Afghans do not have access to formal employment, which is a major barrier to their economic security and upward mobility, the CSSR said in its study.

Another factor in the debate is that younger Afghans living in Iran and Pakistan are more likely to want to stay. Presenting the findings of an Afghan study from Iran, Professor Jalal Abbasi from the University of Tehran noted: "The concerns of young people about repatriation differ substantially from those of their parents since a fairly large majority of Afghans in Iran are young."

Likewise, many young urbanised Afghans may not have the skills to return to the traditional economic activities of their parents' generation. "Many of those born and brought up in the cities in Pakistan are much more likely to aspire to formal-sector employment," Gardaz noted.

According to estimates from the 2005 Afghan census, over 55 percent of Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan are under the age of 18.

"By virtue of their numbers alone, this section [of Afghans] must be heard by those involved in finding effective ways of managing Afghans," said an AREU briefing paper entitled, 'Afghans in Pakistan: Broadening the focus', released at the meeting.

Wrapping up the discussion, Paul Fishstein, director of AREU, stressed: "We need to recognise the diverse needs of displaced Afghans - migrant labourers, second generation youth and vulnerable refugees."

Turkmen gas to reach Pakistan via Afghanistan Pajhwok Report

ISLAMABAD, Feb 16 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Turkmenistan has agreed to supply to Pakistan 3.2 billion cubic feet of gas on a daily basis for a period of 30 years, the Petroleum Ministry said on Thursday. 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the effect was signed Wednesday at the end of a two-day ministerial meeting on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) gas pipeline project held in Ashgabat from February 14-15, the ministry said in a press release issued here.

At the meeting, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan were respectively represented by their ministers Amanullah Khan Jadoon, Gurbanmurat Atayev and Mir Mohammad Siddique.

India's Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dinsha J. Patel attended the meeting as an observer and Dan Millison, Energy Specialist, represented the Asian Development Bank.

The release said the two-day meeting deliberated on key issues of gas availability, security, route, pipeline structure, gas pricing and the project's financial aspect. The Indian side expressed its willingness to join the TAP.

The participants voiced satisfaction with the pace of progress on the project and agreed to adopt a strategy for implementing the plan as early as possible to the benefit of the member states and the region at large. The meeting discussed the feasibility report prepared by the Asian Development Bank.

The participants agreed technical experts would meet again ahead of another TAP ministerial session slated to be held in April in Islamabad to ink a gas pricing agreement.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Petroleum Minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon Thursday left for New Delhi on a two-day visit at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Murli Deora. He is heading a delegation comprising Secretary Petroleum Ahmad Waqar, Prime Minister's Advisor on Energy Mukhtar Ahmed, Managing Director of Interstate Gas System Company Hassan Nawab. The two sides will confer on Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project.

1989: Soviet troops pull out of Afghanistan BBC News

Soviet troops are withdrawing from Afghanistan, nine years after they swept into the country. A convoy of Soviet armoured vehicles travelled the 260-mile (418km) journey to the USSR border while other soldiers left aboard an Ilyushin 76 transport aircraft.

Earlier, the Soviet government had announced the departure of the last troops although snow had delayed a five-day airlift from the Afghan capital Kabul.
The journey is especially dangerous on the Salang Pass through the Hindu Kush Mountains, where more than 10,000 mujahideen operate.

The mujahideen - Afghan Islamic fighters - have been involved in heavy battles to try to force a Soviet retreat. Huge snow drifts are blocking the southern approaches to the pass, while the descent on the northern side is a wall of ice.

Russian forces are not alone in leaving Afghanistan. Families of Afghan refugees have been crossing the border into Pakistan. Border guards have reported that a dozen families have crossed through the Khyber Pass in the last few hours.

Over the past two months, up to 20,000 have fled heavy fighting between the mujahideen and Soviet troops. A handful of foreign correspondents have been allowed to join the Soviet convoy leaving Kabul, but only for the relatively safe last stretch of the journey, which has been secured by soldiers.

President Sayid Mohammed Najibullah's Soviet-backed Afghan government has acknowledged the complete withdrawal of soldiers with a brief statement.

"I express my appreciation to the people and government of the Soviet Union for all-round assistance and continued solidarity in defending Afghanistan," the president said.

Ahead of the departure, the mujahideen fired four rockets at the capital, with three landing in the airport area and the fourth on shops.

At Kabul's airport, most international and domestic flights are arriving and departing as usual.

According to latest BBC reports, Kabul is surrounded by a mujahideen force of around 30,000, with the city under artillery and rocket "bombardment".

Machine-gun and artillery fire could be heard during the night and this morning while a sign at the British Embassy reads "closing down temporarily". The American embassy has put up a sign which says "extended holidays for all staff - date of return not fixed".

A diplomat has reported that President Najibullah, although tired, is still defiant and is determined to play a role in the future of Afghanistan. The Soviet daily newspaper Trud has revealed that some garrisons have been looted.

The return of the Red Army coincides with the decision by Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev to cut the Soviet armed forces by up to 500,000, with the Kremlin emphasising the heroism of those who fought in the war.

On the streets of Kabul there is a heavier presence of armed police and queues for bread are as long as ever.

UN council endorses development compact for Afghanistan

China view 2006-02-16

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The UN Security Council endorsed Wednesday a framework for future partnership between the government of Afghanistan and the international community to bolster the war-torn country's security, economic development and counter-narcotics efforts.

The framework, known as the Afghan Compact, sets out a five-year agenda for sustained engagement with Afghanistan to help consolidate democratic institutions, curb insecurity, control the illegal drug trade, stimulate the economy, enforce the law, provide basic services to the Afghan people and protect their human rights.

Since its launch on Jan. 30 at a conference in London, the compact has received widespread international support, including pledges of 10.5 billion U.S. dollars for Afghanistan's rebuilding.

Unanimously adopting a resolution, the council also welcomed the updated Afghan drug control strategy presented at the London conference and encouraged additional support for it.

The council praised the adoption by NATO of a revised operational plan that would allow for continued expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) across Afghanistan.

"Temporary marriage" stirs Afghan controversy - Thursday February 16,

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Some Afghan refugees returning home after years abroad are bringing back foreign ways -- the most controversial being the practice of temporary marriage.

Temporary marriage, or sigha, is an agreement between a man and a women to get married for a specified time. It has long been practised by Shi'ite Muslims, especially in mostly Shi'ite Iran.

Now, the practice is being imported into Afghanistan by some members of the minority Shi'ite community returning home from Iran, to the disapproval of many in conservative, mostly Sunni Afghanistan.

"I don't want a permanent husband," said Fatima, a 34-year-old woman divorcee in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where there is a large Shi'ite community.

Fatima said as a divorcee, she would have little chance of finding a permanent husband, even if she wanted one. She said she had had 10 temporary marriages since her husband abandoned her, and expected more.

Virtually all of the women in Mazar-i-Sharif who enter temporary marriages are divorcees or widows.

Many of the men are also divorced or too poor to marry a permanent wife.

Millions of Afghans have fled from their country over its decades of turmoil. But over the past four years, more than 3.5 million have returned, with 2.7 million coming back from Pakistan and 800,000 from Iran.

Many are impoverished. A temporary marriage is easy to arrange and cheap. A couple will agree on how long they will get married -- it's usually anywhere from a day to months -- and on a dowry.

Couples often go to a Shi'ite cleric for approval of the contract. People in Mazar-i-Sharif said witnesses were not necessary.

The practice, also known as Mut'ah, is believed to have pre-dated Islam among the tribes of the Arabian peninsula.

Both Sunni and Shi'ite scholars agree that the Prophet Mohammad did at certain times allow it. But Sunni scholars say the Prophet later banned it. Most Shi'ites say he didn't.

Sunnis say the practice is illegal and akin to prostitution, but some Shi'ites scholars say it reflects the reality of human nature and provides for the rights and responsibilities of both the man and the woman.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, on the edge of the great steppe to the north of the Hindu Kush mountains, clerics are divided. "It's a kind of prostitution," said Qari Azizullah, a preacher at a Sunni mosque.

But a Shi'ite cleric said sigha forbids men from having relations with prostitutes, and so it can help eliminate the practice.

"Everyone needs sex and sigha can tackle this problem," said the Shi'ite cleric, Mohammad Tahir Mofid.

Despite such approval, many of those who enter temporary marriages keep it secret from their families and from the community at large.

Ahmad Aziz, 25, said he had had two temporary marriages. The first was in Iran, where he was married for 15 days, and recently he married again.

"After I came to Mazar I married another woman and we have been together for two months," said Aziz, a trader.

He said only a handful of his closest friends knew about his wife and he told his parents he was busy at work when he returned home from visiting her in a small house he had rented.

Mohammad Fahim, another resident of Mazar-i-Sharif, said he had married a woman for $80 (46 pounds), including the dowry, and the marriage had lasted three months.

"I didn't have enough money for a dowry and all the invitations so sigha was cheap and easy for me. That's why I went for it," Fahim said.

Conventional marriages are usually arranged in Afghanistan and they are virtually always expensive. Some grooms' families pay out thousands of dollars on jewellery, gifts and feasts.

If a woman gets pregnant during a temporary marriage the husband is required to support the child and the mother, even after the end of the marriage.

But the practice looks unlikely to catch on to any great extent in Afghanistan, where even some Shi'ite preachers abhor sigha and agree with the Sunnis who say it is inappropriate.

"It's not proper. Our Prophet banned it, also our culture doesn't allow it," said Shi'ite cleric Ali Ahmad.

[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.]