In this bulletin:

• President Karzai Condemns the Attack on the al-Askari Shrine in Iraq
• Tripartite Commission 15th Meeting
• Afghan intelligence indicates Mullah Omar is in Pakistan: official
• Afghan court sentences former spy chief to death
• Many ready to depose against ex-intelligence boss
• Vote of trust for Afghan cabinet in a month
• Commanders' clash leaves one dead in Kapisa
• UN asks Taliban to shun violence, adopt political means
• Advance teams in Afghanistan planning Harper visit
• Most Cdns. uneasy about Afghan mission: poll
• Pakistan to close three more refugee camps
• Afghans finish runners-up in Khaleej Cricket Tournament
  

An Afghan woman, right, shows the photograph of her relative who was allegedly killed by as Asadullah Sarwari, a communist-era intelligence chief during a trial proceedings in a court in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2006.

President Karzai Condemns the Attack on the al-Askari Shrine in Iraq - Date of Release: 23 February 2006

Arg, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the al-Askari shrine in Samarra, Iraq.

According to reports, the al-Askari shrine in Samarra was damaged and the golden dome was destroyed when two terrorists posing as police blew themselves up next to it.

In his reaction to the news the President said, “Terrorists are trying to drive a wedge between the Sunni and Shiite communities who have lived together in harmony throughout the history of Islam. The attack on the al-Askari shrine was a deliberate attempt by terrorists to damage the unity of Muslims in the world. This barbaric act of terrorism is against Islam and humanity and I condemn it in the strongest terms.”

The President appealed to the Sunni and Shiite communities of Iraq for restraint and urged them to unite in thwarting their enemies’ efforts to divide them.

The President, on behalf of the people of Afghanistan, expressed his deep sympathies with the people of Iraq and prayed for a peaceful and prosperous Iraq.

Released by the Office of the Spokesman to the President - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Tripartite Commission 15th Meeting – Press Release

Bagram, Afghanistan — The Tripartite Commission, composed of senior military and diplomatic representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, held its fifteenth meeting in Bagram, Afghanistan on February 25th. Delegates included Lieutenant General Sher M. Karimi, Chief of Operations of the Afghan National Army, Major General Muhammad Yousaf, Director General of Military Operations of the Pakistan Army and Lieutenant General Karl W. Eikenberry, Commander, Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan.

NATO/ISAF again participated in an observer status. Local Khowst officials, led by provincial Governor Merajoddin Pathan, also participated in the Tripartite Commission meeting by video teleconference.

The session began with an overview from the Coalition delegation on the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Afghanistan and their roles in helping to enhance the quality of life for the people of Afghanistan through the improvements in government and justice and economic livelihood.

Following the Coalition briefing, the Afghanistan delegation and the Coalition delegation co-presented a briefing focused on security, reconstruction, and development in Khowst province with updates from the provincial Governor and his team as well as Coalition and civilian officials working in the province.

Discussions focused on the challenges and accomplishments of governance and reconstruction in this important region adjacent to the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.

The Pakistan delegation then presented a strategy for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. This strategy consists of political dialogue, development aid and security operations. All delegations agreed that the sides should explore opportunities to increase security and improve conditions in the border region.

In addition, the delegates discussed border security and agreed to further enhance communication and coordination in this regard.

The NATO-ISAF representative concluded the presentations with a briefing on the ongoing expansion of NATO’s role in Afghanistan. The briefing highlighted NATO’s ongoing commitment to Afghanistan as well as the continuing strong, future U.S. presence under NATO command.

This plenary session highlighted the increasing results of communications and information sharing between Afghanistan, Pakistan, Combined Forces Command, and NATO-ISAF which has helped improve security cooperation in the region. .

The Tripartite Commission will meet again in April 2006 in Pakistan. This will be the third meeting in which the Afghanistan and Pakistan delegation will be represented at the four-star general level.

Released by the Office of the Spokesperson
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Kabul, Afghanistan
February 25th, 2006

Afghan intelligence indicates Mullah Omar is in Pakistan: official - (AP) 25 February 2006

KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has handed intelligence to Pakistan that indicates Mullah Mohammed Omar, supreme leader of the Taleban regime ousted by US-led forces, and key associates are hiding in Pakistan, a senior Afghan official said on Friday.

The intelligence was shared during a visit by Karzai to Islamabad last week, and comes after a wave of suicide attacks that have fueled Afghan suspicions that militants are operating out of Pakistan.

Afghanistan also provided information about the locations of alleged terrorist training camps along the border and in Pakistani cities, said the official, who is familiar with the information shared with Pakistan. He declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Omar has been at large since the Taleban was ousted by US-led forces in late 2001 for sheltering Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The US government has offered a US$10 reward for information leading to Omar’s capture.

Pakistan, a key US ally in the war on terrorism, renounced its support of the Taleban after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, and denies offering a haven for Taleban leaders or fighters.

Earlier this week, Pakistan’s interior minister, Aftab Khan Sherpao, confirmed that Afghanistan had handed over information about Taleban suspects. On Friday, he declined comment. He said, however, that Pakistan would capture them “if they are here.”

Militants from Taleban, Al Qaeda and other groups are all believed to operate along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Officials on both sides have often claimed that fugitives are likely hiding on the other’s soil.

“We have passed on the intelligence that we have about Mullah Omar and a number of his close associates to Pakistan,” said the Afghan official. “The intelligence is about those members of the Taleban leadership who we believe are in Pakistan.”

The official said other suspects believed to be in Pakistan included Mullah Dadullah, the Taleban’s head of operations in southern Afghanistan; and Ahktar Mohammed Usmani, a former commander in Kandahar. The official refused to give details about where in Pakistan they were thought to be hiding.
A Pakistani intelligence official said that during his visit, Karzai had mentioned that Omar could also be hiding somewhere in Pakistan as he keeps changing his location along the border. But he said Karzai gave no details on Omar’s whereabouts. A senior Pakistani Interior Ministry official said it was easy to make the allegation, but asked, “Do they have any evidence?”

The alleged presence of Taleban militants in Pakistan has become a source of tension in its relations with Afghanistan, particularly following 25 suicide attacks in recent months - an apparent hift in tactics by insurgents.

Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah told The Associated Press that Afghanistan had shared with Pakistan “whatever we considered was credible intelligence. They promised they would look into it.”

He declined to give details, other than that the information included “the presence of Taleban leaders, the presence of training camps and other security-related issues.”

He said Pakistan had handed over intelligence reports to Afghanistan and expressed concern about weapons allegedly being smuggled from Afghanistan to militants in the southwestern province of Baluchistan. Abdullah said some weapons might be smuggled from Afghanistan, but denied the Afghan government was behind it.

A senior Afghan counterterrorism official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity, said Afghanistan had given Pakistan information about 150 suspects, including senior and second-tier Taleban commanders.

“A lot of Taleban are living in Quetta, Peshawar and Karachi,” he said, referring to three major Pakistani cities. He said Afghanistan gave specific information to Pakistan, including some addresses.

The counter-terrorism official said the suspects included Mullah Dadullah and described him as the top operational commander in the Taleban insurgency. He claimed Dadullah moved between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Dadullah spoke to the AP in a satellite phone interview in December, maintaining that 200 Taleban were willing to be suicide attackers against US forces and their allies. He said he was in Afghanistan.
Pakistani intelligence agencies helped create the Taleban militia that swept to power in the mid-1990s after years of civil war in Afghanistan. After the Sept. 11 attacks, Pakistan’s government stopped supporting the Taleban. But Afghan officials say they suspect elements within Pakistan’s intelligence services still help the militants.

Pakistan denies that, and says it does all it can to flush militants from its soil with more than 70,000 troops deployed along the Afghan border. It has arrested hundreds of Al Qaeda suspects, including masterminds of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The senior Afghan official said the arrest of Taleban leaders was less important to Afghanistan than closing terrorist training camps which he claimed were located in Quetta, Peshawar, Karachi and the border region of Waziristan.

He said suspects captured in Afghanistan and interrogated have led authorities to believe that militants were indoctrinated and given practical training at the camps in making bombs, handling weapons and launching suicide attacks.

Afghan court sentences former spy chief to death - Feb 25, 2006 Yousuf Azimy

KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan court sentenced a former spy chief to death for killing hundreds of people during communist rule, the first such punishment for war crimes after decades of conflict in the country.

Assadullah Sarwari, who has been detained since 1992 when U.S.-backed mujahideen (holy warriors) overthrew a Soviet-backed communist regime, said he would appeal against the verdict.

Chief judge Abdul Basit Bakhtyari drew applause from many in the court on announcing the judgment. "Given the evidence, we ... sentence you Sarwari ... to death for killing hundreds of Muslim and Mujahid people in the feared communist prisons under your control," Bakhtyari said.

Sporting a short gray and black beard, the 64-year-old Sarwari stood calmly as the court announced the verdict and said he would appeal. Sarwari served as head of intelligence when thousands of people were killed and tortured for opposing the communist regime. After heading the intelligence network, Sarwari worked as deputy prime minister and then as Afghanistan's ambassador to Yemen.

The death sentence was the first for war crimes in Afghanistan, where successive regimes have been accused of abuses in 25 years of conflict in the country.

The judgment came more than two months after President Hamid Karzai's government adopted a plan to address war crimes and other human rights abuses committed during the conflict. The plan envisages setting up a task force to draw up a strategy to deal with the abuses.

The proposed task force of nominees from Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, the United Nations and the Afghan government will have until the end of next year to present its proposals.

Rights groups have welcomed the action plan, which rules out amnesties for serious abuses. Concerns had been raised that any suspects in Karzai's government and a new parliament inaugurated this month might try to block prosecutions.

In October, a Dutch court jailed two police officers of Afghanistan's former communist regime for 12 and nine years after convicting them of war crimes and torture while serving with intelligence services.

The two jailed in the Netherlands were Hesamuddin Hesam, the former head of the Khad secret police between 1983 and 1991, and its head of interrogation, Habibullah Jalalzoy.

Dutch prosecutors estimated 200,000 political opponents were tortured by various branches of the Afghan security apparatus under communist rule and about 50,000 died.

Many ready to depose against ex-intelligence boss - Habib Rahman Ibrahimi & Borhan Younus

KABUL, Feb 23 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The high-profile trial of a communist-era Afghan intelligence chief would resume on Saturday with a dozen people expected to present testimony of his 'crimes,' officials said on Thursday.

Special Court judge Abdul Basit Bakhtiari said the trial should have resumed held three days ago, but the accused was given time in order to hire a defence lawyer and study the case.

Asadullah Sarwary has been charged with ordering the execution of at least 180 people. Hearings in the case were adjourned twice - on December 26 and January 31 - after the ex-intelligence boss sought time.

But Bakhtiari told Pajhwok Afghan News the court would expedite proceedings in the case now that the defendant had already been given enough time. The judge would not say whether Sarwary had hired a defence lawyer so far.

Sarwary served as intelligence chief during the Noor Mohammad Taraki government. He allegedly killed and tortured government opponents on the basis of mere suspicion during the communist era.

In prison for the past 13 years, Sarwary rejects as baseless the charges brought against him. However, he sat deadpan in the courtroom at the last hearing when furious witnesses demanded capital punishment for him.

On Saturday, hundreds of people - who lost their near and dear ones during the communist era - are expected to be present in the court. Members of the spiritual Mujaddedi family, who air-dashed to Kabul from abroad, and others would depose against Sarwary, Bakhtiari continued.

The Naqshbandi Sufi order leader Ahmad Amin Ismail Mujaddedi, who has come from Islamabad to watch the trial, said he and his relatives had gathered reliable documentary evidence against the accused.

They would produce the documents in court, Mujaddedi said, claiming dozens of his followers might depose against the defendant. "I myself am a witness to the detention of 35 family members by Sarwary and his men. I have collected reliable documents showing his involvement in mass murder and arrests of hundreds of people."

He questioned the court's authority to delay the case involving a "notorious" man. "I dont know why the government is proceeding so slowly in the case. Most people want to see Sarwari punished as soon as possible."

Earlier, Attorney General Mahmood Daqiq had confirmed Sarwary was accused of killing 35 members of the Mujaddedi family. If convicted, Sarwary could be awarded death sentence.

Vote of trust for Afghan cabinet in a month

KABUL, Feb 23 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Speaker for Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) Yunus Qanuni has said vote of confidence for the current cabinet would take place in a month, a great controversial and tough task, before the legislators.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday Qanuni said the parliament would take final decision regarding the procedure of the vote of trust next week and then soon would give a practical shape to the judgement.

He said the twin houses of the parliament just completed formation of the various committees and then held an official meeting of these bodies.
Whether to vote each minister or the entire parliament remained a hot issue during the last meetings of the legislators.

Qanuni also suggested that government should give them a list of those ministers who would replace the existing ones if once they were distrusted during the move.

Regarding the fresh remarks of Member of Parliament Malalai Joya about MPs, Qanuni said her words were reflecting her own situation as she went on a trip without seeking parliament approval. Any MP wanted to go abroad should keep in view the country interest and dignity of the parliament, he added.

Commanders' clash leaves one dead in Kapisa

MAHMUD RAQI, Feb 24 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Clash between two former jihadi commanders left one man dead and two others wounded in the Kohistanat district of the central Kapisa province, officials said on Friday.

Crime branch chief of the district Ahmad Zia told Pajhwok Afghan News the clash erupted between former commander of Jamiat-i-Islami Abdul Malook and another loyalist of the Hezb-i-Islami Agha Shireen.

Zia said one man from commander Malook's side was killed and another injured in the fight. He said both commanders had grudges against each other and they clashed in the past as well.

The officer said police rushed to the area to control the situation. He said four people had been taken into custody and investigations had been launched to arrest the other people involved in the clash.

He said the two commanders had earlier surrendered their weapons under the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme last year. Locals say many people have been killed in clashes between the two commander in the past. Nadim Kohistani

UN asks Taliban to shun violence, adopt political means - Danish Karokhel

KABUL, Feb 23 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The special representative of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan Tom Koenigs Thursday asked the Taliban and opponents of the government to lay down arms and resolve all the problems through political means.

Speaking to journalists here, he expressed concern over the security situation in the war-shattered country and urged the dissidents to solve their problems through negotiations.

He said burning schools and hospitals and targeting teachers, students and other officials would not lead them towards any solution. It would aggravate the problem and increase miseries of the Afghan people, observed the envoy.

He asked Taliban to allow the new generation to get modern education and rebuild their country ravaged by years of war and civil strife. Besides, the UNICEF and other agencies should be allowed to reconstruct the educational institutions destroyed during war and enable them to serve the Afghans.

He said the insurgency was affecting every sector in Afghanistan, especially the rebuilding process, investment in the country and Afghanistan's trade ties with the rest of the world.

He said UN's priorities in Afghanistan included improved human rights, security situation, good governance and capacity building of the Afghan government. He said the UN wanted a stable government to improve security and promote human rights in the country.

He asked the Afghan government to create a friendly atmosphere for investment in the country. The UN will provide all possible assistance in this connection.

Asked about Pakistan's alleged interference in Afghanistan, the special envoy said leaders of both the countries had recently met and assured each other of their cooperation in all sectors, including the war on terror. He said Afghan president was hopeful of positive results of his visit to Pakistan.

To a women questioner about the deplorable condition of females in the country, the envoy said condition of women had been improved in the past few years. He said women had now representation in the cabinet as well as they had considerable presence in both houses of the Afghan parliament.

However, he urged the need for more progress on that front and said the target would be achieved slowly and gradually. He said the UN had a clear policy and the world body was against any discrimination in the rights of male and female.

Earlier, briefing journalists about his arrival and meetings, Koenigs said he had met President Hamid Karzai and other officials and discussed all issues with them in detail.

Advance teams in Afghanistan planning Harper visit

OTTAWA (CP) - Security teams are in Afghanistan and Pakistan laying the groundwork for a visit by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to one of the world's most dangerous spots.

The prime minister is considering a visit to Canadian soldiers posted in Afghanistan's unstable Kandahar province to demonstrate his support for the military, sources said.

That visit may happen within weeks and could become Harper's first international trip as prime minister. Officials from Harper's office have been seen in the two Canadian military camps in Kandahar, although no one will confirm the reason for their visit.

Security forces have already visited neighbouring Pakistan to plan Harper's pick-up and aerial transportation into Kandahar under heavy military escort, sources said.

Canadian troops in Afghanistan would love to see Harper, according to the new commander of front-line soldiers in Kandahar. Lt.-Col. Ian Hope said a prime ministerial visit would give soldiers a big boost.

"It would be an extremely powerful positive moral effect, not that they are in any way suffering, but someone of that kind of stature would be great,'' Hope said. "They probably would like to see a few hockey players too.''

For reasons of security, flights into Afghanistan are funneled through its eastern neighbour and sources close to the operation said Harper would likely board a Hercules military transport aircraft in Islamabad.

Government officials are usually tight-lipped about upcoming travel -- and especially so in this case. The Prime Minister's Office said Friday that no official plans or dates have been set yet for a visit to Afghanistan.

There were also suggestions it may not be Harper who visits, but Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor.
But several high-ranking sources in a pair of government departments, along with Tory political staff and officials involved in security operations, all confirmed a trip is in the works. "The (visit by Harper) has been raised,'' was all one senior official would say Thursday.

By making the trip so early in his prime ministership, Harper would be sending a signal to the military and to the international community about his commitment to Canada playing a role in the world.

He wants the troops to know his Conservative government also intends to honour its promise to increase resources for the Canadian Forces. The Tories have promised $5.3 billion in additional military spending over five years, and have said they will expand the Forces by 13,000 full-time and 10,000 reserve troops.

Harper also wants to send the message that Canada takes its international commitments -- including the fight against terrorism -- seriously.

The United States recognizes Canada's contribution to the war on terror, the U.S. ambassador to Canada said Friday. "Canada is playing a major role protecting freedom in that area of the world,'' David Wilkins told reporters.

Kandahar was the heartland of Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban movement. Of all the country's regions, it retains the most sympathy for the fundamentalist government that was ousted by international forces soon after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Last month, a Canadian diplomat was killed and three Edmonton-based soldiers were seriously injured when a suicide bomber attacked their convoy in the region.

One lingering question is whether Harper will already have completed the trip before his first face-to-face meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush next month.

He will attend a Canada-U.S.-Mexico trilateral summit next month, which is expected to be held in Cancun. Officials in Harper's office were dismissive when the possibility of a Kandahar trip was raised last week. Their official line has since become, "No comment.''

Harper did not deny a trip to Afghanistan was in the works when asked about it this week. "I can't make any comment on that,'' the prime minister told a news conference. "We'll make that announcement (about upcoming trips) as soon as we're in a position to do so.''

In a post-election briefing with top military brass, Harper was urged to visit Canadian troops stationed in the southern Afghan city. The chief of defence staff, Gen. Rick Hillier, told Harper that such a visit would be much appreciated by the military.

Officials in at least two federal departments said Harper had expressed support for the idea -- without committing to it. One said he found it significant that the one foreign country Harper mentioned in his Jan. 23 victory speech was Afghanistan, not the U.S. or any European ally.

He followed up that election-night address with a speech days later to a group of Canadian election monitors preparing to leave for Haiti. "Canada may not be a superpower -- but we stand for higher values to which all peoples aspire,'' Harper told the audience. "And it is important that our actions as Canadians promote these values in all corners of the Earth.''

Most Cdns. uneasy about Afghan mission: poll - Feb. 24 2006 - CTV.ca News Staff

Federal Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor is pledging that Ottawa will follow through on its mission in Afghanistan. But a new CTV News poll suggests most Canadians are uneasy about the military's involvement in the volatile region.

In the exclusive poll for CTV News and The Globe and Mail, The Strategic Counsel asked Canadians if they would vote in favour or against sending troops to Afghanistan. Just 27 per cent were in favour and 62 per cent were against.

Furthermore, 73 per cent of respondents said the decision to send troops to Afghanistan should require parliamentary approval, while 20 per cent said it should not.

"In a democracy I think the people have to get behind the government," retired Colonel Michel Drapeau told Canada AM Friday. "The nation has to be convinced to the point that they will be persuading their sons and daughters to join the military."

In Afghanistan, CTV's Lisa LaFlamme told Canada AM that the troops were disappointed when they heard about the poll. "The troops here are suggesting that Canadians should become more informed on the situation," LaFlamme said from Kandahar.

CTV News has also learned that the debate on Afghanistan is being waged within the Prime Minister's Office over whether or not Stephen Harper should travel to Kandahar next Wednesday, when a Canadian general will take command of NATO troops.

Drapeau said that a visit from Harper would be a great boost for all troops. "It would do wonders for the morale of the Canadian military both home and abroad," Drapeau said of the visit.

On Thursday, O'Connor reconfirmed Canada's position in Afghanistan. "We will stay the course because our mission in Afghanistan is important," O'Connor said Thursday.

"It's important for the future of Afghanistan, it's important for the stability of the region and it's important for international security." O'Connor said stability in the region is important to the international community, but is especially in Canada's interest.

"On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked North America and Canadians were killed. Let me be clear: when terrorists attack Canadians, Canada will defend itself. That's why we're in Afghanistan," he said.

By early March, approximately 2,200 Canadian troops will have been deployed to Kandahar, as Canada will assume the lead of the multinational forces over the next nine months.

The Conservative government's pledge to see the Afghanistan mission through came amid calls for a parliamentary debate on Canada's presence in the war-torn nation.

"There has been no full debate in the House of Commons on the issue of our troops in Afghanistan and I think that does need to happen," said the New Democrat defence and peace advocacy critic Dawn Black.

"The New Democrats have called for that under the previous government, and will call for that again under this government," Black said, appearing on CTV Newsnet's Mike Duffy Live.

Liberal defence critic Ujjal Dosanjh echoed the sentiment, saying the government needs to "make sure that the people of Canada believe there ought to be a debate. He added: "There's no reason why we can't have a debate while our troops are actually doing the work that needs to be done in Afghanistan."

While Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada is grateful for foreign assistance, he cautioned that terrorists will seek to exploit partisan conflicts. "Their goal is to use time and a battle of nerves to tire us, to intimidate us, to make us doubt our objectives, to sow dissension and turn it into a contentious political debate," Omar Samad said Thursday.

In his first major speech since being appointed defence minister, O'Connor also summarized the government's defence plan as having a "three-ocean navy, a robust army and a revitalized air force." "We'll put Canada first by strengthening our national sovereignty and by increasing Canada's self-reliance in matters of defence," he said.

To that end, he said the government will increase regular forces "to at least 75,000" from the current 62,000, and boost reserve force personnel (now at 23,000) by 10,000. He also promised to provide new funding for the Canadian Forces in the next budget.

O'Connor opened his speech by pledging to strengthen and expand Canada's participation in the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), thus allowing Canada to work even closer with U.S. Northern Command.

"This will help us exercise our sovereignty, and allow us to strengthen cooperation with the United States, as partners, dedicated to North American security, he said.

Building on a promise made by Harper during the election campaign, O'Connor said the government will expand Canada's military commitments in the north. "Currently, Canada does not have the necessary capabilities to fully exercise Arctic sovereignty responsibilities," he said.

"This is unacceptable, particularly when we consider the Canadian territorial waters in the Arctic could be more accessible to shipping within 10 to 20 years," he said.

"It is our intention to devote more people, more equipment and more money to defence of our great northern areas." In promising a three-ocean navy, O'Connor is referring to a Conservative plan to put new armed ice breakers in the region.

Rising temperatures from global warming are expected to open up the Northwest Passage, creating a major shipping route between Asia and Europe. Melting ice could also make it easier to look for undersea resources, such as oil and gas.

Hans Island, a small rocky outcrop located in the area, has been a source of dispute between Canada and Denmark. Both claim it as their own, and while they say their dispute is really over the island, there has been speculation it has more to do with the opening up of the shipping passage.

With a report from CTV's David Akin and files from The Canadian Press

Pakistan to close three more refugee camps

KABUL, Feb 24 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Pakistan is going to close three more refugee camps in its Balochistan and North West Frontier Province (NWFP) at the end of April this year.

An official statement released in Pakistan's central capital of Islamabad the other day said, the camps to be closed included the Kacha Garhi refugee camp in Peshawar and Jungle Pir Alizai and Gard-i-Zangal camps in Balochistan province.

The three camps are housing 129,000 refugees. Of these, 51,000 are living in Kacha Garhi, 35,000 Jungle Pir Alizai and 43,000 in the Gard-i-Zangal refugee camp.

The Pakistan government said refugees living in those camps should either repatriate to their country or relocate to other camps in Pakistan.

The statement said that the camps were being closed due to security, land development and camp consolidation reason and no one would be allowed to stay in the camps after the due date.

Two days back, the UN agency for refugees, in a statement issued in Islamabad, said that they were going to restart the voluntary repatriation programme of Afghan DPs to their country from March 2006. The programme was halted at the advent of cold weather last year, which would be resumed next week.

Afghans finish runners-up in Khaleej Cricket Tournament

ISLAMABAD, Feb 25 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Bahrain staged an audacious comeback to outplay Afghanistan by three wickets in the final of the five-nation Khaleej Cricket Tournament played in Kuwait City on Friday.

Afghanistan, electing to bat first, 195 were restricted to 195, with Abdul Nasir contributing a solid 49, followed by Raees Ahmad with 34. Other Afghan batsmen, however, went out cheaply in the crucial encounter.

But 195 was in no way a fighting total on a track full of runs, as proved by Asghar Baaj's breezy knock of 65 that enabled Bahrain to lift the coveted trophy. Lack of penetration and strike cost the Afghans dearly, dashing their victory hopes.

Despite a top order collapse triggered by Mohammad Nabi's fiery spell, Bahrain went on to emerge as champions - in a confident fashion indeed. At one point in the duel when the chips were down, Bahrain maintained their cool, poise and balance while chasing the target. And they carried the day.

Taj Malook, manager of Afghanistan's Cricket Federation, regretted the defeat in a chat with Pajhwok Afghan News. He said the trouncing - with a tinge of hard luck - was all the more painful in that it came after a string of successive wins registered by his team.

Afghan skipper Raees Ahmad, speaking to this scribe by phone from Kuwait City, said they had set the rivals a good target but Bahrain's batsmen exhibited extraordinary application, focus and courage.

He continued: "Though we lost the final to an experienced opposition, yet we have learnt a great deal from every match we played" during the championship featuring Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Bahrain.

Reported by Pakhtun Sahar & translated by Mudassir

[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.]