In this bulletin:

• Karzai criticises foreign tactics
• Afghanistan Clashes Kill 4 U.S. Soldiers, 14 Rebels
• Zawahiri is Afghanistan's enemy and must be captured: president
• Afghanistan: Two convoys attacked
• China pledges 80 million Yuans for Afghanistan
• Spanta to leave for Pakistan tomorrow
• Afghanistan: Forces raid Taliban compound
• Suicide attacker hits military convoy in Afghanistan
• Attempt to Steer the News Backfires in Afghanistan
• Taliban not at war with Pakistan’
• Paktika to receive provincial-wide radio coverage

Karzai criticises foreign tactics

BBC News / Thursday, 22 June 2006

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has urged the international community to reassess how it is fighting the Taleban and their allies.

He said he was not surprised that so many people were being killed in southern Afghanistan.

His comments came as the US military said four more of its soldiers had been killed in north-eastern Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri has called on Afghans to fight foreign forces in their country.

'Change in approach'

Speaking in Kabul, President Karzai said improving local government and strengthening the police and army was the way in which to tackle the problem of terrorism.

"I have systematically, consistently and on a daily basis warned the international community of what was developing in Afghanistan... and of a change in approach by the international community in this regard."

The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Kabul says President Karzai's careful criticism is a sign of his growing frustration at the worsening security situation in Afghanistan.

The American soldiers were killed after US-led coalition forces attacked "enemy extremists" in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan Province, a coalition statement said.

Fighting has intensified in Afghanistan in recent months. Hundreds of suspected Taleban militants have been killed.

Attacks blamed on the Taleban and their allies, including suicide bombings, have also targeted US and other foreign troops.

'Stand as one'

In a three-minute video that emerged on Thursday, Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri called on Afghans to stand up against the "infidel forces that are invading Muslim lands".

The video was posted on an Islamic website.

"Muslim brothers in Afghanistan, and especially in Kabul, stand as one with the mujahideen (Islamic fighters) so that the invading forces might be expelled," he said.

President Karzai responded by describing the al-Qaeda deputy as an "enemy of the Afghan people" and blamed him for causing Afghans misery over the years.

"He killed Afghans for years, thousands, and then he went to America and destroyed the twin towers," he said in comments quoted by the Associated Press.

"He is the one who destroyed our mosques and schools, vineyards and orchards."

Zawahiri and Bin Laden have evaded capture since US-led forces brought down the Taleban regime in Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 2001 attacks on the US.

Afghanistan Clashes Kill 4 U.S. Soldiers, 14 Rebels

June 22 (Bloomberg) -- Four U.S. soldiers and 14 insurgents were killed in clashes across Afghanistan, the military said.

In the violence, eight insurgents died when Afghan and coalition forces raided a known Taliban meeting place in Uruzgan province, southwest of the Afghan capital, Kabul, the U.S. military said in an e-mailed statement. The U.S. soldiers and another six insurgents died in operations yesterday, the military said in separate e-mailed statements.

Coalition and Afghan forces this year have faced an upsurge in violence as they seek to extend the influence of President Hamid Karzai's government to more remote regions. Soldiers have been cracking down on insurgents and remnants of the ousted Taliban regime in operations in the northeast and the south dubbed Mountain Lion and Mountain Thrust.

Karzai today said the coalition needs to find a better way to tackle terrorism in Afghanistan, or the West will ``suffer again,'' Agence France-Presse reported. The international community needs to focus on disarming terrorists by cutting off sources of money, Karzai told reporters, acknowledging that weaknesses in his own administration may be helping the unrest, according to AFP.

Karzai also condemned al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri as an enemy of Afghanistan and the world, after the terrorist leader urged Afghans to fight foreign ``invaders'' in a video posted on the Internet, AFP said.

Today's operation, part of Mountain Thrust, took place in the village of Bagh-e Yosof, northwest of Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan's Shahidi district, the military said. The allied forces outmaneuvered enemy fighters in a cave complex, killing eight and capturing six, the U.S. said.

Weapons Cache

``A search of the compound resulted in the discovery of a weapons cache containing AK-47s, rocket propelled grenades and two machine guns,'' the U.S. said. ``The compound had been used as a meeting place and sanctuary for Taliban improvised explosive device makers and facilitators to conduct operations against local Afghans, government officials and coalition forces.''

The four U.S. soldiers were killed, and another was wounded, when the U.S.-led coalition yesterday attacked enemy forces in a remote area of Nuristan province's Kamdesh district, the military said today in an earlier e-mailed statement. The wounded soldier was evacuated to a coalition hospital, and is in a ``stable'' condition, the military said.

The coalition and the Afghan army have been conducting Operation Mountain Lion in Nuristan's mountains and other parts of the northeast since April. Operation Mountain thrust began in May. Both target al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked fighters.

Violence and Fear

``These insurgents only bring violence, fear and intimidation,'' Major General Benjamin Freakley, a U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said in the statement. ``They offer the people of Afghanistan nothing.''

In the Sangin district of Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, six insurgents were killed in an operation yesterday near the village of Hydarabad on the east side of the Helmand River, the military said in a third statement.

``The targeted extremists had been involved in weapons smuggling and had planned attacks on Afghan and coalition forces,'' the military said. ``The coalition believes the extremists operated from the Yakhdan region, Uruzgan province.''

The U.S. has more than 18,500 troops in Afghanistan as part of a 26,000-person coalition that involves 25 other nations. In addition, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has about 9,000 soldiers in the Central Asian nation as part of its International Security Assistance Force, based mainly in Kabul and the north. NATO is increasing its force to 16,000 by the end of the summer in Afghanistan.

As of yesterday, 152 members of the U.S. military had been killed in action in Afghanistan and neighboring countries since the beginning of the 2001 conflict that ousted the Taliban, according to the Department of Defense. Including those who died from other causes, such as illness and vehicle accidents, the death toll is 302.

Zawahiri is Afghanistan's enemy and must be captured: president

Thu Jun 22, 6:26 AM ET

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai said that Al-Qaeda's number two Ayman al-Zawahiri was his country's enemy and must be brought to justice for the all the suffering he had caused.

"Zawahiri is one of those people that we're looking for in Afghanistan to capture," Karzai told reporters on Thursday when asked about a video released on the Internet in which the militant calls on Afghans to fight foreign forces.

"He's first the enemy of Afghanistan, then the enemy of the rest of the world... first he killed Afghans for years then he went to America and destroyed the twin towers," the president said, referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

"So whether America wants him or not... we in Afghanistan want him arrested and put before justice," he said, adding Zawahiri was "one of those individuals who has brought massive suffering to the Afghan people."

Zawahiri, believed to be hiding out in remote areas of Pakistan or Afghanistan, said in the new video that Afghans must fight the "invaders" -- a reference to the thousands of American and other foreign troops here.

"I urge the Muslims of Kabul in particular and across Afghanistan in general to fight the invaders... to join forces with the mujahedeen to chase out the invaders and liberate Afghanistan," he said.

Zawahiri was said to be speaking the day after rioting on May 29 in the Afghan capital Kabul following a traffic accident that left around 20 people dead and scores injured.

The violence erupted after a heavy US military truck lost control and ploughed into several vehicles at the northern entrance to the city during rush hour.

Zawahiri said in the video, which lasted less than four minutes, that the violence was "new evidence of the crimes perpetrated by American forces against the Afghan people."

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has said that Zawahiri escaped a US air strike in January in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan. Several civilians and five militants also died.

Afghanistan: Two convoys attacked

Coalition warns 'significant fighting' lies ahead

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Attacks on two military convoys in southern Afghanistan have left one dead and 13 wounded, including six Canadian soldiers, and the U.S.-led coalition warns that "significant fighting" lies ahead in coming months.

A suicide attacker detonated his explosives-filled Toyota Corolla near a military convoy in Kandahar city, killing one and wounding nine, Afghan and coalition officials said.

The troops were on their way back from a patrol in a light-armored vehicle on Wednesday when they were hit by the attacker's car around 7:30 p.m. (3 p.m. GMT) in Kandahar city, said coalition spokesman Maj. Quentin Innis.

Two Canadian soldiers were injured and the attacker was killed, he said.

In addition, an Afghan bystander was killed and seven others injured, including one policeman and six civilians who were taken to Mir Wais Hospital, said Dr. Aziz Khan.

An Associated Press reporter saw the burning carcass of the attacker's vehicle sitting on the main road through Kandahar. Blackened pieces were scattered over the highway.

A roadside bomb earlier in the day hit a Canadian convoy in the Shahwali Kot district of Kandahar province, leaving four Canadian soldiers wounded, Innis said.

Two Afghan men who were seen running from a spot near the bombing were chased down and detained, Innis said.

One of the soldiers in that bombing was seriously wounded, he said. The other three were in stable condition.

The attacks came as the U.S.-led coalition warned that major battles would come as Taliban fighters resisted the coalition push to sweep the southern region clear ahead of a security handover to NATO-led International Security Assistance Force later this summer, military officials said.

"We are seeing the enemy operating in larger groups. They are fighting hard. They are clearly trying to stop our efforts to move into certain areas," coalition spokesman Col. Tom Collins said at a news conference in Kabul.

Operation Mountain Thrust began in earnest last week with more than 10,000 Afghan, British, Canadian and American troops deploying throughout four southern provinces to crush a resurgent Taliban force in the largest military operation since the former regime's 2001 ouster.

Heavy fighting occurred Tuesday as U.S.-led soldiers and Afghan troops killed 20 insurgents near Musa Qala, a remote town in the mountainous Helmand province, Afghan army commander Gen. Rahmatullah Roufi said Wednesday. One Afghan soldier was wounded.

In a separate incident in the same area, coalition and Afghan troops fought more than 30 militants, who escaped to a nearby village for cover, a military statement said. One U.S. soldier and one Afghan soldier were wounded.

More than 600 people, mostly militants, have been killed in the past month as insurgents have launched their deadliest campaign of violence in years. At least 10 coalition soldiers have been killed in combat since mid-May.

Separately, coalition soldiers accidentally fired on an unmarked police car Tuesday at a checkpoint in eastern Kunar province, killing three policemen and wounding three others, Collins said.

The incident began when the car approached the checkpoint without slowing.

Coalition soldiers noticed the occupants, who were not in uniform, were armed with RPGs and "felt they were in immediate danger so they opened fire on the vehicle," Collins said. He said the coalition "regrets the incident."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

China pledges 80 million Yuans for Afghanistan

KABUL, June 21 (Pajhwok Afghan News): China would grant 80 million Yuans to Afghanistan in this year, presidential statement said on Wednesday.  

The release said some agreements were also inked by the two countries during President Hamid Karzai visit to China. President Hamid Karzai during his official visit to China attended Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Chinese government also promised removing export tax on 278 items of the war-battered country.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Chinese counterpart President Hu Jintao signed treaties of friendship, cooperation, friendly ties and counter-terrorism. The two leaders said their countries should work together to promote regional safety against terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as drug trafficking and transitional crimes.

Chinese leader once again confirmed its country respect for the territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan, the statement added. The statement said China would provide 30 scholarships to Afghanistan every year that would commence from 2007.

Spanta to leave for Pakistan tomorrow

Lailuma Sadid

KABUL, June 22 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta will leave for Pakistan tomorrow (Friday) to discuss peace, terrorism, trade and commerce and a host of other issues of bilateral interest.

Spanta is visiting Islamabad on a special invitation from his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri. Besides meeting Kasuri, the Foreign Minister will also call on a number of other senior Pakistani officials.

Quoting the minister, a statement released from the Foreign Ministry here on Thursday said: "Pakistan and Afghanistan should live as peaceful neighbours. They should respect each other's interest and avoid interference in each other's internal affairs."

Stressing the need for lasting peace in his country, Spanta said future of the region was dependent on peace in Afghanistan. He said peace in Afghanistan was in the interest of the whole region.

The minister said they were satisfied with the counter-terrorism efforts being rendered by Pakistan and hopeful that those efforts would be further intensified. Cordial relations between the two countries were in the interest of the two neighbours and beneficial for peace in the region.

Afghanistan: Forces raid Taliban compound

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 22 (UPI) -- Coalition and Afghan forces raided an insurgent compound Thursday in the central Uruzgan Province, killing eight and capturing six more.

The compound result also netted a weapons cache containing AK-47's, rocket propelled grenades and two machine guns, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Using a cave in the in province, the area was reportedly also used as a meeting place for Taliban forces waging attacks on Afghan and coalition forces in the region.

Taliban and insurgent attacks in Afghanistan have been on the rise in the last year, particularly in the country's southern and eastern regions near the Pakistani border.

Suicide attacker hits military convoy in Afghanistan – Associated Press

Kandhar, June 21, 2006|03:39 IST

A suicide attacker detonated his explosives-filled car Wednesday near a military convoy in Kandahar, killing one and wounding nine - including two Canadian soldiers, Afghan and coalition officials said.

The troops were on their way back from a patrol in a light-armoured vehicle when they were hit by the attacker's car around 7:30 pm in Kandahar, said coalition spokesman Maj Quentin Innis.

The attacker was killed and two Canadian soldiers were injured, he said.

An Afghan bystander was also killed and seven others injured, said governor's spokesman Dawood Ahmadi.

The wounded included one policeman and six civilians, who were taken to Mir Wais Hospital, said Dr Aziz Khan.

Attempt to Steer the News Backfires in Afghanistan
Intelligence Agency Warning Draws Outrage, Ridicule

By Pamela Constable
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, June 22, 2006; A19

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 21 -- An unofficial attempt by Afghanistan's national intelligence service to quash sensational and negative coverage by the Afghan news media appears to have backfired badly this week, provoking both outrage and ridicule among journalists and opinion makers, and swift repudiation by the office of President Hamid Karzai.

But Afghan and foreign observers said the incident could still have a chilling effect on local news reporting about such crucial issues as terrorist attacks and official corruption, at a time of intensifying insurgent violence and public disillusionment with the Western-backed government.

Some analysts, however, said it cast a useful spotlight on the tendency of the fledgling Afghan news media, especially several private TV stations, to sensationalize violence, denounce allegations of wrongdoing without proof and relentlessly attack Karzai.

The controversy erupted Tuesday when an unsigned but official-looking document was delivered to Afghan media outlets, listing 17 instructions. Some were vague: the press should not publish or broadcast material that "weakens public morale or damages the national interest." Others were nit-pickingly specific: the press should use "freedom fighter" instead of "warlord" to describe former anti-Soviet militia leaders.

The document contained language suggesting that it carried official authority, and it followed similar verbal warnings made at two recent meetings between intelligence officials and Afghan media owners.

The intelligence service has not denied writing it, and several Afghan and foreign officials said they had confirmed its source.

The document ended with a stern warning against copying or distributing the contents, which ensured that hundreds of photocopies were floating around the capital within hours.

Karzai's office, flooded with media calls, quickly issued a statement saying the government had issued no such instructions. However, it also seemed to echo the disavowed document by calling on the media to "refrain from glorifying terrorism or giving terrorists a platform."

Afghan journalists expressed a mixture of anger, confusion and amusement over the incident. They pointed out that the government had enacted a comprehensive media law last year spelling out the role and responsibilities of news organizations, and that officials often invoked media freedom as a hallmark of the country's new democracy.

"This is very serious. It shows the government is trying to hide its weakness and take revenge on the media for pointing out all the problems," said Rahimullah Samandar, president of the national journalists' association. He said the government had been especially irked by aggressive local coverage of riots in the capital on May 29, and of Karzai's recent appointment of controversial figures to senior police posts.

Samandar's organization formally rejected the document Wednesday as "illegal," but he said it could still discourage some smaller media outlets from aggressive reporting. If the document does reflect the thinking of President Karzai, and is not just a rogue attempt by one powerful agency, he said, "it could be very dangerous."

Other observers said the incident suggested two possibilities: one, that Karzai has no control over the national intelligence agency, which has undergone a number of restructurings under Western government guidance, or two, that the document was actually the product of senior officials in the government seeking to indirectly intimidate the press.

Mark Laity, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force that patrols Kabul, the capital, said the media should "basically ignore" the document, on grounds it had been clearly rejected by the president and had no validity. He made light of one instruction that ordered the media to refrain from criticism of foreign military forces here.

"Let me make it clear: ISAF is not worried or afraid of criticism," he said. "We are an alliance of democratic nations supporting a democratic nation, and it is entirely appropriate that what we do should be open to debate and criticism."

The Afghan press, which started almost from scratch four years ago after decades of war and repression, has come under sporadic attack since then. A writer was jailed by the courts after publishing magazine essays questioning strict Islamic laws. A television reporter was beaten after filming a dispute in parliament. Journalists in rural areas have reported being threatened by local militia commanders.

Nader Naderi, a member of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, said he worried that the document would create a tendency to self-censorship among reporters and editors, but he also said the fledgling local media suffered from a lack of objectivity and professionalism, a tendency to criticize without evidence, and an irresponsible, sensationalistic approach to covering insurgent violence.

"There have increasingly been one-sided, negative reports on the government, mostly based on rumors or false information," Naderi said. "Just because someone is doing bad journalism doesn't mean you should impose limits on them, but criticism should be constructive, and it should not go against the long-term interests of the nation."

Taliban not at war with Pakistan’

By Our Correspondent

TANK, June 21: A Taliban commander Maulvi Jalal Al Din Haqani has asked his supporters not to wage war against Pakistan, while renewing his pledge to continue Jihad against the United States and the Karzai government.

A pamphlet purportedly issued by Maulvi Haqani’s son Khalifa Alhaj Sirajuddin in Angoor Adda on Wednesday said that those fighters who had declared Jihad on Pakistan did not have any place in Taliban ranks, as it was not their policy to launch a war against the country.

However, the pamphlet renewed the call for continuing Jihad against American forces and the Karzai government in Afghanistan.

Paktika to receive provincial-wide radio coverage

June 22, 2006

COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN
COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Remote residents of Paktika Province will soon be listening to the radio and hearing popular music and local news.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced funding for an A.M. radio station capable of covering the entire eastern Afghanistan province.

Currently, Paktika has no provincial-wide radio coverage.

“This contribution offers the provincial government an effective way to reach the people with important information,” said Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force – 76. Ultimat ely, the radio station will help to keep people informed about the latest developments and provide entertainment and news of interesting topics.”

The International Organization for Migration is contracting with Internews, an international nonprofit organization that supports independent media in emerging democracies, to implement the new station, which will likely be located near Sharana and operational within the next year.

[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.]