U.S. President George W. Bush, left, speaks as his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai listens during a press conference after making a surprise visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 1, 2006. Bush said Wednesday he remains confident Osama bin Laden 'will be brought to justice' despite a so-far futile five-year hunt. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

In this bulletin:

• President Bush Makes Surprise Visit to Afghanistan
• Bush Confident Bin Laden Will Be Captured
• INTERVIEW-Afghanistan slams Musharraf comments before Bush trip
• Pakistan hunting Qaeda, Taliban
• GI Dies Fighting Taliban Rebels in Afghanistan
• Official: 36 Militants Killed in Pakistan
• Violence flares again at riot-hit Afghan jail for third day
• Afghanistan signs security deals with neighbours
• Gulf becomes route for Afghanistan opium: German minister
• 169 Taliban commanders surrender to gov't in Afghanistan: official
• Afghan Cabinet Members to Be Confirmed Individually
• Most Canadians back expanded Afghan mission: poll
• Canadian general wants to bring peace to Afghanistan
• Troops lower flag at Canadian camps
• Canada's Phantom Menace In Afghanistan
• DIA Chief Warns of More Afghan Violence
• U.S. reaffirms long-term commitment to help Afghanistan in economic development
• Nine arrested over Medecins Sans Frontieres murders in Afghanistan
• Taliban attacks on schools create 'lost generation'
• New Risk for Aid Workers

President Bush Makes Surprise Visit to Afghanistan

NY Times - NEW DELHI, March 1 - President Bush made a surprise five-hour visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday to meet with President Hamid Karzai and to see for the first time the country created after the United States went to war against the Taliban in retaliation for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In a news conference with Mr. Karzai, Mr Bush said he remained confident of the capture of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as the apprehension of the Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar. “It’s not a matter of if they’re captured, it’s a matter of when they’re brought to justice,’’ Mr. Bush said.

The president deflected a question about the increasing violence from Al Qaeda and Taliban militants in Afghanistan and also played down the possibility of announcing a nuclear power agreement with India on a visit to New Delhi, where he was expected to arrive Wednesday night.

“This is a difficult issue,’’ Mr. Bush said, speaking outside the presidential palace in Kabul, with Mr. Karzai at his side. “It’s a difficult issue for the Indian government. It’s a difficult issue for the American government.’’ He added: “Hopefully we can reach an agreement. If not, we can continue to work on it.’’

In response to a question about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Mr. Bush said that “the most destabilizing thing that can happen, in this region and the world, is for Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon’’ and that he would work with allies to see that it did not happen.

Mr. Bush’s stopover in Afghanistan, the first of an American president to the country since President Dwight D. Eisenhower visited in 1959, occurred on the way to a three-day trip to India and Pakistan. White House officials, who had been planning the stop for two months, kept it secret for security reasons until they told reporters aboard Air Force One after a refueling stop in Shannon, Ireland, that they were en route to Afghanistan.

Mr. Bush landed at Bagram Air Force Base shortly after noon Afghanistan time, when he and his wife Laura stepped off Air Force One in brilliant sunshine, with the snow-capped Hindu Kush mountains in the background. Secret Service agents surrounded the plane wielding automatic weapons.

Mr. Bush went immediately to lunch with Mr. Karzai, followed by their joint news conference. Mr. Bush was then to cut the ribbon at a ceremonial opening of the already-operating U.S. Embassy, and was expected to end his visit with remarks to American troops at Bagram Air Force Base. Currently there are about 19,000 American troops in the country.

“It’s such a thrill to come to a country which is dedicating itself to the dignity of every person who lives here,’’ Mr. Bush said at the news conference. He added that “we like stories of young girls going to school for the first time, so they can realize their potential. We appreciate a free press. We are enthralled when we see an entrepreneurial class grow up.’’

Mr. Bush did not directly answer a question from an Afghan journalist about how long he expected American troops to remain in Afghanistan. “The United States is here at the request of an Afghan government, elected by the people.’’ Mr. Bush said.

Laura Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have both been to Afghanistan, but Mr. Bush has not. In 2003, Mr. Bush made a secret Thanksgiving trip to Baghad, where he shared dinner with American troops. But he did not hold an outdoor news conference, as he did on Wednesday in Kabul.

Before Mr. Bush touched down in New Delhi, tens of thousands of Muslims gathered on Wednesday afternoon at the Ram Leela ground, an open field commonly used for political protests in the heart of the capital, and chanted "Killer Bush Go Back."

Busloads of Muslims came from 100-mile radius of Delhi, responding to a protest call by Jamiat Ulama-I- Hind, a political organization. "We came to register our protest against the Bush visit," Rais Khan, a real estate agent said. "He is the biggest terrorist." "Bush should learn to behave," Mohammed Nadeem, a college student said. "Otherwise we are willing to do any sacrifice to check him."

The protest was peaceful and lasted three hours. Maulana Mahmood Madni, the general secretary of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, capped off the rally by telling the crowd: "Bush is destroying the world peace. He is the biggest enemy of Islam. Ya Allah save the world from George Bush."

Bush Confident Bin Laden Will Be Captured

AP White House correspondent - President Bush, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said Wednesday he remains confident Osama bin Laden "will be brought to justice" despite a so-far futile five-year hunt.

Bush also suggested that the United States and India, where he was headed next, have still not reached a deal over U.S. help for India's civilian nuclear program.

"People all over the world are watching the experience here in Afghanistan," Bush said as he stood side-by-side with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Amid extremely tight security, Bush made the surprise visit in Afghanistan at the onset of a scheduled visit to India and Pakistan.

"It's a thrill to come to a country which is dedicating itself to the dignity of every person who lives here," said Bush said, making his first visit to Afghanistan. For his part, Karzai greeted Bush as "our great friend, our great supporter, a man who helped us liberate."

Asked about the search for bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States, and of the president's call for getting him "dead or alive," Bush said the search for bin Laden and his associates continues.

"It's not a matter of if they're captured and brought to justice, it's when they're brought to justice," Bush said. Bush flew here secretly to support the fledging Afghan government in the face of rising violence from al-Qaida and Taliban militants.

Bush's entourage flew into the city from Bagram Air Base in a flotilla of heavily armed helicopters. Two door gunners on a press helicopter fired off a short burst of machine gun fire at unknown targets as the aircraft flew low and fast over barren countryside.

Bush arrived safely at the presidential palace where he was greeted by Karzai. The two leaders spoke with reporters during a brief news conference after their meeting.

Afterward, Bush presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new U.S. embassy in Kabul. He told embassy workers they were "on the front line of freedom's march." Before leaving Afghanistan, Bush was to give a pep talk to U.S. troops at the air base where he landed and departed.

Asked twice at his news conference about bin Laden, Bush said, "I am confident he will be brought to justice. What's happening is that we've got U.S. forces on the hunt. ... There are Afghan forces on the hunt, not only for bin Laden but also those who plot and plan with him. We've got Pakistan forces on the hunt."

Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere along the mountainous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The suspected presence of Taliban militants in Pakistan has become a source of tension in relations with Afghanistan. More than two dozen suicide attacks in recent months have fueled Afghan suspicions that militants are operating out of Pakistan.

Bush said that, when he is in Pakistan later this week, he will raise the issue of cross border infiltrations with Pakistan's president. Of hopes to be able to announce a nuclear agreement with India, Bush said that, "This is a difficult issue. This is a difficult issue for the Indian government. This is a difficult issue for the American government."

He said officials of both governments were continuing talks, even as heheaded to India. Bush has promised to sell India nuclear technology and materials to help it with its civilian nuclear energy program, but the deal is hung up on reaching accord on how to ensure that the assistance isn't diverted into weapons programs.

"Our relationship with India is broader than our discussions about energy," Bush said. "Ours is a strategic relationship." U.S. restrictions on providing nuclear assistance to India, slapped on after India's nuclear weapons testing, remain in place.

Bush was accompanied by his wife, Laura, who visited Afghanistan in April 2005. Vice President Dick Cheney visited there in December 2005. "We're impressed by the progress that your country is making," Bush told Karzai. "I come as a friend and an ally."

INTERVIEW-Afghanistan slams Musharraf comments before Bush trip

28 Feb 2006 19:48:15 GMT - By David Brunnstrom

KABUL, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's foreign minister on Tuesday slammed comments by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, who dismissed Afghan intelligence on the whereabouts of Islamist militants as "lies" influenced by Indian propaganda.

"We provide intelligence and the reliability of that intelligence is questioned and ridiculed in public," Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah told Reuters in an interview.

He called Musharraf's remarks, made in an interview with U.S. TV channel ABC News on Monday, "extremely disappointing".

Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Pakistan earlier in February and urged Islamabad to act against al Qaeda militants and leaders of Afghanistan's former Taliban regime who he said were on Pakistani soil.

Karzai also handed over intelligence, including phone numbers, on the whereabouts of Taliban figures in Pakistan.

In his interview with U.S. television, Musharraf dismissed the bulk of this information as outdated and in some cases "lies" and charged that Indian intelligence had infiltrated Afghan intelligence to spread anti-Pakistani propaganda.

Musharraf rejected as "misperceptions" the idea he was not aggressive enough in pursuit of Taliban fugitives or al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Abdullah said that given Musharraf's claim that Pakistan's intelligence was superior, Afghanistan "expected some action" against militants and their training camps inside Pakistan.

He said he was not 100 percent sure as to the whereabouts of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, but Afghanistan believed he had been in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan and its capital Quetta "time and time again" in the past few months.

In his interview, Musharraf said there had never been any evidence before that Mullah Omar was in Pakistan and said he was "two hundred percent sure" he was in Afghanistan.

The war of words between two of U.S. President George W. Bush's most important allies in his war on terrorism came just as he was about to embark on a tour of the region.

The exchange underscored tensions between the Afghan government which replaced the Taliban regime overthrown in 2001 and Pakistan which supported the Taliban until siding with Washington after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

Abdullah called Musharraf's comments a "PR strategy" to deflect criticism and said that while Afghanistan had good ties with India, it would not use those against Pakistan.

"We have assured them time and time again that neither has India meant to use Afghanistan against the interest of Pakistan, nor would we allow that sort of situation," he said.

He said Afghanistan and Pakistan had a lot at stake in maintaining good relations and "sincere, serious and consistent efforts against terrorism in all its forms".

While Bush is due to visit Pakistan during his visit to South Asia starting in India on Wednesday, no stop in Afghanistan has been announced, nor has one been ruled out. "It is possible that he doesn't come here, it is possible, it is likely, that he might come here," Abdullah said.

He said Afghanistan would welcome a visit by Bush, but if he did not come it would not show it was less important for the United States than the other countries he was visiting. "I am sure that the issue of Afghanistan will be discussed during both visits," he said of the stops in India and Pakistan.

Pakistan hunting Qaeda, Taliban – Daily Times 3.1.06
* President calls Karzai’s Taliban list ‘a waste of time’
* Wants US to push for Kashmir deal

WASHINGTON: Pakistan is doing all it can in the US-led war on terror, President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday, rejecting criticism that the government has not been aggressive in pursuing Taliban leaders in Pakistan.

Gen Musharraf, in an interview with US television network ABC, also dismissed information on Taliban leaders given to Pakistan by Afghan President Hamid Karzai as “a waste of time”. Asked if he was going after Osama Bin Laden aggressively enough, Musharraf said: “We are not using the army only to track down Osama. I mean, this kind of a misperception should be removed. We are using the army against Al Qaeda and Taliban.

“Now in the process, if you get word on him, very good. But we are not certainly focusing entirely only on tracking Osama Bin Laden and (Ayman al-) Zawahri,” he said.

Musharraf said 80,000 troops were fighting Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters on the border with Afghanistan. But he said it was unknown whether Bin Laden was in Pakistan.

Karzai handed over a list with information about key Taliban figures during his visit to Pakistan this month. “Just five days back when president Karzai gives me a list of numbers, ridiculous kind of numbers that they are here and they are talking and we find that two-third is a waste of time,” Musharraf said.

“Two-thirds of them are dead numbers and I’m quoting this with full authority,” he said. “Now the other one-third is, we are trying to track down these numbers.”

“The CIA has been involved and I’ve told my intelligence agencies to involve the foreign intelligence also, bring them in also and take them to the place where they (Afghanistan) have said that Mullah Omar is there and show them which families are living in those houses so that their lies are once and for all nailed down. And this is a nonsensical thing,” the president said.

“I have been telling Karzai and the United States, ‘Let us fence the border and let us mine it.’ Today I say it again. Let us mine their entire border. Let us fence it. It’s not difficult,” he said.

Musharraf said he was certain that fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar was not in Pakistan. “Nobody denies that there is Taliban and Al Qaeda activity here in our border,” he said. But, “certainly Mullah Omar is in Afghanistan”.

He said Afghanistan and Pakistan share intelligence, but it needs to be quicker. “They must share this information immediately because even (after) two days of delay, sometimes the target is gone,” he said.

He said some elements in the Afghan government were anti-Pakistan and he would discuss this with President George W Bush when he visits Pakistan.

Gen Musharraf said Pakistan had in recent months caught senior Taliban leaders, such as its main spokesman, and handed them over to Afghanistan. He said Indian intelligence agency RAW was working in Jalalabad and Kandahar, and together with the “anti-Pakistan” Northern Alliance, they were spreading misinformation about Pakistan and its intelligence agencies.

The president said protests led by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal against cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in European newspapers were meant to destabilise him. He was also confident they would soon die down.

“We need to get a hold of those leaders behind the scene who incite people for political ends. These are the people who are inciting them for political ends. Their interest is not so much in the blasphemy but in creating some kind of destabilisation against me, against the government. And the moment we get hold of the people behind the scene, it (the protests) will die down”.

In a separate interview with Sky News, Gen Musharraf said he wanted US President George Bush to push for a new law banning blasphemy, to put pressure on India to get a deal on Kashmir, and help in sealing the Afghanistan border. agencies

GI Dies Fighting Taliban Rebels in Afghanistan

AP KABUL, Afghanistan — Fighting between U.S. forces and suspected Taliban rebels on Tuesday killed one American service member and wounded two others in southern Afghanistan, the military said.

A military vehicle was damaged by a roadside bomb during the fighting, which left the two wounded service members in stable condition at a nearby base.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our fellow service members," said Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, a U.S. commander. The victims' names were withheld pending notification of their families. The bombing raised the death toll of U.S. personnel in and around Afghanistan to 216 since the U.S. invaded in late 2001.

Military officials in Washington and Afghanistan said Tuesday that insurgent attacks rose sharply last year and are likely to worsen in 2006 as militants step up efforts to hamper the country's gradual transition to democracy.

Army Col. Kevin Owens told a ceremony to mark the handover of command for southern Afghanistan to Canada that insurgents have carried out increasingly desperate attacks because Afghanistan's growing democracy has reduced their ability to "terrorize and dominate" the population.

Official: 36 Militants Killed in Pakistan

Miran Shah (AP) - Pakistani security forces struck a militant training camp Wednesday in a tribal region near the Afghan border, killing three dozen fighters, including a Chechen commander linked to al-Qaida, an army official said.

The Chechen — identified only by his code name, Imam — died when a helicopter fired on his vehicle during the raid in the North Waziristan region, the army official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The official said about three dozen militants linked with al-Qaida also died in the assault.

The militants were attacked after conducting a raid inside Afghanistan and re-entering the Pakistani tribal region, where their camp was located. A Pakistani helicopter also hit a bus with gunfire during the raid, killing a female passenger, said the injured driver, Sabbir Khan.

Heavily armed militants later retaliated by taking eight paramilitary troops prisoner in the nearby town of Miran Shah, witnesses said. After capturing the troops, the militants announced over loudspeakers that all shops in the town should be closed, said Zarmat Khan, owner of a shop selling cloth.

Pakistan — a key U.S. ally in the war against terror — has deployed thousands of troops to North Waziristan to carry out operations against hundreds of Arab, Afghan and Central Asian militants, some allegedly linked with the al-Qaida terror network.

Wednesday's raid comes days ahead of President Bush's visit to Pakistan, during which Bush and Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf will discuss the fight against al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents. Pakistan has denied in the past that arrests of militants are timed to coincide with events in the United States.

The militants' mountaintop hideout was spotted about a week ago and put under surveillance, said an intelligence official on condition of anonymity because of the secretive nature of his job. He said Afghan and Uzbek militants and their local supporters were detected at the site.

More than two dozen militants were at the camp at the time of the attack, he said. The early morning operation took place near Saidgi, a village about nine miles west of Miran Shah, said Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan. Last month, Pakistan protested to the U.S. military in Afghanistan over firing that hit the same village, killing eight people.

Elsewhere in Pakistan, a pro-government politician was killed when gunmen opened fire on his car in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, officials said. The politician, Nasrullah Khan Kakar, headed the Pakistan Workers' Party, a small group that supports Musharraf.

Kakar was a strong opponent of militants who are blamed for attacks in the province in a campaign to secure more royalties for resources extracted from their areas.

Violence flares again at riot-hit Afghan jail for third day

Kabul (AFP) - Violence flared at Afghanistan's main jail again, with inmates going on a rampage in a third day of rioting that has left four dead and been blamed on Al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners.

Gunfire was heard from the grim 1970s-era Pul-e-Charkhi jail in Kabul as officials said some of the 1,300 prisoners were once more smashing windows and beds as they had done when the riot erupted late Saturday.

Authorities had been hopeful that talks late Monday would end the standoff and had been preparing earlier Tuesday to move the prisoners to new facilities after their own were damaged in the rioting.

"It seems that they don't respect what they had agreed during negotiations," Deputy Justice Minister Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai told AFP. "They've started to break windows and beds and even walls."

After nearly a full day of resistance, authorities were able late Tuesday to move out about 60 women. "They have been moved to other buildings and food, water, electricity and medicines have been provided for them," Hashimzai said. Inmates in the criminal wing agreed to move out on Wednesday, he said.

Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners in a separate wing for political prisoners had launched the initial revolt on Saturday and been joined by others, a prisoner told AFP by mobile phone from inside the jail.

"We're together now and resisting together," the prisoner said, asking not to be identified. "Unless our demands are met we will not surrender to police." "The police tried to enter the block but were forced out. We've blocked the gates and windows with beds, chairs and desks," said the man, who said he was being held on criminal charges.

The prisoner said the criminals' demands included improved living conditions and a review of their cases, but he did not know what the alleged Al-Qaeda and Taliban inmates wanted.

He added that he had heard of a number of casualties but had personally seen only one prisoner killed and one injured. "They were shot by police and fell before my eyes."

The trouble at the jail began when inmates attacked wardens with makeshift weapons Saturday, breaking windows and doors and setting alight bedding and furniture.

Walls separating units for criminals, political prisoners and women were smashed through and police had periodically fired into the building to try to control the prisoners, officials said.

Troops and security forces surrounded the block and the army threatened to storm the building if talks failed.

Negotiators had accepted some of the prisoners' demands, officials said. These included not making prisoners wear uniforms, a move that was designed to stop escapes during visiting hours.

Other demands, such as the review of all cases, were still being considered. Police on Tuesday blamed the rioting on a core of 100 Al-Qaeda and Taliban.

"What is clear at this stage (is that) some Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners wanted to create chaos and escape," police rapid reaction force commander General Mahboob Amiri told AFP.

A man claiming to be a US citizen held in the jail said Tuesday that he was wounded and other prisoners were trying to kill him.

Speaking to AFP by mobile phone from inside Pul-e-Charki jail, the man said he was Edward Caraballo, one of three Americans convicted in September 2004 of torturing suspects in a so-called private war on terror.

"I'm Caraballo," said the man in American accent during two separate calls. "I called the US embassy to come and get me out of here, they said, 'That is not our problem'," he said. "This building is full of Al-Qaeda and I'm an American hostage. They want to cut my head off."

The US embassy and Afghan government confirmed that Edward Caraballo, a freelance journalist, was in the jail block where a riot erupted late Saturday. Police said the revolt was instigated by Al-Qaeda and Taliban inmates.

The embassy said it could not confirm if he had been taken hostage, while the Afghan government dismissed his claims that his life was under threat.

"I'm wounded but not badly wounded," the man said in a hurried call. "It's only flesh wound," he said. Asked if it had been caused by gunshot, he said: "Yes, that's correct."

He said there were different factions in the block of around 1,300 inmates, with some protecting him against others which wanted him dead. "There are different factions taking control of the prison... One group is trying to protect me and the other group is trying to take me out of my room, and take my telephone," he said.

"They want to cut off my head. But I'm safe and with my friends." Asked whether he had called the police for help, he said, "Yes, I have." Then he cut the call, saying, "Hold on, they want to talk to me." Contacted again, he only said: "They won't let me talk anymore. Tell my family I love I them."

Deputy Justice Minister Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai, the main government spokesman during the three-day saga, confirmed that Caraballo was in the affected block but dismissed his claims that his life was under threat.

"That's not true at all. He is alive and safe -- he makes things up. We sent three people to bring him out but he refused to come out of that place.

"He is a liar and he makes things up to show that he's in danger," Hashimzai told AFP.

The US embassy confirmed there were three American civilians imprisoned at Pul-e-Charki but said it could not confirm media reports of that one had been taken hostage.

"We are continuing to closely monitor the situation at Pul-e-Charki and are in regular contact with Afghan authorities. We would like to see the government of Afghanistan resolve this situation in a peaceful manner," embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said.

Caraballo, aged about 42, was among three self-styled American vigilantes who were convicted in 2004 of torturing men they claimed were allied to the ousted Taliban government and the Al-Qaeda terror network.

The others are alleged ringleader Jonathan "Jack" Idema, about 48, and Brent Bennett, about 28. They are in a separate block in the prison. An Afghan appeal court in March 2005 cut the men's sentences with that of Caraballo, who said he was merely making a documentary on the others, dropped from eight years to two.

Idema has regular updates of the Pul-e-Charki uprising on his website www.superpatriots.us that differ wildly from the official version of events and are widely agreed to be exaggerated.

Afghanistan signs security deals with neighbours - ABC

Afghanistan has signed border security accords with neighbouring Iran, Pakistan and China in a bid to facilitate trade and prevent crime.

The agreements came at a two-day international conference in Qatar on Afghanistan's border security. Similar border accords are said to be under negotiation with two other Afghan neighbours - Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.

Germany, which co-sponsored the gathering, has been among those warning of growing links between the Afghan insurgency and the region's lucrative drug trade.

Gulf becomes route for Afghanistan opium: German minister - (AFP)
28 February 2006

DOHA - German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble warned on Tuesday that Gulf countries have become a route for drug trafficking from Afghanistan, which he said produces some 90 percent of world opium.

“This problem (of opium production in Afghanistan) affects regional security, making Gulf countries first to suffer the consequences. Gulf countries have become a passage for drug trafficking,” he said at a conference on border security in Afghanistan held in Doha.

“Statistics show also that the people of these countries are being harmed by the spread of drugs coming from Afghanistan,” he said, adding that “90 percent of opium world produce comes from Afghanistan”.

The Afghan government and the international donors on which it depends are determined to do away with the country’s opium crop, which is the main source of income for nearly nine percent of the population.

One source of funding for the ousted Taleban militia has been protection money paid by opium poppy farmers, according to experts.

In May, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) said that drugs produced in Afghanistan were being smuggled through war-torn Iraq and Jordan en route to final destinations in eastern and Western Europe.

Germany, which has been involved in training Afghan police since 2002, is co-sponsoring the 22-country gathering in the Qatari capital along with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

169 Taliban commanders surrender to gov't in Afghanistan: official

KABUL, Feb. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Some 169 Taliban commanders surrendered to the Afghan government in the past two months in western Afghanistan, a local official said Tuesday.

"During the past two months, 169 high ranking Taliban commanders from western Herat, Farah, Ghor and Badghis provinces surrendered to the government," head of Commission for Strengthening Peace (CSP) in Herat S. M. Arif Ghoriani told Xinhua.

Each commander, according to the official, has some guards or militants and has been fighting with the government in the past. "More than 700 Taliban militants still in western part to fight against government, and we never give up the strive to encourage them to put down their weapons and join us," Ghoriani added. Over 1,100 militants, according to officials, have laid down their arms and joined the government over the past nine months since the establishment of CSP.

Under an amnesty launched by President Hamid Karzai in November 2004, hundreds of anti-government militants have surrendered to government, officials said. Enditem

A fghan Cabinet Members to Be Confirmed Individually

The New York Times - 2/28/2006 By Abdul Waheed Wafa and Carlotta Gall

KABUL — The Afghan Parliament decided today to confirm cabinet ministers individually, rather than to vote on the president's cabinet as a whole, setting the stage for a long and tortuous confirmation process.

The vote, 130 to 90, was decided by secret ballot, after a vote by show of hands last month was questioned by supporters of President Hamid Karzai.

Across town, at the country's main high-security prison, Pul-e-Charkhi, a tense standoff with rioting prisoners accused of being fighters for the ousted Taliban regime continued.

The leader of the upper house of Parliament, Sebaghatullah Mojadeddi, and senior clerics visited the prison to try to mediate, but so far without success. At least five inmates were killed and 30 wounded when guards opened fire during an escape attempt late Saturday.

The prisoners had demanded to speak to Mr. Mojadeddi because he is the chief of the peace and reconciliation commission, which negotiates the release of Taliban prisoners from American custody on condition they return to a peaceful life. The director of the prison, Gen. Abdul Salaam Bakhshi, said the leaders of the riot had Taliban ties and were demanding an amnesty.

Prisoners remained in control today of the cellblock where the riots began on Saturday night, and had not yet handed over those killed and wounded in the first clash with prison guards.

Confirmation of cabinet ministers and senior appointments as well as budget approval are among the few important powers granted to Afghanistan's Parliament under the 2004 constitution.

In Parliament today, in a debate that lasted all day, supporters of the current strong presidential system contended that confirming ministers individually would bring regional and ethnic influences to bear on appointments and cause long delays.

"It would take maybe four months to approve a cabinet and voting would be based on tribe, language and region," said the representative from the eastern province of Nangarhar, Safia Sidiqi, Ministers would not be selected on merit, but according to the support they can muster among Parliament members, she said.

Mr. Karzai has often been criticized, though, for juggling cabinet appointments in order to please all factions and regions. The legislators made it clear today that they want cabinet ministers to be answerable to Parliament for their actions.

Kabir Ahmad Ranjbar, a legal expert and representative from Kabul, accused Mr. Karzai of interfering in parliamentary affairs. "If the voting is for a package of ministers, the cabinet will again be a coalition cabinet, and those who have influence will be ministers, and merit will be ignored," he said.

Sultan M. Munadi contributed reporting for article from Pul-e-Charkhi, and Carlotta Gall from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Most Canadians back expanded Afghan mission: poll - Mar 1, 2006

OTTAWA (Reuters) - A majority of Canadians support the country's expanded military mission to Afghanistan, even though they realize there is a risk of casualties, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

The Ekos poll, provided to Reuters, showed that 70 percent of those surveyed said they backed the mission while 28 percent were against it.

The result contrasts with a survey last week that said 62 percent of Canadians were against sending troops to Afghanistan.

Canada contributed 2,000 troops to a NATO-run force in Kabul after the September 11 attacks. By next month it will have 2,300 troops in the volatile southern city of Kandahar as part of another NATO mission.

Canadian troops in Kandahar are already coming under frequent attack. Eight Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001.

"People distinguish between the Canadian mission in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq. They see it as part of Canada's traditional role in helping sustain peace around the world," said Paul Adams of Ekos.

"People understand it's a robust role and they're comfortable with it. But we're not suggesting it (support for the mission) is so strong it can't be moved," he told Reuters. Adams said the picture could change if Canadian troops started taking significant casualties.

Last week's survey, by the Strategic Counsel, prompted defense officials to say they needed to do a better job of explaining why Canadian troops were in Afghanistan.

Ekos polled 1,002 people between February 6 and February 14 and the results are considered to be accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Canadian general wants to bring peace to Afghanistan

CTV.ca News Staff

The Canadian general now in charge of coalition troops in Afghanistan is an experienced international peacekeeper who says this mission will focus on bringing peace and stability to the country.

Brig.-Gen. David Fraser took charge Tuesday of the multinational force, including 2,200 Canadians, that will patrol six provinces in the southern part of Afghanistan.

He applauded the work done by the U.S. Task Force Bayonet, and said his force would continue with humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.

"We're not going to fight unless we have to. My soldiers are trained to fight. But they're also trained in humanitarian assistance and peace support, and that's our focus," Fraser said in an interview with CTV's Lisa LaFlamme.

"And we're here to work with the Afghans, to work on those non-fighting aspects, because that's the road to success. That's the road in the future to provide hope and opportunity."

This brigade is taking over from the U.S.-led force, and eventually NATO's International Security Assistance Force will be in command of the region.

U.S. commanders have pointed out that the mission will become more dangerous in the spring and summer, especially with the build-up of troops. Fraser agreed that the mission won't be an easy one, but he said it is necessary.

"It's a worthy cause. It's an expensive cause, but to give hope and opportunity, what you and I take for granted back home, it's worth it. "I mean, this is important for Canada. This is what we believe in."

Fraser, 48, is experienced in international peacekeeping. He worked as a military assistant to the French major-general commanding multinational forces in Sarajevo between 1994 to 1995.

Fraser also served in Cyprus and Bosnia and participated in planning Canada's role.

More recently, he helped create a new role for the army reserve forces and is a co-director of Bi-National Planning Group. The organization supervises Canadian and Americans working to improve security between the two countries.

He said peacekeeping has evolved over the years. "Well, the environment has changed. We're still doing peacekeeping, but in a new environment, and a lot harsher."

Colonel Steve Noonan, based in Kandahar, had nothing but praise for Fraser. "David Fraser is my man," Noonan told CTV's Canada AM.

"He's worked with many nations over his career. He's tactically astute and has got a good charisma. The troops like him."

As for the operation, Noonan believes it is progressing in its fight against suicide bombers and ultimately improving peace in the country.

"We're going to have some significant challenges to overcome in the next couple of months as the insurgency tries to take on the new guy on the block," he said.

"But overall, the central government's ability to project its governance in the provincial regions is getting better."

Back in Afghanistan, Fraser said he believes that signs of the brigades' success will be increased violence from their enemies.

"The more we do that (provide hope and opportunity), the more that those minority -- the Taliban, the al Qaeda people out there -- are going to attack us because we are starting to achieve success," he said.

"They're going to say they're winning, but in fact it really is a sign that we're actually making an impact."

He said that Afghanistan wants Canadian troops to help with peacekeeping.

"The Afghans invited us here," he said.

"The governors are so happy because they said, 'You really are making a difference. You're not coming here to invade us. You're coming here to work with us and respect us by flying our flag.'"

Despite the importance of the mission, he always worries that one of his men will be injured, or killed.

"There's not a moment when, you know, someone knocks on my door in the middle of the night, it can't be good news, you know. No one knocks on your door to say good stuff.

"Every soldier here, every Afghan that, you know, that's in this command is very important to me."

The Canadian Forces began increasing its forces in Afghanistan in the summer of 2005. It expanded its mission from the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul (also called Operation Athena) to Operation Archer, a more aggressive mission that worked with the American Operation Enduring Freedom.

Canada gives the largest amount of foreign aid to Afghanistan with an offer to give the country more $600 million this decade. Canada is expected to lead the coalition operation from late February until October 2006.

Troops lower flag at Canadian camps

By LES PERREAUX - U.S. commanders: Afghan violence to get worse

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - The Maple Leaf is coming down at Canadian military installations in Afghanistan.

Commanders of Operation Enduring Freedom have asked coalition troops to lower their national flags and fly only the black-red-green of Afghanistan in an effort to put Afghan colours on forces bolstering the national government.

Canada has decided to comply with the request, citing "cultural sensitivity." "This is not Canada, this is the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," said Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, head of the Canadian contingent and the multinational brigade in southern Afghanistan.

"We've got to respect their cultures and traditions and be respectful that they invited us here. I think it's only fitting we fly their flag."

Fraser, officially made head of the multinational brigade for southern Afghanistan on Tuesday in a ceremony at the main air base outside Kandahar, said there is one team behind international efforts to pacify Afghanistan and that it should unite under one flag.

As Fraser was installed, soldiers at the small camp housing the Canadian provincial reconstruction team in downtown Kandahar a few kilometres away lowered the Maple Leaf in a dignified ceremony.

"It goes back to the cultural sensitivity training we did back in Canada," Fraser said. "We're in support of the Afghans. They're leading this mission."

Fraser said small Canadian flags on the side of vehicles and the tiny ones on soldiers' shoulders can remain.

For years, coalition and NATO military leaders have tried to polish the image of the Afghan government by insisting local authorities regularly lead operations with only the backup of international troops.

Despite improvements in training and equipment, the reality on the ground is often far different. International soldiers often pick up the slack for under-paid and poorly trained Afghan police and troops, although Afghans take the bulk of the casualties from insurgent attacks.

U.S. Maj.-Gen. Benjamin Freakley, the coalition operational commander who asked contributing countries to lower their flags, said the international community needs to build institutions like the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. Raising the Afghan flag as frequently as possible can only help the effort.

"We're trying to make subtle transitional moves to help the people of Afghanistan fend for themselves," he said. Freakley said some U.S.-run compounds hosting international troops fly a dozen flags from various coalition countries.

He said the U.S. has a tradition of flying only one flag at military installations. Contributing nations will understand, according to Freakley. "In no way is it intended to suppress any nationalistic pride, commitment or investment in the nation of Afghanistan," he said.

Canada's Phantom Menace In Afghanistan - Who knows where Canada's aid is going? by Geordie Gwalgen Dent – The Dominion 02.28.06

Afghanistan became Canada’s largest recipient of foreign aid in 2002, but critics say that money may be aiding Canada more than Afghanistan. According to the Canadian International Development Agency's (CIDA) website, Canada has given $100 million to Afghanistan since March 2005, up from $10 million in 2001. In an interview with CBC in February, senior CIDA official Bob Johnson predicted that between 2001 and 2009, Canada will spend $616 million in Afghanistan. Recent claims by a former minister in Afghanistan, however, have called into question the effectiveness of that aid. Ramazan Bashardost, a former planning minister, has said that the billions of dollars Afghanistan has received in aid from donor countries, including Canada, has not resulted in "the least improvement" in Afghani people's lives. Responding to questions about Canadian aid in Afghanistan, New-Democratic Party’s (NDP) Foreign Policy critic Alexa McDonough said that it is difficult to determine how much of the aid sent to Afghanistan is going to development assistance (education, transport infrastructure, health clinics) and how much is going to indirect military assistance.

A January op/ed piece from mediamonitors.net pegged current direct Canadian military costs in Afghanistan at $600 million a year. How is it that a Member of Parliament and foreign affairs critic on the foreign affairs committee does not know how millions of Canadian dollars are being used? "All of this is happening in the never-never land of no committees in the PMO [Prime Minister’s Office]," said McDonough, referring to the government’s lack of transparency.

A 2005 report by Action Aid suggests that even the aid that is earmarked for beneficial infrastructure may not be reaching its nominal destination. Action Aid found that many countries are donating "phantom aid": aid that does not help the people it is intended for in the donor country. Phantom aid includes spending on overpriced technical assistance, aid tied to spending in the donor country, double-counted debt relief, and other aid that never materializes for poor countries.

Canada’s habit of tying aid to spending in Canada, effectively transforming aid into subsidies for Canadian corporations, has given us "a black eye in the international community" said McDonough.

A September 2005 article in Reuters reported that during last year's famine in Niger, 90% of the food money given by Canada had to be spent on food from Canada. A report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that this kind of policy can result in food taking 4-5 months longer to arrive and, when it does, can drive down prices for local farmers if the famine has already passed.

Most OECD countries, including Canada, signed onto the UN’s 1070 mandate to have overseas aid reach 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI); however, very few, save Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Luxemburg, have managed to come even close to that goal. In 2003 Canada donated 0.22% of its GNI to aid but spent 1.1% of its GNI on the military. In addition, research by Action Aid shows that when phantom aid is taken into account, the percentage of real aid given is even lower.

Phantom aid accounts for over half of Canada’s aid spending. 17% of Canadian phantom aid is spent on technical assistance that could be spent in the donor country and therefore cost less, be more effective and better coordinated. In addition, the Action Aid report states that 47% of Canadian phantom aid is tied to spending in Canada.

McDonough hopes that the new Conservative government will improve Canada’s reputation in aid spending. She points out that in February 2005, all of the then opposition parties, including the Conservatives, committed to an increase in aid and a restructuring of how aid is used. In a recent letter to Prime Minister Harper, NDP Leader Jack Layton reminded Conservatives of their election promise to increase aid by over $400 million over the next 5 years. This would bring Canada's aid up to 0.42% of its GNI by 2010.

When asked if she felt the PM would rescind on these commitments McDonough responded, "You don't speculate on the odds of whether or not [The Prime Minister] will live up to [his commitments], you use every tool you can to push them through."

After last year's famines in Niger and Mauritania, the Canadian government changed its aid policy, requiring 50% of food aid be purchased from Canada, down from 90%. This may be a sign that Canada’s aid programs may be on the verge of reducing other tied aid, which is good news for countries like Afghanistan, scheduled to receive hundreds of millions from Canada over the next 4 years.

DIA Chief Warns of More Afghan Violence - By KATHERINE SHRADER AP - February 28, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Painting a bleak picture of U.S. military operations overseas, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency told Congress on Tuesday that violence in Afghanistan increased 20 percent last year.

"We judge insurgents now represent a greater threat to the expansion of Afghan government authority than at any point since late 2001, and will be active this spring," said Lt. Gen. Michael Maples, the DIA chief.

Maples said sectarian violence in Iraq, which has been increasing, was harder to quantify, but is based on a core of Sunni Arab insurgents who can exploit "social, economic, historical and religious grievances."

"Networks based on these relationships remain the greatest threat to long-term stability in Iraq," Maples said.

In his written testimony, Maples said Afghan insurgents increased their suicide attacks almost fourfold and more than doubled their use of improvised explosive devices. Both techniques have been used frequently in Iraq.

He also said that Sunni Arab leaders hold no influence over foreign fighters operating in Iraq, including terrorists working for the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Maples said DIA believes local dissatisfaction with foreign fighters in Iraq appears to have grown, yet he said that tension has not hurt the insurgency's strength.

Maples testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee alongside National Intelligence Director John Negroponte.

U.S. reaffirms long-term commitment to help Afghanistan in economic development

KABUL, Feb. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States reaffirmed the long-term commitment to help develop Afghan economy, an Afghan official said on Tuesday.

"Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, met with Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce at the Gulkhana palace this afternoon," the office of the spokesman to the president said in a press release."

During this meeting, the president and Gutierrez discussed the strong economic and commercial relationship between Afghanistan and the United States. Gutierrez reaffirmed the long-term commitment of the United States to work with the people of Afghanistan to create economic opportunities and develop a private sector that will drive Afghanistan's economic growth," it added.

Karzai emphasized Afghanistan's desire to export its dry fruits, marble, carpets and rugs to the United States, it said.

Gutierrez reaffirmed the United States will continue to help Afghanistan create a business-friendly environment that will create jobs and move economic development forward, according the press release.

They also discussed the prospect of Afghanistan becoming a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), it said.

Nine arrested over Medecins Sans Frontieres murders in Afghanistan - ABC Radio 02/28/2006

Afghan authorities have arrested nine people for alleged involvement in the 2004 murders of three European and two Afghan aid workers with Medecins Sans Frontieres.

The men were arrested in western Badghis province this week and sent to the capital, Kabul, for investigation. The foreign and Afghan aid workers were killed in an apparently targeted attack in Badghis, on the border with Iran, in June 2004.

They were killed when their vehicle was attacked with grenades and gunfire. The attack was the worst on Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) staff in a quarter century of work in Afghanistan. The charity pulled out of Afghanistan shortly after the incident.

Taliban attacks on schools create 'lost generation'

The Independent Online - By Kim Sengupta, in Lashkar Gar, Helmand 28 February 2006

Ghulam Rasul was leaving school when two gunmen walked in and opened fire. The 17-year-old died instantly. As other students and teachers fled in terror, the shooting continued. Two more people were hit.

The attack at Kartilaya High School in Lashkar Gar was just one in a series which is crippling Afghanistan's education system. At least 165 schools and colleges have been burnt down or forced to close so far by a resurgent Taliban and their Islamist allies.

Five years after the end of the Afghan war and Tony Blair's famous pledge that "this time we will not walk away", it seems the Taliban and al-Qa'ida are back with a vengeance, and one of their main targets is the country's education system.

The campaign is intended, say educationalists and human rights groups, to terrorise families into keeping children uneducated, unemployable, and a recruitment pool for the Islamists.

Teachers are the main targets. Some have been beheaded, others shot in front of their classes. One was killed while attending his father's funeral.

The years of fighting the Russians, the subsequent civil war and Taliban rule has produced a "lost generation" in education. International agencies and aid organisations speak of their difficulties in finding qualified people to run projects.

Now another lost generation is being created. The education system of modern Afghanistan is anathema to the Taliban and Islamist extremists because it is inclusive of girls, and offers secular subjects for study. They have declared that only madrassas (Muslim religious schools) meeting their approval will be allowed to operate.

There are bitter complaints from Afghans that neither their government, nor American and British forces, are doing anything like enough to stop the murderous targeting of children and schools. British commanders say they will address the problem when more troops arrive.

The attack at Kartilaya High, which has 4,200 pupils, about half of them girls, was in the centre of Lashkar Gar, the provincial capital of Helmand, where a massive British force is now being deployed. The school is 15 minutes drive from an American base, now being taken over by the British, and just 500 metres from an Afghan police post. Police did not turn up for half an hour after the shooting. The Americans failed to turn up at all.

Asadullah Ali, 20, who ran a sweet shop at the school, was shot in the neck during the raid two months ago.

"I was very lucky," he said. "It was also very lucky that it was just before the classes broke for the afternoon, otherwise there would have been a lot more children in the playground."

Sabira Ishmail, a 15-year- old girl, knew Ghulam Rasul and his family well. "He came from another province and stayed with his uncle. His cousin still comes to this school. Of course we are very frightened by what has happened," she said.

The killings of teachers are normally preceded by a warning "night letter" from the Islamists ordering schools to be shut down. Retribution is taken if there is a failure to comply.

Haji Abdul Kassim, the director of education for Helmand province, said: "In Helmand alone we have had 18 schools burnt down and 66 others which have been shut down because of threats.

"We are talking about thousands of children being affected. We have also had eight teachers killed.

"I have got one of these night letters threatening to kill me, but what can we do? It is our job to educate the young. If we don't, Afghanistan will always remain one of the poorest countries in the world.

"But why don't the security forces, our own, the Americans and the British protect these schools? What is the point of them being here if they cannot protect even children?"

n Supplies of food, water and electricity were restored to inmates at Kabul's main jail yesterday after prisoners agreed to halt violence, officials said. Security forces were surrounding Pulicharkhi jail, where al-Qa'ida and Taliban prisoners incited a riot over compulsory prison uniforms on Saturday.

New Risk for Aid Workers

The arrest of a suspected suicide bomber who disguised himself as a member of a non-government organization could put all aid workers at risk. - Institute For War and Peace Reporting By Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi in Mazar-e-Sharif (ARR No. 204, 24-Feb-06)

Kruma Yaya came to Mazar-e-Sharif as an aid worker intent on setting up a computer science training centre in this provincial capital. At least that’s what his credentials indicated.

In reality, according to the Afghan authorities, he was a would-be suicide bomber who intended to assassinate Mohammad Atta, the governor of Balkh province. He was arrested in the governor’s office with explosives strapped around his waist, according to officials.

Staff working with non-government organisations, NGOs, already had plenty to worry about, given the continued violence in much of Afghanistan and the constant accusations of embezzlement and mismanagement levied by members of the government and the public. Now, following the incident in Mazar-e-Sharif, they also face the danger of being considered potential terrorists.

According to officials, Yaya held a Malian passport and was carrying an identification card issued by the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, when he was detained.

“During his stay, [Yaya] bought some computers and put them in a house in Mazar just to pretend that he was establishing a computer training centre,” said Atta at a press conference following the incident.

The governor said that between February 2 and 6, Yaya repeatedly requested a meeting to present his project to him. His insistence provoked the suspicion of the governor’s bodyguards, who arrested him when he entered Atta’s office on February 6. They reportedly discovered explosives hidden beneath his clothing.

“This incident will oblige me to take a closer look at NGOs from now on,” said Atta. “We knew that smugglers and mafia bands were working through some NGOs, but now we know that terrorists have penetrated the organisations as well.”

The accusation has caused consternation in the government and in the NGO community, whose presence has long been a subject of dispute in Afghanistan.

“It is not a simple matter for terrorists to penetrate NGOs,” said deputy economy minister Nazir Ahmad Shahidi,. “We check the identity of everyone working for NGOs, and we do not issue a license until we have adequate information.”

Shahidi speculated that Yaya’s NGO credentials may have been forged.

Captain Katia Oberg of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mazar-e-Sharif told IWPR that ISAF did not issue an ID card to Yaya. “Acquiring an ISAF ID card is not easy,” she said. “We issue identification cards only to those individuals who work with ISAF.”

Mohammad Hashim Mayar, deputy director of the Afghan Coordinating Body for Aid Relief, ACBAR, told IWPR that the accusation of NGO involvement in the attempted assassination was just another means to call the activities of aid groups into question.

“NGOs have attracted a lot of attention in Afghanistan,” he said. “They have been accused of embezzlement and corruption. Now there is a new trick being used on them –mentioning them in the same context as terrorist or mafia activities.

“This is a warning for us to be smart and careful,” he said. “We, in coordination with all NGOs. must not let anyone get into our organisations who could compromise their integrity.”

Some analysts speculated that Taleban and al-Qaeda members may indeed be posing as legitimate NGO workers or infiltrating aid organisations.

“Over the past three years the Taleban and al-Qaeda have changed their tactics,” said Ghulam Farooq Khepalwak, a political analyst and lecturer at Balkh University. “Infiltrating NGOs is a very dangerous trick. It allows terrorists easy access to government targets.”

Qayoum Babak, another political analyst in Mazar-e-Sharif, blames the government for allowing the unchecked proliferation of NGOs. This has provided an easy opportunity for terrorists, he said.

“There are countless NGOs in Afghanistan,” he said. “If someone tries to work as an NGO without any authorisation, it will take the government years to find out about it.”

But the government is confident that it has the situation under control.

The economy ministry recently completed a wholesale re-registration of NGOs in Afghanistan, stripping more than 1,600 organisations of their licenses in the process. The move was intended to give the government greater control over the NGO community and weed out those organisations that were merely a front for fraudulent or criminal activity.

“Terrorists may try in different ways to expand their activities throughout Afghanistan, but the arrest of the suicide attacker in Balkh as well as the arrest of some terrorists in Kandahar over the last month indicates that terrorists cannot escape,” said Yousuf Stanikzai, spokesperson for the Interior Ministry. “These arrests are a sign that Afghanistan’s security forces are getting stronger.” But for those working for legitimate NGOs, the crackdown merely creates another hazard of working in Afghanistan.

“I feel that I’m in danger,” said an employee of a construction NGO in Mazar-e-Sharif, who declined to give his name. “Now that I’ve heard that terrorists want to carry out their attacks through NGOs, I am afraid that one day I will be accused of being an associate of terrorists.”

Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi is an IWPR staff reporter in Mazar-e-Sharif.

[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.]