In this bulletin:

• Taliban commanders said among dead in Afghan clash
• Taliban launch raids in Afghan east, two dead
• French army engineer killed, two Canadian soldiers injured in Afghanistan
• AFGHANISTAN: Australian troops head to troubled province
• 4 Afghan Taleban Fugitives Recaptured
• President Karzai Condemns the Killing of Mawlawi Zainuddin
• Afghanistan: Kabul Willing To Moderate Between U.S., Iran
• FO: Afghan foreign minister due soon - DAWN
• Pakistani troops kill seven militants in tribal area
• Pakistan's Taleban gamble
• No intervention from Pakistan into Afghanistan: Sami
• Give Taliban benefit of doubt: Jamat chief
• 10 militants killed
• Haj Ministry rejects Taliban's edict
• National anthem officially played in Kabul
• Ottawa to debate extension of Afghan mission
• Tories want to extend Afghan mission to 2009
• Liberal leadership hopefuls split over Afghanistan
• What kind of message would we be sending if we abandoned the Afghan mission now, asks Rondi Adamson
• Tajikistan calls for joint efforts to fight smuggling of Afghan drugs
• New Afghan disarmament drive threatens force against militias
• Govt to start $5m fisheries projects
• Int'l Taibad-Herat fiber optic project becomes operational
• Afghanistan kicks off post-war tournament with win over Pakistan

Taliban commanders said among dead in Afghan clash - Mon May 15

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan police killed 11 Taliban, including two commanders, in a battle near the southern town of Kandahar in which five policemen were also killed, Afghan government officials said on Monday.

The Taliban, fighting to oust foreign forces and Afghanistan's Western-backed government, have intensified their insurgency this year. Hundreds of people have been killed in bomb attacks, ambushes and clashes.

The fighting in Panjwai district, 30 km (20 miles) west of Kandahar town, erupted on Sunday after police got word that some Taliban were hiding there and went to search for them, police said. The battle lasted several hours.

"Unfortunately, we lost five of our men but we destroyed a dangerous group of Taliban. It's a big victory for our police," said Mohammad Daoud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor.

Kandahar is the main town in the Afghan south and was a bastion of Taliban support during their rule.

U.S and other foreign forces, including Canadian and British contingents, operate out of a sprawling base at the town's airport. The base occasionally comes under rocket attack but no casualties have been caused in several blasts in recent months.

Ahmadi said among the 11 Taliban killed was a provincial-level commander, Mullah Abdul Baqi, and a district-level commander, Mullah Abdul Manan.

Manan was responsible for a spate of attacks, including suicide bomb blasts, rocket attacks and the burning of several schools, Ahmadi said.

The Taliban were ousted in late 2001 after refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden, architect of the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Taliban launch raids in Afghan east, two dead - 16 May 2006

KABUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Taliban insurgents raided two police posts and a district government office in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday killing two policemen and wounding five, police said.

The attacks in the eastern province of Paktia, near the Pakistani border, were the latest in an intensified Taliban insurgency in which hundreds of people have been killed this year.

Deputy chief of police in Paktia Mohammad Zaman said some of the Taliban attackers were killed in the intense fighting that followed the raid, but he did not know how many.

The Taliban, fighting to oust foreign forces and defeat Afghanistan's elected government, were ousted in late 2001 after refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden, architect of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

Nearly five years later, violence in parts of Afghanistan is the worst it has been since the end of Taliban rule.

French army engineer killed, two Canadian soldiers injured in Afghanistan

KABUL, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A French army engineer was killed while two Canadian soldiers were injured in the latest Afghan violence on Monday, said authorities.

The engineer from the French contingent of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was fatally injured at 9:00 a.m. Monday morning during a de-mining operation north of Kabul International Airport, said the ISAF in a news release.

The engineer was immediately taken to the military treatment facility at the airport but died of wounds some three hours later,it added.

The 670-strong French contingent has been in Kabul since December 2001, primarily situated in the French sector, which includes the north of Kabul city and the Shamali plain.

Also on Monday two Canadian soldier were injured in a bomb explosion in the restive province of Kanhadar. The Canadian soldiers' vehicle was hit by the roadside bomb as they were patrolling around the Kandahar city at about 2:30 p.m., said Canadian military, who has about 2,300 members in Afghanistan.

Both soldiers were in stable condition while the investigation was under way. Since 2002, 15 Canadian soldiers and one Canadian diplomat havebeen killed in the war-torn country.

Kandahar and the neighboring provinces of Zabul, Helmand and Uruzgan commonly known as the heartland of Taliban has been the scene of violent incident since last year.

Taliban-linked insurgency has claimed the lives of more than 300 people including 25 American soldiers since beginning this year. Enditem

AFGHANISTAN: Australian troops head to troubled province

ABC Radio Australia May 15, 2006

Australia is sending more troops to the troubled southern Afghan province of Uruzgan. They'll join an elite group of 200 soldiers who've been mounting counter terrorist operations in the remote mountainous region where the Taliban has regained a foothold. The troops will be under the control of NATO which is taking over from the U-S led forces and already there are warnings that the soldiers are being seen by the Taliban as a "soft target".

4 Afghan Taleban Fugitives Recaptured - By VOA News - 15 May 2006

Interpol police in Afghanistan says four Taleban prisoners who escaped from one of Afghanistan's prisons earlier this year have been recaptured in Bulgaria and Uzbekistan.

The Interpol chief said Monday that the four men were captured last month. Two were captured in Bulgaria and two in Uzbekistan, and they will be sent back to Afghanistan as soon as identification procedures have been completed.

The four were among seven Taleban inmates who disguised themselves as visitors to escape the high security Pol-e-Charkhi prison on the outskirts of Kabul. The other three remain at large.

At the time of the escape, the prisoners did not wear special uniforms. So the seven militants duped the guards by marking their hands with a fake ink stamp similar to one used to identify visitors to the jail.

President Karzai Condemns the Killing of Mawlawi Zainuddin - Date of Release: 14 May 2006

Arg, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, strongly condemned the killing of Mawlawi Zainuddin in the Alikhil District of Paktia province.

In his reaction to the news the President said “The enemies of Afghanistan are fearful of our religious leaders’ key role in enlightening the people of Afghanistan about the realities on the ground and therefore they want to terrorize them.”

The President ordered the relevant authorities to identify the perpetrators of this heinous act of terrorism and bring them to justice. The President expressed his deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of the victim.

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

Afghanistan: Kabul Willing To Moderate Between U.S., Iran

New Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta said today in an exclusive interview with RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that his country is ready to play a role in reducing tensions between its ally, the United States, and neighboring Iran over Tehran's nuclear activities.

PRAGUE, May 15, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta said today that his country wants a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis over Iran's nuclear program.

"We want the tensions between [the U.S. and Iran] to be decreased and disagreements to be resolved in the framework of international laws and also the expectations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," he said. "In this regard we have said that Afghanistan is ready, if it can, to have a role in reducing the tensions."

"They all believe that the main center of terrorism and main terrorist leaders are outside the borders of Afghanistan, in one of the neighboring countries."

A Mediator?

Spanta, however, said that there has been no demand for his country to mediate in the ongoing crisis over Tehran's refusal to halt its uranium-enrichment program.

"We have not been entrusted with mediation, we just wanted to have a role in this regard," Spanta said. "If someone will eventually ask to convey a message from one country to the other, then we would definitely do so."

Iran's Fars news agency recently reported that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is due to travel to Iran next month with a high-level delegation.

Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta today confirmed in his interview with RFE/RL that he will accompany Karzai during his trip to Iran, though he didn't give a date. Spanta said cooperation between Kabul and Tehran in different fields -- including railroad building -- will be discussed.

Mutual Trust

He added, however, that the nuclear issue is not on the agenda for talks with Iranian officials. "[The nuclear crisis] is not directly on our agenda but we hope that this issue will be solved between Iran and Western countries as soon as possible," he said. "Any tension in the region will affect Afghanistan, economic developments, and peace in our country."

Spanta said Afghanistan enjoys very good friendly ties with its Western neighbor, Iran, which are based "on the principle of cooperation and mutual trust."

Regarding ties with Afghanistan's eastern neighbor, Pakistan, Spanta said that he is hopeful that the two countries can overcome "misunderstandings." Spanta did not elaborate but he blamed Pakistan for not doing enough to catch Taliban leaders who, he says, have taken refuge on its territory.

Fighting Al-Qaeda But Not Taliban?

"I'd mainly like [to emphasize] that although Pakistan has arrested several Al-Qaeda leaders, there has not been any significant action to arrest Taliban leaders," he said.

Spanta was quoted on May 13 by a German paper ("Bild am Sonntag") as saying that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is living in Pakistan close to the Afghan border, but that Pakistani authorities are only making "half-hearted" efforts to catch him.

The claim was rejected by Pakistani officials as "absurd."

Spanta told RFE/RL that "representatives from the international community" have told him that leaders of terrorist organizations active in Afghanistan are based outside the country.

"Because of comments by representatives of the international community, with whom I have talked in recent days," Spanta said. "They all believe that the main center of terrorism and main terrorist leaders are outside the borders of Afghanistan, in one of the neighboring countries, and they've also said so and I just confirmed the reality they had expressed."

Spanta also said that he has invited his Pakistani counterpart to visit Afghanistan to discuss "issues of mutual interest."

(The interview was conducted by Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent Farishta Jalalzai. RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari contributed to this report.)

FO: Afghan foreign minister due soon - DAWN

Refuting the Afghan foreign minister’s claim that Osama Bin Laden was on Pakistan side of the border, the spokesperson said: “Nobody knows where Osama Bin Laden is. If he is alive, the chances are that he might be in Afghanistan.” When asked about the basis of that presumption, she said it was mere speculation. “Everyone is speculating about Osama bin Laden and I’m also saying that one speculation is as good as the other.”

Rejecting the Afghan foreign minister’s allegation that Pakistan was making only half-hearted efforts, she underscored that Pakistan had sacrificed more in terms of human lives than the combined loss of Afghanistan and ISAF. Terming such allegations absurd, she asserted: “If anyone is making half-hearted efforts, it’s on the other side.”

The spokesperson stressed that the Afghans needed to concentrate on taking action on their side instead of levelling accusations against Pakistan. “If they have any evidence they should share it with Pakistan. Levelling wild and outlandish accusations does not help anyone,” Ms Aslam said.

However, she said these were minor irritants that would not jeopardise Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, saying: “These can be discussed and removed.” She informed the briefing that the Afghan foreign minister was likely to visit Pakistan shortly. “We look forward to the Afghan foreign minister’s visit,” the Spokesperson said.

Pakistani troops kill seven militants in tribal area MIRANSHAH, Pakistan,

May 16 (AFP) - At least seven suspected pro-Taliban militants were killed Tuesday in a gunfight with Pakistani troops in tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said. Militants ambushed a convoy of security forces near the Tahl checkpoint in North Waziristan tribal district and in the ensuing gun battle seven of the attackers were killed, military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said.

The troops retaliated after the ambush in which one soldier died and another was wounded, he said. Earlier in a separate incident, gunmen opened fire on two policemen on night patrol in the main bazaar in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan region, local officials said. One policeman died on the spot and another died later in the hospital, an official said, requesting anonymity. The attackers escaped and stole the guards' guns, he said.

Pakistan's Taleban gamble - By Aamer Ahmed Khan - BBC News, Peshawar

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf says his country's battle against al-Qaeda in the lawless tribal region has almost been won. He says he is more worried about the rise of Taleban-like extremism in the tribal area of Waziristan.

But those watching the current conflict in Waziristan say it is unrealistic to separate the two entities. They argue that al-Qaeda and the Taleban are in fact locked in a symbiotic relationship in which a crackdown on the former automatically galvanises the latter.

For Pakistan, though, a clear distinction between the Taleban and al-Qaeda has been a defining element of its policy perceptions vis-à-vis the US-led war on terror.

"Our security paradigm at the time the US bombed the Taleban regime in Afghanistan out of power was very clear," says a top military source who has extensive knowledge of the tribal region. "We kept telling the Taleban that they do have a future as a political entity indigenous to the area, whereas al-Qaeda doesn't."

It was perhaps this perception that allowed a large number of Afghan Taleban and their fellow al-Qaeda fighters to enter Waziristan during the extensive US bombing of the Tora Bora mountain ranges in Afghanistan in December 2001.

Pakistan said at the time that it had sealed the border to prevent militants hiding in Tora Bora from crossing over into Waziristan. But locals tell a completely different story.

"Hundreds of Taleban and foreign militants were seen lining up at public baths [called hamams] in major Waziristan towns such as Wana and Miranshah in those days," says Zubair Mehsud, a law professor at Peshawar University.

Mr Mehsud is putting together his thesis on how the conflict in Waziristan measures up against international humanitarian law. "They would be covered in dirt, some would be injured, others near starvation.”

"They would clean themselves up, arrange for local protection and disappear into the rural areas," says Mr Mehsud. Locals in Wana say these refugee militants included Afghan Taleban, Central Asians and Arabs.

Waziristan's economy has always been dependent on the smuggling routes that run through the area linking Pakistan with Afghanistan. Before the September 2001 attacks on the United States, trafficking in foreign militants was a relatively controlled affair, "closely monitored and often orchestrated by the Pakistan army".

"But the sudden influx after the Tora Bora bombing led to a kind of a free-for-all," says a tribal in Wana. "Swathes of unemployed locals, many of whom had never had connections with the militant networks in Afghanistan, suddenly discovered the lucrative business of harbouring foreign militants."

Grocery stores in towns such as Wana and Miranshah were suddenly overflowing with canned foodstuffs such as tuna fish and mushrooms - the kind that most local tribesmen had never seen before.

These events are not denied by Pakistani military officials, only interpreted in a different context. "It is impossible to completely seal off Pakistan's border with Afghanistan along the Waziristan region," says a top military official who has worked in the tribal areas for several years.

"So when the bombing of Tora Bora drove the militants into Waziristan, a large number of local smugglers and criminals seized it as an opportunity for making money by providing them with shelter and provisions," he says.

"A 20kg sack of sugar worth $10 was sold to the Arabs for as much as $100 in those days," says the military official. "This was very different from the culture of hospitality seen during the anti-Soviet war, when militants were housed as honoured guests by the proud tribesmen."

Military officials say that for nearly two years between 2002 and 2004 - when the army's principal engagement in Waziristan was restricted to intelligence gathering - this new breed of "tribal entrepreneurs" acquired a prominence and wealth that they never had before.

"Sadly, it was these extortionists that took over the Pakistani Taleban uprising in October last year," says this official. "They saw an opportunity to cash in on the local anger at the general lawlessness and umpteen gangs of bandits on the prowl and in doing so, assumed the leadership of the Taleban."

The official contends that these people are now making fortunes milking the Arabs in the garb of anti-US ideology. The new situation presented Pakistan with two policy options: it could declare an indiscriminate war on all foreign militants and their local protectors or it could try to isolate the locals from the foreigners. The government clearly chose the latter.

There are many in Pakistan's security apparatus who expect that one day, when the Americans are gone, the Taleban will regain power in Afghanistan. Therefore, they argue, it is essential to have good relations with the Taleban in order for Pakistan's western borders to be secure.

Few understand the nuances of such policy issues better than local tribesmen. And many have their own distinct way of putting it. "Making a distinction between al-Qaeda and the Taleban or between good and bad Taleban is like picking white hairs from your beard," says a local tribesman in Wana. "No matter how long you do it, the white is eventually going to win."

No intervention from Pakistan into Afghanistan: Sami

PESHAWAR: The head of the Jamiat Ulma Islam, Maulana Samiul-Haq has contradicted the allegations that there is any interference in Afghanistan from Pakistan’s side. He was giving an interview to the Chief Bureau of Moscow newspaper at his residence here on Monday.

Maulana Samiul-Haq said that continuing attacks from Taliban are not being carried out from Pakistan, adding that in fact Afghanistan’s government with the cooperation of the United States is interfering in North Wazirstan and Balochistan. He said that the present government of Pakistan is responsible for all the deteriorated situation in the region as it had taken a u-turn to its policies.

He said that we had informed the President General Pervez Musharraf about all dangers which are now prevailing in the country during a meeting held on 16 September, 2001 soon after the September, 11 terrorist incidents.

Maulana Samiul-Haq while answering a question, said that it is the right time for Russia to intervene to resolve the deteriorated situation in Afghanistan as in reality Russia is responsible for all these worsen situation, adding that Pakistan was also affected badly due to Russia attack on Afghanistan.

Give Taliban benefit of doubt: Jamat chief

Pradeep Thakur[ Tuesday, May 16, 2006 12:45:33 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: Taliban may have confessed to killing Indian engineer K Suryanarayan in Afghanistan but prominent Deobandi cleric and the leader of Opposition in Pakistan National Assembly, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rahman, seems inclined to give the jehadis the benefit of doubt.

The Maulana, head of Jamat-i-Ulema-i-Islam, who arrived here on an unofficial visit told TOI: "It is yet to be ascertained that it was Taliban who beheaded the Indian engineer".

The Maulana was given a warm reception by Jamat Ulama-i-Hind leader and RLD's RS MP Mahmood A Madani even as the government kept a wary eye on his arrival. In fact, MEA was intimated about the cleric's travel plans only just hours before he arrived on board a PIA flight from Lahore.

His pro-Taliban comments, however, should cause no surprise since he was among the band of Deobandi clerics in Pakistan who provided the ideological basis tothe militia. In fact, Jamat-run madarsas supplied young recruits to the Taliban.

Distancing himself from Taliban chief Mullah Omar, the Maulana said: "I never knew him before I saw him in Afghansitan. It is wrong to say that we studied together.

" The cold shoulder extended by MEA to him is in sharp contrast with the warm welcome he got here during the NDA regime, which allowed itself to be taken in by the claim of the cleric that he could be the bridge between India and Pakistan.

The Maulana claimed: "I have come here with the message of peace. The peace initiatives between India and Pakistan should be strengthened."

He is leading a five-member delegation to India for a seven-day trip during which he will visit Darul Uloom in Deoband and Jamaat Ulema-e-Hind madarsas in Moradabad. He will leave for Pakistan on May 22.

Turning to politics back home, he expressed his support to Pakistan's former PMs, now living in exile, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, on their demand to seek resignation of military ruler Pervez Musharraf as president and elections to be held under neutral authority.

"I am waiting for their emissaries to approach me. In principle I support them on their demands," Rahman said. The Pakistani leaders stand was much in line with the policies of his father Maulana Mufti Mahmood, who was a graduate from the Darul Uloom.

10 militants killed

TEHRAN, May 15: Iranian security forces have killed 10 suspected Sunni militants following the roadside murders of a dozen civilians in the restive southeast of the county, state television said on Monday. Late Saturday’s execution-style murders, on a main road between the cities of Bam and Kerman, were claimed by a shadowy group called Jundullah. The group is believed to be based across the border in Afghanistan.

“At least 10 members of those who were responsible for the senseless killing of our citizens on the Bam-Kerman road were killed by local forces,” Iran’s national police chief, Esmaeel Ahmadi-Moghadam, was quoted as saying.

He said the fugitives were trying to leave Iran, “but we closed off all of their escape routes,” adding that police, members of the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia were hunting the group.—AFP

Haj Ministry rejects Taliban's edict

KABUL, May 14 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The Ministry of Haj and Auqaf Sunday rejected the self-styled edict of Taliban in which the latter described the Constitution and government of Afghanistan as un-Islamic.

A statement released here said those who had issued the so-called Fatwa (edict) were anti-state elements. It says the Constitution was fully Islamic as a number of ulema (religious scholars) have accorded approval to it.

The edict issued by Taliban in Kandahar last week, justified jihad (holy war) against foreign forces and the incumbent Afghan government. A number of religious scholars in Kandahar condemned the Fatwa and justified the presence of US forces in Afghanistan in the present circumstances.

Chief of the pro-government Kandahar Ulema Council Maulvi Ghulam Mohammad Gharib, during a meeting in Kandahar on Saturday, said the coalition forces had come here with the consent of Afghans; hence, their presence here was justified from religious point of view. Saeed Zabuli/Habibur Rahman Ibrahimi

National anthem officially played in Kabul

KABUL, May 14 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The long-awaited Afghan national anthem was officially played here on Sunday.

A video of anthem was shown to journalists and officials during a ceremony held at Press Hall of the Information and Culture Ministry. Three renowned singers, Ustad Nashenas, Arman and Afsana sang lyrics provided by prominent writer Abdul Bari Jahani. Music of the anthem has been composed by Babrak Hosa in Germany.

President Hamid Karzai in his sent message praised the new anthem. The message reads:" It is certainly indicating national, cultural and historical identity of the heroes of Afghanistan."

Vice president Karim Khalili, some of the cabinet ministers, members of the parliament, other top-ranking officials and journalists were present on the occasion.

On this occasion, Information and Culture Minister Syed Makhdoom Rahin said they got the national anthem's lyrics three months ago and sent it to Babrak Hosa in Germany for music composition.

Hosa completed the music composition after hard and long practices with the 75-strong German orchestra and some Afghan singers. A type of the anthem played at functions and official ceremonies was ready, however that played at airports and other places with trumpet was yet to be completed, the minister added.

The language in which the anthem would be played was contentious issue in Loya Jirga (lower house) some two years back. Finally, Pashto was chosen as the language for the anthem, about lyrics it was decided that it should include names of the major ethnic groups.

Ottawa to debate extension of Afghan mission - BILL CURRY - From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

OTTAWA — The Conservative government will ask MPs Wednesday for approval of a two-year extension to Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Negotiations between the government and opposition parties had yet to conclude Monday evening, but the Liberals and NDP confirmed they have agreed to a government request for a vote.

"We are having a debate and a vote on Wednesday," said Mylène Dupéré, a spokeswoman for interim Liberal leader Bill Graham.

Karl Belanger, a spokesman for NDP Leader Jack Layton, also confirmed the government request, which the NDP has agreed to.

"There's been discussion amongst the parties, and the New Democrats are not going to oppose a vote in the House of Commons, because we pushed for a vote," he said.

After his meetings with officials in Afghanistan last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said the mission could take longer than expected, forcing the extension of the military deployment beyond the February, 2007, deadline.

"There is a need for a longer-term plan and commitment," Mr. MacKay said. "We did not discuss specific time frames or time limits or just how lengthy this mission will be, but I assured [the Afghan President] that Canada is here and intends to continue to work with our international partners and with the Afghan people to achieve results."

He also left open the possibility of sending more soldiers to Afghanistan, in addition to the 2,300 troops already there.

While the NDP has been the most critical of certain aspects of Canada's current mission, Mr. Belanger insisted the party has yet to decide how it will vote on the request for an extension.

He noted that NDP foreign affairs critic Alexa McDonough has just returned from a trip to Afghanistan with Mr. MacKay and that the caucus will wait to hear her report. "We'll take her report very seriously," he said.

The vote could prove difficult for the Liberals. While the caucus fully supported the mission's launch when the Liberals were in office, the party's new role as Official Opposition, as well as the increase in casualties since troops moved from Kabul to Kandahar, has led to increased criticism of the mission from Liberal MPs.

The issue appeared to be a difficult one for the 11 candidates vying for the Liberal leadership. At a recent event in Toronto earlier this month, during which all 11 candidates spoke on stage for about two hours, Liberal MP Michael Ignatieff was the only one to mention Afghanistan.

Leadership rival and Liberal MP Joe Volpe noted the next day that Mr. Ignatieff's support for the mission in Afghanistan "didn't go over well" with the roughly 1,500 Liberal delegates in attendance for the speeches.

Mr. MacKay's two-day trip to Kandahar and Kabul was aimed at boosting Canadian support for a military mission that seems increasingly unpopular.

Tories want to extend Afghan mission to 2009 -. May. 16 2006 CTV.ca News

On the day two Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan were wounded in a roadside bomb, there is word the Conservative government is planning to extend Canada's mission in the country by two years.

"The Conservative cabinet has been talking about extending the mission until February 2009," said CTV's Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife.

"Today, the House Leader (Rob Nicholson) approached opposition house leaders to discuss with them having a motion and a vote on an extension -- possibly sometime this week."

Those negotiations are expected to continue on Tuesday, leading up to a final approval from cabinet later this week. There are currently about 2,300 Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan, with most stationed at Kandahar airfield, on a mission that is scheduled to end in February 2007.

Fife said extending the mission eases any concerns the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) -- which is taking over the U.S.-led mission in perilous southern Afghanistan -- may have over Canada's commitment.

"They want some certainty from Canada," he said.

"More importantly, it's about politics. The Conservatives are worried about the Liberal leadership race; they're afraid that the next leader may pull the plug on Liberal support for Afghanistan, so they want to get it over now."

Opposition parties have been calling on the government recently to move troops from Afghanistan to Darfur, Sudan, where a bloody internal conflict has led to what many describe as the 21st century's first genocide. The Conservative government motion also comes at a time when recent public opinion polls show that support for the mission has dropped.

Fifteen Canadian soldiers and one Canadian diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002. In the latest incident, two Canadian soldiers were injured Monday when a roadside bomb struck their armoured vehicle as it travelled north of Kandahar…

Liberal leadership hopefuls split over Afghanistan - By JOAN BRYDEN

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's dangerous military mission in Afghanistan is becoming a wedge issue in the Liberal leadership contest.

The 11 candidates are divided over the merits of the mission and whether it should be extended beyond the current deadline of February. Toronto MP and former minister Joe Volpe is so far the most critical of the mission. He's calling for the withdrawal of troops from Kandahar province, where a number of Canadian soldiers have been killed recently as they attempt to root out Taliban insurgents.

Two more soldiers were wounded Monday when their armoured vehicle was rocked by a roadside bomb.

Volpe wants Canada's contingent of 2,200 soldiers to return to its original base in the Afghan capital of Kabul. He's also calling for a reorientation of Canadian Forces to pursue a more traditional peacekeeping mission while helping to restore "civil society" to the war-ravaged country.

"That's what we're equipped to do, that's what we're capable of doing and that's where our expertise lies," Volpe said in an interview.

The previous Liberal government committed troops to Afghanistan's lawless south last year and included a robust combat element to the deployment. But most of the casualties have come under Stephen Harper's fledgling Conservative government.

Volpe suggested this was no coincidence. He believes there was a change in the mission at the behest of U.S. President George W. Bush.

"We can't switch from peacekeeper to peacemaker on the fly just because a Republican government in the United States asks us to. We can't be an extension of American foreign policy," Volpe said.

Volpe's stance appears to be at odds with that of rookie MP and acclaimed scholar Michael Ignatieff, one of the presumed frontrunners in the leadership race. He has been the most unequivocal in his support for the Afghanistan mission.

"We have got to be a party that stands for human rights everywhere, that does the tough lifting when it has to be done," Ignatieff told Ontario Liberals during an all-candidates' forum earlier this month.

"You ask us to do something hard and difficult and we can do it. We're doing it in Afghanistan. It's in the greatest tradition of our country and that's the kind of country we want."

Ignatieff later told a reporter Canadians support the idea of providing security to Afghans but will not support "an indefinite counterinsurgency war (along) with the Americans."

Other contenders support the deployment for now but are calling for a serious debate and reassessment before the Harper government decides whether to extend the mission beyond February.

Before making that decision, former Ontario premier Bob Rae said Canada should consult with its NATO allies about the best use of its troops and consider other countries, such as Sudan, where they might be more usefully deployed.

Harper last week said Canada won't be sending troops to the troubled Darfur region of Sudan. His defence minister, Gordon O'Connor said the military can't afford to take on another mission on top of their work in Afghanistan.

Rae also said no decision should be taken on extending the mission without taking into account eroding popular support in Canada, particularly in Quebec.

"There are many issues to be considered in making a decision of this kind and it would be, I think, very unwise to be racing around saying we have to do this forever," Rae concluded.

Public opinion polls have showed declining support for the mission. But Stephane Dion, the foreign affairs critic for the Liberals, predicted few Canadians would support simply pulling out and abandoning Afghans to their fate.

Still, he said it's a mistake for Harper to suggest Canadian troops will stay as long as needed. Other NATO countries might be better equipped to take the lead in Afghanistan while Canada's soldiers could be better deployed in Darfur or elsewhere.

"The key point I agree with the government is that we should not evacuate in a vacuum. But to send a message (that) Canada is there to stay and don't ask us to do much elsewhere, whether Haiti or Darfur, there I disagree," Dion said in an interview.

Gerard Kennedy, former Ontario education minister, has also called for a full debate before the government decides whether to extend the mission.

"The question is, are we building a civil society (in Afghanistan) or are we simply trying to pacify a country that has a very troublesome possibility of pulling itself together," Kennedy told reporters last month at his campaign launch.

Most of the others appear to be somewhere between the two poles, offering support for the current mission but calling for a serious debate and reassessment when the mission ends in February.

What kind of message would we be sending if we abandoned the Afghan mission now, asks Rondi Adamson - May 14, 2006. Toronto Star

To suggest that Canadian troops would do more good in Darfur than Afghanistan is like suggesting that some people's lives are worth more than others. Were Canada to abandon — even lessen — its presence in Afghanistan, we cannot be guaranteed any other nation would step up. And we would be reneging on a necessary commitment.

What a message to send to the world — "Canada: We mean what we say. Until something more popular comes along." What a shameful message to send to the Afghan people: "You no longer matter, we've found a more politically correct cause. You'll have to deal with the Taliban on your own. Good luck with that."

What a comforting message to send to those who harboured Al Qaeda prior to 9/11: "Sorry for the interruption. You may now return to your regularly scheduled tyranny."

We all agree that something should be done about Darfur. Even Canada's Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who cringed over a few cartoons, is talking tough. Well, her version of tough.

Using the revelatory language of the UN, she called dealing with Darfur, "unavoidable." We have all agreed about this being unavoidable for two years or more, without agreeing on what to do. We have all agreed about it, as the Sudanese, through the janjaweed, have killed up to 200,000 of their countrymen, displacing another 2 million.

It is ironic to hear Jack Layton, the leader of a party that has for decades advocated the erosion of our military, plead for Canadian troops to be sent into a war. He can call it a peacekeeping mission all he likes. But make no mistake, our troops in Darfur — currently we have about 100 there, alongside the fairly useless and undermanned African Union force — are in the thick of a war, as are our troops in Afghanistan.

I suspect Layton's aversion to our presence in Afghanistan is due to the fact that we are helping a U.S.- led mission. Of course, had we any serious military to speak of, we could pledge ourselves to a significant involvement in both situations. But we simply don't have the power.

What is also ironic — tragically so, after the appalling human cost — is listening to the Laytons and the George Clooneys and others who have been so critical of Washington, promote military action.

Because if anything is done about Darfur, it will be the United States that makes the greatest sacrifices. The world will kindly allow them to carry the load.

Osama Bin Laden, in his April rant, put his de facto support behind the thugs in Khartoum. Those who have failed to recognize the threat of Islamofascism up until now, should recognize its face in the genocide in Darfur. And those people should not want Canada to abandon our part of that same fight in Afghanistan.

Rondi Adamson is a Toronto writer whose work has been published in the Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal Europe.

Tajikistan calls for joint efforts to fight smuggling of Afghan drugs

ALMA ATA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov said on Monday that the international community should make concerted efforts to fight against the smuggling of Afghan drugs.

    Rakhmonov made the remarks at the opening ceremony of an international conference on preventing drug trafficking in central and southern Asia, said reports from the Tajik capital Dushanbe.

    The anti-terror coalition in Afghanistan has failed to alleviate poverty and unemployment that let illegal drug production flourish, he said.

    "Since the anti-terrorist operation started in Afghanistan (in September 2001) drug production has tripled," Rakhmonov said.

    He added that Afghanistan, its neighbors and the whole international community should solve the problem by creating more jobs in the country.

    "(In Afghanistan) there's a huge army of the unemployed that have turned fertile soil for narcotics production, which itself is the main means of financing international terrorism, extremism and cross-border crime," said the president.

    Tajikistan shares a 1,300-km border with Afghanistan, the world's leading opium and heroin producer. The central Asian country lies on one of the main trafficking routes for Afghan drugs smuggled into Russia and Europe.

    Rakhmonov said the Tajik government had made great efforts to fight the smuggling of Afghan drugs, seizing more than 60 tons of drugs in the last 10 years.

    Some 70 representatives from more than 20 countries attended the three-day international conference, focusing on Afghan drugs, international cooperation in fighting against drug smuggling, and control of the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Enditem

New Afghan disarmament drive threatens force against militias - May 14

KABUL (AFP) - Afghanistan has intensified efforts to disarm scores of illegal militias by giving commanders two months to hand over their weapons or face the law, an official said.

The new campaign, part of the UN-backed Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) programme launched in June 2005, began in the central province of Kapisa at the start of this month, DIAG officials said on Sunday.

Commanders of 38 groups in Kapisa were told by letter to hand in their weapons, UN Deputy Special Representative Chris Alexander said on the sidelines of a meeting to explain the process to officials from the next provinces to introduce the campaign.

"Those people have one month to voluntarily disarm but if that fails, there is one month in which their disarmament is negotiated... then after that they face law enforcement one way or another," Alexander said. "They could very well face arrest or other kinds of legal sanction."

Alexander said there were about 2,000 illegal armed groups in Afghanistan but only between 100 and 200 of them were considered "serious". "Many of the groups have only a very few weapons and are not even active. We are not worried about them. We are worried about the ones that are active, defying the government, creating problems for the population.

"Some are connected to the narcotics trade, some are connected to other forms of crime, some simply started what they are doing during the jihad (anti-Soviet resistance) and they never stopped," he said.

Afghanistan is awash with illegal weapons after 25 years of war, including the resistance to the 1979-89 Soviet occupation during which the United States supplied militias with weapons to fight Russia.

The government that replaced the hardline Taliban regime, toppled by a US-led coalition in late 2001, is collecting weapons and disbanding illegal groups in a bid to bring stability to the war-torn nation. More than 36,500 light weapons and 12,240 heavy weapons have been collected since June last year.

Alexander said the disarmament programme was challenging in a country like Afghanistan. "It is not easy to do, to go after commanders who have enjoyed impunity for decades, in some cases who are used to being the top of the pile in their community and say, 'Listen, it's now the government which has the authority, which has the monopoly on use of force'."

Nonetheless there had been cooperation for the programme, with some pressure for disarmament coming from ordinary people tired of fighting, he said.

"People do understand that to be part of the future, they have to take difficult steps like this... People who live in these communities which are terrorised by these groups are very impatient for this to be implemented," he said.

Govt to start $5m fisheries projects

KABUL, May 15 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Livestock is planning to begin fisheries projects in 12 provinces to provide sources of alternative livelihood to poppy growers.

This was announced by engineer Khalilullah Frogh, head of the fisheries branch in the ministry, while addressing a one-day workshop here on Monday. The projects would cost $4.8 million.

The workshop was organised to inform people and create awareness among them about fish farming. Frogh said several donor countries had promised assistance for implementation of the projects.

He said the schemes would be launched in Kunar, Herat, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Baghlan, Parwan, Kapisa, Panjshir, Kabul, Ghazni and Nangarhar provinces. This would also prove a source of alternative livelihood for a number of people, who were presently involved in poppy cultivation.

Frogh said fish farming could provide appreciable income to farmers and could prove the best alternative to poppies, which is illegal. According to officials of the agriculture department, there are many fish farms in Kunduz, Bamyan, Nangarhar, Helmand and Balkh provinces.

The ministry is planning to launch fish farming in all provinces and districts in the coming five years to make the country self-sufficient in fish production. Presently, Afghanistan is importing fish from Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Iran.

The workshop was organised by the Rebuilding Agricultural Markets Programme (RAMP) in collaboration with a French NGO. It was attended by agriculturists and fish farmers from Kunduz, Nangarhar and Helmand provinces. Zainab Muhaqiq

Int'l Taibad-Herat fiber optic project becomes operational - Tehran, May 15, IRNA

The 150-km international Taibad-Herat fiber optic project, which has been implemented jointly by Iran and Afghanistan was put into operation in the Afghan city of Herat on Sunday.

The 1.28-million-dollar project has been financed by Iran as non-return relief aid.

The operations of the project got underway at Dogharoun border in the Iranian city of Taibad bordering Herat province in April 2004 and it was implemented on the threshold of the International Telecommunications Day.

Director General of the Telecommunications Company of Iran Engineer Saber Feizi said on Monday that the project was mainly designed to create telecommunications infrastructural network and help the city of Herat and Afghanistan to access international telecommunications network.

"The 12-wire fiber optics cables have been laid underground at the depth of 1.5-2.5 meters between the two cities of Taibad and Herat," he added.

For his part, the Managing Director of Khorasan Razavi province

Telecommunications Department, Ali Kargozar said that a

560-million-dollar non-return credit allocated to the project by Iran facilitated the implementation of the fiber optic network.

Afghanistan kicks off post-war tournament with win over Pakistan

KABUL: Afghanistan kicked off on Monday its first international soccer tournament after nearly three decades of conflict with a win against political rival Pakistan watched by 10,000 excited fans.

The game launched a five-day tournament involving teams from Afghanistan’s neighbours Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan. The lone goal from Kabul-based side Omed sent the men-only crowd leaping to their feet in the city’s main stadium, Ghazi, a notorious public execution ground during the five-year rule of the hardline Taliban regime that imposed Islamic Sharia law.

The tournament is the first of its kind in Afghanistan after nearly 30 years of ruinous war that claimed millions of lives and ended with the fall of the Taliban regime in an invasion by a US-led coalition in late 2001. “In the past four years, we have always been the guest. Now it is time to be the host,” Afghanistan’s Olympic chief Mohammad Anwar Jigdelak said at the opening ceremony. The match showed how far the country has moved on from the days of the Taliban, said spectator Masoud Ahmad, 23, who had witnessed an execution in the ground.

“I’m so happy to be here,” he beamed. “Look, this is the first time I have watched such a match,” said another citizen, Mohammad Mahdi. “It also means that the security has improved (in Kabul),” he said.

Unrest is however still rife in the south of the country, the focus of a vicious insurgency being led by Taliban loyalists. Afghan officials say the violence is being plotted by Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders based in Pakistan. The charges led this year to a tit-for-tat row between the neighbours, taking their relations to a low. Such tension was forgotten on the football field, however, with fans cheering in delight during the game broadcast live on television.

“It’s just enjoyment,” a Pakistani player told AFP before being whisked away by his coach. In the coming days Afghanistan will meet Iran, which officials call a “good friend” but is an enemy of the United States which maintains nearly 20,000 troops here. India, which enjoys good relations with Afghanistan but is a longtime enemy of Pakistan, was invited but cancelled at the “very last moment,” Jigdelak said. Their decision may have been prompted by the Taliban’s kidnapping and murder last month of an Indian engineer working in the south of the country, he said. AFP

[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.]