In this bulletin:

• Statement by H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan On the Occasion of His Official Trip to the United Arab Emirates
• Etisalat to operate GSM network in Afghanistan
• Karzai anger at civilian deaths
• More die in fresh Afghan attacks
• Afghanistan: UN mission has no plans to close offices in conflict-torn south
• Concern mounts over civilian deaths in Afghanistan
• Pakistan fires infiltration accusations back at Afghanistan
• Pakistan responsible for trouble in Afghanistan: Asfandyar
• Border village celebrates sons killed by 'the infidel'
• South Asia: Afghan President Reignites Feud With Pakistan
• Afghanistan denies offering mediation between Iran, U.S.
• Afghanistan welcomes Iraq's new cabinet
• Russia not considering ammunition deliveries to Afghanistan
• Int'l medal winner Israr Karimzai laments govt's apathy
• The new power behind Osama's throne

Statement by H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan On the Occasion of His Official Trip to the United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates - 22 May 2006

It is a tremendous pleasure for me to be in the United Arab Emirates.  I am grateful to His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE for his kind invitation and his very generous hospitality. 

I also take this opportunity to thank His Highness the President, leaders and people of the Emirates for their continued support to the people of Afghanistan now and during difficult times in the past. 

We are proud of our relations with the UAE, which are very deeply rooted, and we are pleased that with this visit we took another step in further strengthening our relations. 

I am much encouraged by the warm interest that the UAE leadership has shown in strengthening stability and prosperity in Afghanistan, and in being part of this process.  Over the last four years, Afghanistan has taken significant steps towards peace and prosperity.  Without assistance from the UAE and the rest of the international community, we would not have achieved what we have today. So part of the purpose of my trip today is to thank the UAE for its support to Afghanistan over the past four years.   

Both our countries are located very strategically.  Afghanistan is gradually regaining its historical place as a land-bridge in this region, connecting South Asia Central Asia and the Middle East.  The UAE is today a significant economic power in the region with extremely promising prospects for the future.  Cooperation in various fields between the UAE and Afghanistan will not only benefit the people of the two countries, but will also have a positive impact on the region as a whole. 

Afghanistan today is a land of great promise – it offers tremendous opportunities of business and investment.  Many global businesses have already come to explore and invest in Afghanistan.  I am pleased that the UAE’s Etisalaat company is also in Afghanistan now.  Today, I would like to invite other UAE investors to come to Afghanistan and become part of this historical opportunity. 

Once again, I am very pleased to be here.  I am proud to have become part of a long tradition of brotherly relations between our two countries. 

I would like to invite His Highness President Khalifa to visit Afghanistan in the near future.  The Afghan people would be proud to get the opportunity to welcome His Highness and other leaders of the UAE to their country. 

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

Etisalat to operate GSM network in Afghanistan – Gulf News 5/23/06

Emirates Telecommunications Corporation- Etisalat- has signed an agreement with authorities in Afghanistan to operate a GSM network. The agreement was signed by HE Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communication, Afghanistan, and Mohammad Hassan Omran, Chairman of Etisalat, at the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, on 23rd May 2006.

Etisalat will pay US$ 40.1 million for the licence to operate a GSM network in Afghanistan, and the company is expected to commence operations in early 2007. The licence is valid for 15 years and is renewable.

Mohammad Hassan Omran said: 'This agreement is very important to us as it gives us entry into a large emerging market. This licence is a reflection on our strategy to expand internationally, and our ambition to be among the Top 10 telecom operators in the world within five years.'

'Afghanistan is a market with good potential. With a population of 28 million and a growth rate of 4.5 per cent, GSM penetration still remains extremely low. This will give a committed GSM operator a great opportunity to address the low penetration, and devise packages and applications that will be appreciated by the masses. Our strategy will be to provide affordable services with immense value,' he added.

Etisalat is keen to partner with local investors in Afghanistan to establish the company, a strategy it follows in most international markets that it has entered.

'We realize that we will have a special role to play in Afghanistan. We are confident of introducing the most appropriate services and packages for the Afghan people. We are sure that the people of Afghanistan will welcome our presence, and appreciate our efforts in not only in boosting their telecommunications sector, but in enhancing the economy as a whole. We look forward to deploying technologies and solutions that can bring Afghanistan on par with the rest of the world,' Omran added.

Karzai anger at civilian deaths – BBC

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to summon the head of US-led coalition forces for a "full explanation" of a raid officials say killed 16 civilians. Mr Karzai, who is currently abroad, has ordered an investigation into Monday's air attack in the southern province of Kandahar.

He also condemned Taleban fighters saying they had hidden behind civilians using them as "human shields".

The US military says they may have killed up 80 Taleban fighters. Mr Karzai, who is in the United Arab Emirates, made his comments in a press release issued in Kabul on Tuesday.

President Karzai expressed concern about coalition forces' decision to bomb the Panjwayi district in Kandahar province.

His statement says that "on several occasions in the past, the president had called on the coalition forces to be highly cautious to avoid civilian casualties during their military operations and not to be swayed by terrorists' tactics who use people's homes as a shelter".

The president has "ordered an investigation into the incident and asked to summon, upon his return to Kabul from the UAE visit, the Commander of the Coalition Forces in Afghanistan for a full explanation about the incident," the statement says.

Mr Karzai also condemned what he called the militants' "act of cowardice" by using civilians as human shields. He called on Afghans "to resist the terrorists and not to allow them to use their homes as a shelter and for other purposes".

The precise number of dead from Monday's attack is not clear. Afghan officials say 60 Taleban and 16 civilians were killed. The US military put the number of confirmed Taleban deaths at 20, with possibly another 60 killed.

It said on Monday it was aware of reports of civilian casualties and was investigating them. There has been a dramatic upsurge in fighting in southern Afghanistan over the past week.

Officials estimate up to 200 rebels have been killed in the region since last Wednesday, in some of the fiercest fighting since the fall of the Taleban in late 2001. Further violence on Tuesday has left at least 20 people dead in two attacks.

More die in fresh Afghan attacks - BBC News / Tuesday, 23 May 2006

Three Afghan policemen and 12 Taleban militants have been killed after a convoy was ambushed in the southern Helmand province, officials say. British troops have also fired their first shots against Taleban fighters in Helmand, since their deployment there.

In a separate incident, three Afghan health workers and a driver have been killed in a bomb attack in Wardak. The attacks come a day after nearly 80 people were reported killed in a US-led coalition bombing raid in Kandahar.

Officials say that Taleban fighters ambushed a government convoy in the north of Helmand when it came under attack. "Three policemen were martyred and six were wounded," provincial spokesman Muhaidin Khan is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. "Twelve Taleban were also killed in the attack today," he added.

In the second attack, a female health worker, her two colleagues and a driver were killed when their vehicle was hit by a bomb in Wardak, west of the capital Kabul. The team worked for the Afghan Health Development Service, a local aid group.

In Helmand, British troops used Apache attack helicopters for the first time since their deployment. More than 2,000 British troops have been deployed in the province, which is also one of the main centres of the country's drug trade.

On Monday, at least 60 Taleban fighters and 16 civilians died when US-led forces bombed a village in the neighbouring province of Kandahar, Afghan officials said. US-led forces blamed the Taleban for the deaths, accusing guerrillas of deliberately hiding behind civilians.

Eyewitnesses said an Islamic religious school and homes, in which Taleban fighters had taken refuge, were bombed. The US military put the number of confirmed Taleban deaths at 20, with possibly another 60 killed. It said it was aware of reports of civilian casualties and was investigating.

"Once you start fighting from buildings where civilians are involved, then you are putting those civilians in danger," a US military spokesman, Maj James Yonts, told the BBC. He added that rebel commanders were "responsible for the deaths of those women and children".

Officials estimate up to 200 rebels have been killed in the region since last Wednesday, in some of the fiercest fighting since the fall of the Taleban in late 2001.

Afghanistan: UN mission has no plans to close offices in conflict-torn south - UN News Centre

22 May 2006 – Although the security situation in southern Afghanistan has deteriorated over the past six months, the United Nations mission in the country has no plans to move out of the area, a spokesman said today.

“In areas where there is conflict, it is clearly important that everything possible is done to ensure the safety of civilians, as well as ensuring safety for UN and other humanitarian workers,” UN Assistance Mission in Afganistan (UNAMA) Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Kabul, the capital.

“Regarding the safety of UN staff here, we have heard rumors over the past few days that the UN is evacuating its offices in the south. This is incorrect. What is certainly true is that insecurity presents problems to our work, and realistically over the next three months or so insecurity seems likely to continue.

“If staff can’t get out to do their work, we will assess staff levels and move people to places where they can be more effective and useful,” he added. On the question of Pakistani-Afghan relations, Mr. Edwards stressed the need for cooperation.

Mr. Edwards was continually pressed about the possible closure of UN offices in the south as fighting between rebels and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) intensifies.

“Let me be absolutely clear about this - there is no decision to close UN offices in the south. The option always remains for the UN to move staff to other places if they can be more effective there. But if that’s happening we’ll let you know,” he declared.

Concern mounts over civilian deaths in Afghanistan - Agence France-Presse;  23 May 2006

Villagers have insisted that dozens of civilians were killed in a coalition
strike in Afghanistan, as rights groups voiced concern about mounting
civilian casualties in days of fighting.

The governor of southern Kandahar province, Asadullah Khalid, said Monday
that at least 16 civilians were killed early Monday in an air and ground
strike in the province's Panjwayi district.

But a teacher in nearby Tulakhan village told AFP by telephone that he saw
the bodies of 40 civilians, including children, and that about 50 others
had been wounded.

The US-coalition said up to 80 suspected Taliban had died in the raid
targeting Azizi village in Panjwayi, adding it was investigating claims of
civilian casualties.

The teacher, named Abdullah, said he had assisted in burying 28 people and
saw the bodies of 12 others being returned to their home village from other
areas.

Eight houses in his village were destroyed in the bombing, several damaged
and scores of animals were killed, he said from the area, which was still
off-limits to journalists.

Other residents told AFP at the main hospital in Kandahar city on Monday
that they had seen scores of dead and wounded. An elderly man, Attah Mohammad, said he had lost 24 members of his family,
including some children.

The strike was the latest incident in nearly a week that has seen some of
the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan since the Taliban were removed in 2001
-- clashes that have left around 300 people dead, most of them rebels.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations
expressed concern about reports of civilians being caught up in the
violence.

The ICRC urged "the parties to exercise constant care in the conduct of
military operations," describing the situation in the south as "worsening".

"At all times they must take all feasible precautions to protect civilians
against the effects of any attacks," it said.

A UN spokesman in Kabul said Monday that "it is clearly important that
everything possible is done to ensure the safety of civilians, as well as
ensuring safety for UN and other humanitarian workers."

The insecurity was hampering the world body's work in the south, spokesman
Adrian Edwards told reporters, but noted there were no plans to evacuate
the area. The coalition said it had targeted only compounds harbouring "extremists".

It said Monday it had called in warplanes after troops who were trying to
capture insurgents in the area came under fire, while the governor said
some of the militants had hidden in local people's houses.

There have been several major battles with insurgents during the past week,
including a clash in Panjwayi last Wednesday and Thursday which Khalid said
left 100 Taliban dead and netted some senior Taliban commanders.

The fighting has also claimed the lives of about 50 Afghans, besides those
killed in the latest coalition raid, most of them from the fledgling police
and army.

Five foreign nationals have been killed: two French special forces
soldiers, a Canadian female soldier, an American soldier and one US
civilian killed in a suicide bombing in the western city of Herat on
Thursday.

Pakistan fires infiltration accusations back at Afghanistan
Agence France-Presse;  23 May 2006

Pakistan said that "terrorist elements" were infiltrating its territory
from Afghanistan, rejecting allegations that it was sending militants to
its neighbour.

The comment was in response to charges by Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen
Dadfar Spanta on Sunday that the leaders of the Taliban are directing
attacks inside Afghanistan from bases in Pakistan.

"Elements hostile to Pakistan are using Afghan territory with impunity to
carry out terrorist acts in our country," foreign ministry spokeswoman
Tasnim Aslam told a weekly news conference. She went on to describe them as "terrorist elements".

Pakistan and Afghanistan, both key allies in the US-led "war on terror",
have recently been locked in a war of words over Taliban and other Islamic
rebels operating along the border between the two countries.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused Islamabad last week of failing to
crack down on militants operating from its side of the frontier, amid some
of the heaviest Taliban-linked fighting in Afghanistan in years.

"These accusations only show frustration at not being able to address the
internal security situation," Aslam said.

Pakistan backed the Taliban regime after it took control of Afghanistan in
1996, but withdrew its support and helped the US-led military to oust the
hardliners in late 2001.

Pakistan says it has deployed more than 80,000 troops in its tribal areas
bordering Afghanistan.

Pakistan responsible for trouble in Afghanistan: Asfandyar - Pakhtun Sahar

ISLAMABAD, May 23 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Chief of Pakistan's Awami National Party (ANP) Asfandyar Wali Khan has accused his country of arming Taliban and stirring trouble in Afghanistan.

In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok's Islamabad correspondent on Tuesday, Asfandyar said insurgency was rampant only in areas abutting Pakistan. Provinces far away from Pakistan border were calm and no violence was reported from there, he argued.

"Pakistani authorities and agencies were involved in the ongoing war and lawlessness in areas on both sides of the Durand Line," uttered the ANP chief.

Where from the Taliban, who are waging a guerilla war against President Hamid Karzai's government, get their weapons, Asfandyar questioned.

He condemned the ongoing tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan and urged upon both the governments to resolve all disputes through peaceful negotiations.

Criticising his country's foreign policy, the ANP chief asked the government of Pakistan to review and bring changes in it. "Unfortunately, Pakhtuns in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan are suffering due to the international politics and standing on crossroads."

Both the neighbours once again let loose series of allegations and counter allegations in the recent days. President Hamid Karzai, last week, accused Pakistan of training and arming Taliban and sending them into Afghanistan. In a tit-for-tat reply, Pakistan's Foreign Office said the Afghan government was 'incapable' to control the security situation and hence, Pakistan should not be blamed for that.

Border village celebrates sons killed by 'the infidel'- From Zahid Hussain in Chamman / The Times (UK) / May 23, 2006

IN THE Pakistani village of Mahmoud Abad, a mile from the rugged Afghan border, several dozen people gathered at the mosque yesterday to honour a local boy killed in a battle with coalition forces near Kandahar last week.

“He was a soldier of Islam who laid down his life fighting the infidels,” a bearded and blackturbanned Taleban commander told the crowd, which chanted “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest).

The family of Abdul Baqi, 24, a religious student who had joined the Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan a month ago, likewise celebrated his martyrdom. “We are proud of him,” said Abdul Qadir, his older brother.

Many young men from the dirt-poor village have enrolled as volunteers with the Taleban forces fighting in Afghanistan. Across the Chamman district hundreds have joined up since the madrassas — religious schools — closed for the summer.

Maulana Abdul Ghani, a 75-old-cleric who is dean of Al Jamia Islamia, one of Chamman’s largest madrassas, said he believed many of his 3,000 students had gone willingly to fight in Afghanistan. “The situation is fast changing in Afghanistan in favour of the Taleban,” he said.

Most of the madrassas are run by clerics like Mr Ghani who belong to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, the Islamic fundamentalist party that leads the coalition government in western Baluchistan.

The dusty border town of Chamman has become the main centre of Taleban activities as fighting intensifies in southern Afghanistan and many Taleban commanders are thought to have been operating from the area. The Taleban can move freely across the long and porous border.

The Pakistani authorities deny they are using Pakistani territory as a base, but senior Taleban commanders admit that they receive indirect support from local officials.

“We cannot fight for long without support from our sympathisers in the local administration,” said one, Samiul Haq. Mr Haq, who recently returned from Afghanistan, gave warning of more attacks on coalition forces. He said that as many as 600 suicide bombers were being trained and said such attacks were “the most effective weapon against the occupation forces”. Another Taleban commander said many insurgents had returned from Iraq.

South Asia: Afghan President Reignites Feud With Pakistan
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty;  19 May 2006 - By Golnaz Esfandiari

Pakistan today rejected fresh charges by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that
the country is providing a training ground for militants and allowing them
to infiltrate Afghanistan. Karzai made the accusations on May 18 after an
upsurge in violence that appears to have left more than 100 people dead..

PRAGUE, May 19, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- President Karzai angrily denounced the
violence during a visit to Kunar, near the Pakistani border. He blamed religious extremists and intelligence services in Pakistan.

"We have precise information that in the madrasahs of Pakistan, young boys
are being told to go to Afghanistan and join the jihad, burn schools, and
destroy clinics because 'infidels' are in Afghanistan," Karzai said.

He also urged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to forget about the days
when Islamabad exercised undue influence over Afghan affairs.

"I told him, 'Mr. Musharraf, my brother, there was a time when Afghan
governments were formed in Pakistan. Those times are gone. It was an
unusual time. We were refugees. Forget these thoughts and dreams that
foreigners can form the government in Afghanistan,'" Karzai said.

Karzai's remarks were the latest in a war of words between Kabul and
Islamabad as a bloody insurgency continues in Afghanistan. Afghan officials
accuse their Pakistani counterparts of doing too little to combat
militants, saying that pro-Taliban fighters cross into Afghanistan from
Pakistan to carry out terrorist attacks.

Afghanistan's new foreign minister, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, made similar
charges on May 15. Spanta suggested that while Pakistan might be chasing
down Al-Qaeda terrorists, it has not made any "significant" effort to

Today Pakistani foreign-office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam denied that
Pakistan is training insurgents or sending them into Afghanistan. She said Islamabad is not responsible for the situation in Afghanistan and
said "peace and stability in Afghanistan is in Pakistan's interest."

Karzai's fresh accusations came amid some of the heaviest fighting that
Afghanistan has seen in months. Pitched battles pitted militants against
Afghan and international forces in the south, suicide attackers struck in
western (Herat) and central (Ghazni) Afghanistan, and the burning-down of
two girls' schools added to a growing list of attacks on the education
system.

Karzai also warned Musharraf on May 18 that any threat to Afghanistan
translated into a threat to Pakistan. "Terrorism is a fire that will expand to your country, as well," Karzai said. "If the bomb blasts destroy us, one day they will destroy you, too."

Pakistan, one of the United States' early allies in its declared war on
terror, has always denied accusations that it is supporting militant
activities in Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials say they have deployed thousands of troops to secure
the borders. They also say they have killed militants and arrested several
key Al-Qaeda figures.

Farzana Shaikh is an associate member of the Center of South Asian Studies
at the University of Cambridge and director of the Pakistan study group at
Chatham House (aka the Royal Institute of International Affairs) in London.

Shaikh told RFE/RL that Pakistan has drawn a distinction between Al-Qaeda
and the Taliban, which used to rule large swaths of Afghanistan.

"Pakistan sees [the war against terror] very much and primarily really a
war against Al-Qaeda and foreign militants based on Pakistani territory,"
Shaikh said. "Pakistan has been much more ambivalent about precisely what
this war might mean in relation to Taliban forces -- who as we know are now
fairly well established in the tribal agency of North Waziristan, where
groups of Afghan Taliban in alliance with locals are claiming that they
have established an independent Islamic emirate."

Shaikh suggested that the Pakistani central government's capacity to
contain and control Taliban forces might be limited.

"There is really mounting skepticism on the part of U.S. and Western allied
forces who really are putting pressure on Pakistan to answer the question
of whether or not it is really aiding Taliban forces," Shaikh said.
"Pakistan has not only hotly contested these allegations, but [it] has
accused Afghanistan in turn of fomenting trouble in Pakistan's Baluchistan
province. So really the accusations are flying in both directions."

"The Guardian" today quoted a top British army officer who accuses Pakistan
of allowing the Taliban to use its territory as a staging ground for
attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan.

Echoing the accusations from Kabul, the British chief of staff for southern
Afghanistan, Colonel Chris Vernon, claimed the Taliban leadership is
coordinating attacks from the Pakistani city of Quetta, near the border
with Afghanistan.

Afghanistan denies offering mediation between Iran, U.S.

TEHRAN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Afghan ambassador to Iran Mohammad Omar Davoudzi on Tuesday denied press reports that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to offer mediation between Iran and the United States.

"This is not true and no Afghan official has offered such mediation," Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted the Afghan ambassador as saying. Afghan media had reported that Karzai planned to discuss the possibility of his mediation between Iran and the United States during his upcoming visit to Tehran.

    Davoudzi said the media had misquoted Afghan foreign minister's statement, which said "Afghanistan is against any tension in the region and given our good relations with the U.S., Europe and Iran, we are doing our best to avert tension."

    Davoudzi underlined that during his visit to Tehran, Karzai will not put forward any offer to mediate between Iran and the United States, but the repatriation of Afghan nationals from Iran is on the agenda of talks.

    "Rather, general issues about further expansion of friendly and brotherly relations between the two countries will be discussed," the ambassador added. Both Afghan and Iranian media have reported that Karzai is to pay an official visit to Tehran in the near future, but the exact date has not been set.

    Washington has accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian nuclear program and called for the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran if Tehran failed to halt uranium enrichment. Iran has denied the charge and insisted on its right to peaceful nuclear technology. Enditem

Afghanistan welcomes Iraq's new cabinet

KABUL, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The government of Afghanistan has welcomed the formation of new cabinet in the war-torn Iraq and called for boosting relations between the two allies of the United States, a statement of Afghan foreign ministry available here Tuesday said.

"Besides welcoming the new cabinet in Iraq, the government and people of Afghanistan wish the new cabinet under Nuri al-Maliki brings peace and stability into the brotherly country of Iraq," the statement said.

"The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan supports multifaceted relationship with the Republic of Iraq," it said. Iraq's new Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Monday that his security forces would be in charge of most of the militancy-plagued nation by December this year. Enditem

Russia not considering ammunition deliveries to Afghanistan - source

MOSCOW. May 22 (Interfax-AVN) - Moscow has denied Western media claims of the U.S.' alleged intention to buy "an unthinkable amount" of ammunition from Russia for Afghanistan.

"Moscow is not considering large deliveries of ammunition to Afghanistan, and the United States has not made any such offer," a high- ranking Russian military diplomat told Interfax on Monday.

"Russia does not plan to supply ammunition or military hardware to Afghanistan. Besides, the Afghan army has sufficient reserves of all types of ammunition," he said.

Int'l medal winner Israr Karimzai laments govt's apathy - Borhan Younus

KABUL, May 21 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Israr Ahmad Karimzai, the first Afghan medal-winner of the international computer competitions, was extended warm welcome by his colleagues, members of social and cultural organisations and MPs on his arrival at Kabul airport on Sunday.

The young man has grabbed first position at the annual "Infomatrix - 2006" competition in computer programming held in Romania from May 13 to 17. The competition was joined by 300 contenders from 32 countries. The organisers of the competition announced Israr Karimzai as winner of the first prize on Wednesday.

Dozens of colleagues, students, members of cultural organisations and some influential tribal elders as well as two members of parliament from Kunar province welcomed Israr Ahmad at the airport.

Speaking to reporters at Kabul airport, Israr said he was happy over the success he had achieved for his country. Later, speaking at a function organised in his honour at the office of the Centre for International Journalism (CIJ), Israr said three major software programmes in Pashto language, he had developed recently, had brought him the success.

"My Pashto Ascii, Pashto Messenger and Pashto Dictionary shined well in the competition and earned me the brilliant success." For the first time, Pashto can be read and written in any programme by using the Pashto Ascii converter and the messenger in Pashto is also the first of its type, he informed.

While expressing happiness over his success, the 22-year-old international medal winner lamented the apathy of the government in the same breath. "No matter if they did no support me, but the officials created problems and difficulties for me on every step," he said.

"I requested the Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Interior and the Afghan embassy in Islamabad for help but they turned deaf ear to my requests," said Israr.

"I observed that every competitor was accompanied by an official team of his respective country but I was all alone without having a single official of my country to support and encourage me."

Speaking on the occasion, Israr's father Haji Habib Rahim Karimzai said it was his son's efforts that brought him the achievement. He recalled the sleepless nights of his young son which he spent in preparing the programmes.

He said Israr was an example for all Afghan youth to come forward without looking towards the government or others for help and earn good name for their country. He said it was the success of the whole country. He also congratulated Pajhwok Afghan News, where Israr is working as Web Developer, on his success.

Haji Saifur Rahman, member of the lower house of parliament from Kunar, said he would inform the parliament about the good name Israr had won for the country and ask the government to provide patronage to such talented youths.

Another member of parliament Shujaal Mulk said Israr's success had proved that Afghan youths had the talent. He said the government must encourage him and other youths to earn good name for their country across the world.

The new power behind Osama's throne - Asia Times 05/23/2006 By Syed Saleem Shahzad

PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN border - Whether he is viewed as a living legend for jihadis or as a reviled terrorist, the mere mention of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's name provokes strong reactions, and is an invaluable tool in the propaganda war between the two sides.

On the ground, though, at least in the rugged Hindu Kush mountains that span Pakistan and Afghanistan, the reality is that bin Laden, while remaining a source of inspiration in the anti-West struggle, is acknowledged as no longer being in command of al-Qaeda's operations.

In that role, he has been superseded by Taliban leader Mullah Omar, according to investigations and interviews conducted by Asia Times Online in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Indeed, in the four years since the attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda, after years of financial blockades and arrests, has emerged more as a loose (and ideologically divergent) grouping of mujahideen waging open jihad - especially  in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It would be absolutely wrong to say that al-Qaeda has evaporated into the air," a man from the Pakistani tribal areas of Waziristan told Asia Times Online. "The organization is very much active on the ground, but the sharp edges of circumstance have modified it into a new shape and it is now part of mainstream jihadi activity. The ultimate goal of the [jihadi] organization is to launch jihad from Khorasan [Afghanistan] to Jerusalem."

Calling himself Nasir ("supporter"), the man claimed to have intimate knowledge of Taliban and al-Qaeda activities in the region, where the Taliban have gained a strong foothold for their insurgency in Afghanistan and where al-Qaeda operatives are known to have taken shelter since being driven out of Afghanistan in 2001.

"It is true that Osama's activity has not been heard of for a long time, but Dr [Ayman] al-Zawahiri [al-Qaeda deputy leader] is active and moves all over and is now the main engine behind a lot of activity, even outside Afghanistan," Nasir asserted.

Another man, whom Asia Times Online had met in the northern mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and who just called himself a mujahid, said, "The al-Qaeda command structure, as it was known at the time of September 11, which carried out specific missions to target US interests, has largely been abandoned, but it has quickly been replaced.

"Nowadays, Arabs go straight into Afghanistan and join various Taliban commanders. At the same time, the Pakistani Taliban have formed bases in North and South Waziristan. All of them pledge their allegiance to Mullah Omar," the mujahid said.

"All global operations have been shunned for now. Sheikh [bin Laden] is inactive. Actually, Sheikh does not have any money left," a colleague of the mujahid said. Introducing himself as Abdullah ("Servant of Allah"), he was from the Afghan province of Nuristan and said he was part of the Taliban-led resistance. He also described himself as a "host", a term generally used for those who provide shelter to Arab-Afghans - those Arabs who have joined the insurgency and spent time in Afghanistan.

"He [bin Laden] kept changing his location; he spent a lot of money on his people and associates, and of course for his survival. The channels of money kept choking one by one and finally dried up," said Abdullah with a forlorn look on his face.

"This was a strange situation in which everybody [Arab-Afghan] was striving for survival, and once Osama's shelter [money] was off, they were scattered," Abdullah explained.

The most significant result of this was a sharp turn by al-Qaeda toward mainstream jihadist activity, mainly against allied forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. The switch, though, carries with it inherent dangers, both for al-Qaeda and for some Muslim countries.

The Taliban, and to a lesser extent al-Qaeda, have established a de facto Islamic state in the North Waziristan tribal area on the border with Afghanistan. In effect it is beyond the control of Islamabad. This correspondent planned to travel there, but was warned that it would not be "fruitful", presumably in terms of life expectancy.

Instead, some contacts from North Waziristan traveled to the city of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, to speak to Asia Times Online, including Nasir.

They related that about two weeks ago, three men representing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaeda leader in charge of Iraqi operations, were summoned from that country. The men met with Zawahiri in South Waziristan and were bluntly told to "immediately stop attacking Shi'ites in Iraq" and to "bring about [Sunni] reconciliation with Shi'ite groups" in Iraq. Further, they were ordered to "develop a common anti-US strategy along with the Shi'ites in Iraq".

This development is significant in the context of the vacuum that now exists within al-Qaeda, given bin Laden's reduced influence. In essence, three forces are in play: the jihadis in Pakistan and Afghanistan who answer to Mullah Omar; the jihadis centered in Iraq under Zarqawi; and the "traditional" al-Qaeda represented by Zawahiri (and bin Laden).

The first two forces are moving further away from the core of al-Qaeda, largely over the issue of takfiri (a belief that sects that are not Wahhabi-based are infidel and apostate).

Bin Laden has opposed this concept, arguing that al-Qaeda should not attack other Muslims, but takfiris see anyone beyond their beliefs as fair game, hence Zawahiri's advice to Zarqawi's men that they stop attacking Shi'ites in Iraq and concentrate on driving out the US-led forces, the "true" infidel.

In Pakistan and Afghanistan, powerful figures such as Qari Tahir Yaldevish of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Sheikh Essa (an Egyptian) are very well respected among the al-Qaeda leadership, but they have been at the head of a successful drive to expand the influence of takfiris in Waziristan.

They have found comrades in the likes of Moulvi Sadiq Noor and Abdul Khaliq, who are committed to waging pitched battle against Pakistani military forces in what they call a "real" jihad as the troops represent the Pakistani administration, which they say has become a facilitator of the Americans.

From the wounded body of al-Qaeda, underground networks have largely been abandoned and replaced by open jihad. This jihad, though, has a deadly twist, especially for Pakistan: although Muslim, it's now a fair target.

Syed Saleem Shahzad is Bureau Chief, Pakistan, Asia Times Online.

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