In this bulletin:

• President Karzai Expresses His Deep Regret at the Unfortunate Incident in Kabul
• Afghans riot after U.S. truck accident
• Afghan protesters gather outside US embassy in Kabul
• STATEMENT BY COALITION SPOKESPERSON, COL. THOMAS COLLINS REGARDING VEHICLE INCIDENT IN KABUL THIS MORNING
• STATEMENT BY THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE UN ASSISTANCE MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN ON TODAY’S VIOLENCE IN KABUL
• US-led air raid kills 50 Taliban: Afghan official
• Three police officers killed in southern Afghan district
• Afghan Police, Suspected Taliban Clash
• High-level Afghan Taliban reported captured appears on Arab TV channel
• Afghan President leaves Tehran for Kabul
• President Karzai is saddened by the news of the earthquake in Indonesia
• Corruption, government failure fuelling Afghan insurgency
• Troops' Afghanistan aid 'not helpful'
• Afghan ministry welcomes Senate's condemnation of Senlis Council
• Afghan minister warns of future threat unless "iron hand" on drugs now
• 25% of Afghan drugs pass through Central Asia
• Afghan exit plan urged
• Afghan president should put his own house in order, says Pakistani minister
• Interior minister dismisses reports Usamah Bin-Ladin in Pakistan
• Afghan Girl Seeks Asylum
  

President Karzai Expresses His Deep Regret at the Unfortunate Incident in Kabul - Date of Release: 29 May 2006

Arg, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, appealed to the people to remain calm and practice restraint after this morning’s traffic accident, which killed 5 people.
According to reports, due to technical faults a Coalition Forces vehicle got out of control in the area of Khair Khana and collided with two other Coalition vehicles and then hit other vehicles that were moving on the road, causing casualties and damages.

Upon hearing the news of the incident the President expressed his deep regret at the unfortunate death of 5 Afghans and prayed for the full and speedy recovery of the injured.

The President immediately summoned the security forces and instructed them to investigate the incident and ask the Coalition Forces for explanation. The President appealed to the people to remain calm and be patient so that security of the city would not be disrupted.

The President assured the people that Government will do its utmost to protect the lives of the people and their property and no disregard to the lives and well-being of our people will be tolerated.

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

Afghans riot after U.S. truck accident

Kabul (AP 5/29/06) - A deadly traffic accident Monday involving U.S. troops sparked the worst rioting in the Afghan capital since the fall of the Taliban regime, with hundreds of protesters looting shops and shouting "Death to America!" At least eight people were killed and 107 injured, an official said.

Hundreds of Afghan army troops and NATO peacekeepers in tanks were deployed around the city, as chanting protesters marched on the presidential palace and rioters smashed police guard boxes, set fire to police cars and ransacked buildings, including the compound of aid group CARE International. Computers were set on fire and smoke billowed from the buildings, according to an Associated Press reporter.

The reporter saw several demonstrators pull a man who appeared to be a Westerner from a civilian vehicle and beat him. The man escaped and ran to a line of police, who fired shots over the heads of the demonstrators.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition expressed regret for any deaths and injuries, and said there would be an investigation. Afghan President Hamid appealed for calm and said the government "will do its utmost to protect the lives of the people and their property."

Abdullah Fahim, a Health Ministry spokesman, said that eight bodies were brought to hospitals in Kabul and 107 more Afghans were treated for injuries.

He said there were no foreigners among the wounded or dead. He had no details on how the casualties occurred, and it wasn't immediately clear if the toll included people from the traffic accident.
The riot was the worst in Kabul since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban in late 2001. It erupted in the city's northern suburbs before spreading into the city center and then to other areas frequented by foreigners, including areas near U.S. and NATO bases.

The unrest started after three U.S. Humvee vehicles coming into the city from the outskirts rammed into a rush-hour traffic jam, hitting several civilian cars, witnesses said.

The coalition said at least one person was killed and six injured in the crash, but police said at least three people were killed and 16 injured. A Kabul police chief, Sher Shah Usafi, said another person was killed when U.S. troops fired into a crowd of stone-throwing protesters soon after the crash.

Col. Thomas Collins, a coalition spokesman, confirmed there was gunfire at the scene, but said coalition personnel in one military vehicle only fired over the crowd.

He said a large cargo truck in a coalition convoy had suffered a mechanical failure and hit as many as 12 civilian vehicles at a busy intersection. He said the coalition was investigating.

"This was a tragic incident and we deeply regret any deaths or injuries resulting from this incident," Collins said in a statement. "We will determine the facts regarding the incident and cooperate fully with Afghan authorities."

Afghans often complain about what they call the aggressive driving tactics of the U.S. military. Convoys often pass through crowded areas at high speed and sometimes disregard road rules. The U.S. military says such tactics are necessary to protect the troops from attack.

"Today's demonstration is because Americans killed innocent people. We will not stop until foreigners leave the city. We are looking for foreigners to kill," one protester in his late 20s, Gulam Ghaus, said near where rioters burned a police post.

AP Television News video showed hundreds of angry young men hurling rocks at what appeared to be three U.S. military trucks and three dun-colored Humvees as they sped from the area after the crash, their windscreens cracked by the stones. A machine gun mounted on one of the Humvees fired into the air over the crowd as the vehicle sped away.

The riot continued for hours into the afternoon. AP reporters heard several 20-second bursts of heavy automatic gunfire coming from the direction of the U.S. Embassy. It subsided but gunfire was then heard sporadically.

Staff at the U.S. Embassy were moved to a secure location within the heavily fortified building, said Chris Harris, an embassy spokesman. He had no immediate information on the reported gunfire.

In other areas, rioters broke into shops and stole household items. There were unconfirmed reports from protesters that rioters also smashed windows at the five-star Serena Hotel in the city center, popular with foreign visitors. An AP Television News cameraman and an AP reporter were beaten by protesters but not hurt.

Riots targeting foreigners have broken out before in Kabul, including during the furor early this year over cartoons published in European newspapers of the Prophet Muhammad. Also, last year, a magazine report that U.S. interrogators had sullied Islam's holy book at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay sparked anti-U.S. demonstrations around Afghanistan. In each case, about a dozen people died in the unrest nationwide.

Afghan protesters gather outside US embassy in Kabul - Mon 29 May 2006

KABUL, May 29 (Reuters) - Several dozen Afghan protesters forced their way past a police cordon guarding the road to the heavily fortified U.S. embassy in Kabul on Monday and threw stones at vehicles carrying foreigners, a Reuters journalist said.

Police had been holding back several hundred demonstrators at the main intersection leading to the embassy as unrest grew in the city after a U.S. military convoy was involved in a fatal traffic accident earlier in the day and several people were killed in shooting to quell a subsequent riot.

"Embassy staff have been moved to a secure location. It is a regular procedure during any unrest in the city," U.S. embassy spokesman Chris Harris told Reuters. Harris said he did not have any information on the firing outside the U.S. mission.

STATEMENT BY COALITION SPOKESPERSON, COL. THOMAS COLLINS REGARDING VEHICLE INCIDENT IN KABUL THIS MORNING - COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER KABUL 5.29.06

A Coalition vehicle convoy heading through Kabul this morning was involved in a serious multi-vehicle accident at a busy intersection just outside downtown Kabul.

The accident occurred at about 8 a.m. this morning when a large cargo truck apparently experienced a mechanical failure, striking as many as 12 civilian vehicles. Initial reports were that one civilian was killed and at least six injured in the accident.

U.S. soldiers at the scene immediately provided medical assistance to the injured. The injured were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Afghan national security forces also reported to the accident scene.

When the gathering crowd became hostile, the Coalition vehicles attempted to move out of the area to reduce tensions. A second military convoy came to help the first convoy, and they departed the area taking the damaged vehicle with them. Afghan security forces remained to handle crowd control.

The Coalition is conducting a full investigation regarding this incident. There have been reports of gunfire at the scene. There are indications that at least one Coalition military vehicle fired warning shots over the crowd. We will determine the facts regarding the incident and cooperate fully with Afghan authorities.

In accordance with appropriate polices, compensation will be paid to those who are entitled. At this time, we are still determining the facts of what happened, but we will provide updates as soon as that information is available.

This was a tragic incident and we deeply regret any deaths or injuries resulting from this incident. Although this incident is very regrettable, the Coalition remains committed to working together with the people of Afghanistan to build a better future.

STATEMENT BY THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE UN ASSISTANCE MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN ON TODAY’S VIOLENCE IN KABUL - Kabul, May 29th, 2006

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is greatly saddened by the violence we have seen in Kabul today. It is clearly in the interests of everyone that the facts be established about what has happened. That such widespread destruction has occurred, including in some instances against UN and related premises, suggests the need for a very thorough investigation into all aspects of the day’s events.

As of this evening, the thoughts of the entire United Nations family in Afghanistan are with those who died today, with those who have been hurt or otherwise harmed, and with the families of all those affected. We call on everyone to respect the need for calm, and to recognise that one tragic incident must not be allowed to lead to another.

US-led air raid kills 50 Taliban: Afghan official - Mon May 29, 2006

KABUL (Reuters) - More than 50 Taliban guerrillas were killed in a U.S.-led air strike on a mosque in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand on Monday, a provincial official said.

Several "Taliban leaders" were among those killed in the pre-dawn attack in Kajaki district of province, Amir Mohammad Akhundzada, deputy provincial governor said. Spokesmen for the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan could not be contacted immediately for comment.

"The Taliban were meeting in a mosque when the bombardment took place," Akhundzada told Reuters by phone from Helmand. "More than 50 of them have been killed." He did not have further details.

U.S.-led forces could not be contacted immediately for comment and Akhundzada said a joint ground and air operation involving U.S.-led and Afghan forces was going on in the district to hunt Taliban insurgents.

The news of the bombardment followed the launch of an ongoing operation by U.S.-led troops against Taliban fighters in several parts of the south over the past two weeks.

Some 300 people -- most of them militants, but also civilians -- dozens of Afghan security forces and four foreign soldiers have been killed in the battles in a region that has been the focus of an insurgency since U.S.-backed forces ousted the Taliban in late 2001.

Separately, five Canadian soldiers were wounded in a gunbattle on Monday after their convoy was ambushed by Taliban guerrillas in neighboring Kandahar province, a spokesman for the Canadian military said.

He suspected five assailants were killed in the encounter and said four of the wounded soldiers were in a stable condition. The clash happened south of Kandahar, in a village from where 3,000 people have already fled because of fear of fighting.

Three police officers killed in southern Afghan district - Text of report by Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency

Kandahar, 28 May: Three police officers have been killed after being kidnapped in Helmand Province.

Confirming the news, Mohayoddin Khan, the spokesman for Helmand governor, told Afghan Islamic Press today: "The bodies of three police officers, who were kidnapped in Kajaki District of Helmand Province the other day, were found in Baghran District yesterday evening."

The Taleban have so far not commented on the report yet, but yesterday they said that they had captured three police officers in Kajaki.

Afghan Police, Suspected Taliban Clash - By NOOR KHAN - The Associated Press Sunday, May 28, 2006

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Suspected Taliban fighters detonated a roadside bomb near an Afghan police patrol Sunday, sparking an hour-long gunbattle that killed four militants, police said.

Four police officers were wounded by the bombing that opened the clash between police and "dozens" of militants in central Afghanistan's Ghazni Province, said Abdul Rehman Surjung, the regional police chief.

No police were killed in the fighting, which took place 75 miles southwest of Kabul, the capital, he said.

Though militants carried their dead from the battlefield, witnesses to the early afternoon fighting reported four militants were killed, Surjung said. Police recovered Kalashnikov assault rifles left behind by the militants, he said.

As many as 369 people, mostly militants, have died in an upsurge of violence since May 17, according to Afghan and coalition figures. Because of the difficulty of accessing the scenes of combat, those figures could not be independently confirmed.

Militants have increased their attacks in the last several months across Afghanistan's southern and eastern regions near the border with Pakistan. The U.S. military says it has seen an increase in the number of Taliban fighters, particularly in the south.

High-level Afghan Taliban reported captured appears on Arab TV channel - By MAAMOUN YOUSSEF

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - An Afghan Taliban leader appeared Sunday in an interview on the Al-Jazeera Arab satellite channel to prove that he was alive and at large after the Afghan military said it had detained him, a claim the U.S. military said it doubted.

Mullah Dadullah, one of the hardline militia's top commanders, boasted in the interview that the Taliban had large forces in Afghanistan and said they received support from Islamic countries and were in contact with insurgents in Iraq. Dadullah is said to be one of the most trusted followers of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

Al-Jazeera reporter Ahmed Zaidan interviewed Dadullah in the southwestern province of Helmand that borders Afghanistan and is next to Kandahar province, a flashpoint for clashes between the Taliban and forces from the U.S.-led coalition.

A U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban from power in late 2001. It remains in Afghanistan. Zaidan said Dadullah agreed to be interviewed to show that he was alive, at large and not wounded.

Although the channel did not say in its broadcast when the interview took place, it was done Friday, a member of Al-Jazeera's staff told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give statements to the media.

On May 19, an Afghan military spokesman said that a fighter who was captured in Kandahar province a few days earlier could be the sought-after Dadullah. But a U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan said he doubted the detainee was Dadullah.

Sunday's broadcast came as Afghanistan witnessed an escalation in violence that Afghan and U.S.-led coalition officials said had killed up to 369 people, mostly militants, since May 17. Canada has about 2,200 troops in southern Afghanistan.

Militants have increased their attacks in the last several months across Afghanistan's southern and eastern regions near the border with Pakistan. The U.S. military says it has seen an increase in the number of Taliban fighters, particularly in the south.

Dadullah, who lost a leg fighting for the Taliban during its rise to power in the mid-1990s, was shown sitting under a tree in a vast open area dotted with bushes. He also appeared walking with a few armed men as a pickup truck carried several others also holding guns.

The Taliban commander said his group had 12,000 fighters in Helmand alone, adding "You can guess how many are there in other areas." Asked if the Taliban receives outside support, Dadullah said, "Some countries offered us help to inflict defeat on the Americans."

Zaidan said Dadullah told him the Taliban were in contact with insurgents in Iraq and that they shared information on tactics. The militant commander also said that the Taliban worked with al-Qaida.

Al-Qaida trained Taliban fighters in "prepare explosive devices that are aimed at American military vehicles and on the suicide operations," he said. Al-Qaida members were among the Arabs who fought alongside the Taliban recently in Helmand, he added

Afghan President leaves Tehran for Kabul

LONDON, May 29 (IranMania) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his entourage concluded a two-day official visit and left Tehran for Kabul, IRNA reported. The Afghan delegation were seen off by Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Davoud Danesh Jafari at Mehrabad International airport.

President Karzai and his entourage in Tehran on Sunday paid tribute to the Father of the Islamic Revolution, the late Imam Khomeini. In a ceremony held at the mausoleum of the Founder of the Islamic Republic in southern Tehran, members of the Afghan delegation laid a wreath on the Imam's grave.

The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and the Pacific Affairs Mehdi Safari. The Afghan president, heading a high-ranking political delegation, arrived in Tehran Saturday at the invitation of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

During his stay, he conferred with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei, his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Majlis Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

The two sides discussed a scope of bilateral, regional and international issues. Expansion of mutual relations as well as regional and global developments were among the major subjects on the agenda of talks.

Meanwhile, during meetings with Iranian officials, seven agreements and memoranda of understanding on exchange of prisoners, extradition of criminals, promotion of investment, construction of the Khwaf-Herat railway as well as cooperation in cultural, judicial and economic fields were

The Afghan president also met members of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines and delivered a speech at the Center of Scientific Research and the Middle East Strategic Studies.

The Afghan president was accompanied by nine cabinet ministers which included National Security Advisor Zalmay Rassoul, Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Minister of Energy, Water and Power Ismail Khan, Minister of Agriculture Obaidullah Ramin, Minister of the Interior Moqbal Zarar and Public Works Minister Surab Ali Safari.

Afghanistan's ministers of economy, transportation and culture as well as the governors of Herat, Farah and Nimruz provinces also accompanied Karzai.

President Karzai is saddened by the news of the earthquake in Indonesia - Date of Release 27 May 2006

Arg. Kabul- H.E Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, was saddened by the news of the earthquake in Indonesian island of Java, which killed at last three thousand people.

According to the reports, a strong earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Java, killing more than 3,000 people and At least 10,000 others are thought to have been injured.

The president expressed his heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the Indonesian people and families of the victims.

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

Corruption, government failure fuelling Afghan insurgency - by Sardar Ahmad Sun May 28

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) - A worrying upsurge of Taliban-linked violence in southern Afghanistan is being fuelled by government corruption and lack of development, analysts say.

An incident in which 34 civilians were killed nearly a week ago in a coalition strike in Kandahar province prompted a rare visit by President Hamid Karzai, who seldom dares set foot in the area, to reassure an increasingly frustrated population.

And on Saturday about 200 bearded and turbaned tribal elders, religious leaders and political officials met to debate the problem.

Villagers must be more vigilant about turning away militants who are trying to establish a presence in their areas, some elders said.

Afghan officials said last week that Taliban militants were trying to retake some territory in the south, the birthplace of their ultra-Islamist movement, moving the insurgency on from mere guerrilla-style attacks.

"Let's stop the Taliban from using our homes and villages, brothers," said one tribal chief, Malik Nazar Gul, from Kandahars Dand district.

Another tribal leader, Ahmad Shah Khan, echoed the call. "If we dont give food to Taliban, if we dont allow them to use our homes to hide, they can never do what theyre doing now," the silver-bearded Khan said as others nodded in agreement.

The meeting's host Ahmad Wali Karzai, the Kandahar province council chief and younger brother of the president, urged tribal chiefs to persuade their people to support the government instead of helping the Taliban.

"Wasnt it us that elected this government?" asked the younger Karzai. "If we did vote for it, if you chose this government, then why we shouldnt support it?"

The fundamentalist Taliban, toppled from power in a US-led invasion in late 2001, want to overthrow the new administration led by Karzai, the first popularly elected government in three decades.

They also aim to drive out the 10,000 NATO peacekeeping troops and 20,000 US-led anti-insurgent soldiers whom they say have invaded Afghanistan.

The insurgency has intensified each year since 2001. Many analysts and even some officials agree widespread government corruption is a root cause, causing disillusion among local people and hamstringing development.

"Corrupted people holding on to government posts have caused the ordinary population to distance themselves from the central government," said local politician and regional expert Mohammad Akbar Khakrizwal.

Many demand bribes from destitute villagers while the area has seen little benefit from the billions of dollars of international aid poured into Afghanistan since the Taliban were forced out.

Dissatisfaction and Taliban calls for jihad against the "invading infidels" have won the militia some hearts and minds amongst poverty-stricken and illiterate but proud Afghan villagers who have a long and bloody history of struggle against foreign invasions, Khakrizwal said. "The Taliban have got a case," Khakrizwal said.

"The government also has a case but there is no one in government who is explaining this to the people, to tell them that these troops are not invading troops, theyre here to help maintain security and rebuild."

Provincial education chief and regional expert Hayatullah Rafiqi said the government was losing popular support because of several factors, including poverty, lack of reconstruction and the weakness of its security forces.

But, "no doubt the corruption is the main reason for the current situation," Rafiqi said. "At the same time people have lost trust in the government...inevitably the people help the Taliban."

The situation is worsened by the government's failure to improve livelihoods as it promised before taking power, said social affairs analyst Shamsuddin Tanwir.

"The government has basically failed to fulfill its promises. Look at the jobless rate -- obviously it helps people to slide to the other side, the opposition," he told AFP.

Khakrizwal warned that if the problem were not addressed immediately, the government would lose the battle. "The Taliban already have control over some districts and this will reach the cities," he predicted, shaking his head sadly. "The battle will be lost."

Troops' Afghanistan aid 'not helpful' - Press Association Sunday May 28

International armed forces in Afghanistan - including more than 3,000 British troops - are carrying out relief work that is neither cost-effective nor sustainable, a charity claimed.

Troops should focus on creating a safe environment to allow the Afghan government and aid agencies to concentrate on the task, rather than carrying it out themselves.

The criticism came from Christian Aid as MPs were considering tabling a Parliamentary Early Day Motion on the issue. The charity said reconstruction should be run by civilian organisations, preferably Afghan.

Spokesman Ben Hobbs said the armed forces' Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) for projects such as school building and operating health clinics were not value for money.

He said: "Most independent evaluations of these projects - such as a report commissioned by the Danish Foreign Ministry and published last October - show that they are usually neither cost-effective nor sustainable.

"The average cost for a PRT to build a school in Afghanistan is higher than if this work were to be done by an Afghan NGO (non-governmental organisation) or the private sector, mainly due to the absence of a competitive bidding process.

"PRTs do not routinely register their projects with central government, making it harder for the Afghan government to co-ordinate aid spending.

"Similarly, footballs handed out by the British Army to school children in Helmand province will do nothing to tackle the entrenched poverty of families living in this area."

Mr Hobbs said British aid money should be channelled through the Afghan government and private sector, the UN and NGOs. "Otherwise, military objectives start getting in the way of humanitarian priorities," he added.

Christian Aid said the number of attacks by anti-government forces were at their highest since the Taliban was overthrown in 2001, with an average of 200 a month.

Afghan ministry welcomes Senate's condemnation of Senlis Council - Text of report by Afghan state TV on 28 May

[Presenter in Dari] The Ministry of Counter-Narcotics welcomes the decision of the upper house of parliament that has described the activities of the Senlis Council as running counter to Afghanistan's interests, and has asked the council to leave the country.

The Senlis Council intends to legalize poppy cultivation through some programmes in Afghanistan.

[Correspondent in Dari] The Senlis Council has been active in Afghanistan for some time. The council intends to legalize poppy cultivation aiming to use the opium in the manufacture of medicines and thus prevent its trafficking.

In the meantime; a press release of the upper house of parliament has said the activities of the Senlis Council are illegal and the council must be expelled from Afghanistan.

[A senator in Pashto] In the eyes of the holy religion of Islam, we are not allowed to grow poppy in Afghanistan.

[Correspondent in Dari] The Counter-Narcotics Ministry welcomed the decision of the upper house of parliament and said it would pave the way for drug traffickers if case poppy cultivation were to be legalized.

[Counter-Narcotics Minister in Pashto] There is no control mechanism to force farmers to sell the opium they produce to manufacture medicines rather than to drug-traffickers.

[Correspondent in Dari] The Interior Ministry also opposes the legalization of poppy cultivation saying that the government in no way supports poppy cultivation.

[Deputy Interior Minister in Dari] The Interior Ministry, as a law enforcement authority, is against the activities of the Senlis Council.

[Correspondent in Dari] Almas Bawar, an official from the Senlis Council press office, has told Pajhwok News Agency that Senlis is an advisory organ which has been trying in consultation with the government to prevent drug trafficking by cultivating a limited amount of poppy.

Afghan minister warns of future threat unless "iron hand" on drugs now - Text of report in English by Afghan independent Pajhwok news agency website

Kabul, 28 May: Minister for Counter-Narcotics Habibollah Qaderi has warned that future governments in Afghanistan will be controlled by drug mafias if the menace is not dealt with with an iron hand.

The national strategy set up by the ministry to eliminate the menace of drugs was a step to prevent the country from becoming dependent on narco-business, said the minister. He was delivering a speech at a one-day workshop organized to discuss implementation of the strategy on drugs here on Sunday.

Qaderi said they would concentrate on expanding the sphere of the alternative livelihood programme and strengthening the concerned departments to efficiently carry out their fight against drugs.

He said the poppy-based economy was a threat to reconstruction, security and stability of the country as well as posing a serious danger to the rest of the world. "We will suffer poverty and destruction if the problem is not dealt with with an iron hand today," said the minister.

The government of Afghanistan has made a commitment to the international community to make all-out efforts to eliminate drugs. To achieve the goal, Qaderi said, the ministries of interior, agriculture and irrigation, rural rehabilitation and development and other concerned agencies have been assigned their tasks.

Representatives of British and American embassies, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and relevant government departments attended the workshop. They expressed support for the counter-narcotics strategy of the government.

25% of Afghan drugs pass through Central Asia - Uzbek report

TASHKENT, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - About 25% of the narcotics produced in Afghanistan are transported through Central Asia and most of them end up on European and Russian streets, a regional anti-drugs agency said Monday.

According to a report published by Uzbekistan's National Analytical Center for drug control, about 150 metric tons of heroin and 30 metric tons of raw opium are smuggled every year through the "northern route" from Afghanistan.

Only 25% of the drugs are sold in transit countries and the remaining 75% are sold in Russia and western Europe, the report said. "The transit of such a large amount of heroin through Central Asia leads to higher crime, pushes local residents into the narcotics business, and increases the number of addicts," the document said.

The report also said 8,367 drug-related crimes were registered in Uzbekistan in 2005 and 5,100 people, including 788 women, were convicted in the period.

In 2005, operatives seized about 1,221 kilograms (2,689 lbs) of narcotics, including 467kg (1,029 lbs) of heroin, 107.7kg (236 lbs) of raw opium, 193kg (425 lbs) of kuknar (poppy plant), 445kg (980 lbs) of marijuana and 9.8kg (22 lbs) of hashish, the report said.

According to the center, there are about 22,100 registered drug-addicts in Uzbekistan and increased drug-trafficking has led HIV-infection rates increasing in the republic as users share dirty needles.
"Last year, 2,298 HIV+ cases were registered in the republic, including 1,168 among addicts that injected drugs," the report said. "Overall, more than half of the 7,810 HIV+ patients [in Uzbekistan] are drug-addicts."

Afghan exit plan urged - By ALAN FINDLAY, Sun OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA – The chairman of a Senate committee on national defence is expressing concerns about Canada’s role in Afghanistan.

Sen. Colin Kenny said yesterday that measurable goals and an exit strategy for the mission need to be detailed in order to ensure it is a success for the people it’s intended to help.

“We want to make sure we’re not going to see a situation (like) in Iraq where the Americans went in, had a very successful military situation, but the living conditions got worse,” Kenny said during a telephone interview.

He said many Iraqis who cheered the end of Saddam Hussein’s reign now have more immediate problems such as a lack of reliable power, water and food supplies.

One of the major questions that remains unanswered in Afghanistan is what constitutes success, Kenny said.

“What are the indicators the government sees and says, ‘Okay, we’ve accomplished our goals,’” he said. “We think that probably should have happened before the previous government deployed the troops in the first place.”

In a close vote in the House of Commons earlier this month, the Conservatives and some Liberal MPs supported a two-year extension to the Canadian commitment in Afghanistan to 2009.

The senate committee on national security and defence is holding day-long hearings on the mission Monday.

In his provocative article “Losing Afghanistan” (Views, May 25), Amin Saikal overstates the level of violence and the nature of the conflict in Afghanistan.

While the situation in Afghanistan is far from ideal, progress has been made. The current upsurge in violence has occurred because the coalition strategy is to radiate stability outward from the capital. Having secured Kabul, NATO troops must now deal with several failing narco-statelets ruled by drug lords and spotted with Taliban insurgents.

The insurgents know that a window of opportunity is closing. The Taliban will push NATO forces in order to test European leaders’ resolve: They cannot win against Western troops, but they can win against a Western public that perceives the mission to be failing.

The West does need to do more to deliver on the promises it made. It must increase security levels and it must dedicate more funds to reconstruction. NATO needs to press Pakistan for additional support in stemming the cross- border flow of insurgents. What Afghanistan does not need, however, are overly pessimistic appraisals of the situation.

Michael J. Williams, London Head, Transatlantic Program, Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies

Afghan president should put his own house in order, says Pakistani minister - Text of report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency

Peshawar, 28 May: Federal Interior Minister and President [of the] Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has said that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used by the foreign elements for terrorist activities.

Addressing a grand jirga to tribal elders from Mohmand Agency, the interior minister said that the tribesmen were by and large peace loving people and they had all along showed loyalty and extended total support for the defence and solidarity of the country.

He clarified that the operation in Waziristan was being conducted to flush out the foreign militants. He said that these militants outrightly rejected the government's sincere offer for general amnesty and registration with Pakistani authorities.

The interior minister repudiated Afghan President Hamed Karzai's allegation against Pakistan and said that the latter should put his own house in order instead of heaping his failure on our doors. He said that Pakistan had been extending maximum cooperation and assistance to Afghanistan for restoration of peace as the stability of Afghanistan was vital for us and for the whole region.

Referring to FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] policy of the government, Aftab Sherpao said that well-thought-out development plan had been chalked out for bringing prosperity and peace in the tribal belt. He said that the powers of political administration would be substantially increased to ensure timely implementation of uplift schemes in tribal agencies.

He further said that the view point of elected representatives and tribal elders would be given due weightage in policy implementation. He said that a separate authority has been set up at Governor's Secretariat to ensure proper utilization of funds in transparent manner and to monitor the completion of developmental schemes in time.

The federal interior minister assured the tribal jirga that well integrated communication link and network of social services would be established in the nook and corner of FATA which would substantially improve the living standard of tribal people.

He said that duty free reprocessing zones would be established in FATA and the economic activities in FATA would provide sufficient employment besides spread effects on the industries in the rest of the country.

He said that he would conduct visits to tribal areas and party organizational drive would be launched shortly.

Aftab Sherpao observed that political awareness in FATA would help redress the problems being faced by tribesmen. Tribal elders Abdul Wadud, Faqir, Dr Nasir Mohmand and Fakhar Alam also spoke on the occasion.

Interior minister dismisses reports Usamah Bin-Ladin in Pakistan - Text of report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency

Peshawar, 28 May: Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has strongly dismissed media reports about likely presence of Al-Qa'idah chief Usamah Bin-Ladin in Pakistan.

Talking to newsmen after addressing a tribal jirga from Mohmand Agency here at People's House on Sunday [28 May], the interior minister said in categorical terms that there is no iota of truth in the news report depicting presence of Usamah Bin-Ladin in NWFP [North-West Frontier Province].

Afghan Girl Seeks Asylum - By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: May 29, 2006
GENEVA, N.Y., May 28 (AP) — An exchange student from Afghanistan who slipped away from her hosts here on Wednesday turned up in Canada to seek political asylum.

The police in Geneva said the student, Arzoo Arghastani, 16, left behind a note saying that she did not want to return to Afghanistan and asking her hosts not to look for her. The police said Ms. Arghastani was found at the home of an aunt and uncle in Toronto on Saturday, a day after she arrived.

The girl's uncle, Ata Arghastani, said she wanted asylum because she felt that the situation in Afghanistan was getting worse. Ms. Arghastani arrived in the United States in August. She later told a reporter that she wanted to study technology at Cornell University in Ithaca. Her host in Geneva, Meredith Waheed, could not be reached for comment.

[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.]