In this bulletin:

• NATO calls for overhaul of Afghanistan strategy
• Pakistan Willing to Seal Off Border With Afghanistan
• Dutch FM welcomes Pakistan's "readiness" to seal Afghan border – agency
• Afghan senator opposes withdrawal of NATO forces from southern districts
• Afghan, U.S. Coalition Troops Capture Al-Qaeda Suspect in Raid
• Turkey to open 27th provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan
• Press Release, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
• Afghan reconciliation body takes surrender of 130 insurgents
• Pro-govt tribal elder killed in Waziristan
• Pak-US strategic dialogue today
• Pakistan's Troublesome Borders
• PAF officers tried to kill Musharraf: UK paper
• Frontier police restricting Afghans to their camps
• Afghan Governor discredits Taliban and Hizb-I Islami Gulbuddin misinformation campaign
• Polish defence minister pledges more troops for Afghanistan
• O'Connor says military 'scrambling' to find soldiers for Afghanistan
• Hundreds rally in chilly Edmonton to support troops in Afghanistan
• fghan army ‘wafer thin'
• ew party proposes federal Afghanistan
• fghan elders discuss how to stop insurgency spreading from south
• ran tries to promote its culture to curb US influence in Afghanistan
• Afghan Co., Siemens Upgrading Cooperation
• Ministry signs contract with Chinese company
• Islamic banking principles behind new microfinance services in Afghanistan
• Hundreds of protesting truck drivers block road in west Afghanistan
• TM Dismisses 1,000 Afghans

NATO calls for overhaul of Afghanistan strategy

International Herald Tribune - 11/05/2006

BERLIN - NATO's secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, is calling for a radical overhaul of military, civilian and development operations in Afghanistan that would involve the U.S.-led military alliance in playing a greater role in training the Afghan Army and the European Union taking over the entire training of the police forces.

The need for a change in strategy coincides with heavy fighting between NATO troops and Taliban insurgents in the southern part of Afghanistan, where the 26-nation alliance took over from the U.S. this summer. With increasing numbers of civilians being caught up and displaced by the conflict in this part of the country, de Hoop Scheffer said it was impossible to win "by military means alone."

Instead, de Hoop Scheffer said in an interview that the military, civilian and development agencies must take a much more "complementary and integrative approach." The European Union, he said, should be "taking over the training and equipping of the Afghan police. It should make it an EU project."

NATO, he added, "should do much more to train and equip the national army. Why? Because that is part of an exit strategy. We want to have the Afghan national army to do what any normal army does - that it be responsible for security in its own country."

Senior NATO chiefs, like General James Jones, NATO's top military chief, have described the training of the police as "disappointing and inadequate."

The European Union has acknowledged that establishing a police force that can function outside the capital, Kabul, has been slow.

"Despite improvements in the capabilities of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police, projecting government control into the regions and ensuring continued improvements in security remains another key challenge," the European Commission has stated.

Chris Alexander, deputy special representative of UN secretary general Kofi Annan for Afghanistan, said the police and the Ministry of Interior were at a crucial juncture.

Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels last Thursday during a meeting of the UN, the World Bank and the European Union that had been called to increase coordination, Alexander said the senior Afghan police leadership had now "been reformed, selected on the basis of merit and opportunity but we are only now on the verge of being able to say that that ministry, which has existed for the past four or five years, is operating on a reformed basis."

The European Union is one of the major donors to Afghanistan, providing €715 million, or about $910 million, since the middle of last year. Much of the assistance has been earmarked for reconstruction aid, public administration reform, rural development, infrastructure and health. While the European Union also provides funding for police and judicial reform, it has been left to Germany to train the police and Italy to build up an independent judiciary from scratch.

A well-functioning police and judiciary was essential for NATO, de Hoop Scheffer said. "There is no military solution. The answer is development, nation building, building of roads, schools," he said.

NATO now has more than 31,000 troops under its command, with 8,000 located in the south. De Hoop Scheffer said that in theory this number should be sufficient, but in practice the alliance's top military commander in Afghanistan, General David Richards, did not have unrestricted access to either the troops or their military capabilities.

He said one of the biggest problems facing NATO in Afghanistan was "national caveats." Almost all of the 37 countries contributing to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan have set restrictions on their troops or the use of their equipment, de Hoop Scheffer said.

"The caveats are poison," he said. "They significantly reduce the amount of forces a commander really has at his disposal."

Some caveats were related to geographical location which restrict where troops could be sent, he said, while others restricted the use of helicopters or the heavy transport planes.

A recent Central Intelligence Agency assessment has found that Karzai has been significantly weakened by rising popular frustration with his U.S.-backed government, U.S. officials say, The New York Times reported from Herat.

The assessment found that Karzai's government and security forces continued to struggle to exert authority beyond Kabul, said a senior U.S. official who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. The assessment also found that increasing numbers of Afghans viewed Karzai's government as corrupt, and failing to deliver promised reconstruction and prevent rising Taliban attacks.

Pakistan Willing to Seal Off Border With Afghanistan

By VOA News - 06 November 2006

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri says Islamabad is willing to seal its border with Afghanistan by building a fence to stop militants from infiltrating into Afghan territory.

Kasuri made the remark during Sunday talks with his Dutch counterpart, Bernard Bot, who suggested sealing the border during his visit in the Afghan capital, Kabul, a day earlier.

He also said that the fenced border should be jointly monitored by both Pakistani and Afghan security forces.

A Foreign Ministry statement says Bot welcomed Pakistan's readiness to seal the Afghan-Pakistani border and told Kasuri he would discuss this with other NATO partners.

Afghan officials say Taleban leaders frequently find shelter in Pakistan. Islamabad denies those accusations, saying it has deployed 80,000 troops in the rugged border region to hunt down Taleban and al-Qaida fugitives.

Dutch FM welcomes Pakistan's "readiness" to seal Afghan border - agency

Text of report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency

Islamabad, 5 November: Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Bernhard Bot met Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri here on Sunday [5 November] and reviewed all areas of bilateral relations with a perspective to enhance cooperation, especially in trade and investment. They also discussed international issues of mutual interest including Afghanistan, Pakistan-India relations and the composite dialogue and UN reforms etcetera.

Foreign Minister Kasuri reiterated Pakistan's commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan has supported President Karzai from the beginning and will continue to do so. He also highlighted Pakistan's active support towards the reconstruction of Afghanistan, where Pakistan has pledged 250m US dollars. The foreign minister stressed the need to seal the Pak[istan]-Afghan border, adding that the border could be fenced and jointly monitored. He also emphasized the need for all the Afghan refugees to be repatriated back to Afghanistan.

Both the countries agreed that a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan is vital for the countries in the region and the world at large.

Foreign Minister Bot welcomed Pakistan's readiness to seal the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and said that he would discuss the issue with other NATO partners.

The Dutch foreign minister said the Netherlands has 1,700 troops in the NATO mission in Afghanistan adding that Netherlands has actively contributed to the stabilization of Afghanistan since 2001, both through providing military resources and humanitarian assistance and reconstruction.

Foreign Minister Bot offered that Netherlands would be interested in stepping into development efforts in Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Kasuri thanked him for this constructive offer which could greatly contribute to promoting stability.

Kasuri said Pakistan and Netherlands enjoy longstanding friendly relations and added that Netherlands is Pakistan's fourth largest export destination in Europe and seventh largest investor in Pakistan. Pakistan's exports to Holland have shown a growth trend of over 20 per cent in 2006.

This is Foreign Minister Bot's second visit to Pakistan this year, following his three-day visit in May and he underlined his keen desire of both countries to enhance multifaceted cooperation.

Foreign Minister Kasuri reiterated the proposal for establishment of Joint Economic Commission and conclusion of Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Promotion of Investments Treaty to further accelerate the upward trend in economic cooperation. He also emphasized exploring new areas of cooperation such as renewable energy, fruit processing and floriculture. Kasuri expressed satisfaction that many Dutch companies are investing in Pakistan and briefed his counterpart on the favourable investment climate in Pakistan.

He raised the issue of delays in issuance of family reunion visas for Pakistan-origin community in the Netherlands which was causing great hardship to thousands of applicants. Kasuri also stressed the early implementation of Export of Social Security Benefits Agreement signed in 2004, which would help eligible Dutch citizens of Pakistan-origin to receive their social security benefits in Pakistan.

Afghan senator opposes withdrawal of NATO forces from southern districts

Text of report by Afghan independent Tolo TV on 5 November

[Presenter] Mullah Sayd Mohammad, senator from Kandahar Province, says a number of residents of Panjwai district have told a parliamentary delegation visiting the district that security would improve if NATO troops leave Jaray and Panjwai districts. The senator believes implementation of the plan would be in favour of Taleban and Pakistan.

[Mullah Sayd Mohammad] We had talks with elders and provincial council members. I believe it is a plan developed by the enemies of Afghanistan and the Taleban. We do not want the NATO forces to leave the districts. The government cannot ensure security alone. Security will get better only if NATO forces help the government.

Afghan, U.S. Coalition Troops Capture Al-Qaeda Suspect in Raid

Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Afghan and coalition forces captured a ``known al-Qaeda terrorist'' and five other extremists in a raid today near the eastern city of Khost , the U.S. military said.

The detainee has ``known ties to al-Qaeda leadership,'' the Combined Forces Command Afghanistan said in a statement on its Web site. Saudi Arabian and Pakistani nationals were among the five others arrested in the early morning operation.

Troops seized grenades, armor-piercing rounds, AK-47 assault rifles and a camera containing surveillance video of nearby military sites, the statement added.

Al-Qaeda fighters and insurgents loyal to the ousted Taliban regime are battling international and Afghan forces in Afghanistan . The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is responsible for security and reconstruction in the country, while a U.S.-led coalition is tasked with tracking down al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists.

Turkey to open 27th provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

Source: Government of the United States of America

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2006 – Turkey will open the 27th of 34 Provincial Reconstruction Teams planned for Afghanistan later this week, officials in Bagram, Afghanistan announced today.

The new PRT, in Wardak province, will assist Afghan authorities with reconstruction efforts and enhance development and stability within the province, according to Army Col. Thomas Collins, spokesman for Combined Forces Command Afghanistan.

The PRT will focus on providing health care, education, police training and agricultural alternatives to local farmers, Collins said. Its projects will be structured to meet the benchmarks of the Afghanistan Compact Document and the Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy.

Although the PRT won't open officially until Nov. 9, Turkish representatives already have started what they call "quick impact assistance projects" before the official opening ceremony, officials said.

These include construction of:

- Primary girls' schools in Nirkh, Jalriz and Saidabad districts;

- A childbirth and comprehensive health-care center in the Desti Dut region of Saidabad district;

- A recreational sports center;

- A children's park in Maidan Shar;

- A vocational agriculture school and student dormitory; and

- A water tank and cold storage facility.

These projects are valued at about $3 million U.S. dollars, officials said.

Turkey also has started a humanitarian assistance project for the Wardak people, officials said. The first phase of the project, which cost $300,000, will deliver 150 tons of flour, 150 tons of rice, 150 tons of beans, 30 tons of sugar, 30 tons of oil and 6 tons of tea to some 6,000 needy families in eight districts.

An official ceremony today at the Wardak Governor's Building will launch the delivery of this humanitarian aid, officials said.

Turkey has participated in the International Security Assistance Force since its inception and was in command of ISAF II and ISAF VII. On Aug. 7, Turkey also took command responsibility for Regional Command Central, with the help of partners France and Italy.

Press Release, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Kabul, November 5, 2006 - Diplomatic ties between Australia and Islamic Republic of Afghanistan at embassy level. The First resident ambassador of Australia, Mr. Brett Hackett is due to present his agreement to Afghan president Hamid Karzai

The new Australian ambassador will have an introductory meeting with Afghan foreign minister Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta on issues of mutual interest particularly on fight against terrorism, narcotics, reforms in security fields, development, capacity building, and support from democratic process in Afghanistan.

The Australian ambassador will convey the official invitation of Australian Prime Minister, John Harvard to President Hamid Karzai for a visit to Australia.

Forty thousand Afghans are living right now in Australia. The first Afghan General Consulate started to function in 1994 in the Canberra city of Australia and followed by that in 2002 the first Afghan ambassador presented his agreement to Australia.

On August 18, 2005 the new Afghan embassy was officially opened in Australia.

It is worth mentioning that Australia as a real friend of Afghanistan has played an active role and supported the democratic process in Afghanistan. Referring to the meeting on 5-6 April 2005 in Kabul under the name of Afghan Development forum (ADF), which was mainly drawing the attention of world to the menace of narcotics and continuation of contribution to Afghanistan, Australia pledged an amount of two million US dollars. The total donation of Australia since 2001 exceeds 110 million US dollars in different fields such as construction, health, modernization of governmental offices and some other areas.

In addition to this, Australia has donated 3 million dollars through UNDP, and 1.4 million through Red Crescent Society as direct humanitarian assistance for projects focusing on children, and mothers and 6 million dollars through Asia Foundation for the support of people.

Two hundred and forty soldiers of Australia are right now based in Uruzgan with Holland’s PRT team under ISAF.

The cooperation of different municipalities of Australia with different provincial municipalities of Afghanistan and replication of one of the cities of Australia in Paghman city are of great importance. Construction of a residential town for 1400 Afghan families living in Australia in North of Kabul named Allis Ghan, with a total cost of 7.27 million Australian dollars is another major contribution.

Australia has also sponsored for some scholarships in Master’s degree and Doctorate, which implies to an important role in capacity building.

Establishment of Australian embassy in Kabul is a sign of Active foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in terms of promoting international ties and willingness of Australia to extend the contributions for the support and development of democratic process in Afghanistan.

Spokesman’s office,MOFA.

Afghan reconciliation body takes surrender of 130 insurgents

Text of report in English by Afghan independent Pajhwok news agency website

Kabul, 5 November: As many as 130 dissidents surrendered under the government-backed National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) here on Sunday [5 November].

Belonging to Khost, Konduz, Kandahar, Zabol and Konar provinces, majority of the freshly surrendered men are loyalists of former prime minister Golboddin Hekmatyar and members of the ousted Taleban movement.

All the 130 people renounced armed struggle and handed their weapons to the NSP officials in their respective provinces. They were given certificates during a ceremony in Kabul, which was presided over by Chairman of the Senate Sebghatollah Mojaddedi.

Speaking on the occasion, Mojaddedi asked the reconciled men to persuade their other colleagues fighting alongside Taleban and Hezb-e Eslami militants to join the government.

The reconciliation efforts have accelerated at a time when the Taleban and Hezb led insurgency has surged in Afghanistan. Last week, 20 Hezb fighters from the eastern Konar province had joined the reconciliation programme.

Pro-govt tribal elder killed in Waziristan

Daily Times 6 November 2006 - WANA: Suspected militants shot dead a pro-government tribal elder, while separately three others were gunned down in a Pakistani tribal zone bordering Afghanistan, said officials on Sunday.

Malik Wali Zar, a member of a government-sponsored committee working on expulsions of foreign pro-Taliban militants, was shot dead on Saturday at Inzar village in South Waziristan, said a security official.

Zar was returning home after attending a meeting in Wana when he was snatched from a passenger van by masked gunmen and shot dead, said a security official. Several tribal elders have been murdered this year for supporting Pakistan’s campaign against Al Qaeda and other militants in the area. Separately, unidentified gunmen shot dead three tribesmen in North Waziristan on Saturday, said another security official.

The three were hauled from a van in Dangeen village, and shot dead. The attackers then fled in a waiting car, he said. It was not immediately clear whether pro-Taliban militants were behind the attack, the official said, adding that an investigation had been launched. In another incident, senior local administration official Faizullah was travelling in a passenger van when he was kidnapped by armed gunmen in Mir Ali on Sunday, said the official. The government signed a peace deal with tribal elders in North Waziristan in September, under which Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters would be expelled from the area. AFP

Pak-US strategic dialogue today

Daily Times 6 November 2006 - ISLAMABAD: The second round of the Pak-US strategic dialogue is scheduled to commence today (Monday). Foreign Secretary Riaz Khan will chair the summit, which will be attended by US Under Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Richard Boucher.

The aim of the talks is to formulate a sustainable and long-term partnership between the two countries. The first round strategic talks was held in Washington back in April of this year. Online

Pakistan's Troublesome Borders

Musharraf has tried both hard and soft tactics to stamp out radicalism along Pakistan's border. Neither has worked.

Newsweek International

Nov. 13, 2006 issue - It was just before dawn when the residents of Chinagai, a small border village in the Bajaur tribal area, woke up to a thunderous blast. Then came three more explosions in quick succession. The missile attack reduced a local seminary known as Madrassa Ziaul Uloom to a huge pile of rubble. Some 85 people died—including several children—in the single deadliest operation launched by Pakistani forces against suspected militants in the country's lawless tribal region. Pakistani military officials said the madrassa was being used to train suicide bombers for attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The missile strike provoked a strong backlash in the border region—and exposed a troubling reality for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf: he has run out of options in the fight against rampant radicalism along his country's rugged western border. Thousands of armed Pashtuns took to the streets in Bajaur to protest the attack, and the demonstrations spilled over to parts of North-West Frontier province, which is ruled by a radical Islamic alliance known as the Muttehida Majlis Amal (MMA). Islamists, angered by the rumor that U.S. military drones had bombed the Chinagai madrassa, whipped up anti-American sentiments in the region. "It has basically provided a propaganda tool to Taliban and Pakistani Islamists to gain sympathy," says Samina Ahmed, country director of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.

A senior Pakistani security official called the bombing a "major counter-terrorist operation" carried out on the basis of intelligence provided by the Americans. U.S. drones had picked up unusual activity—roughly 100 men undergoing some kind of guerrilla training in the compound. A high-resolu- tion camera also detected a middle-aged bearded man delivering a lecture to the trainees. U.S. and Pakistani intelligence officials suspected he could be Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri or fellow jihadist Abu al-Obaida al Misri. The two Qaeda leaders had regularly visited the mountainous region, only 15 kilometers from the Afghan border. (Misri is believed to be the mastermind behind a plot this summer to blow up several jetliners flying out of London's Heathrow airport.) But there has been no indication yet that any Qaeda operatives were killed in the strike.

Musharraf has switched tactics in trying to deal with the Islamists along the border, alternating from military action to peace deals and now, apparently, back to armed force. Neither approach has worked. At the heart of Musharraf's predicament is the failure of his plan to pacify pro-Taliban tribesmen in Waziristan with a peace accord. In September the Pakistani government signed a controversial truce agreement, ending a three-year-long military campaign in troubled north Waziristan in return for a pledge by tribal leaders not to give shelter to foreign fighters. But in effect, the deal only empowered the local Taliban, who have been actively involved in the Afghan insurgency.

Musharraf made the deal under pressure from his Army, which had grown disenchanted with the occupation of north Waziristan and a lack of progress in pacifying the region. Around 700 soldiers have been killed in the area, and at least six middle-ranking Army officers have been court-martialed for refusing to fight.

Pakistani officials argue that the ceasefire should create the conditions for economic development in Waziristan and elsewhere. Islamabad plans to invest millions of dollars in improving infrastructure, as well as the health and education systems, in the tribal areas, which may also help to create jobs for the tribesmen. Poverty is the fuel for militancy in the border regions. Less than 30 percent of the tribesmen attend school of any kind. And of those who do, 90 percent drop out of primary school.

But Musharraf's policy of appeasement does not seem to be working. Far from taming the cross-border violence, the Waziristan truce appears to have contributed to deteriorating conditions in the eastern Afghan border provinces of Khowst, Paktia and Paktika. U.S. and Afghan officials maintain that the truce has made it easier for militants to send fighters and weapons across the border. "How can one expect to carry out any development work in this situation?" asks Hasan Askari Rizvi, an author and columnist for The Daily Times, an English-language newspaper.

The ICG's Ahmed says Musharraf's policy swings are "counterproductive. " What might work? Maybe nothing, say experts. Any further military operation in the border areas could split the Army. And left alone, the Islamists continue to pursue jihad. Caught between the almost medieval religious fanaticism of the Islamists, a disenchanted Army and the pressing Americans, Musharraf is in a very tight spot indeed.

PAF officers tried to kill Musharraf: UK paper

Daily Times 6 November 2006 - LONDON: Several young officers from the Pakistan Air Force with access to President Pervez Gen Pervez Musharraf’s innermost security circle were among 50 people arrested for trying to assassinate him soon after he returned from a visit to the US and Britain in late September, according to a report published in The Sunday Telegrph on Sunday.

The rocket strike was aimed at the president’s high-security personal residence-office in Rawalpindi. “About 50 people are being held on suspicion of involvement in the September attack, which involved a battery of Russian-made 107 m projectiles launched by a signal from a mobile phone,” Pakistani intelligence sources were quoted as saying by The Sunday Telegraph.

“Alarmingly, many are understood to be young officers serving in the Pakistan Air Force, some of whom have access to high-security zones of the presidential offices, parliament and the intelligence service,” they said.

The report said that although interrogations had not revealed any of them to have links with Al Qaeda or the Taliban, they were none the less believed to have acted out of growing anger at Musharraf’s alliance with America in its war on terror.

One official said that while the rocket strike itself had been relatively amateurish, it would have probably been “lethal” had the plotters been assisted beforehand by an Islamic terrorist group.

Although the president was not hurt, the attempt demonstrated the “political instability engulfing his nation, which was heightened last week by his government’s bombing of a madrassa in Bajaur, the report said, adding that a “rattled” Musharraf had called a meeting with his closest confidants this week to review personal security.

It said that while Musharraf relied on the armed forces to keep him in power, loyalty among the military’s lower tiers had become increasingly in doubt because of the perception that he had “sold out” Pakistan to the US and its western allies. Publicly, officials close to the president deny that he faces any challenge from within the forces, but privately, they now admit that the personal threat against him is becoming “heavier and heavier”, and are predicting a serious fall-out from the latest helicopter strike in Bajaur. The Pakistan Army said the madrassa was an Al Qaeda-linked school, “used to train insurgents fighting across the border in Afghanistan”.

It was allegedly run by Liaquat Hussain, a fugitive cleric who was a purported associate of Ayman Al Zawahiri. Residents and local religious parties claimed the victims were either “innocent Islamic students or teachers”. They allege the strike was carried out at the direction of the US military.

Maulana Faqir Muhammad, a pro-Taliban militant commander, described Musharraf as an “American agent” who was “killing innocent people at the US behest”. Another cleric, Maulana Inayatur Rehman, said that he had prepared a “squad of suicide bombers” to target Pakistani security forces. Agencies

Frontier police restricting Afghans to their camps

Daily Times 6 November 2006

PESHAWAR: Afghans living in the provincial metropolis have no option but to limit their movement as the NWFP police has started arresting them.

A police official deployed in the outskirts of the city, and who was about to dispatch a group of some two-dozen Afghan refugees in three different vans to Badhaber Police Station, said that the senior officials had ordered the police to arrest ‘suspicious’ people.

The policemen said the orders were issued two days after the Bajaur incident. “The government may be fearing a backlash after the Bajaur incident and they (the Afghans) can create problems,” he said.

Farhad Ghani, one of the arrested Afghans, said he was unaware why he had been arrested. He said that he was told to prove his identity through the elders of his camp, who he said had been told to furnish surety bonds to claim responsibility for any unlawful act he committed. “They just want to restrict us to our camps,” he added.

“We are restricting Afghans to their camps to avoid a law and order situation in Peshawar,” Senior Superintendent Police Peshawar Ifthikhar Khan told Daily Times on Sunday.

He added that there was a bomb threat in Peshawar and urged citizens not to pick unattended objects or bags and inform the police immediately.

Afghan Governor discredits Taliban and Hizb-I Islami Gulbuddin misinformation campaign

By COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN, COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER - Nov 5, 2006

Blackanthem Military News, BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- In a public statement made on November 4, 2006, Governor Murad denounced recent Taliban and HIG claims that Afghan National Police and Army Soldiers along with Coalition forces caused casualties and deaths of local nationals in his area of the Tagab Valley .

“These claims are false,” Murad stated. “The Taliban will use innocent Afghan civilians as human shields and then blame us.  Their tactics are truly inhumane and cowardly.”
           
The ANP, ANA and Coalition forces have been conducting joint operations in the Tagab Valley of the Kapisa Province to deny safe havens to the Taliban and HIG, responsible for launching numerous attacks against Afghan civilians, as well as Afghan National Army and Coalition Forces.
           
The Taliban and HIG are attempting to undermine the Government of Afghanistan’s ability to provide security and services to the people of Kapisa.
           
Governor Murad provides 900 police officers from his area to work with ANA and Coalition Forces in Tagab Valley .  This is the largest partnership ever formed with the ANP in support of ANA and Coalition Force operations.
            
The significant number of ANP in the Tagab Valley and the high level of cooperation provided by Governor Murad demonstrates the intense dedication that the local GoA has towards ensuring security and services to its Afghan citizens.
           
“Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition Forces will intensify offensive operations to rid the region of Taliban insurgents and to set the conditions for stable Afghan governance in Kapisa Province ,” said Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, Combined Joint Task Force-76 spokesperson.  “The futile acts of violence by the Taliban have no effect on the resolve of the Government of Afghanistan.”

Polish defence minister pledges more troops for Afghanistan

Text of report in English by Polish news agency PAP

Warsaw, 5 November: Poland will raise its Afghanistan force, US-visiting Polish Defence Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said [on] Friday [3 November] after talks with Pentagon head Donald Rumsfeld in Washington.

Sikorski said after the talks that Poland currently had the smallest Afghanistan force of all NATO states (slightly over a hundred troops - PAP) and that its enlargement had been promised by previous Polish governments.

The present force is not quite up to our ambitions as a NATO member. If we want the Alliance to treat us seriously we must treat it seriously too. We shall keep my predecessors' promises, Sikorski announced.

Asked about the possible location of US anti-missile sites in Poland, Sikorski said the subject "had not come up" in his talks with Rumsfeld.

Last September the Polish government announced it would send 1,000 extra troops to Afghanistan in February 2007. The enlargement had already been promised by the Marek Belka government, however the troops were to depart at a later date. The Kaczynski government's decision to move the mission forward in time was heavily criticized in Warsaw.

O'Connor says military 'scrambling' to find soldiers for Afghanistan

Sunday, Nov 05, 2006 - (CBC) - Canada's military is "scrambling" to find soldiers to send to Afghanistan, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said Sunday.

"What we're trying to do in principle is try to avoid having people who are in daily operations to go back to Afghanistan a second time before the end of February, '09," O'Connor said, referring to the date to which Parliament extended the Afghan mission.

"So that's had them scrambling to figure out where all the troops are coming from." The military is lowering its fitness standards for new recruits and moving training and administrative personnel into combat units.

In the Canadian Forces, which includes land, air, sea and special operations personnel, there are 62,000 regular members, 25,000 reservists and 4,000 Canadian Rangers. More than 2,000 Canadians are serving in Afghanistan.

On Sunday, Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's chief of defence staff, told the CBC the minister's statements were not at odds with what the Canadian Forces is doing.

"Minister O'Connor and I have a unity of thought and a unity of effort on this one," he said. "Our aim is to simply use all the Canadian Forces to do this very complex mission, to use every man and woman in uniform rather than have a small number carry the burden, as we have traditionally done over the last decade."

"Our efforts are to look after our men and women, to execute this mission successfully, and to reduce the risk to them as they do that work for us."

10 years before Afghan forces ready: military trainer O'Connor's assessment came as a top military trainer in Afghanistan said it will be at least 10 years before Afghan troops can handle national security without help from Canadians and other foreign soldiers.

British Col. Paul Farrar, deputy commander of the international assistance wing of the Kabul Military Training Centre, said Sunday that the four-year-old Afghan National Army is making real progress, but it is painfully slow.

"It's superficial," he said in an interview with the Canadian Press. "It's wafer thin - that's the way I describe it. But it's better than it was last year and the year before that.

"It's really been struggling on to its feet, and it's probably not even now fully on them. But there is potential."

Farrar's assessment isn't exactly good news for countries, including Canada, who pin their exit strategies from Afghanistan on the ultimate hand-over of security duties. Forty-two Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died in the country since 2002.

Hundreds rally in chilly Edmonton to support troops in Afghanistan

Canadian Press Saturday, November 04, 2006

EDMONTON (CP) - An army medic whose legs were amputated after his convoy was hit by a suicide bomber says the first Edmonton rally for Canadian troops in Afghanistan made him proud to be a soldier.

"Years ago we didn't have this support," Master Cpl. Paul Franklin told more than 300 people who stood for an hour in freezing wind on Friday. "But now when you go on missions you don't even have to think about how Canadians support us. "We know. It's a given."

A total of 42 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan, including 13 who were based in Edmonton, the most from any one military base. Franklin said he acts as an unofficial spokesman for the wounded.

"After my attack and during my recovery I found it difficult to put on this uniform," he said, standing at the podium on two prosthetic legs. "But we know as we head out those gates that no matter what, Canadians across this land support what we do."

Col. Jon Vance said the images of Friday's rally would be viewed immediately by Canadians deployed in Afghanistan and the reaction would be gratitude and a firming of their resolve.

"You are telling your soldiers today that Canada is worth fighting for, and for a soldier, it just doesn't get any better than that," Vance told the cheering crowd, many of them wearing poppies or yellow ribbons.

"Your soldiers don't crave pity. They don't want you to fear for them. They need your love and unwavering support."

Several soldiers in camouflage uniforms stood among the crowd, and at one point an elderly man shook hands with about a dozen of them.

Trooper Justin D'Angelo, 24, later said he was delighted when the man approached them.

"It gives you a warm feeling" said D'Angelo, who is waiting to be deployed. "You don't really know what people are thinking and actions like that, it's great."

The rally outside City Hall is the first of what organizers promise will be weekly demonstrations dubbed Red Fridays, a name taken from similar rallies in the United States.

A choir of children dressed in red T-shirts opened the event with an enthusiastic rendition of O Canada.

Trooper Robert Costello, 28, said he was glad to see such a large turnout, especially given the -6 C temperature accompanied by a biting wind.

"It makes you really appreciate what you're doing," said Costello, who has been in the military for a year and expects to see action soon.

The military had a handful of specialized vehicles and troop carriers on display. Several booths were set up to sell yellow ribbons, red T-shirts, baseball hats and coffee mugs with messages of support for the troops.

Franklin said the colour red symbolizes many things to him, including poppies and the Canadian flag.

"Today as we stand in this chilly air, soldiers are on the mountains of the Hindu Kush," he said. "They know of events like this and they know about the little yellow ribbons that signal your support."

Similar rallies have been held over the last few months in Toronto and Ottawa, but Edmonton organizers bragged that hundreds of people had to bundle up in mitts, toques and parkas to attend this one.

Afghan army ‘wafer thin'

SUE BAILEY - Canadian Press 5 November 2006 Globe and mail.com

KABUL — It will be at least 10 years before Afghan troops can handle national security without help from Canadians and other foreign soldiers, says a top military trainer here.

British Col. Paul Farrar, deputy commander of the international assistance wing of the Kabul Military Training Centre, says the four-year-old Afghan National Army is making real but painfully slow progress.

“It's superficial,” he said in a candid interview. “It's wafer thin — that's the way I describe it. But it's better than it was last year and the year before that.

“It's really been struggling on to its feet, and it's probably not even now fully on them. But there is potential.”

His assessment isn't exactly good news for countries, including Canada, who pin their exit strategies from Afghanistan on the ultimate hand-over of security duties.

The challenges are monumental. American, British, Canadian and French soldiers are helping to build a modern force almost from scratch after the Taliban's iron-fist rule. Comparison with Western military standards is simply unfair, they say.

Most Afghan recruits can't read, write or add; some officers left over from the vestiges of a class-based army system think they're entitled to a job; and the rate at which soldiers desert, go absent without leave or decline to renew their three-year, volunteer contracts hovers between 20 and 50 per cent, depending on circumstances.

Afghans clearly have a mind of their own. “One thing we've learned is they don't work on time,” says Canadian Warrant Officer Todd Hunt. “They show up when they show up.”

At 7 o'clock on a Saturday morning, W.O. Hunt was searching in vain for a very late sergeant-major and doing his best to herd cats.

“I have work to do. You have work to do. You have to disperse,” he told a crowd of trainees that was more interested in a couple of foreign visitors than in preparing for live-fire exercises.

After almost 15 weeks of basic and advanced training, their marching skills weren't much better. Their AK-47s slung in all directions as they stepped to no particular rhythm despite the occasional shriek from a drill sergeant.

About 31,000 Afghan soldiers have so far come through the training centre, but the army's total fighting strength is only about 18,000, Col. Farrar says. The ultimate goal is an Afghan National Army of 70,000.

After just 16 weeks in class and in field drills, many Afghan recruits are deployed. By comparison, a Canadian soldier wouldn't be sent on a mission without at least four to six months of training.

Still, desperately needed Afghan troops fighting in the field alongside NATO soldiers have proven to be a valuable asset, Col. Farrar says. Retention problems have been acknowledged through pay raises and more chance for promotion.

Salaries for the lowest-ranking troops have now been increased to the equivalent of $110 from $78 a month, and benefits improved. There are also plans to rotate the best soldiers from combat in southern Afghanistan's hot insurgent zones, back to Kabul for training or teaching breaks. Burn-out became a growing issue in recent months amid fierce anti-government guerrilla attacks.

Afghan soldiers also go missing for days just trying to get money back to their remote villages. There is no reliable national banking system.

At the Kabul training centre, Afghan recruits and officer candidates gather for classes in an aging complex of 1950s buildings, some of which were bombed to rubble as the Americans chased the Taliban from Kabul in 2001.

Col. Farrar, who has helped train foreign armies from Sierra Leone to Belize over a 32-year career, says Afghans are fighting diamonds in the rough. From the Soviet invasion, to a devastating civil war followed by anti-Taliban uprisings, warfare has steeped Afghan culture for more than 25 years.

“They're quick on their feet,” Col. Farrar says. “And they're quite hardy and enduring. “The basic material is as good as I've seen anywhere in the world.”

Ashiqullah Abdul Sallam, 23, signed up because he wants to help build a country that can at last enjoy peace, said the married father of a two-year-old boy. “It's my hope that Afghanistan will be secure and my son educated.”

New party proposes federal Afghanistan

Text of report by Afghan independent Aina TV on 3 November

[Presenter] Shuray-e Mottahed-e Melli Afghanistan [United National Council of Afghanistan] is one of the registered political parties in the country which has social and political structures. A number of social activists and MPs are members of this party. It has declared its strong opposition to President Hamed Karzai's Cabinet.

[Correspondent] The United National Council of Afghanistan announced its strong opposition to President Karzai's political and social activities at a ceremony in the Parwan Hotel on Thursday [2 November]. Members of this party come from Hezb-e Jamiat-e Eslami-ye Afghanistan [Islamic Society Party of Afghanistan], Hezb-e Kangara-ye Melli-ye Afghanistan [National Congress Party of Afghanistan] and dozens of other parties registered with the Afghan Justice Ministry. In addition, its members also include a number of members of political, social and cultural foundations and MPs.

They said that the current political and economic system does not help the country. Instead, they put forward their own political and economic strategy which promotes a free market economy. They described their political strategy as a decentralized or federal system and described their economic strategy as a multi-faceted economy.

In a part of his speech, Mr Mehdi, who is the first head of the party, described the current situation as critical and said that if we do not work responsibly, the situation will get worse.

Abdol Latif Pedram said that the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan should be put on a proper legal footing, adding:

[Pedram] I have recently received some information about plots going on in northern Afghanistan. There is a programme to overthrow some individuals in the north. This information is precise. These plots are designed to allow other programmes to be carried out in the country.

[Correspondent] It is worth noting that people will take turns to chair this council and the head of the council will be elected from among members of the council in three months' time. Dr Mehdi is the chairman and Mr Bashir Bizhan is the deputy chairman of the council. Abdol Latif Pedram, the leader of National Congress Party of Afghanistan, has suggested a federal system and a multi-faceted economy for the first time in Afghanistan.This is Baryalai Hamed reporting for Aina TV from Kabul.

Afghan elders discuss how to stop insurgency spreading from south

Text of report in English by Afghan independent Pajhwok news agency website

Charikar, 5 November: Hundreds of local elders and influential people, including former jihadi leaders, from central Parwan Province held a meeting to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the southern region and its fallout on central and northern provinces.

The meeting was attended by some 400 local elders and former jihadi leaders, who discussed ways and means and presented suggestions to stop the spread of the insurgency from the south to central and northern provinces.

Abdol Zaher Salangi, an official of the Parwan provincial council, who also attended the meeting, said the participants deliberated on how to curb insurgency in the southern region and block the way of those elements from entering the north, especially Parwan Province.

The meeting asked the people of the province to cooperate with the government in maintaining peace and reporting to the authorities in case they found any individual or group planning disruptive activities.

The participants accused the Taleban and elements from Golboddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e Eslami party of disrupting peace in Parwan. They were of the view that the two groups had the support of Al-Qa'idah and elements from Pakistan.

Deputy Governor Gholam Seddiq Seddiq urged the people to keep vigil on anti-state elements in their respective areas and inform the government if they suspected anyone's involvement in disruptive acts.

Iran tries to promote its culture to curb US influence in Afghanistan

Text of report by Afghan newspaper Weesa on 5 November entitled "Iran prevents America through students of religious schools in Afghanistan"

The Education Department of Iran has said that religious schools and Shi'i students who have received an education in Iranian universities, schools and religious institutes should be strengthened in Afghanistan. The deputy head of the Education Department of Iran says Afghan religious scholars should permit cable network offices to operate provided that they also broadcast Iranian educational programmes. According to him, America is promoting its culture in Afghanistan which is a threat to Iran. Iran should also take such steps and rebuild cultural foundations and religious schools in Afghanistan. The department says those Afghan Shi'i boys and girls, who have received an education in Iran, are suitable people to promote Iranian culture and they can do a good job through religious schools, cultural centres, publications and women's magazines.

Afghan Co., Siemens Upgrading Cooperation

Iran Daily

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 5--Afghanistan’s leading cellular operator Roshan said on Saturday that it would upgrade its cooperation with its major equipment and infrastructure supplier Siemens to meet the increasing telecommunication service demand in the war-torn country, according to Xinhuanet.

This announcement came just four days after the company reached one million people out of Afghanistan’s 31 million population.

Roshan, with a full name as The Telecom Development Company Afghanistan, launched its service in July 2003, after getting a GSM service license in January 2003. Currently, its service covers a total of 155 cities and towns, or 39 percent of Afghan population, according to Karim Khoja, Chief Executive Officer of Roshan.

Afghanistan has been seeing a rapid increase of telecommunication service demand since Taliban’s fall in 2001, as the post-war reconstruction work is picking up speed.

Currently, there is an estimated 1.5 to 2 billion dollars’ worth of telecommunication service market in the country. In 2006,Afghanistan has registered a 400 to 500 million dollars annual growth for the service market, which is expected to double in coming three years, Afghan Minister of Communications Amirzai Sangin told Xinhua.

Nearly 50 percent of Roshan’s network uses Siemens’ network infrastructure. To date, Roshan has spent over 45 million dollars on Siemens equipment and infrastructure, said Khoja.

Ministry signs contract with Chinese company

KABUL, Nov 2 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The Ministry of Communications has signed an agreement with a Chinese company on the establishment of a countrywide fibre optical cable network on Thursday.

The 3,300-kilometres long fibre optic cable will improve telephone, Internet, television and radio broadcast services in the country.

Communication Minister Amirzai Sangin, who signed the agreement with the ZTE Corporation, said the project would ensure cheap and better services for the countrymen.

The project is funded by the Communication Ministry with allocation of $64.5 million. The project will be completed in the coming two years.

The underground cable network would be extended from Kabul to Ghazni in the first phase. It would be spread to Kandahar in the south, Herat in west and Balkh in north of the country.

The minister described the extension of the cable network as the biggest and the best-quality service. The country would also be linked to its neighbours - Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan - through the same cable network, said the minister.

The Chinese company ZTE has got the $64 million contract at a time when the Ministry of Finance accused the latter of evading tax and operating without getting license from the authorities concerned in the country.

But Sangin said he was not aware of the tax evasion or any breach of the country's laws on part of the Chinese enterprise. The national exchequer had got $67 million from the telecom industry last year and expects the amount will jump to $90 million this year.

Chinese enterprise faces tax evasion scam

KABUL, Nov 2 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The Finance Ministry has said that a leading Chinese enterprise has been operating in the country for the past three years without getting license from the government.

Officials said the ZTE Corporation, a leading telecom equipment manufacturer, did not pay any tax to the government during that period.

Spokesman for the Finance Ministry Aziz Shams told Pajhwok Afghan News on Thursday the company's staff and owners evaded tax for three years and worked in the country without getting proper permission from the government.

He said there were a number of such companies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), who are operating in the country without government's permission. They are also evading taxes on staff salaries as well as their net taxable profit, he added.

Shams said the ZTE Corporation had never paid tax on staff salaries and profit since its establishment three years back.

According to the new tax law, all companies and corporations are liable to pay two per cent tax on their original capital, 20 per cent on their annual income and 10 per cent on staff salaries to the government.

Shams said investigations had been ordered into the alleged tax evasion of the Chinese company. If proved guilty, the enterprise would be directed to pay all the previous taxes with a fine of 1,000 afghanis ($20) per day since the beginning of its operation.

ZTE's marketing officer Babrak Haidari, when contacted for comments, said they had obtained work licence from the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) about a fortnight back.

Haidari said ZTE was a leading global provider of telecommunication equipment and network solutions having its presence in 100 countries. It had first signed contract with the Ministry of Communications in Kabul to supply equipments for the state-run Afghan Telecom, which had imported all its supplies from China through ZTE.

Haidari said the company was a private commercial enterprise which would soon sign agreements with the government for supply of equipments of the fibre optic cable networks and the Etisalat telecom company.

The tax evasion case has emerged at a time when the ZTE had signed a $64.5 million contract with the Ministry of Communications for extending the fibre optic cable network on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists during the contract signing ceremony, Communication Minister Amirzai Sangin said he did not know about tax evasion or operation without licence of the company

Jamal Nasar, director of the Afghan Telecom, confirmed that ZTE had purchased and installed the equipments for them. Haidari said they had paid tax on the equipments they had provided for the Afghan Telecom.

Islamic banking principles behind new microfinance services in Afghanistan

Source: Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR)

Date: 05 Nov 2006

DACAAR’s microfinance programme MADRAC launches new credit services for needy people in rural areas based on the Islamic banking system called 'Murabaha'. Murabaha means 'profitable' in Arabic and is an alternative way to do banking without dealing with often discussed issues of loan interest. With the Murabaha principles, MADRAC introduces new loan products that provide assets instead of cash to the clients.

- Interest is one of the biggest challenges and a risk to the microfinance sector in Afghanistan, especially in rural areas. Particularly in rural communities people reject interest bearing loans and see these as un-Islamic. MADRAC, mainly operating in rural areas, accepted interest issues as one of the challenges and risk to its operation, and after a year we see a need to develop our services according to the needs and requests from people. In order to better provide people with appropriate opportunities, we decided to try Murabaha in four of our areas of operation, MADRAC's manager Najibullah Samim explains.

Initially, Murabaha will be offered through MADRAC offices in Guzara and Pashtun Zarghun in Herat Province, in Khwaja Omari in Ghazni Province and in Mehterlam in Laghman Province. If the provision of Murabaha proves successful, MADRAC will introduce the system in other areas as well.

- If people prefer Islamic banking as the Murabaha-system, and we can thereby better provide them with what they need to improve their lives, then we have an obligation to try this. We will start by offering Murabaha in the coming five months and see how it is received, says Najibullah Samim.

Besides the introduction of new microfinance services, MADRAC has opened two new offices from where microfinance services are offered to men and women in rural and semirural areas of Afghanistan. The newly opened offices are located in northern Pashtun Zarghun in Herat Province, and in Alishing in Laghman Province.

MADRAC has now been operating for more than a year, and is offering microfinance services from six branches in Herat, Laghman and Ghazni provinces to more than 5,500 clients. Two more MADRAC offices in Logar and Parwan provinces are planned to open before the end of 2006.

With the financial support from MISFA, MADRAC plans to reach a total of 35,000 clients during the coming three years. MADRAC aims at becoming self sufficient in 2009.

Hundreds of protesting truck drivers block road in west Afghanistan

Text of report in English by Afghan independent Pajhwok news agency website

Herat City, 5 November: Hundreds of truck drivers blocked the Herat-Torghondi road to mark their protest against the impounding of their vehicles by police in the western province of Herat.

The angry drivers warned they would continue the strike till the officials pay them compensation for the "undue" stay of their vehicles. The truckers are bringing goods from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan and then transport it to Pakistan.

Tajoddin, one of the drivers, told Pajhwok Afghan News he had loaded goods from Turkmenistan and was destined for Pakistan. However, the vehicle was stopped in Herat. He demanded the company for which he is bringing the goods should pay him 2,000 afghanis per day as compensation.

Muhammad Taher, another driver, complained his vehicle was parked there for almost a month. He said the owner of the goods was not ready to pay him the compensation. He demanded of the government to intervene and force the owner to pay him the amount.

Wazir Khan Zazai, head of a private goods transport company, told Pajhwok Afghan News they had formed a committee comprising officials of different departments to decide the case.

TM Dismisses 1,000 Afghans

Iran Daily - TEHRAN, Nov. 5--Tehran Municipality (TM) has dismissed more than 1,000 Afghan workers in the past three months, director of TM for urban services told IRNA on Sunday, adding that the municipality has fully settled the account of all its Afghan workers.

Mohsen Sadeqian noted that about 20 percent of TM workforce are Afghans and the number reached less than 300 after 1,000 were sacked.

Referring to Interior Ministry’s policy to restrict employment of Afghans, the official stressed, “The municipality performs its duties in line with laws governing the activities of Afghan nationals, but it should be borne in mind that restrictions in their employment may have serious cultural and social impacts.“

Tehran governor general announced earlier that Afghan citizens had occupied 700,000 jobs in Tehran, inflicting huge expenses on Tehran Municipality.
Kamran Daneshjoo observed that Afghans should leave Iran soon, though their repatriation process is taking time.

[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.]