In this bulletin:

• NATO eyes Afghan handover in 2008
• Afghanistan “contact group” is necessary: Chirac
• Merkel stresses Germany will help in southern Afghanistan in emergencies
• Nato Afghan mission 'achievable'
• Canada warns public support at risk in Afghan role
• Canadian deaths underscore PM's plea to NATO
• Warning over Afghan drug economy – BBC
• Afghan suicide bomb kills policeman, rebels storm checkpoint
• A strong, prosperous Afghanistan in the interest of Pakistan: Shaukat Aziz
• Seven million Afghan children missing an education, warns Oxfam ahead of NATO summit on Afghanistan
• The Taliban: Knowing the enemy
• Rafsanjani: Benazir failed to control Taliban
• Afghanistan's National Pastime
• Afghanistan to present new image in Asian Games
• 'The college is like the United Nations'

NATO eyes Afghan handover in 2008

November 28, 2006 - RIGA, Latvia (AP) -- NATO's military operation in Afghanistan will succeed, the alliance's chief said Tuesday, urging member countries not to lose heart despite a strengthening Taliban insurgency and unexpectedly high casualties.

Speaking to a forum before a two-day summit, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer insisted the alliance will prevail in its first mission outside Europe. He also expressed hoped that by 2008, Afghan forces could begin taking over security tasks.

"I would hope that by 2008, we'll have made considerable progress ... (with) effective and trusted Afghan security forces gradually taking control," he said.

Although De Hoop Scheffer predicted that by 2008, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization also will be able to reduce its presence in Kosovo, where about 17,000 peacekeepers are deployed, he said he could not yet envisage drawing down in Afghanistan.

"Our exit strategy will depend on Afghanistan having its own security forces," he said, adding that NATO would launch a training program for the Afghan army.

"Afghanistan is 'mission possible,"' he said. "We need to be frank about the risks, but we also need to avoid overdramatizing. NATO has been in Afghanistan for three years -- time enough to know what it takes to succeed."

U.S. President George W. Bush, speaking in neighboring Estonia, urged NATO nations to provide the forces required by the alliance's commanders in Afghanistan.

Making a stop on his way to the Latvia summit -- his first meeting with European allies since the Democratic triumph in the U.S. midterm congressional elections -- Bush said the 26 NATO allies must be ready to face difficult challenges in Afghanistan.

The dangers to the NATO force were underscored by recent attacks that have shattered a period of relative calm. Two Canadian soldiers were reported slain by a suicide car bomber Monday. A day earlier, a suicide bomber killed 15 Afghans in a restaurant.

De Hoop Scheffer also called for sweeping reforms to transform NATO into "a major strategic tool for coping with 21st century challenges."

"There are still too many messages of the Cold War in the way that NATO is structured," he said. "Partnerships with nations around the world ... hold much potential. The decisions I expect from our summit here should help us unlock this potential."

At the summit, NATO leaders also planned to explore the possibility of forging closer ties with their Pacific allies.

The alliance also was expected to reaffirm its "open-door policy," reiterating that Croatia, Macedonia and Albania can join when they fulfill all the requirements -- but it will not give a precise entry date.

NATO's emerging new role as a guarantor of peace in global hotspots will be discussed at the summit of 26 presidents and prime ministers, the first such gathering on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Latvia broke away from the Soviet sphere in 1991 and joined NATO in 2004.

Russia is an "important and privileged partner," de Hoop Scheffer said, adding that NATO's relations with Moscow must be "rejuvenated."

France and Italy seem to have heeded de Hoop Scheffer's calls to remove blanket restrictions or "caveats" on the movement of their troops in Afghanistan and allow soldiers to provide emergency support to allied units anywhere in the country.

Although all 26 allies have troops in the 32,800-strong force, Britain, Canada, the United States and others in the front line of the battle in the Taliban's southern heartland have complained that Germany, Italy, Spain and France are keeping their troops in the more peaceful north and west.

"Other NATO nations have troops there, but have imposed caveats on the use of them and on the use of their equipment -- this at a time when NATO's commanders on the ground urgently require additional manpower," said Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga.

"NATO cannot afford to lose this crucial struggle against the regressive forces of a resurgent insurgency by being indecisive or lacking commitment," she said.

France is preparing to assume an expanded role in the Afghan mission, and officials said President Jacques Chirac will propose forming a contact group on Afghanistan to ensure that a global strategy guides NATO action in the country.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair planned to remind leaders that NATO has a significant role to play in rebuilding the country.

"His message essentially will be, first of all, that Afghanistan wants to know that NATO is there for the long haul," Blair's official spokesman said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.

Italy is expected to announce the lifting of restrictions in extreme circumstances. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already said that while her country's units will remain based in the north, they could be sent for short-term, emergency missions elsewhere in the country.

In an open letter Tuesday to de Hoop Scheffer, Human Rights Watch urged NATO to focus not only on defeating Taliban forces but deal with "the other sources of insecurity bedeviling millions of Afghans, such as illegal armed groups and regional warlords."

Afghanistan “contact group” is necessary: Chirac

(AFP) 28 November 2006 - LONDON - French President Jacques Chirac on Tuesday said the creation of a “contact group” of countries surrounding Afghanistan, the principal countries involved, and relevant international organisations, was “necessary” to support NATO’s mission in the country.

His article comes as NATO opens a two-day summit in the Latvian capital of Riga, and Chirac also argued that Europe must shoulder an increasing burden within NATO as France was reportedly to loosen its caveats on troops in Afghanistan.

Writing in The Guardian, Chirac said the establishment of such a group was “necessary to give our forces the means to succeed in their mission in support of the Afghan authorities, and refocus the alliance on military operations.”

“The Europeans have relied on their American allies for too long,” Chirac wrote in the British daily. “They have to shoulder their share of the burden by making a national defence effort commensurate with their ambitions for NATO and also for the EU.”

He said that NATO should take into account the reality of the European Union’s defence capabilities, as most of the EU’s member states are also members of NATO.

“We are seeing European defence and NATO complementing each other to the benefit of both. Where Europe is better placed to act for geographical or historical reasons, or because of the nature of the action, the EU is taking on its share of the responsibilities as it should.”

Chirac continued: “This development calls for a more substantive political and strategic dialogue between the US and the EU ... It probably also implies closer relations between NATO and the EU.”

He said that, in particular, “the possibility of EU members consulting between themselves within the alliance” should be considered.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that Chirac will announce a loosening of caveats on French troops in Afghanistan that prevent them from entering the fierce fighting in the south of the country.

According to an unnamed senior French official, Chirac will say that in future, French troops could be deployed around the country when needed to help their NATO allies, instead of the present situation where they are confined to the area around the capital of Kabul.

Merkel stresses Germany will help in southern Afghanistan in emergencies

Berlin - The Associated Press 11.28.06 - Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed Tuesday that Germany's military will provide help in southern Afghanistan in emergencies, but Berlin made clear it was standing by its refusal to expand its military mission in the country.

A NATO summit beginning Tuesday was expected to focus on Afghanistan. Britain, Canada and others on the front line of the battle in the Taliban's southern heartland have complained that Germany, Italy, Spain and France are keeping their troops in the more peaceful north and west.

Merkel has made clear that Berlin does not plan to deploy any of its 2,900 troops permanently to the volatile south and stressed the importance of civilian reconstruction, although the troops' mandate allows them to go to any part of the country in an emergency.

At the summit, "I will make very clear that we, like everyone else, want Afghanistan to be a success," Merkel said on n-tv television.

"I am very happy that there is now a readiness on the part of, I think, all partners to address the political situation there," she added. "Germany will make its contribution — militarily, as we are doing now, also helping in the south in emergencies; police training, where we are the lead nation, and also in the reconstruction component."

Over recent days, German officials have argued that their troops are needed in northern Afghanistan to help maintain relative stability there, and have argued that there is no purely military solution.

Asked on ARD television earlier Tuesday whether Germany would stick to its position that it won't expand its military mission, Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung replied, "Clearly, yes."

"The key to success in Afghanistan does not lie in beating down the growing resistance in the south and east with more and more NATO troops," Jung said in a commentary published Tuesday by the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"The important thing now is rather that measures to improve the population's living conditions through reconstruction follow in the footsteps" of military operations, he wrote.

Nato Afghan mission 'achievable' – BBC

Afghanistan is "mission possible", the head of Nato has said in an effort to encourage hesitant members of the pact to boost their commitment to the area.

Despite a strengthening Taleban, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer insisted the alliance could succeed in its Afghan mission and even start pulling out by 2008.

He spoke before a Nato summit in Latvia where the Afghan mission, Nato's first outside Europe, is due to dominate.

US President George Bush has also urged members to rise to the challenge. "Member nations must accept difficult assignments," Mr Bush said on a stopover in Estonia. They must "provide the forces Nato military commanders require."

Mr de Hoop Scheffer has repeatedly warned that unless nations such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain drop the caveats that keep their troops out of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan, the country would again become "a black hole for terrorism''.

But on Tuesday he was also keen to strike an upbeat note. "We need to be frank about the risks," he said, "but we also need to avoid overdramatising."

And if sufficient progress were made, he said, Afghan security forces could start taking over as early as 2008.

Nato-led forces have faced fierce resistance from Taleban militants in the south of the country in recent months, where violence has risen to heights not seen since the toppling five years ago of their authoritarian regime.

About 90% of the casualties suffered by troops serving with the Nato force have involved just four countries: the US, Britain, Canada and the Netherlands.

Germany, France, Spain and Italy all have troops in Afghanistan but they are confined to the more peaceful areas. The summit is also expected to debate Nato's continuing role as a military alliance in the 21st Century.

"There are still too many messages of the Cold War in the way Nato is structured," said Mr de Hoop Scheffer, adding that partnerships with nations around the world "hold much potential". "The decisions I expect from our summit here should help us unlock this potential".

Canada warns public support at risk in Afghan role

RIGA, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Public support in Canada for its participation in NATO peacekeeping in Afghanistan could dissolve if other allies do not help its troops in the violent south, Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said on Tuesday.

MacKay was asked at a security conference ahead of a NATO summit in Riga whether there was a risk that shaky Canadian public backing for NATO's most dangerous ground combat so far could crumble if other nations did not send troops to the south.

"Frankly, yes. Losing young men and women is the surest way for that to happen ... If soldiers are coming home in coffins, that's a very difficult thing, especially for a younger generation," MacKay replied.

He said there had been 44 Canadian casualties so far in fierce fighting with Taliban insurgents. "The Taliban are dangerous and determined and they have come back ... There has to be a demonstrated will (among NATO nations) that will not break," MacKay said.

Canada, Britain and the Netherlands lead NATO operations in south Afghanistan, the heartland of the Taliban. Canada has just extended its 2,500-strong mission to February 2009 despite polls showing that a majority of Canadians want the troops back home.

Nations including Germany, France, Italy and Spain have so far refused to send reinforcements there to help them, although there are indications that some allies could agree in Riga to such deployments if there were an emergency.

A suicide bomber killed two Canadian soldiers in an attack on an alliance convoy in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar on Monday. Canadians form the bulk of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the province.

Canadian deaths underscore PM's plea to NATO

PAUL KORING AND GRAEME SMITH – Globe and Mail 11/28/06

OTTAWA and TIRIN KOT, AFGHANISTAN -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper goes recruiting today, hoping to convince combat-shy Europeans to reinforce Canada's embattled troops doing much of the fighting -- and dying -- in southern Afghanistan, where two more were killed yesterday. The suicide attack left a sign for NATO leaders gathering in Latvia: A billboard on a busy highway near Kandahar city, shredded by the suicide blast that killed the two Canadian soldiers.

Canadians are getting killed at a rate five times the average for NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, where Canada's soldiers have suffered more than one-quarter of the combat deaths in Afghanistan this year, with 32 killed as of yesterday. Germany, with a contingent 400 soldiers larger than the 2,300 Canadians, hasn't been involved in any fighting and has suffered no combat casualties.

Printed with hopeful images of a future Afghanistan, the billboard used to gleam at travellers on the highway that links the city with the vast military base nearby. In a largely illiterate country, the sign showed a man writing; in a land punished by drought, it showed lush fields; in a place where opium poppies are the most popular crop, it showed a bright sunflower.

Most of those images were torn away yesterday morning and the metal frame now stands naked, scratched and dented. The dirt underneath is stained with long smears of blood.

In Riga, Mr. Harper, backed by the Dutch, British and U.S. leaders, is expected to press many European nations to lift restrictions keeping their troops away from the fighting. A growing rift threatens to cleave the 26-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization, still seeking to transform itself from a Cold War military behemoth into a nimble but hard-hitting global defender of democracy.

Some countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain -- all with significant numbers of troops in Afghanistan -- have deployed them in the north, far from the fierce counterinsurgency fought mostly by Canadian, U.S. and British forces in the south.

Military officials in Kandahar said they believe the Taliban attacked yesterday to try to reassert themselves before the meeting. "They are probably aware of the Riga summit and the sensitivities around it and about the issues of debate there," Canadian Lieutenant-Commander Kris Phillips said.

Around 8:30 a.m., witnesses say, a minivan crashed into a Canadian Forces Bison troop carrier and exploded. Bystanders described the suicide bomber waiting for the Canadian vehicle to slow down at a speed bump before attacking.

The two Canadians who died are from the Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa, Ont. The military did not identify them, but Global News reported last night that Sergeant-Major Bobby Girouard, 46, from Bathurst, N.B., was one of the victims. He was married with three children and had been a soldier for 29 years.

Peter Girouard, 44, told The Canadian Press that his older brother Bobby had been with his family just last week, finishing up a three-week leave. He said his brother was concerned.

"He was already in Afghanistan and was heading back to finish his duration, his period," he said.

"His mood? It is depressing over there. Any war is I guess depressing. Last week he was with his family and he was probably heartbroken he was leaving his family again."

Asked for recollections of his brother, he described him as a serious man who loved his native province's expansive woodlands, where he walked the forests and loved to fish.

He joined the military right out of high school. "There was no hesitation. That was what he wanted to do with his life," Mr. Girouard said. Above all, he recalled, he was a "loving husband, a loving father."

An uneven alliance - Canada is a minor contributor to NATO, but provides a sizeable portion of the fighting force in Afghanistan and suffers disproportionate casualties.

* Iceland, a NATO member with no armed forces or defence spending, has 15 police in Afghanistan; percentages do not add up to 100 due to rounding.

** 2006 NATO estimates. *** As of Oct. 2006. Does not include accidents. United States has about 10,000 troops in Afghanistan not under NATO command.

Warning over Afghan drug economy – BBC

Afghanistan's soaring opium production threatens to wreck efforts to rebuild the country after years of war, the UN and the World Bank have warned.

Afghanistan supplies more than 90% of world opium and wiping out the illegal trade will take a generation, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says.

The drug trade accounts for a third of the economy and permeates the "higher levels of government", the report says. It says 2006 saw opium cultivation rise by 60% and production by 50%.

Afghan suicide bomb kills policeman, rebels storm checkpoint

Herat (AFP) - A suicide attacker rammed a car bomb into a police vehicle in western Afghanistan, killing a policeman, while two rebels were left dead after scores stormed a police checkpoint in the east.

The suicide attack on Tuesday was the fourth in insurgency-hit Afghanistan in as many days, after a lull in Taliban-linked unrest, and came as NATO leaders were to meet in Latvia to discuss International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations against the militants.

The suicide attacker drove a car into a police jeep on the outskirts of Herat city after counter-terrorism police had followed him, suspecting he might be planning an attack, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP.

"One police officer was martyred and one was wounded in the suicide blast," said Bashary.

Three civilians were also wounded, western Afghanistan deputy police director Ali Khan said. He said the attacker wanted to enter the city for "destructive attempts" and struck the vehicle as police were trying stop him.

The force of the blast blew a deep hole in the road, which links the city with its airport, an AFP reporter said.

Bashary blamed the attack on "enemies of peace and stability", a term often used by Afghan officials to refer to the hardline Taliban movement that has been waging an insurgency since being driven from power in late 2001.

Meanwhile, police in the eastern province of Khost said about 100 militants stormed a checkpoint near the border with Pakistan early Tuesday, sparking a one-hour exchange of fire.

Police brigade commander Qasim Khail said the attackers were from the Al-Qaeda terror network that backed the Taliban, but he did not give a reason for this claim.

"Two Al-Qaeda members were killed and their bodies are still at the site. We assume five others were also killed but their bodies were taken by the insurgents," he said.

"There are dozens of caps, turbans, patus (blanket-like shawls worn by men) and other belongings left in the area," he said.

In another development, the US-led coalition focused on counter-terror operations announced Tuesday that three members of a "terrorist cell" in a part of Logar about 22 kilometres (14 miles) south of Kabul were detained by ISAF and Afghan forces.

The Taliban insurgency, which makes regular use of suicide and roadside bombings, has been at its bloodiest this year, claiming 3,700 lives -- four times more than last year, according to an official report. Most of the dead are rebels.

The violence dipped a few weeks backed but has risen again over the past few days, with several suicide bombings.

On Saturday an attack aimed at soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in the province of Logar near Kabul wounded two civilians.

The next day a man blew himself up in a restaurant in eastern Paktika province, killing 15 people in one of the biggest suicide attacks in weeks. And on Monday an attack in the southern city of Kandahar killed two Canadian soldiers.

A strong, prosperous Afghanistan in the interest of Pakistan: Shaukat Aziz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minster Shaukat Aziz has reiterated Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan and will continue to play its role on this count adding a strong and prosperous Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan.

" Pakistan wants a robust and prosperous Afghanistan. This is major plank of our policy. A destabilized Afghanistan is not a good omen for Pakistan as such situation adds to the difficulties of neighbouring countries", he said this while addressing 4th Altaf Gauhar memorial lecture and later talking to the journalists in prime minister secretariat Monday.

Foreign diplomats, director general ISPR, Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan and other dignitaries also attended the lecture. Leading journalist Bryn Kalafli delivered lecture on situation of Afghanistan and peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister held Pakistan has played its role for peace and tranquility in Afghanistan. However, challenges are still there. Pakistan provided assistance of $250 millions for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan. " We inaugurated Torkham-Jalalabad road.

Afghanistan is the largest narcotics producing country and it is source of livelihood of the people there, he remarked. The international community will have to come forward to provide alternative resources. The need is there that work is done on war footing to generate employment opportunities in Afghanistan. All the stake holders will have to be involved in the process for establishment of peace there. Reconstruction process has to be carried out there so that Afghan refuges return to their homes in a respectful manner. " We have devised a strategy with Afghan government in this connection.

He indicated that recruitments are being made in Afghan army to maintain peace in Afghanistan. The pace of recruitment needs to be accelerated. " We will have to fight jointly against the terrorism, narcotics and enemies of development. This way peace can be ensured in the region, he stressed.

Later talking to the journalists Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said " We want peace in Afghanistan being our neighboring country. The problems facing Afghanistan become source of concern for us. We have always supported Afghan government and will continue to support it in future too.

Responding to a question, he said Women Protection Bill is for the whole country and it is in conformity with Quran and Sunnah. This is first step. More laws will come. Ruling PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has filed draft bill in the assembly in this regard which encompasses issues like marriage with Quran, inheritance and divorce. Women are our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. Therefore every Muslim is delighted over passage of bill. We should not politicize it.

Noted journalist Bryn Kalafli said peace accord similar to Waziristan peace deal is essential for Afghanistan. Pakistan has paid price in war on terror. Karzai government is confined to only presidential palace in Afghanistan, he remarked.

A strong leader is needed in Afghanistan and the world will have to deliberate over it, he urged.

Pak rejects opening Wagah border for Indo-Afghan trade

PTI - Monday, November 27, 2006 14:48 IST - ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected India's request to open the Wagah border point trade route for export of its goods to Afghanistan saying the option does not suit Islamabad at present.

Despite strong insistence from New Delhi, Islamabad during the recent foreign secretary-level talks in New Delhi was not willing to allow the use of Wagah border as transit route for trade with Afghanistan and stuck to its policy that India should use Karachi port instead for trade with Afghanistan.

Pakistan did not accept the request, saying the option does not suit it at this point of time, local daily 'The Post' quoted officials as saying.

Islamabad currently allows Kabul to export items to New Delhi by using Pakistan's land routes but do not permit Indian exports to be transported through the same route.

Pakistan says India could use Karachi from where it has transportation facilities for land-locked Afghanistan but India prefers the land route as it reduced the costs.

Most of the Indian goods for Afghanistan and Central Asia are routed through Chabahar port in Iran. India can use only Karachi port for trade with Afghanistan. Besides India, Afghan President Hamid Karzai too has asked Pakistan to open the road.

Seven million Afghan children missing an education, warns Oxfam ahead of NATO summit on Afghanistan

Oxfam Press Release - 27 November 2006 - Only one in five girls attend primary school

More than half of all Afghan children still do not go to school despite a five-fold increase in enrolments since 2001, according to a new report published today by international agency, Oxfam. The report is released a day ahead of a NATO summit in Latvia to review progress in Afghanistan.

Girls are particularly losing out with just one in five girls in primary education and one in 20 going to secondary school.

The report, entitled “Free, Quality Education for Every Afghan Child” says that aid from rich countries is not being delivered meaning millions of children are being denied an education.

Seven million Afghan children are currently out of school while five million children attend school, up from 3.1m in 2003 and around 1m in 2001, when the Taliban were in power.

Many of those lucky enough to be in school are being taught by untrained teachers: a survey in northern Afghanistan revealed only five per cent of primary school teachers could pass the exams which their pupils must take.

“Educating Afghanistan’s children is crucial in improving their lives and in the rebuilding and development of the country. But poverty, crippling fees and huge distances to the nearest schools prevent parents from sending their children to school. Those children who are lucky enough to be in school must endure untrained teachers, inadequate school buildings and poor textbooks. If Afghanistan is to meet its ambitious aims for primary and secondary education there must be a dramatic increase in aid to the government from rich countries,” says Grace Ommer, head of Oxfam GB in Afghanistan.

Oxfam’s report shows that extra investment in school buildings is desperately needed. Over half of pupils do not go to school because there is no school nearby. More than half of Afghanistan’s schools need major repairs, the majority are without clean drinking water or toilet facilities while two million children study in tents or the open air. Oxfam calls on the international community to invest US$563m to rebuild 7,800 schools across the country. Rich countries are not providing nearly enough aid to Afghanistan despite their many promises. So far they give only $126m a year.

Oxfam estimates Afghanistan needs nearly 53,000 trained primary school teachers immediately and a further 64,000 teachers in the next five years. There is also a distinct shortage of female teachers as currently less than three in 10 teachers are female.

Recruiting these new teachers will be difficult given the low level of morale amongst Afghanistan’s existing teachers. Their pay is very poor - in Daikundi province in central Afghanistan most teachers are only paid US$38 per month – and many teachers have to pay a bribe before they are given their salaries.

There are also up to 20,000 “ghost” teachers who collect their salaries but don’t go to work, or who collect more than one salary. Oxfam is calling for better budgeting systems, more consultation and the creation of a national database of teachers to stamp out corruption in the education system.

Schools are supposed to be free but in some areas up to 85 per cent of schools charge. The average fee per student is $6 per year, compared to the average Afghan income of only $293 per year.

To ensure that the Afghan government meets its Millennium Development Goals, Oxfam is calling for:

• Rich countries to invest US$563m in school rebuilding and $210m in printing and distributing text books over the next five years.

• The abolition of all school fees. Uniforms, books and transport costs need to be subsidised as far as possible.

• Training over 116,000 teachers in the next five years. Half of these should be female.

• Schools to provide a free midday snack for all pupils.

• The government of Afghanistan to work with labour unions to make budgeting and procedural reforms which will reduce waste and corruption, improve the planning process and ensure all schools across Afghanistan are equitably-funded.

• Donors must fund education through the Afghan Ministry of Education to ensure better coordination.

Note to editors

Donors and the international community have given US$125.6m to the Afghan education sector. USAID and the World Bank are the largest contributors. The military forces operating in Afghanistan also fund education.

The Taliban: Knowing the enemy

Graeme Smith ventures into the infamously lawless Pakistani province of Baluchistan to meet foot soldiers of the Taliban

GRAEME SMITH - From Monday's Globe and Mail - QUETTA, PAKISTAN — The two men sat cross-legged on a carpet in a room filled with birdsong and sunshine .

Their hands were soft, their words polite, but their story served as a chilling warning for Canadian soldiers trying to bring peace to Afghanistan's troubled south.

In a rare meeting marked by unusually straight talk, the men described how they manipulate Afghan tribes, turn local officials against their own government and channel the frustrations of ordinary people to drive foreigners away from their ancient lands.

They spoke from personal experience. The two, relaxing at a private home in a secret location in the infamously lawless Pakistani province of Baluchistan, are foot soldiers in the Taliban insurgency.

During the first visit to Baluchistan by a Canadian news media organization since Canada sent troops to nearby Kandahar at the beginning of the year, the midlevel insurgents outlined their ideas about how the Taliban aims to defeat the foreign troops.

With no permission from their superiors to talk with journalists, and fearing the Afghan intelligence agents widely believed to be hunting Taliban in the tribal areas, the two insurgents gave fake names: Mullah Azizullah, 34, and Mullah Manan, 37.

"There is a big difference between Canada and the United States," Mr. Azizullah said, tapping his fingertips together in a pensive gesture.

"If we attack the Canadians, they call for aircraft and bomb everything in the area. The U.S. only tried to kill the Taliban. The Canadians try to kill everybody."

Wearing pinstripe vests, gold watches and neatly trimmed beards, the two men looked different from front-line Taliban fighters encountered near the battlefields of Kandahar.

Like many of their comrades, they were born in the rebellious district of Panjwai -- they boasted about having returned three times to the lush farmland in recent months to lead attacks against the Canadians and their allies. But while many Taliban fighters are simple farmers, rough men with dirt under their fingernails, Mr. Azizullah's nails were trimmed and neatly painted with henna. He spoke a little English, too, and said he had worked as a senior official in the old Taliban regime.

And he showed a distinctly modern flair for sarcasm. "We won't kill you," he told a foreign visitor, with wry smile. "We'll just kidnap you and sell you."

Mr. Azizullah made clear that he watches Afghanistan's political scene carefully. He gave a current example: Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan's former president and a prominent warlord who now serves as a member of parliament in Kabul, recently told Afghan journalists that his associates are talking to the Taliban, but he didn't give details about the negotiations. Most of the Taliban are ethnic Pashtuns from the country's south and east, and the upsurge of violence this year has been concentrated in those regions, although the Taliban have been searching for ways of opening new fronts in the north. Mr. Rabbani, of the northern Tajik ethnic group, lost his presidency to a Taliban assault a decade ago, but Mr. Azizullah suggested the old commander might now be willing to switch sides.

"Rabbani is talking about an alliance with the Taliban," he said. "This could help us greatly, give us power in the north."

Even without such high-level defections, the Taliban already receive plenty of help from local Afghan officials, according Mr. Azizullah's quiet colleague, Mr. Manan. He confirmed a rumour that ammunition shipped by the government to Ghorak, a remote district northwest of Kandahar, regularly ends up in the hands of the Taliban. Many low-level administrators are willing to trade bullets for guarantees of protection from the insurgents, he said.

"The government officials give us ammunition and money," he said. "Without them, the fight is not possible for us. They help us carry our wounded men back to Pakistan. They give us their own vehicles and uniforms. Nobody can catch us."

Such alliances with local government officials helped the Taliban prepare a suicide bombing against Canadians earlier this year in the village of Bazar-e-Panjwai, Mr. Azizullah said. With a promise that the Taliban wouldn't harm any district officials, he said, some of them helped his insurgents recover an old Russian bomb that landed nearby in the 1980s, but didn't explode. They rewired the detonator and loaded it into a car, and the local authorities tipped off the insurgents about an approaching Canadian convoy. (Mr. Azizullah was vague about the date of the attack, and it's not clear whether any soldiers were killed or injured.)

But co-operation with the Taliban isn't inspired purely by fear, Mr. Azizullah said. Several southern tribes have been marginalized in the new government, making it easy for the insurgents to muster their support.

Four dominant tribes have reaped the largest profits from control of government in the south, he said: the Achakzai, believed to be collecting tariffs from the traffic through their traditional homeland on the Afghan-Pakistan border; the Barakzai, whose tribesman Gul Aga Shirzai served as Kandahar governor for three years after 2001; the Alokozai, a wealthy and populous tribe; and the Popalzai, the tribe of President Hamid Karzai.

"These tribes took Kandahar by force," Mr. Azizullah said. "This is the main reason why we fight."

Many tribesmen from less fortunate branches of the Pashtun ethnic group are also helping the Taliban, he added: the Kakars; the Sakzai; the Tareen; and especially the Noorzai.

"In Kabul, all the government officials are northerners or Popalzai," Mr. Azizullah said. "This is why there are problems. There is no justice."

The frustrations of ordinary people allowed the Taliban to take over parts of the district of Panjwai this summer, until they were routed by a huge North Atlantic Treaty Organization offensive in September, he said. While Canadian and NATO officials say the defeat severely crippled the insurgency, the Taliban said they have learned from that loss. The next wave of insurgents will strike in smaller groups.

In fact, Mr. Azizullah said, the Taliban already have 800 fighters ready to attack their next target. While NATO forces are concentrating their efforts on digging into their newly secured positions in Panjwai, southwest of Kandahar, the foot soldiers described an impending offensive at the other end of the river valley, north of the city in the district of Arghandab.

Similar Taliban claims have proven false on many occasions in recent months; the threats are often part of organized campaigns of intimidation by the insurgents. But Mr. Azizullah offered a detailed argument for attacking Arghandab: "The police are taking a lot of bribes, causing a lot of problems for the common people. People want us to stop this behaviour."

Before taking any action, these Taliban said, the insurgents informed Mullah Naqib, a respected former anti-Soviet commander in Arghandab. He has served as an important ally for Mr. Karzai, and he disagreed with the Taliban's plan to overthrow the local government.

"Naqib told us, 'No, let me talk to the police,' " Mr. Azizullah said. "He promised to fix the situation."

But the paunchy warlord has proven unable to change the political situation to the Taliban's satisfaction, Mr. Azizullah said. He said Mr. Naquib grew frustrated with the local government and has lifted his guarantee of protection from Arghandab's officials. This will allow the Taliban to attack "as soon as possible," he said.

Mr. Naquib could not be reached for comment -- a relative said he's in India for medical treatment. But Haji Agha Lalai, a member of the provincial council, said the Taliban story is incorrect. "These are lies," Mr. Lalai said. "The people of Arghandab will fight the Taliban to the death."

The Taliban cabinet - Membership in the Taliban's leadership council, or shura, changes often as factions jostle for power. Information about the shura is closely guarded, too, which makes it difficult to publish an authoritative list. But through several sources, a rough sketch of the Taliban leadership has emerged.

Mullah Mohammed Omar: The one-eyed Taliban leader, who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, is famously reclusive, and he has been even less visible recently, turning over most of the war-fighting decisions to the top four commanders in the shura: Mullah Dadullah, Akhtar Usmani, Mullah Obaidullah and Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Mullah Dadullah: This notorious commander recently starred in a propaganda film that included bloody scenes of decapitation, and at least one Western intelligence profile has concluded that he's a sadist who enjoys war for its own sake. He is sometimes described as the Taliban's military chief and also described as the leader of suicide-bombing operations. Two sources said that Mr. Dadullah has recently squabbled with colleagues who worry that his tactics are too extreme. He belongs to the Kakar tribe.

Akhtar Usmani: A member of the disgruntled Sakzai tribe from Sangin, a district of Helmand province, this commander is known as a moderate voice in the shura. His rivalry with Mr. Dadullah once led to a physical confrontation in which he was reportedly beaten. Mr. Usmani was once named as the successor to Mr. Omar in the event of his death.

Mullah Obaidullah: The Taliban's former defence minister, he's a member of the powerful Alokozai tribe. He is rumoured to have travelled abroad recently in search of shoulder-fired missiles to defend the insurgents against NATO air power.

Amir Khan Muttaqi : Considered an educated man, Mr. Muttaqi represented the Taliban in UN-led peace talks with northern warlords during the old regime. He is originally from Zabul province, of the nomadic Kuchi tribe.

Mullah Mohammed Hassan Rehmani: The former Taliban governor of Kandahar belongs to the Achakzai tribe.

Mullah Berader: A leaked U.S. intelligence document incorrectly described Mr. Berader as the No. 2 Taliban commander under Mr. Omar, but he remains a prominent figure in the insurgency. His tribesmen, the Popalzai, are loyal to the Afghan government and have distanced themselves from him.

Hafiz Majid: Rumoured to serve as a messenger for Mr. Omar, he belongs to the Noorzai tribe, whose anger against the government has been a major source of instability in Kandahar.

Abdul Razaq: The Taliban's former interior minister, he's a well-known commander of insurgents.

Qudratullah Jamal : Now using the false name Hamid Agha, he served as information minister for the Taliban government and is rumoured to be chief propagandist of the insurgency. He was among the Taliban leaders who successfully pushed for the destruction of ancient Buddha statues at Bamiyan in 2001.

Mullah Abdul Kabir: He served as governor of Nangarhar province in the Taliban government, and remains powerful in the eastern provinces.

Jalaluddin Haqqani: The elderly mujahedeen commander was a favourite proxy warrior for the CIA and Pakistani intelligence against the Russians. His militia now fights alongside the Taliban.

Rafsanjani: Benazir failed to control Taliban

By Muhammad Ali Siddiqi Dawn (Pakistan) November 26, 2006 issue

TEHRAN, Nov 25: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto expressed her helplessness vis a vis fundamentalists in Pakistan when Iranian leader Hashmi Rafsanjani told her not to support the Taliban, because her government’s backing for the religious militants was spoiling Islamabad’s relations with Tehran.

“She told me that as a woman she was unable to assert herself because she knew what they thought of women. Besides, they had a vast presence in the madressahs, and for that reason she was unable to control them”. Talking to a Pakistani media delegation, the former Iranian president and now head of the powerful Expediency Council, said Afghanistan was the single biggest cause of differences between Pakistan and Iran, and the two governments seemed to have distanced themselves. This was regrettable, he said, because –- if handled carefully -- Afghanistan had the potential to strengthen the friendship between Pakistan and Iran since both had a stake in that country’s stability.

Asked by Dawn whether it was Pakistan’s American connections which had soured relations between the two, Hojjatul Islam Rafsanjani said the deterioration in relations between the two had begun even before 9/11.

At one stage, he said, Pakistan and Iran were working for a common goal. While Iran was supporting Shia militias in the north, Pakistan was backing the Taliban, their common aim being to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan. But once the Soviets pulled back, Pakistan came on the side of the Taliban, whom he called narrow-minded. Told that a reversal of Pakistan’s policy toward the Taliban had become inevitable after 9/11, Rafsanjani said “you could have done this without bringing the Americans in”. Nevertheless, Pakistan’s cooperation with the US in the war on terror had served to weaken Islamabad’s relations with Tehran.

He was clear in his mind that Iran believed its relations with Pakistan were more important than Tehran’s ties with Kabul. Even now the two countries had a stake in Afghanistan, since lawlessness in that country had led to a phenomenal increase in poppy cultivation and the consequent increase in drug trade. “When I was president, I was not satisfied with the level of our bilateral relations, even though the Taliban were not there on the scene. I was keen on the pipeline project materialising, and we used to call it ‘peaceline’. But (since my departure from the office of president), things have not moved forward, and the bilateral relations have either been static or further gone down.”

However, the misunderstanding between the two countries was at the state level, and so far as the peoples of the two countries were concerned, there were no differences. As president he had excellent relations with both the government and the opposition. As an example, he pointed out that when he visited the National Assembly, the opposition walked out and refused to listen to Ms Bhutto, but when he rose to speak the opposition came back.

The former president attacked the United States for pursuing policies that were destabilising the entire Middle East and said Washington’s policies in Afghanistan and Iran had failed, and terrorism had spread its tentacles to Somalia. Now the entire region from Afghanistan to Lebanon was in turmoil.

The United States, he said, wanted to change the Middle East’s map, but the events in Iraq and Afghanistan and what happened last July-August in Lebanon had demonstrated clearly that America had failed in its aim. He feared that America would leave behind it in the Middle East enormous problems, because the Americans have proved themselves to be “more destructive than the Taliban”.

The Expediency Council (Tashkhees-i-Maslehat-i-Nizam), which Rafsanjani heads, plays a key role in breaking a deadlock if the Guardian Council, the parliament and the government fail to agree on a constitutional or political issue in a country which has several centres of power.

Afghanistan's National Pastime

Buzkashi is a chaotic, violent game with no rules, no teams, and no real boundaries where everyone fights over a calf carcass - a perfect reflection, in other words, of Afghan political life

By ARYN BAKER/KABUL - TIME Magazine Posted Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006

To understand Afghan politics, the theory goes, just go to a game of Buzkashi. After a few hours on a muddy field north of Kabul, watching three-dozen men on horseback charge each other to gain possession of a disemboweled calf carcass, the axiom starts to make sense. The game is simple enough: grab the calf from the ground at one end of the field, hoist it over the saddle bow, circle the flag at the opposite end of the field and drop it back in the original chalk circle to score. What makes it difficult is that every other man on the field — and at big events they may number in the hundreds — will do anything to prevent that from happening. I've met quite a few politicians in Kabul who identify with that horseman hauling the calf around.

It's not just that there are no rules in Buzkashi — there aren't even teams. The game ends when the calf falls apart and no one can pick it up anymore. The boundary markers are mere suggestions. Often the scrum for the bloody calf spills into the stands, scattering spectators with peals of laughter, hoots and screams. Hooves fly, and so do elbows. Teeth — both human and horse — are bared.

Anyone who has spent time in the country's brand new parliament will recognize the scene. Sure, there aren't any horses in the House, but speakers are often jeered, shoved or pelted with water bottles. Those that stay standing, and manage to make their point, gain respect.

"Buzkashi is the best way to understand Afghanistan in this new era," Whitney Azoy, author of Buzkashi: Game and Power in Afghanistan, told me. "It's all about unbridled competition for power, and the fact that no one can hold it for very long. Individuals rather than institutions are still the prime movers, and here individuals constantly shift sides and make new alliances."

Buzkashi has actually always been a political game. It's not the horsemen who are the stars, but the sponsors of the event—those who put up the prize money, invite the guests and field the best string of horses and palawans, or wrestlers, as the riders are called. The game originated hundreds of years ago in the north of Afghanistan, hard pressed against the central Asian steppes. There it was the Khans, or great leaders, who demonstrated their power and influence by holding games and settling the inevitable disputes. Political rivalries were played out on the field, and the sponsors closely watched for reactions. At the end of every day each play was discussed in minutia over multiple cups of green tea. Names rose and fell; so did reputations. "This is how leadership was decided," says Azoy.

In the '50s, what once used to be a uniquely northern game became nationalized in the name of a cohesive Afghan identity. There was even talk of promoting Buzkashi as an Olympic event. And national leaders, from the king to the presidents, held games to consolidate power and weaken their enemies.

This year, for the first time, President Karzai is fielding his own string of horses. The season has just started, and today's game was merely a selection round to identify the best wrestlers to represent the presidential palace. For the past five years Karzai has been running the country as if he were a western politician, and it has earned him little respect. Perhaps this new initiative will turn his reputation around. Instead of being laughed at as the "mayor of Kabul," as his detractors often call him, he could be known as a great Buzkashi sponsor. And in Afghanistan, that's a leader worth following.

Afghanistan to present new image in Asian Games

Kabul, Nov 28 (Xinhua) Doha-bound Afghans will present a new image of the war-torn country and vie for medals in taekwondo, karate and wrestling in the Asian Games, said an Afghan sports official.

"We have two major goals for the Games. The first one is to show a new Afghanistan, which suffered decades of war, to the world," said Ghulam Jilani Ghurob, spokesperson of the Afghan National Olympic Committee.

An Afghan delegation of 86 members, including 51 athletes, is to participate in the Dec 1-15 Games in Doha, Qatar.

"The delegation wants to display that Afghanistan is experiencing peace after war and is undertaking reconstruction," Ghurob added.

He said the second goal was to show Afghans' active participation in international sporting events and to bring pride to the country by winning some medals.

According to Ghurob, Afghans have a good prospect of winning medals in taekwondo, karate and wrestling.

Afghan athletes will participate in 11 sports - karate, track and field, bodybuilding, boxing, basketball, snooker, fencing, judo, taekwondo, wushu and wrestling.

The Afghan delegation includes five women athletes, which was unthinkable during the Taliban regime.

During the extremist Taliban regime (1996-2001), Afghan women were not allowed to participate in sports competitions and were even forbidden from education and work.

Afghanistan was banned by the International Olympic Committee from the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, as the Taliban regime carried out extremist policies in politics, social affairs and sports.

Ghurob said over a dozen expatriates based in the US, Britain and Australia would represent Afghanistan in the Doha Games.

Because of long-time war, millions of Afghan refugees still stay overseas, although about five million refugees have come back since the collapse of the Taliban regime in late 2001.

Due to a shortage of facilities, most Afghan athletes had to go to Iran or India to receive training weeks ahead of the Asian Games.

According to a taekwondo coach, an Afghan gold medallist would be awarded with $200 by the government, a silver medallist $150 dollars and a bronze $100.

"Despite various difficulties, we would actively join the coming Asian Games, and try to find more friends across the world especially in Asia," added Ghurob.

'The college is like the United Nations' – BBC

Former BBC Kabul producer Bilal Sarwary left his job in August to complete a college course in the United States.

In his first column, he wrote about how it was a dangerous time for an Afghan to be in transit westwards. Now he has settled down, and writes about life in an American college.

When I left Kabul and its mountains, I wasn't thinking about reading and writing all the time. After arriving in the US, I stayed at a motel for almost a week before I moved to my single room in Middlebury college. My college life began with the international student orientation programme. It was then that I realised that my dream of a college education was coming true.

My fellow students kept me busy explaining the A-Z of college life. I bombarded everyone with questions.

Now some people think of me as the guy who is always asking questions. My defence is that I have not gone to school for more than 10 years, let alone to college.

I was missing classes in the morning because at first I did not have an alarm clock. Now I have one, and for some reason I wake up two hours earlier than the time I set. Having an early morning shower is very easy as there is plenty of hot water, unlike Kabul.

There is another difference with Kabul. On the way to early morning classes, no one seems to have time for a chat. But in Kabul, that was part of life from the start of the day to the end.

It makes me think of that line you hear a lot about life in America and the West - time is money.

Unlike Afghanistan, here in the US professors seem to be very tolerant if you are late for a class, although they may be changing their attitude towards me now I have been here longer!

There is yet another difference though: in Afghanistan, the teacher would do most of the work and the student would do very little. But in the US, the student is the one who has to deliver, which is a very good thing.

After I was interviewed by the college newspaper and talked about my work in Afghanistan, some people started calling me the BBC guy, or sometimes BBC dude.

I get a lot of questions about my age, because at 23 I am the oldest freshman. The students here seem to come from almost every corner of the world - it's like the United Nations.

When I first got here, I kept getting calls from Afghanistan. Friends and contacts would get in touch as if I was still in Kabul, or send me emails.

I decided to switch the mobile off after a while, as each conversation was costing a lot because of the incoming charges. Now I try to restrict my telephone contacts with Afghanistan to just the weekend. The rest of the week is for study.

However, it is hard to switch off from Afghanistan, with all the bad news these days. There is a lot to worry about, particularly about close friends. Sometimes, I find it difficult to concentrate on college work, but the professors have been very supportive and help me to stay focused.

During my free time, I follow the news for hours while students do other things. It is hard to let go of something that you were involved in for years.

I have a list of things that I still can't do yet - cashing money from the machine, opening my mail box and washing clothes in the machine. Although I am getting better and a good friend from Spain says I will get there eventually!

When I was in Kabul, I could often stay in bed and still do my job - phoning people and collecting news.

But here I have to wake up early and stay up late, immersing myself in my reading and writing.

Sometimes I am up so late the darkness vanishes and I realise it is morning again. Then there are the nights, I better call them nightmares, when I have to write a long essay.

I have Afghan carpets in my room, as well as green tea, dried fruits and Afghan hats. So some students who visit me now call it the Afghan room.

I have been invited to stay with my American friends at their houses. But their houses are far away. One of them lives almost as far away as it is between Kabul and London.

If I drive, though, at least the roads are good - no fear of roadside bombs. And there are no Taleban coming across the border from Canada, like there are from Pakistan to Afghanistan.

One thing which surprised me was how small the market area is in the town. It has only about 30 shops, which is fewer than we have in my district town in eastern Afghanistan.

But the town here has banks and a fire station, which is a lot more than we have. When I see the green valleys of Vermont, I often think I am in Afghanistan.

Soon I will experience my first American winter. But unlike Afghanistan, I know I don't have to worry about heating, hot water and all of that.

I realise I will have to follow a suggestion from another BBC colleague who has worked in America - I should never finish all the food on my plate in America , otherwise I will become fat.

[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.]