A wounded woman lies in a hospital bed after a suicide blast in Kabul September 30, 2006. A suicide bomber set off explosives in front of the Interior Ministry in Kabul on Saturday, killing 12 people and wounding 42, the ministry said. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani (AFGHANISTAN)

In this bulletin:

• 12 killed in Kabul suicide bombing
• President Karzai Strongly Condemns Today’s Suicide Attack in Kabul
• STATEMENT OF TOM KOENIGS, THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR AFGHANISTAN ON TODAY’S SUICIDE ATTACK IN KABUL CITY
• Kidnapped Colombian released in Afghanistan
• Canadian soldier remembered (CP)
• Karzai, Musharraf to lead tribal talks
• Violence not to alter Italian mission in Afghanistan: FM
• ADB to Help Finance National Highway Rehabilitation in Afghanistan
• Europe must not turn coward in Afghanistan, says US envoy
• Bounty hunters 'selling terror war suspects to America'
• President Discusses Global War on Terror
• The Musharraf Exception - We can't afford not to push Pakistan back toward democracy
• Leak highlights a complex relationship
• South Asia: Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflicts Continue
• Afghanistan's good news: seeds of economic progress
• PAKISTAN: UNHCR to suspend Afghan repatriation by mid-October

12 killed in Kabul suicide bombing

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a busy pedestrian alley next to Afghanistan's Interior Ministry on Saturday, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than 40, officials said.

The blast was the second major suicide attack in Kabul this month, underscoring the rising danger in the once-calm capital as militants step up attacks across the country.

The Interior Ministry spokesman, Zemeri Bashary, said 12 people were killed, including two women and a child, and that 42 were injured.

Dr. Salam Jalali, a Public Health Ministry official, said 54 had been injured. He said the wounded had been taken to six different hospitals in Kabul, complicating officials' efforts to keep track of the casualties.

The explosion went off just before 8 a.m. on an Afghan work day, near a narrow dirt road where employees and civilians pass through a security gate. Shops, street photographers, and men who fill out Interior Ministry paperwork for illiterate Afghans make the area a busy cross-section of commerce and government.

The top U.N. official in the country condemned the "callous attack against innocent Afghans who were simply going to work."

"It is wrong for any conflict to be played out in a civilian arena with such wanton disregard for so many innocent lives," said Tom Koenigs, the head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Bashary said the suicide attacker had been acting suspiciously, then tried to get close to a gathering of people just beyond a police checkpoint.

A witness said he saw the bomber run from police, who had tried to search him.

"The bomber ran into the area (past the checkpoint), and the policeman took out his gun — this all happened very fast — and then the guy detonated himself," said Ahmed Ramin, 18. "We saw lots of people killed and injured on the streets."

Militants have been stepping up attacks including roadside and suicide bombings across Afghanistan over the last several months.

Earlier this month a suicide car bomber rammed a U.S. military convoy in Kabul, killing 16 people, including two American soldiers, and a suicide bomber killed 18 people in an attack outside the Helmand provincial governor's compound in the town of Lashkar Gah on Tuesday.

Maj. Luke Knittig, a spokesman for NATO's international security force that controls much of Afghanistan, said Saturday's attack shows that the insurgents "recognize the significance of this nation's capital."

"They recognize we have them under pressure in their strongholds in the south and the east, so this does fit into, sadly, what we expected somewhat to see, them resorting to this kind of tactic, hitting softer targets and getting the additional significance attached to hitting the nation's capital," he said.

Shohib, 13, a worker in a nearby shop who goes by one name, said he was washing his hands in the back of the store when the explosion went off.

"When I looked into the shop I saw six people killed or injured there," he said. "When I came outside the shop I saw many other people killed and injured on the street."

Knittig said there is a recognition of a rising threat in the capital, and that citizens need to be more vigilant.

"But look at all the commerce and activities (in Kabul)," Knittig said. "There's a little bit of why the insurgents try to carry out attacks in the capital."

President Karzai Strongly Condemns Today’s Suicide Attack in Kabul - Date of Release: 30 September 2006

Arg, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, strongly condemned today’s suicide attack which killed 12 innocent people and injured many more.

In his reaction to today’s suicide attack the President said “Today, another suicide attack occurred on our people in Kabul . Afghanistan has been suffering at the hands of its enemies for a long time and Afghans are martyred by terrorists everyday.

“Suicide attack is an alien phenomenon to the Afghans and suicide attackers come from outside Afghanistan and target the most devoted and the poorest Muslim people of the world.”

“I condemn it in the strongest terms and call on the international community to work with Afghanistan in stopping sanctuaries that raise, train and brainwash young people to become suicide attackers.”

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

STATEMENT OF TOM KOENIGS, THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR AFGHANISTAN ON TODAY’S SUICIDE ATTACK IN KABUL CITY

I am shocked and appalled to have learnt that today’s suicide attack outside the Ministry of Interior in Kabul city that has resulted in the death of a great number of people and wounded over 50 others.

It is particularly upsetting that so many lives have been lost in such a callous attack against innocent Afghans who were simply going to work.

Afghanistan’s people have suffered enough. It is wrong for any conflict to be played out in a civilian arena with such wanton disregard for so many innocent lives. Kabul, September 30, 2006

Kidnapped Colombian released in Afghanistan

KABUL, Sept 29 – Reuters - A Colombian aid worker and two Afghan colleagues kidnapped in Afghanistan nearly three weeks ago were released unconditionally on Friday, their aid group said.

The Colombian, his Afghan assistant and their driver were kidnapped near Kabul on Sept. 9. All three were in good health, the French-based Madera aid group said.

The group gave no more details of the release nor did it say who was believed responsible for the kidnapping.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe came under fire from critics and families of kidnap victims in Colombia last week over his handling of the case of the kidnapped aid worker, Diego Rojas Coronel.

Kidnapping is far less common in Afghanistan than it is in Iraq, but both Taliban insurgents and criminal gangs have abducted foreigners. Some victims have been killed, some released, apparently after ransoms were paid

Canadian soldier remembered (CP)

WINNIPEG - A Canadian soldier who was killed in Afghanistan is being remembered today as a man who was proud to serve in Afghanistan and believed he was helping people there.

Della Morley told reporters in Winnipeg that her 30-year-old son, Cpl. Keith Morley, had wanted to serve in the military ever since he was a teenager.

She says Morley served two tours in Bosnia before joining the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. Morley was one of four soldiers killed Sept. 18, when a suicide bomber on a bicycle attacked Canadian troops who were on foot patrol.

Separate funerals are being held today for Morley and two others, all members of the second battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Man. They are among 36 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan since 2002.

Karzai, Musharraf to lead tribal talks

Kabul (AP) - President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday that he and the Pakistani president will jointly lead a series of tribal gatherings along their countries' shared border to quell attacks on Afghanistan by Pakistan-based Taliban rebels.

Karzai said he wants an end to the Taliban incursions from Pakistan. The number of attacks in the Afghan border regions has tripled following a peace agreement between the Pakistani government and pro-Taliban tribesmen in its territory, according to U.S. officials.

"We're waiting to see how this peace deal works out. So far it hasn't been fruitful for Afghanistan," Karzai said.

Karzai appears to have been unable to secure Pakistan's immediate cooperation in shutting down radical religious schools or arresting Taliban leaders living in Pakistan.

Radical elements in some Islamic schools, also known as madrassas, have been blamed for indoctrinating suicide bombers and anti-government fighters who have stepped up attacks in Afghanistan in recent months. Hours before Karzai spoke Saturday, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd near Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, killing at least 12 people.

"Unless we target the madrassas and their preaching of hatred against Islam and humanity, we won't be successful," Karzai said.

A U.S. military officer said on Wednesday that the cease-fire that began June 25, cemented by the signing of a peace accord Sept. 5, allowed the Taliban to use the North Waziristan border area to plan and carrying out attacks in Afghanistan.

Pakistani tribal elders brokered the truce between Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's government and militants, ending years of unrest in the tribal region.

Karzai played down suggestions that relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan had cooled because of his bickering with Musharraf. The pair, who met with President Bush on Wednesday, conspicuously refused to shake hands in front of the press on the White House lawn.

"Relations with my brother Musharraf are never cool," Karzai said. "Afghanistan wants stability and brotherly relations between both countries."

Karzai said he and Musharraf would attend a series of jirgas, or consultative councils, with tribal elders and governors focused on the Afghan border provinces of Nangahar and Paktika and Pakistan's autonomous tribal region, North Waziristan.

The two presidents will seek ways to employ armed tribesmen on both sides of the border to stabilize the region and cut down on insurgent raids, Karzai said.

Violence not to alter Italian mission in Afghanistan: FM

Xinhua September 29, 2006 - The recent upsurge of violence in Afghanistan would not alter Italy's peacekeeping mission there, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said on Thursday.

D'Alema's remarks came after his meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. He added at a joint press conference here, held after their meeting, that Italy "intends to fulfill the commitments it has made with NATO."

Leftist elements in the Italian coalition government have renewed their calls for Italy to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan in the wake of two terrorist attacks this week, which killed one Italian soldier and injured eight others.

The soldier was the seventh Italian to die in Afghanistan and the second in less than a week. Another soldier was killed last Wednesday in a road accident.

Italy has some 1,700 troops serving in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led ISAF peacekeeping mission there.

Some military officials said the situation in Afghanistan was beginning to resemble that in Iraq, where the Taliban-led resurgence has killed more than 2,300 people this year.

Most of the fighting is in the south of Afghanistan, where NATO has appealed to member states to send more troops.

ADB to Help Finance National Highway Rehabilitation in Afghanistan

ACN Newswire - Manila - An Asian Development Bank (ASX: ATB) loan and grant package totaling US$138.2 million will help finance the construction of a national highway in Afghanistan that will connect remote areas to the country's center.

The project will rehabilitate 140.3 kilometers of the Mazar-e-Sharif-Dara-i-Suf road and 98.9 km of the Bamian-Yakawlang road, which comprise the north-south corridor connecting the ring road through central Afghanistan.

These roads pass through Balkh, Bamian, and Samangan provinces, at the center of the country and home primarily to rural farmers. About 10% of the collective 1.7 million population in these provinces lives in large cities, where the production of coal reserves and iron ore deposits is poised to boom.

"Afghanistan has made significant progress in the past few years; however, its economic and fiscal situation continues to be extremely fragile," says Dong-Soo Pyo, an ADB principal financial specialist. "To accelerate the country's transition, continued investment in the road sector is a prerequisite."

The project also entails installation of cross-border facilities in Spin Boldak and an HIV/AIDS prevention and anti-human trafficking awareness campaign.

Road rehabilitation efforts in the war-torn country have so far focused on regional highways, particularly on the ring road, with emphasis on trade links to neighboring countries. These road projects are expected to be completed by 2008.

The Government's next priority is the development of the north-south and east-west corridors, which connect the ring road to improve access for people living in remote areas at the center of the country. More than 90% of national highways and provincial roads are either earth or gravel, and more than 60% are in poor condition.

ADB's support - comprising a $78.2 million loan and $40 million grant - comes from its concessional Asian Development Fund and is financing 84% of the project's total estimated cost of $140.9 million. The loan carries a 40-year term, including a grace period of 10 years, and an annual interest rate charge of 1%.

The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), an ADB trust fund financed by the Government of Japan, will provide a $20 million grant for civil works for the Bamian-Yakawlang road.

The Government will shoulder $2.7 million to cover land acquisition and taxes and duties for the project.

The Ministries of Public Works, Finance, and Public Health are the executing agencies for the project, which is due for completion in December 2010.

Europe must not turn coward in Afghanistan, says US envoy

By David Rennie in Brussels - The Telegraph (UK) September 29, 2006

The American ambassador to Kabul has accused European members of Nato of jeopardising the future of the alliance by refusing to send troops to Afghanistan, or banning their forces from entering areas with heavy fighting.

Ronald Neumann, who has survived two attempts on his life this year, said European nations must not turn "coward" and "run away" from fighting terrorism in Afghanistan.

In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, Mr Neumann said some Europeans "obviously resist the idea that you have an army in order to fight. And I have very little patience for that".

The ambassador spoke as defence ministers from the 26-nation Nato alliance came under unprecedented pressure at a meeting in Slovenia to provide more troops to the multi-national force trying to prop up the authority of the Afghan government amid a resurgence of Taliban activity.

Last night the ministers agreed a major expansion of Nato's mission into the volatile east of Afghanistan — but their agreement owed nothing to European willingness to offer more troops. Instead, ministers simply agreed to place some 12,000 mostly US forces, already in the region, under Nato command.

The move will place US troops in eastern Afghanistan under the command of a British officer, Lt Gen David Richards — the largest number to be under foreign command since the Second World War.

In Germany the lower house of parliament voted by a large margin to extend the peacekeeping mandate of the 2,750 German troops serving with Nato for a further year.

The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, told the Bundestag that Nato had no choice but to stay. "Afghanistan is only lost if we give it up," he said.

Des Browne, Britain's Defence Secretary, praised Poland for rushing forward the deployment of 900 troops to Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), but said he would be urging other nations to think about doing more.

"Allies must step up to the plate to meet our collective commitment to support the government and people of Afghanistan," he said.

However, even as Mr Browne headed for Slovenia, Spanish officials briefed the Madrid press that their government — in conjunction with France, Germany and Belgium — had seen off a request from the military commander of Nato, Gen James Jones, to mobilise ground forces from the "Eurocorps" — a rapid reaction force made up of troops from several European nations.

Spanish sources told El Pais newspaper that the four European nations had told Gen Jones the rapid reaction force was for unforeseen emergencies, and not for propping up an existing mission.

Spain's Socialist government also refused to send more troops, or to move any of its 750 armed forces now in western Afghanistan to the south, where British, Canadian and Dutch forces have been pounded by enemy attacks.

Mr Neumann criticised the "caveats" placed on forces from Germany, Norway, Belgium and other nations — variously keeping them away from the south, away from heavy combat zones, or forbidding them from going out at night.

He said: "If you can't fight in the place that produced al-Qa'eda and September 11 and a series of terrorist attacks in Europe, what is the point?"

Bounty hunters 'selling terror war suspects to America'

By Isambard Wilkinson in Peshawar - The Telegraph (UK) September 29, 2006

Pakistan has "disappeared" hundreds of suspects connected with the war on terror and has sold detainees who were captured by bounty hunters to the United States, according to a report published today.

Some of the terror suspects detained by the country's intelligence services after the September 11 attacks later re-surfaced at Guantanamo Bay, but the whereabouts of other non-Pakistani suspects remain unknown, Amnesty International claims in the 106-page report. Lawyers representing suspects in Peshawar said their clients often spent years in the custody of the Pakistani security agency before being passed on to regular prisons.

"Many of the foreigners had been picked up using the lame excuse of 'the war on terror'," said Javed Ibrahim Paracha, who lobbies for the release of terror suspect prisoners. "They are only charged for staying illegally in Pakistan under the Foreigners Act and are detained for years without trial."

The report claims that detainees have been sold into US hands by bounty hunters who have received cash payments of around £2,500 in return.

The bounty hunters range from local tribesmen, security officials and people out to settle local scores.

But the issue is murky. One former Afghan prisoner at Guantanamo claimed that fellow Arab inmates believed one of Pakistan's numerous militant groups had joined the bounty hunt and was responsible for their capture.

Amnesty International has demanded that Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf, end arbitrary detention and publish a list of all places of detention as well as a register of all detainees.

President Discusses Global War on Terror

The White House Press Release 9.29.06

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks, Captain Smith, for your kind introduction. Thank you all for being here, and thank you for the warm welcome. I am honored to stand with the men and women of the Reserve Officers Association. For more than 80 years, this organization has stood up for America and its citizen-soldiers, and I appreciate your contribution to our country. We're safer because you stand ready to put on the uniform. I am grateful for your service, and I am proud to be your Commander-in-Chief.

I want to speak to you today about the struggle between moderation and extremism that is unfolding across the broader Middle East. At this moment, terrorists and extremists are fighting to overthrow moderate governments in the region, so they can take control of countries and use them as bases from which to attack America and from which to impose their hateful ideology. This is the challenge of our time. This is the call of a generation, to stand against the extremists and support moderate leaders across the broader Middle East, to help us all secure a future of peace.

This week in Washington, I met with two courageous leaders who are working for peace -- President Karzai of Afghanistan, and President Musharraf of Pakistan. These leaders understand the stakes in the struggle -- in the ideological struggle of the 21st century. They understand the stakes from a personal perspective, as well, since the extremists have tried to assassinate them. They are courageous people. They have seen the destruction that terrorists have caused in their own country, and they know this, that the only way to stop them is to work together and to stay on the offense. By standing with brave leaders like these, we are defending civilization itself, and we're building a more peaceful world for our children and grandchildren.

I appreciate very much the Ambassador from Afghanistan, Ambassador Jawad, and Ambassador Durrani from Pakistan for joining us here today. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) I appreciate members of my administration who have joined us, I appreciate people wearing the uniform who have joined us. I appreciate those from Walter Reed who have joined us, and from Bethesda. (Applause.) I thank you for your sacrifice.

I also want to thank those from Walter Reed and Bethesda who are giving you the help you need to recover from your wounds. It gives me great comfort to be able to tell the loved ones of those who wear our uniform that if you get hurt you will receive first class, compassionate care from the United States military. And so to the healers who are here, thank you for doing your duty and providing these brave folks the help they need to recover.

Earlier this month, our nation marked the fifth anniversary of the September the 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. We paused on that day to remember the innocent people who were killed that day. We paused to remember the rescue workers who rushed into burning towers to save lives. After 9/11, I stood in the well of the House of Representatives and declared that every nation, in every region, had a decision to make -- either you were with us, or you stood with the terrorists. Two nations, Afghanistan and Pakistan, made very different decisions -- with very different results.

Five years ago, Afghanistan was ruled by the brutal Taliban regime. Under the Taliban and al Qaeda, Afghanistan was a land where women were imprisoned in their own homes, where men were beaten for missing prayer meetings, where girls couldn't even go to school. What a hopeless society that was, under the rule of these hateful men. Afghanistan was the home to terrorist training camps. Under al Qaeda and the Taliban, Afghanistan was a terrorist safe haven and a launching pad for the horrific attacks that killed innocent people in New York City on September the 11th, 2001.

After 9/11, America gave the leaders of the Taliban a choice. We told them that they must turn over all the leaders of al Qaeda hiding in their land. We told them they must close every terrorist training camp and hand over every terrorist to appropriate authorities. We told them they must give the United States full access to the terrorist training camps, so they could make sure they were no longer operating. We told them these demands were not up for negotiation, and that if they did not comply immediately and hand over the terrorists, they would share in the same fate as the terrorists.

I felt these were reasonable demands. The Taliban regime chose unwisely -- so within weeks after the 9/11 attacks, our coalition launched Operation Enduring Freedom. By December 2001, the Taliban regime had been removed from power, hundreds of Taliban and al Qaeda fighters had been captured or killed, and the terrorist camps where the enemy had planned the 9/11 attacks were shut down. We did what we said we were going to do. We made our intentions clear. We gave the Taliban a chance to make the right decision. They made the wrong decision, and we liberated Afghanistan. (Applause.)

The liberation of Afghanistan was a great achievement -- and for those of you who served in that effort, thank you. I thank you on behalf of America, and the Afghan people thank you. But we knew that it was only the beginning of our mission in Afghanistan. See, the liberation was only the start of an important mission to make this world a more peaceful place. We learned the lesson of the 1980s, when the United States had helped the Afghan people drive the Soviet Red Army from Kabul, and then decided our work was finished, and left the Afghans to fend for themselves.

The Taliban came to power and provided a sanctuary for bin Laden and al Qaeda, and we paid the price when the terrorists struck our nation and killed nearly 3,000 people in our midst. So after liberating Afghanistan, we began the difficult work of helping the Afghan people rebuild their country, and establish a free nation on the rubble of the Taliban's tyranny.

With the help of the United Nations and coalition countries, Afghan leaders chose an interim government. They wrote and approved a democratic constitution. They held elections to choose a new President and they elected leaders to represent them in a new Parliament. In those parliamentary elections, more than six million Afghans defied terrorist threats and cast their ballots. They made it clear they wanted to live in a free society. As I travel around the country, I tell people that I'm not surprised when people say, I want to live in liberty. I believe liberty is universal. I believe deep within the soul of every man, woman and child on the face of the Earth is a desire to live in freedom. And when we free people, we not only do our duty to ourselves, but we help the rise of decent human beings.

As Afghans have braved the terrorists and claimed their freedom, we've helped them, and we will continue to help them. It's in our interests that we help this young democracy survive and grow strong. We helped them build security forces they need to defend their democratic gains. In the past five years, our coalition has trained and equipped more than 30,000 soldiers in the Afghan National Army -- and at this moment, several thousand more are in training at a Kabul Military Training Center. These Afghan soldiers are on the front lines with coalition troops. Some have suffered terrible wounds in battle, others have given their lives in the fight against the terrorists. Afghans in uniform are determined to protect their nation and fight our common enemies -- and we're proud to fight alongside such brave allies.

Our coalition has also trained about 46,000 members of the Afghan National Police. The training of the Afghan police has not gone as smoothly as that of the army. The police have faced problems with corruption and substandard leadership. And we've made our concerns known to our friends in the Afghan government. When we see a problem, we adjust, we change. And so this year, President Karzai's government announced a new team to lead the National Police. As the police become more capable, and better led, and more disciplined, they will gain legitimacy and they will earn the respect of the Afghan people.

Listen, the Afghan people want to live in a peaceful world. It's important for the American citizens to understand an Afghan mother wants the same thing for her child that our mothers' want for our children, the chance to grow up and realize dreams, the chance to live in peace. And it's important for the Afghan government to provide the kind of security so the citizens have trust that their government can enable the peace to evolve in that strife-ridden part of the world.

The army and police are good fighters. At this moment, more than 21,000 American troops and more than 20,000 personnel from 40 countries are deployed in Afghanistan. In the summer of 2003, NATO took over the International Security Assistance Force -- it's called ISAF, in Afghanistan -- NATO's first mission outside the Euro-Atlantic area. Other nations besides the United States understand the importance of helping this young democracy survive and thrive and grow. Since then, NATO has expanded ISAF from a small force that was operating only in Kabul into a robust force that has taken responsibility for security in nearly 60 percent of the country. And this week, NATO announced that it would take over security operations in all of Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Under the plan, the U.S. will transfer 12,000 of our troops that are now serving in the country to the NATO force, while the rest will remain under coalition command and continue anti-terrorist operations across the country.

We saw the effectiveness of NATO forces this summer, when NATO took responsibility from the United States for security operations in Southern Afghanistan. The Taliban saw the transfer of the region from the United States to NATO control as a window of opportunity. They saw it as an opportunity to test the will of nations under than the United States. See, they've been testing our will. And they understand it's strong, and they need to understand it will remain strong. (Applause.)

So the Taliban massed an estimated 800 to 900 fighters near Kandahar to face the NATO force head on. And that was a mistake. Earlier this month, NATO launched Operation Medusa. Together with the Afghan National Army, troops from Canada, and Denmark, and the Netherlands, and Britain, and the United States engaged the enemy -- with operational support from Romanian, and Portuguese, and Estonian Forces. According to NATO Commanders, NATO forces killed hundreds of Taliban fighters. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, General Jones, a United States Marine, says this about the NATO operation in Southern Afghanistan: "The Taliban decided to make a test case of this region r. And they paid a very heavy price for it.. [The operation sent a] signal to the insurgents [that] NATO forces would not back down." The operation also sent a clear message to the Afghan people: that NATO is standing with you. I appreciate the courage of the NATO forces. I appreciate the governments of our allies in NATO understanding the importance of helping the Afghan people achieve their dream, and that is a stable country. The people from NATO must understand that they're helping a young democracy defend itself and protect its people. And in so doing, they're helping to lay the foundation of peace in the ideological struggle of the 21st century. (Applause.)

The NATO deployment has begun to bring security and reconstruction to a region that had previously had little, and has allowed the United States and Afghan forces to stay on the offense. And so we launched another major offensive in the East called Operation Mountain Fury. The operation is ongoing. It's aimed at clearing out enemy safe havens in five Afghan provinces -- including three provinces bordering Pakistan. The operation is being led by about 4,000 Afghan forces, and supported by about 3,000 of our finest. As Afghan and coalition forces clear out the enemy, then we will follow up with reconstruction assistance -- so we can improve the quality of life for local Afghans, and help extend the authority of the central government to distant areas of the country.

See, the enemy understands what we're doing, and they don't like it. That's why they're reacting the way they're reacting. They understand that the arrival of Afghan and coalition forces in the region means that the government is beginning to win the hearts of the people. In many of these regions, the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, and drug traffickers, and criminal elements have enjoyed free reign. There hasn't been any countervailing force to their presence. And you can imagine how that makes innocent people feel, you know, when you've got these killers in your midst. It creates an atmosphere of fear. As a matter of fact, people like al Qaeda, whose ideology is hateful, have got one major tool at their disposal: they kill innocent life to create fear. What a contrast it is to the United States of America, and coalition partners, and decent Afghans to belieeve in hope. (Applause.)

These haters of humanity know that when the government in Kabul can reach out and improve the lives of local Afghans in distant parts of the country, the population will gain confidence in Afghanistan's democracy. That's part of the struggle, this ideological struggle we're engaged in. And so they are going to try to do everything they can to stop the progress. And they'll fight Afghan and coalition forces. And that's what you're seeing today.

But they do more than just fight our forces. They destroy schools and they destroy clinics; they do everything in their power to intimidate local folks. The enemies of a free Afghanistan are brutal and they're determined -- and we're not going to let them succeed. (Applause.) NATO, and coalition, and Afghan forces will continue to fight the enemy. We will stay on the offense, and we're going to help this government of President Karzai bring a better life to his people.

To bring a better life to the Afghan people, our coalition and NATO forces have deployed 23 Provincial Reconstruction Teams across Afghanistan. These teams are important because we're talking about a country that has been torn apart because of war over the years. The teams are led by Sweden, and Norway, and Germany, and Hungary, and Italy, and Spain, and Lithuania, and Canada, and Britain, and the Netherlands, and the United States. And these teams are bringing security and reconstruction assistance to distant regions of the country. And to link the distant regions to the capital, we've got a strategy -- it's called building roads. This is a country that is in dire need for transportation. And since the liberation of Afghanistan, we've provided more than $4.5 billion for reconstruction throughout the country. We're helping with electricity, and irrigation, and water, and sanitation, and other necessities.

Our coalition is working with President Karzai to strengthen the institutions of Afghans -- Afghanistan's young democracy. We understand that the institutions must be strengthened and reformed for democracy to survive. And one of the areas most in need of reform is the nation's legal system. Recently, President Karzai took important steps to strengthen the rule of law, when he appointed a new Attorney General and judges to serve on Afghanistan's Supreme Court. Our coalition is helping his government institutionalize these changes. Italy, for example, is helping to train Afghan judges, and prosecutors, and public defenders, and court administrators so all Afghans can receive equal justice under the law.

And from the beginning, our actions in Afghanistan have had a clear purpose -- in other words, our goals are clear for people to understand -- and that is to rid that country of the Taliban and the terrorists, and build a lasting free society that will be an ally in the war on terror. (Applause.) And from the beginning, the American people have heard the critics say we're failing -- but their reasons keep changing. In the first days of Operation Enduring Freedom, the critics warned that we were heading toward a "quagmire." And then when the Taliban fell, and operations began in Iraq, the critics held up the multinational coalition in Afghanistan as a model, and said it showed that everything we were doing in Iraq was wrong. And now some of the critics who praised the multinational coalition we built in Afghanistan claim that the country is in danger of failing because we don't have enough American troops there.

Look, in order to win war, in order to win the ideological struggle of the 21st century, it is important for this country to have a clear strategy, and change tactics to meet the conditions on the ground, not try to constantly respond to the critics who change their positions. And so I listen to the advice of those who matter in Afghanistan, and that is President Karzai and our commanders. (Applause.) We will continue to help Afghanistan's government defeat our common enemies.

I've constantly told the American people we must defeat the enemy overseas, so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.) I will continue to remind the American people that you deal with threats before they materialize. In this war that we're in, it is too late to respond to a threat after the -- after we've been attacked. I'm not going to forget the lessons of September the 11th, 2001, and I know you won't either. We must take threats seriously now, in order to protect the American people.

So we're going to help the people of Afghanistan, and help them build a free nation. We're going to help them be a successful part of defeating an ideology of hate with an ideology of hope. And think what that will mean for reformers and moderate people in a region that has been full of turmoil. Imagine the effect it will have when they see a thriving democracy in their midst.

No, this ideological struggle of the 21st century will require tough military action, good intelligence, it will require the United States to give our folks on the front line of terror the tools necessary to protect us, including listening to phone calls from al Qaeda coming into the country so we know what they're getting ready to attack or questioning people we capture on the battlefield. That's what it's going to include. (Applause.)

But it also means helping the millions who want to live in liberty to do so. In the long term, we will help our children and grandchildren live in a peaceful world by encouraging the spread of liberty.

Five years ago, another country that faced a choice was Pakistan. At the time of 9/11, Pakistan was only one of three nations that recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda had a large presence in Pakistan. There was a strong radical Islamic movement in that country. Some of the 9/11 hijackers were housed and trained in Pakistan. Pakistan's future was in doubt -- and President Musharraf understood that he had to make a fundamental choice for his people. He could turn a blind eye and leave the people hostage to the extremists, or he could join the free world in fighting the extremists and the terrorists. President Musharraf made the choice to fight for freedom, and the United States of America is grateful for his leadership.

Within two days of the September the 11th attacks, the Pakistani government committed itself to stop al Qaeda operatives at its border, to share intelligence on terrorist activities and movements, and to break off all ties with the Taliban government if it refused to hand over Bin Laden and the al Qaeda. President Musharraf's decision to fight the terrorists was made at great personal risk. They have tried to kill him as a result of his decision, because they know he has chosen to side with the forces of peace and moderation, and that he stands in the way of their hateful vision for his country.

President Musharraf's courageous choice to join the struggle against extremism has saved American lives. His government has helped capture or kill many senior terrorist leaders. For example, Pakistani forces helped capture Abu Zubaydah -- a man we believe to be a trusted associate of Osama bin Laden. Pakistani forces helped capture another individual believed to be one of the key plotters of the 9/11 attacks -- Ramzi bin al Shibh. Pakistani forces helped capture the man our intelligence community believes masterminded the 9/11 attacks -- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Once captured, these men were taken into custody of the Central Intelligence Agency. The questioning of these and other suspected terrorists provided information that helped us protect the American people. They helped us break up a cell of Southeast Asian terrorist operatives that had been groomed for attacks inside the United States. They helped us disrupt an al Qaeda operation to develop anthrax for terrorist attacks. They helped us stop a planned strike on a U.S. Marine camp in Djibouti, and to prevent a planned attack on the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, and to foil a plot to hijack passenger planes and to fly them into Heathrow Airport and London's Canary Wharf.

Were it not for the information gained from the terrorists captured with the help of Pakistan, our intelligence community believes that al Qaeda and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the American homeland. Our close cooperation with the government of Pakistan has saved American lives -- and America is grateful to have a strong and steadfast ally in the war against these terrorists. (Applause.)

President Musharraf understands that the terrorists hide in remote regions and travel back and forth across the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And so we're helping his government establish stronger control over these border areas. We are helping him to equip the nation's paramilitary Frontier Corps that is policing the border regions. The United States is funding the construction of more than 100 border outposts, which will provide Pakistani forces with better access to remote areas of the country's western border. We're providing high-tech equipment to help Pakistani forces better locate terrorists attempting to cross the border. We are funding an air wing with helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to give Pakistan better security and surveillance capabilities.

And as we work with President Musharraf to bring security to his country, we're also supporting him as he takes steps to build a modern and moderate nation, that will hold free and fair elections next year. In an address to his fellow citizens earlier this year, President Musharraf declared this: "We have to eliminate extremism in our society. It will eat us up from within. So it is my appeal to all of you to shun extremism. Adopt the path of moderation.. we will eliminate this extremism in our society and then Pakistan will be considered a moderate, developed country." President Musharraf has a clear vision for his country as a nation growing in freedom and prosperity and peace. And as he stands against the terrorists and for the free future of his country, the United States of America will stand with him. (Applause.)

In both Pakistan and Afghanistan, America has strong allies who are committed to rooting out the terrorists in their midst. And with their help, we've killed or captured hundreds of al Qaeda leaders and operatives -- and we put the others on the run. Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, we will find you, and we're going to bring you to justice. (Applause.)

On Wednesday night, I had dinner with Presidents Musharraf and Karzai at the White House. We had a long and we had a frank conversation about the challenges we face in defeating the extremists and the terrorists in their countries, and providing the people of these two nations an alternative to the dark ideology of the enemy. We discussed the best ways to improve intelligence sharing so that we can target and eliminate the leaders of al Qaeda and the Taliban.

We resolved to strengthen the institutions of civil society in both countries. We agreed on the need to support tribal leaders on both sides of the border. By helping these local leaders build schools, and roads, and health clinics, we will help them build a better life for their communities, and strengthen their hand against -- to fight against the extremists. It was clear from our conversation that our three nations share the same goals: We will defeat the Taliban, we will defeat al Qaeda, and the only way to do it is by working together.

Our meeting took place at a time when there is a debate raging in Washington about how best to fight the war on terror. Recently, parts of a classified document called the National Intelligence Estimate was leaked to the press. As I said yesterday in Alabama, it's an indication that we're getting close to an election. (Laughter.) The NIE is a document that analyzes the threat we face from terrorists and extremists -- and its unauthorized disclosure has set off a heated debate here in the United States, particularly in Washington.

Some have selectively quoted from this document to make the case that by fighting the terrorists, by fighting them in Iraq we are making our people less secure here at home. This argument buys into the enemy's propaganda that the terrorists attack us because we're provoking them. I want to remind the American citizens that we were not in Iraq on September the 11th, 2001. (Applause.)

And this argument was powerfully answered this week by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Here is what he said. He said, "I believe passionately [that] we will not win until we shake ourselves free of the wretched capitulation to the propaganda of the enemy, that somehow we are the ones responsible." (Applause.) He went on to say, "This terrorism is not our fault. We didn't cause it. And It is not the consequence of foreign policy." He's right. You do not create terrorism by fighting terrorism. (Applause.) If that ever becomes the mind set of the policymakers in Washington, it means we'll go back to the old days of waiting to be attacked and then respond. Our most important duty is to protect the American people from a future attack, and the way to do so is to stay on the offense against the terrorists. (Applause.)

Iraq is not the reason the terrorists are at war against us. They are at war against us because they hate everything America stands for -- and we stand for freedom. We stand for people to worship freely. One of the great things about America is, you're equally American if you're a Jew, a Muslim, a Christian, an agnostic or an atheist. What a powerful statement to the world about the compassion of the American people that you're free to choose the religion you want in our country. They can't stand the thought that people can go into the public square in America and express their differences with government. They can't stand the thought that the people get to decide the future of our country by voting. Freedom bothers them because their ideology is the opposite of liberty, it is the opposite of freedom. And they don't like it because we know they know we stand in their way of their ambitions in the Middle East, their ambitions to spread their hateful ideology as a caliphate from Spain to Indonesia.

We'll defeat the terrorists in Iraq. We'll deny them the safe haven to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan. We're going to make it harder for them to recruit a new generation of terrorists, and we're going to help the Iraqis build a free society. It's a hopeful country that sends a powerful message across the broader Middle East, and serves with those of us who believe in moderation and hope as an ally in the war against these extremists.

We can have confidence in the outcome of the war on terror -- because our nation is determined. We've done this kind of hard work before, and we have succeeded. And we can be confident because we've got incredible men and women who wear our nation's uniform. (Applause.) I am constantly amazed at the incredible courage that our fellow citizens who wear the uniform show on a regular basis.

I think of two Navy SEALs named Matthew Axelson and Danny Dietz. In June of 2005, they were part of a SEAL team operating deep in the mountains of Afghanistan on a mission to kill or capture a Taliban leader. They were discovered, and they were soon surrounded in a mountain ravine by 30 to 40 Taliban fighters. During the firefight that ensued, Axelson urged an injured teammate to escape, and he provided cover before suffering a mortal wound. Fighting nearby, his partner Dietz was also mortally wounded, but he too stood his ground and kept firing until finally, he finally died.

Because of the courage of Petty Officers Axelson and Dietz, their wounded teammate made it out alive. For their heroism, these two Petty Officers were awarded the Navy Cross. But I want you to hear what Petty Officer Dietz's wife said about her husband and his comrades in arms. She said, "Danny and his brothers went toward evil and ran forward and gave their last breath."

We live in freedom because of the courage of men like Matthew and Danny. And we will honor their sacrifice by completing the mission. (Applause.) From Afghanistan and Iraq to Africa and Southeast Asia, we are engaged in a struggle against violent extremists -- a struggle which will help determine the destiny of the civilized world. We've borne these responsibilities before, and we have seen our faith in freedom vindicated by history. In this young century, a new generation of Americans is being called to defend liberty -- and once again the cause of liberty and peace will prevail.

Thank you for coming. God bless.

The Musharraf Exception - We can't afford not to push Pakistan back toward democracy

Wall Street Journal - BY ROBERT L. POLLOCK

Pervez Musharraf is America's favorite dictator. The Bush administration seems to consider the Pakistani general--who took power in a 1999 military coup--an indispensable ally, and has yet to publicly pressure him on the democracy front. Democrats and foreign policy thinkers of the "realist" school seem equally comfortable with the idea of Gen.

Musharraf running Pakistan for the indefinite future. Indeed, if the purpose of the general's new autobiography--"In the Line of Fire"--was to win American sympathy ahead of an attempt to fiddle with next year's presidential election, he probably needn't have bothered.

A recent meeting of the Musharraf fan club took place at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, where Gen. Musharraf gave brief remarks and took questions as he launched his book tour on Monday night. He was treated to standing ovations that exceeded mere politeness as he entered and left the hall. Not one questioner raised the democracy issue. And if the moderator--former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin--was curious, he didn't let on. He was too busy extolling Gen. Musharraf's wisdom and the fact that he has been kind enough to employ as prime minister Mr. Rubin's ex-Citibank colleague, Shaukat Aziz.

Even among the "neocon" architects of President Bush's democracy-promotion agenda it's hard to find an unkind word about Gen.Musharraf, as I discovered while spending several days last year in Islamabad with former Undersecretary of Defense Doug Feith. Behind this bipartisan support--or at least acceptance--is Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, and the perception that Gen. Musharraf is the only thing standing in the way of its takeover by a radical Islamic government.

But there are good reasons to doubt this perception, and to suspect that allowing a permanent "Musharraf Exception" to the democracy agenda will do more harm than good.  On the plus side of the Musharraf ledger is, indeed, the obvious fact that the man with the keys to Pakistan's bombs is not a raving Islamic fanatic. He has been an ally--of convenience, at least--in the fight against al Qaeda. And his rule, while autocratic, is not oppressive.

With a smart and vibrant free press, Pakistan undoubtedly passes what Condoleezza Rice has called the "public square test"--a fancy way of saying you can speak your mind without fear of being carted away by the cops.

At the same time, however, Gen. Musharraf suffers from his lack of legitimacy among the secular classes who have run Pakistan's democratic governments in the past, and who would almost surely win if another free poll is held. The Islamists got only 11% in the last parliamentary election, but the general is increasingly courting them as he attempts to hold power--which may be one reason his antiterror efforts haven't included any attempts to crack down on the madrassas.

For the same reason, Pakistan's efforts to control Taliban elements operating within its borders seem half-hearted. And when confronted with a question about this at the Council Monday night, Gen. Musharraf launched into an ethnocentric diatribe about supporting Afghanistan's Pashtun majority.

Never mind that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is a Pashtun. Gen. Musharraf went on at length about the apparently unseemly fact that the late anti-Taliban leader Ahmed Shah Massoud--a "minority" Tajik, he kept pointing out--is revered in Kabul.

More broadly, Gen. Musharraf used his Council on Foreign Relations remarks to criticize the Bush administration's broader war on terror.  "I feel that we are only using the instrument of the military to combat terrorism," he said, ignoring the democracy agenda. And what does he think the root cause of terrorism is? "Palestine is the core issue," he said, repeatedly. The audience could have been forgiven for thinking it was listening to the tired rhetoric of someone like Hosni Mubarak. But then, Gen. Musharraf seems increasingly like Mr. Mubarak, and less like the modernizer preparing Pakistan for a return to democracy that he claims to be.

Don't get me wrong. Your humble correspondent is under no illusions about the feasibility of immediate democratic revolutions in every country of the Islamic world. But equally, let's have no illusions about Pervez Musharraf. He took power illegitimately in a country with some history of democracy, however imperfect. And now he seems to be in no hurry to give it up. The Bush Doctrine can survive the Musharraf Exception over the short run. But over the longer term, the credibility of our efforts to address the root causes of terror will require nudging Pakistan, too, back toward the democratic path.

Mr. Pollock is a member of the Journal's editorial board.

Leak highlights a complex relationship

By Mark Urban Diplomatic editor BBC Newsnight, 28 September 2006

How much more difficult could a relationship be? British troops are being killed in Afghanistan and the Pakistani army could make a difference.

The head of the Pakistani military is also the president, by virtue of a coup. Both Britain and the United States, however, wish to foster democracy rather than having a general in charge.

Add to this conundrum the fact that Pakistan has nuclear weapons, Islamic militancy is surging and anything resembling a collapse of order could trigger regional meltdown, and the picture is complete.

Musharraf's 'fix' - In June, a small delegation from Britain's Defence Academy travelled around Pakistan, meeting academics, military officers and politicians. Their discussions about how the country might emerge from its current time of troubles naturally touched on many sensitive areas.

When they got back to their offices at Shrivenham in Wiltshire one of the team, an officer on attachment to the academy who had previously served in a sensitive post liaising with the Americans on counter-terrorist matters, set down the team's findings.

The document, several pages long, runs through the "fix" that President Pervez Musharraf is in - trying to square international pressures with rising Islamic sentiment - before looking at the Western, Afghan, US and UK dilemmas.

"Pakistan is existing on the edge of chaos," he writes, arguing that Gen Musharraf does not stand for stability but rather that a move to civilian rule "might in fact be the only way to retain and improve stability, avoiding collapse and anarchy".

'Against UK interests' - Many of the statements contained in the officer's notes, for example that the war in Iraq has not gone well and has served as a "recruiting sergeant" for extremists, are in line with other recently published assessments.

However, in some areas the Defence Academy's paper is quite opposed to Downing Street's world view, suggesting that "the UK has followed US policies on the global war on terror at the perceived exclusion of its own interests".

The officer suggests the Pentagon lacks a strategic big idea and that "the US/UK cannot begin to turn the tide until they identify the real enemies... and seek to put in place a better and more just vision".

Unfortunately for the taxpayers and senior officers who sent him away to Shrivenham on a posting for study and professional improvement, the writer does not suggest what that larger vision of prosecuting these conflicts might be.

Instead, he argues that British forces in Iraq "are effectively being held hostage... we are now fighting (and arguably losing or potentially losing) on two fronts".

Embarrassing - It is, though, the reflections on Pakistani politics that proved so embarrassing for the British government on the eve of Gen Musharraf's visit.

The British officer considers 2007 to be "the crunch year", in which international pressure for a move to civilian rule will collide with the Pakistani military's attempts to retain control of the country through their Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and political proxies.

Many Pakistani commentators have long suggested that the ISI has been used to maintain the system of military rule by exporting Islamic militancy to Kashmir and Afghanistan.

"Indirectly", the British officer agrees, "Pakistan (through the ISI) has been supporting terrorism and extremism." He suggests that the Americans are fed up with this state of affairs and may withdraw their funding in order to chase Gen Musharraf from office.

Statements of this kind ultimately proved too tempting for someone with access to the Defence Academy's work to resist. The officer's notes were not classified and were held on a common computer server, allowing many staff open access.

One official at the Ministry of Defence suggested that one reader decided to leak the contents in order to embarrass the Pakistani leader.

It is a measure of how difficult Anglo-Pakistani relations have become that even the research of an officer on an academic posting could have such an effect.

South Asia: Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflicts Continue

By Amin Tarzi (RFE/RL) WASHINGTON September 29, 2006 (RFE/RL)

U.S. President George W. Bush hosted a dinner for Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf at the White House on September 28 that reminded some of past peacemaking efforts involving Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Though they dined and held direct talks, the two presidents' body language reflected the ongoing exchange of recriminations between them and their respective governments. The leaders of these two key allies in the global war against terrorism did not even shake hands or speak with each other in their brief public appearance with Bush.

A Long, Uneasy History - Kabul and Islamabad have never had normal neighborly relations, dating back to Pakistan's founding in 1947.

Most Afghan governments until 1996 -- when the Taliban took charge of Kabul -- have explicitly or implicitly regarded Pakistan as an illegitimate state because of Afghanistan's conviction that Pashtun and Baluch tribes living in Pakistan were forcibly incorporated into the new political entity emerging from the breakdown of British rule in the Indian subcontinent.

Pakistani governments, in turn, have traditionally viewed Afghanistan with suspicion, not only because of Afghanistan's involvement in Pashtun and Baluch affairs, but also because of Kabul's close ties with Islamabad's archenemy, India. The White House on September 27 said the three leaders had "a constructive exchange on the common challenges facing" the three countries. However, the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan did not immediately discuss the meeting in public.

Afghans -- almost universally, although to varying degrees -- believe the Taliban was and remains a Pakistani design to undermine or control their country. When the Taliban regime was in power there was undeniable evidence of Islamabad's support -- something that remains a point of contention for Kabul.

The Post-Taliban Period - In the immediate aftermath of the Taliban period, Karzai personally tried to coexist and cooperate with Pakistan. The period of Kabul-Islamabad detente, albeit at the leadership level, was flaggingly brief and marked with the usual charges and countercharges that also involved an alleged mob attack on the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul in July 2003.

The high-level mudslinging between Karzai and Musharraf began in earnest early in 2006 and, with brief interludes, has not abated in frequency or ferocity.

Pakistani police guard a suspected Taliban fighter arrested in Quetta last month (epa)Karzai's main grievance is that Musharraf is, at best, unable or, at worst, unwilling to curtail the activities of the neo-Taliban inside Pakistan and to break up the support network created by that country's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) working through religious establishments along the Afghan border.

Karzai and Musharraf met in Kabul in early September in an apparent attempt to ease tensions. Musharraf said he went to Kabul to "iron out any possible misconceptions" about his country's intentions toward Afghanistan. Addressing a gathering of senior Afghan officials, the Pakistani leader pleaded with them to "stop blaming" Pakistan for all that is happening in Afghanistan, and assured them that neither his government nor the ISI are interfering in Afghan affairs.

The period of good feelings was very short, however, as both sides almost immediately began to pursue their blame game.

Musharraf's 'National War' Comments - Musharraf hit an especially raw nerve in Afghanistan when in a speech to the European Parliament in mid-September he warned of a "national war" by the Pashtuns against foreign forces stationed in Afghanistan, adding that the "center of gravity for terrorism has shifted from Al-Qaeda to the Taliban."

He described the development as "more dangerous" because the Taliban has "roots in the people [i.e. Pashtuns]." Countering Afghan claims, Musharraf unambiguously stated that former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is in Afghanistan and has not visited Pakistan since 1995.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry called Musharraf's remarks an "insult' to the Pashtuns, adding that Afghanistan and the international community are aware the Taliban came into existence as part of ISI policies and that they continue to receive logistical and financial support from "specific circles" on the "other side of the Durand Line," referring to the Afghan-Pakistani border, which Kabul does not officially recognize.

During their speeches to the UN General Assembly in New York prior to their White House meeting, the two presidents each pointed to the other country as the main terrorism hub.

A statement issued by the White House on September 27 said the three leaders had "a constructive exchange on the common challenges facing" the three countries. However, the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan did not immediately discuss the meeting in public.

However, Musharraf did say that through "good intelligence" his government knows that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is in Konar Province in northeastern Afghanistan. Referring to a recent UN report, the Pakistani leader told the London daily "The Times" on September 27 that the insurgency in Afghanistan is Afghan-based and operated -- contradicting Karzai's premise that most of the insurgency is Pakistan-based and conducted by foreigners, mainly Pakistanis.

From left to right, Musharraf, Bush, and Karzai at the White House on September 27 (epa)Musharraf's stance took a hit as he embarked on an official visit to the United Kingdom on September 28. A report compiled by the Defense Academy, a think tank within the U.K. Defense Ministry, that was leaked to the press suggested that the ISI has indirectly assisted Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and the bombers who attacked transportation systems in Madrid and London. Although London distanced itself from the report's findings and Musharraf vehemently defended the ISI, Karzai and his government could not have asked for a better gift.

It is certain that Kabul will milk the contents of the Defense Academy's report as proof of its claims and thus free itself from most of its responsibilities.

Afghanistan is arguably justified in pointing a finger at Islamabad for not doing enough to stop the insurgents or even for undermining Afghanistan's security. But Afghan officials should be aware that their current policies toward Pakistan -- in particular the apparent resuscitation of the Pashtun and Baluch issues -- are unlikely to deter Islamabad from maintaining options that allow Islamabad to pressure Kabul to stop meddling in Pakistani affairs.

Afghanistan needs international support to quell the ongoing insurgencies, but Kabul must also be proactive in doing its part. The current state of affairs between Karzai and Musharraf can benefit only those who both leaders claim they are fighting -- namely the terrorists and their allies.

Afghanistan's good news: seeds of economic progress

OPINION - The Christian Science Monitor By Karl F. Inderfurth September 29, 2006

WASHINGTON - Afghanistan has experienced little good news of late. The Taliban and its extremist allies have made a powerful comeback, especially in the southern part of the country. Violence is four times more intense than in 2005. Tactics used by Iraqi insurgents, including roadside explosives and suicide bombings, have migrated to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's opium harvest has reached the highest levels ever recorded, showing a 50 percent increase over last year and providing 92 percent of the world's supply. Drug proceeds are supporting the Taliban and helping to fuel the growing insurgency.

Deteriorating security has set back Afghanistan's development efforts. Aid and reconstruction workers are targeted; immunization programs have been halted; scores of Afghan schools have been threatened or torched, leaving more than 200,000 children without access to education.

Hidden in the bad news, however, are the seeds of Afghanistan's future success: economic progress. Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who was in Washington this week and met twice with President Bush, remains relentlessly optimistic about his country's prospects and says these negative trends can be arrested.

p>Earlier this month Mr. Karzai presided over the opening of a $25 million Coca-Cola plant in a new industrial park on the edge of Kabul. It is the first large factory to open in the country since US-led military forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001. The bottling plant, the project of an Afghan businessman, will provide 350 badly needed jobs.

Responding to the deteriorating security situation and countering the exploding drug trade get the lion's share of attention today. But many in the international community suggest that economic development that leads to jobs and the prospect for better lives is the real key to Afghanistan's long-term stability and the best way to marginalize the Taliban, regional warlords, and drug traffickers.

Among those who share this view is Gen. John Abizaid, head of the US Central Command: "It's important that the international community stays focused militarily, but also ups the ante with regard to economic reconstruction.... When there is economic progress, security also moves in a positive direction."

In the first instance, upping the ante for economic reconstruction means more resources for the expansion of electricity (only 6 percent of Afghans have electricity), major water projects to improve agriculture productivity, development of the infrastructure for mineral extraction (copper, iron, marble, and coal), and accelerated road building. "Wherever the road ends," says Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the American military commander in Afghanistan, "that's where the Taliban starts."

Unfortunately, from the outset, the United States and the international community underfunded the rebuilding effort in Afghanistan. Despite being the world's main front in the "war on terror," Afghanistan has never received the investment of resources needed to stabilize it, and it has been given far less in reconstruction assistance from world donors than other recent postconflict areas, including Iraq, Kosovo, and Bosnia. "The international effort to rebuild Afghanistan is in a desperate state," says the Sept. 9 issue of The Economist.

According to World Bank estimates, Afghanistan needs a minimum of $4 billion a year in aid to implement the comprehensive state building and reform plan (including counternarcotics) agreed to at the London Conference on Afghanistan in January, attended by more than 60 countries and international organizations.

The US should make a commitment to provide half that amount during the next five years with the second half provided by our European, Japanese, and other partners.

But economic progress in Afghanistan goes beyond reconstruction and development aid. It also means greater efforts to promote economic progress through trade and investment. Fortunately, Coca-Cola is not alone in taking on both the challenges and opportunities that exist in Afghanistan.

MCT is a US corporation that owns part of Roshan, the largest telecommunications firm in Afghanistan. Roshan just made another $60 million investment to expand its operations in the country. Roshan has been operating there for three years, demonstrating that companies with a long-term commitment in Afghanistan are making profits.

From cars to butter: new markets

Ford Motor Co. has identified Afghanistan as a new market opportunity and is seeking local companies for a Ford distributorship. 3M corporation has selected exporters to distribute its products in Afghanistan. Boeing has entered into a partnership with Ariana, Afghanistan's national airline. Land O'Lakes dairy company is at work training in the agricultural sector.

During his visit to Washington, Karzai met with a group of leading US CEOs. In Kabul, the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency has been set up as a one-stop-shop for the promotion, registration, and licensing of new investments - making Afghanistan, according to a 2005 World Bank survey, one of the world's leaders in the speed needed for business ventures to get started.

Next month, the Afghan government will sponsor its second annual business promotion road show in the US and Canada.

There will be visits to Des Moines, Iowa, to talk about agroprocessing; to Los Angeles to explore information-technology (IT) and telecommunication ventures; to Toronto for exchanges on energy and mining; and to New York to see what's possible in the construction, finance, and insurance sectors.

The road show will be kicked off with a business matchmaking conference in Washington, sponsored by the Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce, bringing companies and financial and government contacts together.

By working with local companies, says the Afghan government, American investors, "can both contribute to the overall economic prosperity of Afghanistan and enjoy opportunities to profit from this emerging market." They will also be investing in a stable, prosperous, and democratic Afghanistan - and the long-term national security interests of the United States.

* Karl F. Inderfurth, assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs from 1997 to 2001, is a professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

PAKISTAN: UNHCR to suspend Afghan repatriation by mid-October

ISLAMABAD 29 September (IRIN) - The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday announced the closure of this year's Afghan repatriation assistance programme from Pakistan by 14 October, mainly due to a slow pace of returns.

The programme is in its last operational year under existing tripartite agreement between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UN refugee agency that will expire at the end of December.

"There are two main reason for this decision. First, the pace of repatriation typically slows down as winter approaches. With Ramadan, it is slowing down even more, coming to a standstill in November/December," Vivian Tan, a UNHCR spokeswoman, said in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

"Secondly, we are trying to avoid confusion between the two operations - repatriation and [upcoming] registration [which starts on 15 October] - to help Afghans make a clear distinction between the two processes," she explained.

The pace of returns has been slow this year since the start of the repatriation season in March. "Daily returns this week have ranged from 65 to about 200 individuals," Tan said.

In 2006, some 130,000 Afghans have repatriated so far, according to UNHCR. However, the UN agency expected that 400,000 Afghans would return home in 2006. UNHCR has announced that the repatriation assistance programme will resume in March 2007, pending the approval of the new tripartite accord.

"All the concerned partners are still discussing the modalities for the new tripartite agreement, which will govern the next repatriation programme, but nothing is confirmed yet," the UNHCR spokeswoman said. "We expect to hear of an extension only in early 2007."

Meanwhile, a country wide registration of millions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan will run from 15 October to 29 December, providing them with refugee ID cards valid for three years.

According to UNHCR, any future return assistance will only be given to Afghans returning with the refugee ID cards issued after the registration drive. The cards will be issued to the Afghans, who were counted in the census conducted in February and March 2005.

More than 2.8 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan since the programme was first launched by UNHCR in 2002 following the ousting of the hardline Taleban regime in Afghanistan.

[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.]