In this bulletin:

• Afghan leader will likely reject war crimes amnesty bill: aide
• Pakistan's military to prepare plans for fencing, mining Pak-Afghan border: Akram
• Afghan gov't arrests 6 suspected terrorists
• 'US spies' killed in tribal area
• NATO allies seen reticent
• German defense minister on surprise visit to troops in Afghanistan
• Military probes abuse allegations in Afghanistan
• Peaceful solution sought for Taliban-occupied Afghan town
• Afghanistan, Pakistan would see boost in Bush's proposed aid budget
• Afghanistan: Indications of a Busy Year Ahead
• Kandahar cops making progress in street-survival skills, says RCMP
• Suspect in Canadian diplomat's death says he's innocent
• Dawn Black: Afghanistan Diary
• Uzbek customs says Afghan drug smugglers get "more sophisticated"
• Wrong Model for Afghanistan
• Indian efforts on to develop Afghan ruler Shershah's mausoleum
• “Last Queen” spotlights Afghan refugees’ tribulations

Afghan leader will likely reject war crimes amnesty bill: aide

Kabul (AFP) - President Hamid Karzai will likely reject as unconstitutional a draft bill adopted by the lower house that gives amnesty for crimes and abuse in Afghanistan's 25 years of war, his spokesman said.

The warlord-dominated lower house last week approved the document ruling out legal action against men accused of rights abuses in the past 25 years of brutal conflict, saying the move was in the interest of reconciliation.

The MPs who presented the document want it to be approved as a law, which means it has to pass through the upper house of parliament and then be approved by Karzai.

The document was contrary to the 2004 constitution and Karzai would decide whether to approve it in this light, his spokesman Karim Rahimi said on Tuesday. "Based on the country's constitution no one, including the president, has the authority for forgiving crimes or murder," Rahimi said.

"In Afghanistan's constitution, as well as in respected Islamic laws, no one but the victim has the right or authority to forgive," he said, adding, "Every step the president takes is within the constitution's limits."

The adoption of the draft in the year-old parliament was criticised by the United Nations, rights groups and a faction of parliamentarians who said it was pushed through without serious debate.

Some MPs said it was presented to the parliament after alleged violators of human rights became alarmed at the execution of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and calls by Human Rights Watch for the prosecution of war criminals.

Karzai's government also formally adopted last month a five-year plan on reconciliation that includes the establishment of a justice and accountability mechanism.

Some legislators were commanders during the Soviet resistance of the 1980s and have been accused of war crimes and abuses including murder and torture during the subsequent 1992-1996 civil war.

Pakistan's military to prepare plans for fencing, mining Pak-Afghan border: Akram

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 6 (APP) - Pakistan's armed forces  have been tasked to work out modalities for fencing and mining portions of the Pak-Afghan border to prevent cross border movement of Taliban and other militants, Ambassador Munir has said.

     At the same time, he called for stepped up efforts on the Afghan side of the border as the prevention of cross border infiltration by militants going both ways was a joint responsibility of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the coalition forces.

     "We hope the Afghan Government and others concerned will accept their own responsibilities to address the multiple challenges to Afghanistan's security, which arise from causes within that country," he said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released on Monday.

     In Washington, a US State Department spokesman also underscored the joint responsibility of Afghanistan and Pakistan to stop cross-border infiltrations.

     "Pakistan has an interest in a stable, prosperous, democratic Afghanistan. The rest of the region has  an interest in that as well. And clearly the rest of the world does as well," Spokesman Sean McCormack told a news briefing in Washington on Monday. 

     In his letter to the UN chief, Ambassador Akram assured that utmost care will be taken to ensure that sites of selective mining were clearly marked and designated crossing points established to allow the movement of extended families.

     He pointed out that a relevant international convention, to which Pakistan is a party, permits the use of land mines or other measures to address the legitimate security requirements of states while addressing humanitarian concerns.

     Pakistan, he said, would be open to reviewing the position if better alternatives to mining  become available to control the border. About the steps taken to secure the border, the ambassador said while Pakistan has deployed over 80,000 troops, established 938 military posts, and directed military operations against elements indulging in cross-border militancy while losing 700 soldiers. "A commensurate effort is required on the other side of the border where less than 40,000 troops are deployed and only 100 military posts exist."

     Drawing his attention to the last UN secretary-general's report, which identifies the main sources of Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, Ambassador Akram said that security in Afghanistan is threatened by  multiple threats from warlords, criminals, the drug mafia, inter-tribal rivalries as well as the resurgence of the Taliban.

      He said that along the 22 frequented border routes where Pakistan maintains border posts, over 40,000 persons and 14,000 vehicles cross the border every day in both directions. Pakistan, he said, is planning to gradually regulate movement across the international border while respecting the 'easement' rights traditionally enjoyed by the tribal population on the two sides.  He expressed the hope that the Afghan government will extend cooperation to ensure better regulation.

     Ambassador Akram expressed concern over the negative reaction from the Afghan side on the recent introduction of biometric border control system by Pakistan at one of the main border crossings. Cross border militancy was closely related to the presence of over 3 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The Taliban militants were able to blend in with these refugees making their detection difficult. "We would like to see all Afghan refugees repatriated to Afghanistan as soon as possible", he said. 

     Pakistan desired an early repatriation of Afghan refugees and would welcome international assistance as well as the cooperation of the Afghan Government for the immediate relocation of some of the camps near the border to inside Afghanistan.

     In conclusion, Ambassador Akram said Pakistan would continue to extend its cooperation to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan and combat terrorism.

Afghan gov't arrests 6 suspected terrorists

  KABUL, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Personnel of law enforcing agency have arrested six suspected terrorists in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province Monday, press department of the country's National Security Directorate said in a press release Tuesday.

    "We took into custody six terrorists in Nangarhar provincial capital Jalalabad Monday,"the press release added. A number of arms and ammunitions including one rocket-propelled grenade and two pistols were recovered from their possession, it added.

    "All of them are Afghans and admitted that they were trained in Wazirustan area of Pakistan,"the press release said. Afghan security personnel also arrested a Taliban spokesman Mohammad Hanif in Nangarhar province last month.

'US spies' killed in tribal area – BBC

Pro-Taleban militants have killed two men they accused of spying against them in a Pakistani region near the Afghan border, officials say. Villagers found the bodies just east of Miranshah town in North Waziristan region late on Monday, officials said.

They were riddled with bullets, with their hands tied behind their backs. There have been a number of such killings in Pakistan's tribal areas in recent months, which local officials blame on pro-Taleban militants.

No one has admitted killing the men, who officials said appeared to be Afghan refugees. They have yet to be formally identified.

"Their bodies were riddled with bullets and the throat of one of the bearded men was slit," a local resident, Mohammad Ayub, told Reuters news agency. He said a note found nearby said: "Those spying for America will meet the same fate."

Last week, the headless body of another Afghan refugee was found dumped near Miranshah with a similar note.

Pakistan's government has signed controversial peace deals with militants in its tribal areas. Tribesmen pledged to end targeted killings and to stop harbouring foreign militants in return for troops maintaining a lower military presence.

Recent air strikes by the military on alleged militant bases in the tribal areas have raised tensions. Tens of thousands of Pakistani troops were sent to the volatile region on the border with Afghanistan to try to curb attacks on Afghan targets launched from Pakistani soil.

President Pervez Musharraf's decision to support the US in its "war on terror" angered many of his opponents in Pakistan.

NATO allies seen reticent

Brussels (Reuters) - NATO defense chiefs meeting in Seville on Thursday are unlikely to make major new offers of troops or equipment to battle insurgents in Afghanistan despite growing U.S. pressure, alliance sources said.

NATO officials stress the two-day meeting in the Spanish city is not a force-pledging conference. But there is no doubt Washington wants more European contributions after it promised extra Afghan aid and thousands more troops last month.

"It's one thing to say: 'we have put this on the table -- now match it'. But it is another to work out who is going to stump anything up," said one alliance source of a widespread reluctance to add troops to the 34,000-strong NATO-led mission.

With more than 4,000 people killed in violence, last year was the bloodiest in Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban Islamist government in 2001.

Washington's announcement last month that it was extending tour duties of some 3,200 troops was swiftly followed by news Britain would add a further 800 troops to its contingent battling the worst of the violence in southern Afghanistan.

But diplomats and other NATO sources said major allies including France, Spain, Italy and Turkey -- all with existing presences in the country -- had signaled they would not make further large contributions in the near-term.

Germany is due on Wednesday to decide whether to deploy Tornado reconnaissance jets to the south but has resisted pressure to allow its troops based in the relatively quiet north to take part in fighting in other parts of the country.

NATO's four-year presence in Afghanistan has been dogged by U.S. accusations its allies are not shouldering their share of the security burden and European retorts that Washington is underestimating their overall commitment to the country.

The U.S. announcement of more troops and aid for Afghanistan was intended as a sign to the country that it was not abandoning it to concentrate on Iraq.

Iraq will not be on the agenda at the Seville talks -- the first meeting of new Defense Secretary Robert Gates with his NATO counterparts.

But the question of how the U.S. army juggles the demands of fighting two wars simultaneously is likely to feature highly at a high-profile annual security conference in Munich this weekend which Gates will also attend.

German defense minister on surprise visit to troops in Afghanistan

The Associated Press - Tuesday, February 6, 2007

BERLIN - Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung made a surprise visit to German troops in northern Afghanistan, his ministry said Tuesday, as Germany discusses whether to send fighter jets to the region.

The minister, who departed Monday for Mazar-e-Sharif, praised the roughly 2,700 German soldiers serving there as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force for their efforts.

Germany is deciding whether to provide further assistance to the NATO mission, including deploying Tornado warplanes.

Military probes abuse allegations in Afghanistan

Last Updated: Tuesday, February 6, 2007 - CBC News

Military officials are investigating allegations three Afghan prisoners were abused while in the custody of Canadian soldiers. The allegations come from University of Ottawa law Prof. Amir Attaran, based on government documents he obtained under the Access to Information Act.

ttaran said he received three documents from the Department of National Defence, hand-written reports from Canadian military police in Kandahar.

The documents show three men were brought to military police by a single interrogator in one day and all had a pattern of injuries to their faces, heads and upper bodies, he told CBC Tuesday.

"It seems to me that if one interrogator has brought in three people in a single day with very similar injuries, this is something that merits investigation," he said.

Attaran sent the information to the Military Police Complaints Commission, a civilian-run body that investigates complaints.

Stanley Blythe, a spokesperson for the chief of staff for the commission, said the commission received the complaint a week ago. It alleges Afghans in custody were mistreated and that the military police failed to deal with it.

There's no evidence available at this time that the military police committed any of the alleged mistreatment, he said.

Attaran said he doesn't know all the details surrounding the incident because DND has refused to provide all the documents he has requested, including a photo of one of the men.

"Only yesterday, because this was about to break in the press, did the DND agree to conduct an internal investigation. An inquiry of this kind should be open to the public," he said.

A group of Canadian soldiers captured the Afghans near a small town about 50 kilometres west of Kandahar, where more than 2,000 Canadians are serving. The men were taken to the medical centre on the Kandahar base.

A military report says the man with the most serious injuries — bruises and cuts to his arm, back and chest — was injured when his hands were tied behind his back. The military initially said "appropriate force" was used against the man, who it said was a bomb-maker.

One of the detainees was described in military reports as "non-compliant," while a second was described as "extremely belligerent," taking four men to subdue him.

Military officials in Kandahar aren't commenting on the abuse allegations and have referred all questions to Ottawa. Since the rotation on the base has changed, all soldiers and officials involved in the alleged incident have returned to Canada.

Blythe said the complaints commission is expected to make a decision whether to launch a public interest probe before the end of the week.

The commission has held one inquiry in the past five years, said Blythe. It probed allegations military police didn't properly investigate a sexual assault at a cadet camp. The hearing in the case has been completed and a decision is pending.

Canadian soldiers are serving under the NATO banner in the Kandahar region, a stronghold of Taliban militants. Forty-four soldiers and one diplomat have died since the mission started in 2002.

Peaceful solution sought for Taliban-occupied Afghan town

Taliban fighters were holed up in a southern Afghan town for a fifth day as officials said they wanted to end the occupation without military action that could cost civilian lives.

NATO planes on Sunday dropped government leaflets into Musa Qala, which was captured Friday, urging the rebels to leave or face action. Thousands of people have already left, fearing bombing raids by NATO warplanes.

"The government is still trying to find a peaceful solution to the problem to avoid civilian casualties," interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP on Tuesday.

Afghan military corp commander for the south, General Rahmatullah Raufi, said the army was on a state of alert but was awaiting the outcome of negotiations between tribal elders and the Taliban.

"The elders want to solve the issue peacefully. We respect that and we are waiting. If they fail, then government will use military means to take control of the town," he said.

Another military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the government was "waiting for as many civilians to leave the town as possible to limit the possibility of civilian casualties from military operations."

Scores of Taliban militants stormed Musa Qala late Thursday, breaking a controversial deal in September which saw British troops agree not to enter a five-kilometre (three-mile) radius around the town.

The local elders had appointed an auxiliary police force, but there had been no direct government presence in the town.

The official said there would be no more such deals in the future. "If the Taliban leave or not, police and army forces will go to the town this time," he said.

About 1,500 families were believed to have left the area, expecting action by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force that is helping the government try to stabilise the fractured country.

There have been strong protests in the past over civilian casualties resulting from NATO force aerial bombings and other anti-Taliban operations.

The tribal elders are seeking a "non-military end to the crisis," said the deputy head of the Helmand province council, Qurban Ali Uruzgani. "Worried about NATO bombing, civilians are still leaving the town. There has been no survey but hundreds of families have already left," he said.

Musa Qala is in the northern part of Helmand province, which produces about a quarter of Afghanistan's illegal opium, which experts say is funding the extremist Taliban in an insurgency launched after they were driven from government in 2001.

The violence was at its worst last year, leaving more than 4,000 people dead -- most of them rebels -- and raising fears of a Taliban comeback.

Afghanistan, Pakistan would see boost in Bush's proposed aid budget

The Associated Press - Monday, February 5, 2007

WASHINGTON - Crucial U.S. South Asian allies Afghanistan and Pakistan would see increases in aid under the proposed budget that President George W. Bush introduced Monday.

Israel and Egypt would continue as the top beneficiaries of U.S. aid in the proposal, but both would see their aid cut slightly.

The proposed budget also includes a major boost in money to Kosovo, a breakaway province of Serbia, which could gain some autonomy soon under a U.N. plan.

Bush's foreign aid requests were part of a $37.4 billion (€28.9 billion) State Department package in a $2.9 trillion (€2.2 trillion) spending plan that Bush proposed Monday.

All the proposals are subject to change in negotiation with Democrats, who for the first time in Bush's tenure control both houses of Congress and must approve the president's proposals.

The administration is recommending an increase in funds to Afghanistan from $968 million (€748.9 million) in the last budget to slightly more than $1 billion (€770 million) to pay for programs for drug eradication and job training programs.

Pakistan's aid would increase to $785 million (€607.4 million) from $499 million (€386 million). The figure would include a proposed $300 million (€232 million) in military aid aimed in part at helping Pakistan fight terrorism.

Under long-standing plans, military aid to Israel for 2008 will be $2.4 billion (€1.9 billion), and Egypt will receive $1.7 billion (€1.3 billion).

Bush, who has made African aid a priority, is proposing an increase of more than 40 percent for the continent, to focus on AIDS/HIV programs.

Some of that increase reflects a boost for the aid and good government program called the Millennium Challenge Corp. The proposed budget would more than double the program's outlays from $1.1 billion (€850 billion) to $3 billion (€2.3 billion). The Millennium Challenge Corp. doles out U.S. foreign aid using business principles to set fiscal and other benchmarks for developing countries to meet.

Indonesia would receive $158 million (€122.2 million), an 18 percent increase in overall funding, if Bush's budget proposal was accepted. Aid to Kosovo would increase greatly to $151 million (€116.8 million).

Some countries, including India, which the Bush administration believes have reached a greater level of development would see decreases. Financing of counternarcotics efforts in the Andean region of South America will remain much the same, although some money will be shifted to other parts of the budget.

The budget proposals received some immediate criticism from Congress. Republican Sen. Richard Lugar said he would push to increase money for the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program for dismantling nuclear weapons in the republics of the former Soviet Union and finding work for former weapons scientists.

Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the level proposed for the United Nations, which he said would leave a $130 million (€100.6 million) shortfall in the account used to pay U.S. dues.

Afghanistan: Indications of a Busy Year Ahead
February 05, 2007 – Startfor analysis

Summary - Taliban fighters attacked Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers Feb. 4 in western Afghanistan's Farah province. The attack came as the Afghan government vowed to retake Musa Qala, a town in southern Afghanistan that has been overrun by the Taliban. Both the attack in Farah and the looming battle for Musa Qala indicate 2007 will be a busy year for NATO forces and the ANA in Afghanistan.

Analysis - Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers and coalition troops fought a small-arms battle against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's Farah province Feb. 4. The fight started when the Taliban attacked an ANA checkpoint near the village of Farah. One Afghan soldier was killed and two were wounded in the battle. At least 10 Taliban fighters were reported dead. The engagement at Farah came as the Afghan government pledged to retake Musa Qala, a town in southern Afghanistan, from the Taliban.

The Farah engagement and the ANA's preparation for the battle in Musa Qala are examples of the ANA's increasing involvement in the fight against the Taliban -- and indications that the ANA will have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate its abilities in the coming year.

NATO, coalition forces and contractors in Afghanistan are heavily engaged in training ANA units in an effort to prepare them to play a more active role in the fight against the Taliban and the insurgents' allies. Troops from the ANA's 201st Corps, based in Pole-i-Charki, east of Kabul, increasingly are taking responsibility for security in the capital and recently formed the second of three authorized brigades.

NATO's focus on training the ANA is switching to a heavier emphasis on mobile training teams, which give ANA units instruction on staff operations, noncommissioned officer battle staff management, training management and decision-making. These skills are required if ANA officers and noncommissioned officers are to organize and lead their units in the field in a way that is compatible with NATO and coalition units.

On Feb. 1, just a few days before the battle in Farah, the U.S. military gave the ANA more than 200 up-armored Humvees, 800 trucks and 12,000 small and heavy arms. This was the U.S. military's first major presentation of new equipment to the Afghan forces.

Despite the equipment, the ANA will still depend completely on NATO and U.S. forces for air and artillery support. However, the new equipment replaces the ANA's old worn-out Soviet-era equipment, which was not compatible with the gear NATO and U.S. forces use. This new equipment and training will make the ANA more mobile and more capable of conducting patrols and taking on other battlefield responsibilities.

This move is geared toward NATO's overall strategy of eventually being able to hand over security to some form of native force so that NATO can leave -- but, realistically, this cannot happen for years. This kind of equipment is similar to that which the United States handed over to the Lebanese armed forces after the 34-day Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. Humvees and machine guns will give the ANA enhanced mobility and better firepower, but -- unlike heavier weapons, such as armored fighting vehicles and artillery -- they do not indicate that NATO especially trusts the ANA.

The equipment handover and intensified training comes ahead of the anticipated spring offensive by the Taliban and their al Qaeda and local militia allies. This offensive happens annually as the winter snows melt, clearing the mountain passes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. NATO believes that although the Taliban and their allies will launch a spring offensive, the Taliban are no longer capable of overrunning and holding any part of the country for any significant length of time. This diminished capability is likely due to the constant pounding NATO has delivered to the Taliban over the last several months in response to a record number of militant attacks, including a dramatic increase in suicide bombings.

This year is shaping up to be a violent one in Afghanistan, despite NATO's efforts. The spring offensive is expected to be intense, with large numbers of suicide attacks. NATO is preparing by sending in more forces. The ANA's increased mobility will allow it to join in the fight to a greater extent in 2007

Kandahar cops making progress in street-survival skills, says RCMP

Monday, February 05, 2007

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Afghan National Police are making progress towards standing on their own two feet, despite a recent series of ambushes and targeted assassinations of officers in Kandahar province, say RCMP trainers.

Over the last few weeks, more than a dozen police have been killed in at least three separate attacks in which Taliban militants have claimed responsibility.

The death toll might have been higher had not been for the training provided by Canadian police based at the provincial reconstruction team (PRT) base.

"We try as best we can to improve their survivability by teaching the in-service skills we do here," said Supt. Dave Fudge, whose unit has spent over a year mentoring local cops.

"I think we are progressing. The sentiment on the street is the security situation in Kandahar is improving. That's very positive."

Fudge said he's seeing a more-disciplined force emerging, especially when it comes to handling roadside bomb attacks, but noted they still have a long way to go.

Canadian police officers have provided training in survival skills, tactics, policing, public safety skills and suspect search, among other things. "They're being more disciplined at IED (improvised explosive device) sites regarding scene management and actual evidence gathering," he said.

This time last year, as Canadian troops were first deploying to this volatile region, the Taliban were on a killing spree, targeting lightly armed police checkpoints. In the course of 52 days last winter and spring a total of 41 officers were killed.

Fudge said it's too early to say whether the recent deaths of 13 officers, including two senior commanders in Kandahar and one in Panjwaii, constitute a trend similar to 2006 - or simply a spasm of unfocused violence.

"It's certainly raised our eyebrows," he said in an interview. "It's a concern, but we have no indication right now that they're related." But the police commander in the Zhari district, a former Taliban stronghold, had no hesitation in calling the attacks a trend.

Col. Akarasool said he has been targeted in the past and fully expects to remain in the cross-hairs of militants. "They don't want me to be safe (and) they try to kill me and other police commanders," he said through a translator.

"I have been bombed by Taliban. My hands were hurt. I was injured by Taliban, so I hope I catch Taliban. They are my enemy." Asked if he feared for his life, Akarasool said with a bravado laugh: "Almost."

The day he was interviewed, the chief had just returned from sweeping the road between this tiny, arid village and nearby Sangiser. After receiving reports that insurgents had laced winding gravel lane with mines, Akarasool took a dozen of his 200 officers in three pickup trucks and went for a drive, but found no explosives.

The brazen patrol, conducted without the benefit of military escort or even mine detectors, highlighted for Fudge the difference between western methods and expectations of policing and the Afghan way.

"Civilian policing as you and I know it does not exist in Afghanistan," he said.

"It is a very dangerous occupation. Here many times these officers are put on the front line. They're a paramilitary force."

Canada's Foreign Affairs Department recently invested $10 million in the Kandahar police, providing them with better equipment and support. Military engineers at the PRT are currently surveying checkpoints to determine which ones can be improved.

Kandahar province currently has 1,800 Afghan National Police officers and there are plans to recruit another 1,000. One of the biggest obstacles facing the force is winning public trust in communities they're asked to protect.

Stories of corruption among the officers are legion, fuelled by underpaid cops sometimes establishing illegal checkpoints and shaking down civilians. There is a level of mistrust in the tightly-knit villages because most police officers are from elsewhere in the country and often transferred between provinces.

"There are problems," said Fudge. "There is corruption, a byproduct of the pay, a byproduct of 30 years of strife, finding a way to survive."

In order to improve security, the government last year authorized the creation of an auxiliary police force, which has its recruits serve in their own community.

Suspect in Canadian diplomat's death says he's innocent

Monday, February 5, 2007 – CBC News

A man arrested twice in connection with the 2006 bombing that killed a Canadian diplomat in Afghanistan says he's innocent and blames police for his detention.

Pir Mohammed, who was arrested in connection with the death of Canadian Glyn Berry, spoke to CBC News from a detention centre in Kabul. Berry, 59, was killed in January 2006 during a suicide vehicle bombing in Kandahar. Three Canadian soldiers were wounded in the attack.

The minivan's last registered owner was Mohammed, who said he sold it before the bombing. Mohammed said through a translator that he has no papers to prove the sale, but insists he is innocent.

Mohammed was first arrested one year ago after police said they found a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a Kalashnikov rifle and a picture of a Taliban leader in his home.

He was freed after two days because influential tribal elders convinced police and Kandahar's governor to let him go.

Mohammed said it isn't unusual for Afghans to have weapons in their homes to protect their families and that the picture was in an album of photos of famous people.

Afghan police Capt. Sher Ali Farhad said he was surprised Mohammed was released without being properly investigated. Mohammed was arrested again in December 2006 at a Kandahar City checkpoint for driving a car listed by Afghan intelligence as a potential bomb threat.

Mohammed blames Afghan police and Canadian influences for his detention, saying any evidence against him won't stick.

Influential local warlord Mullah Naquib has also questioned the arrest and the authority of the police, saying tribal elders are much stronger than Afghan authorities and will intervene

Dawn Black: Afghanistan Diary

Fri 2 Feb 2007 – NDP press

Last week I travelled to Afghanistan as part of a fact-finding mission for the House of Commons Standing Committee on Defence. Being in Kandahar was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life – I consider myself very privileged to have had this opportunity.

I learned a tremendous amount about Canada’s mission there and the difficult work our men and women in the Canadian Forces are facing every day. I look forward to bringing my experience back to the Standing Committee’s work. In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts and impressions.

When we arrived, I was really struck by the size of the base (Kandahar Air Field). While here in Canada, we concentrate on our 2,500 men and women currently serving in Afghanistan, we may not be aware that there are actually 12,000 people on the air base, with American, Dutch and British soldiers.

The base is like a small town – for instance it has a Tim Hortons, a snack and supply shop, recreation halls, a fitness centre, an excellent medical facility, a supply centre and an enormous laundry facility. I shared a room in the army barracks that troops use, and slept on a small cot.

Everyday, I had the chance to talk one-to-one with the soldiers serving there, and they moved me with their stories and personal accounts of their time in Afghanistan.

On the second day, I went outside the wire (which means outside of Kandahar Air Field) and visited an Afghan National Army training camp (Camp Sherzai).

On the third day, I went out in a convoy of 7 Nyala armoured carriers to explore the local region. Security was tight and I underwent briefings beforehand about what to do if an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) hit our convoy. I was so incredibly impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the soldiers protecting us.

I went out in a Chinook helicopter, flying very low to the ground for safety with the intention of reaching Forward Operating Base Masum Gar, but bad weather meant we had to turn back. It was an incredible experience. We were able to view the terrain – to see the grapevines that were 8-9ft high and trench like ditches. I could easily see how people could hide in them. I also saw mud-walled homes, camels and a few people, but no roads

Unfortunately, I didn’t see any reconstruction, nor did I have the opportunity to visit a village or the city of Kandahar. However, I still feel that this trip has given me an even greater understanding of our mission and reaffirmed my profound pride in the men and women in the Canadian Forces who are sacrificing so much. I believe more than ever, that when we ask them to put their lives on the line – it has to be for the right mission.

Dawn Black, NDP Defence Critic

Uzbek customs says Afghan drug smugglers get "more sophisticated"

06.02.2007

Border guards in Uzbekistan fight Afghan drug traffickers who are looking for new methods to smuggle drugs into the republic.

"The inspection of cargo trains going through the Ayritom customs checkpoint on the Uzbek-Afghan border has been stepped up. It was established that hiding places for smuggled drugs are fixed in trains coming from Afghanistan," the press service of the Uzbek State Customs Committee (SCC) today told the Interfax news agency.

The source told the agency that in recent days, several attempts to smuggle small amounts of drugs had been prevented. In particular, customs officers found a fabric-wrapped plastic package containing 47.9 g of opium under an empty fuel tank on a cargo train coming from Afghanistan. Earlier, a hiding place with 44.9 g of marijuana was detected under another train.

"In our view, [by experimenting with] the trafficking of small amounts of drugs, smugglers are actively looking for new methods with the aim of slowly switching to bigger quantities," the press service said.

However, according to Uzbek border guards, it is impossible to use the Uzbek-Afghan border (its length is 137 km) for smuggling drugs into the region for transit further abroad.

"The border is guarded well and the only customs checkpoint near the bridge over the River Amu Darya has been well equipped with up-to-date facilities which make it possible to thoroughly control the movements of transport and people," the SCC said.

The source also told the agency that drug smugglers were more aggressive on the Uzbek-Tajik border (its length is 1,161 km).

About 420 kg of drugs, the major part of which was being smuggled from Tajikistan, was seized in Surxondaryo Region (the republic's south, which borders on Afghanistan and Tajikistan) in 2006 alone.

Last year's largest haul of heroin was 129 kg, which was confiscated in the region's Sariosiyo District during an attempt to smuggle it from Tajikistan. In the same district, a total of 272 kg of opium was found at a local resident's house close to the Uzbek-Tajik border.

"The methods of drug traffickers are becoming more sophisticated. Therefore, for the effectiveness of this fight, it is necessary to detect and block the main drug trafficking routes," the SCC noted.

Wrong Model for Afghanistan - Editorial New York Times 2.4.07

There is no question that Afghanistan needs to wage a far more effective fight against opium trafficking if it ever hopes to achieve a stable peace. But Colombia — another United States ally whose narcotics trade is helping finance a lethal insurgency — is not the model to follow.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what America’s top-ranking military officer, Gen. Peter Pace, recently called for, after the nomination of Washington’s current ambassador in Bogotá, William Wood, to be the new American ambassador in Kabul.

The limited gains Colombia has achieved in recent years have been offset by an overly generous amnesty program for right-wing paramilitary leaders and drug traffickers, which has seriously compromised the rule of law. And American aid has been disproportionately directed into military and police programs, leaving far too little to promote alternative livelihoods for Colombia’s farmers. Despite all the money spent, the amount of land planted with coca crops has risen and the net harvest has been reduced only slightly. Afghanistan’s problems will not be solved by copying these mistakes.

Last year Afghanistan produced 90 percent of the world’s opium — a rise of almost 50 percent from the year before. The exploding drug trade is not just a problem for Europe, where most of the heroin produced from that opium ends up. It is a major destabilizing force inside Afghanistan.

Drug money, which represents roughly 35 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, is fueling government corruption, financing warlords — some pro-government and some pro-Taliban — and adding to a dangerous disillusionment with President Hamid Karzai’s government.

Most of the American aid sent to Kabul since 2001 has gone into security programs and short-term relief and reconstruction, not the long-term development on which lasting security depends. This has left Afghan farmers prey to drug traffickers who often supply the only credit available, with repayment expected in opium poppies.

And with no visible help coming from Kabul or Washington toward alleviating crushing poverty, people in Afghanistan’s southern provinces are beginning to look favorably toward a resurgent Taliban. The significantly increased American aid package for Afghanistan announced last month needs to focus more on development. Mr. Wood needs to bring a different set of priorities to Afghanistan, not simply repeat the mistakes Washington has made in Colombia.

Indian efforts on to develop Afghan ruler Shershah's mausoleum

New Delhi (IRNA) - In a bid to get the mausoleum of Afghan ruler Shershah, famed for building the Grand Trunk Road, at Sasaram in the northern Indian state of Bihar in UNESCO's list of world heritage sites, the Archaeological Survey of India is mulling a proposal to remove encroachments from the tomb complex.

According to Press Trust of India, notices would be issued to those who have made illegal structures in the buffer zone of the protected site in Rohtas district, ASI sources said in Patna.

Over 200 "illegal" structures have come up within the restricted zone of the monument, also known as the Black Pagoda, violating the Archaeological Monuments Special Repair (AMSR) Act, 1992.

"After the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, concerted efforts have been made to get monuments listed in UNESCO's list of world heritage sites but the mausoleum of the Afghan ruler could not find entry because of encroachments," the sources said.

The state government has also decided to develop the mausoleum as a tourist spot, for which the tourism department has already drawn up a master plan, they added.

“Last Queen” spotlights Afghan refugees’ tribulations

TEHRAN, Feb. 6 (MNA) -- “The Last Queen of the Earth”, an Iranian film about the tribulations of Afghan refugees, was screened on Monday at the 25th Fajr International Film Festival, which is currently underway in Tehran.

Directed by Mohammadreza Arab, the film tells the story of an Afghan named Alibakhsh who is working in Iran. He has no way to find out about the situation of his wife and family back home. The U.S. threats to attack Afghanistan after 9/11 increase his distress and finally he decides to repatriate.

“The film was warmly welcomed by a group of Afghan people, who had seen it before,” Arab said during the review session of the film held after its screening.

They called it one of the best films about Afghan refugees of the past 20 years, he added. “The Last Queen of the Earth” is Arab’s debut feature film. However, he had previously made several documentary series and films for IRIB.

The Alibakhsh role is played by Qorban Najafi, who previously appeared in the role of an Afghan refugee in Ahmad Talebinejad’s “I’m Not Bin Laden”.

“If I am to be typecast due to two Afghan characters, acting will never have value for me… (But) I’m not afraid of being typecast,” Najafi said when asked about being given another role as an Afghan.

Ali Azadnia, Abdolvakil Nikbin, Asghar Hemmat, Vahid Negah, and Goli Akbari also star in the film, which was screened at the Brooklyn International Film Festival in June 2006.

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