In this bulletin:

• S.Korean Envoy Heads to Afghanistan
• Taliban told to kidnap foreigners – The News international
• US Military Says 50 Insurgents Killed in Battle in Southern Afghanistan
• Pakistan military action has lessened attacks in Afghanistan: US general
• Taliban leader killed in Chaman
• Afghanistan sheltering Baloch terrorists: Jam
• Iran Blasts US for Invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq
• Afghanistan: Why we are there
• Britain targets Afghan Taliban breeding ground
• Second British soldier dies in Afghanistan in as many days
• Japanese NGOs under strain after Korean hostage executed in Afghanistan
• Berlin issues Afghanistan travel alert amid latest hostage-takings
• Canadian NGO workers maintain a low profile
• Pakistan: Talk of a unilateral US military strike against al-Qaida 'irresponsible'
• INSIGHT: Intelligent intelligence —Ejaz Haider
• Bring 'em on: Militants in Pakistan await US
• Afghanistan: ICRC steps up support for health-care services
• Quebec's Kaboul restaurant targeted as Canadian death toll rises in Afghanistan
• Two US soldiers in Afghanistan convert to Islam: paper

S.Korean Envoy Heads to Afghanistan

By AMIR SHAH 07.26.07, 8:39 AM ET Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan - A top South Korean official headed to Afghanistan on Thursday on a mission to secure the release of 22 Christian volunteers held captive by Taliban kidnappers after the militants killed a hostage.

However, a local police chief said that the negotiations with the captors were difficult because their demands were unclear.

"One says, 'Let's exchange them for my relative,' the others say, 'Let's release the women,' and yet another wants a deal for money," said Khwaja Mohammad Sidiqi, a local police chief in Qarabagh. "They have got problems among themselves."

After conflicting reports Wednesday from Western and Afghan officials that possibly eight of the other hostages had been released, presidential spokesman Chun Ho-sun said the 22 South Koreans were still believed held but were not suffering health problems.

On Wednesday, authorities found the bullet-riddled body of 42-year-old Bae Hyung-kyu in Qarabagh district of Ghazni province, where the South Koreans were abducted July 19. Bae, a deputy pastor and a founder of Saemmul Presbyterian Church, was killed on his birthday, church officials said.

Bae was found with 10 bullet wounds in his head, chest and stomach, said Abdul Rahman, a police officer. Another police official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, said militants told him the hostage was sick and couldn't walk, and was therefore shot.

Bae previously had suffered from lung disease and had recovered but was still taking medicine, a church official told The Associated Press, asking not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the ongoing standoff.

His mother, 68-year-old Lee Chang-suk, broke into tears as she watched the televised government announcement of his death. "I never thought it possible," she said from the southern island of Jeju, according to Yonhap news agency.

The kidnappers "will be held accountable for taking the life of a Korean citizen," Baek Jong-chun, South Korea's chief presidential secretary for security affairs, said in a statement before leaving for Afghanistan to consult with top Afghan officials on how to secure the release of the remaining captives.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a purported Taliban spokesman, said all 22 hostages were fine but claimed authorities were not allowing South Korean officials to negotiate directly with the militants.

"Kabul officials asked us to give them more time," Ahmadi said, speaking by phone from an undisclosed location. "The Taliban are not asking for money. We just want to exchange our prisoners for Korean hostages. ... When they release the Taliban, we will release the hostages."

Chun said South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun had spoken with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, but did not disclose what was said.

Ghazni Police Chief Ali Shah Ahmadzai said the Afghan negotiators were speaking with the Taliban over the phone, in a hope of securing the hostages release.

"We will not use force against the militants to free the hostages," he said. "The best way in this case is dialogue."

Ahmadzai said he was hopeful about reaching "some sort of deal for the release of six up to eight people" later Thursday, without giving an explanation for his optimism.

Chun said both governments were cooperating and that an Afghan official had told South Korea that Kabul intended to negotiate with the Taliban. He said Seoul was aware of the Taliban's current demands but declined to specify them.

Seoul also repeated its call that no rescue mission be launched that could endanger the captives further.

Marajudin Pathan, the governor of Ghazni province, said militants have given a list of eight Taliban prisoners who they want released in exchange for eight Koreans.

An Afghan official involved in the negotiations earlier said a large ransom would be paid to free eight hostages. The official also spoke on condition he not be identified, citing the matter's sensitivity. No other officials would confirm this account.

Foreign governments are suspected to have paid ransoms in Afghanistan in the past, but have either kept it quiet or denied it outright. The Taliban at one point demanded that 23 jailed militants be freed in exchange for the Koreans.

The South Koreans, including 18 women, were kidnapped while on a bus trip through Ghazni province on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, Afghanistan's main thoroughfare.

South Korea has banned its citizens from traveling to Afghanistan in the wake of the kidnappings. Seoul also asked Kabul not to issue visas to South Koreans and to block their entry into the country.

Because of a recent spike in kidnappings of foreigners, police announced that foreigners were no longer allowed to leave the Afghan capital without their permission.

The South Korean church that the abductees attend has said it will suspend at least some of its volunteer work in Afghanistan. It also stressed that the Koreans abducted were not involved in any Christian missionary work, saying they provided only medical and other volunteer aid to distressed people in the war-ravaged country.

Two Germans were also kidnapped last week. One was found dead and the other apparently remains captive. A Danish reporter of Afghan origin escaped a kidnap attempt in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the Danish Foreign Ministry said.

In new violence, U.S.-led coalition forces and Afghan troops fought two separate battles with militants in southern Afghanistan, killing more than 60 suspected Taliban insurgents.

Coalition forces and Afghan troops attacked a cluster of buildings in Helmand province that militants have been using to launch attacks. More than 50 Taliban were killed and several others were wounded in a 12-hour gunbattle.

"Coalition air support dropped two bombs on the compounds with the greatest concentration of insurgents," the coalition said. "Both compounds produced significant secondary explosions immediately suggesting a large quantity of explosive material was present in each."

The clash occurred near the village of Musa Qala, where a peace deal struck last year with local elders effectively ceded control of the area to Taliban fighters. The agreement between the elders and the Helmand government prevents NATO and Taliban forces from entering the town, but militants still use the area as a staging ground for raids against Afghan and foreign troops.

Militants recently attacked a coalition patrol with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, prompting the assault on the compound. A coalition soldier broke his hand during the fight, the coalition said.

In neighboring Kandahar province, a clash left 10 suspected militants and one policemen dead, said Sayed Afghan Saqib, Kandahar provincial police chief.

Violence has risen sharply in Afghanistan in the last two months. More than 3,500 people, mostly militants, have been killed in insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press tally of casualty figures provided by Western and Afghan officials.

Taliban told to kidnap foreigners – The News international

The News -Thursday July 26, 2007

LONDON: Taliban have been instructed to kidnap as many foreigners as possible, the Islamist militia’s new military commander said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.

Speaking to Channel 4 News from an undisclosed location along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, Mansour Dadullah also said that the Taliban planned to use children to behead hostages. He advocated kidnapping foreigners to trade them for Taliban captives “Of course, kidnapping is a very successful policy and I order all my Mujahideen to kidnap foreigners of any nationality wherever they find them and then we should do the same kind of deal.”

He added that the Taliban wanted to “give children a military education, we want to train them against cruel invaders and infidels, so when we need them they will join this struggle”. “We want to use children to behead infidels and spies so that they will become brave.”

Dadullah also claimed that a “spectacular” outrage would take place in Britain, in the wake of three failed car bombings in London and Glasgow about a month ago. He said that he was in close contact with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and added that between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, “we don’t keep count of weapons, money or anything”.

The Taliban commander claimed that the militia held eight districts of the restive Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, which was denied by Defence Secretary Des Browne. “I would contradict the suggestion that the Taliban are somehow overmatching us in Helmand or are spreading their influence. They are not,” Browne said.

US Military Says 50 Insurgents Killed in Battle in Southern Afghanistan

By VOA News 26 July 2007 - The U.S. military in Afghanistan says coalition forces have killed more than 50 insurgents in a battle in the southern province of Helmand.

A military statement said coalition troops suffered no casualties, and that there were no reports of civilian injuries during the 12-hour battle that ended early Thursday.

It said coalition warplanes were involved in the fighting that took place near the village of Musa Qala. Insurgents use the village and surrounding areas to launch attacks against foreign and Afghan troops.

On Wednesday, Britain's Defense Ministry said a British soldier died and two other British troops were wounded when an explosion struck their armored vehicle in Helmand province. Britain has about 7,000 troops in Afghanistan - mostly fighting Taleban in Helmand. Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

Pakistan military action has lessened attacks in Afghanistan: US general

WASHINGTON: Attacks by militants along the Afghan-Pakistani border doubled last month over the same period in 2006, but are decreasing now because of Pakistan’s new military operations on its side of the frontier, a top US commander said on Wednesday.

Army Major General David Rodriguez also said there has been a 50 percent to 60 percent increase over last year in the number of foreign fighters flowing into Afghanistan from Pakistan. “The Al Qaeda network is the one that brings most of the foreign fighters in,” the general said.

Rodriguez estimated that foreign fighters account for less than 5 percent of insurgents there and said they execute a minority of attacks. But they provide money and other resources and have “leadership skills” to serve as a core for forming larger groups, he told Pentagon reporters via video conference from Afghanistan.

Rodriguez declined to say how many foreign fighters he was talking about. He also offered no figures on the number of attacks, saying only: “Last month it was about double what it was a year ago the same month. It’s ... decreased a little in the past month, mainly because of the Pakistani military operations being conducted at the present time.”

He also said the number of larger scale Taliban attacks has declined from a high point in May and June, as a result of operations by US, NATO and Pakistani forces. The operations had “a significant impact on their leadership that has disrupted their capability to conduct many of those large attacks,” he said.

Rodriguez said the US military in Afghanistan coordinates closely with the Pakistani military, and the have developed good intelligence sharing and communication. “We’ve made no plans to use US forces on their side of the border,” he added. Agencies

Taliban leader killed in Chaman

Daily Times CHAMAN: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Taliban commander and two Uzbek nationals in separate incidents here on Wednesday, Online reported.

A private television channel said that Taliban commander Mullah Naimatullah had come to Chaman from Afghanistan on Tuesday to meet his brother. Naimatullah was shot dead when he was returning to Afghanistan. The Chaman SHO said that Naimatullah’s family had not demanded his body so far.

Naimatullah was an associate of the governor of Afghanistan’s Khost province during the 1996- 2001 Taliban regime, AFP reported. A spokesman for local Taliban, Gul Mohammad, said Naimatullah settled in Chaman after the 2001 ouster and was teaching at a madrassa.

The SHO said that in another incident, unidentified men stopped a vehicle carrying 15 Uzbek nationals near Zaraband on the Chaman National Highway and killed 2 Uzbeks. Agencies

Afghanistan sheltering Baloch terrorists: Jam

Says entire Balochistan declared calamity-hit area - By Mukesh Ropeta

JACOBABAD: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yousaf has said that Barhamdag Bugti and Ballach Khan Marri are involved in terrorist activities in the province and the Afghan government has provided them shelter.

Jam told reporters on Wednesday in Jaffarabad that the Afghan government is not handing them over to Pakistan despite repeated contacts. Earlier he distributed cheques of Rs 15,000 at a cattle farm among the flood-affected people.

H said the Afghan government’s allegations against the Balochistan government that terrorist camps are operating in the province for terrorist acts in Afghanistan are "baseless and fabricated", as there is no terrorist camp in Balochistan. Jam said if the Afghan government has any proof then that must be provided.

Addressing the flood-affected people, he said they must not think that after giving Rs 15,000 cash relief the government would forget them as previous governments had done but they must remember that President Gen Pervez Musharraf has promised to them that the government would not rest till they are not fully rehabilitated.

He said the federal government has declared entire Balochistan calamity-hit and for this year all provincial taxes like land tax, Abiana, property and other taxes have been waived and he has also requested Gen Musharraf to withdraw the federal taxes and agriculture loans.

Jam said more relief camps for the affected people would be established at government schools. APP adds: Jam said although complete rehabilitation of flood-hit people is a gigantic task but the federal government is extending all-out support to the provincial government in this regard. "We are confident that we would soon overcome the challenge of rehabilitation of rain-hit people due to well-coordinated efforts among the government agencies."

He said the assessment survey of the damage caused to property is in progress and would be completed within a month after which the international community would be apprised of the need.

Various national and international welfare organisations have also assured their full support to the provincial government in the rehabilitation of the affected infrastructure and the people, he said.

Jam said if President Musharraf decides to get himself elected for another term from the present assemblies the Balochistan Assembly would fully support him.

He said the government is committed to combat terrorism and would not let terrorists go scot-free.

Iran Blasts US for Invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq

16:17 | 2007-07-26 - TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- After four years of occupation, the US and its allies have failed in enhancing security or increasing welfare, prosperity and literacy in Afghanistan and Iraq, commander-in-chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi said.

"And although they have deployed 51,000 troops in Afghanistan, they have lost control to the Taliban in five provinces of that country," he continued.

The General reminded the large death toll of the US in Iraq, and said, "They have failed in attaining their goal in Iraq, where they hoped to push a laic government to power, but a fully Islamic parliament and government are ruling the country."

He said US occupation of Iraq was aimed at the implementation of its Greater Middle-East plan, "but the United States failed in taking the very first step and was obliged to beg for Iran's help."

"The two rounds of Iran-US talks over Iraq revealed the inefficiency of the United States' policies and militarism, and Iraq has now turned into another Vietnam for the US," Safavi added.

Afghanistan: Why we are there

By David Miliband Foreign Secretary 26/07/2007

ARRIVING by Chinook into Lashkar Gar, capital of Helmand Province, is quite an experience. Over the Helmand River and low across the town, the skill of our pilots is seriously impressive.

Their dedication is matched by that of their colleagues, troops and civilians working for the Provincial Reconstruction Team. They are helping Governor Wafa and the provincial council provide a better quality of life for their people.

On my first visit outside Europe as Foreign Secretary, I wanted to thank our people and to reassure Afghans that we are determined to build a democratic, prosperous and peaceful Afghanistan.

I understand that many of you will be asking why Britain needs to spend its money and political influence, and risk the lives of its brave soldiers and civilian staff in Afghanistan. The answer is that Afghanistan is unique and it matters to Britain.

We need to be engaged there because we know from bitter experience that a lack of governance in that part of the world - more there than anywhere - can result in a fertile breeding ground for the terrorists who seek to make us at home change our way of life.

Because of the enormous cost of heroin use and the related crime on our streets. Because if this new democracy can succeed in defeating extremism, as I believe it can, then it is a blow against extremism everywhere.

Because we know that the cost of intervening in Afghanistan will be a fraction of the cost to Britain in the long run if the international community were to abandon the country.

We and the rest of the international community have worked hard for the last five years to help the Afghan people rebuild their country.

With them we have helped to construct a democracy based on a new constitution, and with it a country, from the ruins of civil war and the devastation wrought by a brutal fundamentalist regime.

OUR troops have provided the vital security which gives the Afghan government and people the space to rebuild their society with our help.

But we have to ensure that our work mustn't falter. We must work with our international partners, including the United Nations, to renew our sense of purpose, and ensure that, together with the Afghan government, we make progress and take the difficult decisions which need to be taken. There is no question in my mind that we must show determination and commitment. The insurgency must be defeated and the drugs trade, with its ties to insurgency, corruption and crime, must be stemmed.

The Afghan government needs to be empowered by giving it the resources it needs to deliver. We also need to make clear to the insurgents they can return to share in the new Afghanistan if they give up violence.

There must be greater engagement by the Afghan government with its neighbours and we must redouble our efforts to put Afghan politicians, forces and officials, in our combined efforts to secure the country.

We have to ensure that the economic and social interests of the Afghan people are centre stage. On Tuesday I attended the funeral of the last King of Afghanistan. Mohammad Zahir Shah was an important symbol of unity, democracy and human rights.

He worked to improve the lives of all Afghans. We will help the Afghan government continue his legacy.

Britain targets Afghan Taliban breeding ground

Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:25PM IST - By Katherine Baldwin

KABUL (Reuters) - Britain's Foreign Secretary, on his first visit to Afghanistan, sought increased Afghan efforts to combat the corruption and narcotics trading that undermine government action against resurgent Taliban militants.

David Miliband, appointed after Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister, said on Tuesday problems in Afghanistan were "manifold" but warned against fatalism over its prospects.

Britain, which has 7,100 troops based here, is only too aware of the consequences of failure of NATO's mission and of efforts to extend government control, particularly in tribal areas where militants are taking advantage of a power vacuum.

Deeper instability here could turn the country into a breeding ground for al Qaeda militants and have a knock-on effect on Pakistan and potentially Iran, British officials say.

"Our agenda is ... to promote economic development, to squeeze the space in which terrorist groups can develop, tackle the narcotics problem, (and) promote good government and democratic institutions," Miliband told a small group of reporters on his first trip outside Europe as foreign secretary.

He wants to encourage Afghan President Hamid Karzai to step up efforts to weed out corruption and build up his government's capacity. Miliband will hold talks with Karzai on Wednesday.

The foreign secretary's trip to Kabul coincided with the funeral of former Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah who died on Monday, aged 92.

Much of his agenda was cancelled or postponed because of three days of mourning and as he attended Zahir Shah's funeral.

British and American officials have expressed concern at Karzai's slow rate of progress in tackling corruption and building up his government's capacity but Miliband said he was not in Kabul to criticise Karzai.

His visit so soon into Brown's new administration is designed to reassure Afghan allies that Britain's commitment is for the long haul, Miliband said, despite unease at home about rising casualty levels among British troops.

The two men will also discuss progress in fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda-linked insurgents who are especially active in the south and east, as well as counter-narcotics strategy.

In one of his final speeches last month, Blair warned Afghanistan risked being overwhelmed by the same anti-Western violence that has torn up Iraq.

"Afghanistan embodies some of the biggest challenges for foreign policy. The challenges and problems are manifold," Miliband said.

With the attempted bombings in Britain last month still fresh in mind, Miliband will also urge Karzai to work more closely with Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf to stop the Taliban and other militants sheltering and training along the border between the two countries.

Last week, a British parliamentary committee highlighted a series of concerns about progress in Afghanistan, saying there were worrying signs the Taliban were growing stronger and Afghan police and armed forces lacked training to deal with them.

It also said the 36,000-strong ISAF mission needed reinforcements to battle the Taliban and al Qaeda militants that were expanding their influence in the south. Britain leads NATO forces in the restive Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.

Second British soldier dies in Afghanistan in as many days

Last updated at 14:34pm on 26th July 2007

A soldier from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards was killed in southern Afghanistan today, the Ministry of Defence said.

It comes a day after a British soldier from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, died after a blast during a patrol in the outskirts of Sangin in the volatile Helmand provinc in Afghanistan.

He was the 66th British forces personnel to die in Afghanistan since the start of military operations there in November 2001.

Japanese NGOs under strain after Korean hostage executed in Afghanistan

07/26/2007 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Japanese nongovernmental organizations were on edge Thursday while the Foreign Ministry urged Japanese to evacuate certain cities in Afghanistan amid the escalating crisis over South Korean hostages held by the Taliban.

An official at the Japanese Embassy in Kabul said Japanese in Afghanistan have remained relatively calm since the bullet-ridden body of one of the Taliban's 23 South Korean hostages was found Thursday.

However, at Japanese NGO offices in Tokyo, concerns are rising that foreign workers in Afghanistan could increasingly become the target of terrorists.

"Foreigners stand out just by walking outside in Afghanistan," said an official of JEN, a Tokyo-based NGO that works on reconstructing infrastructure. "It is hard to believe that 20 or more people, like the South Korean group, were actually walking together."

Four members of JEN are currently in Afghanistan helping to rebuild schools and other facilities around Kabul.

According to the Foreign Ministry, 143 Japanese were in Afghanistan, including government officials and 50 NGO members, as of June.

The situation in Afghanistan has steadily become deadlier with an increase in suicide bombings and kidnappings.

The ministry issued a travel advisory warning for five Afghan cities, including Kabul, asking all Japanese to evacuate.

The Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR) has dispatched five volunteers for such operations as teaching the locals how to avoid land mines. Its Tokyo office exchanges information with members in Afghanistan on a daily basis.

"It seemed that they did not have to be in Afghanistan," an official in Tokyo said about the South Koreans.

The Taliban kidnapped 23 South Korean church group volunteers about a week ago. The hostage-takers said more will be executed if South Korea refuses to withdraw its troops from the country.

Prosthesis & Orthosis Supporter's Association for Afghanistan, an NGO based in Nara, plans to dispatch five members to Afghanistan in late August.

However, the director, Noboru Takitani, 58, said, "We will have to reconsider the dispatch if the situation there worsens."(IHT/Asahi: July 26,2007)

Berlin issues Afghanistan travel alert amid latest hostage-takings Berlin, July 26, IRNA

Germany's Foreign Ministry has issued a travel warning for Afghanistan on Wednesday in the wake of the latest hostage-takings involving German citizens in the war-stricken country.

The German alert "warns urgently" of undertaking trips to Afghanistan.

It added that whoever still decides to travel to Afghanistan has to be aware of one's "endangerment by terroristic or criminal- motivated violent acts".

There is a risk throughout Afghanistan that one can become a victim of a kidnapping, said the foreign ministry, adding that even international ISAF troops cannot ensure the safety of foreigners who visit Afghanistan.

Several Germans have become target of abductions by local criminal groups and the radical Taliban militia in Afghanistan over the past weeks. There are also 3,000 German soldiers deployed in northern Afghanistan as part of the ongoing ISAF military campaign.

Canadian NGO workers maintain a low profile

ALEX DOBROTA From Thursday's Globe and Mail July 26, 2007 at 12:45 AM EDT

Whether travelling in unmarked sedans, donning the traditional shalwar kameez or secretly planning itineraries, Canadian non-governmental organization workers in Afghanistan are opting for a low profile to ward off kidnappings.

Their approach seems to differ sharply from that of many Canadian business representatives who operate in the war-torn country and who rarely hesitate to hire armed bodyguards to escort them on their travels.

Both groups agreed, however, that the threat of kidnappings has always existed across much of the Afghan countryside, where the local police and army wield little authority.

“It's one third good management, one third local goodwill and one third, in the end, it's good luck,” said one NGO worker who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to attract unwanted attention to herself or her organization.

Those comments came as purported Taliban members killed one of 23 South Korean hostages kidnapped as they were riding a bus from Kandahar to the capital city of Kabul.

While the NGO workers interviewed insisted they remain undaunted by the latest abductions, they also said they will likely increase their security measures.

These include travelling in generic sedans, like Toyota Corollas, a popular car in Afghan cities, one Canadian NGO worker said.

It can also mean changing cars when using the same route. The NGO workers interviewed said they avoid riding in SUVs or expensive cars. They rarely talk about their travel plans and try to avoid travelling in convoys, so as not to present an obvious target to potential kidnappers.

“They're out there in the mountains, they're out there in that area and observing what's going on the road, who is passing by,” said the Canadian NGO worker. “So we travel very low-profile.”

Before setting off, they perform what they call a “recce,” meaning a reconnaissance procedure that involves calling local police commanders for advice about the different districts that span the itinerary.

Often, NGO representatives travel with Afghan interpreters who can navigate through the network of local leaders and police commanders. Because gaining the trust of the locals is essential for the success of most NGO projects, their workers do not usually rely on armed escorts.

On the other hand, companies that decide to take advantage of the growth potential of the Afghan market often set aside a budget for security, said Aziz Amiri, the head of the Canada Afghanistan Business Council. The group represents about 40 businesses in Canada, ranging from manufacturing companies to import-export ventures, several of which have branches in Afghanistan.

When venturing into the Afghan countryside, their officials are often accompanied by an armed private escort hired through local security companies, Mr. Amiri said.

“It's a give and take. They have to pay security, but in return they can make more money in Afghanistan than anywhere else.”

Pakistan: Talk of a unilateral US military strike against al-Qaida 'irresponsible'

The Associated Press Thursday, July 26, 2007 - ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Talk in Washington of a possible unilateral U.S. military strike against al-Qaida in Pakistan's tribal areas is "irresponsible" and undermines support for President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in fighting terrorism, the foreign minister said Thursday.

In a defense of Islamabad's counterterrorism strategy, Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri also said Pakistan had sent more troops to a frontier region near Afghanistan where critics say a September 2006 peace deal with local Taliban has allowed Islamic militants to thrive.

The United States has dubbed the deal a failure, saying it has given an opportunity for al-Qaida to regroup. A senior defense official said Wednesday in Washington that U.S. special forces would be able to strike an extremist target in Pakistan's tribal areas if they had urgent intelligence.

Pakistan, where public opposition to the government's anti-terror alliance with the U.S. runs high, says that would violate its sovereignty. Kasuri on Thursday dubbed talk of a unilateral U.S. attack as "irresponsible" and "counterproductive" in anti-terror cooperation.

"Even talk of that nature undermines the support for the Pakistan government and its efforts," he told a press conference after meeting with visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

Kasuri said Pakistan would use military force against those who would not "listen to reason" but ultimately, the situation in the tribal region of North Waziristan — where the peace deal has floundered amid suicide attacks, leaving scores dead — could only be resolved politically.

"We are told repeatedly that the North Waziristan agreement has failed. The point is, in the long-run you can only have a political approach," Kasuri said.

He said Pakistan had sent more troops so tribal elders overseeing the deal can make sure commitments are fulfilled — for militants to desist from attacks on security forces, harboring foreign fighters and cross-border raids on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Miliband stressed the need for "concerted action" on both sides of the frontier, by Pakistan and NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan, including Britain and the United States.

Insurgency-related violence in Afghanistan has also escalated this year, leaving more than 3,400 dead.

The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush told Congress on Wednesday that Pakistan was the "most indispensable partner" of the United States in fighting terror, but that Pakistan needed to do more.

Undersecretary of Defense James Clapper said U.S. forces had the capability to strike in the tribal regions, and would like them to have more freedom to take action there.

INSIGHT: Intelligent intelligence —Ejaz Haider
Thursday, July 26, 2007

It is all too tempting to be tactically brilliant while losing the larger strategic focus. What needs to be discussed — and at multiple levels — is the cost of keeping certain intelligence assets: does the cost exceed the benefit; what is the nature of such assets; is there absolutely no other policy approach and so on

The one-legged Pakistani Taliban commander, Abdullah Mehsud, is dead, reported to have killed himself July 24 by detonating a hand grenade to avoid capture when intelligence agents closed in on the house where he was hiding. The house, in Balochistan’s northwestern Zhob district, just south of South Waziristan, belonged to Sheikh Ayub Mandokhel, a leader of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e Islam. Mehsud’s two brothers and a third Taliban leader were arrested.

These are now known facts. But recapping them is important because of the pointers they contain. Consider.

Mehsud was intercepted while returning from Afghanistan through the Zhob corridor. Anyone with even little knowledge of intelligence work would know that this kind of operation is not serendipitous — i.e., the security forces did not just chance upon him. Quite the contrary. They were monitoring his movement, had the means to keep the trail hot and got him when he entered Pakistan and was relaxing in transit before crossing north into South Waziristan.

Corollary: Pakistani intelligence has elements within the jihad international which it can use, and does, when the moment to take someone out is propitious.

On May 12, NATO-ISAF troops killed another one-legged top Taliban commander, Mullah Dadullah, in the Helmand province of Afghanistan after he had crossed over into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Dadullah was Mullah Omar’s number 2. It is now known that the tip-off came from Pakistani intelligence, though at the time NATO spokespersons had declined to comment on where the information had come from.

Does this mean Pakistan knows everything about the movement of jihadi commanders? No. What this shows is that Pakistan has the capability, because of the old nexus between these groups and its intelligence set-up, to pick up actionable tips on the movements of these people. The level of trust and cooperation has dwindled but there seem to be enough people out there who straddle both sides and can be relied upon.

Also, it is important to note in the case of Mehsud that the intelligence agents caught up with him while he was en route to his Waziristan redoubt. It would probably have been difficult to get him after he had entered his own area.

Mehsud was captured from the house of a JUIF-related leader. That man, Mandokhel, said to be JUIF chief for the Zhob chapter, has slipped away. Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, a JUIF leader and considered a moderate, says the party had rescinded Mandokhel’s membership on account of indiscipline. Be that as it may, it shows the connection between the jihad underground and mainstream religio-political parties of Pakistan.

Sherani himself is supposed to be close to General Pervez Musharraf and was active in dissuading the MMA from resigning from the assemblies when Qazi Hussain Ahmed of Jama’at-e Islami was pressing for a more radical course of action in the wake of General Musharraf’s decision not to doff the uniform post-December 31, 2004.

Sherani’s political boss, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, is already chalking a cautious course and trying to contain the vaulting ambition of Qazi Hussain Ahmed to wage a grand struggle against the Musharraf regime. Both the JI and JUIF have had linkages with the Afghan jihad/civil war and the Deobandi groups active in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If Rehman wants to cover his tracks and become a part of the new political configuration in Pakistan, those linkages could be useful to the Pakistani intelligence.

In this shadowy world, there is little certainty. There are too many actors involved and most have their own agendas. This is not peculiar to the current game being played. In Afghanistan, the US army co-opted warlords and drug dealers to mop up Al Qaeda elements. It has ended with a massive problem on both counts. The CIA co-opted General Manuel Noriega even though he had linkages with Cuba and was running drugs. But he was useful on many counts and helped the US against the Sandinistas by financing the Contra rebels. Intelligence assets are never clean. There is a time to use them and there is a time to get rid of them. It’s all in the nature of the game.

The links of Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies with the groups active in this area are no different. Without such links there can be no penetration and no control. A balance has to be kept, not just for purposes of any perceived strategic pluses — important though that may be — but also because not everything the groups do may be against the interests of Pakistan.

This is playing with fire. But in this business this is the only way to go about it. It is amazing that western military/intelligence analysts should fault Pakistani establishment for acting in the way it has or does because they know that they would have done exactly that. It is a laugh when analysts talk about the necessity for Pakistan to clean up its act. If Pakistan did not have links with these groups the Americans, for the most part, would have walked into Afghanistan blindly. Since these analysts know how this game is played, their analyses smack of double-speak.

What is vital, however, is to ensure that the game dovetails into a well thought-out national security strategy instead of becoming a function of rogue elements. It is all too tempting to be tactically brilliant while losing the larger strategic focus. What needs to be discussed — and at multiple levels — is the cost of keeping certain assets: does the cost exceed the benefit; what is the nature of such assets (whether they are short- or long-term ones); is there absolutely no other policy approach and so on.

Take a specific example: Maulvi Nazir was introduced into Waziristan because the idea was to prevent attacks on security forces and with time and effort get rid of the foreigners. It worked pretty well for some time; Nazir was allowed to run his own local government in exchange for an understanding that Pakistani troops will not be attacked. And he did take on the Uzbeks.

But the attack on Lal Masjid seems to have changed the hue of the game with the hardliners winning over those who would like to stay clear of Pakistani troops. Nazir has faced an assassination attempt and sources say he may not be very useful now. The man who threatened suicide bombings was the slain Mehsud; the other, Baitullah Mehsud, is still around and is dangerous.

The issue for Pakistani establishment is to keep these people under control. But the problem with that approach is that any such linkage is tenuous at best because these groups and their cadres are not amenable to the state’s agenda. The question, therefore, is how much use Pakistan has for them, especially when it becomes important to take them out after a rash of suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks.

Ejaz Haider is Op-Ed Editor of Daily Times and Consulting Editor of The Friday Times. He can be reached at sapper@dailytimes.com.pk

Bring 'em on: Militants in Pakistan await US

By Syed Saleem Shahzad South Asia Jul 27, 2007

KARACHI - Efforts by the Pakistani establishment to defuse the volatile situation in its tribal areas have failed, despite the carrot of large amounts of money being dangled before the Pakistani Taliban there.

Islamabad is now caught between militants spoiling for a fight and US and coalition troops in Afghanistan ready to give them one - and there is little Pakistan can now do to prevent this from happening.

"There is no chance for any peace deal that allows Pakistani troops to stay in the tribal areas. If this situation allows NATO

[North Atlantic Treaty Organization] to enter Pakistan, let them come. It is better to fight against NATO than to fight Pakistani troops. But if they fight together against us, we are ready for that too," Rasool Dawar told Asia Times Online from the North Waziristan tribal agency on the border with Afghanistan.

Dawar is a close associate of Moulvi Sadiq Noor, one of the several hardline Pakistani al-Qaeda leaders who have taken control of the militancy in the area, along with the Pakistani Taliban. Another prominent commander is Moulvi Abdul Khaliq. As if to back up Dawar's words, on Wednesday militants fired several rockets into the town of Bannu in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), killing 10 people and injuring more than 40.

Since President General Pervez Musharraf sent in the troops against the radical Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad this month to root out militants, Pakistan has sent thousands of troops to the tribal areas, where they have been met with open hostility resulting in the death of scores of military personnel.

The United States has seized the opportunity to threaten its own military action on Pakistani soil against militant targets, which Washington says includes al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Other emerging young al-Qaeda leaders include Gul Bahadur and Baitullah Mehsud. Their opposition is centered in North Waziristan and South Waziristan, where they aim to expel Pakistani troops (or any others who might venture there). In addition, they support the Taliban movement in the cities of Bannu, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Swat Valley (all in NWFP) and nearby Bajaur Agency. The ultimate objective is to boot Musharraf from power.

Asia Times Online has learned of increased Pakistani military activity in the Waziristans in preparation for a large-scale operation, possibly augmented by NATO forces from across the border in Afghanistan.

However, given the topography of the region, with its high mountains, there is more likelihood of foreign troops entering Pakistan in Bajaur, from where the largest infiltration into Afghanistan takes place.

For the Waziristans, where the US says it has identified "high-value" targets, pin-point air strikes are a better option. Certainly, the US would prefer quick strikes from safe bases in Afghanistan to committing troops to what would become a protracted battle a la Iraq and Afghanistan.

The balance is tipped

Since 2001, when Pakistan joined the US in the "war on terror", it has tried to strike a balance between its alliance with Washington and the jihadi establishment that the Inter-Services Intelligence had built up.

In this peculiar situation, the world watched as Pakistan helped the US arrest more than 700 al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan, mount devastating battles in its own tribal areas against its own tribesmen, kill dozens of militants and have hundreds of its own security personnel killed in return.

Then Islamabad signed a peace deal with militants in the tribal areas that allowed for its troops to withdraw, leaving the militants in charge of stemming cross-border activity - a bit like placing prisoners in charge of their jail keys, and this in an area crucial to the "war on terror".

At the same time, Pakistan looked on (until the Red Mosque saga) as the Taliban consolidated their assets, breeding countless fresh militants to go and fight in Afghanistan, while also appearing deaf to repeated US calls to share intelligence on what turned out to be a highly successful spring offensive for the Taliban in 2006.

Through Pakistan's prism, there was no contradiction here, just a question of safeguarding its national interests, and for several years Musharraf managed not to fall off his tightrope. Now, though, it looks as if he's heading for a plunge as the jihadist networks and the US prepare to confront each other on Pakistani territory - regardless of what Islamabad might want.

Time running out

Musharraf's administration has been on edge since the storming of the Lal Masjid, as it was a confrontation it knew would have unpleasant consequences. And with US war drums beating ever faster, Musharraf became even more nervous. If troops going into the mosque could inflame the tribal areas, imagine the reaction foreign troops in the tribal areas could provoke.

A contact in Rawalpindi familiar with goings-on in the capital's twin city, which is home to the military's top brass, told Asia Times Online on condition of anonymity of Musharraf's desperate efforts to speak to Washington at the highest level and request some breathing space.

According to the contact, Washington insisted that Islamabad press on relentlessly by military means against Taliban and al-Qaeda assets in Pakistan, saying that NATO would be supportive. Apparently, a personal request by Musharraf to speak to US President George W Bush about being given time for matters to cool off was declined.

In effect, Washington is brushing aside Musharraf's concerns over an extremist backlash of momentous proportions should foreign forces join in the fray in the tribal areas, let alone threaten the general's hold on power.

But one can understand Washington's determination to force the pace when one of the more notorious architects of the Taliban's military offensive, Libyan Abu Laith al-Libby, is sitting in North Waziristan. The hardened al-Qaeda operator is believed to have come up with the idea of stepping up the number of abductions of foreigners in Afghanistan. The seizure of more than 20 South Korean aid workers is the latest example of this.

The reasoning is that it will force coalition troops deeper into the civilian population to protect them, thereby exposing them to improvised explosive devices, rocket attacks and suicide bombers.

From the perspective of the al-Qaeda hardliners taking control in the tribal areas, they relish a confrontation with foreign troops in Pakistan as they see it as a chance to boost their broader aims in the region.

Such a confrontation would force the Pakistani jihadist community to rise up fully. This happened last year when the Pakistan Army mounted operations in South Waziristan - the ranks of the jihadis swelled by thousands within months. Such renewed fervor could be channeled to Afghanistan, and against Musharraf's administration.

While Washington wants to take action in Pakistan, it does not want the country to turn into a jihadist playing field, so it is preparing for the consequences. This includes the encouragement of liberal democratic forces to step into any power vacuum should Musharraf be forced out or choose to walk into the sunset. Quick regime changes have in the past worked to take the steam out of potentially disastrous backlashes, and given the military time to regroup.

Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com.

Afghanistan: ICRC steps up support for health-care services
Source: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Date: 26 Jul 2007

Geneva / Kabul (ICRC) – The Afghan government and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have reached an agreement under which the ICRC will significantly increase its support for Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar, one of the most important medical facilities in the conflict-ridden southern part of the country. The 390-bed regional referral hospital provides essential care for thousands of patients, including men, women and children wounded in hostilities in the neighbouring provinces of Zabul, Helmand and Uruzgan. The memorandum of understanding signed by the Ministry of Public Health and the ICRC covers the next two years.

"Because of mounting security problems and the remoteness of many areas, there are a lot of people in Afghanistan who don't have access to quality medical care," said Reto Stocker, head of the ICRC delegation in Kabul. "Especially in the south, the intensification of the armed conflict over the past year and a half has resulted in an increase in the number of war-wounded patients. By strengthening its support for Mirwais Hospital, the ICRC aims to help meet some of the most urgent medical needs in the area."

Under the new agreement, the ICRC will support the Ministry of Public Health in implementing its "Essential Package of Hospital Services," a national policy for provincial and regional hospitals designed to improve the overall quality of health care and the performance of hospital staff.

The ICRC will not only help the hospital's surgery unit respond to emergencies such as sudden influxes of war-wounded and trauma patients, but also extend its support to the entire hospital to better cater to the needs of ordinary patients and improve general health-care services. Since 1996, the ICRC has been providing the hospital with essential drugs, laboratory and X-ray supplies, and other surgical and medical items, in addition to training personnel. The organization has also contributed to the maintenance of the hospital's premises and equipment and supplied generator fuel.

Last year, the ICRC aided 14 medical facilities across Afghanistan which treated nearly 35,000 patients, of whom more than 1,700 had suffered wounds inflicted by weapons – including 240 men, 252 women and 322 children injured by mines or other explosive remnants of war. In addition to its support for Mirwais Hospital, the ICRC has been providing supplies and capacity-building assistance and training staff for hospitals in Jalalabad and Sheberghan.

Quebec's Kaboul restaurant targeted as Canadian death toll rises in Afghanistan

Last Updated: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 | 5:57 PM ET CBC News

An Afghan restaurant owner in Quebec City says he's been forced to change his business name because of backlash from Canada's military presence in Afghanistan.

Ahmad Nasranee said he had to rename his Sainte-Foy Road restaurant "Shahi Masala" after its original moniker, "Le Kaboul," grew to be too controversial in recent months.

Every time there was bad news about Canadian soldiers posted in Afghanistan, Nasranee, 24, said he came to expect insults and accusations.

Patrons with reservations would call and cancel. "Sometimes, people made reservations, and then some soldiers would die in Afghanistan," he said. "It's sad. Me too, I feel sad about that. And then they call, [and say] 'We want to cancel our reservation, because some soldiers have died.'"

The young restaurateur, who came to Canada seven years ago as a refugee, said his family warned him about using the name Kaboul in Quebec City.

"I said to my brother, 'I will name that Kaboul,'" Nasranee said this week. "He said, 'It's not a good idea to name it [that], the people will [be] shocked!'"

Nasranee said he wanted to educate his clients about his home country. The restaurant, decorated with wool rugs, traditional costumes and a woven map of Afghanistan, is the only place in Quebec's capital to serve Afghan food.

Business owners on Sainte-Foy Road said they're embarrassed Nasranee felt he had to rename his restaurant. "I think it's a shame that he was forced to change the name because of the backlash," said Denis Barrot, a bakery owner across the street.

"We're not very open-minded here," confessed Lisa Mercier, a flower shop owner next door. "Shahi Masala" has also changed its menu, Nasranee said. It now serves Indian food side-by-side with Afghan specialties.

Two US soldiers in Afghanistan convert to Islam: paper

Two American soldiers have converted to Islam and married in Afghanistan, a state newspaper said on Thursday. A U.S. military spokesman said he was checking the reports and pointed out that freedom of religion was enshrined in the U.S. constitution.

The Hewad Daily reported the pair served as soldiers in the U.S. army at Bagram air base which is the hub of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan and lies to the north of the capital Kabul.

Several dozen Westerners visiting Afghanistan have become Muslims since the Taliban were toppled in 2001, but it was the first time any U.S. soldiers were reported to have converted to Islam.

A religious cleric welcomed their conversion. "If any body embraces Islam, ..., his sins committed in this world will be forgiven and Allah praises him and his family, and will bless him in the coming world too," Hamidullah said.

[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.]