In this bulletin:

• UN: Suicide Attacks Increase Dramatically in Afghanistan
• Forces Kill 30 Militants, Find Weapons Caches in Afghanistan
• TWO BRITS KILLED IN TALIBAN FIGHT
• Karzai whisked away as Masoud day function disrupted
• Latvia's president renews commitment to stand by Afghanistan
• NATO chief calls for 'international coordinator' to oversee operations in Afghanistan
• Harper wants troops to 'finish job' in Afghanistan; dims hope for quick vote
• AFGHANISTAN: Canadians and Kandaharis differ on security and development
• Fighting for Afghanistan's Kajaki Dam
• Taliban resurgence worries US presidential candidate
• AFGHANISTAN: 'BUSH BAZAAR' OFFERS A TASTE OF WESTERN LIFE
• Army unit in Afghanistan finds it makes progress
• Woman gathers immigrants' memories of Afghanistan
• UNAMA study finds Afghan suicide attackers often duped, coerced
• Afghanistan mine clearers freed
• NATO chief calls for 'international coordinator' to oversee operations in Afghanistan
• NATO officers praise Canada's contribution
• Troops clear path to remote outpost
• Japan PM threatens to quit over Afghanistan mission
• Afghan captors free Pakistani troops
• Rumsfeld hails 'big success' in Afghanistan
• TROOPS MUST 'FINISH JOB': PM
• SKorea considered raid to rescue Afghanistan hostages
• Tentacles spread from Al-Qaeda's lair in Pakistan
• France, Germany planning joint Afghanistan training
• Dutch postpone decision about mission in Afghanistan
• Death of leaders would not hit Qaeda-commander
• Canadians continue push into Taliban heartland west of Kandahar city
• Doctor teaches his Afghan colleague
• Afghan war amputees turn prosthesis pros
• Deadline for closure of Jalozai Refugee Camp extended
• UNAMA study finds Afghan suicide attackers often duped, coerced
• The Mystery of al-Qaeda

UN: Suicide Attacks Increase Dramatically in Afghanistan
21:30, September 9th 2007 by Diane Smith

According to the latest report released by the United Nations Sunday, the number of suicide attacks carried out by extremists in Afghanistan has increased dramatically over the past two years.

In 2005 only 17 suicide attacks were registered, while the next year represented a peak with no more than 123 attacks occurring across the Middle Eastern country.

So far, 77 suicide bombings have been reported until July in Afghanistan, specialists expecting the number to hit an unwanted record this year. Suicide attacks were not a common event in the country before 2005, despite a surge of foreign troops.

Exactly six years ago, a first suicide attack took the life of Ahmed Shah Massoud, a prominent Mujahideen commander during the Soviet war in Afghanistan and the leader of the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan or Northern Alliance.

Just two days before the bloody attacks on the United States occurred, two alleged al-Qaeda members dressed as journalist claimed to want to interview Massoud at Khvajeh Ba Odin, but instead detonated an explosive device hidden inside their video camera.

One of the attackers was killed on the spot, while the other one was shot dead by security forces when he tried to escape. In his previous statements Massoud warned that fierce terrorist attacks will occur and his stern predictions turned out to be true on September 11.

According to the same report, no suicide attack took place in 2002, even if the coalition forces launched a powerful offensive in Afghanistan in October 2001 as a response to the 9/11 attacks.

Two suicide bombings occurred a year later, one of them targeting a bus belonging to the German Army. Four German servicemen lost their lives when the attacker detonated his deadly charge in Kabul.

Only three suicide attacks were reported in 2004, but since then the number of such incidents began soaring dramatically. Now, every week media and army statements report suicide attacks which take dozens of lives in the war-torn country.

Forces Kill 30 Militants, Find Weapons Caches in Afghanistan

By American Forces Press Service Sep 9, 2007 - 6:34:32 PM
Blackanthem Military News

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Afghan and coalition forces killed more than 30 suspected militants during an operation yesterday in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

The combined force suspected targeted compounds, located in the Garmser district, were providing sanctuary to anti-coalition militants. Precision munitions were employed to destroy the buildings, which had fortified fighting positions and interlocking tunnels.

Afghan and coalition forces found large weapons caches in three buildings and smaller caches in other buildings. The caches included rockets, anti-tank rockets, and an improvised explosive device, all of which were destroyed by a coalition air strike.

"Militants who obtain and keep weapons like these put the people of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in danger," said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan yesterday, Afghan and coalition forces detained two suspected militants during an operation in Andar district of Ghazni province. Intelligence reports led the forces to the compounds, which were suspected of housing violent extremists. The detainees will be questioned as to their involvement in extremist activities.

TWO BRITS KILLED IN TALIBAN FIGHT

By Steve Hughes 9 September 2007

Two British soldiers were killed in an ambush in Afghanistan yesterday. The men, who had not been named last night, were shot dead by Taliban rebels while on a mission in Helmand province.

Several wounded soldiers, two of them seriously hurt, were airlifted to hospital.Anumber of Taliban also died.

The Brits were from the 2nd Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters).

Two men from the regiment were killed by a roadside bomb this week.

It came as Sergeant Eddie Collins was named as the 169th British military death in Iraq. He was killed on an SAS mission on Wednesday.

Defence chiefs have announced the return of 500 British troops from Iraq.

A battle group of 250 from the King's Royal Hussars - based in Tidworth, Wilts - will be home within four weeks.

The withdrawal of the rest leaves 5,000 Brits in Iraq. The move comes six days after the withdrawal of our troops from Basra.

Karzai whisked away as Masoud day function disrupted

KABUL, Sept 9 (Pajhwok Afghan News): A function marking the death anniversary of former defence minister Ahmad Shah Masood was abandoned after some people hurled stones at the venue here on Sunday.

Panic gripped participants of the public meeting - telecast live by the state-controlled TV, as President Hamid Karzai was whisked away from the Ghazi Stadium partway through his speech to the audience.

Soon after the function got under way at 11am, the president got down the rostrum after his bodyguards walked towards him and urged an end to his speech for security reasons. There was noise all around as news of the hooliganism broke.

Security personnel attending the public meeting also rose from their seats but organizers asked them to remain seated. But the Defence Ministry said the stones were thrown by people who were denied entry into the stadium.

Gen. Zahir Azimi told Pajhwok Afghan News at the venue the meeting was about to conclude and the president too had almost gone through his address. Masood's portrait, unveiled at the beginning of the function, was also hit with rocks.

Former defence minister Muhammad Qasim Fahim, speaking to this news agency, claimed latecomers fomented trouble after being turned away from the public meeting. The troublemakers were from Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, he alleged.

Cabinet ministers, members of parliament, jihadi leaders and Masood's brothers and a large number of people were attending the gathering.

Latvia's president renews commitment to stand by Afghanistan

Sep 9, 2007, 12:43 GMT

Kabul - Latvian President Valdis Zalters on Sunday renewed his country's commitment to reconstruction and security in Afghanistan and said that the people of Latvia will continue to stand by the Afghan people.

Zalters, who is on an official visit to Afghanistan, arrived in Kabul on Sunday and met with his Afghan counterpart Hamed Karzai to discuss bilateral relations, said a statement released by the presidential palace.

In a joint press conference with President Karzai, Zalters said progress in Afghanistan was of huge importance to Latvians, adding, they would do their utmost to help the Afghan people rebuild their country.

Latvia, like Afghanistan, 'had started work from scratch and now it has a strong economy after 17 years of hard work.'

He expressed hope that Afghanistan would make great strides in its bid to achieve strong economic growth in future, adding, 'We have declared that we will be participating in international assistance to Afghanistan.'

Karzai said: 'Afghanistan has friendly relations with Latvia, the people of Latvia have continued their assistance to Afghanistan's security and reconstruction in the past five years and they have sent their sons and daughters to Afghanistan who are currently serving at the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Faryab province.'

In reply to a question about negotiations with the Taliban, Karzai said: 'We don't have any formal negotiations with the Taliban. They don't have an address. Who do we talk to?'

'I wish there was someone that will eventually come out with a telephone number, with an address, with a leadership structure that we can go and talk to,' Karzai said, adding, 'Every Afghan, who wants to work for peace in the country, we welcome them.'

NATO chief calls for 'international coordinator' to oversee operations in Afghanistan

KABUL, Sept 8 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has called for the appointment of an 'international coordinator' to oversee operations in Afghanistan.

In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, the NATO chief acknowledged that difficulties were existing in the southern region of Afghanistan. However, he said, situation was comparatively stable in the north and west.

In reply to a question about lack of coordination among the international organisations working in Afghanistan, he said an international coordinator with real political clout should be appointed to oversee and ensure coordination in operations of organisations including the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and others.

He said he had taken up the idea with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon last week and would also discuss it with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He urged Germany and other countries to allow greater flexibility in deployment of their troop contingents.

Referring to President Hamid Karzai's remarks that security situation in Afghanistan had deteriorated, De Hoop Scheffer said: "In general, I'm not as pessimistic as President Karzai."

Harper wants troops to 'finish job' in Afghanistan; dims hope for quick vote

SYDNEY, Australia (CP) — Prime Minister Stephen Harper has set the benchmark for what might be called winning conditions on a vote to extend Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Harper said Sunday there'll be no vote in Parliament anytime soon unless he can find enough support to ensure his wish to "finish the job." "I don't see the necessity of rushing into a vote unless we're able to have a situation where a vote would be successful - where there would be some agreement among at least some of the opposition parties that would carry the day and would give a mandate to our Armed Forces," Harper told reporters following the end of an Asia-Pacific leaders' summit in Sydney.

Harper announced in June that the current military mission, set to expire in February 2009, would continue only if his minority Conservative government could get a consensus in Parliament.

With the Bloc Quebecois, NDP and Liberals all lined up against an extension, many pundits argued Harper was throwing in the towel after publicly declaring that Canada would never "cut and run."

Not so, Harper said Sunday.

"I want to finish the mission. At the same time, I want to ensure that when we have men and women in uniform in the field in a dangerous position, that they have the support of their Parliament."

Harper said he's seeking "some kind of consensus to fulfil the government's objectives and also, I think, to fulfil everybody's objectives of seeing Canadian troops leave - I hope would leave - when we've actually finished the job we've committed to do."

He said that job entails getting Afghan military and police forces to the point where they can provide security for their own country.

The Liberals said at their summer caucus they plan to bring the matter to a head when the Commons returns this fall by engineering an opposition day vote confirming the combat mission should end in 2009.

Dion accused the prime minister of flip-flopping on the issue Sunday.

"Canadians must understand that what the prime minister is trying to do is to be ensure that this combat mission will continue after February 2009," Dion said in Vancouver.

"And he's trying to go there with a lack of transparency, a lack of coherence. And in doing so he's not helping our troops, he's not helping our allies, he's not helping the people of Afghanistan."

NDP leader Jack Layton said his party remains firm that Canada should pull its military out of Afghanistan now instead of February 2009.

"Mr. Harper knows there will be a vote on the speech from the throne and that speech must address the war in Afghanistan," Layton said in Montreal. "The speech from the throne will be an opportunity for a full debate about the war and we're holding to our position that the withdrawal of our troops should take place now, safely and securely. A whole new approach for Canada in Afghanistan is what is required."

Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe said his party will vote against the Conservatives if the troop pullout in 2009 isn't mentioned in the speech.

"In the speech from the throne we have said that we want it made clear that the mission will end in 2009," Duceppe said. "There will be a vote on the speech and if it's not spelled out there, we will vote against it."

While the official end of the mandate is more than a year off, NATO will be seeking as much lead time as possible in knowing whether the 2,000-plus Canadian military contingent in the Kandahar region is pulling out.

Harper has indicated a willingness to alter the existing military mandate, but not to pulling the troops out of Afghanistan altogether.

The prime minister said the mission should not be treated as "a political football in this Parliament."

"And I think it's irresponsible that it is a political football," said Harper. "So we're not going to put people in that place again."

Harper said he's still seeking a consensus, but a government official later said that consensus has to be in line with the government's wishes.

The official said that "consensus" means 50-per-cent plus one MP in a parliamentary vote.

By that definition, some might argue there is already a consensus in the Commons to end the mission in 2009.

But the Conservatives point out there is division within Liberal ranks on the matter. They're hoping to flush those divisions into the open and get a firm answer from Dion about what he sees as Canada's role after the current military mandate expires.

AFGHANISTAN: Canadians and Kandaharis differ on security and development

KANDAHAR, 9 September 2007 (IRIN) - Insecurity in southern Afghanistan, particularly in the volatile province of Kandahar, is a major obstacle for humanitarian and development work in the area, aid workers and officials say. But opinions differ widely on the extent of the insecurity problem in Kandahar and the effectiveness of Canadian work there.

In August 2005, the Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) took over responsibility from the US for Kandahar’s reconstruction as part of NATO’s plan to extend its presence throughout Afghanistan. The US presence there was subsequently reduced to counterinsurgency operations only.

Resurging Taliban rebels have since killed at least 60 Canadian soldiers and have largely impeded the Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) humanitarian and development efforts in the province.

When Canada took over, medical workers were able to treat patients in 15 of Kandahar’s 17 districts. Now, they have access to only 12 districts.

“We have access to only 12 of Kandahar’s 17 districts - there are no public health services available in five districts,” Abdul Qayum Pokhla, head of the public health department in Kandahar, said.

The only health facility in Kandahar’s Ghorak District was closed down in July after unidentified gunmen attacked the clinic and tried to kidnap its medical staff, according to local residents.

“Development projects and humanitarian operations are impossible in the absence of security,” Ahmad Shah Peerali, head of the provincial department for rural rehabilitation and development, said. “How can engineers, doctors and aid workers work in a place where they are under imminent threat of abduction, killing and sabotage?”

In the volatile southern provinces of Afghanistan - Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul and Farah - violent incidents such as bombings, firefights and suicide explosions have increased by 20 percent in 2007 compared to the same period in 2006, the New York Times reported recently, citing a UN source.

However, Canadian officials say security is improving and that now is the time to “redouble” efforts to reconstruct Kandahar.

“I see definite improvement in the security situation and as we are securing more territory we are actually becoming able to do more development and reconstruction work,” Arif Lalani, the Ambassador of Canada in Kabul, said.

In addition to its US$1 billion commitment to the rebuilding of Afghanistan until 2011, in August Canada approved an extra $45 million for several development and humanitarian projects to be implemented in 2007.

“We are actually doing things on the ground; we are building bridges, forming development councils, vaccinating kids, making sure that six million kids are back at schools and providing food assistance on a large scale,” said Lalani from his office in the heavily fortified Canadian Embassy, in the vicinity of President Hamid Karzai’s palace in Kabul.

After military operations in the Panjwai and Zherai districts of Kandahar in October 2006, Canada promised that it would help rebuild hundreds of houses damaged in clashes with Taliban insurgents.

"The citizens of Kandahar deserve a better quality of life," Josée Verner, a Canadian minister of international cooperation, said after Canadian forces drove the Taliban out of Panjwai and Zherai.

However, residents of both districts say their lives have not improved since. “We have only received promises of aid,” Fayezullah, a resident of Safid Rawan village in Panjwai, said.

Haji Agha Lalai, the representative of Panjwai District in the Provincial Council, confirmed that the owners of hundreds of houses damaged in fighting have not received any assistance for rebuilding.

Lalai said that of the estimated 2,000 houses damaged, only 180 houses in Panjwai and Zherai were to get Canadian assistance for re-building. Provincial officials acknowledged, however, that surveys for a number of rebuilding and development projects in Kandahar’s war-battered districts had been completed but that work would only start when security in the area improves.

In a report released on 29 August, the Senlis Council – a UK-based security and development think tank - sharply criticised CIDA’s work in Kandahar and questioned the effectiveness of millions of dollars spent on projects there.

“The suffering of the Afghan people in Kandahar not only neglects our humanitarian obligations to our allies in Kandahar, it creates a climate that fuels the insurgency and undermines the already dangerous work of Canada’s military in this hostile war zone,” read the Council’s report, entitled Unanswered Questions.

Unlike some NATO member countries, which disburse development and humanitarian aid for a single province through their PRTs, Canada channels its aid money into the national budget of the Afghan government, which then uses funds according to its priorities countrywide.

“Our development assistance is designed to help economic development, and the strengthening of governance and institutions in this country,” Lalani said.

Fighting for Afghanistan's Kajaki Dam

TANGYE, Afghanistan (AFP) — Only two shops are open in the once-bustling Tangye bazaar in southern Afghanistan -- one that makes bread and a radio repair place run by a beefy man called Rambo.

The rest of the several hundred small stalls are shuttered or trashed, weathered goods spilled onto the pavement and into the dusty streets of what has become a ghost town.

The surrounding settlements are also deserted, abandoned by residents 18 months ago when fighting between British troops and the extremist Taliban turned the area into a battlefield.

At the heart of this fight is the jewel of this desert region -- a massive reservoir of turquoise-green water called the Kajaki Dam that lies just upstream from Tangye.

British forces, after a hard slog, pushed the Taliban out to a radius of about four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the bazaar.

Inside this secured bubble there is some stability -- enough to allow the district governor to cross the bridge over the Helmand River into Tangye but not enough to encourage families to return from their desert refuges.

This means Sayed Wadi only bakes for the few dozen Afghan soldiers and policemen knocking around Tangye, and a few dozen more security guards and engineers working at the dam -- the country's biggest.

"This is a place of fighting. There are no civilians, no shopkeepers," says the 25-year-old baker.

Wadi came to Tangye, in Kajaki district, as a policeman. He was later tasked with firing up the kiln to feed his colleagues and the others whose lives are at risk outside the secured area: last month the Taliban shot dead two policemen when they ventured out to buy meat.

Rambo, the radio repairman, says he would only leave on a British helicopter.

From his shop directly opposite the bakery and in the middle of his side of the derelict street, he badgers visiting British troops for a seat on a chopper out -- and for some more porn for his collection.

"The Taliban have said if they captured 10 British, they will leave them, but not a policeman," says the big man, who has several tattoos down his strong arms, including of the names of some of his family.

Rambo, whose real name is Mohammad Nasim, has not been home since the fighting started in Kajaki, where he also came as a policeman.

The 47-year-old, who fought the Soviet occupiers of the 1980s, is scornful of the Taliban.

"They are heroin and hashish addicts," he says, accusing them of "destroying" his already battered country.

But the weak Afghan security forces only have a chance against them with the help of the international troops, he says.

"The Taliban are like weeds," district governor Abdul Razak says in his gardened compound across the river. "We should pull out the weeds so the flowers can grow stronger."

Razak claims 80 percent of the 160,000 people in his district support the international military presence in Afghanistan and have seen through Taliban propaganda that labels them invaders and infidels.

Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Carver, commander of the Royal Anglians Unit which has about 150 troops at Kajaki until next month, is more cautious.

About 10 percent of the people in Helmand province are committed to the Taliban and would die and lie for the extremists, he says at Camp Bastion, the huge British camp about 100 kilometres south of Kajaki.

Another 10 percent support the government and its allies. "Then you have got that huge 80 percent who I think are pretty undecided," he says.

Winning over the fence-sitters -- the aim of the much-touted "hearts and minds" campaign -- is the answer, Carver says.

"You can kill as many Taliban as you want, there is no shortage of recruits," he says, adding fighters are being brought in from outside the province and the country.

A beacon in this vision is the planned multi-million-dollar overhaul of Kajaki's 32-year-old hydropower station -- the biggest project in Afghanistan of the US government's aid agency, USAID.

The repair of one turbine and installation of a third is expected to create hundreds of jobs and enough power to light up Helmand and neighbouring Kandahar -- around double than the current output.

But even though British forces are keeping the Taliban at bay, security is still too poor for engineers to enter to carry out repairs or for a 70-kilometre road to be built to bring in the massive new turbine.

Work has just started on the far end of the route but it will have to travel through some of the most dangerous ground in Afghanistan, where rich illegal opium poppy fields are fiercely protected and several British soldiers have already lost their lives.

The US-based firm trying to secure the road is struggling to find the men to guard the project, with more than two dozen killed this year and a high drop-out rate.

But inside the hydropower station at the edge of the dam, chief engineer Sayed Rasoul looks beyond the many obstacles and delays.

This vital source of power and water has the potential to change things by giving people work and the confidence to reject the Taliban -- who also want to control such an important resource, he says.

"If our local people are busy, if they have projects like the dam, roads, farming, one day the Taliban will be defeated."

But even he admits the security situation is tenuous, with Afghans who come into contact with international troops at risk of execution by the Taliban.

"We never speak of the security situation. We say we have never met any foreign soldiers," Rasoul says. "Always we are quiet, in our houses, in our mosques."

Taliban resurgence worries US presidential candidate

NEW YORK, Sept 8 (Pajhwok Afghan News): With re-emergence of the Taliban, Afghanistan can no longer be neglected by the United States of America, says Democratic presidential candidate John Edward.

"We can no longer neglect the crisis in Afghanistan. Taliban are re-emerging and retaking territory in southern Afghanistan and kidnapping foreigners," said John Edwards at a function at the Pace University here.

Promising to send more troops to Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban if elected

as president, he said: "As president, I will work with other members of NATO to ensure that our forces and rules of engagement are robust enough to defeat the Taliban and protect the democratic government of Afghanistan."

Referring to recent intelligence reports that al-Qaeda has established a safe haven in Pakistan, Edwards said aid to that country would be made conditional and his administration would not hesitate in hitting terrorist camps inside Pakistan if Islamabad failed to do so.

"But I want to be clear about one thing. If we have actionable intelligence about imminent terrorist activity and the Pakistan government refuses to act, we will," Edwards said

AFGHANISTAN: 'BUSH BAZAAR' OFFERS A TASTE OF WESTERN LIFE

Eurasia Insight: Ron Synovitz and Freshta Jalalzai: 9/09/07

Each day at dawn, 35-year-old Kaka Ajmal travels to a fenced plot of land near Kabul's presidential palace to set up a small shop under a tarpaulin.

Like other sellers there, Ajmal stores his goods during the night at a warehouse that is watched over by armed security guards. In the morning, he moves it to his stall.

Before the sun has time to warm the ground, dozens of similar traders have transformed the area into what Kabul residents call "Bush Bazaar."

Named after the U.S. president, the market is where Afghans can buy cheaply priced supplies that apparently have been gleaned from foreign military bases.

It is an unplanned economic effect of the foreign military presence in Afghanistan.

The Bush Bazaar is in central Kabul on a road leading to the military bases for most countries in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

Ajmal explains that the bazaar was named spontaneously and unofficially.

"It was ordinary people who gave this name to our bazaar," he says. "When Soviet forces were in Afghanistan, it was called 'Brezhnev Bazaar.' Most everything sold here at that time was made in Russia. Now we sell mostly American-made goods. So people are calling this place 'Bush Bazaar.'"

Wearing blue jeans and an Afghan military jacket, Ajmal says the Bush Bazaar has become the lifeblood for dozens of traders who set it up after the collapse of the Taliban regime:

"It was a very dirty place before," he says. "We didn't have a job so we came here. We cleaned this place up and we set up this market. In the beginning, there were only about 20 of us."

Karim-ul Allah is a tall, 50-year-old seller at the Bush Bazaar who wears a turban and has strands of white hair in his long beard. He says much of what he sells comes from Afghans who work at Bagram Airfield north of Kabul or at other foreign military bases to the east of Kabul.

"This is foreign product," he says. "It comes from those Afghans who work with foreign troops as interpreters or workers. They bring all this food and other things here to sell. Sometimes Afghans receive food as gifts from Americans and they don't eat it. They sell it to us. Sometimes foreigners distribute food as aid in provinces where the people are not used to eating such things. So they sell it back to us."

Employees of foreign nongovernmental organizations have complained to RFE/RL about seeing food aid they've brought to the country appearing for sale within 24 hours -- suggesting some who sell western products may have ties to Afghanistan's nascent black market.

But in many instances, packages of food sold at the Bush Bazaar are close to their expiration date -- suggesting they may have, indeed, been thrown out or given away by foreign troops.

Karim-ul Allah says Afghan officials now monitor the market to ensure that Afghans who are unable to read the expiration dates are not buying outdated products.

"In the past, we used to sell some expired goods. But not now," he says. "Every thing you see around here contains the correct expiration date. Supervisors from Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health come here quite frequently to check the food and drinks."

Afghan law forbids Muslims from buying alcohol. But cases of beer -- somehow, apparently, taken out of foreign military bases or shops for foreigners -- also can be found at the Bush Bazaar.

Whatever the supply sources may be, one thing is certain. The Bush Bazaar is a place where ordinary Kabul residents can buy authentic Western products that are more expensive or unavailable elsewhere.

Zelgai, a young Afghan man, says that is why he regularly shops here.

"I am here at Bush Bazaar to buy food and other things," he says. "I regularly come here, twice or three times a week. I buy meat. You can find very good food here, full of protein and energy. It is not beyond the expiration date and the quality is good."

Some Afghan athletes from as far away as Herat and Kandahar say they find protein supplements at the Bush Bazaar which, in combination with their training routines, help to build muscle mass.

Soaps, shaving cream, and even over-the counter medicated shampoos also are sold there.

One example of a food that has become popular at the Bush Bazaar is a Louisiana Creole dish called 'jambalaya.' It is sold in tin cans as well as packages from U.S. military rations known as "Meals Ready To Eat," or MREs.

The canned jambalaya is a rich soup stock created from vegetables, meat, seafood, and hot spices. Rice is added to the broth and the flavor is absorbed by the grains as the rice cooks.

But jambalaya was never intended to be sold or distributed to Afghans. Unknown to many locals who have been buying it, one of the meats in jambalaya is pork sausage -- a food that the Koran forbids Muslims from knowingly eating.

Karim-ul Allah says he tries to warn Afghans about eating food that contains pig meat. But he says that doesn't stop him from selling it:

"Yes. Why not?" he says. "Here we sell many kinds of food that Muslims don't buy. Our costumers sometimes buy food for their dogs -- for example pork, but not for themselves. And [non-Muslim] foreigners buy these kind things because it is not forbidden for them."

But most of the items sold at Bush Bazaar are not forbidden for Muslims -- and that brings back many Afghans and foreigners looking to experience tastes of the West.

Army unit in Afghanistan finds it makes progress

Jim Rupert September 9, 2007

WATAPUR, Afghanistan - The smart, new concrete bridge and two-lane highway connecting farming villages on the lower Pech River look like an advertisement for what America can do.

For more than 18 months, U.S. troops have lived 24/7 in bunkered camps every few miles along the road, patrolling it daily, meeting local villagers and boosting the authority of the few Afghan policemen and government officials.

The lower Pech valley, in Afghanistan's northeast, is a historic stronghold of Islamic militant guerrillas. But last year, Charlie Company of the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division based in Fort Drum, N.Y., moved in. The progress in the Pech seems to show that the war in Afghanistan is winnable, but people "need to know that we're right here with them for the long haul before they will cooperate," said Navy Cmdr. Ryan Scholl, who recently led the overall U.S. presence in the area.
That principle seemed borne out at Patrol Base Florida, a collection of dugout bunkers surrounded by razor wire and perched on a rocky hillside just above the road. "Once people realized we were not going away, we began to get tips from them" about the insurgents' movements, said the base's commander, Lt. Tim Lo.

Still, the battle for control of the valley is not won.

A local villager appeared at the base one morning to report that insurgents had been seen hauling a machine gun and ammunition up the mountain that looms over the base. The informant had reported to the Americans before, and once last winter was beaten up by Taliban supporters who suspected his role in helping the U.S. troops.

While the Americans dominate the valley floor, insurgents still roam the heights and control adjacent side valleys where no U.S. or government troops are based. "Mostly, they hit us only from up there," firing from distant ridges on the U.S. camps, Lo said. Months earlier, a rocket-propelled grenade had roared into his command tent and exploded at a lucky moment when no one was inside.

In most of Afghanistan, there is no such permanent presence of U.S. or NATO troops - or even Afghan government soldiers. The U.S.-led coalition tries to fill that gap with air power, but a sharp increase this year in civilian deaths, many from air attacks, appears to underscore limits to that approach.

"There is no substitute for having our boots on the ground," Lo said.

Woman gathers immigrants' memories of Afghanistan

Book to deepen scope into local natives' war-torn homeland

By Todd R. Brown, STAFF WRITER Article Last Updated: 09/09/2007 02:35:37 AM PDT

FREMONT — Although she has never set foot in Afghanistan, Layma Murtaza longs to visit her parents' homeland.

The former Fremont and Newark resident is compiling a book that asks local Afghan immigrants about their memories of the war-torn country, an idea she got while talking with her father about his own history.

"I was just asking him a million questions — 'What did you do for fun in Afghanistan?'" she said. "All his stories were so entertaining. You really don't know much about your parents unless you ask."

Murtaza's Afghan Bay Area Community Book Project asks two simple questions: "What is your fondest memory in Afghanistan?" and, "What do you miss the most about Afghanistan?"

Her grandfather was a United Nations ambassador in New York, she said, adding that he talked about his homeland until the end. She recounted a story from his final day that made a lasting impression.

"Hours before he passed away, he woke up from sleep," Murtaza said. "My grandma came to see him talking to the air in a chair. 'Tabibi, what are you doing? Who are you talking to?' 'These children that are in front of me. I'm telling them to go and rebuild your country.'

"That was the most pivotal point in my life," Murtaza continued, "where I went from just a regular kid to someone that had inspiration."

The 24-year-old originally set an August deadline for the book project, but said she extended her research to the end of the year to reach out to more people in the Fremont area and beyond.

"I'm trying to get as many stories as possible," she said. "I want to go outside my family."

Ron Takaki, a longtime professor of ethnic studies at University of California, Berkeley, said the book will be valuable to Americans of other backgrounds as well.

"This is a way for non-Afghan Americans to learn about the Afghan-Americans who are living in their community," he said. "They're telling the stories directly, they're conveying lived experiences, you see.

"Many of them did not choose to come here, they had to flee to our country. It's important for all Americans to learn about their fellow Americans."

Takaki's books include 1993's "A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America." He said he is working on an updated version with chapters on Vietnamese refugees, Mexican-American hopes and dreams and the Afghan diaspora.

"I write history from the bottom up, through the lives, experiences and voices of everyday people," he said, adding that the new edition is due in about a year.

Murtaza's project is supported by Fremont's Foundation for Self-Reliance, a nonprofit that assists Afghan war refugees in the Bay Area and war widows abroad. Murtaza volunteers with the group.

"I think it's so, so important that the youth get involved in telling the story of their parents," said Melanie Gadener, executive director of the foundation. "It's something most of us don't take the time to learn and understand. 'Where did I come from? How did I get here? What are my own intersections with history?'"

Murtaza works for a firm in Sacramento that raises money for the Democratic Party, the first "real job" she got after earning a bachelor's degree in political science and religion from University of California, Davis.

Although she speaks some Dari — a dialect similar to Farsi, spoken in Persia — Murtaza said she will rely on help from a translator to collect stories from non-fluent English speakers.

She plans to head to grad school, possibly to learn international law, but wants to visit Afghanistan first.

"I'd love to go as soon as possible," she said of the volatile nation still full of U.S. troops. "I know it's nothing the way our parents told us it was."

As for publishing a book in the digital age, Murtaza said she feels the medium will appeal to young as well as old in search of their own history.

"It's something you can keep, give to your children," she said. "There's something more personable with a book, you own it. Something over the Internet is just so, what is the word, impersonal. Everything is on the Internet these days."

To contribute to the project, contact Murtaza by e-mail at layma@mail.com or visit the foundation online at http://www.efsr.org.

UNAMA study finds Afghan suicide attackers often duped, coerced

Source: United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)

Kabul, September 9th 2007 - A detailed UNAMA study of suicide attackers in Afghanistan has found that people, children included, are being coerced or duped into carrying out such attacks. Released on the anniversary of Afghanistan's first-known suicide attack, the 9th September 2001 slaying of commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, and just days before the anniversary of 9-11, the study presents data and analysis and includes interviews with more than two dozen failed and alleged suicide attackers.

"With this study we've looked at suicide attackers here in Afghanistan, and based on what we've found you can say we are puncturing a few popular myths," says Tom Koenigs, UN Special Representative for Afghanistan. "The Afghan suicide attacker is not crazed, fanatical or brainwashed. Some are recruited in madrassas, but many are not. Of those we've seen most are young, poor, uneducated, and easily influenced."

The UNAMA study is the most detailed so far into the phenomenon of suicide attacks in Afghanistan. Previous research has noted the low effectiveness of Afghan suicide attackers, who in some cases succeed in blowing up only themselves. UNAMA's findings affirm this but also point to a possible explanation – that coercion and misrepresentation on the part of terrorist training and recruitment networks mean attackers are often ill-prepared for their missions and unaware of the consequences.

The study notes a sevenfold increase in suicide attacks in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2006 and a continuing though slower rising trend in 2007 till now. It looks at the history of suicide attacks in other countries, noting similarities as well as differences with Afghanistan. Also examined is the cross-border nature of the problem, which is impacting Pakistan as well as Afghanistan.

"Suicide attacks traumatize entire communities, undermine popular faith in institutions of the state, provoke responses that limit freedoms, and intimidate populations into a sense that hopes of peace rest only with the providers of violence," says Mr. Koenigs. "Our aim with this study has been to find answers. It's not intended to be the final word on the problem, but the start of what I think is an overdue exploration."

The study, Suicide Attacks in Afghanistan (2001-2007), containing recommendations for action, is available for download at www.unama-afg.org .

Afghanistan mine clearers freed

Ten members of an Afghan mine clearing team kidnapped last week have been released, officials say.

Those freed, two of them doctors, were among 13 people being held in eastern Paktia province. It is not clear who abducted them or what they want.

Officials say tribal elders are still negotiating with the kidnappers and the remaining hostages will be freed soon.

The de-miners were travelling in two cars on Thursday when they were seized by insurgents, police said.

Kefayatullah Eblagh, the head of the independent de-mining agency, Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC) for which the men work, confirmed the release.
"An eight-member delegation of tribal chiefs had guaranteed the safety of the de-miners, so they worked out their freedom," he told Reuters news agency.

Mr Eblagh said that according to the elders, the other three men kidnapped - two de-miners and one driver - would be freed within two more days.

Din Mohammad Darvish, a spokesman for the local administration, said no ransom had been paid. "Ten of them have been freed and negotiations to free the remaining three others are under way," he told AFP news agency.

Mr Darvish did not say who the kidnappers were, merely describing them as "enemies of Afghanistan" - a term often used to describe Taleban. A Taleban spokesman has said the movement was not behind the abduction.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul says Afghans are kidnapped far more often than foreigners, sometimes by criminal gangs and sometimes by insurgents.

The kidnapping comes after a number of high-profile abductions by the Taleban in recent months.

In July, 23 South Koreans were taken hostage. Two were killed and the others released, the last of them in late August. Mine clearers abducted in the past have sometimes been released and sometimes killed, our correspondent says.

NATO chief calls for 'international coordinator' to oversee operations in Afghanistan

KABUL: Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has called for the appointment of an 'international coordinator' to oversee operations in Afghanistan.

In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, the NATO chief acknowledged that difficulties were existing in the southern region of Afghanistan. However, he said, situation was comparatively stable in the north and west.

In reply to a question about lack of coordination among the international organisations working in Afghanistan, he said an international coordinator with real political clout should be appointed to oversee and ensure coordination in operations of organisations including the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and others.

He said he had taken up the idea with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon last week and would also discuss it with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He urged Germany and other countries to allow greater flexibility in deployment of their troop contingents.

Referring to President Hamid Karzai's remarks that security situation in Afghanistan had deteriorated, De Hoop Scheffer said: "In general, I'm not as pessimistic as President Karzai

NATO officers praise Canada's contribution

Afghanistan role called effective, valued; would be sorely missed

David Pugliese The Ottawa Citizen Monday, September 10, 2007

Gen. Ray Henault, a Canadian who is chairman of NATO's military committee, says several countries, in addition to Canada, are struggling to juggle their military commitments in Afghanistan with other ongoing missions.

VICTORIA - Britain's top military officer says Canada's contribution to Afghanistan is enormously valuable to the ongoing efforts in that south Asian country and would be sorely missed if its troops were to leave.

Britain's chief of defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, said that the international community has to stick with the Afghanistan mission or that country will fall back into the hands of terrorists and extremists.

"As far as military contributions are concerned, it is entirely up to Canada what it wants to do," Air Chief Marshal Stirrup said in an interview with the Citizen. "All I would say from our perspective is that the contribution that Canada makes is so effective and so highly valued that we would miss it sorely if it were to go."

NATO officers who met in Victoria on the weekend for long-range military planning sessions consistently emphasize that it will be up to the Harper government to determine if it wants to stay involved in the Afghan mission. But behind the scenes, NATO nations are quietly making overtures to Canada not to withdraw its soldiers.

Several days ago, German government officials added their voice to concerns about the possibility that Canada would end its Afghanistan mission in 2009.

The Harper government has said Canada's troops won't continue combat operations in Afghanistan beyond February 2009 unless there is a consensus in Parliament to extend the mission. Canada has about 2,500 military personnel assigned to conducting or supporting operations in the volatile Kandahar region.

But NATO officials at the meeting privately acknowledge they were taken aback by recent comments by Defence Minister Peter MacKay about the combat portion of the Afghan mission ending in 2009. Last weekend, Mr. MacKay said Canada's allies have been informed about the stance on Afghanistan and "the signal that has been sent already is that our current configuration will end in February 2009."

Aid and diplomatic work would continue, he said in a television interview, but the way the mission is currently set up in Kandahar will come to an end.

A spokesman for Mr. MacKay said yesterday that the defence minister has stated the same view as Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "Parliament voted to extend the mission through February 2009 and the way ahead will not be decided before that time," Dan Dugas wrote in an e-mail.

But NATO officials said that Mr. MacKay's statements indicate to them that Canada's combat mission is all but finished. The Netherlands is also looking at whether to pull out its troops from Afghanistan, although military officers here believe that nation will ultimately stay the course.

Canadian Gen. Ray Henault, the chairman of NATO's military committee, said the alliance is hopeful Canada will find a way to continue operating in Afghanistan.

Air Chief Marshal Stirrup said although it might be difficult to measure, there has been progress in the southern part of Afghanistan where much of the fighting has taken place. "Canada's contribution has been critical to getting to where we have got over the last 15 months in south," he added.

He said the public has to realize that Afghanistan is an extremely long-term venture, not necessarily in the military sense, but in terms of the international commitment to that country.

"If you've got to eat an elephant, you shouldn't be surprised if after the first few mouthfuls you're not down to the bones," he said. "That's the situation we're in."

Air Chief Marshal Stirrup said that the non-military response -- improving infrastructure, the economy and governance -- will be the factors that ultimately lead to success in Afghanistan.

Poland's chief of the general staff, Gen. Franciszek Gagor, also praised the efforts of Canadian troops, noting the two countries have had a long relationship of working together in military operations, including in Africa, the Sinai, the Golan Heights and Cambodia. Polish special forces are operating in southern Afghanistan and its regular forces are in the eastern portion of the country.

"The Polish military appreciates and has great respect for the Canadian military and appreciates what the Canadian military is doing in Afghanistan," said Gen. Gagor. "It's a very important, valued job."

Gen. Henault said the future of Canada's contribution to Afghanistan post-2009 was discussed at the alliance's conference in Victoria. But he also said other nations are trying to juggle their military commitments in Afghanistan with ongoing missions in places such as Lebanon and the Congo.

Troops clear path to remote outpost

Andrew Mayeda The Ottawa Citizen Monday, September 10, 2007

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canadian Forces yesterday completed a major push into the west of Zhari district that brought relief to a group of Canadian soldiers who had been cut off from supplies at a remote outpost for close to three weeks.

The group of mostly snipers and reconnaissance soldiers were posted at Gundy Ghar, a hill about 40 kilometres west of Kandahar City that was reclaimed by Canadian troops on Aug. 22.

But the group had been unable to receive supplies because of ambushes by the Taliban and improvised explosive devices planted along the roads leading to the outpost. Military officials did not inform reporters that the soldiers had been stranded at Gundy Ghar until a convoy returned from there yesterday.

During a major combat operation this weekend, Canadian soldiers cleared those roads of IEDs and secured a section of the district more than 20 square kilometres in area.

Two Canadian soldiers were slightly injured when a Leopard C2 tank rolled over a mine. The soldiers were patrolling on foot nearby and were hit by shrapnel and debris from the explosion.

Canadian Forces have spent the last few weeks trying to reclaim territory they seized in heavy fighting last fall and handed over to the Afghan forces, who were unable to hold off the Taliban.

Japan PM threatens to quit over Afghanistan mission

By North Asia correspondent Shane McLeod Posted 6 hours 21 minutes ago

Japan's role in the United States-led operations in Afghanistan is at the centre of political drama with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signalling he will resign if he loses a crucial parliamentary vote.

Japanese navy ships have been conducting refuelling and other logistical operations in the Indian Ocean.

Japan's Opposition party has vowed to use its newly-won control of the upper house to block the rolling over of the mission past its expiry on November 1.

Mr Abe has suggested he will resign unless the laws are passed.

In Parliament on Monday, Mr Abe warned that not renewing the mission would harm Japan's international reputation.

The Opposition insists it will not change its stance and says Mr Abe should call an early election.

Afghan captors free Pakistani troops

Matthew Weaver and agencies Monday September 10, 2007 Guardian Unlimited

More than 260 Pakistani troops kidnapped by a pro-Taliban group in Afghanistan have been freed, according to security officials.

The troops were captured more than two weeks ago in a volatile tribal region on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

Security officials and a spokesman for the hostage-takers said the troops were handed over to members of a jirga, or tribal council, in Ladha, a village in south Waziristan.

A spokesman for Pakistan's army said he could not immediately confirm the releases.

Later today the freed soldiers are expected be handed to government officials in Wana, the main town in south Waziristan, a rugged region where al-Qaida and Taliban forces operate.

It was not clear whether there were any conditions of the soldiers' release. The hostage-takers had earlier demanded that authorities withdraw the military from the area and free more than a dozen of their comrades.

Six of the abducted troops were released last week in what an official said was a "goodwill" gesture to the jirga that was trying to negotiate their release.

Pakistan has deployed around 90,000 troops to the Afghan border region to track down Taliban insurgents.

In recent weeks the Taliban and its supporters have stepped up attacks against the military in tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, adding to the government's woes at a time of gathering political crisis in the country.

The US has been pressing Pakistan to do more to crack down on militants in the region amid concerns that al-Qaida might be regrouping there.

Meanwhile, Reuters today reported that another pro-Taliban group had freed 10 of the 13 Afghan technical consultants abducted last week, and said the remaining three would be released soon.

The consultants were abducted while travelling in a convoy in the south-eastern province of Paktia last week.

The head of their consultancy, Kefayatullah Eblagh, confirmed the release to Reuters.

Rumsfeld hails 'big success' in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld hailed Afghanistan as a "big success" and blamed difficulties in Iraq on the government in Baghdad, according to an interview published Monday.

"In Afghanistan, 28 million people are free. They have their own president, they have their own parliament. Improved a lot on the streets," Rumsfeld told GQ magazine's October edition.

"It's been a big success! The Iraqi government has not been successful as yet. And, uh, it's gonna take some time and some effort," he was quoted as saying.

The interview was touted as the first given by Rumsfeld, 75, since he announced his resignation in November the day after Democrats gained control of Congress, amid a swell of criticism over his alleged mishandling of the war in Iraq.

But Rumsfeld, whose tenure was notably marred by the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, insisted that Iraq's struggles are not the Pentagon's fault.

"In terms of what's going on in Iraq or Afghanistan today, what the Department of Defense is doing is working. What isn't working is the diplomatic side.

"The government of Iraq has not been able to find ways to bring the elements of that country together sufficiently that they can create an environment hospitable to, uh, whatever one wants to call their evolving way of life, a democracy or a representative system or a freer system."

Asked if he harbored an regrets about his six years in office, Rumsfeld said: "Well, sure. I mean you'd always wish things were perfect, but they never are."

TROOPS MUST 'FINISH JOB': PM

Dion Vows To Force Vote On Afghan Mission

Mike De Souza CanWest News Service Monday, September 10, 2007

SYDNEY - Stephen Harper said yesterday he does not want Parliament to vote on keeping Canada's military troops in Afghanistan until he is certain that the Commons will approve a plan allowing the armed forces to stay until they "finish the job" of restoring peace and security to the war-torn country.

"This mission ends in February, 2009, unless Parliament decides otherwise, so there's no necessity to rush into a vote," the Prime Minister said yesterday after concluding a weekend summit of Pacific Rim leaders.

"My view is that we should continue with what we are working on now, which is a focus on increased training of Afghan security forces so they can take care of their country's own security problems. I don't know how quickly we'll be able to finish that," Mr. Harper said.

NATO leaders have said as recently as last week that member nations other than the United States, Britain and Canada must do more to help secure Afghanistan. While countries such as Germany, Italy, France and Spain have contributed troops to the NATO force, they have largely avoided the regions of the country that still have heavy fighting.

Britain's chief of the defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, said yesterday at a meeting of NATO officials in Victoria, B.C., that the international community has to stick with the Afghanistan mission or that country will fall back into the hands of terrorists and extremists.

"As far as military contributions are concerned it is entirely up to Canada what it wants to do," Air Chief Marshal Stirrup said in an interview yesterday. "All I would say from our perspective is that the contribution that Canada makes is so effective and so highly valued that we would miss it sorely if it were to go."

Canadian General Ray Henault, the chairman of NATO's military committee, said the alliance is hopeful Canada will find a way to continue operating in Afghanistan.

Air Chief Marshal Stirrup said although it might be difficult to measure, there has been progress in the southern part of Afghanistan where much of the fighting has taken place.

"Canada's contribution has been critical to getting to where we have got over the last 15 months in the south," Air Chief Marshal Stirrup added.

He said the public has to realize Afghanistan is a long-term venture, not necessarily in the military sense, but in terms of the international commitment to that country. The British officer acknowledged dealing with Afghanistan is a massive challenge but that nations involved should have "the strategic patience to see it through."

"If you've got to eat an elephant, you shouldn't be surprised if after the first few mouthfuls you're not down to the bones," he said. "That's the situation we're in."

Mr. Harper, who is expected to talk about Canada's military mission and the war against terrorism tomorrow -- the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States -- in a special address to the Australian Parliament, scolded opposition parties for exploiting the issue for political reasons.

"My obvious preference would be that Canada finish the job before it leave," he said. "At the same time, I want to make sure that when we have men and women in uniform, in the field, [and] in a dangerous position that they have the support of their Parliament. I don't think their mission should be a political football in this Parliament, and I think it's irresponsible that it is a political football. So we're not going to put people in that place again."

But he stressed that he would try to negotiate with the other parties about how to proceed on the issue.

"We'll continue to train the Afghan forces and we'll continue to listen to what the opposition parties say, and see if there is any possibility of arriving at some kind of consensus which would fill the government's objectives and I think also fulfill everybody's objective of seeing Canadian troops leave, I hope we leave, when we've actually finished the job we were committed to do," Mr. Harper said.

The New Democrats are insisting on an immediate withdrawal of Canada's troops from their combat mission in southern Afghanistan's deadly Kandahar region. The Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois have called for the troops to end their combat mission at the end of Canada's current commitment period in 2009. But the governing Conservatives say the Liberals, in particular, have not been clear on what type of role the military should follow.

In Ottawa, there was no sign yesterday the opposition parties are in a mood to buy into Mr. Harper's schedule regarding a possible vote on the future of the Afghan mission.

Liberal leader Stephane Dion and NDP leader Jack Layton predicted the Prime Minister would be unable to avoid a vote in the Commons as early as this fall on the issue.

"We will force a vote," Mr. Dion said in an interview from Vancouver where he held a series of political events.

Mr. Dion said his party is committed to using its first opposition day after Parliament resumes on Oct. 16 to introduce a motion requiring the government to officially notify NATO of the withdrawal of the more than 2,000 Canadian troops from the Kandahar region by February, 2009.

If Mr. Harper votes against the motion, Canadians will know he is not serious about ending the combat mission, Mr. Dion said.

"The moment of truth will come with this vote," he added.

Mr. Dion said the Liberals have not ruled out Canada playing a future role in helping Afghanistan get on its feet, but they are adamant the combat role must end by February, 2009.

Mr. Layton reiterated his party's call for an immediate end to Canada's combat role in Afghanistan, and said he expects the government to lay out its plans for the Afghan mission in next month's Throne Speech.

"If it doesn't, it would be an unacceptable speech," he said from Montreal, indicating the NDP would vote against it.

Seventy Canadians have died in Afghanistan since the mission began to remove the Taliban regime that was sheltering terrorists who planned the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

SKorea considered raid to rescue Afghanistan hostages

SEOUL (AFP) — South Korea at one stage considered a raid to rescue its hostages from Taliban kidnappers and sent military anti-terrorism experts to Afghanistan, a report said Monday.

The operation was discussed when the Taliban killed a second hostage on July 31, Yonhap news agency said.

The Taliban on July 19 abducted 16 women and seven men on a Christian aid mission and later that month murdered two of the men. The rest were freed last month under a deal with the insurgents.

"Military terror experts had been dispatched to Kabul for a possible rescue operation," Yonhap quoted an unidentified government official as saying.

Under a scenario discussed at the time, South Korea considered sending a specially trained ranger commando unit aboard a transport plane for a raid into the Taliban-controlled area, it said.

Officials have said a five-member military team led by a brigadier-general was sent to Kabul shortly after the crisis began, to coordinate with US-led allied forces.

The defence ministry refused to confirm the report that anti-terror experts were also sent.

Seoul says that in return for the hostage release it agreed to withdraw its 210 non-combat troops from Afghanistan by year-end, as previously scheduled, and to stop trips by its missionaries to the Islamic nation.

The agreement also contained terms that have not been revealed, National Intelligence Service chief Kim Man-Bok was quoted last week as saying without giving details.

Tentacles spread from Al-Qaeda's lair in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network has built a new headquarters for global Islamic extremism in Pakistan's tribal areas six years after the 9/11 attacks, analysts and militant sources say.

The rugged mountains of the frontier region, inhabited by conservative Pashtun tribesmen, were the first port of call for Al-Qaeda fighters fleeing the US-led invasion of Taliban-governed Afghanistan in late 2001.

An apparently rejuvenated bin Laden, the Saudi mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, showed in a rare video at the weekend that he was not only still alive but also defiantly at large, mocking the "weak" United States.

Militant sources say that while bin Laden's whereabouts remain unknown, his son and possible successor, Hamza, has recently come to the tribal belt.

Pakistan, meanwhile, has been linked time and again to international terrorism, from a foiled attempt to bomb airports in Germany uncovered last week to the July 7, 2005 London bombings that killed 52 people.

Yet Islamabad's ability to tackle Al-Qaeda and other militants on its soil has been called into question by the mounting political chaos facing the country's military ruler, key US ally President Pervez Musharraf.

"The tribal areas have become the global headquarters of the Al-Qaeda-led terrorist movement," Singapore-based terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna, the author of "Inside Al-Qaeda," told AFP.

"It is an important venue for training, planning and preparing attacks against Western targets," added Gunaratna, head of terrorism research at the Singapore-based Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies.

Part of the problem lies with the history of the area, which has defied conquerors for centuries.

Gunaratna said that the West owed a "debt" to Musharraf, who took power in a coup in 1999, for pushing more than 80,000 troops into the forbidding region.

Many of Musharraf's Western allies, especially those with soldiers in Afghanistan, however, have indicated that their patience is running out.

Washington earlier this year issued veiled threats that it could launch unilateral US military action if Musharraf could not or would not tackle Al-Qaeda.

US Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama openly said that he would be prepared to order strikes on the tribal areas.

Musharraf himself, fighting for political survival ahead of elections, is also dealing with a wave of suicide attacks prompted by a deadly military raid on the allegedly Al-Qaeda-linked Red Mosque in Islamabad in July.

He said recently that Al-Qaeda had a presence in the town of Mir Ali in the militant-infested tribal region of North Waziristan, but said it was not possible for forces to just bomb that town of 20,000 people.

"We are winning this war," a militant, who was formerly in one of bin Laden's camps before 9/11 and maintains links with groups affiliated with the Al-Qaeda chief, told AFP.

Referring to bin Laden by his nom de guerre of "sheikh," he said: "Sheikh's own son, young Hamza, is now here and he is among friends."

"No one has any idea where bin Laden is. Two-and-a-half years ago he was in (Afghanistan's eastern province of) Kunar and we do not know where he is now," he added.

The United States says catching bin Laden -- who has a 50 million dollar reward on his head -- remains a priority.

But apart from video appearances there have been no confirmed sightings since his last stand against coalition forces and Afghanistan's Northern Alliance in the Tora Bora mountains on the Afghan-Pakistan border in late 2001.

In the latest video bin Laden appears with a trimmed beard that is apparently dyed black, which experts have said is a "sign of war" according to the rigorous Salafi Islamic school to which bin Laden belongs.

A senior Pakistani official involved in the hunt for Al-Qaeda said there was "no evidence of bin Laden being present in our areas", repeating Islamabad's frequent mantra on the subject.

But there is intelligence suggesting bin Laden's Egyptian deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and "some senior operation commanders come to our region frequently," the official added on condition of anonymity.

Bin Laden's continuing defiance is meanwhile winning the group new recruits, another Pakistani official with a government intelligence agency said on condition of anonymity.

"Al-Qaeda is perceived by a young Muslim mind as a fighting unit against US and Western forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and the bordering areas of Pakistan and its stubborn defiance brings more volunteers," the official said.

France, Germany planning joint Afghanistan training

AFP September 10, 2007

MESEBERG, Germany -- France and Germany plan to jointly carry out training of Afghan soldiers and civil servants, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said here Monday.

"We want to work with our German friends to help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, to help train civil servants, and to bring a little peace and security to a country that really needs it," Sarkozy said after talks with Merkel at a castle near Berlin.

Merkel said: "We want to make a joint commitment to the fight against terrorism, and to rebuild Afghanistan."

There are some 50 French military instructors currently training the Afghan army, and the figure is expected to reach 200 by the end of the year.

Of the 3,000 German soldiers deployed in Afghanistan, 186 are focusing on training Afghan soldiers, according to figures cited in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily last month.

Germany is also leading a European mission training Afghan police officers.

Dutch postpone decision about mission in Afghanistan
Sep 10, 2007, 14:00 GMT

Amsterdam - The Dutch government said on Monday a decision about the possible extension of its military mission to Afghanistan will be postponed indefinitely.

In a letter sent to the parliament on Monday, Foreign Affairs minister Maxime Verhagen, Defence Minister Eimert van Middelkoop, and Development and Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders declined to mention a new date.

Insiders do not expect a decision until October 2007.

Death of leaders would not hit Qaeda-commander

Mon 10 Sep 2007, 12:46 GMT

DUBAI, Sept 10 (Reuters) - An al Qaeda leader said its war against the "infidel" United States would not be affected by the death of any of its commanders.

Abu Yahya al-Libi said in a video posted on the Internet on Sunday that the spread of jihad ideology guaranteed the militant group's operations were not reliant on individuals.

"The Americans themselves realise now that the activities of the jihadist process are not hinged on the presence of any commander in particular and would not collapse should he be absent," Libi said in a 90-minute video interview posted on a Web site used by Islamist groups including Iraqi insurgents.

"Did the dreams and illusions of the administration of (U.S. President George W.) Bush come true? The answer is in what we see today in Iraq ... the grave losses that the Americans and their lackeys suffer every day."

Libi said the killing of al Qaeda leaders such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq last year and Taliban leader Mulla Dadullah in Afghanistan this year did not hinder its operations.

"Should any of our commanders die, another would fill his place," he said in the video produced by al Qaeda's media arm As-Sahab. "The mujahideen ... derive motivation from the blood of these leaders to stay the course, follow in their steps and work to avenge them."

He accused the United States and its allies of launching a campaign to tarnish al Qaeda's image among Muslims and insisted the group did not target civilians in attacks in Muslim countries such as Algeria.

"The prime target of these blessed operations is portrayed to be the public and the weak while the criminality and apostasy which is targeted hides in the background ... in the media."

At least 57 people were killed in two al Qaeda attacks in Algeria in the past few days.

Libi, who has regularly acted as a spokesman for the group in recent months, is one of four al Qaeda militants who broke out of a U.S. prison in Afghanistan in 2005.

Canadians continue push into Taliban heartland west of Kandahar city

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) — Canadian troops are continuing their push into the heart of Taliban country in the Zhari district of southern Afghanistan.

It's the third day of Operation Keeping Goodwill.

Maj. Eric Laforest says some insurgents were killed in a firefight Monday with Canadian and Afghan troops. No Canadians were injured.

The joint operation has also seized arms and explosives as the troops push across a 20-square-kilometre stretch of ground west of Kandahar city.

The operation began early Saturday morning, aimed at increasing the presence of Canadian and Afghan security forces in the area.

Eventually, the region will be turned over to Afghan security forces to maintain security.

Doctor teaches his Afghan colleague

By Tom Kisken (Contact) Monday, September 10, 2007

People in Afghanistan who live to 50 survive the odds.

Government hospitals are flooded with patients. Doctors and nurses make so little they often work two jobs. The lack of specialized equipment means bladder stones can kill.

The need for more doctors and better tools explains why a small man in a white coat looks on as a Ventura physician uses a fiber-optic scope to probe a patient's bladder and pinpoint the source of bleeding. A tiny camera transmits images of tissue and sometimes tumors to a Sony monitor, providing a lesson Dr. Arif Noor will take back to the tiny, 12-bed hospital he started in his homeland.

Noor is a urologist, which in Afghanistan is about as unusual as being a surfer. There is a small handful in a nation of about 31.9 million people. Noor is the only one in Herat, a province of 1.2 million people.

He was brought to Ventura by Dr. Cedric Emery, a urologist who is teaching him about the procedures that allow doctors to diagnose stones and tumors that are often untreated in Afghanistan, one reason why life expectancy is 46 years, according to a 2005 United Nations report.

"People just stay home and die and sometimes of very simple problems," said Emery.

Afghanistan's healthcare problems range from not enough providers to byproducts of the ongoing war.

The Washington Post reported in June on healthcare workers in parts of the country who worry they are targets. A nurse was beheaded by Taliban fighters.

About 39 medical workers employed by the government have been killed in less than two years.

Noor's life has been jarred by violence. One of his nine brothers was killed more than 30 years ago in an attack on a bus. His father was killed several years later during a war involving Soviet forces.

But in Herat where Noor lives with his wife and their two sons, ages 4 and 6, he feels safe and has no fear of being a target.

He said reports of the violence and insecurity in Afghanistan have been exaggerated.

"It is not dangerous," he said. "There are some places that are not safe and we don't go there."

Instead, he focuses on his nation's overwhelming need for jobs, education and healthcare. He once worked as a doctor at the government hospital in Herat, but government-paid doctors make a salary of about $70 a month. Many of them stop seeing patients in the early afternoon, leaving to work a second job.

The best care is in other countries like Pakistan and India, but only the wealthy go there. The rest stay in Afghanistan and wait for things to get better.

Noor wants to speed up the process. About two years ago, he and another doctor opened their own private hospital to provide better care and a better living for themselves.

Emery and Noor met at a urology training program that was relocated to a gynecological hospital in downtown Kabul after the original school was destroyed by the Taliban.
Emery has felt a bond with Afghanistan since working there as a public health doctor for the U.S. in the 1960s and meeting his wife-to-be, Norma, who was there with the Peace Corps. They settled in Ventura, where he has practiced for 33 years.

Motivated by the need for urology care, Emery convinced a German manufacturer to donate endoscopes and other equipment to the urology training program in Afghanistan. He has gone there four times in recent years to train doctors. Each time he came, he'd find Noor ready to learn more.

"You have a man who is pulling up Afghanistan by its bootstraps," he said.

He paid for a training trip to India for Noor and seven other doctors and then offered to foot the bill for bringing him to Ventura. Noor can't treat patients because he's not licensed in California. Instead, he watches every move on the Sony monitor, accompanies Emery on hospital rounds and peppers him with questions on how to best treat different problems.

Noor returns to Herat the first week in October. He wants to start using what he's learned to help patients and also start training other doctors.

Emery wants to send him back with more than knowledge. He's trying to arrange another donation of surgical equipment by way of Germany. If that doesn't work, he plans to start raising money on his own.

"I just consider it a natural thing to do," he said. "I like the country and I like the people. They've been beaten down so much, they need as much help as they can get."

Afghan war amputees turn prosthesis pros

By Simon Gardner Monday, September 10, 2007

KABUL (Reuters) - Orthopedic specialist Najmuddin Helal has just one requirement for prospective recruits at Afghanistan's largest prosthetics workshop in Kabul.

Watching staff from technicians to security guards to helpers in the centre's physiotherapy sessions walk past with unsteady gaits, it's easy to spot. They are all disabled, and nearly 80 percent of them are landmine victims.

"We employ only disabled," smiled Helal, director of the International Committee of the Red Cross Orthopedic Center in west Kabul. "It is a kind of discrimination, but we like to call it positive discrimination."

"There are good advantages. It is a way to give jobs to the disabled. They know the problems (patients face) because they have passed through them, and then they can teach other disabled easily," said Helal, who has 240 staff in Kabul.

The centre is always busy.

There are 60,000 surviving landmine victims in Afghanistan, according to the United Nations. Every month an average of 60 people are killed or wounded by landmines or explosive remnants of war in Afghanistan, which is estimated to have over 100,000 explosive devices still in the ground.

Nearly 80,000 disabled, more than 30,000 of them amputees, have registered with the ICRC centers in Afghanistan since 1988. Seventy percent of amputees who visit the centers are civilians, 30 percent are military.

The main centre in Kabul produces around 4,000 prostheses, such as legs and arms and hooks to replace hands and around 10,000 orthoses each year, as well as walking aids and wheelchairs, distributed to other provincial centers.

In one room, a worker assembles artificial elbow joints with a hammer and tosses the finished product into a box. He is blind.

In the next room, workers with artificial limbs make orthoses, or medical supports like corsets and splints for polio sufferers.

On a board nearby, the products are neatly displayed: Skin-colored plastic knee and elbow joints, metal braces, hand-replacing hooks in varying sizes -- including small ones for young children.

Sitting on a stool in one of the centre's spotless workshops, 43-year-old former soldier Baz Mohammad carefully measures a stainless steel leg brace.

He is two feet shorter than he should be, having opted for short prosthetic legs after his own were blown off by a landmine in 1989 when the Afghan army was fighting against Mujahideen after the end of Soviet occupation.

With both legs amputated above the knee, having a lower centre of gravity makes walking easier.

"I am happy working here. Not only can I support my family, I am also proud that I have the ability to work here and support other disabled people," he said.

Past the production line of artificial limbs is the physiotherapy wing, where male patients try out their new limbs, treading along yellow and red footprints painted on the floor -- amputees on one side of the room, non-amputees learning to walk with braces on the other.

Behind a curtain, women -- some wearing traditional blue Burqa -- adapt to prostheses of their own. Already a stigma, amputation brings an additional curse for women, who are regarded as a liability when it comes to keeping house and so are spurned for marriage.

Twenty-one-year-old student Abdul Naser has come in for his first prosthesis. His leg was amputated four months ago when he stepped on a mine chasing after his goats on a mountainside north of Kabul.

"I have just received this prosthesis. I hope it will change my life," he said, rubbing the reddened stump below his knee and trying on his false leg.

Over 80 percent of amputees who visit the centre are adult males, because in Afghan culture they walk outside more than women and are the fighters.

The United Nations Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan says it has cleared 300,000 landmines and explosive remnants of war from 1.0 billion square meters of terrain since 1989. That leaves around 700 million square meters still to be cleared.

"The number of prostheses needed remains steady, because they only last 2-3 years and need to be replaced," Helal said. "But the number of new landmine amputees is going down. There are now maybe 2 or 3 people injured or killed by a landmine per day."

It was a landmine blast that pushed 43-year-old Helal into the job in the first place -- when his own legs were blown off at the age of 18 as he was driving along a Kabul riverbed. He was the centre's 34th patient.

He still feels phantom pain, the same burning sensation he felt at the time the mine, possibly an anti-tank mine, blew the bottom of his car from under him.

"I still think after 24 years ... why should I lose my legs? Why can't I fell the grass on the ground with my feet? Why can't I feel my feet in the water of a stream? It's the same with everyone."

"But when I see amputees crawling to the centre on the ground and leave walking, that is something very special for me."

Deadline for closure of Jalozai Refugee Camp extended

ISLAMABAD, Sept 8 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The government of Pakistan has issued a new deadline for the closure of Jalozai Refugee Camp after elders of the camp signed documents pledging to honour voluntary evacuation by March 2008.

Earlier, the camp was scheduled to be closed on August 31 in accordance with the decision of the government of Pakistan and UNHCR. However, elders of the camp, in a written application to the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), requested an extension and pledged to vacate the camp by March next year.

They said that the upcoming holy month of Ramazan and the subsequent harsh winters would make it difficult for the refugees to move out. Pakistan has already closed down the Kachha Garhi refugee camp, which was set up over two decades ago.

A special Jirga of the Afghan refugee elders was held to make a final decision on the closure of Jalozai Camp. The camp has a total of 111,000 refugees, 25,000 of whom have repatriated voluntarily.

SAFRON Secretary Sajid Hussain Chatta, Afghan Refugees Chief Commissioner Rauf Khattak, NWFP Afghan Refugees Commissioner Nasir Azam Khan, Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MORR) representative Ahmadzai, UNHCR representatives, and Jalozai Camp elders attended the Jirga.

The SAFRON secretary told the jirga that the government and UNHCR had decided to close four refugee camps, two each in NWFP and Balochistan, after detailed deliberations.

UNAMA study finds Afghan suicide attackers often duped, coerced

Source: United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)

Kabul, September 9th 2007 - A detailed UNAMA study of suicide attackers in Afghanistan has found that people, children included, are being coerced or duped into carrying out such attacks. Released on the anniversary of Afghanistan's first-known suicide attack, the 9th September 2001 slaying of commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, and just days before the anniversary of 9-11, the study presents data and analysis and includes interviews with more than two dozen failed and alleged suicide attackers.

"With this study we've looked at suicide attackers here in Afghanistan, and based on what we've found you can say we are puncturing a few popular myths," says Tom Koenigs, UN Special Representative for Afghanistan. "The Afghan suicide attacker is not crazed, fanatical or brainwashed. Some are recruited in madrassas, but many are not. Of those we've seen most are young, poor, uneducated, and easily influenced."

The UNAMA study is the most detailed so far into the phenomenon of suicide attacks in Afghanistan. Previous research has noted the low effectiveness of Afghan suicide attackers, who in some cases succeed in blowing up only themselves. UNAMA's findings affirm this but also point to a possible explanation – that coercion and misrepresentation on the part of terrorist training and recruitment networks mean attackers are often ill-prepared for their missions and unaware of the consequences.

The study notes a sevenfold increase in suicide attacks in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2006 and a continuing though slower rising trend in 2007 till now. It looks at the history of suicide attacks in other countries, noting similarities as well as differences with Afghanistan. Also examined is the cross-border nature of the problem, which is impacting Pakistan as well as Afghanistan.

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