In this bulletin:

• Scores dead in Afghan cold snap
• New Aircraft, Home for Afghan Air Force
• President Karzai Meets with NATO Supreme Allied Commander
• Gates lauds Afghan mission, allies
• Media group calls for release of two Afghan journalists
• New UN special envoy to Afghanistan strongly denied by Taliban
• Afghanistan plans to discuss refugee problems in spring
• Norway to increase assistance to Afghanistan
• Pakistan's envoy takes aim at Dion
• Pakistani Army: Unwilling or Unable?
• Canadian military probes Afghan civilian death; villagers angry at mistake
• Seven Canadian troops hurt in Afghanistan
• Layton says U.S. criticism may push Canada out of Afghan combat role
• Afghanistan was never Canada's war
• Talking to the wrong people
• Dutch firms eye Afghan market from Dubai
• Laura Bush Says She Stands With Afghan People
• A mirage called Kabul
• Canadian Manual Has U.S. on Torture List
• US politician on al-Qaeda charge

Scores dead in Afghan cold snap

BBC, /18/2008 Charles Haviland in kabul - The number of people who have died due a cold snap in Afghanistan has risen to 200, government officials say.

Four large provinces in the western part of the country have been especially badly hit. Tens of thousands of livestock have also perished.

Local people are saying the winter conditions have been the most severe in decades. The cold spell is also affecting neighbouring countries.

People seem to have been unprepared for the heavy snow and low temperatures.
Most of the 200 dead are herdsmen - but women and children have also died.

Much of the west is quite low-lying by Afghan standards and the International Committee of the Red Cross says many people only expect a day or two of snow each winter.

Tens of thousands of sheep, vital for local livelihoods, have also perished in the cold. At the other end of the country, the north-east, people say recent snowfalls have been the heaviest for 20 years.

A local member of parliament has told the BBC that many villages in this rugged territory are completely cut off and in need of food and medicine.

In the capital, Kabul, where temperatures are dropping, dozens of families who have fled the violence in Helmand in the south, are camping in tents in the streets, dependent on charitable handouts of clothing and food.

The central government has put health workers on alert to combat respiratory diseases caused by the wintry weather around the country.

New Aircraft, Home for Afghan Air Force

By JASON STRAZIUSO – KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Calling it the "birth of our air force," Afghan President Hamid Karzai opened a new $22 million U.S.-funded military hangar on Thursday to house a fleet that is expected to triple in the next three years.

Standing in the cavernous hangar opposite Kabul's international airport, Karzai thanked the U.S. for helping to buy six refurbished Mi-17 transport helicopters and six refurbished Mi-35 helicopter gunships from the Czech Republic, as well as four An-32 transport planes from Ukraine.

The newly acquired aircraft will help transport Afghan troops — who are taking on an increasing role in the battle against the Taliban — on missions around the country.

The new aircraft and upgraded flight facilities are part of a $183 million U.S.-funded program to bolster the Afghan air force.

Afghanistan once had a strong air force that included hundreds of helicopters and Soviet-built MiG-21 and Su-22 warplanes, but that fleet was devastated by two decades of war.

"Today is again the birth of our air force," Karzai told a crowd of U.S. and Afghan military personnel. "We should strengthen this air force because it's very necessary for the Afghan government to have it."

Air Force Brig. Gen. Jay H. Lindell, the U.S. commander in charge of helping train and equip the Afghan air force, said that before six of the Czech helicopters were delivered in December, the Afghan air force only had four working helicopters.

"This new hangar is ... a new beginning and the rebirth of the Afghan Air Corps," Lindell said.

Some of the new aircraft, acquired at a total cost of $90 million, were delivered last month. The rest are to arrive by April. Ten Mi-17s donated by the United Arab Emirates also are to be delivered in the spring.

Today, the Afghan force has 22 helicopters and planes, and the goal is to have 61 aircraft by 2011. The most important missions for the aircraft are to transport and help supply Afghan army troops, Lindell said.

"They need rotary wing aircraft (helicopters) for battlefield mobility," Lindell said. "The Mi-17 is a really rugged, reliable aircraft. They know how to fly it, they know how to maintain them, they just don't have very many of them."

Karzai said the international community has agreed to supply the country with fighter jets such as F-16s, although Lindell previously said plans drawn through 2011 don't call for any military jets for Afghanistan.

President Karzai Meets with NATO Supreme Allied Commander

(office of Spokesperson) - on Tuesday in the Presidential Palace with Gen. John Craddock, NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. He reaffirmed NATO’s strong commitment for security in Afghanistan.

The other issue of discussion was the US decision of sending additional 3,200 troops to Afghanistan. Gen. Craddock said the troops will be used to both help train Afghan Army and take part in combat operations with Afghan army to fend off insurgency.

President Karzai thanked Gen. Craddock for his personal engagement in increasing the assistance the NATO is providing in ensuring security in Afghanistan.

Gates lauds Afghan mission, allies

PAUL KORING AND BRODIE FENLON - Globe and Mail, January 17, 2008

U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates lauded NATO's mission in Afghanistan and heaped praise on Canada and other members of the alliance in a bid to stem the controversy he sparked with critical comments about the allies' ability to fight a counterinsurgency war against the Taliban.

Mr. Gates told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published Wednesday that Canadian, Dutch and British troops are ill-suited for the fierce counterinsurgency war they are waging in southern Afghanistan, setting off international anger and a full-blown, damage-control exercise by the Pentagon.

“We have to acknowledge the reality that the alliance as a whole has not trained for a counterinsurgency operation, even though individual countries have considerable expertise at and success in this arena,” Mr. Gates said Thursday at a Pentagon press conference.

“Our allies, including the Canadians, the British, the Dutch the Australians and others, are suffering losses as they demonstrate valour and skill in combat.

“As a result of the valour and sacrifice of these allies, the Taliban has suffered significant losses and no longer holds real estate of any consequence. Indeed, the resort to suicide bombers and other terrorist acts are the actions of those who have suffered consistent and repeated defeat in regular military actions throughout 2007.”

Mr. Gates also stressed that the Pentagon's recent decision to deploy 2,200 Marines to southern Afghanistan does not reflect American dissatisfaction with the allies' military performance.

“There have been several recent media reports of discontent in the United States and among other NATO members about operations in Afghanistan. This does not reflect reality or I believe the views of our governments,” he said.

On Wednesday, Mr. Gates had called Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay to express "regret and embarrassment," and Mr. Gates's press secretary, Geoff Morrell, had made himself unusually available to the Canadian media in an effort to tamp down the controversy.

"We're deploying [military advisers] that are not properly trained, and I'm worried we have some military forces that don't know how to do counterinsurgency operations," Mr. Gates reportedly told the L.A. Times in an interview. Mr. Gates "most certainly did not" finger Canada, Mr. Morrell said.

Mr. Morrell said Mr. Gates's view, that NATO members lack counterinsurgency training and combat effectiveness, was general and applied across the entire 26-member alliance, including, to some extent, the United States.

"The secretary never criticized any specific member of the alliance," Mr. Morrell added, although he declined to release a transcript of the interview with the Times.

Only Canadian, British, Dutch and a much smaller number of Australian troops are deployed in southern Afghanistan where the counterinsurgency is being fought.

Canadian soldiers are getting killed at roughly three times the U.S. rate in combat in Afghanistan, and the Harper government insists that it is because they are carrying the battle to the Taliban.

The body of yet another Canadian solider, the 77th killed in Afghanistan, left Kandahar on Wednesday as the nation girded for a deeply divisive debate over whether to extend the tough combat deployment in southern Afghanistan beyond one more year.

Even if the Bush administration can contain the immediate brouhaha over what Mr. Gates said, or didn't say, the damage to the alliance and its war in Afghanistan may be lasting.

Mr. Gates's broadside about inept allies irritated many of them. "We are paying the price in lives," Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre said in Ottawa. "Our men and women know how to fight."

Patrick Mercer, a British Conservative MP and former infantry officer, said it is "bloody outrageous" that Mr. Gates, a former CIA operative with no combat experience, is faulting the countries doing the fighting. "We are their closest allies, and our men are bleeding and dying in large numbers," he said.

Mr. MacKay acknowledged he was surprised. "I was a bit taken aback," he said. But he added that the telephone call from Mr. Gates comforted him. He "expressed regret and embarrassment over those comments being in any way reflected towards our troops," Mr. MacKay said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also insisted Thursday that American officials support the work of Canadians in Afghanistan.

Mr. Harper says military and non-military leaders in the United States have always expressed their appreciation and confidence in Canadian forces.

On a visit to Prince Albert, Sask., Thursday, Mr. Harper downplayed the remarks, saying Mr. Gates has made it clear that no criticism was directed at Canada.

The prime minister says there should be “no misinterpretation of those comments vis-a-vis Canada.”

NDP Leader Jack Layton, who opposes the Afghan conflict, predicted Thursday that the hard feelings generated by Mr. Gates' comments will be just enough to swing Parliament against the idea of extending the mission beyond 2009.

Mr. Layton said the American attitude will irk Canadians, who have never wholeheartedly endorsed the mission, and could alter fragile public opinion.

“I think Canadians, just as they rose up and spoke around the war in Iraq — ultimately provoking Mr. Chrétien to do the right thing at the last moment on the eve of the invasion — the Canadian people need to speak out now,” Mr. Layton said. “We can change the direction of Canadian foreign policy.”

NATO's Dutch Secretary-General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said: "All the countries that are in the south do an excellent job. Full stop."

As the furor spread, the Dutch government, which extended its Afghan commitment only after an intense national debate, called in the U.S. ambassador and demanded an explanation.

"Our guys in the east, under [U.S. Major-General David] Rodriguez, are doing a terrific job. They've got the [counterinsurgency] thing down pat. But I think our allies over there, this is not something they have any experience with," Mr. Gates was quoted as saying. The quote was not denied.

Nevertheless, the attack on the fighting effectiveness of those allies doing the fighting stood in sharp contrast to Mr. Gates's previous and effusive praise for those countries at least willing to send troops to southern Afghanistan.

"Some of our allies have more than stepped up to the plate," he said last month. "The British, the Canadians, the Australians and several others have played a really significant and powerful role in Afghanistan. They have met their commitments. They have exceeded their commitments. They are outside the wire. And they are doing the full range of responsibilities."

Although Mr. Gates has carefully avoided naming the big, militarily powerful European nations that steadfastly refuse to allow their soldiers near the fighting, there is no mistaking who he has been talking about: France, Spain, Italy and Germany. He has been blunt that their refusal to allow their troops in Afghanistan into combat zones in the south and east of the country has left a handful of counties shouldering almost all of the fighting.

Similarly, there is no ambiguity about which countries – Canada and Britain – are engaged in counterinsurgency combat operations in southern Afghanistan. (Dutch troops avoid combat if possible and rarely patrol far from their fortified base.) "If he was going to call out anyone, it would not be the nationals who put their necks on the line and go to the most dangerous places," Mr. Morrell said.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed that the U.S. ambassador in the Netherlands had been called in by the Dutch Defence Minister to explain the statements.

"We very much value the contributions of the Dutch armed forces and the sacrifices of the Dutch people in sending their young men and women to Afghanistan, in Uruzgan province," Mr. McCormack said.

But throughout the daylong effort to assuage allied feelings and soft-pedal Mr. Gates's comments, the blunt force of his statement struck: that the NATO allies, whether willing to fight or not, are ill prepared for counterinsurgency operations.

Canada's army has no counterinsurgency experience, although its officers say they know, understand and train for low-intensity warfare against guerrillas. Despite his insistence that Mr. Gates wasn't focusing on Canada, the Netherlands and Britain, Mr. Morrell echoed the basic thrust.

"NATO's lack of COIN [counterinsurgency] has resulted in some OMLTs' [Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams] being sent to Afghanistan inadequately trained," he said.

Mr. Gates has been pleading with and, more recently, pushing NATO allies to make good on promises to address the shortfall of combat troops and helicopters in southern Afghanistan.

With no allies willing to step up, NATO finally chartered a fleet of Ukrainian choppers flown by civilian pilots to provide crucial resupply and Mr. Gates ordered 3,200 more U.S. Marines to deploy to southern Afghanistan.

With files from Canadian Press

Media group calls for release of two Afghan journalists

KABUL (AFP) — Reporters Without Borders has called on the Afghan government to release two journalists accused of blasphemy, for which conservative religious clerics have demanded the death penalty.

The international media watchdog said Thursday it was concerned about the fate of the men, arrested separately about two months ago.

Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh, 23, was picked up in northern Afghanistan in late October on charges of blasphemy and defaming Islam for distributing articles about the role of women in Muslim society, the group said.

Mohammad Ghaws Zalmai, in his 40s, was arrested in November while trying to escape to Pakistan after an uproar about a translation of the Koran that he distributed and was alleged to "misinterpret" parts of the Muslim holy book.

"Afghan journalists are exposed to threats and harassment from religious fundamentalists who try to prevent any debate about Islam and the status of women," the media group said.

"Reporters Without Borders appeals to the international community to intercede with the Afghan government and seek the release of Kambakhsh and Zalmay."

Afghanistan's new democratic constitution enshrines freedom of expression but is based on Islamic Sharia law, which is sometimes interpreted as demanding severe punishments for acts considered "un-Islamic."

New UN special envoy to Afghanistan strongly denied by Taliban

KABUL, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Taliban Thursday severely denied Paddy Ashdown who was appointed as United Nations' envoy to Afghanistan on Wednesday as saying Ashdown is only a spokesman for the western countries.

    Zabihullah Mujahed, the purported spokesman of Taliban militants, said in a public statement that Ashdown does not come to Afghanistan for peace but the benefits for the America and its western alliances.

    "Since every UN envoys failed to find the real things happened in Afghanistan, we people don't trust them at all," Mujahed said.

    He added that as representatives for all the countries around the world, the United Nations could not play its role as political role well especially in Afghanistan, and Taliban will neither recognize this kind of organization nor its so-call envoy.

    Paddy Ashdown, 66, was appointed as the U.N. envoy to Afghanistan on Wednesday after talking with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his role of enhancing international efforts to combat a Taliban insurgency and guide reconstruction.

Afghanistan plans to discuss refugee problems in spring

KABUL, January 17 (RIA Novosti) - Afghanistan plans to host this spring an international conference on the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland, the country's ministry for foreign affairs said on Thursday.

Sultan Ahmad Baheen, a spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, said the participants in the conference will gather to determine the scale of the country's needs to accommodate the returning refugees and to work out a schedule of financial aid for the country.

According to various estimates, some 1.5-2 million Afghan refugees currently live in neighboring Iran and some 3.5 million in Pakistan. The refugees abandoned their country looking for shelter from war, hunger and destruction.

"We call on our citizens to return voluntarily to their homeland no matter what country they currently live in," the minister said.

Afghanistan's population, according to four-year-old data from the United Nations, is estimated at 26-27 million people. A census was last begun in the country in 1979, but was not completed due to heavy fighting.

The European Commission has allocated $15 billion to hold a census in Afghanistan in 2008.

Norway to increase assistance to Afghanistan

The Government intends to increase Norwegian assistance to Afghanistan to nearly NOK 750 million in 2008. This is an increase of 50% on 2007 (ca 140 mill USD).(Photo:Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere)

This was announced by Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, prior to his visit to Kabul this week.

“Our aim is that the Afghans themselves should be able to take charge of their security and steer their social and economic development. A great deal of effort will be required before this is achieved. Norway therefore wants to promote stability, development and good governance,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

“We are now developing an overall plan for Norway’s civilian efforts in Afghanistan, and my trip to Afghanistan is part of this work. After my return, I will address the Storting on the Government’s priorities,” said Mr Stoere.

Norway is also providing substantial military forces in Meymaneh and Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. The Norwegian forces are part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). ISAF is in the country at the invitation of the Afghan Government and is operating under a UN Security Council mandate, which was last renewed on 19 September 2007. (Press release)

Pakistan's envoy takes aim at Dion

BRIAN LAGHI From Friday's Globe and Mail January 18, 2008

OTTAWA — Stéphane Dion's musings about how NATO can help stem the flow of terrorists from Pakistan to Afghanistan has sparked a diplomatic rebuke from Pakistan's chief envoy in Canada, who wants the Liberal Leader to personally clarify his stand.

"We are dismayed at the statement of NATO intervention in Pakistan," High Commissioner Musa Javed Chohan said in an interview. "[We are upset by] the concept of any intervention in Pakistan. ...Under no circumstances will we allow any foreign forces to operate on our soil."

Mr. Chohan was responding to comments attributed to Mr. Dion this week, which the leader's office has subsequently clarified. Mr. Dion said in Quebec City that "if they [Pakistani leaders] are incapable of doing it themselves, it is something that we could envision with NATO forces how to help Pakistan help us bring peace to Afghanistan."

The remarks were taken by some to suggest Mr. Dion supported sending troops to the nation. Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre later clarified the remarks saying Mr. Dion was simply trying to convey that there needs to be a diplomatic solution in the region.

But Mr. Chohan said diplomacy is already taking place in the country. "The initial statement does more damage than subsequent clarifications, though we do hope that Mr. Dion would come up with a statement that this is exactly what he meant."

Mr. Chohan issued a statement in which he said Mr. Dion shows "a lack of understanding of the ground realities. We have, at the highest level, made it clear that Pakistan will not allow any foreign forces to operate within its territory under any circumstances.

"The sovereignty of the state will not be compromised at any level as the government and people of Pakistan are fully capable of handling their security matters themselves."

Liberal spokespeople pointed reporters to the party's website yesterday, which blames the Tories for twisting Mr. Dion's remarks.

"Contrary to the erroneous claim and distortions of Mr. Harper and the Conservatives, in a press conference in Quebec City yesterday the Liberal leader did not propose a military intervention in Pakistan. Mr. Dion obviously did not propose any sort of military intervention. Mr. Dion believes that Canada must focus our diplomatic efforts on Pakistan in order to secure the border with Afghanistan."

Calgary Conservative MP Jason Kenney called Mr. Dion's statement reckless. "When you talk about a NATO intervention, you are clearly and explicitly talking about a military intervention. Or perhaps he doesn't know what NATO is."

Pakistani Army: Unwilling or Unable?

Twice in Two Days, Militants Rout Pakistani Troops in Troubled Tribal Regions

By GRETCHEN PETERS and NICK SCHIFRIN – ABC News
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 17, 2008

For the second day in a row, Pakistani troops abandoned an army base in South Waziristan, a region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border that is a stronghold for militants. And this time, the militants didn't even attack.

One hundred frontier troops in the Chagmalai Fort received threats from militants and apparently decided it was a better idea to flee than to stay and defend themselves, an intelligence source and local residents told ABC News. The fort was filled with heavy weaponry, including artillery guns and rocket propelled grenades.

"They've abandoned the place," Abid, who lives in the area, told ABC News as helicopters circled overhead. "They've made so many blockades, we can't even get food, and we only have three to four rations left."

The abandonment comes one day after 22 soldiers were killed by as many as 600 militants who overran the nearby Sararogha fort. It was one of the first times that militants have forcibly captured an army fort, representing an embarrassing defeat for the government and the Pakistani military.

The militants' victories are more evidence that the pro-Taliban insurgency is growing in Pakistan's tribal areas, and what little confidence there once was in the Pakistani military to fight back is virtually gone.

The military, analysts say, is unable -- or at least unwilling -- to stand up against the Taliban and its allies in the tribal areas, an area the size of Luxemburg along the border with Afghanistan. And the militants have managed to stop their infighting and unite themselves under the title of Taliban Movement of Pakistan.

"This group has decided that they will collectively respond to any military operation by the Pakistani authorities and they were demanding an end to the military operations by the Pakistan army in Waziristan, Swat and other areas," says Rahimullah Yusufzai, an ABC consultant who has covered the Taliban since its inception. "And they also gave a threat. That if these military operations were not stopped, then they would react: They would launch more attacks in Pakistan."

In a secret meeting held last month in South Waziristan, delegates from more than 26 militant groups joined forces and chose a man named Baitullah Mehsud as their leader, tribal sources told ABC News.

Mehsud, also known as the emir of South Waziristan, is described as a brutal and able leader who commands thousands of fighters. He is, for Pakistan, more dangerous than Osama bin Laden.

"He seems to have a large reservoir of suicide bombers, and he is a bigger threat in this region -- in Pakistan and certain border provinces of Afghanistan -- than even the al Qaeda leadership," Yusufzai said.

His attacks are getting more sophisticated. Militant groups from North and South Waziristan, who had never worked together before are now coordinating. Yusufzai called Mehsud's operational capabilites "remarkable."

"He's able to target the precise unit or department or organization, which is involved in military operations against him or his allies," Yusufzai said. "He's able to hit any place, any where, any time."

Although the militants never take responsibility for suicide attacks, which are now almost a daily event in Pakistan, analysts do link moves made by the military against Islamic radicals in the cities and in the frontier agencies with some 400 attacks in the last year. The targets are mostly police and soldiers, but civilians have died as well.

"They see an enemy at home," Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Daniel Markey said of the militants. "The apparatus of the Pakistani state has turned from their protector and their supplier to an enemy, or at least an authority that is not theirs."

Pakistan is in the middle of its most violent nine months since $10 billion flowed here from the United States. It is, by some measures, the most violent period in Pakistani history, since it was born out of British India in 1947.

Since the government cracked down on heavily armed militants holed up in an Islamabad mosque last summer, there have been some 400 attacks, killing at least 3,000 people. In October, Osama bin Laden issued a fatwa against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, saying his "loyalty, submissiveness and aid" to the United States "makes armed rebellion against him and removing him obligatory."

The violence has gotten worse lately. In just the last week, three suicide bombs have exploded in three of the country's largest cities, killing more than 30 people, about half of them police officers.

The U.S. government has taken notice. The New York Times reported that the White House was considering authorizing the CIA to launch more attacks inside Paksitan near the border areas, where bin Laden and al Qaeda's leadership are believed to be hiding.

And last month in widely reported comments, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that al Qaeda had shifted its focus from Afghanistan to Pakistan and "re-established itself" along the ungoverned border.

"Al Qaeda right now seems to have turned its face toward Pakistan and attacks on the Pakistani government and Pakistan people," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon.

The Pakistani government blames militants and specifically Mehsud for at least 21 suicide attacks in the last few months, most notably the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The Musharraf administration released an audio tape it claimed included Mehsud calling Bhutto's two assassins "brave boys."

Mehsud's spokesman denied that he was involved in Bhutto's death, calling the audio tape a "drama."

"He had no involvement in this attack,'' Maulana Omar told wire services over the phone. "This is a conspiracy of the government, army and intelligence agencies. It is against tribal tradition and custom to attack a woman."

But it is clear that Mehsud is targeting Pakistan's institutions, more specifically and more successfully than ever before.

"It's not just that they are carrying out regular attacks," a Western official told ABC News. "It is that they are able to target the Pakistan military so effectively."

The attacks have been especially successful against the outgunned and outmanned Pakistani troops near the border with Afghanistan.

"The frontier corps isn't prepared for this mission in the least. They'd be stupid not to run away sometimes, because the alternative is much worse. And they're neither trained nor equipped to stand up against these kinds of attacks," Markey said. "The militants have lived there their whole lives. The Pakistani army are just imports. They're like the red coats of the Revolutionary War."

Canadian military probes Afghan civilian death; villagers angry at mistake

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canadian and coalition forces trying to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people face the prospect of a new kind of insurgency as a result of mounting civilian casualties from military operations.

Frightened residents in one village say tension is brewing after Canadian gunfire hit civilians during a battle with insurgents about five days before Christmas.

A 12-year-old boy said he was there when soldiers - whom he insisted were Canadian because he recognized their vehicles - shot and killed his father and seven-year-old brother while they tended crops north of Kandahar city.

"I said 'Let's go. Let's run.' But my father said 'What are you talking about? We have shovels in our hands, no one's going to shoot us'," said the boy, whose guardian asked that he use an alias, Niamatullah, for fear of reprisal.

It seemed the victims became caught up in a battle in the late afternoon when military vehicles rolled into the Arghandab district village.

The troops encountered at least two explosions, said the man who has since taken the boy in along with his widowed mother and three younger brothers. The boy's guardian said he saw two insurgents setting off mines via remote control before running away.

The boy said he was sure there were four explosions before the troops began firing back. He said they emptied three clips of ammunition.

The villagers believe the troops had returned to recover a vehicle disabled earlier in the day when they were attacked.

"Foreigners don't have eyes. That's my problem with them," said the boy's guardian, a mild-mannered Afghan who works with foreigners and generally supports the presence of coalition troops.

"Somebody who has a responsibility ought to have eyes," he said in an interview. "If it were an accident, then they would come with some help for the family."

A colleague who witnessed another civilian shooting involving British troops in the Dand district of Kandahar said such incidents are inspiring people to take up "jihad," or holy war, against coalition forces as a form of blood debt.

"It doesn't push people towards the Taliban because the Taliban is also doing bad things to people. But there is disbelief," he said about the actions of foreign troops.

"We feel they are not using their power appropriately. They have so much power, they can catch people alive."

He said if this violence happened to his family, he would leave his foreign colleagues and go fight against foreign troops. "They have a personal blood debt. They personally want blood," he said of friends who have lost loved ones in the crossfire.

Lt.-Cmdr. April Inglis, a Canadian legal adviser with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team, said the military takes such allegations seriously and is looking into this particular matter.

Civilian-Military Co-operation teams - CIMIC teams - are usually the first point of contact with civilians who have a complaint.

"In many cases we don't hear about injuries or damage until an individual presents himself to the camp, at which time we take a full report from the individual," she said. "The Military Police do a complete investigation and there's an investigation by the NIS (National Investigation Service) in the most serious of cases."

"If it is confirmed that Canadians are involved in the incident, then we again immediately contact the family members and begin discussions for compensation."

Inglis said the military is proactive when it comes to financial compensation for accidental civilian injury, loss of life and property damage.

Noting accidents are "inevitable" in a war environment, she said taking responsibility is not just about winning "hearts and minds" but "the right thing to do on a human level."

"We don't want to be part of the problem. We're here to be part of the solution," she said.

"When the investigation is completed by the NIS, if at any point it becomes apparent that there was Canadian involvement, you can bet that myself or someone senior to me will be taking responsibility and doing the right thing."

Inglis refused to discuss amounts or the number of claims filed. But property damage tends to account for the largest number of claims, as troops often have to expropriate land for police sub-stations or forward operating bases, or breach irrigation canals and grape vineyards to gain access to certain areas.

Inglis said Canada tends to be generous with both time and money. "I've spent up to two to three hours with one claimant just discussing with them their loss, giving them the opportunity to express to us their grief and the impact the events have had on their life," she said.

"We are by no means trying to treat this like a sausage factory and just pumping people in and out of the gate."

Noting most claims appear legitimate even if it isn't the fault of Canadians, Inglis said she often refers people to claims officers from other countries, the Afghan government or non-governmental organizations.

Just this week, NATO's International Security Assistance Force stepped up efforts to minimize civilian deaths, unveiling new signs that will be mounted on military vehicles to warn people to stay back or risk getting shot.

While all vehicles are currently equipped with warning signs, ISAF acting chief of theatre force protection Lt.-Col. Bernd Allert said some people have complained the writing isn't clear and that the signs are difficult to see at night.

"When ISAF convoys are on the road it is important that other vehicles around them behave in such a way that they cannot be mistaken for a threat," he said.

"If everybody understands what the sign means and obeys its instructions, it will be safer for ISAF soldiers and for local people."

According to Human Rights Watch, some 230 civilians were killed by coalition and Afghan troops in 2006, compared with 669 who were killed by insurgents.

The United Nations has reported that more than 1,000 Afghan civilians have died between January and Aug. 31, 2007.

In June, the number of civilian deaths caused by international and Afghan forces was up to 250. At this rate, civilian casualties for the whole year could be twice as many as the previous year.

The Arghandab villagers agree taking responsibility and compensating in a timely fashion goes a long way, but others say the process can be difficult.

Jan Mohammed said his 17-year-old son Izatullah and two nephews Asadullah, 18, and Ismatullah, 15, were shot by Canadian troops about six months ago in their village of Kolk, in the volatile Zhari district of Kandahar.

He told the soldiers the young men were innocent and urged them to investigate and provide compensation. The Canadians, he said, returned during the burial and tested him for explosives before conceding that they had made a mistake.

He met with CIMIC officials at the forward operating base in Zhari and recounted his story to lawyers from Camp Nathan Smith and military brass from Kandahar Airfield before giving up.

"I became confused and wanted to forget about the compensation amount and wanted to get rid of the case. I even signed a piece of paper at KAF (Kandahar Airfield)," he said. "Shooting innocent people makes one compelled to stand against Canadians."

Seven Canadian troops hurt in Afghanistan

OTTAWA (AFP) — Seven Canadian soldiers were injured when homemade explosive devices exploded as their convoy passed by in southern Afghanistan, CBC reported Thursday.

The seven sustained minor injuries, the CBC said citing a journalist who was on the scene. The explosions took place late Wednesday during patrols. There was no immediate confirmation from National Defence.

Canada has 2,500 troops stationed in the Kandahar region of southern Afghanistan. Since 2002, 77 Canadian military staff have lost their lives on Afghan soil including three so far this year.

Layton says U.S. criticism may push Canada out of Afghan combat role

OTTAWA - A top American official's criticism of NATO allies in Afghanistan may be the tipping point that drives Canada out of the war, says NDP Leader Jack Layton.

Layton, who opposes the Afghan conflict, predicted Thursday that the hard feelings generated by U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates' comments will be just enough to swing Parliament against the idea of extending the mission beyond 2009.

Layton said the American attitude will irk Canadians, who have never wholeheartedly endorsed the mission, and could alter fragile public opinion.

"I think Canadians, just as they rose up and spoke around the war in Iraq - ultimately provoking Mr. Chretien to do the right thing at the last moment on the eve of the invasion - the Canadian people need to speak out now," Layton said. "We can change the direction of Canadian foreign policy."

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times this week, Gates suggested Canadian, British and Dutch troops have been ineffective in Afghanistan - an opinion that was echoed Thursday on the editorial pages of the influential Washington Post newspaper.

Gates said that while U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan are doing a terrific job, he is concerned that NATO allies in the troubled south are not well trained in counterinsurgency operations.

After the article appeared, the Pentagon chief telephoned Defence Minister Peter MacKay to assure him that the comments were not meant as a reflection on Canadian troops.

The Liberals, whose divided ranks allowed Prime Minister Stephen Harper to extend the mission in 2006 by the narrowest of margins, said Conservative hopes of a further extension have been dealt a setback and no one should underestimate the impact of the seeming indifference.

"I'm insulted almost as badly as when George Bush ignored Canada in speech after 9/11 and I think most people feel that way too," said Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre.

He demanded that the Conservative government seek a clear and direct apology from the Bush administration.

Layton described the federal government's response as muted and also insisted on a more forceful tone: "Peter MacKay has been acting like Gates' executive assistant and apologist when he should have been standing up for our troops."

However, Harper downplayed the controversy. "Officials from the United States at all levels have always conveyed their appreciation and confidence in Canadian forces and I've heard that from both military and non-military sources," he said Thursday during a visit to Saskatchewan.

"I believe Secretary Gates conveyed that to Minister MacKay yesterday so there should be no misinterpretation of those comments vis-a-vis Canada."

In a televised briefing Thursday, timed to air during aggrieved European supper hour newscasts, Gates tried to smooth things over further by giving qualified praise to NATO's effort in southern Afghanistan.

He said Britain, Canada and the Netherlands have "stepped up to the plate" in the Afghan conflict and are playing a "significant role" in southern Afghanistan.

A Washington Post editorial Thursday suggested that the planned dispatch of 3,200 U.S. Marines to southern Afghanistan is an indication that the NATO mission is a failure, and defeating the Taliban will be left up to American soldiers.

"If that means downgrading NATO's role or bruising the feelings of some allied governments, so be it," the newspaper opined. It's further proof, as far as Coderre is concerned, that Gates wasn't being taken out of context.

The Conservative government has appointed a panel to recommend what role Canada should play in Afghanistan after the current mission expires in February 2009. The committee's report is expected to be tabled in Parliament by the end of the month.

Harper has promised to let the House of Commons vote on whatever the recommendation might be. The prime minister has made no secret that he'd like to see Canada remain in Afghanistan for three years beyond the current deadline.

Afghanistan was never Canada's war

January 18, 2008 Thomas Walkom – Toronto Star
American Defence Secretary Robert Gates may well be right when he says that Canadian and European troops in Afghanistan are not well equipped to fight a counter-insurgency campaign. But what has been lost in the controversy over his impolitic remarks is that we did not sign on to fight insurgents – there or anywhere else.

The International Stabilization and Assistance Force, which NATO now commands and which includes some 2,500 Canadian soldiers, was set up in late 2001 by the United Nations to do just what its name suggests – stabilize a country emerging from years of civil war and assist the fledgling Kabul government in its redevelopment efforts.

Fighting the Taliban (or, as they were called then, the Taliban "remnants") was a job that Washington insisted on reserving to itself through what it called Operation Enduring Freedom.

Canada helped out in that one too, sending troops to serve under U.S. command in 2002. But in those days, America wanted to keep its sometimes squeamish allies well away from a dark war that was aimed primarily at capturing terror suspects and transferring them to interrogators at Guantanamo Bay.

It was only after 2003, when the U.S. found itself troop-short and bogged down in Iraq, that Washington changed the rules of engagement for its allies. Gradually, Afghanistan became NATO's war. Washington's plan then was to gradually reduce its 20,000 troop commitment to Afghanistan and switch them over to Iraq.

Which is why, since 2006, Canadian troops have found themselves under fire in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.

It's worth remembering that we keep sending soldiers to Afghanistan not because Canada has been attacked by the Taliban, but because our friends, the Americans, feel they are at war with them.

The Dutch are in southern Afghanistan for the same reason. So are the British – who have paid a severe price at home for their decision to support Washington's various anti-Islamist wars.

That's why Gates' comments rub so raw in this and other NATO countries. Since 2001, one Canadian diplomat and 77 soldiers have died in Afghanistan. More than 250 more have been wounded in action. Yet this was never our war. It was always America's.

The U.S. chose to declare Afghanistan the enemy after the terrorist attacks of September 2001. Had Washington elected to avenge 9/11 by invading the country from which most of those terrorists came, Canadian troops would now be fighting in Saudi Arabia.

Their call, their war, their show. Now, Washington has shifted its focus again. On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced it will send an additional 3,200 Marines to Afghanistan – bringing the total number of U.S. troops there to more than 30,000.

It is in this context that Gates made his remarks. In effect, the American public is being told that its soldiers have to fix Afghanistan because the pusillanimous Europeans and invisible Canadians aren't up to the job. Or, as the Washington Post noted editorially: "It's becoming clear that the war must be won by U.S. troops, and not by NATO."

Which, in the broader scheme of things, is just fine. Let America, freshly confident after its counterinsurgency successes in Iraq and Vietnam, finish its own war itself. Then Canadian troops can come back to Canada. And the North Atlantic Treaty Organization can refocus on the North Atlantic.

Thomas Walkom's column normally appears Thursday and Sunday.

Talking to the wrong people

Asia Times, /18/2008 Syed Saleem Shahzad

KABUL - Within a few weeks, Britain's Paddy Ashdown takes up a new job as the United Nations' special envoy to Afghanistan. Even with his experience in the strife-torn Balkans, he will have his work cut out in not repeating the mistakes that have been made over the past seven years since the Taliban were ousted from power.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates does not think the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is doing its job properly in Afghanistan. "It needs to do a better job in training for counter-insurgency," he said in hard-hitting comments this week. The US solution is to throw more muscle at the problem. The Pentagon announced this week that 3,200 Marine Corps would beef up the US presence to 30,000. To date, the military option has not worked.

The British approach, and some some extent the US's, has been centered on engaging the Taliban, but without Taliban leader Mullah Omar and al-Qaeda-linked elements. This, too, has not worked.

Lord Ashdown's test will be to learn from this, mindful that the Taliban are the most powerful reality of today's Afghanistan.

Throughout 2007, the British Embassy in Kabul under Sherard Cowper Coles made desperate overtures in southwestern Afghanistan to find a political solution with the Taliban, but without Mullah Omar. Multiple clandestine operations were launched and millions of dollars were funneled to the Taliban.

However, it all came to nothing and only caused serious differences between the two major allies - Britain and the US. And all the time the Taliban consolidated their position in the south.

The case of Irishman Michael Semple, who was acting head of the European Union mission in Kabul, is instructive. The fluent Dari-speaking Semple had spent over 18 years in Afghanistan in various capacities, including with the United Nations and as an advisor to the British Embassy in Kabul, before being expelled last month after being accused of talking to the Taliban.

His colleagues within the Western community call him a British spy; he had become close to tribes in northern Afghanistan during the Taliban's rule in the late 1990s. Semple has a Muslim Pakistani wife.

While on the EU's payroll and with development funds from the Irish Foreign Ministry, he visited restive Helmand province to see the Taliban. Using his wife's Pakistani connections and giving the impression of being Muslim - along with funds - he won some hearts and minds. People like Taliban commander Mullah Salam, now the administrator of Musa Qala district of Helmand, were thrilled to find a "blond-bearded Muslim".

Semple went to Helmand with the complete approval of the Afghan Ministry of Interior, which is supported by northern Afghan politicians. But the US and the Afghan presidential palace abhorred the idea of making Taliban friends and giving them control of parts of the province without them having to denounce Mullah Omar.

The governor of Helmand, Asadullah Wafa, called Semple a Pakistani agent and he was subsequently expelled. He now lives in Islamabad with his Pakistani in-laws.

Himouyun Hamidzada, a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, told Asia Times Online, "This great game style of things cannot be approved in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is not a colony but a sovereign country. Everything must be done with the approval of the Afghan government."

However, Semple's plan was just a stepping stone of the broader British design in which Coles says British troops will stay in Afghanistan for another 10 years.

The ambassador came up with the idea of tribal militias - arabikai - as a way to defeat the Taliban. In Afghanistan's past, when invading armies approached a town, drums were beaten to call people to oppose the enemy. The idea was that towns and villages would form their own militias to respond to such drum-beating. The idea met immediate opposition from the NATO commander, who happened to be an American.

"He [Coles] thought that the people would fight against the Taliban, but the Taliban happen to be the sons of the soil," a Western strategic analyst based in Kabul told ATol on the condition of anonymity. "The idea of arming tribal militias in Helmand is silly and will fall flat. Helmand is in the hands of anti-coalition insurgents, and we expect arrangements like arabikai to be a success?"

A spokesperson for the British Embassy in Kabul countered, "I think the Afghan government is completely in favor of arabikai and this has been successfully implemented in a few Afghan provinces."

In one British initiative they targeted Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, the brother of slain Taliban strongman Mullah Dadullah, who was the new commander of the Taliban in southwestern Afghanistan. The former opposition leader of the Pakistani Parliament, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, was a conduit.

The initial talks were successful and several Taliban commanders in the southwest agreed on a ceasefire and Mullah Mansoor Dadullah gave his word of honor to Rehman that he would represent the Taliban in jirgagai (small tribal councils) and that he would convince Mullah Omar on the need for peace talks.

However, the "coalition of the willing" in Afghanistan had serious differences, especially the US, and while debate on the issue raged, Mullah Omar made a move. Dadullah was "sacked" from his position and he is now just a Taliban foot soldier.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Ministry of Interior warned Rehman, a self-proclaimed founding father of the Taliban, that he was now number one on al-Qaeda's hit list. Rehman's movements are now restricted because of security concerns.

Britain's backroom maneuvering has thus stalled and the Taliban are once again regrouping in the Waziristan tribal areas in Pakistan for another spring offensive.

When Ashdown arrives, he will need to think of options that include talking with the real players - Mullah Omar and al-Qaeda.

Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief.

Dutch firms eye Afghan market from Dubai

TradeArabia News Service, 01/17/2008 - More and more Dutch companies plan to increase their presence in post-war Afghanistan through their operations in Dubai.

The Dutch economic mission to Dubai is organising a round-table conference on January 22 to help network Dutch companies interested in doing business in Afghanistan with their Afghani counterparts.

The conference will be attended by a delegation of 15 high-profile Afghani businessmen, who are eager to represent Dutch companies, services and products in their country, said one of the organisers.

The conference is a joint-initiative of Frank Heemskerk, Dutch minister for foreign trade, Kees Van Spronsen, consul-general with support from Ehsan Turabaz, president of the Netherlands-Afghanistan Business Council and Consul of Afghanistan.

It aims to boost the economical ties between The Netherlands and Afghanistan, the official added.

Pure Comms Management Consultants, a licensed partner of Dubai Knowledge Village, has acknowledged its corporate social responsibility and empowered the organisation of this event.

The participating companies have been selected on the basis of their specific involvement and knowledge about education, agrifood and water management. All three segments are essential in the revitalisation of post-war Afghanistan.

Laura Bush Says She Stands With Afghan People

By Jim Fry – Washington 18 January 2008 - VOA

President Bush's wife Laura told a gathering of Afghan and U.S. women Thursday in Washington that Afghan society has made great strides in the five years since the Taliban were driven from power. Later, Laura Bush stressed in an exclusive interview with Voice of America the progress Afghanistan has made. VOA's Jim Fry reports.

The first lady says men and women in Afghanistan are rebuilding a stable, democratic society. In an exclusive interview, Laura Bush told Shaista Sadat of VOA's Afghanistan service that she feels strong affection for the people and the country. "In 1957, when I was 11 years old in the sixth grade in Midland, Texas, I wrote my school report on Afghanistan," she said.

The first lady says she never would have guessed she would visit Afghanistan as an adult, as she did in 2005 when she spoke out for the rights of women and their need for education. Nor could she have known the restrictions women would face under the Islamic fundamentalism of the Taliban. Mrs. Bush says since a new government was established, she has seen dramatic changes.

"And so many people have voted including many, many women. The new government. The constitution," she said.

Mrs. Bush cites a 25 percent drop in infant mortality and five million children in school, two-fifths of them girls. She says advances have come despite the risks some people face. "I understand the fear that particularly women, but that women and men, have in Afghanistan when they talk about education - something that was denied before during the Taliban," she said.

The first lady spoke to members of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council, including women from Afghanistan who are involved in business and the nation's reconstruction. "Their lives have changed and they've changed for the better," she said.

Mrs. Bush also spoke of neighboring Pakistan, the return of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her assassination. "Well, I stand with all those who are reaching out for democracy and I also grieve for the life of Benazir Bhutto and send my condolences to the people of Pakistan," she said.

She says the two countries should reach out together for democracy. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf met last month, despite heightened tensions and differences over security. "Afghanistan and Pakistan share such a very long border that the relations between the two countries should be strong," the first lady said.

While Mrs. Bush calls for continued international military support, she also says Afghanistan needs to build up its own forces to provide for security. She says it is up to the Afghan people to stand up and reject poppy growing and the drug trade. "I think there are a lot of ways the people of Afghanistan can work together and try to put differences aside and really stand up and say: We don't want terrorism anymore," she said.

The first lady tells VOA, she hopes to return as a private citizen and continue working to improve the lives of women and children in Afghanistan.

A mirage called Kabul

By Jean MacKenzie – Int. Herald Tribune Thursday, January 17, 2008

KABUL: 'Well, at least we're not in Baghdad," we used to say, when confronted by the vagaries of the Kabul winter. No heat, sporadic electricity and growing disaffection among the population might make us uncomfortable, but those of us living outside the smothering embrace of the embassies or the United Nations had relative freedom of movement and few security worries.

And of course we had the Serena, a lovely oasis amid the dark and gloom the Afghan capital. The hotel spa offered solace and a hot shower, a professional massage therapist and a relaxation room where we could pretend for a few hours that we were in Dubai.

On Monday evening, all of that came to an abrupt end when Taliban gunmen burst into the lobby, one exploding his ball-bearing vest, one running to gym and spa area, spraying bullets as he went. At least eight people died, and several more were injured.

For the rest of us, who viewed the Serena as a symbol of what Kabul could be, it was a long overdue wake-up call. Within the hotel's shattered windows and pock-marked walls lie the remnants of our illusions.

We used to laugh a bit smugly at those who cowered behind their reinforced walls, venturing out only in bullet-proof glass surrounded by convoys of big men with big guns.

We shopped on Chicken Street for carpets and trinkets, we dined at the shrinking number of restaurants that still serve alcohol. We partied at L'Atmosphere, "L'Atmo" to its friends, the "in" spot for the international crowd - on Thursday evenings, what passes in Kabul for the beautiful people gather there to see and be seen. We drank lattes at the Kabul Coffee House, and had our hair and nails done at the Nova salon. And we patted ourselves on the backs because we knew the real Kabul.

None of us was prepared for what happened at the Serena on Monday. The Taliban have started to implement a new strategy, announced their spokesman. They will specifically target civilians, and will bring their mayhem to places where foreigners congregate.

So much for L'Atmo. I am no stranger to the insurgency, having spent three years in Afghanistan and much of the past 12 months in Helmand Province.

Helmand, center of opium and Taliban, is arguably the most unstable region of the country at present. It is also the scene of some the fiercest fighting in Afghanistan, with British troops clashing frequently with the rebels.

For the past several months we have been hearing that NATO is winning, that the insurgency is running out of steam. Each suicide attack is a last gasp, a sign that the Taliban are becoming desperate.

As the enemy melts away, only to regroup again and again, we are expected to believe that this time, surely, they will stay put in their hideouts.

So it was with a bitter smile that I listened to the head of the Afghan National Security Directorate explain away Monday's attack as a sign of the Taliban's weakness. "An enemy that cannot hold territory, an enemy that has no support among the people, has no other means than suicide bombing," Amrullah Saleh told assembled reporters.

But those of us who have covered the steady decline of hope in Afghanistan over the past three years know where the relative strength lies.

Not with the central government, whose head, Hamid Karzai, has largely lost the respect of his people with his increasingly bizarre antics. Weeping at the plight of orphans in Kandahar, begging the Taliban to send him their address, confessing that he is powerless to control the warlords, auctioning off his silken robe to feed widows and orphans - the once bright hope of the international community has dimmed and may soon flicker out entirely.

Not with the foreign troops, who have been unable to provide security or usher in the development that Afghanistan so desperately needs. Civilian casualties, hushed up or denied, have made NATO a curse in some parts of the country.

Not with the international assistance community, with its misguided counter-narcotics policies, high-priced consultants and wasteful practices. Out of the billions that have supposedly come into the country, a mere trickle has made any appreciable difference.

The Taliban, under whose brutal regime Afghanistan became an international pariah, is steadily regaining ground. Even those who deplore their harsh, arbitrary rules and capricious behavior welcome the illusion of security they bring in their wake.

"At least we have no thieves," said more than one resident of Musa Qala, a town in Helmand that spent almost a year under Taliban rule. Musa Qala was recently "liberated" by NATO and Afghan troops, who promptly handed over control to a former Taliban commander.

We are all engaged in willful self-deception: We try to convince ourselves that things are getting better, while Afghanistan - and our hopes for stability in the region - recede further and further into the distance.

The United States Agency for International Development is talking about "relocating" some of its contractors to Dubai, at least temporarily. A Norwegian friend has made plans with us for dinner Friday night, "provided I am not evacuated."

Soon we will all be living in reinforced compounds, gathering for desperate, Masque of the Red Death parties, with guests being searched at the door.

Not me. I will be back at the Serena as soon as the blood is mopped up and the windows repaired. I'll resume my morning workouts and try not to fall off my exercise machine every time a door slams or a car backfires.

The one thing I will be unable to do is book a massage. Zeenia, the sunny Filipina who brightened my weekends with her smile and magic hands, was shot and killed Monday night.

Maybe Baghdad is not so far away.

Jean MacKenzie is the Afghanistan country director for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting.

Canadian Manual Has U.S. on Torture List

By IAN AUSTEN - NYT

OTTAWA — A training manual for Canadian diplomats lists the United States among countries that potentially torture or abuse prisoners.

The manual is an internal document of the Department of Foreign Affairs. A spokesman for the foreign minister confirmed the contents of the manual after news reports about it circulated on Thursday.

The manual appears to contradict the public stance of Canada’s Conservative government, which accepts assurances from the United States that it does not mistreat prisoners, including those at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

One Canadian, Omar Khadr, is being held there; he was captured in Afghanistan in 2002.

In an e-mail message, Neil Hrab, a spokesman for the minister of foreign affairs, Maxime Bernier, said the manual was “not a policy document or any kind of a statement of policy” and did not “convey the government’s views or positions.”

A spokeswoman for the United States Embassy here was quoted by Reuters as saying, “The United States does not permit, tolerate or condone torture under any circumstances.”

The manual, in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, is used for training diplomats in how to protect Canadians detained by foreign governments from torture and how to handle suspicions that inmates are abused.

The torture training program for diplomats was set up largely because of the case of Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian.

He was detained in 2002 by United States officials, who sent him to Syria after reviewing erroneous information from Canada suggesting that he was linked to terrorist activities.

A Canadian inquiry concluded that Mr. Arar was tortured while in Syrian custody. Last year the Canadian government paid Mr. Arar and his family 11.5 million Canadian dollars in compensation.

The government turned the manual over to the Canadian branch of Amnesty International because of a legal action by the group. Amnesty International is challenging Canada’s policy of handing over prisoners taken by Canadian troops in Afghanistan to the Afghan government.

The document also lists Israel, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and China as countries suspected of torturing prisoners.

US politician on al-Qaeda charge

BBC News / Wednesday, 16 January 2008

A former US congressman has been charged with helping to fund "a key al-Qaeda supporter" in Afghanistan. A US grand jury indicted ex-Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander, with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice.

It is alleged he lobbied for a charity that sent funds to al-Qaeda and Taleban supporter Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Mr Siljander was a congressman from 1981-1987 and served one year as a US delegate to the United Nations.

The 42-count grand jury indictment alleges Mr Siljander lied about lobbying senators on behalf of the Missouri-based Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA).

The indictment alleges the charity sent about $130,000 (£66,000) in 2003 and 2004 to accounts in Peshawar, Pakistan, that Gulbuddin Hekmatyar had access to.

It alleges the charity paid Mr Siljander $50,000 that was stolen from a US development agency.

It says Siljander "engaged in money laundering and obstruction of a federal investigation in an effort to disguise IARA's misuse of taxpayer money that the government had provided for humanitarian purposes".

US attorney for the Western District of Missouri, John Wood, said: "An organisation right here in the American heartland allegedly sent funds to Pakistan for the benefit of a specially designated global terrorist with ties to al-Qaeda and the Taleban."

The charity was closed in 2004 when the treasury department listed it as a suspected fundraiser for terrorists.

Mr Siljander, 57, now heads a public relations firm. He has made no immediate comment on the charges. The indictment named four other defendants, including two naturalised US citizens, a citizen of Iraq and a Jordanian citizen.

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has long been a thorn in the US side in Afghanistan. The US justice department says he has "vowed to engage in a holy war against the United States and international troops".

His Hezb-e-Islami mujahideen movement helped throw out Soviet invaders and was in conflict with the Taleban when they were in power. After a spell in Iran he returned to Afghanistan and has vowed to remove all international forces from the country.

[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.]