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Afghan Clerics Demand Public Trial For Koran Burners
March 2, 2012 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Afghanistan's top religious council has demanded that those responsible for the burning of Korans at a NATO airbase last week be put on public trial.
A statement from President Hamid Karzai's office said that the Ulema Council "insists that such a devilish act is not forgivable through apologies, and that the perpetrators of this crime should soon be publicly tried and punished."
In the aftermath of the burning of the Korans at the Bagram airbase, about 40 Afghan civilians were killed in protests across Afghanistan and at least five NATO soldiers were killed by rogue Afghan security operatives.
Jan Kubis, the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, said on March 1 that the protests were legitimate and that the United States should take disciplinary action against the perpetrators of the burning.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Suicide Bomber Targets Rival Militants in Pakistan
VOA News March 2, 2012
At least 22 people are dead in a suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan that apparently targeted rival militants.
A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban called news organizations Friday to claim responsibility for the attack at a mosque in a part of the Tirah Valley, in Khyber Agency, controlled by the Lashkar-e-Islam group. Pakistani officials say the bomber blew himself up just outside the mosque and that most of the victims appear to be militants.
Both the Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam have been battling for control of the valley.
Earlier, Pakistani officials said militants in the same area clashed with security forces, leaving at least 10 soldiers and 23 militants dead.
Separately Friday, Pakistani police say gunmen have shot and killed an intelligence official in the northwestern city of Peshawar. It was not immediately clear who shot the official, but Taliban militants have attacked and killed intelligence officials in the area.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
Obama and the Koran: Was it wrong to say sorry?
BBC News By PJ Crowley Former US Assistant Secretary of State 2 March 2012
Being the leader of the free world means never having to say you are sorry.
That appears to be the view of Republican presidential aspirants Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. All three have been critical of the apology offered last week by US President Barack Obama following the Koran-burning incident in Afghanistan.
Mr Gingrich, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, termed the apology an "outrage."
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney thought it would be "very difficult for the American people to countenance". Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum suggested Mr Obama's contrition "showed weakness".
The fourth remaining candidate, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, long ago advocated a US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Koran-burning is not likely to change his mind.
Are these comments by Mr Gingrich, Mr Romney and Mr Santorum - each vying to unseat the president - all about scoring political points?
Let's hope so. The candidates' arguments don't feel wrong so much as dated: debating points from the Cold War era, 30 years ago.
Mr Gingrich, who has suggested it is impossible to "fix Afghanistan", instead demanded an apology from Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.
He wants contrition from the Afghan leader for the deaths of at least six Nato service members, most thought to be American. The latest two deaths came on Thursday, more than a week after the Koran-burning sparked such outrage. Once again, the deaths were thought to be deadly retribution by Afghan security personnel.
To be fair, the Koran incident has put the unpredictable President Karzai between a rock and a hard place, with little political capital in the bank.
No doubt there should be an Afghan apology as well as an American one - particularly if the Afghan government expects the US Congress and the American people to continue to support this fragile and frustrating relationship. 'Not deliberate'
The fact that President Obama went first is usually considered, well, leadership.
In the Republican debates Mr Romney said he would make decisions regarding Afghanistan based on "conditions on the ground determined by the generals".
The first US official to recognise the danger of the Koran-burning and issue an apology was not President Obama, but Gen John Allen, the commander of US and international forces in Afghanistan.
Gen Allen and his diplomatic counterpart, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, undoubtedly welcomed the political apologies that came from President Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
They understand that the future of the US-Afghan relationship is at stake and with it the sustainability of the counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan (and from Afghanistan into Pakistan). Those are operations that Mr Romney supports.
Like Mr Romney, Mr Santorum recognises the importance of the long-term presence. He defines "victory" as staying in Afghanistan long enough to ensure the Taliban is not a security threat.
Depending on the definition of "threat" that could mean staying in Afghanistan for a long time.
An apology, says Mr Santorum, is not required if the mistake, however egregious, was not intentional.
There is no reason, he said, to apologise "for something that was not a deliberate act."
The right war?
But human nature suggests just the opposite.
When we do something unintentional, whether the slight is misinterpreted or manipulated, we are usually quick to add "I'm sorry". We seek to defuse the situation before it becomes a bigger problem.
Politicians, Mr Santorum included, apologise for lots of things on the campaign trail to deny their opponents an advantage.
That is exactly what President Obama did.
The president and his national security team have been focussed, since coming into office in 2009, on the US relationship with the Islamic world.
His speech in Cairo in 2009 was a bold attempt to reset perceptions.
While the effort was noticed, and trends broadly positive, it was constrained by ongoing resentment of US policies and actions, a lingering gap between what the US says and what it does.
This was what made last week's incident dangerous. The president recognised the risk and responded appropriately.
If there is good news, it is that significant violence has been confined to Afghanistan - at least so far. This suggests the rapid response had some positive effect. But it is still too early to tell.
A president should not apologise for every tactical mistake on the battlefield.
President Obama did not apologise to Pakistan for a raid gone wrong late last year that claimed the lives of 24 Pakistani soldiers stationed along its border with Afghanistan.
The Pakistani public, which rates the US about as trustworthy as Americans rate Congress - yes, it is that bad - has noticed.
Whether that judgment is right or wrong, it shows the White House is being judicious in how it deploys presidential power and credibility. Centre of gravity
The logic of never apologising, never showing what might be weakness in a commander-in-chief, was perhaps appropriate during the Cold War.
But today's struggle is different - a war of perceptions, a battle of ideas, a competition for hearts and minds - within a far more dynamic global communication environment.
The centre of gravity, as the military preaches but does not yet fully practice, is the people - what they think and what they do.
Not the extremists - they need to be defeated - but the broader population. For a time they gave terrorists explicit or tacit support, but have widely turned against them in recent years.
Going forward, the key will be smart power, not raw power. The next president must be prepared to wage the right war, not the last one.
Afghanistan Sets Auction to Lure Bidders for Oil Exploration
Bloomberg By Viola Gienger and Eric Martin Mar 2, 2012
Afghanistan will start accepting investor offers next week to explore for at least 600 million barrels of crude oil in the western half of the Afghan-Tajik Basin, the country’s mining minister said.
The auction beginning March 7 will cover six blocks in the basin, located in the country’s north, and will include rights for exploration and production, Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani said yesterday in an interview in Washington.
“The initial indication is that there would be at least 600 million barrels of oil in that western part of the Afghan- Tajik basin,” he said. “There is also potential for discovery, once they do the exploration, for gas in the same basin.”
The auction would be Afghanistan’s first new offering of energy and mineral deposits this year in a country desperate for revenue as a 50-nation coalition begins to withdraw its troops amid continuing violence.
Chevron Corp. (CVX), the second-largest U.S. oil producer, is among the companies that expressed interest in bidding for the Afghan-Tajik Basin during meetings with other ministry officials last week in Houston, Shahrani said.
Lloyd Avram, a spokesman for San Ramon, California-based Chevron, said that, while the company “continuously looks for value-added opportunities around the world,” it doesn’t comment on business discussions.
The Afghan-Tajik Basin is estimated to hold 946 million barrels of undiscovered crude oil and 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report. Koran Burning
Intensified violence, including riots and the killings of six U.S. soldiers in the past 10 days over a Koran burning at the main American military base, have thwarted investment and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s decade-long effort to end the war.
The Pentagon’s Task Force on Business and Stability Operations works with the ministry to help build and modernize infrastructure and encourage investment, while civilian aid groups seek to develop the country’s legal system and the capacity of government agencies.
Such efforts by the NATO coalition suffered another setback last week, when U.S. Marine General John Allen, the top commander, recalled advisers from the ministries to secure compounds after two were shot to death in the heavily guarded Interior Ministry. Shahrani said U.S. and British advisers in his ministry were recalled, while World Bank and Asian Development Bank personnel continue to work on site. Chinese Win
China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPZ) last year won an auction to develop three blocks of the Amu Darya basin, a geological zone that extends into Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The three blocks were estimated to hold 80 million barrels and the Afghan government projected it would yield about $7 billion in profits.
The company, which is PetroChina Co. (857)’s parent, won the tender by offering to build a refinery and pay more royalty than rivals from Australia, the U.K., the U.S. and Pakistan. Production is due to begin in October, Shahrani said yesterday.
Shahrani, who is visiting Washington to meet with U.S. companies as well as government agencies supporting Afghanistan’s economic development, said the ministry will announce the results next week of a tender process that began in December for four gold and copper deposits. The announcement is scheduled for March 9, he said.
Afghanistan may hold unexplored mineral deposits worth as much as $1 trillion, the Pentagon said in June 2010, citing U.S. Geological Survey data. The Afghan government has estimated the figure as high as $3 trillion. Mineral Deposits
India and China have so far led foreign investment in the country’s mineral resources. State-owned Metallurgical Corp. (1618) of China is developing the Aynak copper mine in Afghanistan, where production is expected to begin in 2014, according to Shahrani.
Companies from outside the region are more likely to be wary of investing in Afghanistan, said Prasad Patkar, who helps manage about $1 billion at Platypus Asset Management Ltd. in Sydney.
“I wouldn’t imagine Afghanistan attracting large investment immediately,” Patkar said in a telephone interview. “There are volatile areas that are geologically more appealing, like the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
Among American companies, Afghanistan is most likely to interest those that focus on oil and gas, rare earths, gold and, to a certain extent, copper, Shahrani said.
Afghanistan is funding a 7,000-person security force to protect mining assets, with 1,500 personnel stationed at the Aynak mine at a cost of about $7 million a year, Shahrani said in a December interview. Meeting With Molycorp
Shahrani said he will meet with representatives from Molycorp Inc. (MCP) of Greenwood Village, Colorado. The company owns the largest rare-earth deposit outside China.
Molycorp had a meeting with Afghan officials on Sept. 23 at the suggestion of the U.S. State Department to discuss long-term plans for mineral development, Jim Sims, a spokesman for the company, said in an e-mail. Sims said the company hasn’t met with Afghan representatives since and he isn’t aware of any meetings are scheduled.
House chairman wants new rules on Afghan security
Associated Press By DONNA CASSATA Thu, Mar. 01, 2012
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is intent on barring private security contractors and Afghans from guarding U.S. bases in Afghanistan, a move that could complicate President Barack Obama's timetable for withdrawing American forces after more than a decade of war.
Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., introduced the legislation on Thursday in response to the insider attacks by Afghan security forces against U.S. and other coalition troops. McKeon held a hearing last month in which the military said more than 45 insider attacks have occurred since 2007 - 75 percent in the past two years.
In a recent spate of anti-American violence touched off by the burning of Muslim holy books at a U.S. base last week, two U.S. troops were gunned down by two Afghan soldiers and an accomplice on Thursday. All told, six Americans have been killed by their Afghan partners in recent days.
"War is bad enough that we put our young people out there at risk," McKeon said in an interview taped for C-SPAN's "Newsmakers." "They shouldn't have to worry about security within the base."
The legislation would require the president to ensure that there are enough trained members of the military to fight the war in Afghanistan as well as provide security for American troops. If the president refuses, he must certify to Congress that private security contractors or the Afghan Public Protection Force can provide protection that is at least equal to the U.S. military.
The bill would prohibit the president from shifting troops from current operations in Afghanistan to protect bases. Such a step would force the president to increase the number of troops in the country - a move certain to face strong opposition in a war-weary Congress.
The United States and its NATO partners agreed in late 2010 to end the combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The mission would transition to an operation focused on training and advising Afghan forces. Obama plans to reduce the total U.S. military presence to 68,000 by the end of September from the current level of about 90,000 U.S. troops.
McKeon disagrees with that timetable.
"I think the president bringing these 20,000 troops home this year is too soon," he said in the interview. "I know there's disagreement on that, but my feeling is I would like to see them stay in theater through the fighting season."
Frustration with the decade-plus war has increased in Congress, reflected in votes last year in both the House and Senate, and more recently in congressional hearings with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton this week. Several lawmakers questioned the continued U.S. presence as anti-American protests claimed U.S. lives.
The military said last month that most of the attackers acted out of personal motivation and were not controlled or directed by insurgent groups. The second most common circumstances involved insurgents impersonating or infiltrating Afghan security forces. Defense officials have spelled out a screening process for Afghan nationals who are used to provide security for U.S. forces. That program incorporates some improvements made after the March 2011 attack at Forward Operating Base Frontenac that killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded four others.
One of the two killed was Army Spc. Rudy Acosta, who was from McKeon's congressional district.
"The tragedies that those parents had to deal with, the parents in my district, and the other young man was from Ohio," McKeon said, referring to Cpl. Donald Mickler. "They shouldn't have had to deal with that."
NATO Calls for Key Role in Afghanistan After 2014
Rasmussen Says Alliance Should Carry On Mission After 2014, Including Troop Training
Wall Street Journal By STEPHEN FIDLER March 1, 2012
BRUSSELS - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's chief said he expected a key role for the alliance in Afghanistan even after Afghan security forces take over all combat operations in the country.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO secretary-general, said in an interview Thursday he expected a summit of NATO leaders in Chicago in May to agree to continue its troop-training mission in Afghanistan after 2014. He said those trainers would need alliance troops to protect them.
But NATO members also are debating whether the alliance's troops will have any broader role, including continuing combat operations, in support of Afghan troops.
Any continued mission after 2014 would depend upon a request from Kabul, he said. The Afghan government has had a fraught relationship with the alliance, blaming it for strikes that have killed civilians and night raids that have riled Muslim sensitivities.
"Any role from our side will be a supporting role," Mr. Rasmussen said. "I think it's a bit premature to definitely define what will be the exact mission post-2014 because it will very much depend on the security situation."
Mr. Rasmussen also addressed whether any Afghan mission is better handled under the auspices of NATO or by a separate international coalition.
"I think whatever option we are thinking about, I think most allies and partners would have a preference for a NATO-led operation," he said. "This is also based on previous experience that NATO provides a tested and tried framework for command and control structures that are transparent, that are well suited to exercise political supervision."
Thursday, a day when two more U.S. soldiers were killed by Afghan colleagues amid a spasm of violence after the burning of Qurans at an American airfield last week, Mr. Rasmussen said the alliance would be faced with more such security challenges in the coming months and years. But he insisted the transition from foreign to Afghan control of security operations was working and on track.
Afghan security forces are now taking part in 95% of all security operations in Afghanistan, and have taken the lead in about 40% of them, Mr. Rasmussen said. Afghans conduct 85% of all training activities themselves, he added.
"These are significant achievements that demonstrate the progress we have seen when it comes to capacity of the Afghan security forces," Mr. Rasmussen said. "This is also why I feel confident that we cancomplete the transition by 2014." By the end of next year, he said transition to Afghan command would "probably" be under way everywhere in Afghanistan.
Last month, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said that American forces would end their combat role in Afghanistan as early as mid-2013, more than a year before all American troops are scheduled to come home.
Mr. Rasmussen said that before the Chicago summit NATO will take key decisions on how large the future Afghan security force should be—but it was premature to fix a figure now. The U.S., which along with its allies funds Afghanistan's military and police forces, has circulated proposals to cut Afghan troop numbers to 230,000 after 2014 from 352,000, a proposal that the Afghan defense minister has said could lead to a catastrophe.
"What might be the long-term size will of course very much depend on the evolving security situation, the capability of the Afghan security forces and, at the end of the day, it's also a question about the bill and how to finance it," he said.
Countries including Germany and Norway are also pressing the alliance to decide on a new posture toward nuclear weapons, arguing there is an opportunity to reduce the role of nuclear weapons. NATO members including France argue against that.
Mr. Rasmussen said he didn't expect major changes at the Chicago summit. He said it would be worth considering the goal of reducing NATO's tactical nuclear weapons in Europe—but only in tandem with Russia. "A precondition of that approach would be increased transparency" on the Russian side, he said.
He also said that he expected the Chicago summit to advance a number of multinational projects aimed at getting more out of squeezed defense budgets. About 20 concrete projects had been identified for cooperation, for example, in logistics, intelligence, reconnaissance and training.
Bigger longer-term initiatives were also being developed for 2020 and beyond, including more air-to-air refueling capability—a lack of which was identified in last year's Libya mission—and more drones.
Write to Stephen Fidler at stephen.fidler@wsj.com
A version of this article appeared Mar. 2, 2012, on page A6 in some U.S. editions of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: NATO Calls for Key RoleIn Afghanistan After 2014.
Al-Qaeda Chief Welcomes 'Shrinking' US influence
TOLOnews.com Thursday, 01 March 2012
Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri on Wednesday welcome what he called the "shrinking influence" of the United States across the world because of the attacks extremist groups had carried out on the country, AFP reported, citing an audio message.
"I congratulate you all as the US influence on the world is quickly shrinking," AFP reported Zawahiri saying in a 24-minute broadcast released on jehadi websites.
"One of the latest signs of this is the reduction in the US Defence Department's budget, which is the big event that forced (US President Barack) Obama to announce it himself so as to reduce its impact on the American people," AFP cited him as saying.
"The crises that the United States has faced and which have forced it to reduce its defence budget were mainly due to Allah's help to the mujahedeen (holy fighters) in inflicting harm upon the evil empire of our time," he said, according to AFP.
On February 14, the Pentagon suggested a smaller defence budget for the first time since the September 11, 2001 attacks. The savings come from the US withdrawal from Iraq.
Zawahiri added that US troops in Afghanistan will soon be forced to withdraw just as they were in Iraq. He said the US will accept "defeat" in both countries.
He also said the US's decision to pursue talks with the Taliban, which it used to consider a terrorist group, was another indication of weakness.
Turkey to Continue Assisting Afghanistan Beyond 2014
TOLOnews.com Thursday, 01 March 2012
Turkish Ambassador to Afghanistan, Basat Öztürk, on Wednesday said his country would continue to stand by Afghans beyond 2014 when all foreign troops leave the country.
Turkish Ambassador to Afghanistan Basat Öztürk said that withdrawal of all foreign forces in 2014 will not mean that Turkey's cooperation with Afghanistan will end.
Mr Öztürk made the comments at a celebration on the occasion of 91st anniversary of the signing of Afghan-Turk friendship agreement.
He said Turkey will remain committed to stand by the Afghan people, citing the Istanbul summit as an example of his country's continued support to Afghanistan.
"Afghans have suffered a lot, but have not lost courage. Afghan forces have gone through a lot of difficulties to maintain security in the country, but they have not lost their strength and courage," Mr Öztürk said.
He said his country struggled for its own freedom ninety one years ago, but it signed a friendship agreement with Afghanistan. He stressed that Turkey's decision to support Afghans beyond 2014 is irreversible.
Meanwhile, Political Deputy to the Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jawid Ludin, praised Turkey's cooperation with Afghanistan, especially Turkey's role in the training of Afghan security forces.
"Turkish soldiers have cooperated with us in the field of security, and offered any other assistance we need," Mr Ludin said.
It is said that Turkey supports Afghanistan in military training, health and disaster preparedness programmes.
Turkey has around 1845 troops in Afghanistan mainly based in the capital, Kabul. It has lost two soldiers since the beginning of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 which toppled the Taliban regime.
Rare Afghan Sheep Survives Despite Poachers
Latest survey suggests Marco Polo sheep numbers have risen.
IWPR By Nur Agha Nuri 1 Mar 12
Afghanistan - Counting sheep in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province may be difficult, but shooting them is easy enough when the weapon of choice is an AK-47.
The Marco Polo sheep, named after the 13th century Italian explorer who first described for the western world, is considered one of the fastest and smartest of game animals. Its meat is delicious and its curved horns often grow to 140 or 160 centimetres.
Killing the species is now prohibited. For 18 years before the Soviet invasion of 1979, hunting of Marco Polo sheep was carefully regulated, with foreign hunters allowed only one shot at the animal, which stands almost a metre high and often weighs between 125 and 130 kilograms.
The sheep, known locally as “nakhjipar”, are found in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, in the narrow Wakhan Valley corridor between Tajikistan and Pakistan.
According to a survey conducted by the Badakhshan provincial agriculture department, there were 4,000 Marco Polo Sheep in 1971. A survey completed in May 2011 by the American-based Wild Conservation Society, WCS, using advanced camera traps placed at several locations in the Wakhan Valley, put the number at 1,500.
That figure is seen an improvement for environmental protection. In 2009, Dr Mohammed Shafi, head of the veterinary division for the provincial agriculture department, estimated the population at as few as 220, in a survey conducted in cooperation with WCS that relied mostly on photos, hoofprints and other traces found by a combined team of six Afghan and foreign surveyors.
What is undeniable is the cultural change in the hunting of Marco Polo sheep over the past 30 years.
From 1961 to 1978, the rules for hunting the animal were administered by the country’s tourism department. Every year, hundreds of foreign tourists visited the Wakhan Valley, bringing thousands of US dollars in guide fees and tax receipts for the impoverished region.
Abdullah, now 60 and living in the village of Bokowi village, is one of six officials who were responsible for accompanying foreigners in those days. “Each tourist and foreign hunter was permitted only one shot at a Marco Polo sheep during their visit. If they missed, they didn’t have permission to take a second shot,” he recalls.
“At that time a foreigner was paying 3,000 to 10,000 dollars for one shot. Our most important duty was to safeguard and maintain the Marco Polo sheep and snow leopards.”
Abdul Zahir, who resides in Panja village, began hunting professionally 40 years ago, at the age of 16. He says that after the sheep were killed and the meat was either eaten or preserved, the skins and horns were smuggled illegally into Pakistan and sold for as much as 5,000 afghanis. “We brought back wheat from Pakistan with the money from the horns and skins,” Zahir said.
According to Abdul Zahir, in the old days hunters used British-made single-shot rifles to hunt the sheep. The Soviet invasion brought the AK-47, which can fire dozens of bullets with one pull of a trigger.
The profits have also multiplied. Abdul Zahir claims to have sold a Marco Polo sheepskin for 5,000 afghanis.
A three-month investigation by an IWPR reporter indicates that lack of oversight by government officials, along with poverty among local people, encourages illegal hunting of Marco Polo sheep without any fear of punishment.
According to current Afghan law, Marco Polo sheep are national assets, and hunting and smuggling of sheep parts are prohibited under a decree issued by President Hamid Karzai, with penalties of up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 100,000 afghanis.
Local officials in Badakhshan claim that most illegal hunting and smuggling of Marco Polo sheep is organised by Pakistani dealers based in the border province of Chitral.
Ghulam Nabi Sarfaraz, head of the environment department for the province, said his staff captured a Pakistani citizen last year carrying a dead Marco Polo sheep near the border with Chitral. He said the suspect was handed over to Afghan border police and he has heard nothing about the incident since.
The struggle for the conservation of wildlife including Marco Polo sheep in Badakhshan gained ground after WCS resumed its activities in 2006, and other organisations including the Aga Khan Foundation began contributing to the effort.
WCS conservationist Anthony Simms says that for the last four years, his organisation has employed 40 local young people as “civil guards”, who act as game wardens to protect the sheep.
Abdul Sabir, one of the civil guards, said that every week they divide into eight-member groups and go out on patrols in areas known to be used for hunting and smuggling. “We are guarding [like] police and we don’t permit anyone to hunt Marco Polo sheep,” he said. The civil guards are unarmed.
Wakhan district chief Sayed Feruz Shah says poachers and smugglers are numerous, operating from the Broghil valley up to the Chinese border, an area 250 km long and 230 km wide. He admits the authorities cannot provide protection for such a vast territory.
“What can our government do with two policemen to cover a 250 km-long mountain wilderness?” the chief asks.
Feruz Shah noted that digital binoculars had been installed at vantage-points in the Pamir mountains, along with dozens of cameras installed by WCS.
But a veteran Wakhan Valley hunter who did not want to give his name said the poachers and smugglers all knew the locations of the cameras and hunted in other valleys instead.
According to district chief Feruz Shah, Wakhan has a population of 18,000 and is controlled by only a few individuals – mostly large landowners who have near-absolute influence over the hundreds of small settlements in the area. Local hunters say the landowners have a hand in the continued hunting of Marco Polo sheep.
In interviews with IWPR, local hunters Abdul Sabir, Abdullah and Abdul Zahir claim that large numbers of the sheep are hunted down on the orders of Wakhan’s powerbrokers every year for meat, which is sometimes served at elaborate picnics.
Mohammad Sadiq, who has been security chief in Wakhan district for the last four years, said there are dangerous people behind the trade, a so-called “Marco Polo mafia” intent on making money.
Last year, a group of three individuals was caught with a Marco Polo sheep with an injured hoof. Mohammad Sadiq said the hunters confessed that the animal was to be sent to a zoo in Islamabad.
“Before going on their mission, the smugglers received 100,000 dollars in advance from the Pakistanis,” Mohammad Sadiq said.
Nur Agha Nuri is an IWPR-trained reporter in Afghanistan.
This report was produced in November 2011 as part of the Afghan Investigative Journalism Fund project, and originally published on the Afghan Centre for Investigative Journalism website which IWPR has set up locally.
www.afghanistannewscenter.com
March 2, 2012 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Afghanistan's top religious council has demanded that those responsible for the burning of Korans at a NATO airbase last week be put on public trial.
A statement from President Hamid Karzai's office said that the Ulema Council "insists that such a devilish act is not forgivable through apologies, and that the perpetrators of this crime should soon be publicly tried and punished."
In the aftermath of the burning of the Korans at the Bagram airbase, about 40 Afghan civilians were killed in protests across Afghanistan and at least five NATO soldiers were killed by rogue Afghan security operatives.
Jan Kubis, the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, said on March 1 that the protests were legitimate and that the United States should take disciplinary action against the perpetrators of the burning.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Suicide Bomber Targets Rival Militants in Pakistan
VOA News March 2, 2012
At least 22 people are dead in a suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan that apparently targeted rival militants.
A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban called news organizations Friday to claim responsibility for the attack at a mosque in a part of the Tirah Valley, in Khyber Agency, controlled by the Lashkar-e-Islam group. Pakistani officials say the bomber blew himself up just outside the mosque and that most of the victims appear to be militants.
Both the Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam have been battling for control of the valley.
Earlier, Pakistani officials said militants in the same area clashed with security forces, leaving at least 10 soldiers and 23 militants dead.
Separately Friday, Pakistani police say gunmen have shot and killed an intelligence official in the northwestern city of Peshawar. It was not immediately clear who shot the official, but Taliban militants have attacked and killed intelligence officials in the area.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
Obama and the Koran: Was it wrong to say sorry?
BBC News By PJ Crowley Former US Assistant Secretary of State 2 March 2012
Being the leader of the free world means never having to say you are sorry.
That appears to be the view of Republican presidential aspirants Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. All three have been critical of the apology offered last week by US President Barack Obama following the Koran-burning incident in Afghanistan.
Mr Gingrich, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, termed the apology an "outrage."
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney thought it would be "very difficult for the American people to countenance". Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum suggested Mr Obama's contrition "showed weakness".
The fourth remaining candidate, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, long ago advocated a US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Koran-burning is not likely to change his mind.
Are these comments by Mr Gingrich, Mr Romney and Mr Santorum - each vying to unseat the president - all about scoring political points?
Let's hope so. The candidates' arguments don't feel wrong so much as dated: debating points from the Cold War era, 30 years ago.
Mr Gingrich, who has suggested it is impossible to "fix Afghanistan", instead demanded an apology from Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.
He wants contrition from the Afghan leader for the deaths of at least six Nato service members, most thought to be American. The latest two deaths came on Thursday, more than a week after the Koran-burning sparked such outrage. Once again, the deaths were thought to be deadly retribution by Afghan security personnel.
To be fair, the Koran incident has put the unpredictable President Karzai between a rock and a hard place, with little political capital in the bank.
No doubt there should be an Afghan apology as well as an American one - particularly if the Afghan government expects the US Congress and the American people to continue to support this fragile and frustrating relationship. 'Not deliberate'
The fact that President Obama went first is usually considered, well, leadership.
In the Republican debates Mr Romney said he would make decisions regarding Afghanistan based on "conditions on the ground determined by the generals".
The first US official to recognise the danger of the Koran-burning and issue an apology was not President Obama, but Gen John Allen, the commander of US and international forces in Afghanistan.
Gen Allen and his diplomatic counterpart, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, undoubtedly welcomed the political apologies that came from President Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
They understand that the future of the US-Afghan relationship is at stake and with it the sustainability of the counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan (and from Afghanistan into Pakistan). Those are operations that Mr Romney supports.
Like Mr Romney, Mr Santorum recognises the importance of the long-term presence. He defines "victory" as staying in Afghanistan long enough to ensure the Taliban is not a security threat.
Depending on the definition of "threat" that could mean staying in Afghanistan for a long time.
An apology, says Mr Santorum, is not required if the mistake, however egregious, was not intentional.
There is no reason, he said, to apologise "for something that was not a deliberate act."
The right war?
But human nature suggests just the opposite.
When we do something unintentional, whether the slight is misinterpreted or manipulated, we are usually quick to add "I'm sorry". We seek to defuse the situation before it becomes a bigger problem.
Politicians, Mr Santorum included, apologise for lots of things on the campaign trail to deny their opponents an advantage.
That is exactly what President Obama did.
The president and his national security team have been focussed, since coming into office in 2009, on the US relationship with the Islamic world.
His speech in Cairo in 2009 was a bold attempt to reset perceptions.
While the effort was noticed, and trends broadly positive, it was constrained by ongoing resentment of US policies and actions, a lingering gap between what the US says and what it does.
This was what made last week's incident dangerous. The president recognised the risk and responded appropriately.
If there is good news, it is that significant violence has been confined to Afghanistan - at least so far. This suggests the rapid response had some positive effect. But it is still too early to tell.
A president should not apologise for every tactical mistake on the battlefield.
President Obama did not apologise to Pakistan for a raid gone wrong late last year that claimed the lives of 24 Pakistani soldiers stationed along its border with Afghanistan.
The Pakistani public, which rates the US about as trustworthy as Americans rate Congress - yes, it is that bad - has noticed.
Whether that judgment is right or wrong, it shows the White House is being judicious in how it deploys presidential power and credibility. Centre of gravity
The logic of never apologising, never showing what might be weakness in a commander-in-chief, was perhaps appropriate during the Cold War.
But today's struggle is different - a war of perceptions, a battle of ideas, a competition for hearts and minds - within a far more dynamic global communication environment.
The centre of gravity, as the military preaches but does not yet fully practice, is the people - what they think and what they do.
Not the extremists - they need to be defeated - but the broader population. For a time they gave terrorists explicit or tacit support, but have widely turned against them in recent years.
Going forward, the key will be smart power, not raw power. The next president must be prepared to wage the right war, not the last one.
Afghanistan Sets Auction to Lure Bidders for Oil Exploration
Bloomberg By Viola Gienger and Eric Martin Mar 2, 2012
Afghanistan will start accepting investor offers next week to explore for at least 600 million barrels of crude oil in the western half of the Afghan-Tajik Basin, the country’s mining minister said.
The auction beginning March 7 will cover six blocks in the basin, located in the country’s north, and will include rights for exploration and production, Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani said yesterday in an interview in Washington.
“The initial indication is that there would be at least 600 million barrels of oil in that western part of the Afghan- Tajik basin,” he said. “There is also potential for discovery, once they do the exploration, for gas in the same basin.”
The auction would be Afghanistan’s first new offering of energy and mineral deposits this year in a country desperate for revenue as a 50-nation coalition begins to withdraw its troops amid continuing violence.
Chevron Corp. (CVX), the second-largest U.S. oil producer, is among the companies that expressed interest in bidding for the Afghan-Tajik Basin during meetings with other ministry officials last week in Houston, Shahrani said.
Lloyd Avram, a spokesman for San Ramon, California-based Chevron, said that, while the company “continuously looks for value-added opportunities around the world,” it doesn’t comment on business discussions.
The Afghan-Tajik Basin is estimated to hold 946 million barrels of undiscovered crude oil and 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report. Koran Burning
Intensified violence, including riots and the killings of six U.S. soldiers in the past 10 days over a Koran burning at the main American military base, have thwarted investment and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s decade-long effort to end the war.
The Pentagon’s Task Force on Business and Stability Operations works with the ministry to help build and modernize infrastructure and encourage investment, while civilian aid groups seek to develop the country’s legal system and the capacity of government agencies.
Such efforts by the NATO coalition suffered another setback last week, when U.S. Marine General John Allen, the top commander, recalled advisers from the ministries to secure compounds after two were shot to death in the heavily guarded Interior Ministry. Shahrani said U.S. and British advisers in his ministry were recalled, while World Bank and Asian Development Bank personnel continue to work on site. Chinese Win
China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPZ) last year won an auction to develop three blocks of the Amu Darya basin, a geological zone that extends into Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The three blocks were estimated to hold 80 million barrels and the Afghan government projected it would yield about $7 billion in profits.
The company, which is PetroChina Co. (857)’s parent, won the tender by offering to build a refinery and pay more royalty than rivals from Australia, the U.K., the U.S. and Pakistan. Production is due to begin in October, Shahrani said yesterday.
Shahrani, who is visiting Washington to meet with U.S. companies as well as government agencies supporting Afghanistan’s economic development, said the ministry will announce the results next week of a tender process that began in December for four gold and copper deposits. The announcement is scheduled for March 9, he said.
Afghanistan may hold unexplored mineral deposits worth as much as $1 trillion, the Pentagon said in June 2010, citing U.S. Geological Survey data. The Afghan government has estimated the figure as high as $3 trillion. Mineral Deposits
India and China have so far led foreign investment in the country’s mineral resources. State-owned Metallurgical Corp. (1618) of China is developing the Aynak copper mine in Afghanistan, where production is expected to begin in 2014, according to Shahrani.
Companies from outside the region are more likely to be wary of investing in Afghanistan, said Prasad Patkar, who helps manage about $1 billion at Platypus Asset Management Ltd. in Sydney.
“I wouldn’t imagine Afghanistan attracting large investment immediately,” Patkar said in a telephone interview. “There are volatile areas that are geologically more appealing, like the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
Among American companies, Afghanistan is most likely to interest those that focus on oil and gas, rare earths, gold and, to a certain extent, copper, Shahrani said.
Afghanistan is funding a 7,000-person security force to protect mining assets, with 1,500 personnel stationed at the Aynak mine at a cost of about $7 million a year, Shahrani said in a December interview. Meeting With Molycorp
Shahrani said he will meet with representatives from Molycorp Inc. (MCP) of Greenwood Village, Colorado. The company owns the largest rare-earth deposit outside China.
Molycorp had a meeting with Afghan officials on Sept. 23 at the suggestion of the U.S. State Department to discuss long-term plans for mineral development, Jim Sims, a spokesman for the company, said in an e-mail. Sims said the company hasn’t met with Afghan representatives since and he isn’t aware of any meetings are scheduled.
House chairman wants new rules on Afghan security
Associated Press By DONNA CASSATA Thu, Mar. 01, 2012
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is intent on barring private security contractors and Afghans from guarding U.S. bases in Afghanistan, a move that could complicate President Barack Obama's timetable for withdrawing American forces after more than a decade of war.
Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., introduced the legislation on Thursday in response to the insider attacks by Afghan security forces against U.S. and other coalition troops. McKeon held a hearing last month in which the military said more than 45 insider attacks have occurred since 2007 - 75 percent in the past two years.
In a recent spate of anti-American violence touched off by the burning of Muslim holy books at a U.S. base last week, two U.S. troops were gunned down by two Afghan soldiers and an accomplice on Thursday. All told, six Americans have been killed by their Afghan partners in recent days.
"War is bad enough that we put our young people out there at risk," McKeon said in an interview taped for C-SPAN's "Newsmakers." "They shouldn't have to worry about security within the base."
The legislation would require the president to ensure that there are enough trained members of the military to fight the war in Afghanistan as well as provide security for American troops. If the president refuses, he must certify to Congress that private security contractors or the Afghan Public Protection Force can provide protection that is at least equal to the U.S. military.
The bill would prohibit the president from shifting troops from current operations in Afghanistan to protect bases. Such a step would force the president to increase the number of troops in the country - a move certain to face strong opposition in a war-weary Congress.
The United States and its NATO partners agreed in late 2010 to end the combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The mission would transition to an operation focused on training and advising Afghan forces. Obama plans to reduce the total U.S. military presence to 68,000 by the end of September from the current level of about 90,000 U.S. troops.
McKeon disagrees with that timetable.
"I think the president bringing these 20,000 troops home this year is too soon," he said in the interview. "I know there's disagreement on that, but my feeling is I would like to see them stay in theater through the fighting season."
Frustration with the decade-plus war has increased in Congress, reflected in votes last year in both the House and Senate, and more recently in congressional hearings with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton this week. Several lawmakers questioned the continued U.S. presence as anti-American protests claimed U.S. lives.
The military said last month that most of the attackers acted out of personal motivation and were not controlled or directed by insurgent groups. The second most common circumstances involved insurgents impersonating or infiltrating Afghan security forces. Defense officials have spelled out a screening process for Afghan nationals who are used to provide security for U.S. forces. That program incorporates some improvements made after the March 2011 attack at Forward Operating Base Frontenac that killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded four others.
One of the two killed was Army Spc. Rudy Acosta, who was from McKeon's congressional district.
"The tragedies that those parents had to deal with, the parents in my district, and the other young man was from Ohio," McKeon said, referring to Cpl. Donald Mickler. "They shouldn't have had to deal with that."
NATO Calls for Key Role in Afghanistan After 2014
Rasmussen Says Alliance Should Carry On Mission After 2014, Including Troop Training
Wall Street Journal By STEPHEN FIDLER March 1, 2012
BRUSSELS - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's chief said he expected a key role for the alliance in Afghanistan even after Afghan security forces take over all combat operations in the country.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO secretary-general, said in an interview Thursday he expected a summit of NATO leaders in Chicago in May to agree to continue its troop-training mission in Afghanistan after 2014. He said those trainers would need alliance troops to protect them.
But NATO members also are debating whether the alliance's troops will have any broader role, including continuing combat operations, in support of Afghan troops.
Any continued mission after 2014 would depend upon a request from Kabul, he said. The Afghan government has had a fraught relationship with the alliance, blaming it for strikes that have killed civilians and night raids that have riled Muslim sensitivities.
"Any role from our side will be a supporting role," Mr. Rasmussen said. "I think it's a bit premature to definitely define what will be the exact mission post-2014 because it will very much depend on the security situation."
Mr. Rasmussen also addressed whether any Afghan mission is better handled under the auspices of NATO or by a separate international coalition.
"I think whatever option we are thinking about, I think most allies and partners would have a preference for a NATO-led operation," he said. "This is also based on previous experience that NATO provides a tested and tried framework for command and control structures that are transparent, that are well suited to exercise political supervision."
Thursday, a day when two more U.S. soldiers were killed by Afghan colleagues amid a spasm of violence after the burning of Qurans at an American airfield last week, Mr. Rasmussen said the alliance would be faced with more such security challenges in the coming months and years. But he insisted the transition from foreign to Afghan control of security operations was working and on track.
Afghan security forces are now taking part in 95% of all security operations in Afghanistan, and have taken the lead in about 40% of them, Mr. Rasmussen said. Afghans conduct 85% of all training activities themselves, he added.
"These are significant achievements that demonstrate the progress we have seen when it comes to capacity of the Afghan security forces," Mr. Rasmussen said. "This is also why I feel confident that we cancomplete the transition by 2014." By the end of next year, he said transition to Afghan command would "probably" be under way everywhere in Afghanistan.
Last month, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said that American forces would end their combat role in Afghanistan as early as mid-2013, more than a year before all American troops are scheduled to come home.
Mr. Rasmussen said that before the Chicago summit NATO will take key decisions on how large the future Afghan security force should be—but it was premature to fix a figure now. The U.S., which along with its allies funds Afghanistan's military and police forces, has circulated proposals to cut Afghan troop numbers to 230,000 after 2014 from 352,000, a proposal that the Afghan defense minister has said could lead to a catastrophe.
"What might be the long-term size will of course very much depend on the evolving security situation, the capability of the Afghan security forces and, at the end of the day, it's also a question about the bill and how to finance it," he said.
Countries including Germany and Norway are also pressing the alliance to decide on a new posture toward nuclear weapons, arguing there is an opportunity to reduce the role of nuclear weapons. NATO members including France argue against that.
Mr. Rasmussen said he didn't expect major changes at the Chicago summit. He said it would be worth considering the goal of reducing NATO's tactical nuclear weapons in Europe—but only in tandem with Russia. "A precondition of that approach would be increased transparency" on the Russian side, he said.
He also said that he expected the Chicago summit to advance a number of multinational projects aimed at getting more out of squeezed defense budgets. About 20 concrete projects had been identified for cooperation, for example, in logistics, intelligence, reconnaissance and training.
Bigger longer-term initiatives were also being developed for 2020 and beyond, including more air-to-air refueling capability—a lack of which was identified in last year's Libya mission—and more drones.
Write to Stephen Fidler at stephen.fidler@wsj.com
A version of this article appeared Mar. 2, 2012, on page A6 in some U.S. editions of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: NATO Calls for Key RoleIn Afghanistan After 2014.
Al-Qaeda Chief Welcomes 'Shrinking' US influence
TOLOnews.com Thursday, 01 March 2012
Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri on Wednesday welcome what he called the "shrinking influence" of the United States across the world because of the attacks extremist groups had carried out on the country, AFP reported, citing an audio message.
"I congratulate you all as the US influence on the world is quickly shrinking," AFP reported Zawahiri saying in a 24-minute broadcast released on jehadi websites.
"One of the latest signs of this is the reduction in the US Defence Department's budget, which is the big event that forced (US President Barack) Obama to announce it himself so as to reduce its impact on the American people," AFP cited him as saying.
"The crises that the United States has faced and which have forced it to reduce its defence budget were mainly due to Allah's help to the mujahedeen (holy fighters) in inflicting harm upon the evil empire of our time," he said, according to AFP.
On February 14, the Pentagon suggested a smaller defence budget for the first time since the September 11, 2001 attacks. The savings come from the US withdrawal from Iraq.
Zawahiri added that US troops in Afghanistan will soon be forced to withdraw just as they were in Iraq. He said the US will accept "defeat" in both countries.
He also said the US's decision to pursue talks with the Taliban, which it used to consider a terrorist group, was another indication of weakness.
Turkey to Continue Assisting Afghanistan Beyond 2014
TOLOnews.com Thursday, 01 March 2012
Turkish Ambassador to Afghanistan, Basat Öztürk, on Wednesday said his country would continue to stand by Afghans beyond 2014 when all foreign troops leave the country.
Turkish Ambassador to Afghanistan Basat Öztürk said that withdrawal of all foreign forces in 2014 will not mean that Turkey's cooperation with Afghanistan will end.
Mr Öztürk made the comments at a celebration on the occasion of 91st anniversary of the signing of Afghan-Turk friendship agreement.
He said Turkey will remain committed to stand by the Afghan people, citing the Istanbul summit as an example of his country's continued support to Afghanistan.
"Afghans have suffered a lot, but have not lost courage. Afghan forces have gone through a lot of difficulties to maintain security in the country, but they have not lost their strength and courage," Mr Öztürk said.
He said his country struggled for its own freedom ninety one years ago, but it signed a friendship agreement with Afghanistan. He stressed that Turkey's decision to support Afghans beyond 2014 is irreversible.
Meanwhile, Political Deputy to the Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jawid Ludin, praised Turkey's cooperation with Afghanistan, especially Turkey's role in the training of Afghan security forces.
"Turkish soldiers have cooperated with us in the field of security, and offered any other assistance we need," Mr Ludin said.
It is said that Turkey supports Afghanistan in military training, health and disaster preparedness programmes.
Turkey has around 1845 troops in Afghanistan mainly based in the capital, Kabul. It has lost two soldiers since the beginning of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 which toppled the Taliban regime.
Rare Afghan Sheep Survives Despite Poachers
Latest survey suggests Marco Polo sheep numbers have risen.
IWPR By Nur Agha Nuri 1 Mar 12
Afghanistan - Counting sheep in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province may be difficult, but shooting them is easy enough when the weapon of choice is an AK-47.
The Marco Polo sheep, named after the 13th century Italian explorer who first described for the western world, is considered one of the fastest and smartest of game animals. Its meat is delicious and its curved horns often grow to 140 or 160 centimetres.
Killing the species is now prohibited. For 18 years before the Soviet invasion of 1979, hunting of Marco Polo sheep was carefully regulated, with foreign hunters allowed only one shot at the animal, which stands almost a metre high and often weighs between 125 and 130 kilograms.
The sheep, known locally as “nakhjipar”, are found in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, in the narrow Wakhan Valley corridor between Tajikistan and Pakistan.
According to a survey conducted by the Badakhshan provincial agriculture department, there were 4,000 Marco Polo Sheep in 1971. A survey completed in May 2011 by the American-based Wild Conservation Society, WCS, using advanced camera traps placed at several locations in the Wakhan Valley, put the number at 1,500.
That figure is seen an improvement for environmental protection. In 2009, Dr Mohammed Shafi, head of the veterinary division for the provincial agriculture department, estimated the population at as few as 220, in a survey conducted in cooperation with WCS that relied mostly on photos, hoofprints and other traces found by a combined team of six Afghan and foreign surveyors.
What is undeniable is the cultural change in the hunting of Marco Polo sheep over the past 30 years.
From 1961 to 1978, the rules for hunting the animal were administered by the country’s tourism department. Every year, hundreds of foreign tourists visited the Wakhan Valley, bringing thousands of US dollars in guide fees and tax receipts for the impoverished region.
Abdullah, now 60 and living in the village of Bokowi village, is one of six officials who were responsible for accompanying foreigners in those days. “Each tourist and foreign hunter was permitted only one shot at a Marco Polo sheep during their visit. If they missed, they didn’t have permission to take a second shot,” he recalls.
“At that time a foreigner was paying 3,000 to 10,000 dollars for one shot. Our most important duty was to safeguard and maintain the Marco Polo sheep and snow leopards.”
Abdul Zahir, who resides in Panja village, began hunting professionally 40 years ago, at the age of 16. He says that after the sheep were killed and the meat was either eaten or preserved, the skins and horns were smuggled illegally into Pakistan and sold for as much as 5,000 afghanis. “We brought back wheat from Pakistan with the money from the horns and skins,” Zahir said.
According to Abdul Zahir, in the old days hunters used British-made single-shot rifles to hunt the sheep. The Soviet invasion brought the AK-47, which can fire dozens of bullets with one pull of a trigger.
The profits have also multiplied. Abdul Zahir claims to have sold a Marco Polo sheepskin for 5,000 afghanis.
A three-month investigation by an IWPR reporter indicates that lack of oversight by government officials, along with poverty among local people, encourages illegal hunting of Marco Polo sheep without any fear of punishment.
According to current Afghan law, Marco Polo sheep are national assets, and hunting and smuggling of sheep parts are prohibited under a decree issued by President Hamid Karzai, with penalties of up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 100,000 afghanis.
Local officials in Badakhshan claim that most illegal hunting and smuggling of Marco Polo sheep is organised by Pakistani dealers based in the border province of Chitral.
Ghulam Nabi Sarfaraz, head of the environment department for the province, said his staff captured a Pakistani citizen last year carrying a dead Marco Polo sheep near the border with Chitral. He said the suspect was handed over to Afghan border police and he has heard nothing about the incident since.
The struggle for the conservation of wildlife including Marco Polo sheep in Badakhshan gained ground after WCS resumed its activities in 2006, and other organisations including the Aga Khan Foundation began contributing to the effort.
WCS conservationist Anthony Simms says that for the last four years, his organisation has employed 40 local young people as “civil guards”, who act as game wardens to protect the sheep.
Abdul Sabir, one of the civil guards, said that every week they divide into eight-member groups and go out on patrols in areas known to be used for hunting and smuggling. “We are guarding [like] police and we don’t permit anyone to hunt Marco Polo sheep,” he said. The civil guards are unarmed.
Wakhan district chief Sayed Feruz Shah says poachers and smugglers are numerous, operating from the Broghil valley up to the Chinese border, an area 250 km long and 230 km wide. He admits the authorities cannot provide protection for such a vast territory.
“What can our government do with two policemen to cover a 250 km-long mountain wilderness?” the chief asks.
Feruz Shah noted that digital binoculars had been installed at vantage-points in the Pamir mountains, along with dozens of cameras installed by WCS.
But a veteran Wakhan Valley hunter who did not want to give his name said the poachers and smugglers all knew the locations of the cameras and hunted in other valleys instead.
According to district chief Feruz Shah, Wakhan has a population of 18,000 and is controlled by only a few individuals – mostly large landowners who have near-absolute influence over the hundreds of small settlements in the area. Local hunters say the landowners have a hand in the continued hunting of Marco Polo sheep.
In interviews with IWPR, local hunters Abdul Sabir, Abdullah and Abdul Zahir claim that large numbers of the sheep are hunted down on the orders of Wakhan’s powerbrokers every year for meat, which is sometimes served at elaborate picnics.
Mohammad Sadiq, who has been security chief in Wakhan district for the last four years, said there are dangerous people behind the trade, a so-called “Marco Polo mafia” intent on making money.
Last year, a group of three individuals was caught with a Marco Polo sheep with an injured hoof. Mohammad Sadiq said the hunters confessed that the animal was to be sent to a zoo in Islamabad.
“Before going on their mission, the smugglers received 100,000 dollars in advance from the Pakistanis,” Mohammad Sadiq said.
Nur Agha Nuri is an IWPR-trained reporter in Afghanistan.
This report was produced in November 2011 as part of the Afghan Investigative Journalism Fund project, and originally published on the Afghan Centre for Investigative Journalism website which IWPR has set up locally.
www.afghanistannewscenter.com