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Afghanistan Welcomes Taliban Prisoner Release
VOA News January 1, 2013
Afghanistan is welcoming Pakistan's release of eight Afghan Taliban prisoners as an important step in the peace process.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faizi told reporters in Kabul Tuesday that the government hopes the release will encourage other Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government.
Pakistan said that among those released were former Afghan Justice Minister Mullah Nooruddin Turabi and former Helmand province Governor Abdul Bari, as well as two other former Taliban governors and another former Taliban government minister.
Turabi was minister of justice under Taliban rule in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. He is said to be in poor health. The United Nations says Turabi was appointed as a Taliban military commander in Afghanistan in mid-2009 and was a deputy to Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar.
Pakistan's foreign ministry said Monday the prisoners were released "in order to further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process."
Senior members of the Afghan High Peace Council also welcomed the release. Ismail Qasemyar told news agencies the move is a good, practical step in the right direction and said he hoped Pakistan will free more Taliban prisoners.
Another top Afghan peace negotiator says the government hopes to transform the Afghan Taliban into a political movement, and that all sides realize a military solution to the conflict is not possible. Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai told Reuters he is cautiously optimistic about a possible reconciliation with the Taliban.
Last month, Pakistan released nine Afghan Taliban prisoners, but not the insurgent group's former deputy leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. He was captured in Pakistan in 2010.
Afghanistan has long sought access to the prisoners in order to aid the stalled peace process. Support from Pakistan, which backed the Taliban regime, is seen as crucial to Afghan reconciliation efforts as international forces complete their withdrawal from the war-torn country by the end of 2014.
Roadside bomb kills 1 Afghan police, wounding 5
FARAH, Afghanistan, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- One Afghan constable was killed and five others sustained injuries as a roadside bomb struck a police van in Farah province with Farah city as its capital 695 km west of Kabul on Monday night, a local official said Tuesday.
"The tragic incident occurred Monday evening in Khak-e-Safid district, leaving a police constable dead and five others injured, " spokesman for provincial administration Abdul Rahman Ghawandoi told Xinhua.
He also blamed the enemies of peace, a term used against Taliban militants by Afghan officials, for planting the mine and inflicting casualties.
However, the outfit fighting the government and largely relying on roadside and suicide bombings has yet to comment.
Afghans Seek More Military Hardware
Wall Street Journal By NATHAN HODGE, ZIAULHAQ SULTANI and HABIB KHAN TOTAKHIL December 31, 2012
KABUL - Afghanistan's military leaders are preparing a weaponry wish list ahead of the withdrawal of most international troops, amid concerns about the ability of Afghan forces to take the lead on the country's security.
At the top of the list: more and better aircraft. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Air Force recently scrapped plans to equip Afghanistan with a fleet of refurbished transport planes, leaving the Afghan military with a crucial gap in its ability to move troops and cargo around the country.
Afghan Defense Minister Bismullah Khan Mohammadi told reporters at a press conference on Monday in Kabul that the lack of planes was a "serious challenge" for the Afghan military. "Sixteen transport planes were delivered but they weren't useful," he said.
The U.S. Air Force earlier this month notified Alenia Aermacchi North America, a unit of the Italian defense conglomerate Finmeccanica SpA, FNC.MI -0.46% that it would not renew a contract to maintain and support 20 refurbished cargo planes for the Afghan military because the company didn't deliver enough aircraft in good working order.
"It's all a bit surprising that this decision is being made now when the [remediation] plan is being fully implemented," a representative of Alenia said last week.
Mr. Mohammadi expressed the hope that Afghanistan's international partners would step in to provide transportation planes sometime next year. "Until then, we will mostly rely on NATO planes," he said.
The cargo plane development cast a spotlight on some major shortfalls in Afghanistan's military inventory. For several years, Afghanistan and its international allies focused mostly on recruitment, drawing 344,000 new members into its army and police forces despite relatively basic equipment. Now, Afghan and coalition officials say the Afghan military will need new "enablers"—military shorthand for more high-end military technology—so Afghan troops can operate without international support.
Maj. Gen. Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, told The Wall Street Journal the Afghan military was talking with the U.S. and its international allies about bolstering its capabilities in several key areas: air power, fire support, intelligence technology and equipment to detect and clear roadside bombs.
Gen. Azimi said the Afghan military was in line to receive at least four C-130 cargo planes from the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, but also wants aircraft for surveillance as well as for transportation. The Afghan military, he said, is still dependent on the U.S.-led coalition for the intelligence provided by drones and other surveillance equipment.
Countering roadside bombs, Gen. Azimi added, is a particularly urgent requirement: Over the past year, he said, 85% of Afghan troop casualties were caused by improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. U.S. and coalition troops operate an array of costly equipment to find and clear roadside bombs, and the Pentagon has spent tens of billions of dollars on specialized vehicles that are better able to withstand mine blasts.
"We expect the international community to consider this issue," he said. "The U.S. promised us they would provide this equipment for counter-IED, but it is not enough."
Gen. Azimi said the Afghan military also needs better and longer-range artillery than its current Soviet-made 122mm howitzers. He said discussions about acquiring more modern guns are in early stages.
The Afghan military's equipment shortfalls are coming to the fore ahead of a visit to Washington in early January by Afghan President Hamid Karzai—and as top Afghan officials announce that Afghan forces are now assuming responsibility for security in most of the country.
In a press conference on Monday, Ashraf Ghani, chairman of the Afghan government commission that is overseeing transition of security to Afghan control, said Afghan security forces are now poised to take the lead for security in 23 of the 34 Afghan provinces and for 87% of the Afghan population.
But Mr. Ghani said challenges remain, and said the Afghan government and its international partners would undertake a comprehensive review of Afghan security forces, including their weaponry, bases and training.
"A significant part of the forthcoming trip of the president of Afghanistan to Washington and the meeting with the president of the United States is going to focus on enablers," he said.
At the same press conference, top Afghan officials said the security situation had improved in areas handed over to Afghan security forces.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, disputed that, saying the insurgency had "wide areas under our control" in the Afghan countryside.
"Only the district headquarters are controlled by the government," he said. "The Taliban control the villages around."
Taliban local leader killed in N. Afghanistan
KABUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- A local Taliban leader was killed in Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz, the NATO-led coalition forces confirmed on Tuesday.
"During a security operation in Imam Sahib District, Kunduz province, yesterday, an Afghan and coalition force killed the Taliban leader, Nurullah Khan, and one other insurgent," the coalition said in a statement.
Nurullah Khan, also known as Shaker, transported and distributed weapons for insurgents in Kunduz province. At the time of his death, Nurullah Khan was coordinating the movement of explosives for use in a future improvised explosive device (IED) attack.
Meantime, the administrative chief of the Imam Sahib district, Amanuddin Qurishee, told Xinhua that a pilotless plane of the coalition forces targeted militants in Kunjak area of the district Monday night, killing two militants.
The Taliban insurgent group, which has been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, has yet to make comments.
The Afghan security forces and more than 100,000 NATO-led coalition troops continue to press Taliban insurgents and other militant groups in the country, despite a decrease in violent attacks due to cold weather in an imminent winter in the militancy- hit country.
Figures released by the Afghan Interior Ministry showed more than 91 insurgents had been killed and nearly 190 others detained in December during military operations across the country.
Top Afghan negotiator optimistic over peace prospects
Reuters By Michael Georgy and Hamid Shalizi Tue Jan 1, 2013
KABUL - A top Afghan peace negotiator said he was cautiously optimistic about prospects for reconciliation with the Taliban and that all sides now realized a military solution to the war was not possible.
Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai also told Reuters that the Kabul government hoped to transform the Afghan Taliban, who have proved resilient after more than a decade of war against U.S.-led NATO and Afghan troops, into a political movement.
He predicted the highly lethal Haqqani militant network, the most experienced at guerrilla warfare, would join the peace process if the Afghan Taliban started formal talks.
Signs are emerging that the Afghan government is gaining momentum in its drive to persuade the Taliban to lay down their arms before most NATO combat troops pull out by the end of 2014, a timeline that makes many Afghans nervous.
Members of the Afghan government, the Taliban and some of their old enemies in the Northern Alliance, which fought the Taliban for years, discussed ways of easing the conflict during a recent meeting in France.
"I think one consensus was that everybody acknowledged that nobody will win by military (means)," said Stanekzai, who was badly wounded in a 2011 Taliban suicide bombing attack. "Everybody acknowledged that we have to enter into a meaningful negotiation."
Pakistan, long accused of supporting Afghan insurgents such as the Taliban, has sent the strongest signals yet that it will deliver on promises of helping the Kabul government and the United States bring stability to its neighbor. Pakistan is seen as critical to the process after three decades of upheaval in Afghanistan.
Ten years of Soviet occupation were followed by devastating civil war and the rise of the Taliban, who ruled from 1996 to 2001.
On Monday, Pakistan freed four Afghan Taliban prisoners who Afghan officials said were close to the group's reclusive leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, and still had the clout to persuade commanders to pursue peace.
"EVERYBODY SHOULD BENEFIT"
Stanekzai stressed that in order to bring long-term stability, reconciliation efforts should aim to bring the Taliban and other insurgents into Afghan politics.
"The purpose of the peace process is we want all Afghans to be part of the political system," said Stanekzai, who studied at Cambridge and was in charge of disarmament in Afghanistan before becoming a senior member of the High Peace Council.
"This peace process should not just be a deal between a few people or between the government and the Taliban, but everybody should benefit from the peace process, and everybody should see a peaceful prospect for themselves for the future."
Some activists fear that the government will make concessions in order to pacify the Taliban that could hurt efforts to improve women's rights.
Stanekzai said Afghan security forces had made progress but acknowledged that more work was needed to ensure they would be ready to take over when the U.S. combat mission ends in 2014.
He also believes a free and fair presidential election in April 2014 are essential to prevent any further conflict. The last vote was plagued by allegations of widespread fraud.
"This is the time where we have to enter in negotiations to make sure that does not happen. But, as you know, politicians are always politicians. They are always in a power game."
Stanekzai warned that reconciliation was complex, with many moving parts having to be synchronized.
The Haqqanis, who are close to al Qaeda and have been blamed for a number of high-profile attacks on Western and Afghan targets in Kabul, are regarded as a possible spoiler.
But Stanekzai did not seem too concerned about the group.
"When you go to a market you always use a brand name and then you sell your very low-quality product under that brand name," he said.
"We enter a negotiation with the Taliban which is the brand marketable name. The rest is easy."
Asked if he thought there would be a major breakthrough in peace efforts this year, Stanekzai said conditions had been established to make that possible. But he noted that Afghanistan was highly unpredictable.
"Anything can happen. You don't know which direction these different actors will take," he said.
Stanekzai knows that first hand.
He recalled how a man posing as a Taliban peace envoy kissed the hand of ex-Afghan president and chairman of the High Peace Council Burhanuddin Rabbani before detonating a bomb hidden in his turban.
Rabbani was killed instantly and Stanekzai was badly wounded. Faith in Islam has helped him recover.
"The suicide bomber was between the both of us and when he lowered his head, I remember there was a light and a bang and that was the last thing I remember. Next thing I remember was I was in the hospital," said Stanekzai, sitting near his cane.
"It's life," he said. "In Islam, in our religion, it says even if you are in the middle of fire, Allah can save you."
(Editing by Nick Macfie)
13 insurgents arrested in eastern Afghan operations
KABUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Up to 13 insurgents have been detained in operations in eastern Afghan provinces, as part of an increased campaign against the militants in the country, said the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces on Tuesday.
"Afghan and coalition forces detained 13 insurgents, located one weapons cache and cleared three improvised explosive devices ( IEDs) during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours," the ISAF's Regional Command-East (RC-East) said in a statement.
The detained men were captured in Khost province, some 150 km southeast of Afghan capital Kabul, the statement said. "The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning."
The IEDs were found and defused in Laghman province 90 km east of Kabul and neighboring Nangarhar province.
The joint forces found the weapons cache in Paktia province 100 km south of Kabul.
"Operations in RC-East are ongoing," the statement said.
Afghan forces and some 100,000 NATO-led coalition troops have intensified cleanup operations against Taliban and other militant groups throughout the country recently.
The Taliban insurgent group, who ruled the country before they were ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in late 2001, renewed armed insurgency, staging ambush and suicide attacks, killing combatants as well as civilians.
The Taliban has yet to make comments.
12 Events That Shaped Afghanistan in 2012
TOLOnews.com Monday, 31 December 2012
It has been an eventful year in Afghanistan, a year of triumphs and tribulations. From the country's first premier league soccer tournament to progress towards peace, our editors picked 12 events for their potential to shape the country in 2012 and beyond.
In rough chronological order, here are the 12 events that shaped Afghanistan in 2012.
1. Taliban open office in Qatar – giving peace a chance?
The year began with the Taliban agreeing to open an office in Qatar from where they could negotiate with the US. The Afghan government had long lamented the lack of "an address" for the insurgents, but reacted to the office opening dourly: The US had conducted preliminary talks in secret without consulting Afghanistan. Pakistan allowed several Taliban representatives to fly to Qatar, but once there, they didn't have busy office days – they broke off talks with the US because it refused to release five Taliban leaders from Guantanamo. The peace process is limping along again and, after a string of talks and meetings with the Taliban, Afghanistan eventually came around and accepted the Qatar office.
2. Strategic partnerships – securing Afghanistan's future
President Obama flew to Kabul late one night in May to sign the US-Afghanistan Enduring Strategic Partnership, commiting the US to help Afghanistan for 10 years after 2014. Iran voiced concerns over the pact, but Afghan lawmakers slammed it for interference and unanimously ratified the agreement. The partnership leaves out the critical issue of legal immunity for US forces post-2014. But the pact was part of a slew of similar agreements, including those with Germany, China, France, Italy and the UK.
3. Security transition – Afghans control 75% of the country
President Karzai announced the third phase of the security handover in May and the Afghan National Army took over all military operations in the critical South in July. Afghan forces also took over security for provincial centers and, eventually, more than 70 percent of the whole country as Isaf troops closed their bases and withdrew. Afghan troops also started taking the lead in more operations, incurring their heaviest yearly death toll yet in the process. A Pentagon report revealed that although only one of the 23 Afghan army units is capable of operating without help, violence was lower in 2012 than its peak of 2010.
4. The international conferences – long-term security and development impact
The international community, led by the US, tried to reassure Afghanistan that it will not be abandoned after the Isaf withdrawal in 2014. The result was a string of conferences in which they pledged significant aid to the country, beginning with Chicago, where they agreed to provide "appropriate, coherent and effective funding mechanisms" to cover the estimated $4.1 billion a year cost of Afghan security forces. The Tokyo Conference followed, with $16 billion in civilian aid between 2012 and 2015. The conference was also important for the Mutual Accountability Framework to monitor aid for corruption and irregularity.
5. Popular uprisings against Taliban – no more safe havens
After closure of hundreds of schools across Afghanistan, most notably in Ghazni province, the people decided they'd had enough. A popular uprising in Ghazni's Andar district soon spread to 10 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, including Faryab, Laghman, Kapisa, Nangarhar and even towns 25 kilometers from the capital. Some reports indicated that the armed citizens had ties with Hizb-e-Islami, but their uprusing served to dispell the prevalent image of popular helplessness in the face of a resurgent Taliban. They drove heavily armed insurgents out of their villages to open schools for children and resume their normal way of life, breaking the taboo of Taliban invincibility in the process.
6. Parliament dismisses key ministers – flexing the legislature's muscles
Parliament flexed its muscles mid-year and dismissed the ministers of defense and interior, ostensibly for their failure to prevent cross-border shelling from Pakistan. President Karzai, who had previously kept ministers in place despite votes of no-confidence from parliament, promptly accepted its verdict this time. In the aftermath, Nato scrambled to assuage an Afghanistan nervous about the security handover. Parliament promptly reconfirmed one of the two dismissed ministers, but the episode cemented the body's constitutional role.
7. Olympic bronze – Afghans unite in triumph
Rohullah Nikpa, the Olympic star who is a barber by profession, followed through on his debut medal in Beijing and won a bronze in Taekwondo in London, the second ever medal for Afghanistan at the games. Afghans erupted in jubilant celebrations after a long night of being glued to their television. Nikpa had united a nation in historic triumph, much like Kristy Coventry had done for Zimbabwe in Sydney. Nikpa came home to a hero's welcome, greeted by members of parliament, government officials and throngs of citizens at the airport. President Karzai gave him the country's highest award, and a Dubai-based publishing company gave him their "Most Popular Face" award.
8. Afghan Premier League – first professional sports league
The Afghan Football Federation teamed up with telecom giant Roshan and TOLO TV for an historic sports event, bringing the country's top soccer players into eight teams that clashed for the cup. Players were chosen after a two-month trial and teams were named after each of the country's regions. All matches were attended by enthusiastic crowds and broadcast on TV with live commentary. Herat's Toofan Harirod, which had convincingly trounced De Spinghar Bazan in the semifinals, retained its unbeaten streak in the tournament and lifted the first ever Afghan Premier League Cup and received $15,000 in prize money.
9. Cross-border shelling – Nangarhar vows jihad
After continued shelling from Pakistan that inflicted damages to Afghan villages in the eastern province of Kunar, residents decided to act. They were flocking to register their names as volunteers for jihad against Pakistan. The provincial governor called for better weapons to retaliate, Isaf's Gen. Allen visited Pakistan to quell the uproar, and Afghanistan threatened to take its case to the UN. But it took its case first to Nato, which responded that its mandate doesn't include incursions into Pakistan. Pakistan said frequent raids from Kunar-based insurgents promoted the shellings and asked Afghanistan to do more to stop the attacks. The months-long episode induced serious diplomatic strains and led to the ouster of two Afghan ministers.
10. High Peace Council visits Pakistan – finally, some momentum for peace
The long-delayed visit of the Afghan High Peace Council head Salahuddin Rabbani finally occurred in November. During the visit, the Afghan peace officials met with civilian and military leaders in Pakistan. To show it wants to be a serious partner for peace, Pakistan released a number of Taliban prisoners to encourage the insurgents to come to the table for talks. They promised to release more, but Afghan lawmakers asked what good that would do, given that the insurgents have refused to talk to the Afghan government. But the train appeared to be in motion, with a peace summit in Paris and another to follow in Turkmenistan.
11. Billions invested in mines – fuelling economic development?
Major multibillion-dollar investments poured into Afghanistan's natural resources sector, triggering hopes that the sector could propel Afghanistan into economic independence. First came the Hajigak iron ore deposits, whose extraction rights went to a state-backed consortium of Indian companies. The company will invest $7.8 billion. Together with a planned steel mill and a power plant, the investment climbs to $11 billion. A Chinese company won rights to explore the Amu Darya oil deposits, which will produce 12 million barrels of oil by its fifth year. That will meet Afghan needs and then some. But concerns remain, not least because of insecurity and corruption.
12. Intelligence chief attacked – another taliban infiltration
An insurgent suicide bomber disguised as a peace negotiator entered the highly secured NDS guesthouse in Kabul and attempted to kill NDS chief, the flamboyant Asadullah Khaled, who survived the attempt. While he was being flown abroad for treatment of his life-threatening injuries, President Karzai alleged that the attack was planned in Quetta. Pakistan was having none of it and denied the allegations. President Obama visited the Afghan spy chief in Virginia and pledged his full support for his recovery. The attack was exactly like the one that killed former president and High Peace Council Chairman Burhanuddin Rabbani last year, raising alarms over Taliban's ability to infiltrate the security establishment and strike at will at high-level officials.
East Horizon Airlines starts Kabul-Badakhshan flights
By Sadaf Shinwari Khaama Press January 1, 2013
East Horizon Airlines on Monday formally started flights to remote north-eastern Badakhshan province of Afghanistan.
This is the first time a private airline company is launching direct flights to Badakhshan province after three years. Previously Ariana Airlines, Kam Air and Pamir used to fly in this province however they halted their flights due to unknown reasons.
According to reports only UN and military aircraft used to fly in Badakhshan province during this period.
The first flight of East Horizon Airlines to Badakhshan province consisted to 44 passengers and was welcomed by Afghan officials and people who are saying that they can easily travel between Kabul and Badakhshan province.
However provincial governor Shahwaliullah Adeeb while praising the flights between Kabul and Badakhshan urged East Horizon Airlines to reconsider in its charges.
East Horizon Airlines, the latest addition to the list of cargo airlines in Afghanistan is currently serving the passengers using two aircrafts and the airlines is looking to purchase two more aircrafts in the near future in a bid to expand its operations across the country.
The carrier is also expected to move cargo from Kabul to smaller Afghan cities, which have previously had to rely on the unpredictable trucking. The airline is later expected to expand its service network to the UAE, Western China and India.
Troops' role changing as 2012 ends in Afghanistan
BBC News By Jonathan Beale Defence correspondent 31 December 2012
There has not been a British fatality for more than a month in Helmand. In part, it can be explained by the quieter winter - the insurgency is at its most deadly during the hot summer months. But it also reflects the changing role of the British military as they prepare to pull out.
It is the Afghan police and army that are now largely leading the fight, as British forces are lowering their profile. Nearly 60% of the British military bases in Helmand have either been handed over to the Afghans or dismantled.
Over the past year the British forces' focus, along with their Nato allies, has been on training up the Afghan security forces, in what is now becoming a more advisory role.
It is a task that still comes with risks, and 2012 has seen a dramatic rise in so-called "insider" or "green on blue" attacks, when rogue Afghans in uniform target foreign troops. A quarter of the 44 British troops who have died in Helmand this year have been killed in such attacks.
Mission continues
The most recent "insider attack" on a British soldier took place at Camp Shawqat in Nad Ali. Capt Walter Barrie was shot dead by an Afghan in uniform as he was playing football on Remembrance Sunday, the last British fatality of 2012.
His comrades who witnessed the tragedy are still training Afghans to detect roadside bombs on the same patch of muddy sand on which he was killed.
Capt Barrie's friend, Maj Andy Lumley, admits the incident gave his men "pause for thought". But he said in a show of "sheer bloody-mindedness" they were out playing football with the Afghans again the next day. Maj Lumley says the men still grieve for Capt Barrie, but they will not allow one incident to derail the mission.
There are, though, some doubts about the mission, which is training up the Afghans to provide their own security. While nearly every soldier in Helmand talked of real progress when asked, there is still a recognition that hard-fought gains could be lost.
Kingsman Ben Shaun of 1 Lancs sounded optimistic about the future, but if you read his words carefully you will detect concerns shared by other British soldiers regarding what will happen when they leave.
"Hopefully they'll keep to it. Maybe not as much now we're not there observing what they're doing. Maybe they'll slack it a little bit. But hopefully we don't have to come back and do the same job again," he says.
'Huge pride'
An Afghan military depot illustrates part of the the problem. Afghan engineers are able to carry out repairs on their old American Humvees, but outside the workshop there are more than 100 idle vehicles, waiting for spare parts. The logistical supply chain has still not been sorted out. How will they cope when international troops leave with all their kit and help?
Yet the British commander in Helmand, Brig Bob Bruce, is convinced that it is the right time to hand over control to the Afghan security forces. He says "they're ready and have huge pride in the job".
That is certainly shown by the top Afghan Army commander in central Helmand, Brig Gen Sherin Shah. He has been fighting the Taliban for more than a decade and his chin bears a large shrapnel scar to prove it. The insurgency has proved resilient, but so has he.
Gen Sherin Shah says he is not worried about the British withdrawal from Helmand, as it is not "sudden" but carefully planned. He insists the 438 British troops who have lost their lives in Afghanistan "have not died in vain". Before the British came, he says, Helmand was a violent province with no security and no democracy. Now 65,000 boys and girls are able to go to school.
There are real signs of progress in Helmand. But there are also reminders of the failures of past foreign intervention. Camp Shawqat, where Captain Walter Barrie died, is surrounded by the ruins of an old fort. The sandy mud walls that glow in the winter evening sun were built and occupied by British forces in the second Anglo Afghan War. But they were driven out and defeated in 1882.
This time the hope is that Britain will have left a more enduring legacy. But for now it is a "hope" and not a guarantee.
Out With The Troops, In With The Afghan Investment?
RFE/RL By Farangis Najibullah and Zarif Nazar December 31, 2012
Foreign forces are preparing to leave the country, capital is fleeing, and it's the Afghan government's job to stop it.
To meet its objective, the Afghan Finance Ministry has drafted a package of incentives to assure companies and individual that their investments in Afghanistan will be safe after the expected withdrawal of Western troops in 2014.
Outlined in a bill facing a parliamentary vote in February, the incentives would reward those who invest in the country over the next two years with significant tax breaks and the right to purchase land for a symbolic price.
Najibullah Manalai, an adviser to Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal, says the manufacturing, mining, and agricultural sectors would be the most likely areas of investment.
According to the Afghan National Bank, at least $4.6 billion has been taken out of Afghanistan in the past year, a development that has been attributed to fears over increased insecurity and corruption after the 2014 pullout.
Manalai downplays the impact the NATO withdrawal will have on the Afghan economy, but he acknowledges the incentive package is intended to "minimize such economic effects."
"We don't think there would be a major economic impact, but we are concerned about such speculation in the mass media," he says. "Such speculation could easily lead to economic downturn. So our aim is to counter such speculation and also to attract investors to Afghanistan over the next two years, which is a sensitive period."
Attractive Incentives
According to Finance Ministry spokesman Wahid Tawhidi, the goal is to entice entities willing to invest at least $1 million each into the country's ailing economy.
"Investors will be exempt from tax and customs duties for the next 10 years," Tawhidi says. The spokesman says that companies would be given land effectively free of charge and electricity would be made available at a fraction of the current rates.
"In addition, if some companies are willing to invest but don't have enough money, we would help them to borrow the money from two state-owned banks -- the National Bank and the Pashtani Tujarati Bank," Tawhidi says. "Five hundred million dollars would be allocated for this purpose. We would enable them to borrow the money with low tax and low interest rates and to invest it in the Afghan economy."
While the incentives are looked upon as a potential boon to government coffers, not everyone shares the Finance Ministry's optimism that they can win over investors.
"Afghanistan has two major problems that scare away investors, and they are corruption and a lack of security," says Azarakhsh Hafizi of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
Afghanistan ranks among the three most-corrupt countries in the world in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
"When investors have to bribe to operate and have to pay for additional security measures because of the constant attacks and kidnappings, it costs them more money to stay here," Hafizi says.
Half Of GDP
The Afghan government has had trouble providing security even for some of its most high-profile foreign investors.
Earlier this year, a group of Chinese miners left Afghanistan after militants attacked the Aynak copper mine in eastern Logar Province. The deal to lease the mine to the China Metallurgical Group for 30 years was the country's biggest private business venture when it was agreed in 2007.
The government has high hopes for similar investments in Afghanistan's lucrative energy and mineral sectors. The country boasts significant copper, iron, gold, and oil and gas reserves. Manalai notes that the goal is for revenue generated from investment in these areas to eventually "provide half of the country's gross domestic product."
Nasiruddin Shansab, the head of the U.S.-based Afghanistan-Central Asia Transnational Company LLC, says Afghanistan's natural resources and its geographical location offer great investment potential.
However, "in the climate of constant security threats and notoriously widespread culture of bribery," Afghanistan isn't going to see major Western companies rushing to invest there anytime soon, says the Afghan-born businessman.
"Tax breaks and other incentives for investors exist everywhere," Shansab says. "Afghanistan should know that it is competing with the rest of world to get investors."
Afghan officials insist they have been addressing the corruption issues. As a part of the campaign against corruption, the country has introduced so-called merit-based hiring tests to employ managers to government agencies. Several district governors and deputy provincial governors have recently been appointed after passing such tests, scrutinized by independent monitors.
The Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries' Hafizi says the country still has a long way to go to eliminate corruption. "But I wouldn't say it's an impossible task," he says.
As for the lack of security, Hafizi believes many investors will still stay and watch what happens beyond 2014.
UN appeals for Afghan refugee aid as harsh winter proves deadly
At least two children have already died from cold in camps crammed with tens of thousands of internally displaced Afghans
Guardian.co.uk By Emma Graham-Harrison Monday 31 December 2012
Kabul - The deadly struggle with Afghanistan's bitter winter is only likely to get worse in the coming years, a top UN official warned, as he called for more aid money to be dedicated to emergency relief.
At least two children are already reported to have died from the cold this year in Kabul's makeshift refugee camps, crammed with tens of thousands of Afghans who have fled violence or desperate poverty, despite a drive by aid groups to prepare for sub-zero temperatures.
"Each family already has two or three people who are sick," said 77-year-old Shah Ghasi, who has squatted in the Bagh Dawood camp on the outskirts of Kabul for nearly a decade. "We only have hot water to try and keep warm – no stoves, no fuel."
Last year the bitterest winter in decades caught the country by surprise, and more than 100 children died in the cramped and squalid camps around Kabul. This year there has been a more organised effort to get food, blankets, fuel and medicine to people who sometimes have little more than a sheet of plastic to shelter them from snow and ice.
"A couple of days ago an organisation came to the camp and gave each family plastic sheeting for the roofs, three blankets, a dish for cooking food and two packages of coal," said Abdul Malek, a 45-year-old community leader in the Dewani Bigi camp, home to more than 1,000 people.
The scale of the problem is growing as violence worsens across Afghanistan. Nearly half a million people have now left their homes but remain inside Afghan borders, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the main organisations working with the "internally displaced people" as the settlers are known.
About a third of them – some 166,000 – have fled in the last year alone, and the problem of sprawling settlements is only likely to grow in a country that is struggling simultaneously with war, urbanisation, harsh weather exacerbated by climate change, and a population boom.
Mark Bowden, the UN's deputy envoy and humanitarian co-ordinator in Afghanistan, said: "The real message is that displacement isn't going away, but we haven't yet found the right ways of addressing it because of the complexity of the problem."
Land ownership is one of the most complicated and explosive issues in Afghanistan, and the government is wary of giving the camp inhabitants land rights that might encourage them to improve their homes, for fear it could encourage others to flood into the capital or other cities. But without better homes it will always be hard to protect families from the winter.
Forecasts for milder weather than 2011 could help blunt the impact of the cold in camps this year, but Afghanistan is already plagued by some of the world's worst child-mortality rates, rampant malnutrition and other health problems that make winter particularly challenging.
"It is, I think, going to get worse. We do need to have stronger support," said Bowden, of the grim toll winter takes on the country's poorest. "Essentially, what you are dealing with is a very vulnerable population. When you add on that it's also at greater risk of natural hazards such as cold and floods and drought, it does require a far stronger humanitarian response capacity than we have at the moment."
Bowden estimates that only a tiny percentage of aid money coming into Afghanistan, perhaps just single figures, goes to supporting urgent humanitarian needs. Donors stumped up less than half the cash the UN sought for Afghanistan's emergency response fund this year, and at one point it was completely empty.
Efforts to build up the Afghan government have not focused on its ability to provide emergency relief. "All the money that has gone here has not prioritised the safety nets and social services that are required, and the institutions associated with that," Bowden said.
Nor are the challenges of surviving the winter confined to Kabul; many in remote villages or travelling on exposed roads are also vulnerable but struggle to get attention or support without the government and media at hand. Up to 10 people froze to death waiting to cross into Pakistan last week, local officials said, when the border closed temporarily over a haulage dispute.
Mokhtar Amiri contributed reporting
UK urged to spend Afghan withdrawal savings on defence
US ambassador to Nato says Europe is relying too heavily on America and must use cash to re-equip their military
The Guardian By Nick Hopkins Monday 31 December 2012
The UK and other European countries must use the money saved by withdrawing from Afghanistan to re-equip their military and help reverse worrying cuts in defence spending, the American ambassador to Nato will warn on Tuesday.
Ivo Daalder said if Europe did not invest in new capabilities, its over-reliance on America would continue at a time when Washington had made the far east and China its new strategic priority.
"If we don't start soon in investing in those capabilities then the gap between the US and the rest is going to grow. And if it is bad now, then it will be worse. If we have problems, they will be even worse."
The ambassador's remarks come as the UK and the US prepare to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan in 2013 in advance of the deadline to end all combat operations by the end of 2014.
Two weeks ago, David Cameron announced that 3,800 British personnel would withdraw from Helmand province in the next 12 months, and later hinted that the total could be higher.
The Ministry of Defence budget has been under huge strain over the past two years and Treasury officials have been privately urging the prime minister to speed up the withdrawal to cut costs.
But Daalder believes Nato allies should plough these savings back into military equipment that is urgently needed to maintain the organisation's strength.
He said last year's Libya campaign had shown Nato was capable of reacting quickly and effectively to a crisis, but warned it had also exposed "worrisome trends" in Europe's ability to act without relying heavily on US help.
If this is not addressed, he said, Nato would not be able to undertake a Libya-style campaign again in 10 years' time.
His remarks offer a stark warning to European governments about cuts in defence spending at a time of turmoil in Syria and across the Middle East.
He revealed the US had sold some advanced munitions to Nato during the Libya campaign because European stockpiles were running out, and there were a "number of other critical capabilities that the US provided in spades".
"In the end we had enough and we were able to resupply and sell equipment," said Daalder. "But it did demonstrate that stocks of equipment had run out and that people were not investing sufficiently to have these capabilities."
For this reason, he said, countries withdrawing troops from Afghanistan should not use the peace dividend to spend on other parts of their budgets.
"That investment, that cost of the operations in Afghanistan [should] be retained and be reinvested in re-equipping the force, investing in new capabilities down the line. What we don't want to see is, as the troops come home because the job is done, we take those savings and pump them into other parts of the budget. We would like those savings to be reinvested in real capabilities because, in part, the expenditure on Afghanistan has come at the cost of procuring new capabilities."
Daalder's remarks reflect concern in the US that Europe cannot wean itself off American military help. The White House wants Europe to shoulder more of the burden to keep Nato robust.
Daalder said the lack of munitions for the air campaign over Libya was "a signal that there is a lack of investment in critical core capabilities by the alliance, and that the continuing cuts in defence spending raise, over time, serious questions about sustainability.
"Not whether we can start a conflict, but whether we can sustain a large-scale conflict over time. Those are the kinds of issues we focused on in the aftermath of the Libya war and are now on the agenda."
Daalder added: "We can squeeze a lot from better co-operation, working together and smart defence. But at some point output is determined by input, and here the trend is, frankly, not good.
"The amount of resources and investment in defences is declining and has declined. If current trends continue, in 10 years from now this alliance would not have been able to mount the kind of campaign it did in Libya. The real question for the alliance is, when are the spending patterns going to be reversed, so that you can build that sustainable force that is capable of fighting wars and conducting operations without having to rely solely on the US for its core capability?
"That is the challenge for the remainder of this decade."
Nato countries are supposed to commit 2% of their GDP to defence spending, but Daalder said only three – the UK, Greece and Macedonia – were at this level. The US, he said, accounted for 75% of Nato's budget and spent 4% of its GDP on defence.
This month, Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, said Germany needed to do more for Nato, but Daalder said no one country could solve the problem.
"The issue is not just Germany doing more, it is everyone doing more. There isn't a single country in this alliance that spends more than 2% [on its military]. In fact, only three countries right now spend 2%. Far more countries are closer to 1%.
"That is really where the rub is. Yes, Germany needs to do more, but it is not just Germany. I don't think the solution is to point the finger at one country and say: 'If only they did more the alliance would be in better shape.'
"I do think frankly the issue is that all of us – that includes the UK and France – are looking at savings by cutting defence at a time when the balance between European and US investment has shifted dramatically in favour of the US. Not just because the US is spending more, but because Europe is spending less."
Daalder said he expected defence spending to return to previous levels once economies start to grow again.
"We recognise that we are all going through tough financial times. Under those circumstances the ability to spend more on defence is constrained. We do expect that once growth resumes that the level of spending on defence will go back to levels that we have seen before.
"The current ceilings should not become the new ceilings, but floors from which we will build up. We can live where we are today, not comfortably. But looking to the future, when growth picks up, so should defence spending. As the cost of the Afghan war goes down, those savings are to be reinvested in real capability."
According to MoD figures, the UK spent £4.1bn on its military effort in Afghanistan in 2011-12. This will fall to £3.6bn in 2013. The Treasury has been pushing for an early withdrawal from Afghanistan to save money and has no plans to increase spending on defence.
Parliament to Impeach 7 Instead of 11 Ministers
TOLOnews.com By Azem Arash Monday, 31 December 2012
After two weeks of discussions, the parliament decided in its general session on Monday to impeach 7 ministers, revising an earlier decision to impeach 11.
"Four ministers who took up duties in the ministries in 2011 won't be impeached. But others will be impeached after the proper paperwork," Parliament Speaker Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi said.
The exempted ministries include Interior Affairs, Defense, Higher Education, and Urban Development Affairs.
The decision provoked backlash from some MPs who called it a violation of the Constitution.
"Today's decision is a violation of the Constitution and the rules of the procedures of the house. The representatives had approved the impeachment of 11 ministers, why has that been changed?" MP Fatima Aziz said.
The lower house of parliament had decided two weeks ago to impeach the ministers who had spent less than 50 percent of their year's budget.
www.afghanistannewscenter.com
VOA News January 1, 2013
Afghanistan is welcoming Pakistan's release of eight Afghan Taliban prisoners as an important step in the peace process.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faizi told reporters in Kabul Tuesday that the government hopes the release will encourage other Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government.
Pakistan said that among those released were former Afghan Justice Minister Mullah Nooruddin Turabi and former Helmand province Governor Abdul Bari, as well as two other former Taliban governors and another former Taliban government minister.
Turabi was minister of justice under Taliban rule in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. He is said to be in poor health. The United Nations says Turabi was appointed as a Taliban military commander in Afghanistan in mid-2009 and was a deputy to Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar.
Pakistan's foreign ministry said Monday the prisoners were released "in order to further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process."
Senior members of the Afghan High Peace Council also welcomed the release. Ismail Qasemyar told news agencies the move is a good, practical step in the right direction and said he hoped Pakistan will free more Taliban prisoners.
Another top Afghan peace negotiator says the government hopes to transform the Afghan Taliban into a political movement, and that all sides realize a military solution to the conflict is not possible. Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai told Reuters he is cautiously optimistic about a possible reconciliation with the Taliban.
Last month, Pakistan released nine Afghan Taliban prisoners, but not the insurgent group's former deputy leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. He was captured in Pakistan in 2010.
Afghanistan has long sought access to the prisoners in order to aid the stalled peace process. Support from Pakistan, which backed the Taliban regime, is seen as crucial to Afghan reconciliation efforts as international forces complete their withdrawal from the war-torn country by the end of 2014.
Roadside bomb kills 1 Afghan police, wounding 5
FARAH, Afghanistan, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- One Afghan constable was killed and five others sustained injuries as a roadside bomb struck a police van in Farah province with Farah city as its capital 695 km west of Kabul on Monday night, a local official said Tuesday.
"The tragic incident occurred Monday evening in Khak-e-Safid district, leaving a police constable dead and five others injured, " spokesman for provincial administration Abdul Rahman Ghawandoi told Xinhua.
He also blamed the enemies of peace, a term used against Taliban militants by Afghan officials, for planting the mine and inflicting casualties.
However, the outfit fighting the government and largely relying on roadside and suicide bombings has yet to comment.
Afghans Seek More Military Hardware
Wall Street Journal By NATHAN HODGE, ZIAULHAQ SULTANI and HABIB KHAN TOTAKHIL December 31, 2012
KABUL - Afghanistan's military leaders are preparing a weaponry wish list ahead of the withdrawal of most international troops, amid concerns about the ability of Afghan forces to take the lead on the country's security.
At the top of the list: more and better aircraft. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Air Force recently scrapped plans to equip Afghanistan with a fleet of refurbished transport planes, leaving the Afghan military with a crucial gap in its ability to move troops and cargo around the country.
Afghan Defense Minister Bismullah Khan Mohammadi told reporters at a press conference on Monday in Kabul that the lack of planes was a "serious challenge" for the Afghan military. "Sixteen transport planes were delivered but they weren't useful," he said.
The U.S. Air Force earlier this month notified Alenia Aermacchi North America, a unit of the Italian defense conglomerate Finmeccanica SpA, FNC.MI -0.46% that it would not renew a contract to maintain and support 20 refurbished cargo planes for the Afghan military because the company didn't deliver enough aircraft in good working order.
"It's all a bit surprising that this decision is being made now when the [remediation] plan is being fully implemented," a representative of Alenia said last week.
Mr. Mohammadi expressed the hope that Afghanistan's international partners would step in to provide transportation planes sometime next year. "Until then, we will mostly rely on NATO planes," he said.
The cargo plane development cast a spotlight on some major shortfalls in Afghanistan's military inventory. For several years, Afghanistan and its international allies focused mostly on recruitment, drawing 344,000 new members into its army and police forces despite relatively basic equipment. Now, Afghan and coalition officials say the Afghan military will need new "enablers"—military shorthand for more high-end military technology—so Afghan troops can operate without international support.
Maj. Gen. Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, told The Wall Street Journal the Afghan military was talking with the U.S. and its international allies about bolstering its capabilities in several key areas: air power, fire support, intelligence technology and equipment to detect and clear roadside bombs.
Gen. Azimi said the Afghan military was in line to receive at least four C-130 cargo planes from the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, but also wants aircraft for surveillance as well as for transportation. The Afghan military, he said, is still dependent on the U.S.-led coalition for the intelligence provided by drones and other surveillance equipment.
Countering roadside bombs, Gen. Azimi added, is a particularly urgent requirement: Over the past year, he said, 85% of Afghan troop casualties were caused by improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. U.S. and coalition troops operate an array of costly equipment to find and clear roadside bombs, and the Pentagon has spent tens of billions of dollars on specialized vehicles that are better able to withstand mine blasts.
"We expect the international community to consider this issue," he said. "The U.S. promised us they would provide this equipment for counter-IED, but it is not enough."
Gen. Azimi said the Afghan military also needs better and longer-range artillery than its current Soviet-made 122mm howitzers. He said discussions about acquiring more modern guns are in early stages.
The Afghan military's equipment shortfalls are coming to the fore ahead of a visit to Washington in early January by Afghan President Hamid Karzai—and as top Afghan officials announce that Afghan forces are now assuming responsibility for security in most of the country.
In a press conference on Monday, Ashraf Ghani, chairman of the Afghan government commission that is overseeing transition of security to Afghan control, said Afghan security forces are now poised to take the lead for security in 23 of the 34 Afghan provinces and for 87% of the Afghan population.
But Mr. Ghani said challenges remain, and said the Afghan government and its international partners would undertake a comprehensive review of Afghan security forces, including their weaponry, bases and training.
"A significant part of the forthcoming trip of the president of Afghanistan to Washington and the meeting with the president of the United States is going to focus on enablers," he said.
At the same press conference, top Afghan officials said the security situation had improved in areas handed over to Afghan security forces.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, disputed that, saying the insurgency had "wide areas under our control" in the Afghan countryside.
"Only the district headquarters are controlled by the government," he said. "The Taliban control the villages around."
Taliban local leader killed in N. Afghanistan
KABUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- A local Taliban leader was killed in Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz, the NATO-led coalition forces confirmed on Tuesday.
"During a security operation in Imam Sahib District, Kunduz province, yesterday, an Afghan and coalition force killed the Taliban leader, Nurullah Khan, and one other insurgent," the coalition said in a statement.
Nurullah Khan, also known as Shaker, transported and distributed weapons for insurgents in Kunduz province. At the time of his death, Nurullah Khan was coordinating the movement of explosives for use in a future improvised explosive device (IED) attack.
Meantime, the administrative chief of the Imam Sahib district, Amanuddin Qurishee, told Xinhua that a pilotless plane of the coalition forces targeted militants in Kunjak area of the district Monday night, killing two militants.
The Taliban insurgent group, which has been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, has yet to make comments.
The Afghan security forces and more than 100,000 NATO-led coalition troops continue to press Taliban insurgents and other militant groups in the country, despite a decrease in violent attacks due to cold weather in an imminent winter in the militancy- hit country.
Figures released by the Afghan Interior Ministry showed more than 91 insurgents had been killed and nearly 190 others detained in December during military operations across the country.
Top Afghan negotiator optimistic over peace prospects
Reuters By Michael Georgy and Hamid Shalizi Tue Jan 1, 2013
KABUL - A top Afghan peace negotiator said he was cautiously optimistic about prospects for reconciliation with the Taliban and that all sides now realized a military solution to the war was not possible.
Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai also told Reuters that the Kabul government hoped to transform the Afghan Taliban, who have proved resilient after more than a decade of war against U.S.-led NATO and Afghan troops, into a political movement.
He predicted the highly lethal Haqqani militant network, the most experienced at guerrilla warfare, would join the peace process if the Afghan Taliban started formal talks.
Signs are emerging that the Afghan government is gaining momentum in its drive to persuade the Taliban to lay down their arms before most NATO combat troops pull out by the end of 2014, a timeline that makes many Afghans nervous.
Members of the Afghan government, the Taliban and some of their old enemies in the Northern Alliance, which fought the Taliban for years, discussed ways of easing the conflict during a recent meeting in France.
"I think one consensus was that everybody acknowledged that nobody will win by military (means)," said Stanekzai, who was badly wounded in a 2011 Taliban suicide bombing attack. "Everybody acknowledged that we have to enter into a meaningful negotiation."
Pakistan, long accused of supporting Afghan insurgents such as the Taliban, has sent the strongest signals yet that it will deliver on promises of helping the Kabul government and the United States bring stability to its neighbor. Pakistan is seen as critical to the process after three decades of upheaval in Afghanistan.
Ten years of Soviet occupation were followed by devastating civil war and the rise of the Taliban, who ruled from 1996 to 2001.
On Monday, Pakistan freed four Afghan Taliban prisoners who Afghan officials said were close to the group's reclusive leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, and still had the clout to persuade commanders to pursue peace.
"EVERYBODY SHOULD BENEFIT"
Stanekzai stressed that in order to bring long-term stability, reconciliation efforts should aim to bring the Taliban and other insurgents into Afghan politics.
"The purpose of the peace process is we want all Afghans to be part of the political system," said Stanekzai, who studied at Cambridge and was in charge of disarmament in Afghanistan before becoming a senior member of the High Peace Council.
"This peace process should not just be a deal between a few people or between the government and the Taliban, but everybody should benefit from the peace process, and everybody should see a peaceful prospect for themselves for the future."
Some activists fear that the government will make concessions in order to pacify the Taliban that could hurt efforts to improve women's rights.
Stanekzai said Afghan security forces had made progress but acknowledged that more work was needed to ensure they would be ready to take over when the U.S. combat mission ends in 2014.
He also believes a free and fair presidential election in April 2014 are essential to prevent any further conflict. The last vote was plagued by allegations of widespread fraud.
"This is the time where we have to enter in negotiations to make sure that does not happen. But, as you know, politicians are always politicians. They are always in a power game."
Stanekzai warned that reconciliation was complex, with many moving parts having to be synchronized.
The Haqqanis, who are close to al Qaeda and have been blamed for a number of high-profile attacks on Western and Afghan targets in Kabul, are regarded as a possible spoiler.
But Stanekzai did not seem too concerned about the group.
"When you go to a market you always use a brand name and then you sell your very low-quality product under that brand name," he said.
"We enter a negotiation with the Taliban which is the brand marketable name. The rest is easy."
Asked if he thought there would be a major breakthrough in peace efforts this year, Stanekzai said conditions had been established to make that possible. But he noted that Afghanistan was highly unpredictable.
"Anything can happen. You don't know which direction these different actors will take," he said.
Stanekzai knows that first hand.
He recalled how a man posing as a Taliban peace envoy kissed the hand of ex-Afghan president and chairman of the High Peace Council Burhanuddin Rabbani before detonating a bomb hidden in his turban.
Rabbani was killed instantly and Stanekzai was badly wounded. Faith in Islam has helped him recover.
"The suicide bomber was between the both of us and when he lowered his head, I remember there was a light and a bang and that was the last thing I remember. Next thing I remember was I was in the hospital," said Stanekzai, sitting near his cane.
"It's life," he said. "In Islam, in our religion, it says even if you are in the middle of fire, Allah can save you."
(Editing by Nick Macfie)
13 insurgents arrested in eastern Afghan operations
KABUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Up to 13 insurgents have been detained in operations in eastern Afghan provinces, as part of an increased campaign against the militants in the country, said the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces on Tuesday.
"Afghan and coalition forces detained 13 insurgents, located one weapons cache and cleared three improvised explosive devices ( IEDs) during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours," the ISAF's Regional Command-East (RC-East) said in a statement.
The detained men were captured in Khost province, some 150 km southeast of Afghan capital Kabul, the statement said. "The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning."
The IEDs were found and defused in Laghman province 90 km east of Kabul and neighboring Nangarhar province.
The joint forces found the weapons cache in Paktia province 100 km south of Kabul.
"Operations in RC-East are ongoing," the statement said.
Afghan forces and some 100,000 NATO-led coalition troops have intensified cleanup operations against Taliban and other militant groups throughout the country recently.
The Taliban insurgent group, who ruled the country before they were ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in late 2001, renewed armed insurgency, staging ambush and suicide attacks, killing combatants as well as civilians.
The Taliban has yet to make comments.
12 Events That Shaped Afghanistan in 2012
TOLOnews.com Monday, 31 December 2012
It has been an eventful year in Afghanistan, a year of triumphs and tribulations. From the country's first premier league soccer tournament to progress towards peace, our editors picked 12 events for their potential to shape the country in 2012 and beyond.
In rough chronological order, here are the 12 events that shaped Afghanistan in 2012.
1. Taliban open office in Qatar – giving peace a chance?
The year began with the Taliban agreeing to open an office in Qatar from where they could negotiate with the US. The Afghan government had long lamented the lack of "an address" for the insurgents, but reacted to the office opening dourly: The US had conducted preliminary talks in secret without consulting Afghanistan. Pakistan allowed several Taliban representatives to fly to Qatar, but once there, they didn't have busy office days – they broke off talks with the US because it refused to release five Taliban leaders from Guantanamo. The peace process is limping along again and, after a string of talks and meetings with the Taliban, Afghanistan eventually came around and accepted the Qatar office.
2. Strategic partnerships – securing Afghanistan's future
President Obama flew to Kabul late one night in May to sign the US-Afghanistan Enduring Strategic Partnership, commiting the US to help Afghanistan for 10 years after 2014. Iran voiced concerns over the pact, but Afghan lawmakers slammed it for interference and unanimously ratified the agreement. The partnership leaves out the critical issue of legal immunity for US forces post-2014. But the pact was part of a slew of similar agreements, including those with Germany, China, France, Italy and the UK.
3. Security transition – Afghans control 75% of the country
President Karzai announced the third phase of the security handover in May and the Afghan National Army took over all military operations in the critical South in July. Afghan forces also took over security for provincial centers and, eventually, more than 70 percent of the whole country as Isaf troops closed their bases and withdrew. Afghan troops also started taking the lead in more operations, incurring their heaviest yearly death toll yet in the process. A Pentagon report revealed that although only one of the 23 Afghan army units is capable of operating without help, violence was lower in 2012 than its peak of 2010.
4. The international conferences – long-term security and development impact
The international community, led by the US, tried to reassure Afghanistan that it will not be abandoned after the Isaf withdrawal in 2014. The result was a string of conferences in which they pledged significant aid to the country, beginning with Chicago, where they agreed to provide "appropriate, coherent and effective funding mechanisms" to cover the estimated $4.1 billion a year cost of Afghan security forces. The Tokyo Conference followed, with $16 billion in civilian aid between 2012 and 2015. The conference was also important for the Mutual Accountability Framework to monitor aid for corruption and irregularity.
5. Popular uprisings against Taliban – no more safe havens
After closure of hundreds of schools across Afghanistan, most notably in Ghazni province, the people decided they'd had enough. A popular uprising in Ghazni's Andar district soon spread to 10 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, including Faryab, Laghman, Kapisa, Nangarhar and even towns 25 kilometers from the capital. Some reports indicated that the armed citizens had ties with Hizb-e-Islami, but their uprusing served to dispell the prevalent image of popular helplessness in the face of a resurgent Taliban. They drove heavily armed insurgents out of their villages to open schools for children and resume their normal way of life, breaking the taboo of Taliban invincibility in the process.
6. Parliament dismisses key ministers – flexing the legislature's muscles
Parliament flexed its muscles mid-year and dismissed the ministers of defense and interior, ostensibly for their failure to prevent cross-border shelling from Pakistan. President Karzai, who had previously kept ministers in place despite votes of no-confidence from parliament, promptly accepted its verdict this time. In the aftermath, Nato scrambled to assuage an Afghanistan nervous about the security handover. Parliament promptly reconfirmed one of the two dismissed ministers, but the episode cemented the body's constitutional role.
7. Olympic bronze – Afghans unite in triumph
Rohullah Nikpa, the Olympic star who is a barber by profession, followed through on his debut medal in Beijing and won a bronze in Taekwondo in London, the second ever medal for Afghanistan at the games. Afghans erupted in jubilant celebrations after a long night of being glued to their television. Nikpa had united a nation in historic triumph, much like Kristy Coventry had done for Zimbabwe in Sydney. Nikpa came home to a hero's welcome, greeted by members of parliament, government officials and throngs of citizens at the airport. President Karzai gave him the country's highest award, and a Dubai-based publishing company gave him their "Most Popular Face" award.
8. Afghan Premier League – first professional sports league
The Afghan Football Federation teamed up with telecom giant Roshan and TOLO TV for an historic sports event, bringing the country's top soccer players into eight teams that clashed for the cup. Players were chosen after a two-month trial and teams were named after each of the country's regions. All matches were attended by enthusiastic crowds and broadcast on TV with live commentary. Herat's Toofan Harirod, which had convincingly trounced De Spinghar Bazan in the semifinals, retained its unbeaten streak in the tournament and lifted the first ever Afghan Premier League Cup and received $15,000 in prize money.
9. Cross-border shelling – Nangarhar vows jihad
After continued shelling from Pakistan that inflicted damages to Afghan villages in the eastern province of Kunar, residents decided to act. They were flocking to register their names as volunteers for jihad against Pakistan. The provincial governor called for better weapons to retaliate, Isaf's Gen. Allen visited Pakistan to quell the uproar, and Afghanistan threatened to take its case to the UN. But it took its case first to Nato, which responded that its mandate doesn't include incursions into Pakistan. Pakistan said frequent raids from Kunar-based insurgents promoted the shellings and asked Afghanistan to do more to stop the attacks. The months-long episode induced serious diplomatic strains and led to the ouster of two Afghan ministers.
10. High Peace Council visits Pakistan – finally, some momentum for peace
The long-delayed visit of the Afghan High Peace Council head Salahuddin Rabbani finally occurred in November. During the visit, the Afghan peace officials met with civilian and military leaders in Pakistan. To show it wants to be a serious partner for peace, Pakistan released a number of Taliban prisoners to encourage the insurgents to come to the table for talks. They promised to release more, but Afghan lawmakers asked what good that would do, given that the insurgents have refused to talk to the Afghan government. But the train appeared to be in motion, with a peace summit in Paris and another to follow in Turkmenistan.
11. Billions invested in mines – fuelling economic development?
Major multibillion-dollar investments poured into Afghanistan's natural resources sector, triggering hopes that the sector could propel Afghanistan into economic independence. First came the Hajigak iron ore deposits, whose extraction rights went to a state-backed consortium of Indian companies. The company will invest $7.8 billion. Together with a planned steel mill and a power plant, the investment climbs to $11 billion. A Chinese company won rights to explore the Amu Darya oil deposits, which will produce 12 million barrels of oil by its fifth year. That will meet Afghan needs and then some. But concerns remain, not least because of insecurity and corruption.
12. Intelligence chief attacked – another taliban infiltration
An insurgent suicide bomber disguised as a peace negotiator entered the highly secured NDS guesthouse in Kabul and attempted to kill NDS chief, the flamboyant Asadullah Khaled, who survived the attempt. While he was being flown abroad for treatment of his life-threatening injuries, President Karzai alleged that the attack was planned in Quetta. Pakistan was having none of it and denied the allegations. President Obama visited the Afghan spy chief in Virginia and pledged his full support for his recovery. The attack was exactly like the one that killed former president and High Peace Council Chairman Burhanuddin Rabbani last year, raising alarms over Taliban's ability to infiltrate the security establishment and strike at will at high-level officials.
East Horizon Airlines starts Kabul-Badakhshan flights
By Sadaf Shinwari Khaama Press January 1, 2013
East Horizon Airlines on Monday formally started flights to remote north-eastern Badakhshan province of Afghanistan.
This is the first time a private airline company is launching direct flights to Badakhshan province after three years. Previously Ariana Airlines, Kam Air and Pamir used to fly in this province however they halted their flights due to unknown reasons.
According to reports only UN and military aircraft used to fly in Badakhshan province during this period.
The first flight of East Horizon Airlines to Badakhshan province consisted to 44 passengers and was welcomed by Afghan officials and people who are saying that they can easily travel between Kabul and Badakhshan province.
However provincial governor Shahwaliullah Adeeb while praising the flights between Kabul and Badakhshan urged East Horizon Airlines to reconsider in its charges.
East Horizon Airlines, the latest addition to the list of cargo airlines in Afghanistan is currently serving the passengers using two aircrafts and the airlines is looking to purchase two more aircrafts in the near future in a bid to expand its operations across the country.
The carrier is also expected to move cargo from Kabul to smaller Afghan cities, which have previously had to rely on the unpredictable trucking. The airline is later expected to expand its service network to the UAE, Western China and India.
Troops' role changing as 2012 ends in Afghanistan
BBC News By Jonathan Beale Defence correspondent 31 December 2012
There has not been a British fatality for more than a month in Helmand. In part, it can be explained by the quieter winter - the insurgency is at its most deadly during the hot summer months. But it also reflects the changing role of the British military as they prepare to pull out.
It is the Afghan police and army that are now largely leading the fight, as British forces are lowering their profile. Nearly 60% of the British military bases in Helmand have either been handed over to the Afghans or dismantled.
Over the past year the British forces' focus, along with their Nato allies, has been on training up the Afghan security forces, in what is now becoming a more advisory role.
It is a task that still comes with risks, and 2012 has seen a dramatic rise in so-called "insider" or "green on blue" attacks, when rogue Afghans in uniform target foreign troops. A quarter of the 44 British troops who have died in Helmand this year have been killed in such attacks.
Mission continues
The most recent "insider attack" on a British soldier took place at Camp Shawqat in Nad Ali. Capt Walter Barrie was shot dead by an Afghan in uniform as he was playing football on Remembrance Sunday, the last British fatality of 2012.
His comrades who witnessed the tragedy are still training Afghans to detect roadside bombs on the same patch of muddy sand on which he was killed.
Capt Barrie's friend, Maj Andy Lumley, admits the incident gave his men "pause for thought". But he said in a show of "sheer bloody-mindedness" they were out playing football with the Afghans again the next day. Maj Lumley says the men still grieve for Capt Barrie, but they will not allow one incident to derail the mission.
There are, though, some doubts about the mission, which is training up the Afghans to provide their own security. While nearly every soldier in Helmand talked of real progress when asked, there is still a recognition that hard-fought gains could be lost.
Kingsman Ben Shaun of 1 Lancs sounded optimistic about the future, but if you read his words carefully you will detect concerns shared by other British soldiers regarding what will happen when they leave.
"Hopefully they'll keep to it. Maybe not as much now we're not there observing what they're doing. Maybe they'll slack it a little bit. But hopefully we don't have to come back and do the same job again," he says.
'Huge pride'
An Afghan military depot illustrates part of the the problem. Afghan engineers are able to carry out repairs on their old American Humvees, but outside the workshop there are more than 100 idle vehicles, waiting for spare parts. The logistical supply chain has still not been sorted out. How will they cope when international troops leave with all their kit and help?
Yet the British commander in Helmand, Brig Bob Bruce, is convinced that it is the right time to hand over control to the Afghan security forces. He says "they're ready and have huge pride in the job".
That is certainly shown by the top Afghan Army commander in central Helmand, Brig Gen Sherin Shah. He has been fighting the Taliban for more than a decade and his chin bears a large shrapnel scar to prove it. The insurgency has proved resilient, but so has he.
Gen Sherin Shah says he is not worried about the British withdrawal from Helmand, as it is not "sudden" but carefully planned. He insists the 438 British troops who have lost their lives in Afghanistan "have not died in vain". Before the British came, he says, Helmand was a violent province with no security and no democracy. Now 65,000 boys and girls are able to go to school.
There are real signs of progress in Helmand. But there are also reminders of the failures of past foreign intervention. Camp Shawqat, where Captain Walter Barrie died, is surrounded by the ruins of an old fort. The sandy mud walls that glow in the winter evening sun were built and occupied by British forces in the second Anglo Afghan War. But they were driven out and defeated in 1882.
This time the hope is that Britain will have left a more enduring legacy. But for now it is a "hope" and not a guarantee.
Out With The Troops, In With The Afghan Investment?
RFE/RL By Farangis Najibullah and Zarif Nazar December 31, 2012
Foreign forces are preparing to leave the country, capital is fleeing, and it's the Afghan government's job to stop it.
To meet its objective, the Afghan Finance Ministry has drafted a package of incentives to assure companies and individual that their investments in Afghanistan will be safe after the expected withdrawal of Western troops in 2014.
Outlined in a bill facing a parliamentary vote in February, the incentives would reward those who invest in the country over the next two years with significant tax breaks and the right to purchase land for a symbolic price.
Najibullah Manalai, an adviser to Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal, says the manufacturing, mining, and agricultural sectors would be the most likely areas of investment.
According to the Afghan National Bank, at least $4.6 billion has been taken out of Afghanistan in the past year, a development that has been attributed to fears over increased insecurity and corruption after the 2014 pullout.
Manalai downplays the impact the NATO withdrawal will have on the Afghan economy, but he acknowledges the incentive package is intended to "minimize such economic effects."
"We don't think there would be a major economic impact, but we are concerned about such speculation in the mass media," he says. "Such speculation could easily lead to economic downturn. So our aim is to counter such speculation and also to attract investors to Afghanistan over the next two years, which is a sensitive period."
Attractive Incentives
According to Finance Ministry spokesman Wahid Tawhidi, the goal is to entice entities willing to invest at least $1 million each into the country's ailing economy.
"Investors will be exempt from tax and customs duties for the next 10 years," Tawhidi says. The spokesman says that companies would be given land effectively free of charge and electricity would be made available at a fraction of the current rates.
"In addition, if some companies are willing to invest but don't have enough money, we would help them to borrow the money from two state-owned banks -- the National Bank and the Pashtani Tujarati Bank," Tawhidi says. "Five hundred million dollars would be allocated for this purpose. We would enable them to borrow the money with low tax and low interest rates and to invest it in the Afghan economy."
While the incentives are looked upon as a potential boon to government coffers, not everyone shares the Finance Ministry's optimism that they can win over investors.
"Afghanistan has two major problems that scare away investors, and they are corruption and a lack of security," says Azarakhsh Hafizi of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
Afghanistan ranks among the three most-corrupt countries in the world in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
"When investors have to bribe to operate and have to pay for additional security measures because of the constant attacks and kidnappings, it costs them more money to stay here," Hafizi says.
Half Of GDP
The Afghan government has had trouble providing security even for some of its most high-profile foreign investors.
Earlier this year, a group of Chinese miners left Afghanistan after militants attacked the Aynak copper mine in eastern Logar Province. The deal to lease the mine to the China Metallurgical Group for 30 years was the country's biggest private business venture when it was agreed in 2007.
The government has high hopes for similar investments in Afghanistan's lucrative energy and mineral sectors. The country boasts significant copper, iron, gold, and oil and gas reserves. Manalai notes that the goal is for revenue generated from investment in these areas to eventually "provide half of the country's gross domestic product."
Nasiruddin Shansab, the head of the U.S.-based Afghanistan-Central Asia Transnational Company LLC, says Afghanistan's natural resources and its geographical location offer great investment potential.
However, "in the climate of constant security threats and notoriously widespread culture of bribery," Afghanistan isn't going to see major Western companies rushing to invest there anytime soon, says the Afghan-born businessman.
"Tax breaks and other incentives for investors exist everywhere," Shansab says. "Afghanistan should know that it is competing with the rest of world to get investors."
Afghan officials insist they have been addressing the corruption issues. As a part of the campaign against corruption, the country has introduced so-called merit-based hiring tests to employ managers to government agencies. Several district governors and deputy provincial governors have recently been appointed after passing such tests, scrutinized by independent monitors.
The Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries' Hafizi says the country still has a long way to go to eliminate corruption. "But I wouldn't say it's an impossible task," he says.
As for the lack of security, Hafizi believes many investors will still stay and watch what happens beyond 2014.
UN appeals for Afghan refugee aid as harsh winter proves deadly
At least two children have already died from cold in camps crammed with tens of thousands of internally displaced Afghans
Guardian.co.uk By Emma Graham-Harrison Monday 31 December 2012
Kabul - The deadly struggle with Afghanistan's bitter winter is only likely to get worse in the coming years, a top UN official warned, as he called for more aid money to be dedicated to emergency relief.
At least two children are already reported to have died from the cold this year in Kabul's makeshift refugee camps, crammed with tens of thousands of Afghans who have fled violence or desperate poverty, despite a drive by aid groups to prepare for sub-zero temperatures.
"Each family already has two or three people who are sick," said 77-year-old Shah Ghasi, who has squatted in the Bagh Dawood camp on the outskirts of Kabul for nearly a decade. "We only have hot water to try and keep warm – no stoves, no fuel."
Last year the bitterest winter in decades caught the country by surprise, and more than 100 children died in the cramped and squalid camps around Kabul. This year there has been a more organised effort to get food, blankets, fuel and medicine to people who sometimes have little more than a sheet of plastic to shelter them from snow and ice.
"A couple of days ago an organisation came to the camp and gave each family plastic sheeting for the roofs, three blankets, a dish for cooking food and two packages of coal," said Abdul Malek, a 45-year-old community leader in the Dewani Bigi camp, home to more than 1,000 people.
The scale of the problem is growing as violence worsens across Afghanistan. Nearly half a million people have now left their homes but remain inside Afghan borders, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the main organisations working with the "internally displaced people" as the settlers are known.
About a third of them – some 166,000 – have fled in the last year alone, and the problem of sprawling settlements is only likely to grow in a country that is struggling simultaneously with war, urbanisation, harsh weather exacerbated by climate change, and a population boom.
Mark Bowden, the UN's deputy envoy and humanitarian co-ordinator in Afghanistan, said: "The real message is that displacement isn't going away, but we haven't yet found the right ways of addressing it because of the complexity of the problem."
Land ownership is one of the most complicated and explosive issues in Afghanistan, and the government is wary of giving the camp inhabitants land rights that might encourage them to improve their homes, for fear it could encourage others to flood into the capital or other cities. But without better homes it will always be hard to protect families from the winter.
Forecasts for milder weather than 2011 could help blunt the impact of the cold in camps this year, but Afghanistan is already plagued by some of the world's worst child-mortality rates, rampant malnutrition and other health problems that make winter particularly challenging.
"It is, I think, going to get worse. We do need to have stronger support," said Bowden, of the grim toll winter takes on the country's poorest. "Essentially, what you are dealing with is a very vulnerable population. When you add on that it's also at greater risk of natural hazards such as cold and floods and drought, it does require a far stronger humanitarian response capacity than we have at the moment."
Bowden estimates that only a tiny percentage of aid money coming into Afghanistan, perhaps just single figures, goes to supporting urgent humanitarian needs. Donors stumped up less than half the cash the UN sought for Afghanistan's emergency response fund this year, and at one point it was completely empty.
Efforts to build up the Afghan government have not focused on its ability to provide emergency relief. "All the money that has gone here has not prioritised the safety nets and social services that are required, and the institutions associated with that," Bowden said.
Nor are the challenges of surviving the winter confined to Kabul; many in remote villages or travelling on exposed roads are also vulnerable but struggle to get attention or support without the government and media at hand. Up to 10 people froze to death waiting to cross into Pakistan last week, local officials said, when the border closed temporarily over a haulage dispute.
Mokhtar Amiri contributed reporting
UK urged to spend Afghan withdrawal savings on defence
US ambassador to Nato says Europe is relying too heavily on America and must use cash to re-equip their military
The Guardian By Nick Hopkins Monday 31 December 2012
The UK and other European countries must use the money saved by withdrawing from Afghanistan to re-equip their military and help reverse worrying cuts in defence spending, the American ambassador to Nato will warn on Tuesday.
Ivo Daalder said if Europe did not invest in new capabilities, its over-reliance on America would continue at a time when Washington had made the far east and China its new strategic priority.
"If we don't start soon in investing in those capabilities then the gap between the US and the rest is going to grow. And if it is bad now, then it will be worse. If we have problems, they will be even worse."
The ambassador's remarks come as the UK and the US prepare to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan in 2013 in advance of the deadline to end all combat operations by the end of 2014.
Two weeks ago, David Cameron announced that 3,800 British personnel would withdraw from Helmand province in the next 12 months, and later hinted that the total could be higher.
The Ministry of Defence budget has been under huge strain over the past two years and Treasury officials have been privately urging the prime minister to speed up the withdrawal to cut costs.
But Daalder believes Nato allies should plough these savings back into military equipment that is urgently needed to maintain the organisation's strength.
He said last year's Libya campaign had shown Nato was capable of reacting quickly and effectively to a crisis, but warned it had also exposed "worrisome trends" in Europe's ability to act without relying heavily on US help.
If this is not addressed, he said, Nato would not be able to undertake a Libya-style campaign again in 10 years' time.
His remarks offer a stark warning to European governments about cuts in defence spending at a time of turmoil in Syria and across the Middle East.
He revealed the US had sold some advanced munitions to Nato during the Libya campaign because European stockpiles were running out, and there were a "number of other critical capabilities that the US provided in spades".
"In the end we had enough and we were able to resupply and sell equipment," said Daalder. "But it did demonstrate that stocks of equipment had run out and that people were not investing sufficiently to have these capabilities."
For this reason, he said, countries withdrawing troops from Afghanistan should not use the peace dividend to spend on other parts of their budgets.
"That investment, that cost of the operations in Afghanistan [should] be retained and be reinvested in re-equipping the force, investing in new capabilities down the line. What we don't want to see is, as the troops come home because the job is done, we take those savings and pump them into other parts of the budget. We would like those savings to be reinvested in real capabilities because, in part, the expenditure on Afghanistan has come at the cost of procuring new capabilities."
Daalder's remarks reflect concern in the US that Europe cannot wean itself off American military help. The White House wants Europe to shoulder more of the burden to keep Nato robust.
Daalder said the lack of munitions for the air campaign over Libya was "a signal that there is a lack of investment in critical core capabilities by the alliance, and that the continuing cuts in defence spending raise, over time, serious questions about sustainability.
"Not whether we can start a conflict, but whether we can sustain a large-scale conflict over time. Those are the kinds of issues we focused on in the aftermath of the Libya war and are now on the agenda."
Daalder added: "We can squeeze a lot from better co-operation, working together and smart defence. But at some point output is determined by input, and here the trend is, frankly, not good.
"The amount of resources and investment in defences is declining and has declined. If current trends continue, in 10 years from now this alliance would not have been able to mount the kind of campaign it did in Libya. The real question for the alliance is, when are the spending patterns going to be reversed, so that you can build that sustainable force that is capable of fighting wars and conducting operations without having to rely solely on the US for its core capability?
"That is the challenge for the remainder of this decade."
Nato countries are supposed to commit 2% of their GDP to defence spending, but Daalder said only three – the UK, Greece and Macedonia – were at this level. The US, he said, accounted for 75% of Nato's budget and spent 4% of its GDP on defence.
This month, Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, said Germany needed to do more for Nato, but Daalder said no one country could solve the problem.
"The issue is not just Germany doing more, it is everyone doing more. There isn't a single country in this alliance that spends more than 2% [on its military]. In fact, only three countries right now spend 2%. Far more countries are closer to 1%.
"That is really where the rub is. Yes, Germany needs to do more, but it is not just Germany. I don't think the solution is to point the finger at one country and say: 'If only they did more the alliance would be in better shape.'
"I do think frankly the issue is that all of us – that includes the UK and France – are looking at savings by cutting defence at a time when the balance between European and US investment has shifted dramatically in favour of the US. Not just because the US is spending more, but because Europe is spending less."
Daalder said he expected defence spending to return to previous levels once economies start to grow again.
"We recognise that we are all going through tough financial times. Under those circumstances the ability to spend more on defence is constrained. We do expect that once growth resumes that the level of spending on defence will go back to levels that we have seen before.
"The current ceilings should not become the new ceilings, but floors from which we will build up. We can live where we are today, not comfortably. But looking to the future, when growth picks up, so should defence spending. As the cost of the Afghan war goes down, those savings are to be reinvested in real capability."
According to MoD figures, the UK spent £4.1bn on its military effort in Afghanistan in 2011-12. This will fall to £3.6bn in 2013. The Treasury has been pushing for an early withdrawal from Afghanistan to save money and has no plans to increase spending on defence.
Parliament to Impeach 7 Instead of 11 Ministers
TOLOnews.com By Azem Arash Monday, 31 December 2012
After two weeks of discussions, the parliament decided in its general session on Monday to impeach 7 ministers, revising an earlier decision to impeach 11.
"Four ministers who took up duties in the ministries in 2011 won't be impeached. But others will be impeached after the proper paperwork," Parliament Speaker Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi said.
The exempted ministries include Interior Affairs, Defense, Higher Education, and Urban Development Affairs.
The decision provoked backlash from some MPs who called it a violation of the Constitution.
"Today's decision is a violation of the Constitution and the rules of the procedures of the house. The representatives had approved the impeachment of 11 ministers, why has that been changed?" MP Fatima Aziz said.
The lower house of parliament had decided two weeks ago to impeach the ministers who had spent less than 50 percent of their year's budget.
www.afghanistannewscenter.com