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Merkel on unannounced visit to troops in Afghanistan
AFP May 10, 2013
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (AFP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Friday to shore up morale among Germany's 4,200 troops as foreign forces withdraw after more than a decade of fighting.
The war is increasingly unpopular in Germany, but Merkel told troops in Kunduz province that political and economic progress was being made and that their contribution was making a difference.
"Progress is sometimes difficult, sometimes it is slower than we would like but it is essential that our military involvement is not seen in isolation and that it is a success," she said.
Germany, which has the third-biggest troop deployment in Afghanistan after the United States and Britain, has cut numbers from 5,000 as the NATO pull-out gathers pace ahead of the end of the mission next year.
Merkel arrived in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and made a short trip to nearby Kunduz.
"She is here to support the troops, to attend briefings and to address concerns after our recent loss," a military spokesman told AFP, referring to the death last Saturday of the first German soldier to be killed in Afghanistan in two years.
Germany is the NATO coalition's "lead nation" across nine provinces in northern Afghanistan, a relatively peaceful area compared to the insurgency hotbeds in the south and east.
However the German special forces soldier was shot dead when insurgents opened fire on a joint Afghan-German operation in Baghlan province.
Merkel earlier condemned it as a "terrorist attack".
Contributors to the NATO force such as Germany are weighing up how to schedule their withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 while leaving behind a competent Afghan army and police force.
Last month Germany offered to keep 600-800 troops in Afghanistan for two years from 2015 to help further train and advise the security forces in their battle against the Taliban.
Washington said Thursday that US troops will stay in Afghanistan after 2014 "only at the invitation" of the Afghan government, after President Hamid Karzai revealed that the US could keep nine bases open across the country.
"The United States does not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
"Any US presence after 2014 would only be at the invitation of the Afghan government and aimed at training Afghan forces and targeting the remnants of Al-Qaeda."
The size of the "residual" US force has not been agreed, with numbers ranging from 2,500 to 12,000, according to US officials, as Washington scales down the long war that began after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
The NATO force currently consists of about 100,000 troops, of which 66,000 are from the US.
Merkel travelled to Afghanistan with Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere, a German government spokesman said without giving further details of her itinerary.
Karzai Says U.S. Bases Can Stay, Raising Some Eyebrows in West
New York Times By MATTHEW ROSENBERG May 9, 2013
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan is ready to let the United States and its allies keep military bases here after the end of the NATO combat mission next year, President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday, offering a concrete public signal that foreign troops would remain welcome in the coming years.
The United States and Afghanistan are negotiating a security agreement that would allow American forces to stay here beyond the end of 2014, and Mr. Karzai said the Obama administration had asked for nine bases spread across the country.
“We agree to give them these bases,” Mr. Karzai told students during a speech at Kabul University. “We consider our relations with the United States beyond 2014 to be positive for Afghanistan.”
The American reaction, though, was far less positive than one would expect. Officials characterized Mr. Karzai’s comments as premature at best, and said they appeared to reflect the Afghan government’s desire for a larger force than the United States is likely to be willing to commit.
The Obama administration has yet to decide how large a force it would like to keep in Afghanistan, but administration officials have signaled that it is unlikely to total more than 10,000 service members. They said it was more important now to hash out a range of issues, like whether American troops would continue to have legal immunity in Afghanistan after next year, than to talk about the specifics of where troops would be based.
The American officials also stressed that no matter the final number of troops, the United States envisions using Afghan bases — not its own — to house its forces.
“As President Obama has made clear, we do not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan,” the American Embassy said in a statement. Any deal would “address access to, and use of, Afghan facilities by U.S. forces.”
Still, the officials seemed relieved that the comments were generally positive, especially in light of more recent statements from Mr. Karzai, like his suggestion — weeks after demanding that Special Operations forces leave an entire province — that both the American-led coalition and the Taliban were working to destabilize the government.
The United States, for its part, has unleashed its share of public salvos. In January, days before Mr. Karzai was to visit Washington, administration officials said that one option after 2014 was simply to leave no American forces in Afghanistan — a move that some officials worry would leave the government unable to contain the Taliban.
Yet even as the discussion has heated and cooled, officials in Kabul and Washington have repeatedly stressed that both sides want a deal and a post-2014 troop presence, even if no one can yet say what it would look like.
Mr. Karzai offered a glimpse of his thinking in his speech on Thursday at Kabul University, saying he was ready to agree to American bases in Kabul and Kandahar, the country’s two biggest cities, and at Bagram, north of Kabul, the current site of one of the largest coalition bases in Afghanistan.
He also said the United States wanted two bases in Herat Province, which borders Iran, and others in the north, east and south of Afghanistan.
At the same time, Mr. Karzai said he wanted more clarity from Western countries and from NATO as a whole about what they planned to contribute to Afghanistan after next year.
So far, Germany, which has more than 4,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, is the only major NATO member to have made a firm offer of troops after 2014. It said last month that it was prepared to keep 600 to 800 soldiers here until 2017 to train Afghan forces.
“At first, they said that they are all leaving in 2014, and now every one of them is coming one by one and saying, ‘We are not leaving,’ ” Mr. Karzai said.
“We know that they are not leaving, and so we are insisting that we have our own words with them,” he said, adding that he wanted an overall agreement with NATO in addition to any agreements with individual countries.
He also laid out conditions for the United States and its allies. “America should strengthen their efforts to bring peace, fundamentally strengthen the security forces of Afghanistan, should give us strong support in strengthening the economy of Afghanistan and rebuild our economic foundations, such as dams, electricity, roads,” he said.
The conditions, said American and NATO officials in Kabul, were basically what the West has been trying to accomplish through billions in development aid over the past 12 years.
Officials said that aid would continue, although the amounts given were likely to be reduced over time. And the Afghan government would have to live up to its commitments to battle corruption and run a more open government for the aid to keep flowing.
Mr. Karzai did not address those issues in his speech. But he did highlight financial pledges he recently secured on a trip to Europe. He said Finland, where he signed a partnership deal, had agreed to provide $30 million in aid each year, though he did not say for how long.
Denmark, meanwhile, has agreed to give Afghanistan $100 million over the coming five years and more aid in the 10 years after that, he said.
Sharifullah Sahak contributed reporting.
U.S. 'Not Seeking' Permanent Afghan Bases
May 10, 2013 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
A White House spokesman says the United States "does not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan."
Jay Carney said on May 9 that any U.S. military presence in Afghanistan after most foreign troops withdraw in 2014 would "only be at the invitation of the Afghanistan government."
He said the bilateral security agreement currently being negotiated will address access to and use of Afghanistan facilities by U.S. forces.
The comments came after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said earlier in the day said the United States wanted to keep nine military bases in Afghanistan after 2014.
Karzai also set a number of conditions for the approval of the military bases by his government, including a U.S. commitment to boost Afghanistan's security, strengthen its armed forces, and provide long-term economic development assistance.
Based on reporting by AP and dpa
Afghan senate urge US to remove Pakistan military from Goshta
By MEENA HASEEB - 10 May 2013, 1:14 pm Khaama Press
Afghan senate urged United States to assist Afghanistan in removing Pakistani military check posts created in Goshta district of eastern Nangarhar province.
Chairman of the Afghan senate said Washington’s demand to keep military bases in Afghanistan beyond 2014 will not be accepted unless United States does not act in accordance with the national benefits of Afghanistan.
This comes as Afghan president Hamid Karzai on Thursday said that Washington wants to keep nine military bases across the country after NATO combat roops leave Afghanistan in 2014.
Fazal-ul-Hadi Muslimyar, chairman of the Afghan senate house told reporters that US and NATO troops have handed over military check posts to Pakistani military in Goshta district.
Local residents in Goshta district quoted by Fazal-ul-Hadi Muslimyar have said that Pakistani troops have moved 40km inside the Afghan soil after NATO and US troops handed over military check posts in Goshta district.
Chairman of the Afghan senate house last week also visited eastern Nangarhar province to inspect border issues in Goshta district and recent demonstrations against the provincial governor of Nangarhar.
According to Afghan officials, Pakistani military forces have carried out attacks on Afghan security forces for two times after the military check posts and installations were handed over to them.
In the air today: Afghan air force developing its capabilities
The Washington Times By Kristina Wong May 9, 2013
Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan - In southwestern Afghanistan, this reporter for The Washington Times recently hitched a ride on a helicopter manned by Afghans, including the pilot and two door gunners, as well as U.S. military personnel.
The 20-minute flight was aboard an Mi-17, a Russian-made aircraft that Afghans have learned to fly.
The U.S.-led coalition is helping Afghanistan recruit, train and deploy an air force, which is not expected to be fully capable until after 2017.
Currently, the Afghan air force can conduct resupply missions to remote bases around the country, in addition to providing casualty evacuation flights. A small percentage of Afghan fliers can conduct independent air assaults. The force numbers about 6,000.
“Building an air force from the ground up is no easy task,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. H.D. “Jake” Polumbo Jr., director of the coalition’s Air Component Coordination Element and commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan.
“But the early signs are, indeed, encouraging,” Gen. Polumbo told Pentagon reporters during an April 23 briefing.
Taliban kidnap 11 deminers in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan
By KHAAMA PRESS - 10 May 2013, 5:17 pm
At least eleven deminers were kidnapped by unknown gunmen in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, local government officials said.
The deminers were reportedly worked for MDS demining and were kidnapped by gunmen in Achin district on Thursday afternoon.
A local security official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the militants had taken three vehicles of the deminers with them as well.
In the meantime Mualem Mashooq, district governor for Achin said the deminers have been kidnapped by Taliban militants group led by Shahwali from Baandar village in Achin district.
Mr. Mashooq further added around twenty deminers used to work in the area however the exact number of deminers being kidnapped is still unknown.
This comes as gunmen kidnapped around nine deminers from southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan earlier last month however they were released after a few days.
Afghan police demand weapons amid simmering tension with Pakistan
Reuters By Hamid Shalizi May 9, 2013
Goshta, Afghanistan - Afghan border police, enraged by recent clashes with their Pakistani counterparts, are pleading for more weapons to take on their neighbors, escalating the tension between the two sides.
The fighting, in which an Afghan border policeman was killed last week, has caused a sharp deterioration in relations between the important U.S. allies, coming days before the Pakistani general election.
Pakistan is seen as vital in bringing stability to Afghanistan as most Western forces prepare to withdraw by the end of next year.
The commander of border police in Goshta district in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, Bakht Jamal Eshaaqzai, said his 250-strong forces were armed with mortars and machine guns, but that it would be difficult to match Pakistan's heavy artillery and tanks, visible on the other side of the border.
Eshaaqzai says Pakistan had 12 manned outposts in Goshta, while Afghanistan had three.
"We are under threat from their superior equipment. We urge the government to send us more as soon as possible," he told reporters and members of Kabul-based think tank Afghan Analysis Awareness, who drove from the capital to Goshta on Wednesday.
Shahzada, who only goes by one name, is one of hundreds of border police who have taken up positions over the last two days in Goshta.
"We have high morale, but what we really need is heavy artillery," he said. Sporting a long beard and resting his hand on a machine gun, he added: "We're ready to eliminate our enemies."
Pakistan artillery has destroyed several Afghan outposts over the last week in Goshta, where the remains of sandbag and concrete forts stand crumbling under the baking sun.
The cross-border clashes on Monday and last week sparked large protests across Afghanistan, drawing thousands of men to the center of the capital, Kabul, where they chanted "Death to Pakistan".
The United States and other powers involved in Afghanistan have been trying to promote cooperation between the Asian neighbors, who have a history of mistrust.
Pakistan says that both clashes were the result of unprovoked action by Afghan forces.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have had testy relations since Pakistan was formed in 1947, at the end of British colonial rule over India. Afghanistan has never officially accepted the border between them, known as the Durand Line.
Afghanistan says Pakistan is encroaching on its territory. Last week, Afghan police partially destroyed a Pakistani-built gate which is located around 750 meters (820 yards) from the Afghan police outpost.
Pakistan counters that fortifications built in recent years are for better management and are on its side of the border.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai reiterated on Thursday that his country will never accept the current border.
"If they (Pakistan) are trying to force Afghanistan to accept the Durand Line by way of these attacks, they will fail," Karzai told a gathering at the 80th anniversary of the founding of Kabul University.
Senate Speaker Lashes Out at Foreign Troops Over Border Posts
TOLOnews.com By Milad Sekandary 09 May 2013
The Chairman of Afghan Senate Fazl Hadi Muslimyar on Thursday said that the Pakistani military installations in Goshta district were built based on agreements between the Pakistani military and foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan.
After visiting Goshta, Muslimyar said that that foreign troops who were supposed to fight terrorism in border areas with Pakistan in the early years of war on terror, allowed Pakistani military to build bases on the “Afghan territory”.
He warned that the Senate will not endorse the Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States unless the US come up with a clear strategy to help solve the border dispute with Pakistan.
Afghan and Pakistani forces engaged twice in fierce gunfire on the border after the Afghan officials asked their Pakistani counterparts to stop building a gate in Goshta.
“When the foreign troops left the border areas and moved to central areas, the US and Nato handed over the areas to Pakistani military,” Speaker Muslimyar told a Senate session.
Muslimyar echoed President Karzai comments that the Afghan people will never recognise the Durand Line, warning that if the border dispute is not resolved through diplomatic channels, the Afghan people have other options on the table too.
U.S. watchdog on Afghan spending says he’s pressured to keep quiet
The Washington Times By Cheryl K. Chumley May 9, 2013
A watchdog in charge of tracking how taxpayer dollars are spent in Afghanistan accused the U.S. government of trying to keep him quiet so that the White House isn’t embarrassed by waste and fraud reports.
John Sopko, the special inspector general for reconstruction in Afghanistan, also said the government has warned him that pointing out the wasteful ways in which the U.S. has spent billions of dollars could prove a public relations nightmare for President Hamid Karzai, too, Politico reported. He made the comments at the New America Foundation on Wednesday, and detailed how “bureaucrats” have demanded he stop with the reports.
Some in government have also decried the fact they can’t edit his reports before they’re released, he said, Politico reported.
“Since my appointment by the president last summer, I have been surprised to learn how many people both in and out of the government do not understand the role of an independent inspector general,” he said, Politico reported.
He said in the past 10 months, he’s been targeted by government officials for “talking too much to Congress, for talking too much to the press,” and “for not being a ‘team player,’” he said, Politico reported. “Many in our government, even some senior officials you think would know better, seem to believe that an inspector general should be their partner — or, more correctly, their silent partner.”
He added, Politico reported: “In their opinion, my reports should be slipped in a sealed envelope in the dead of night under the door — never to see the light of day — because those reports could embarrass the administration, embarrass President Karzai, embarrass Afghanistan.”
The Pentagon, meanwhile, said it welcomed his watchdog work in Afghanistan.
Afghan Corruption May Rob $8 Billion of Aids: SIGAR
TOLOnews.com By Saleha Soadat 09 May 2013
A top United States official has said that corruption in Afghanistan may rob the $8bn of international annual aid pledged to this country beyond 2014.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko is raising serious concerns that a new international plan to deposit more than $4bn in military and another $4bn in civilian aid directly into accounts controlled by the Afghan government will be ravaged by corruption.
Mr Sopko added that he has evidence the Afghan government has robbed bank accounts and refused to prosecute high ranking officials accused of corruption.
The US official warns that aids should seriously supervised in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government has been frequently criticised at for its failure in tackling corruption and prosecuting corrupt officials.
“Pervasive corruption may divert a large portion of this money from its intended uses,” John Sopko told a Washington group on Wednesday.
He says that international community agreed to aid over another $16 billion through 2016, and half of it will be deposited directly into Afghan government accounts to spend on what they want.
This US official criticises on collection system of internal revenues in Afghanistan, saying that Afghan government does not have the ability to control its costumes’ revenues which are known great source of the country.
But, the Afghanistan promises more efforts to fight corruption.
“We don’t reject corruption at the customs, but our efforts are ongoing to tackle this,” said a spokesman to the Finance Ministry, Wahidullah Tawhidi.
But another government entity aimed to reducing corruption is saying that there is no will in the Afghan government to fight corruption. The head of High office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption, Azizullah Ludin, said that everyone in the government should be committed to deal with this issue.
So far the US has spent more than $54 billion on the reconstruction effort, mostly to train and equip the Afghan national security forces but the US official is asking for more transparency about the spent of aids.
Families of Kidnapped Kids Seek Justice
TOLOnews.com By Anisa Shahid 09 May 2013 20
Relatives of many children who were kidnapped by Abdul Samad, a kidnapper who has been arrested, call on the government to severely punish him.
The families of the kids who accuse certain individuals in the government of supporting Mr Samad, fear that he would be released soon.
Samad will appear before an appeal court on Saturday. He is charged for kidnapping, murder and torture.
“Sons of government ministers are living abroad, but if the injustice continues and he would be released, they will be kidnapped one day too, said a trader, Haji Jabar, whose son was kidnapped by Samad a year ago.
The father of another kid says his son is still suffering psychologically after the abduction.
“My son was kidnapped by Samad who confessed in front of the media and my son has been hurt psychologically. We are trying to treat him, but have failed so far,” said Engineer Jalil Hareef, another businessman.
The primary court dismissed the charges against Samad and called him innocent.
Previously, Kabul police had expressed concerns over interfering of some of powerful figures and number of parliament member for freeing of criminals.
“This crime is totally clear like sun, and all the affected who have been kidnapped by these kidnappers have hope to the judiciary but these kidnappers are known innocent and are freeing,” Dr Shuoor Niazi an affected man said.
“Previously I arrested a big kidnapper and some member of parliament are trying to free him while life of both police and the people are in danger,” said the head of Kabul Police Criminal Investigation Department, General Abdul Zahir.
Taliban suffer heavy casualties in Eastern Afghanistan
By GHANIZADA - 10 May 2013, 2:11 pm Khaama Press
Taliban militants suffered heavy casualties during military operations in eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan, local officials said.
Provincial security chief Gen. Fazal Ahmad Zhirzad confirming the report said at least fifteen Taliban militants were killed and around 20 others were wounded during the operations.
The operations were launched by Afghan police forces with the support of coalition security forces, early Thursday morning in Gularam area in Alingar district and Mehtarlam city.
In the meantime provincial governor spokesman Sarhadi Zwak said two prominent Taliban leaders, Abdul Ghoor and Musafir were among those killed during the military operations.
He said a local police commander, Latif was also killed during the clashes which continued for almost three hours.
However Taliban militants group announced around nine Afghan security forces were killed ad eleven others including a police commander were injured during the clashes.
Taliban group spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said four Taliban militants were killed and five others were injured.
Powerful Figures Not Paying Electricity Bills: DABS
TOLOnews.com By Zabiullah Jahanmal 09 May 2013
Afghanistan’s national electricity company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) on Thursday warned customers who owe the company that their electricity would be cut if they do not pay the outstanding bills.
However Breshna Sherkat officials do not mention any names, but saying that a number of powerful figures haven’t paid their electricity bills.
DABS cannot pay the electricity money to the neighbouring countries where the energy is imported from if they cannot collect the money from consumers within the country, its officials said.
According to officials, hundreds of DABS customers have faced with line cut, including some powerful people, since beginning of the year.
“Paying electricity money is very important for us. These individuals should consider it and pay their bills, otherwise they should start using their own generators and not consume our electricity. We can provide the service to the deprived people who would pay their bills on time and appreciate the service,” said Mirwais Alemi, Chief of Breshna.
Breshna had previously warned some of its customers to pay their debts, but it’s the first time that such a strong warning is issued.
www.afghanistannewscenter.com
AFP May 10, 2013
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (AFP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Friday to shore up morale among Germany's 4,200 troops as foreign forces withdraw after more than a decade of fighting.
The war is increasingly unpopular in Germany, but Merkel told troops in Kunduz province that political and economic progress was being made and that their contribution was making a difference.
"Progress is sometimes difficult, sometimes it is slower than we would like but it is essential that our military involvement is not seen in isolation and that it is a success," she said.
Germany, which has the third-biggest troop deployment in Afghanistan after the United States and Britain, has cut numbers from 5,000 as the NATO pull-out gathers pace ahead of the end of the mission next year.
Merkel arrived in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and made a short trip to nearby Kunduz.
"She is here to support the troops, to attend briefings and to address concerns after our recent loss," a military spokesman told AFP, referring to the death last Saturday of the first German soldier to be killed in Afghanistan in two years.
Germany is the NATO coalition's "lead nation" across nine provinces in northern Afghanistan, a relatively peaceful area compared to the insurgency hotbeds in the south and east.
However the German special forces soldier was shot dead when insurgents opened fire on a joint Afghan-German operation in Baghlan province.
Merkel earlier condemned it as a "terrorist attack".
Contributors to the NATO force such as Germany are weighing up how to schedule their withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 while leaving behind a competent Afghan army and police force.
Last month Germany offered to keep 600-800 troops in Afghanistan for two years from 2015 to help further train and advise the security forces in their battle against the Taliban.
Washington said Thursday that US troops will stay in Afghanistan after 2014 "only at the invitation" of the Afghan government, after President Hamid Karzai revealed that the US could keep nine bases open across the country.
"The United States does not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
"Any US presence after 2014 would only be at the invitation of the Afghan government and aimed at training Afghan forces and targeting the remnants of Al-Qaeda."
The size of the "residual" US force has not been agreed, with numbers ranging from 2,500 to 12,000, according to US officials, as Washington scales down the long war that began after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
The NATO force currently consists of about 100,000 troops, of which 66,000 are from the US.
Merkel travelled to Afghanistan with Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere, a German government spokesman said without giving further details of her itinerary.
Karzai Says U.S. Bases Can Stay, Raising Some Eyebrows in West
New York Times By MATTHEW ROSENBERG May 9, 2013
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan is ready to let the United States and its allies keep military bases here after the end of the NATO combat mission next year, President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday, offering a concrete public signal that foreign troops would remain welcome in the coming years.
The United States and Afghanistan are negotiating a security agreement that would allow American forces to stay here beyond the end of 2014, and Mr. Karzai said the Obama administration had asked for nine bases spread across the country.
“We agree to give them these bases,” Mr. Karzai told students during a speech at Kabul University. “We consider our relations with the United States beyond 2014 to be positive for Afghanistan.”
The American reaction, though, was far less positive than one would expect. Officials characterized Mr. Karzai’s comments as premature at best, and said they appeared to reflect the Afghan government’s desire for a larger force than the United States is likely to be willing to commit.
The Obama administration has yet to decide how large a force it would like to keep in Afghanistan, but administration officials have signaled that it is unlikely to total more than 10,000 service members. They said it was more important now to hash out a range of issues, like whether American troops would continue to have legal immunity in Afghanistan after next year, than to talk about the specifics of where troops would be based.
The American officials also stressed that no matter the final number of troops, the United States envisions using Afghan bases — not its own — to house its forces.
“As President Obama has made clear, we do not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan,” the American Embassy said in a statement. Any deal would “address access to, and use of, Afghan facilities by U.S. forces.”
Still, the officials seemed relieved that the comments were generally positive, especially in light of more recent statements from Mr. Karzai, like his suggestion — weeks after demanding that Special Operations forces leave an entire province — that both the American-led coalition and the Taliban were working to destabilize the government.
The United States, for its part, has unleashed its share of public salvos. In January, days before Mr. Karzai was to visit Washington, administration officials said that one option after 2014 was simply to leave no American forces in Afghanistan — a move that some officials worry would leave the government unable to contain the Taliban.
Yet even as the discussion has heated and cooled, officials in Kabul and Washington have repeatedly stressed that both sides want a deal and a post-2014 troop presence, even if no one can yet say what it would look like.
Mr. Karzai offered a glimpse of his thinking in his speech on Thursday at Kabul University, saying he was ready to agree to American bases in Kabul and Kandahar, the country’s two biggest cities, and at Bagram, north of Kabul, the current site of one of the largest coalition bases in Afghanistan.
He also said the United States wanted two bases in Herat Province, which borders Iran, and others in the north, east and south of Afghanistan.
At the same time, Mr. Karzai said he wanted more clarity from Western countries and from NATO as a whole about what they planned to contribute to Afghanistan after next year.
So far, Germany, which has more than 4,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, is the only major NATO member to have made a firm offer of troops after 2014. It said last month that it was prepared to keep 600 to 800 soldiers here until 2017 to train Afghan forces.
“At first, they said that they are all leaving in 2014, and now every one of them is coming one by one and saying, ‘We are not leaving,’ ” Mr. Karzai said.
“We know that they are not leaving, and so we are insisting that we have our own words with them,” he said, adding that he wanted an overall agreement with NATO in addition to any agreements with individual countries.
He also laid out conditions for the United States and its allies. “America should strengthen their efforts to bring peace, fundamentally strengthen the security forces of Afghanistan, should give us strong support in strengthening the economy of Afghanistan and rebuild our economic foundations, such as dams, electricity, roads,” he said.
The conditions, said American and NATO officials in Kabul, were basically what the West has been trying to accomplish through billions in development aid over the past 12 years.
Officials said that aid would continue, although the amounts given were likely to be reduced over time. And the Afghan government would have to live up to its commitments to battle corruption and run a more open government for the aid to keep flowing.
Mr. Karzai did not address those issues in his speech. But he did highlight financial pledges he recently secured on a trip to Europe. He said Finland, where he signed a partnership deal, had agreed to provide $30 million in aid each year, though he did not say for how long.
Denmark, meanwhile, has agreed to give Afghanistan $100 million over the coming five years and more aid in the 10 years after that, he said.
Sharifullah Sahak contributed reporting.
U.S. 'Not Seeking' Permanent Afghan Bases
May 10, 2013 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
A White House spokesman says the United States "does not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan."
Jay Carney said on May 9 that any U.S. military presence in Afghanistan after most foreign troops withdraw in 2014 would "only be at the invitation of the Afghanistan government."
He said the bilateral security agreement currently being negotiated will address access to and use of Afghanistan facilities by U.S. forces.
The comments came after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said earlier in the day said the United States wanted to keep nine military bases in Afghanistan after 2014.
Karzai also set a number of conditions for the approval of the military bases by his government, including a U.S. commitment to boost Afghanistan's security, strengthen its armed forces, and provide long-term economic development assistance.
Based on reporting by AP and dpa
Afghan senate urge US to remove Pakistan military from Goshta
By MEENA HASEEB - 10 May 2013, 1:14 pm Khaama Press
Afghan senate urged United States to assist Afghanistan in removing Pakistani military check posts created in Goshta district of eastern Nangarhar province.
Chairman of the Afghan senate said Washington’s demand to keep military bases in Afghanistan beyond 2014 will not be accepted unless United States does not act in accordance with the national benefits of Afghanistan.
This comes as Afghan president Hamid Karzai on Thursday said that Washington wants to keep nine military bases across the country after NATO combat roops leave Afghanistan in 2014.
Fazal-ul-Hadi Muslimyar, chairman of the Afghan senate house told reporters that US and NATO troops have handed over military check posts to Pakistani military in Goshta district.
Local residents in Goshta district quoted by Fazal-ul-Hadi Muslimyar have said that Pakistani troops have moved 40km inside the Afghan soil after NATO and US troops handed over military check posts in Goshta district.
Chairman of the Afghan senate house last week also visited eastern Nangarhar province to inspect border issues in Goshta district and recent demonstrations against the provincial governor of Nangarhar.
According to Afghan officials, Pakistani military forces have carried out attacks on Afghan security forces for two times after the military check posts and installations were handed over to them.
In the air today: Afghan air force developing its capabilities
The Washington Times By Kristina Wong May 9, 2013
Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan - In southwestern Afghanistan, this reporter for The Washington Times recently hitched a ride on a helicopter manned by Afghans, including the pilot and two door gunners, as well as U.S. military personnel.
The 20-minute flight was aboard an Mi-17, a Russian-made aircraft that Afghans have learned to fly.
The U.S.-led coalition is helping Afghanistan recruit, train and deploy an air force, which is not expected to be fully capable until after 2017.
Currently, the Afghan air force can conduct resupply missions to remote bases around the country, in addition to providing casualty evacuation flights. A small percentage of Afghan fliers can conduct independent air assaults. The force numbers about 6,000.
“Building an air force from the ground up is no easy task,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. H.D. “Jake” Polumbo Jr., director of the coalition’s Air Component Coordination Element and commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan.
“But the early signs are, indeed, encouraging,” Gen. Polumbo told Pentagon reporters during an April 23 briefing.
Taliban kidnap 11 deminers in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan
By KHAAMA PRESS - 10 May 2013, 5:17 pm
At least eleven deminers were kidnapped by unknown gunmen in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, local government officials said.
The deminers were reportedly worked for MDS demining and were kidnapped by gunmen in Achin district on Thursday afternoon.
A local security official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the militants had taken three vehicles of the deminers with them as well.
In the meantime Mualem Mashooq, district governor for Achin said the deminers have been kidnapped by Taliban militants group led by Shahwali from Baandar village in Achin district.
Mr. Mashooq further added around twenty deminers used to work in the area however the exact number of deminers being kidnapped is still unknown.
This comes as gunmen kidnapped around nine deminers from southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan earlier last month however they were released after a few days.
Afghan police demand weapons amid simmering tension with Pakistan
Reuters By Hamid Shalizi May 9, 2013
Goshta, Afghanistan - Afghan border police, enraged by recent clashes with their Pakistani counterparts, are pleading for more weapons to take on their neighbors, escalating the tension between the two sides.
The fighting, in which an Afghan border policeman was killed last week, has caused a sharp deterioration in relations between the important U.S. allies, coming days before the Pakistani general election.
Pakistan is seen as vital in bringing stability to Afghanistan as most Western forces prepare to withdraw by the end of next year.
The commander of border police in Goshta district in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, Bakht Jamal Eshaaqzai, said his 250-strong forces were armed with mortars and machine guns, but that it would be difficult to match Pakistan's heavy artillery and tanks, visible on the other side of the border.
Eshaaqzai says Pakistan had 12 manned outposts in Goshta, while Afghanistan had three.
"We are under threat from their superior equipment. We urge the government to send us more as soon as possible," he told reporters and members of Kabul-based think tank Afghan Analysis Awareness, who drove from the capital to Goshta on Wednesday.
Shahzada, who only goes by one name, is one of hundreds of border police who have taken up positions over the last two days in Goshta.
"We have high morale, but what we really need is heavy artillery," he said. Sporting a long beard and resting his hand on a machine gun, he added: "We're ready to eliminate our enemies."
Pakistan artillery has destroyed several Afghan outposts over the last week in Goshta, where the remains of sandbag and concrete forts stand crumbling under the baking sun.
The cross-border clashes on Monday and last week sparked large protests across Afghanistan, drawing thousands of men to the center of the capital, Kabul, where they chanted "Death to Pakistan".
The United States and other powers involved in Afghanistan have been trying to promote cooperation between the Asian neighbors, who have a history of mistrust.
Pakistan says that both clashes were the result of unprovoked action by Afghan forces.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have had testy relations since Pakistan was formed in 1947, at the end of British colonial rule over India. Afghanistan has never officially accepted the border between them, known as the Durand Line.
Afghanistan says Pakistan is encroaching on its territory. Last week, Afghan police partially destroyed a Pakistani-built gate which is located around 750 meters (820 yards) from the Afghan police outpost.
Pakistan counters that fortifications built in recent years are for better management and are on its side of the border.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai reiterated on Thursday that his country will never accept the current border.
"If they (Pakistan) are trying to force Afghanistan to accept the Durand Line by way of these attacks, they will fail," Karzai told a gathering at the 80th anniversary of the founding of Kabul University.
Senate Speaker Lashes Out at Foreign Troops Over Border Posts
TOLOnews.com By Milad Sekandary 09 May 2013
The Chairman of Afghan Senate Fazl Hadi Muslimyar on Thursday said that the Pakistani military installations in Goshta district were built based on agreements between the Pakistani military and foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan.
After visiting Goshta, Muslimyar said that that foreign troops who were supposed to fight terrorism in border areas with Pakistan in the early years of war on terror, allowed Pakistani military to build bases on the “Afghan territory”.
He warned that the Senate will not endorse the Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States unless the US come up with a clear strategy to help solve the border dispute with Pakistan.
Afghan and Pakistani forces engaged twice in fierce gunfire on the border after the Afghan officials asked their Pakistani counterparts to stop building a gate in Goshta.
“When the foreign troops left the border areas and moved to central areas, the US and Nato handed over the areas to Pakistani military,” Speaker Muslimyar told a Senate session.
Muslimyar echoed President Karzai comments that the Afghan people will never recognise the Durand Line, warning that if the border dispute is not resolved through diplomatic channels, the Afghan people have other options on the table too.
U.S. watchdog on Afghan spending says he’s pressured to keep quiet
The Washington Times By Cheryl K. Chumley May 9, 2013
A watchdog in charge of tracking how taxpayer dollars are spent in Afghanistan accused the U.S. government of trying to keep him quiet so that the White House isn’t embarrassed by waste and fraud reports.
John Sopko, the special inspector general for reconstruction in Afghanistan, also said the government has warned him that pointing out the wasteful ways in which the U.S. has spent billions of dollars could prove a public relations nightmare for President Hamid Karzai, too, Politico reported. He made the comments at the New America Foundation on Wednesday, and detailed how “bureaucrats” have demanded he stop with the reports.
Some in government have also decried the fact they can’t edit his reports before they’re released, he said, Politico reported.
“Since my appointment by the president last summer, I have been surprised to learn how many people both in and out of the government do not understand the role of an independent inspector general,” he said, Politico reported.
He said in the past 10 months, he’s been targeted by government officials for “talking too much to Congress, for talking too much to the press,” and “for not being a ‘team player,’” he said, Politico reported. “Many in our government, even some senior officials you think would know better, seem to believe that an inspector general should be their partner — or, more correctly, their silent partner.”
He added, Politico reported: “In their opinion, my reports should be slipped in a sealed envelope in the dead of night under the door — never to see the light of day — because those reports could embarrass the administration, embarrass President Karzai, embarrass Afghanistan.”
The Pentagon, meanwhile, said it welcomed his watchdog work in Afghanistan.
Afghan Corruption May Rob $8 Billion of Aids: SIGAR
TOLOnews.com By Saleha Soadat 09 May 2013
A top United States official has said that corruption in Afghanistan may rob the $8bn of international annual aid pledged to this country beyond 2014.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko is raising serious concerns that a new international plan to deposit more than $4bn in military and another $4bn in civilian aid directly into accounts controlled by the Afghan government will be ravaged by corruption.
Mr Sopko added that he has evidence the Afghan government has robbed bank accounts and refused to prosecute high ranking officials accused of corruption.
The US official warns that aids should seriously supervised in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government has been frequently criticised at for its failure in tackling corruption and prosecuting corrupt officials.
“Pervasive corruption may divert a large portion of this money from its intended uses,” John Sopko told a Washington group on Wednesday.
He says that international community agreed to aid over another $16 billion through 2016, and half of it will be deposited directly into Afghan government accounts to spend on what they want.
This US official criticises on collection system of internal revenues in Afghanistan, saying that Afghan government does not have the ability to control its costumes’ revenues which are known great source of the country.
But, the Afghanistan promises more efforts to fight corruption.
“We don’t reject corruption at the customs, but our efforts are ongoing to tackle this,” said a spokesman to the Finance Ministry, Wahidullah Tawhidi.
But another government entity aimed to reducing corruption is saying that there is no will in the Afghan government to fight corruption. The head of High office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption, Azizullah Ludin, said that everyone in the government should be committed to deal with this issue.
So far the US has spent more than $54 billion on the reconstruction effort, mostly to train and equip the Afghan national security forces but the US official is asking for more transparency about the spent of aids.
Families of Kidnapped Kids Seek Justice
TOLOnews.com By Anisa Shahid 09 May 2013 20
Relatives of many children who were kidnapped by Abdul Samad, a kidnapper who has been arrested, call on the government to severely punish him.
The families of the kids who accuse certain individuals in the government of supporting Mr Samad, fear that he would be released soon.
Samad will appear before an appeal court on Saturday. He is charged for kidnapping, murder and torture.
“Sons of government ministers are living abroad, but if the injustice continues and he would be released, they will be kidnapped one day too, said a trader, Haji Jabar, whose son was kidnapped by Samad a year ago.
The father of another kid says his son is still suffering psychologically after the abduction.
“My son was kidnapped by Samad who confessed in front of the media and my son has been hurt psychologically. We are trying to treat him, but have failed so far,” said Engineer Jalil Hareef, another businessman.
The primary court dismissed the charges against Samad and called him innocent.
Previously, Kabul police had expressed concerns over interfering of some of powerful figures and number of parliament member for freeing of criminals.
“This crime is totally clear like sun, and all the affected who have been kidnapped by these kidnappers have hope to the judiciary but these kidnappers are known innocent and are freeing,” Dr Shuoor Niazi an affected man said.
“Previously I arrested a big kidnapper and some member of parliament are trying to free him while life of both police and the people are in danger,” said the head of Kabul Police Criminal Investigation Department, General Abdul Zahir.
Taliban suffer heavy casualties in Eastern Afghanistan
By GHANIZADA - 10 May 2013, 2:11 pm Khaama Press
Taliban militants suffered heavy casualties during military operations in eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan, local officials said.
Provincial security chief Gen. Fazal Ahmad Zhirzad confirming the report said at least fifteen Taliban militants were killed and around 20 others were wounded during the operations.
The operations were launched by Afghan police forces with the support of coalition security forces, early Thursday morning in Gularam area in Alingar district and Mehtarlam city.
In the meantime provincial governor spokesman Sarhadi Zwak said two prominent Taliban leaders, Abdul Ghoor and Musafir were among those killed during the military operations.
He said a local police commander, Latif was also killed during the clashes which continued for almost three hours.
However Taliban militants group announced around nine Afghan security forces were killed ad eleven others including a police commander were injured during the clashes.
Taliban group spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said four Taliban militants were killed and five others were injured.
Powerful Figures Not Paying Electricity Bills: DABS
TOLOnews.com By Zabiullah Jahanmal 09 May 2013
Afghanistan’s national electricity company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) on Thursday warned customers who owe the company that their electricity would be cut if they do not pay the outstanding bills.
However Breshna Sherkat officials do not mention any names, but saying that a number of powerful figures haven’t paid their electricity bills.
DABS cannot pay the electricity money to the neighbouring countries where the energy is imported from if they cannot collect the money from consumers within the country, its officials said.
According to officials, hundreds of DABS customers have faced with line cut, including some powerful people, since beginning of the year.
“Paying electricity money is very important for us. These individuals should consider it and pay their bills, otherwise they should start using their own generators and not consume our electricity. We can provide the service to the deprived people who would pay their bills on time and appreciate the service,” said Mirwais Alemi, Chief of Breshna.
Breshna had previously warned some of its customers to pay their debts, but it’s the first time that such a strong warning is issued.
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