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Karzai's brother plans independent run in Afghan election
By Sarwar Amani and Ismail Sameen
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai's older brother Qayum will run in next year's presidential election, their younger brother said, as the country's most powerful family seeks to maintain a political hold in Afghanistan.
President Karzai is constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term when the country votes for a new head of state on April 5.
"Qayum will announce his candidacy soon and will represent our political movement ... the party will run his election campaign," Mahmoud Karzai told Reuters in an interview at his home in the southern city of Kandahar.
Qayum Karzai will have the backing of De Woles De Mulatar Baheer, or the Movement for the Support of the People, which is dominated by the country's powerful Pashtun ethnic group. The group has no affiliation with the incumbent president.
Neither Qayum nor Hamid Karzai's office could be reached for comment.
Kabul-based political analysts said, however, that the president would likely support his bid, as it would guarantee he would not be investigated for mismanagement or corruption during his time as leader.
"President Karzai wants someone to succeed him who should not review his performance (while in power) and there is no doubt he will support his brother Qayum," said independent analyst Ahmad Sayeedi.
But some analysts say that Qayum's decision to run without his powerful brother's backing could indicate a family rift. Across his two terms as president he has had a rocky relationship with many of his close family members.
CORRUPTION TOP PRIORITY
Last week, Mahmoud told a gathering in the family's birthplace, Kandahar, that if Qayum was elected a top priority would be ending the widespread corruption.
"If Qayum comes to power we will take the corruption issue very seriously; it has defamed us to the whole world," he told the crowd.
After more than a decade of war and billions of dollars in aid, corruption in Afghanistan is rampant.
In January a report by the U.N.'s Office on Drugs and Crime said corruption was costing Afghanistan $2.5 billion a year, equivalent to about a quarter of the country's gross domestic product.
Afghanistan relies on foreign aid for the bulk of its spending, but many international donors say they are reluctant to channel aid through Afghanistan because they fear it will be stolen by corrupt politicians and officials.
Mahmoud Karzai, who reportedly dropped his U.S. citizenship early this year in order to pursue an Afghan political career, was a key shareholder in Kabul Bank during the period marked by a $900 million fraud case.
That case saw the bank collapse in 2010, though Mahmoud was spared a jail sentence following a presidential decree that granted immunity to those who repaid funds. Mahmoud denied any wrongdoing and said he repaid $22 million.
The credibility of next year's vote will be vital to the security and stability of the country, with NATO withdrawing most of its combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
(Additional reporting and writing by Hamid Shalizi, Editing by Dylan Welch and Jeremy Laurence)
Afghanistan Begins Registration For 2014 Elections
By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan May 26, 2013
KABUL -- Afghanistan has started registering new voters for its presidential and provincial council elections due on April 5, 2014.
Fazel Ahmad Manawi, head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), told reporters at a registration center in Kabul that “today we are happy to have launched the voter registration process."
He also said the registrars would only go to areas where security was sufficient for them to work.
"We will go to places where the police provides security for our teams," he said. "[Voter registration teams] won’t go to places where security forces fall short of providing adequate security and the security forces are to be held accountable. It is our responsibility to send our workers, technical support, and facilitate, but we will only follow the police force and go where they take us. In case [the police] fail to go to a particular area, they will be responsible to the people of that area.”
The registration process began on May 26 in 41 centers in all 34 provinces for those who have turned 18, have previously not registered, or have lost their voter cards.
In the months-long process, 4 million names are expected to be added to the electoral roll, which currently contains 16 million voters.
The election next year coincides with the withdrawal of the 100,000 NATO combat troops as Afghan security forces take charge of the battle against the Taliban.
The presidential race will not include incumbent Hamid Karzai, who is barred after serving two terms in office.
There are no declared candidates yet for the presidency.
Speculation about potential candidates ranges from Karzai's brother Qayum Karzai, to former U.S. ambassador to Kabul Zalmay Khalilzad, to Mohammed Atta Noor, who is now governor of Balkh Province.
With reporting by AFP
Will the Taliban ever sever its ties to al-Qaeda? Here's why the omens aren't good
By Rob Crilly May 26th, 2013 The Telegraph (UK)
From its very earliest days fighting the Afghan government in the mid 1970s, the militia led by Jalaluddin Haqqani has been used as a proxy by Pakistan. Today it is known as the Haqqani network, allied to the Taliban and considered the most deadly threat to international forces in Afghanistan. It is behind many of the most spectacular attacks in the capital Kabul.
Yet Islamabad has so far failed to move against the outfit, which is based around Miranshah in North Waziristan. It continues to see the Haqqani network as “good Taliban”, a useful conduit to other militant groups such as the Pakistan Taliban and a hedge against Indian interests in Afghanistan.
For Pakistan, staying in with the Haqqanis allows access to the nexus of terrorist and militant groups that has coalesced around them and an opportunity to try to redirect them against Islamabad's foes. And the costs have been manageable. The Haqqani network may have sheltered al-Qaeda figures – based on personal ties or short-term financial considerations – but at most its war aims have been to reclaim its old territory of Loya Paktia, those south-eastern provinces along the border with Pakistan where it mainly operates.
That at least is the accepted wisdom.
A compelling new book by Vahid Brown and Don Rassler, Fountainhead of Jihad: The Haqqani Nexus, 1973-2012 published by Hurst, suggests we will have to rethink our understanding of the Haqqani network, its motivation and its worldview at a crucial time, just as international forces withdraw and pressure for peace talks intensifies.
Drawing on primary sources, such as Manba’ al-Jihad (from which the book takes its title) the Haqqani network's own magazine, the authors conclude that the Haqqanis are much more than mere hosts to al-Qaeda: the two are intimately entwined having co-evolved during the past three decades and with Jalaluddin Haqqani himself emerging as one of the key drivers behind the development of al-Qaeda's global war.
Jalaluddin was the first to declare the Jihad against the Soviets as a duty for Muslims around the world and the first to recruit Arabs. Osama bin Laden built the first of his camps inside Haqqani territory and staffed it with Haqqani veterans.
In placing the Haqqani network not so much at the centre of the extremist nexus but at its origin, this book makes an important contribution to our understanding of Afghan and Pakistani militant groups. And it has obvious implications for the terms of any eventual peace settlement, which could well see the Haqqanis taking control of its south-eastern heartland.
It is weaker in discussing the extent to which Pakistan and its ISI spy agency continue to run the Haqqanis, relying on historical accounts dating back to the anti-Soviet Jihad brought up to date with weakly sourced American allegations. To be fair, no one else has much of an insight into Pakistan's current attitude towards its long-standing allies.
But it sets out clearly what should be a key question facing Western officials scrabbling for a face-saving peace deal: Can the Taliban of Mullah Omar sever its ties to al-Qaeda – a red line in any negotiation – when it is clear that the Haqqanis remain so close to bin Laden's terrorist outfit?
Technically the Haqqanis have sworn loyalty to Mullah Omar and say they will stand by his decision but this book makes clear that it might not be as simple as that, and to give up al-Qaeda would change the trajectory of decades of history.
“Ideological sympathy and shared support for the broader goals that al-Qaeda represents – surely held by at least some within the group – would be one important reason for not doing so, as would a desire to seek revenge for the losses that both groups have suffered over the last ten years,” it concludes.
It is difficult to conclude anything other than that prospects for peace remain dim.
Aid group describes siege of Afghan compound
By KAY JOHNSON | Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Ten terrified international aid workers huddled inside a fortified room in Kabul for two hours as a Taliban attack raged around them until they were rescued by Afghan police, the aid group's country chief said Sunday.
Richard Danziger, chief of mission for the International Organization for Migration, praised the police for fighting their way into the compound to free the workers during the Taliban assault that for eight hours on Friday turned one of the capital's most upscale neighborhoods into a battleground.
"Both the police and our ... guards, they held their ground and fought for two hours until they found a time when they could grab our staff and take them out of the compound," he said at a news conference along with his deputy, Enira Krdzalic, who herself survived the siege.
Three Afghans, a police officer and two civilians, died in the heavy fighting that kicked off with a suicide bomb, the Ministry of Interior's spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.
Details of the chaotic siege were still emerging two days later. Danziger said earlier police reports that one of the group's armed Nepalese guards died was not true, though five of the guards were wounded along with four IOM staff, including one Italian woman badly burned by a grenade. All of the attackers were killed.
Danziger said the attack was clearly planned to target the international staff and the gunmen appeared to know the layout of at least part of the compound.
Danziger, who was out of Afghanistan during Friday's siege, said he was "mystified" as to why IOM was targeted. Insurgent assaults on aid groups are relatively rare, though attacks have hit guest houses used by the U.N. in the past. The IOM is a U.N.-affiliated agency assisting returning Afghan migrants as well as those displaced internally.
A Taliban spokesman on Friday said the insurgents had launched an attack on a group of CIA trainers for the Afghan security forces, but Danziger stressed that the group has no affiliation with the American spy agency
When the Taliban car bomb slammed into the IOM's southeastern gate just after 4 p.m. on Friday, only about 12 international staff who live in the compound and another dozen Afghan employees were inside along with the Nepalese guards, said Danziger.
Most of the Afghan staff escaped from the main gate and took three international workers with them. Nine other staff, including Krdzalic, fled to a fortified "strong room" along with one foreigner working for the International Labor Organization who also lived in the guest house.
"They were basically in direct line of attack," said Danziger. He said the Taliban attackers were armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers that they fired from the building and, later, from upper floors of nearby offices they took over.
"You can imagine it was a very confusing situation inside the strong room. Not to mention we had this one (wounded) colleague of ours who they were desperately trying to keep out of going into shock," he said.
Interior Ministry Blames Networks Within Pakistan For Kabul Blasts
TOLOnews.com By Anisa Shahid 25 May 2013
The Interior Ministry attributes Friday's attack in Kabul to certain terrorist networks which have the support from circles inside Pakistan.
The Ministry said that the attack in Shahrara area of Kabul city killed two civilians and one police personnel.13 others including three employees of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and one employee of International Labour Organisation (ILO) were injured in the gun-fire. Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Ban Ki- Moon, Secretary General of United Nations and the US embassy officials in Kabul strongly condemned the attacks on IOM and ILO offices and stressed that violence in Afghanistan should be dealt with at the earliest.
A suicide bomber driving a vehicle loaded with explosives blew himself up. Immediately after the explosion four extremists entered into the logistics office and open-fired on the IOM guards.
Kabul Police said that investigation is going on to find how the attackers managed to enter the guest house.
General Zahir Zahir, Head of Kabul Police's Criminal Investigation Department said, "We have started our investigations to find how they reached there, who probably helped them, from where they received the ammunition and how they hid the ammunition?"
One of the residents of the blast site said, "There were five people and all of them were injured. The situation of three of them is critical."
The gun-fire started at 4:00 pm on Friday and ended at midnight.
On the other hand, the Interior Ministry said that so far the identities of the attackers aren't known but the attack was planned in Pakistan.
Sediq Sediqi, Spokesperson of the Interior Ministry said, "They may have set up a strong network inside the cities and provinces of Afghanistan which provides them shelter. It's high time that these hide-outs and shelters must be found out."
Former Head of National Directorate of Security, Amrullah Saleh emphasized on mobilization of the Afghan security forces by the President to put an end to such attacks.
Amrullah Saleh said, "Our responsibility is to mobilise the military against Pakistan, we should fight back against the massacres."
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Leader of National Front said, "Afghanistan's enemies were trying to disrupt peace and lower the confidence of the security forces but our forces acted bravely, otherwise, there would have been more casualties."
The incident happened two weeks after Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e- Islami attacked a foreign convoy in the Shah Shaheed area of Kabul city.
15 Taliban killed in clash in western Afghan town
FARAH, Afghanistan, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen Taliban militants were killed as clash erupted in Purchaman district of Farah province 695 km west of Kabul on Sunday, a local official said. "A group of Taliban insurgents were preparing to storm the headquarters of Purchaman district this morning but the police force acting upon intelligence report launched pre-emptive attack killing 15 rebels on the spot," spokesman for provincial administration Abdul Rahman Zhawandon told Xinhua.
There were no casualties on the police side, he said.
Taliban militants have stepped up activities, mostly in the form of suicide and roadside bombings since launching their so- called spring offensive in April 28 this year.
In Afghan Transition, U.S. Forces Take a Step Back
The New York Times By Azam Ahmed May 25, 2013
Chamkani, Afghanistan - The American soldiers were climbing the steep ridgeline, fractured shale cracking underfoot and sweat pouring off their faces, when their Afghan allies up ahead took off without warning. They scanned the mountainside below for movement before spotting one of the Afghan policemen heading straight down into the valley below. Exhausted from the uphill hike, the Afghans had evidently decided to try a shortcut. The Americans reluctantly followed.
“You can’t fight it,” said the American company commander, Capt. Scott Harra, stepping through a narrow creek bed flanked by stone walls. The joint team had hours of hiking still ahead before reaching the villages they were supposed to search, but now the sudden detour had left them vulnerable to ambush, the high ground abandoned. “Look at what we’re doing here. We’re basically just following them.”
After more than a decade at war in Afghanistan, the Americans are moving fully into a support role this year: shifting to “Afghan lead” in security operations a year before the official end of the international military mission here. An intensive effort to train the Afghan security forces — soldiers, policemen, intelligence officers — to be self-sufficient has become a focus for the remaining American units like the Third Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division.
A week in April spent with the brigade, accompanying Afghan forces in the eastern provinces of Khost and Paktia along the Pakistani border, offered a direct look at the evolving training mission, for better or for worse.
The brigade, known as the Rakkasans, has again and again been at the vanguard of the American war effort in some of the toughest parts of Afghanistan and Iraq over the years, and some of its soldiers and officers have had as many as six combat tours. Most returned home this month to their base at Fort Campbell, Ky. But on this last deployment, they were ordered to ride along while the Afghan forces drive and try to find their own way to take on security responsibilities that will allow a final American withdrawal from the war.
“With regards to our brigade, that’s how this war is going to end,” said Col. R. J. Lillibridge, the Third Brigade’s commander, who has deployed five times since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. “It’s not going to be some huge battle. It’s going to end quietly.”
Colonel Lillibridge has adopted a mantra. He uses it to explain why he no longer gives helicopter rides to Afghan officers when they go on leave, why he refuses to give his counterparts fuel when they run out, and why he stands by as their leaders plan and lead missions that appear, at least on the surface, somewhat dubious. “We can’t care more than the Afghans do,” he said.
That philosophy was on display the morning the Americans accompanied the Afghans to search two villages in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan.
The troops began their steep climb at dawn, more than 40 American soldiers trudging behind roughly a dozen Afghan policemen. After two hours, the men had scaled 2,000 feet. The collective gasps of soldiers carting body armor, weapons and ammunition meshed with the crunch of the rocky soil below their feet.
By the time the Afghan forces had abandoned the ridgeline, the trek was less than a third of the way finished, setting a tone for the rest of the mission, in which almost nothing went according to plan. The soldiers navigated the narrow valley for nearly an hour, slipping along the stone as a crystal stream gushed by. The men scanned the tree line above for snipers as a pair of Apache attack helicopters hovered overhead.
The valley fed into a gravel path leading to the village they were meant to search. The Americans suggested resuming the mission, but the Afghans had another idea: they wanted to clear a different compound, where they believed insurgents might be storing weapons.
A short walk later, the men arrived at a barren hill leading up to a sun-bleached rock spur. Four Afghan policemen began scaling the loose earth, the Americans, again, reluctantly following.
After a halting half-hour hike to the top, the prize was an abandoned donkey stable — no contraband to be found.
Later, back at the base of the hill, an American platoon leader, First Lt. Benjamin Johnson, politely debriefed the Afghan police forces who had led the way that day.
“What do you think we could have done better?” he asked the men, who stood near their trucks, taking bites from slabs of cake and bread.
“Next time, I think we should put in less effort and get more out of it,” one policeman responded.
In this phase of the war’s scheduled end, the younger soldiers in this storied American combat unit are especially struggling with their relegation to a support role. Some felt they had missed the war and were consigned to cleanup duty in the aftermath of the most active era for the United States military in decades. “I tell these guys they were just born a decade too late,” said Maj. Tyler Anderson, a battalion executive officer for the Rakkasans who has served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Our role in this country has evolved. We have to be close enough to give them confidence, then wean them off the support.”
Major Anderson paused for a moment: “That all sounds great and wonderful. But will it work out that way? I hope.”
On the ground, the way it works varies from district to district. Some units are capable of taking the fight to the Taliban on their own. In others, it is hard to imagine the Afghans conducting missions without Americans by their side.
“The collection of Afghan National Security Forces is kind of like the bar scene from ‘Star Wars’ — you never know who’s going to come out,” Colonel Lillibridge said. “Still, with every fighting season and with every operation, they get a little better.”
One of the brigade’s other companies had a similarly distracted day on patrol with the Afghan forces.
The American soldiers left before daybreak. The cold night air lingered over the men as they concluded a final mission briefing. When they arrived at the Afghan base, in the Syed Khurram district of Paktia Province, they found the soldiers and policemen sipping chai, spread out across the compound, a series of modular buildings clustered on a barren patch of sloped land.
The planned departure time came and went, as the predawn haze cleared to show gray sky.
“The hardest part is letting go,” Capt. Jeff Scott, the American company commander, said with a chunk of tobacco tucked in his lower lip. “This is the mission. We leave when they’re ready.”
The Americans joined up with an Afghan intelligence officer near the village of Barah Sejenak, a collection of mud homes surrounded by fields of grass and stone. They searched caves for weapons caches but found nothing except litter here and there.
Returning to meet the Afghan forces an hour later, they discovered the commander, Col. Mohammad Zazai, asleep in his truck midmission. Nearby, an Afghan soldier straddled a creek, washing his hair, sending a trail of shampoo suds down the meandering stream.
“This is as good as it gets right now,” said First Sgt. Joshua Hunt, on his third deployment to Afghanistan since 2002. “It’s progress. You should have seen what it was like when we got here.”
Heavy clashes reported in Ghazni city of Afghanistan
By SAYED JAWAD - 26 May 2013, 9:53 pm Khaama Press
Heavy clashes have been reported in eastern Ghazni city after several Taliban militants carried out attack on a number of security check posts on Sunday evening.
Deputy provincial governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi confirming the report said heavy clashes are going on in Khosh, Khak-e-Gharibha and Sanjak areas of Ghazni city.
According to reports heavy and light weapons are used during the clashes between Taliban militants and Afghan security forces and there are fears that clashes could harm local residents.
There are no reports regarding the casualties as a result of the clashes so far.
Afghanistan rebut Pakistan concerns on Karzai’s visit to India
By MIRWAIS ADEEL - 26 May 2013, 4:16 pm Khaama Press
The government of Afghanistan on Sunday ruled out Islamabad’s concerns regarding the recent visit of president Hamid Karzai’s visit to India which focused on New Delhi’s enhanced military cooperation to Afghan security forces.
Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai on Sunday told reporters that bilateral cooperations between Kabul and New Delhi will not risk the stability of the region but it is the militants sanctuaries which can harm the security of the region.
He said, “The friendship of Afghanistan and India and equipment of Afghan seurity forces does not pose any threat to the stability of the region however presence of terrorist sanctuaries on the other side of Durand Line and use of terrorism as a political tool endangers the region. Pakistan should
eliminate terrorist safe havens in its soil if Islamabad is keen on stability of the region.”
Afghan foreign ministry also issued a statement in response to deputy foreign minister of Pakistan’s statement.
Ershad Ahmadi, deputy foreign minister on political affairs quoted in the statement said Pakistan should have a civilized relation with its neighbors and must have a transparent solution towards bilateral issues.
The remarks by deputy foreign minister of Pakistan, Jalil Abbas was followed after Afghan president Hamid Karzai visited India and urged for New Delhi’s enhanced military cooperation to Afghanistan.
Deputy foreign minister of Pakistan also said that Afghanistan should consider the stability and security of the region in its policies.
Kabul University Students On Hunger Strike For The Sixth Day
TOLOnews.com By Rafi Sediqi 25 May 2013
A large number of Kabul University students are on a hunger strike for the sixth consecutive day in front of the Parliament building.
The students belong to the Social Science Faculty of Kabul University and are protesting against discrimination meted out by the officials of the faculty.
Dismissal of the Dean of the faculty and bringing reforms are some of their demands.
The students say that they will continue the hunger strike till their demands are accepted.
"Our hunger strike has entered into the sixth day and our aim is to bring reforms in the Social Science Faculty of Kabul University.
Eradicating racial discrimination, dismissal of the Dean and a lecturer of the faculty are our demands. These demands haven't been accepted till now," Zahra Naderi, a student said.
"We will continue our protests till our demands are accepted," Abdul Rahman, University student said.
It is said that many of the protestors were rushed to hospitals due to their deteriorating health vitals.
Meanwhile, some of the MPs said that the students' issue should be quickly solved.
"Some of their problems have been solved. Competitive evaluation of exam papers, getting a fourth chance in exam were some of the problems which stay solved. But dismissal of the Faculty Dean is not our competence," Head of Committee on Culture in Parliament, Hila Arshad said.
"The only way is to temporarily dismiss the Dean of the Faculty. After investigations if the accusations turn out to be true, the Dean will be dismissed permanently. Otherwise, the Dean stays," Member of Parliament, Shah Abdul Ahad Afzali said.
The students said that the hunger strike should be called a civil move for improving the life in University and it should not be termed as a political or racial move.
Lower House Rejects The New Higher Education Law
TOLOnews.com By Rafi Sediqi 25 May 2013
The Lower House of the Afghan Parliament due to differences between the MPs, failed to approve the Higher Education Law.
The Law contains seven chapters and 72 articles and was sent to the Lower House for approval.
The usage of the words: Pohanton and Dari Danishgah in article three of the Law caused some verbal and even physical confrontation between the MPs.
The Lower House discussed the Higher Education Law during which the MPs expressed their rejection over four provisions in the Law.
The first issue is- usage of the words Pohanton and Danishgah (University) in the Law. The second issue is regarding the procedure of ranking the university lecturers, which was mentioned just in Pashto.
The third issue of the Law is regarding the rules laid down for setting up a private university. It's mentioned that those who establish private universities, should have an Afghan citizenship and must be able to speak in one of the official languages. And regarding the forth issue, the Law states that university lecturers must be able to speak in two official languages. Among all the issues, the first one regarding the mentioning of the words Pohanton and Danishgah (University) received maximum objections from the MPs.
Aryan Yoon, MP said, "All those who don't accept only one word of Pohenton (university), how can we accept all Dari words then how can democracy be realised."
Qazi Rahila Saleemi, MP said, "The word of Danishgah (university) is a Dari word and not an Iranian word, we have lots of words like Zaishgah (Maternity), Tafrigah (Recreation) and ....These words are not Iranian.The MPs are reacting for no reason."
A number of MPs requested to resend the Law to the Commission for its consultation.
A number of Parliamentarians believe that the words Pohanton and Danishgah (university) should be removed from this Law because it may create an opportunity for the enemies of the country to misuse it and the students may also face numerous problems.
Proposed law to protect Afghan women faces backlash
The Washington Post By Pamela Constable May 25, 2013
A proposed law to protect Afghan women and girls from abuses such as child marriage, bride barter and spousal abuse has created a furor in the past week, exposing a generational and religious struggle that persists in this traditional Muslim society despite a decade of Western-backed democracy and a constitution that enshrines women’s rights.
The drama erupted when a female legislator brought the bill before parliament May 16 and a group of conservative male lawmakers vehemently objected, saying it was contrary to Islam and Afghan culture. The backlash grew this past week, with protests at Kabul University by students of Islamic law, and some women activists now say it was a fatal mistake to bring the sensitive issue to parliament’s attention.
Since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, Afghan women have made substantial gains in access to jobs, education and public life. But the position of girls and women in family life has remained weak and subservient, and they are vulnerable to abuse. Now, with NATO forces preparing to withdraw in 2014 and Taliban influence on the rise, there are growing concerns that the gains could be reversed.
The central figure in the controversy is Fawzia Koofi, 38, a firebrand legislator and women’s rights advocate with presidential ambitions. She says she believes that now more than ever, Afghan women need a permanent law spelling out their rights and banning practices that harm them. Currently, that guarantee exists only as a presidential decree that could be dropped after next year’s national elections.
“This is a fight between extremism and moderate Islam,” Koofi said in an interview. “It is easy to say that something is against Islam and get people upset, but there is no article in this law against Islam, and those who say so either have not read it or are just making propaganda.”
A widowed mother of two with a master’s degree in political science, Koofi has emerged in recent years as the face of female emancipation in a tribal, male-dominated society where wives and daughters are traditionally treated as property. She posts regularly on Facebook and Twitter and speaks perfect English. In February, she appeared on “The Daily Show” during a U.S. tour to promote her autobiography, a story of her climb from rural poverty to political prominence.
Leading the charge against her is an array of powerful men who come from another generation and espouse a different worldview. Many sport flowing beards and turbans, fought in the anti-Soviet jihad of the 1980s and see themselves as guardians of the nation’s religious and family values against a Western assault. Some are religious clerics who command wide public respect and influence. These men object to key provisions in the proposed law that would give women and girls more rights and protection from family customs and practices considered abusive in other parts of the world. In particular, they oppose raising the minimum marriage age for girls from 9 to 16, sending men to jail for beating their wives, and allowing women and girls to seek sanctuary from abusive family situations in government and private shelters.
“We are not against the law, but we oppose some points which are in contradiction with sharia and the constitution,” said Abdul Sattar Khawasi, a lawmaker from Parwan province.
A former militia commander with a thick black beard, Khawasi said he fears Western critics “want to promote atheism and anarchy in our country. We will not allow our system to be changed to a secular one.” Khawasi defended the practice that allows elders to draw up marriage contracts for young girls, saying they “know what is best” and do not send the girls to consummate the union until they reach puberty. He criticized women’s shelters, which many Afghans view as little more than brothels, saying that they “promote obscene acts” and that if a girl flees her home, “it disrupts the family and social structures.”
Rising violence
According to Afghan and international rights groups, violence against women has steadily increased in recent years, and so has the prosecution of girls and women for “moral crimes,” broadly defined as any form of sex outside marriage. Even in the case of rape, women are often charged with adultery. One contributing factor is the revived influence of the Taliban, with its harsh religious code and punishments for moral offenses.
In the past several years, a number of shocking cases drew attention to the persistence of domestic cruelty and honor crimes in Afghanistan despite years of international efforts to promote women’s rights and the 2009 decree by President Hamid Karzai. It banned and criminalized various forms of violence against women, leading to prosecutions against some abusers. In the most notorious incident, teenage bride Sahar Gul was locked in a basement, tortured and starved for months by in-laws who tried to force her into prostitution; they were eventually tried and sentenced to prison. Last November, a 14-year-old girl was seized and beheaded by two men after she refused a marriage proposal. In 2010, a couple accused of having an affair was stoned to death in public by the Taliban at their families’ request.
Human Rights Watch reportedlast week that the jailing of Afghan women and girls for moral crimes has soared, with 600 now behind bars. Heather Barr, the group’s Afghanistan researcher, wrote in an online essay that the plight of Afghan women is now viewed as a “lost cause” by many international groups and that they face a “darker future” after Western troops and aid projects pull out.
Future in jeopardy
Shukria Khaliqi, who runs two private shelters in Kabul, said her organization, Women for Afghan Women, has since 2007 helped more than 3,000 women and girls who suffered abuses ranging from forced marriages to rape by male relatives. She said it is crucial that such cases be prosecuted under a permanent law, noting that “if the government doesn’t punish the culprit, he will feel more free to punish his wife at home.”
Koofi said her goal in proposing the law was to make sure Karzai’s decree, the Elimination of Violence Against Women Act, doesn’t fade into oblivion after he steps down from office in 2014 amid an uncertain political and security situation. The proposed law is virtually identical to his 2009 decree.
But several other Afghan female activists and lawmakers expressed anger and concern over her high-profile action. Shinkai Karokhel, a legislator from Kabul province who was deeply involved in efforts to secure the decree and persuade the justice ministry to enforce it, said the growing backlash to Koofi’s attempt could jeopardize all their gains.
As it stands, the law has been blocked in parliament and seems likely to face even stiffer resistance if reintroduced.
“That decree was a huge achievement that took three years of work. What Miss Koofi has done was very unfortunate,” said Karokhel. “Now everyone is saying the law is against Islam, and my own constituents ask how I can support it. I don’t know if she did this for personal fame, but it could put women in danger instead of helping them.”
On the other hand, Koofi has found staunch allies among some liberal male members of parliament, including lawyers and religious scholars who argue that the real obstacle to women’s emancipation in Afghanistan is not Islam but male-dominated tribal traditions. One supporter is Ghulam Hussain Nasiri, a legislator from Wardak with several degrees in theology.
“As a man, an Afghan and a member of parliament, I say we must stand together and fight against traditional customs that do not conform with Islam,” Nasiri said. “When the Taliban banned women from education, work and other rights, they were vilifying Islam. If we want to progress as a Muslim society, we need to make sure women are free to play their full role in it.”
Afghan and NATO troops kill 28 Taliban militants in Ghazni
Khaama Press By Meena Haseeb 26 May 2013
According to local authorities in eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan Taliban militants suffered heavy casualties during joint military operations by Afghan and coalition security forces.
At least 28 militants were reportedly killed and 17 others were injured during the operations conducted in Gilan district on Saturday.
District governor for Gilan, Mahboobullah Sabawoon confirming the report said Taliban militants initially attacked Afghan national police forces.
Mr. Sabawoon further added Afghan and coalition security forces responded to Taliban militants fire and the area was cleared from the militants presence.
He said at least 28 militants were killed, 17 others were injured and some weapons along with motorcyles were seized during the operations.
According to Gilan district governor Mahboobullah Sabawoon, an Afghan national police officer was also killed during the clashes.
In the meantime Taliban militants deny the reports and said 12 Afghan local police officers were killed during the clashes however local officials deny Taliban group claims.
Pakistan, ISAF top officials discuss border coordination
ISLAMABAD, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Senior Pakistani and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) leaders on Saturday discussed coordination along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the military and ISAF said.
Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, the ISAF commander, met Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in the army's headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, an army statement said.
The statement did not give further details of the meeting, which was the second of the two army generals in less than two months.
ISAF also issued a statement which said that the two leaders met as part of the continuing effort to strengthen cooperation and regional stability.
This was Dunford's second visit to Pakistan as the commander of ISAF. During the session on Saturday, the two leaders discussed a variety of issues related to strengthening cooperation and pressuring militants who threaten security along the Pakistan- Afghanistan border.
"Today's meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue to address security challenges of mutual concern. Communication and cooperation between ISAF, Pakistan, and Afghanistan is critical for regional stability," Dunford said.
Dunford also congratulated Kayani and the Pakistani security forces for their contributions to successful completion of national elections on May 11.
The meeting took place amid tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the alleged construction of check posts by Pakistan on the Afghan side of the border.
Denying Afghanistan's claim, Pakistan insisted that their forces have renovated its old post on own side.
The tensions caused clashes in recent weeks, which killed an Afghan soldier and injured several Pakistani border soldiers.
Hamid Rahimi defends WBU title by defeating Russian boxer
By MIRWAIS ADEEL - 26 May 2013, 11:13 am Khaama Press
Afghan boxing legend Hamid Rahimi once again defended his WBU Intercontinental middleweight belt after defeating Russian boxer in Hamburg Germany on Saturday night.
Rahimi stepped into the ring to defend his title and defeated his rival in the sixth round of the championship.
He defeated Tanzanian boxer Said Mbelwa during the first professional boxing match in Afghanistan in 30 October last year, to defend the World Boxing Organisation Intercontinental middleweight belt.
Hamid Rahimi was born on 12th September 1983 in Afghanistan (Kabul). In 1992, he fled the civil war and came to Germany (Hamburg) with his parents and three siblings. A crucial experience from his childhood marked the beginning of his boxing career.
On 10.11.2006 Hamid Rahimi entered the ring for the first time under the name of “The Dragon” – his successful professional debut. Hamid Rahimi’s sporting career shows a shining track record as an unbeaten professional boxer.
Rahimi has won 20 of his 21 fights. He has been followed by hundreds of fans to each interview and public appearance he has made in the week leading up to this match.
Based on World Boxing Union rules and regulations, Hamid Rahimi stepped in to the ring with the Russian boxer to defend his title within a six month period of winning the title or the WBU.
International Center for Afghan Women's Economic Development Opened In Kabul
TOLOnews.com By Haseeb Maudoodi Saturday, 25 May 2013
Afghan women now have a place to network with business contacts, accelerate their business development, learn finance and contribute to the growing Afghan economy at the International Center for Afghan Women's Economic Development (ICAWED) on the campus of the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), which was inaugurated on Saturday.
U.S. Ambassador Tina Kaidanow was joined by University, ICAWED officials as well as Afghan business women, students and faculty to officially dedicate the facility with a ribbon-cutting. Among those in attendance were AUAF President, Dr. C. Michael Smith and Ms. Nilofar Sakhi, Director of ICAWED.
ICAWED, funded by the US, will serve as a hub for Afghan businesswomen, female entrepreneurs, and associations to coordinate and build strong networks.
Addressing the audience at the ceremony, Ambassador Kaidanow said, "The women meeting within the walls of this Center will build ideas and solutions for the future of Afghanistan's business development. The Center will serve as a training ground for female entrepreneurs and a hub for Afghan businesswomen to network with each other, which – as we know from our experience in the US and elsewhere – is an essential element for their empowerment and success."
The Center will contribute to the growth of women-run businesses and will allow young, women-owned and oriented companies to create jobs and contribute to Afghanistan's economy. In addition, the Center will provide programs to train and educate women business leaders and entrepreneurs. The empowerment of women is an important component of the economic and social success of a nation, including improved security and effective governance. It is a simple fact that no country can prosper if half of its citizens are left behind.
Pledging continued support for Afghan women, Ambassador Kaidanow told the audience, "I am proud to represent the people of the US in saying that we will remain steadfast in our support of Afghan women for many years to come. Afghanistan's future will depend on whether women are able to live up to their full potential in every sector of Afghan society."
Imports Decrease in Hairatan Port by 46 Percent
TOLOnews.com By Shahla Murtazaie 25 May 2013
Hairatan harbor officials on Saturday said that the harbor shows a decrease in the imports by 46 percent in the month of March this year compared to last year. But the exports from this port at showed an increase of 67 percent.
Head of Hairatan Harbor Services Office, Mohammad Yaqub Zazai said that in March this year, imports form Hairatan harbor went beyond 73,000 tonnes.
According to the Head of Hairatan Harbor Services Office, disappearance of commercial goods at the border and the increase of fare on imported goods are the reasons that have caused a reduction in the imports.
"A number of our merchant's goods are missing across the border and regarding this we have official documents," Mohammad Yaqub Zazai told TOLOnews.
On the other hand, Hairatan Harbor officials said that this year export rate of the country from this port has increased.
Meanwhile, one of the raisins exporters has the requested the Government for tariff exemptions in customs so that the exports are increased.
"Every country's Government gives tariff and customs exemptions for its country's exports; but here in Afghanistan we don't have any such law," Ahmad, a trader told TOLOnews.
www.afghanistannewscenter.com
By Sarwar Amani and Ismail Sameen
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai's older brother Qayum will run in next year's presidential election, their younger brother said, as the country's most powerful family seeks to maintain a political hold in Afghanistan.
President Karzai is constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term when the country votes for a new head of state on April 5.
"Qayum will announce his candidacy soon and will represent our political movement ... the party will run his election campaign," Mahmoud Karzai told Reuters in an interview at his home in the southern city of Kandahar.
Qayum Karzai will have the backing of De Woles De Mulatar Baheer, or the Movement for the Support of the People, which is dominated by the country's powerful Pashtun ethnic group. The group has no affiliation with the incumbent president.
Neither Qayum nor Hamid Karzai's office could be reached for comment.
Kabul-based political analysts said, however, that the president would likely support his bid, as it would guarantee he would not be investigated for mismanagement or corruption during his time as leader.
"President Karzai wants someone to succeed him who should not review his performance (while in power) and there is no doubt he will support his brother Qayum," said independent analyst Ahmad Sayeedi.
But some analysts say that Qayum's decision to run without his powerful brother's backing could indicate a family rift. Across his two terms as president he has had a rocky relationship with many of his close family members.
CORRUPTION TOP PRIORITY
Last week, Mahmoud told a gathering in the family's birthplace, Kandahar, that if Qayum was elected a top priority would be ending the widespread corruption.
"If Qayum comes to power we will take the corruption issue very seriously; it has defamed us to the whole world," he told the crowd.
After more than a decade of war and billions of dollars in aid, corruption in Afghanistan is rampant.
In January a report by the U.N.'s Office on Drugs and Crime said corruption was costing Afghanistan $2.5 billion a year, equivalent to about a quarter of the country's gross domestic product.
Afghanistan relies on foreign aid for the bulk of its spending, but many international donors say they are reluctant to channel aid through Afghanistan because they fear it will be stolen by corrupt politicians and officials.
Mahmoud Karzai, who reportedly dropped his U.S. citizenship early this year in order to pursue an Afghan political career, was a key shareholder in Kabul Bank during the period marked by a $900 million fraud case.
That case saw the bank collapse in 2010, though Mahmoud was spared a jail sentence following a presidential decree that granted immunity to those who repaid funds. Mahmoud denied any wrongdoing and said he repaid $22 million.
The credibility of next year's vote will be vital to the security and stability of the country, with NATO withdrawing most of its combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
(Additional reporting and writing by Hamid Shalizi, Editing by Dylan Welch and Jeremy Laurence)
Afghanistan Begins Registration For 2014 Elections
By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan May 26, 2013
KABUL -- Afghanistan has started registering new voters for its presidential and provincial council elections due on April 5, 2014.
Fazel Ahmad Manawi, head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), told reporters at a registration center in Kabul that “today we are happy to have launched the voter registration process."
He also said the registrars would only go to areas where security was sufficient for them to work.
"We will go to places where the police provides security for our teams," he said. "[Voter registration teams] won’t go to places where security forces fall short of providing adequate security and the security forces are to be held accountable. It is our responsibility to send our workers, technical support, and facilitate, but we will only follow the police force and go where they take us. In case [the police] fail to go to a particular area, they will be responsible to the people of that area.”
The registration process began on May 26 in 41 centers in all 34 provinces for those who have turned 18, have previously not registered, or have lost their voter cards.
In the months-long process, 4 million names are expected to be added to the electoral roll, which currently contains 16 million voters.
The election next year coincides with the withdrawal of the 100,000 NATO combat troops as Afghan security forces take charge of the battle against the Taliban.
The presidential race will not include incumbent Hamid Karzai, who is barred after serving two terms in office.
There are no declared candidates yet for the presidency.
Speculation about potential candidates ranges from Karzai's brother Qayum Karzai, to former U.S. ambassador to Kabul Zalmay Khalilzad, to Mohammed Atta Noor, who is now governor of Balkh Province.
With reporting by AFP
Will the Taliban ever sever its ties to al-Qaeda? Here's why the omens aren't good
By Rob Crilly May 26th, 2013 The Telegraph (UK)
From its very earliest days fighting the Afghan government in the mid 1970s, the militia led by Jalaluddin Haqqani has been used as a proxy by Pakistan. Today it is known as the Haqqani network, allied to the Taliban and considered the most deadly threat to international forces in Afghanistan. It is behind many of the most spectacular attacks in the capital Kabul.
Yet Islamabad has so far failed to move against the outfit, which is based around Miranshah in North Waziristan. It continues to see the Haqqani network as “good Taliban”, a useful conduit to other militant groups such as the Pakistan Taliban and a hedge against Indian interests in Afghanistan.
For Pakistan, staying in with the Haqqanis allows access to the nexus of terrorist and militant groups that has coalesced around them and an opportunity to try to redirect them against Islamabad's foes. And the costs have been manageable. The Haqqani network may have sheltered al-Qaeda figures – based on personal ties or short-term financial considerations – but at most its war aims have been to reclaim its old territory of Loya Paktia, those south-eastern provinces along the border with Pakistan where it mainly operates.
That at least is the accepted wisdom.
A compelling new book by Vahid Brown and Don Rassler, Fountainhead of Jihad: The Haqqani Nexus, 1973-2012 published by Hurst, suggests we will have to rethink our understanding of the Haqqani network, its motivation and its worldview at a crucial time, just as international forces withdraw and pressure for peace talks intensifies.
Drawing on primary sources, such as Manba’ al-Jihad (from which the book takes its title) the Haqqani network's own magazine, the authors conclude that the Haqqanis are much more than mere hosts to al-Qaeda: the two are intimately entwined having co-evolved during the past three decades and with Jalaluddin Haqqani himself emerging as one of the key drivers behind the development of al-Qaeda's global war.
Jalaluddin was the first to declare the Jihad against the Soviets as a duty for Muslims around the world and the first to recruit Arabs. Osama bin Laden built the first of his camps inside Haqqani territory and staffed it with Haqqani veterans.
In placing the Haqqani network not so much at the centre of the extremist nexus but at its origin, this book makes an important contribution to our understanding of Afghan and Pakistani militant groups. And it has obvious implications for the terms of any eventual peace settlement, which could well see the Haqqanis taking control of its south-eastern heartland.
It is weaker in discussing the extent to which Pakistan and its ISI spy agency continue to run the Haqqanis, relying on historical accounts dating back to the anti-Soviet Jihad brought up to date with weakly sourced American allegations. To be fair, no one else has much of an insight into Pakistan's current attitude towards its long-standing allies.
But it sets out clearly what should be a key question facing Western officials scrabbling for a face-saving peace deal: Can the Taliban of Mullah Omar sever its ties to al-Qaeda – a red line in any negotiation – when it is clear that the Haqqanis remain so close to bin Laden's terrorist outfit?
Technically the Haqqanis have sworn loyalty to Mullah Omar and say they will stand by his decision but this book makes clear that it might not be as simple as that, and to give up al-Qaeda would change the trajectory of decades of history.
“Ideological sympathy and shared support for the broader goals that al-Qaeda represents – surely held by at least some within the group – would be one important reason for not doing so, as would a desire to seek revenge for the losses that both groups have suffered over the last ten years,” it concludes.
It is difficult to conclude anything other than that prospects for peace remain dim.
Aid group describes siege of Afghan compound
By KAY JOHNSON | Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Ten terrified international aid workers huddled inside a fortified room in Kabul for two hours as a Taliban attack raged around them until they were rescued by Afghan police, the aid group's country chief said Sunday.
Richard Danziger, chief of mission for the International Organization for Migration, praised the police for fighting their way into the compound to free the workers during the Taliban assault that for eight hours on Friday turned one of the capital's most upscale neighborhoods into a battleground.
"Both the police and our ... guards, they held their ground and fought for two hours until they found a time when they could grab our staff and take them out of the compound," he said at a news conference along with his deputy, Enira Krdzalic, who herself survived the siege.
Three Afghans, a police officer and two civilians, died in the heavy fighting that kicked off with a suicide bomb, the Ministry of Interior's spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.
Details of the chaotic siege were still emerging two days later. Danziger said earlier police reports that one of the group's armed Nepalese guards died was not true, though five of the guards were wounded along with four IOM staff, including one Italian woman badly burned by a grenade. All of the attackers were killed.
Danziger said the attack was clearly planned to target the international staff and the gunmen appeared to know the layout of at least part of the compound.
Danziger, who was out of Afghanistan during Friday's siege, said he was "mystified" as to why IOM was targeted. Insurgent assaults on aid groups are relatively rare, though attacks have hit guest houses used by the U.N. in the past. The IOM is a U.N.-affiliated agency assisting returning Afghan migrants as well as those displaced internally.
A Taliban spokesman on Friday said the insurgents had launched an attack on a group of CIA trainers for the Afghan security forces, but Danziger stressed that the group has no affiliation with the American spy agency
When the Taliban car bomb slammed into the IOM's southeastern gate just after 4 p.m. on Friday, only about 12 international staff who live in the compound and another dozen Afghan employees were inside along with the Nepalese guards, said Danziger.
Most of the Afghan staff escaped from the main gate and took three international workers with them. Nine other staff, including Krdzalic, fled to a fortified "strong room" along with one foreigner working for the International Labor Organization who also lived in the guest house.
"They were basically in direct line of attack," said Danziger. He said the Taliban attackers were armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers that they fired from the building and, later, from upper floors of nearby offices they took over.
"You can imagine it was a very confusing situation inside the strong room. Not to mention we had this one (wounded) colleague of ours who they were desperately trying to keep out of going into shock," he said.
Interior Ministry Blames Networks Within Pakistan For Kabul Blasts
TOLOnews.com By Anisa Shahid 25 May 2013
The Interior Ministry attributes Friday's attack in Kabul to certain terrorist networks which have the support from circles inside Pakistan.
The Ministry said that the attack in Shahrara area of Kabul city killed two civilians and one police personnel.13 others including three employees of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and one employee of International Labour Organisation (ILO) were injured in the gun-fire. Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Ban Ki- Moon, Secretary General of United Nations and the US embassy officials in Kabul strongly condemned the attacks on IOM and ILO offices and stressed that violence in Afghanistan should be dealt with at the earliest.
A suicide bomber driving a vehicle loaded with explosives blew himself up. Immediately after the explosion four extremists entered into the logistics office and open-fired on the IOM guards.
Kabul Police said that investigation is going on to find how the attackers managed to enter the guest house.
General Zahir Zahir, Head of Kabul Police's Criminal Investigation Department said, "We have started our investigations to find how they reached there, who probably helped them, from where they received the ammunition and how they hid the ammunition?"
One of the residents of the blast site said, "There were five people and all of them were injured. The situation of three of them is critical."
The gun-fire started at 4:00 pm on Friday and ended at midnight.
On the other hand, the Interior Ministry said that so far the identities of the attackers aren't known but the attack was planned in Pakistan.
Sediq Sediqi, Spokesperson of the Interior Ministry said, "They may have set up a strong network inside the cities and provinces of Afghanistan which provides them shelter. It's high time that these hide-outs and shelters must be found out."
Former Head of National Directorate of Security, Amrullah Saleh emphasized on mobilization of the Afghan security forces by the President to put an end to such attacks.
Amrullah Saleh said, "Our responsibility is to mobilise the military against Pakistan, we should fight back against the massacres."
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Leader of National Front said, "Afghanistan's enemies were trying to disrupt peace and lower the confidence of the security forces but our forces acted bravely, otherwise, there would have been more casualties."
The incident happened two weeks after Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e- Islami attacked a foreign convoy in the Shah Shaheed area of Kabul city.
15 Taliban killed in clash in western Afghan town
FARAH, Afghanistan, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen Taliban militants were killed as clash erupted in Purchaman district of Farah province 695 km west of Kabul on Sunday, a local official said. "A group of Taliban insurgents were preparing to storm the headquarters of Purchaman district this morning but the police force acting upon intelligence report launched pre-emptive attack killing 15 rebels on the spot," spokesman for provincial administration Abdul Rahman Zhawandon told Xinhua.
There were no casualties on the police side, he said.
Taliban militants have stepped up activities, mostly in the form of suicide and roadside bombings since launching their so- called spring offensive in April 28 this year.
In Afghan Transition, U.S. Forces Take a Step Back
The New York Times By Azam Ahmed May 25, 2013
Chamkani, Afghanistan - The American soldiers were climbing the steep ridgeline, fractured shale cracking underfoot and sweat pouring off their faces, when their Afghan allies up ahead took off without warning. They scanned the mountainside below for movement before spotting one of the Afghan policemen heading straight down into the valley below. Exhausted from the uphill hike, the Afghans had evidently decided to try a shortcut. The Americans reluctantly followed.
“You can’t fight it,” said the American company commander, Capt. Scott Harra, stepping through a narrow creek bed flanked by stone walls. The joint team had hours of hiking still ahead before reaching the villages they were supposed to search, but now the sudden detour had left them vulnerable to ambush, the high ground abandoned. “Look at what we’re doing here. We’re basically just following them.”
After more than a decade at war in Afghanistan, the Americans are moving fully into a support role this year: shifting to “Afghan lead” in security operations a year before the official end of the international military mission here. An intensive effort to train the Afghan security forces — soldiers, policemen, intelligence officers — to be self-sufficient has become a focus for the remaining American units like the Third Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division.
A week in April spent with the brigade, accompanying Afghan forces in the eastern provinces of Khost and Paktia along the Pakistani border, offered a direct look at the evolving training mission, for better or for worse.
The brigade, known as the Rakkasans, has again and again been at the vanguard of the American war effort in some of the toughest parts of Afghanistan and Iraq over the years, and some of its soldiers and officers have had as many as six combat tours. Most returned home this month to their base at Fort Campbell, Ky. But on this last deployment, they were ordered to ride along while the Afghan forces drive and try to find their own way to take on security responsibilities that will allow a final American withdrawal from the war.
“With regards to our brigade, that’s how this war is going to end,” said Col. R. J. Lillibridge, the Third Brigade’s commander, who has deployed five times since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. “It’s not going to be some huge battle. It’s going to end quietly.”
Colonel Lillibridge has adopted a mantra. He uses it to explain why he no longer gives helicopter rides to Afghan officers when they go on leave, why he refuses to give his counterparts fuel when they run out, and why he stands by as their leaders plan and lead missions that appear, at least on the surface, somewhat dubious. “We can’t care more than the Afghans do,” he said.
That philosophy was on display the morning the Americans accompanied the Afghans to search two villages in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan.
The troops began their steep climb at dawn, more than 40 American soldiers trudging behind roughly a dozen Afghan policemen. After two hours, the men had scaled 2,000 feet. The collective gasps of soldiers carting body armor, weapons and ammunition meshed with the crunch of the rocky soil below their feet.
By the time the Afghan forces had abandoned the ridgeline, the trek was less than a third of the way finished, setting a tone for the rest of the mission, in which almost nothing went according to plan. The soldiers navigated the narrow valley for nearly an hour, slipping along the stone as a crystal stream gushed by. The men scanned the tree line above for snipers as a pair of Apache attack helicopters hovered overhead.
The valley fed into a gravel path leading to the village they were meant to search. The Americans suggested resuming the mission, but the Afghans had another idea: they wanted to clear a different compound, where they believed insurgents might be storing weapons.
A short walk later, the men arrived at a barren hill leading up to a sun-bleached rock spur. Four Afghan policemen began scaling the loose earth, the Americans, again, reluctantly following.
After a halting half-hour hike to the top, the prize was an abandoned donkey stable — no contraband to be found.
Later, back at the base of the hill, an American platoon leader, First Lt. Benjamin Johnson, politely debriefed the Afghan police forces who had led the way that day.
“What do you think we could have done better?” he asked the men, who stood near their trucks, taking bites from slabs of cake and bread.
“Next time, I think we should put in less effort and get more out of it,” one policeman responded.
In this phase of the war’s scheduled end, the younger soldiers in this storied American combat unit are especially struggling with their relegation to a support role. Some felt they had missed the war and were consigned to cleanup duty in the aftermath of the most active era for the United States military in decades. “I tell these guys they were just born a decade too late,” said Maj. Tyler Anderson, a battalion executive officer for the Rakkasans who has served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Our role in this country has evolved. We have to be close enough to give them confidence, then wean them off the support.”
Major Anderson paused for a moment: “That all sounds great and wonderful. But will it work out that way? I hope.”
On the ground, the way it works varies from district to district. Some units are capable of taking the fight to the Taliban on their own. In others, it is hard to imagine the Afghans conducting missions without Americans by their side.
“The collection of Afghan National Security Forces is kind of like the bar scene from ‘Star Wars’ — you never know who’s going to come out,” Colonel Lillibridge said. “Still, with every fighting season and with every operation, they get a little better.”
One of the brigade’s other companies had a similarly distracted day on patrol with the Afghan forces.
The American soldiers left before daybreak. The cold night air lingered over the men as they concluded a final mission briefing. When they arrived at the Afghan base, in the Syed Khurram district of Paktia Province, they found the soldiers and policemen sipping chai, spread out across the compound, a series of modular buildings clustered on a barren patch of sloped land.
The planned departure time came and went, as the predawn haze cleared to show gray sky.
“The hardest part is letting go,” Capt. Jeff Scott, the American company commander, said with a chunk of tobacco tucked in his lower lip. “This is the mission. We leave when they’re ready.”
The Americans joined up with an Afghan intelligence officer near the village of Barah Sejenak, a collection of mud homes surrounded by fields of grass and stone. They searched caves for weapons caches but found nothing except litter here and there.
Returning to meet the Afghan forces an hour later, they discovered the commander, Col. Mohammad Zazai, asleep in his truck midmission. Nearby, an Afghan soldier straddled a creek, washing his hair, sending a trail of shampoo suds down the meandering stream.
“This is as good as it gets right now,” said First Sgt. Joshua Hunt, on his third deployment to Afghanistan since 2002. “It’s progress. You should have seen what it was like when we got here.”
Heavy clashes reported in Ghazni city of Afghanistan
By SAYED JAWAD - 26 May 2013, 9:53 pm Khaama Press
Heavy clashes have been reported in eastern Ghazni city after several Taliban militants carried out attack on a number of security check posts on Sunday evening.
Deputy provincial governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi confirming the report said heavy clashes are going on in Khosh, Khak-e-Gharibha and Sanjak areas of Ghazni city.
According to reports heavy and light weapons are used during the clashes between Taliban militants and Afghan security forces and there are fears that clashes could harm local residents.
There are no reports regarding the casualties as a result of the clashes so far.
Afghanistan rebut Pakistan concerns on Karzai’s visit to India
By MIRWAIS ADEEL - 26 May 2013, 4:16 pm Khaama Press
The government of Afghanistan on Sunday ruled out Islamabad’s concerns regarding the recent visit of president Hamid Karzai’s visit to India which focused on New Delhi’s enhanced military cooperation to Afghan security forces.
Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai on Sunday told reporters that bilateral cooperations between Kabul and New Delhi will not risk the stability of the region but it is the militants sanctuaries which can harm the security of the region.
He said, “The friendship of Afghanistan and India and equipment of Afghan seurity forces does not pose any threat to the stability of the region however presence of terrorist sanctuaries on the other side of Durand Line and use of terrorism as a political tool endangers the region. Pakistan should
eliminate terrorist safe havens in its soil if Islamabad is keen on stability of the region.”
Afghan foreign ministry also issued a statement in response to deputy foreign minister of Pakistan’s statement.
Ershad Ahmadi, deputy foreign minister on political affairs quoted in the statement said Pakistan should have a civilized relation with its neighbors and must have a transparent solution towards bilateral issues.
The remarks by deputy foreign minister of Pakistan, Jalil Abbas was followed after Afghan president Hamid Karzai visited India and urged for New Delhi’s enhanced military cooperation to Afghanistan.
Deputy foreign minister of Pakistan also said that Afghanistan should consider the stability and security of the region in its policies.
Kabul University Students On Hunger Strike For The Sixth Day
TOLOnews.com By Rafi Sediqi 25 May 2013
A large number of Kabul University students are on a hunger strike for the sixth consecutive day in front of the Parliament building.
The students belong to the Social Science Faculty of Kabul University and are protesting against discrimination meted out by the officials of the faculty.
Dismissal of the Dean of the faculty and bringing reforms are some of their demands.
The students say that they will continue the hunger strike till their demands are accepted.
"Our hunger strike has entered into the sixth day and our aim is to bring reforms in the Social Science Faculty of Kabul University.
Eradicating racial discrimination, dismissal of the Dean and a lecturer of the faculty are our demands. These demands haven't been accepted till now," Zahra Naderi, a student said.
"We will continue our protests till our demands are accepted," Abdul Rahman, University student said.
It is said that many of the protestors were rushed to hospitals due to their deteriorating health vitals.
Meanwhile, some of the MPs said that the students' issue should be quickly solved.
"Some of their problems have been solved. Competitive evaluation of exam papers, getting a fourth chance in exam were some of the problems which stay solved. But dismissal of the Faculty Dean is not our competence," Head of Committee on Culture in Parliament, Hila Arshad said.
"The only way is to temporarily dismiss the Dean of the Faculty. After investigations if the accusations turn out to be true, the Dean will be dismissed permanently. Otherwise, the Dean stays," Member of Parliament, Shah Abdul Ahad Afzali said.
The students said that the hunger strike should be called a civil move for improving the life in University and it should not be termed as a political or racial move.
Lower House Rejects The New Higher Education Law
TOLOnews.com By Rafi Sediqi 25 May 2013
The Lower House of the Afghan Parliament due to differences between the MPs, failed to approve the Higher Education Law.
The Law contains seven chapters and 72 articles and was sent to the Lower House for approval.
The usage of the words: Pohanton and Dari Danishgah in article three of the Law caused some verbal and even physical confrontation between the MPs.
The Lower House discussed the Higher Education Law during which the MPs expressed their rejection over four provisions in the Law.
The first issue is- usage of the words Pohanton and Danishgah (University) in the Law. The second issue is regarding the procedure of ranking the university lecturers, which was mentioned just in Pashto.
The third issue of the Law is regarding the rules laid down for setting up a private university. It's mentioned that those who establish private universities, should have an Afghan citizenship and must be able to speak in one of the official languages. And regarding the forth issue, the Law states that university lecturers must be able to speak in two official languages. Among all the issues, the first one regarding the mentioning of the words Pohanton and Danishgah (University) received maximum objections from the MPs.
Aryan Yoon, MP said, "All those who don't accept only one word of Pohenton (university), how can we accept all Dari words then how can democracy be realised."
Qazi Rahila Saleemi, MP said, "The word of Danishgah (university) is a Dari word and not an Iranian word, we have lots of words like Zaishgah (Maternity), Tafrigah (Recreation) and ....These words are not Iranian.The MPs are reacting for no reason."
A number of MPs requested to resend the Law to the Commission for its consultation.
A number of Parliamentarians believe that the words Pohanton and Danishgah (university) should be removed from this Law because it may create an opportunity for the enemies of the country to misuse it and the students may also face numerous problems.
Proposed law to protect Afghan women faces backlash
The Washington Post By Pamela Constable May 25, 2013
A proposed law to protect Afghan women and girls from abuses such as child marriage, bride barter and spousal abuse has created a furor in the past week, exposing a generational and religious struggle that persists in this traditional Muslim society despite a decade of Western-backed democracy and a constitution that enshrines women’s rights.
The drama erupted when a female legislator brought the bill before parliament May 16 and a group of conservative male lawmakers vehemently objected, saying it was contrary to Islam and Afghan culture. The backlash grew this past week, with protests at Kabul University by students of Islamic law, and some women activists now say it was a fatal mistake to bring the sensitive issue to parliament’s attention.
Since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, Afghan women have made substantial gains in access to jobs, education and public life. But the position of girls and women in family life has remained weak and subservient, and they are vulnerable to abuse. Now, with NATO forces preparing to withdraw in 2014 and Taliban influence on the rise, there are growing concerns that the gains could be reversed.
The central figure in the controversy is Fawzia Koofi, 38, a firebrand legislator and women’s rights advocate with presidential ambitions. She says she believes that now more than ever, Afghan women need a permanent law spelling out their rights and banning practices that harm them. Currently, that guarantee exists only as a presidential decree that could be dropped after next year’s national elections.
“This is a fight between extremism and moderate Islam,” Koofi said in an interview. “It is easy to say that something is against Islam and get people upset, but there is no article in this law against Islam, and those who say so either have not read it or are just making propaganda.”
A widowed mother of two with a master’s degree in political science, Koofi has emerged in recent years as the face of female emancipation in a tribal, male-dominated society where wives and daughters are traditionally treated as property. She posts regularly on Facebook and Twitter and speaks perfect English. In February, she appeared on “The Daily Show” during a U.S. tour to promote her autobiography, a story of her climb from rural poverty to political prominence.
Leading the charge against her is an array of powerful men who come from another generation and espouse a different worldview. Many sport flowing beards and turbans, fought in the anti-Soviet jihad of the 1980s and see themselves as guardians of the nation’s religious and family values against a Western assault. Some are religious clerics who command wide public respect and influence. These men object to key provisions in the proposed law that would give women and girls more rights and protection from family customs and practices considered abusive in other parts of the world. In particular, they oppose raising the minimum marriage age for girls from 9 to 16, sending men to jail for beating their wives, and allowing women and girls to seek sanctuary from abusive family situations in government and private shelters.
“We are not against the law, but we oppose some points which are in contradiction with sharia and the constitution,” said Abdul Sattar Khawasi, a lawmaker from Parwan province.
A former militia commander with a thick black beard, Khawasi said he fears Western critics “want to promote atheism and anarchy in our country. We will not allow our system to be changed to a secular one.” Khawasi defended the practice that allows elders to draw up marriage contracts for young girls, saying they “know what is best” and do not send the girls to consummate the union until they reach puberty. He criticized women’s shelters, which many Afghans view as little more than brothels, saying that they “promote obscene acts” and that if a girl flees her home, “it disrupts the family and social structures.”
Rising violence
According to Afghan and international rights groups, violence against women has steadily increased in recent years, and so has the prosecution of girls and women for “moral crimes,” broadly defined as any form of sex outside marriage. Even in the case of rape, women are often charged with adultery. One contributing factor is the revived influence of the Taliban, with its harsh religious code and punishments for moral offenses.
In the past several years, a number of shocking cases drew attention to the persistence of domestic cruelty and honor crimes in Afghanistan despite years of international efforts to promote women’s rights and the 2009 decree by President Hamid Karzai. It banned and criminalized various forms of violence against women, leading to prosecutions against some abusers. In the most notorious incident, teenage bride Sahar Gul was locked in a basement, tortured and starved for months by in-laws who tried to force her into prostitution; they were eventually tried and sentenced to prison. Last November, a 14-year-old girl was seized and beheaded by two men after she refused a marriage proposal. In 2010, a couple accused of having an affair was stoned to death in public by the Taliban at their families’ request.
Human Rights Watch reportedlast week that the jailing of Afghan women and girls for moral crimes has soared, with 600 now behind bars. Heather Barr, the group’s Afghanistan researcher, wrote in an online essay that the plight of Afghan women is now viewed as a “lost cause” by many international groups and that they face a “darker future” after Western troops and aid projects pull out.
Future in jeopardy
Shukria Khaliqi, who runs two private shelters in Kabul, said her organization, Women for Afghan Women, has since 2007 helped more than 3,000 women and girls who suffered abuses ranging from forced marriages to rape by male relatives. She said it is crucial that such cases be prosecuted under a permanent law, noting that “if the government doesn’t punish the culprit, he will feel more free to punish his wife at home.”
Koofi said her goal in proposing the law was to make sure Karzai’s decree, the Elimination of Violence Against Women Act, doesn’t fade into oblivion after he steps down from office in 2014 amid an uncertain political and security situation. The proposed law is virtually identical to his 2009 decree.
But several other Afghan female activists and lawmakers expressed anger and concern over her high-profile action. Shinkai Karokhel, a legislator from Kabul province who was deeply involved in efforts to secure the decree and persuade the justice ministry to enforce it, said the growing backlash to Koofi’s attempt could jeopardize all their gains.
As it stands, the law has been blocked in parliament and seems likely to face even stiffer resistance if reintroduced.
“That decree was a huge achievement that took three years of work. What Miss Koofi has done was very unfortunate,” said Karokhel. “Now everyone is saying the law is against Islam, and my own constituents ask how I can support it. I don’t know if she did this for personal fame, but it could put women in danger instead of helping them.”
On the other hand, Koofi has found staunch allies among some liberal male members of parliament, including lawyers and religious scholars who argue that the real obstacle to women’s emancipation in Afghanistan is not Islam but male-dominated tribal traditions. One supporter is Ghulam Hussain Nasiri, a legislator from Wardak with several degrees in theology.
“As a man, an Afghan and a member of parliament, I say we must stand together and fight against traditional customs that do not conform with Islam,” Nasiri said. “When the Taliban banned women from education, work and other rights, they were vilifying Islam. If we want to progress as a Muslim society, we need to make sure women are free to play their full role in it.”
Afghan and NATO troops kill 28 Taliban militants in Ghazni
Khaama Press By Meena Haseeb 26 May 2013
According to local authorities in eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan Taliban militants suffered heavy casualties during joint military operations by Afghan and coalition security forces.
At least 28 militants were reportedly killed and 17 others were injured during the operations conducted in Gilan district on Saturday.
District governor for Gilan, Mahboobullah Sabawoon confirming the report said Taliban militants initially attacked Afghan national police forces.
Mr. Sabawoon further added Afghan and coalition security forces responded to Taliban militants fire and the area was cleared from the militants presence.
He said at least 28 militants were killed, 17 others were injured and some weapons along with motorcyles were seized during the operations.
According to Gilan district governor Mahboobullah Sabawoon, an Afghan national police officer was also killed during the clashes.
In the meantime Taliban militants deny the reports and said 12 Afghan local police officers were killed during the clashes however local officials deny Taliban group claims.
Pakistan, ISAF top officials discuss border coordination
ISLAMABAD, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Senior Pakistani and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) leaders on Saturday discussed coordination along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the military and ISAF said.
Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, the ISAF commander, met Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in the army's headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, an army statement said.
The statement did not give further details of the meeting, which was the second of the two army generals in less than two months.
ISAF also issued a statement which said that the two leaders met as part of the continuing effort to strengthen cooperation and regional stability.
This was Dunford's second visit to Pakistan as the commander of ISAF. During the session on Saturday, the two leaders discussed a variety of issues related to strengthening cooperation and pressuring militants who threaten security along the Pakistan- Afghanistan border.
"Today's meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue to address security challenges of mutual concern. Communication and cooperation between ISAF, Pakistan, and Afghanistan is critical for regional stability," Dunford said.
Dunford also congratulated Kayani and the Pakistani security forces for their contributions to successful completion of national elections on May 11.
The meeting took place amid tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the alleged construction of check posts by Pakistan on the Afghan side of the border.
Denying Afghanistan's claim, Pakistan insisted that their forces have renovated its old post on own side.
The tensions caused clashes in recent weeks, which killed an Afghan soldier and injured several Pakistani border soldiers.
Hamid Rahimi defends WBU title by defeating Russian boxer
By MIRWAIS ADEEL - 26 May 2013, 11:13 am Khaama Press
Afghan boxing legend Hamid Rahimi once again defended his WBU Intercontinental middleweight belt after defeating Russian boxer in Hamburg Germany on Saturday night.
Rahimi stepped into the ring to defend his title and defeated his rival in the sixth round of the championship.
He defeated Tanzanian boxer Said Mbelwa during the first professional boxing match in Afghanistan in 30 October last year, to defend the World Boxing Organisation Intercontinental middleweight belt.
Hamid Rahimi was born on 12th September 1983 in Afghanistan (Kabul). In 1992, he fled the civil war and came to Germany (Hamburg) with his parents and three siblings. A crucial experience from his childhood marked the beginning of his boxing career.
On 10.11.2006 Hamid Rahimi entered the ring for the first time under the name of “The Dragon” – his successful professional debut. Hamid Rahimi’s sporting career shows a shining track record as an unbeaten professional boxer.
Rahimi has won 20 of his 21 fights. He has been followed by hundreds of fans to each interview and public appearance he has made in the week leading up to this match.
Based on World Boxing Union rules and regulations, Hamid Rahimi stepped in to the ring with the Russian boxer to defend his title within a six month period of winning the title or the WBU.
International Center for Afghan Women's Economic Development Opened In Kabul
TOLOnews.com By Haseeb Maudoodi Saturday, 25 May 2013
Afghan women now have a place to network with business contacts, accelerate their business development, learn finance and contribute to the growing Afghan economy at the International Center for Afghan Women's Economic Development (ICAWED) on the campus of the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), which was inaugurated on Saturday.
U.S. Ambassador Tina Kaidanow was joined by University, ICAWED officials as well as Afghan business women, students and faculty to officially dedicate the facility with a ribbon-cutting. Among those in attendance were AUAF President, Dr. C. Michael Smith and Ms. Nilofar Sakhi, Director of ICAWED.
ICAWED, funded by the US, will serve as a hub for Afghan businesswomen, female entrepreneurs, and associations to coordinate and build strong networks.
Addressing the audience at the ceremony, Ambassador Kaidanow said, "The women meeting within the walls of this Center will build ideas and solutions for the future of Afghanistan's business development. The Center will serve as a training ground for female entrepreneurs and a hub for Afghan businesswomen to network with each other, which – as we know from our experience in the US and elsewhere – is an essential element for their empowerment and success."
The Center will contribute to the growth of women-run businesses and will allow young, women-owned and oriented companies to create jobs and contribute to Afghanistan's economy. In addition, the Center will provide programs to train and educate women business leaders and entrepreneurs. The empowerment of women is an important component of the economic and social success of a nation, including improved security and effective governance. It is a simple fact that no country can prosper if half of its citizens are left behind.
Pledging continued support for Afghan women, Ambassador Kaidanow told the audience, "I am proud to represent the people of the US in saying that we will remain steadfast in our support of Afghan women for many years to come. Afghanistan's future will depend on whether women are able to live up to their full potential in every sector of Afghan society."
Imports Decrease in Hairatan Port by 46 Percent
TOLOnews.com By Shahla Murtazaie 25 May 2013
Hairatan harbor officials on Saturday said that the harbor shows a decrease in the imports by 46 percent in the month of March this year compared to last year. But the exports from this port at showed an increase of 67 percent.
Head of Hairatan Harbor Services Office, Mohammad Yaqub Zazai said that in March this year, imports form Hairatan harbor went beyond 73,000 tonnes.
According to the Head of Hairatan Harbor Services Office, disappearance of commercial goods at the border and the increase of fare on imported goods are the reasons that have caused a reduction in the imports.
"A number of our merchant's goods are missing across the border and regarding this we have official documents," Mohammad Yaqub Zazai told TOLOnews.
On the other hand, Hairatan Harbor officials said that this year export rate of the country from this port has increased.
Meanwhile, one of the raisins exporters has the requested the Government for tariff exemptions in customs so that the exports are increased.
"Every country's Government gives tariff and customs exemptions for its country's exports; but here in Afghanistan we don't have any such law," Ahmad, a trader told TOLOnews.
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