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Presence of Tribes, Strata in Govt. Right of All Afghans: Khalili
August 15, 2012
KABUL - While minister of refugees and returners Jamahir Anwari and two senators of Turkmen were present, second vice president, Mohammad Karim Khalili met with Turkmen elders the other day and discussed the local problem of Turkmen.
First, Turkmen representatives expressed their concern over Tsunami of Oxus River that changed their residential areas into the bed of river and said that if attention is not paid, most parts of Qarqeen and Khan Aab district to be changed into a bed of river.
They demanded from the government ...
Karzai Appoints Wardakas Senior Military Advisor
August 15, 2012
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai appointed the former Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak as his senior military advisor said in a presidential statement released on Monday.
Wardak will focus on reform, development and training of Afghan ...
AACN Asks OIC of Fully Discussing Corruption in Afghanistan
August 15, 2012
KABUL - Afghanistan Anti-Corruption Network (AACN) had in a statement on Tuesday asked the participants of the OIC to discuss corruption part of their main agendas and help the country get rid of the ongoing critical “chronic concern”.
The statement lauded the efforts of the OIC since its establishment ...
Afghan Govt. Needs Reform: US Envoy
August 14, 2012
KABUL - The new United States Ambassador to Afghanistan, James Cunningham, said on Monday that the Afghan government needs to make reforms and fulfill its responsibilities in order to gain US political and economic support.
Speaking at a press conference, Ambassador Cunningham added that talks between Islamabad and Washington are underway to delve into the issue of cross-border attacks.
He also stressed that the US will take necessary actions to protect Afghan civilians.
"There are reports about cross-border rocket attacks on ...
Senators Should Be Impartial: Lodin
August 14, 2012
KABUL - The Head of Afghanistan High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption, Azizullah Lodin, said on Monday that senators should keep their impartiality and help his organization in the eradication of ...
Taliban Inclined to Peace Parleys: Mutasim
August 14, 2012
KABUL - Key Taliban leader Mullah Agha Jan Mutasim, who was removed last week from the United Nations blacklist, on Monday called for stepping up the delisting process to pave the ground for a negotiated end to the war. The UN removed Mutasim’s name from its blacklist in a bid to ...
Lawmakers Urge Karzai to Respond to Cross-Border Shelling
August 14, 2012
KABUL - Legislators on Monday said that the National Security Council and President Karzai should be summoned to Parliament to respond to the recent cross-border shelling into Afghanistan.
"The silence from the National ...
Afghan Officials Met Key Taliban Figure in Pakistan
August 13, 2012
KABUL/ISLAMABAD - Afghan officials have held secret talks with the Taliban's former second in command who is in detention in Pakistan in a move which could help rekindle stalled peace talks with the insurgents, according to senior officials from both countries.
Afghan officials have often seen Pakistan as a reluctant partner in attempts to broker talks with the Taliban but its decision to grant access to Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar may signal Islamabad's willingness to play a more active role.
Rangin Spanta, the national security adviser to Afghan President ...
Senators Accuse Karzai, His Family of Corruption
August 13, 2012
KABUL - Afghan senators on Sunday accused President Hamid Karzai, some of his family members, his two vice presidents and several cabinet members of corruption.
Senate chairman Fazel Hadi Muslimyar said some members of the Karzai ...
Afghanistan to Seek Islamic Countries’ Support for Peace Talks
August 13, 2012
KABUL - Afghan president Hamid Karzai on Monday will attend the Islamic Co-operation Summit and seek support for Afghanistan's peace negotiations, foreign ministry spokesman Janan Musazai said today.
"The people of Afghanistan have made massive sacrifices for ...
Pakistan Favors Democratic Government in Afghanistan: Khar
August 13, 2012
KABUL - The return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan would not be in the best interests of Pakistan, Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in an Al Jazeera interview.
But she added that it is up to Afghanistan to decide on the nature of ...
Afghanistan to Become Self-Sufficient By 2035: Rassoul
August 12, 2012
KABUL - Afghanistan would reach economically self-sufficiency and would never be in need of the international community’s contributes till 2035, minister of foreign affairs, Dr. Zalmai Rassoul said Saturday.
Both Afghanistan and international community had reached an agreement on a joint clear accountability procedure at the Tokyo donor meeting, based on both sides were responsible to supervise on how the world funds could be spent in development of the country, Dr. Rassoul ...
WJ to Monitor Use of Aid: Ibrahimi
August 12, 2012
KABUL - Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of parliament, is keen on monitoring the use of foreign assistance pledged to Afghanistan at July’s Tokyo conference to ensure transparency, the speaker said on Saturday.
The international community pledged $16 billion in reconstruction and ...
AHOOAC Asks AG to Suspend Zakhilwal
August 12, 2012
KABUL - The head of Afghanistan's High Office of Oversight and Anti Corruption (AHOOAC), Azizullah Lodin, said on Saturday that he sent a letter to the Attorney General's Office demanding the suspension of Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal as finance minister.
Mr. Lodin told TOLOnews that Afghan president Hamid Karzai ordered him ...
Cooperation Unaffected By Insider Attacks: ISAF
August 12, 2012
KABUL - Thirty-four foreign soldiers have killed in insider attacks since the beginning of 2012, but such incidents would not have any negative impact on cooperation with Afghan security personnel, the NATO-led force said on Saturday.
At a media briefing in Kabul, International Security Assistance Force ...
Most Civilian Casualties Occurred in South: UN
August 11, 2012
KANDAHAR CITY - Most civilian casualties during the first half of the current year took place in southern Afghanistan, the United Nations political office in southern Kandahar province said on Thursday.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)’s human rights section head for the south, Alexander Loden, said half of the civilian casualties taking place between Jan. 1 and June 30 were ...
Continuation of Violence Unacceptable: Karzai
August 11, 2012
KABUL - War and the destruction associated with it does not offer a solution to any problem, President Hamid Karzai said in his weekly radio address to the nation.
Receiving money and weapons from foreigners, the Taliban and other insurgent groups were killing Afghans and destroying their country’s ...
Front Nikpai Earns Olympic Bronze, Karzai's Praise
August 11, 2012
KABUL - Afghanistan’s hero Roohullah Nikpai overpowered his British rival in the semifinal of the London Olympics taekwondo event and won the bronze medal for his war-plagued country.
"Of course, winning a medal is very important to all the ...
Taliban Leader Urge for Peace During Eid Days
August 11, 2012
KABUL - Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omer following a statement urged Taliban fighters to prevent attacks on Afghan civilians and properties during Eid days. The statement which has been issued on the occasion of the end of holy month of Ramadan and arrival of Eid days urges Taliban fighters to ...
Australia Appoints New Ambassador to Afghanistan
August 11, 2012
KABUL - The Australian government has announced Jonathan Philp as the new ambassador to Afghanistan, ABC news reported.
Philp will take the office in October, ahead of withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014.
He is currently Australia's ambassador to ...
US Troops Being Brought Back from Afghanistan: Obama
August 11, 2012
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama, currently in Colorado on a two-day election campaigning trip, Wednesday hailed the planned withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan as one of the key successes of ...
53% Increase in Targeted Killings: UN
August 09, 2012
KABUL - A United Nations report released on Wednesday says that there has been a 53 per cent increase in civilian casualties caused by targeted killings in the first half of this year in Afghanistan, compared to the same period in 2011.
Overall, however, the report prepared by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), demonstrates a 15 percent decrease in the number of civilian casualties from January 2012 until mid-year where 1,145 people have been killed and 1,954 others have been ...
Enforcement of Karzai’s Decree Discussed
August 09, 2012
KABUL - Human resource heads on Wednesday met to discuss the implementation of President Hamid Karzai's latest decree on corruption and reforms.
Under pressure from the international community to do more to battle corruption, Karzai last month decreed sweeping reforms and ordered ...
MPs to Mohammadi: Follow in Wardak Footsteps
August 09, 2012
KABUL - Some parliamentarians on Wednesday praised Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak's resignation and asked interior minister Bismillah Mohammadi to prove his democratic credentials by follow in the ex-defense minister's footsteps.
On Saturday, the lower house unseated the top security ministers over ...
Lodin Denies Vendetta Against Finance Minister
August 09, 2012
KABUL - High Office of Oversight and Anti Corruption (HOO) chief Azizullah Lodin said on Wednesday that he does not hold any kind of personal animosity towards Finance Minister Hazarat Omar Zakhilwal.
Mr. Zakhilwal on Tuesday accused Dr. Lodin and the HOO of conspiring ...
US Mulls Over Revised Taliban Prisoner Swap Deal
August 09, 2012
KABUL - In an effort to revive peace parleys, the United States is reportedly willing to transfer Taliban detainees from its Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba to Qatar in return for an American soldier in militants' captivity.
Under the deal, the US would shift five senior insurgent figures from ...
Nazari Named Acting DM
August 09, 2012
KABUL - Inayatullah Nazari was appointed as acting defense minister in compliance with a decree from President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday, the Cabinet Secretariat said.
A statement from the secretariat said deputy Nazari, who was previously ...
War Headed in Right Direction: Panetta
August 08, 2012
WASHINGTON - The war against terrorism in Afghanistan, continuing to be a challenge, is headed in the right direction, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Monday.
"We continue to fight a war in Afghanistan. And although it's headed in the right direction, we are still fighting and dying in that war," the secretary said.
Panetta said in his address to the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Association of Defense Communities Location in California: "We're ...
Wardak Resigns After Parliamentary Vote
August 08, 2012
KABUL - Afghan Minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak has left his position after being dismissed by Parliament on Saturday for a weak response to cross-border shelling and recent assassination attempts. his nine years service in the office
...
Indian Companies Invest Millions Into Haji Gak Iron Mine
August 08, 2012
KABUL - A consortium of seven Indian companies will invest USD $75 million into the Haji Gak Iron Mine after signing the final contract.
In addition, the companies will invest $10.8 billion for an extraction ...
World Won’t Abandon Afghanistan: ISAF
August 08, 2012
KABUL - The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), insisting on strengthening and equipping Afghan security personnel, on Monday said the international community would not abandon Afghanistan after the 2014 withdrawal.
ISAF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Günter Katz told a press conference in ...
Zakhilwal Raps Lodin, Wants AG to Probe Assets
August 08, 2012
KABUL - Finance Minister Dr. Zakhilwal on Tuesday promised dispatching a list of his assets to the attorney general for a transparent investigation into allegations of corruption against him.
The minister, who was blamed for transferring huge amounts of money ...
MPs Urge Karzai to Introduce Qualified Ministers
August 07, 2012
KABUL - On Monday, lawmakers urged President Hamid Karzai to introduce qualified and honest candidates for the future Interior and Defense Minister positions.
"The Afghan MPs request president Karzai to introduced honest, figures who are not related to the president or his deputies for the two positions," Kabul Member of Parliament, Shukria Barekzai said in session of the parliament ...
Tripartite Negotiations Vital to Relations: ISAF
August 07, 2012
KABUL - ISAF spokesman General Gunter Katz said that the tripartite negotiations between Afghanistan, Pakistan and ISAF are important in strengthening relations between the ...
Ministers’ Removal Won’t Derail Transition: NATO
August 07, 2012
KABUL - Assuaging concerns over the withdrawal of foreign troops, NATO on Monday renewed pledged Afghanistan would be allowed never again to become a safe haven for terrorists.
"That is what everyone is working on together jointly now, never allowing Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists," a ...