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Ibrahimi Averse to Acting Charge for Fired Ministers
August 07, 2012
KABUL - Wolesi Jirga speaker on Monday asked President Hamid Karzai to annul the National Security Council's decision directing defense and interior ministers to continue working until their replacements were appointed.
On Saturday, the lower house grilled Defense Minister Abdul Rahim ...
World Won’t Abandon Afghanistan: ISAF
August 07, 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 ...
Karzai Accepts Dismissal of Top Security Ministers
August 06, 2012
KABUL - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday he had accepted a vote by the country's parliament to dismiss his two top security ministers, but ordered both to remain in their jobs pending replacement, a move aimed at safeguarding fragile stability.
The fractious parliament voted on Saturday to remove Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and Interior Minister Bismillah Mohammadi after a series of recent insurgent assassinations of top officials, as well as cross-border fire incidents blamed on Pakistan which infuriate many ...
ANA Still Far from Ready to Go it Alone
August 06, 2012
NOOR KHIEL - Among the huge challenges it faces in taking over from the departing U.S. and NATO armies, Afghanistan's new army is up against the myth that its troops aren't Muslims.
Taliban propaganda has sought to plant the notion that because it works with foreign forces, the Afghan National Army must be a heathen ...
British PM Warned of Al-Qaeda Return to Afghanistan
August 06, 2012
KABUL - /Military commanders have warned the Prime Minister that Afghanistan's future could be jeopardized with al-Qaeda returning to the country if foreign troops are withdrawn too quickly, senior sources have disclosed.
Senior sources have disclosed that Cameron has been told that the ...
AHOOA Asks Karzai to Suspended Zakhilwal
August 06, 2012
KABUL - The Head of Afghanistan's High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (AHOOA), Azizullah Lodin, has sent a letter to President Karzai asking to suspend Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal as the Finance Minister until the issues surrounding his bank accounts have been further ...
Govt’s Consent Awaited to Drag Pak to UNSC: Musazai
August 06, 2012
KABUL - The foreign ministry on Sunday said it would take the issue of cross-border attacks from Pakistan into Afghanistan to the powerful United Nations Security Council (UNSC) if the government directed to do so.
Hundreds of rockets and artillery shells have allegedly been fired ...
MPs Vote to Dismiss Security Ministers
August 05, 2012
KABUL - Wolesi Jirga voted on Saturday to dismiss the country's two top security ministers for failing to stop cross-border shelling blamed on Pakistan, in what could be a blow to NATO plans to reinforce stability and handover to Afghan forces.
The fractious parliament voted to remove Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and Interior Minister Bismillah Mohammadi over a series of recent insurgent assassinations of top officials, as well as the cross border fire incidents infuriating many ...
WJ Empowered to Dismiss Ministers: Karzai
August 05, 2012
KABUL - The Presidential Palace on Saturday acknowledged the Wolesi Jirga's (WJ) constitutional authority to dismiss a Cabinet member through a no-confidence vote.
Under Article 92 of the Constitution, parliamentarians could vote to oust a minister, Karzai's office said, hours after defense and interior ...
Putin Regrets NATO’s Plan to Leave Afghanistan
August 05, 2012
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin says that Russia is supporting the NATO mission in Afghanistan by providing a transit hub and isn't happy about the alliance's planned withdrawal.
Moscow has provided the U.S. and other NATO member states with air ...
US to Probe Afghan Civilian Casualties
August 05, 2012
WASHINGTON - US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has constituted a committee to review allegations of civilian abuse, injuries and casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon announced on Friday.
In a memorandum, dated July 30, the secretary said the application of ...
WJ Soon to Monitor Govt. Actions
August 04, 2012
KABUL - Wolesi Jirga (WJ) -- or lower house of parliament -- on Thursday decided to establish a commission to monitor government activities, an official said on Thursday.
Last week, the president listed good governance, an effective anti-corruption campaign, the rule of law and a strong economy as top priorities of the incumbent administration.
Recalling his address to a joint sitting of parliament in June, Karzai's office referred to the wide-ranging reforms he had proposed in ...
Graft in Afghanistan Worries Americans
August 04, 2012
WASHINGTON - As the United States prepares for a post-2014 Afghanistan, top lawmakers and experts on Thursday expressed their concern over deep-rooted corruption in the country and the impact that it would have on its future.
"Corruption could prevent army and police units from ...
Indian Group Close to Getting Mining Project
August 04, 2012
NEW DELHI: A consortium of Indian miners and steel companies that calls itself Afghan Iron & Steel Company, or AFISCO, has just completed its fifth and possibly final negotiations on Tuesday.
A final contract prepared by lawyers from both sides will be passed ...
Gen. Allen, Kayani Confer on Border Security
August 04, 2012
ISLMABAD/KABUL - The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander, during a visit to Islamabad, on Thursday said they were trying to build an enduring and strategic partnership with Pakistan.
Gen. John R. Allen visited the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi to meet the Pakistan Army chief -- the first ...
No Taliban Office in Iran: Former Leader
August 04, 2012
KABUL - It is impossible for the Taliban to open an office in Iran and Pakistan, former Taliban member, Sayed Akbar Agha, told TOLOnews on Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal quoted senior Afghan and western officials saying that Iran has allowed the Taliban to open an office in the eastern ...
Lawmakers Vote for Ministers’ Interpellation
August 02, 2012
KABUL - Wolesi Jirga on Wednesday decided to interpellate defense and interior ministers on the issue of cross-border incursions into eastern Afghanistan. If they fail to satisfy the house, the ministers could be asked to seek a fresh vote of confidence.
Last week, the assembly summoned interior, defense and foreign ministers, as well as the National Directorate of Intelligence ('NDS) chief, to answer queries from lawmakers on the rocket and missile raids from Pakistan territory.
Over the past one year, hundreds of rockets and missiles have been ...
Afghanistan Aid Projects Under Threat
August 02, 2012
WASHINGTON - The White House has been warned that major infrastructure projects in Afghanistan are over budget, and that many will not be completed before troop withdrawal in 2014.
A US Government watchdog says £4m of US aid money could go to ...
Kerry Cautions Against Meddling in Afghan Politics
August 02, 2012
WASHINGTON - A top American senator on Tuesday cautioned the US against interference in Afghanistan's domestic politics, as the country heads toward the 2014 presidential elections.
"We must prepare now for the elections in 2014. Ultimately, it ...
NATO Won’t Raze Installations Needed By Afghans
August 02, 2012
KABUL - The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander on Wednesday promised they would not destroy the installations needed by the Afghan government after the withdrawal of foreign troops.
Gen. John R. Allen held out the assurance during a meeting with ...
Pak-Afghanistan Agree on Joint Panel for Talks with Taliban
August 02, 2012
ISLAMABAD - In a major bilateral development, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to form a joint peace commission to reach out to Afghan Taliban insurgents allegedly based in North Waziristan to negotiate a peace settlement.
A formal announcement may significantly change the dynamics of over a ...
2014 Presidential Election Requires $80M: IEC
August 02, 2012
KABUL - The Head of Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC), Fazel Ahmad Manawi, said on Wednesday that a transparent and free presidential election in 2014 would cost $80 million.
Speaking at a press conference, Manawi said, "Candidate and voter registration will begin by 1392 [March 2013]." He emphasized that no ...
Permission Given for Weapons’ Transit to Afghanistan
August 02, 2012
RAWALPINDI - Pakistan and the United States on Tuesday signed into agreement a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the reopening of NATO supply routes through the country, also allowing for the passage of weapons to the Afghan National Army (ANA) in landlocked ...
Govt. Fully Respective of Human Rights: Karzai
August 01, 2012
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday Met with Dr. Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who is on a visit of Afghanistan.
In the meeting where Reto Stocker S, ICRC's head of Kabul delegation was also present, Dr. Peter said the ICRC began to stand by and assist the people of Afghanistan since very long that dates back to the time of Jihad.
Dr. Peter stressed that over the past ten years, many non-government ...
Karzai to Get 1st Computerized ID Card
August 01, 2012
KABUL - The country's first computerized identity card would be issued to President Hamid Karzai on December 30 before the nationwide distribution begins, the telecommunication minister announced on Tuesday.
A contract for the project was signed between the Ministry of ...
Taliban to Cut Ties with Al-Qaeda
August 01, 2012
LONDON, Asharq Al-Awsat- Last week, the British Financial Times newspaper held discussions in Dubai with several figures close to the Taliban in Afghanistan. According to the discussions, an agreement between the Taliban leadership and the US Administration over certain principal issues is closer than most analysts ...
Credible Pesidential Poll Key to Afghan Future: Cunningham
August 01, 2012
WASHINGTON - A credible and inclusive presidential elections in 2014 is the key to Afghanistan's future of stability, a top US diplomat told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, James B Cunningham, designated as the country's ...
Anti-Taliban Uprising in Ghazni Spreads
August 01, 2012
GHAZNI CITY - Nine Taliban fighters were killed and two others detained during a public uprising over the past two days in the Maqur district of southern Ghazni province, residents said on Tuesday.
The insurgents were killed on Monday night, a leader of ...
ANSF Ready to Defend the Country: MoI
July 31, 2012
KABUL - Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are ready to defend the country if a national decision requires them to do so, a spokesman for Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI), Sediq Sediqi said at a press conference on Monday.
"The Afghan government and other organizations are putting pressure on Pakistan to stop these attacks," Sediqi said in a joint press conference with Brigadier General Gunter Katz.
His statement came after ISAF said that a tripartite meeting was held ...
Turkmens Insist on Trans-Afghan Gas Line
July 31, 2012
ASHGHABAD - Turkmenistan, holder of the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves, has said it would hold roadshows in September-October for investors willing to take part in the TAPI project aimed to ship Turkmen gas to India via a trans-Afghan pipeline.
Turkmenistan agreed in May to supply natural gas to Pakistan and ...
Over 10,000 Afghan Policemen Receive Training to Boost Capacity
July 31, 2012
KABUL - As part of capacity building efforts, more than 10,000 personnel with the Afghan National Police (ANP) have completed necessary training and joined the ANP over the past four months, the country's Interior Ministry spokesman said ...
No Ambassadorial Slot for Dual Nationals
July 31, 2012
KABUL - Wolesi Jirga -- or lower house of parliament -- on Monday approved a draft law banning the appointment of a dual nationality-holder Afghan as an ambassador or consul-general.
The lawmakers also gave the go-ahead to a strategic cooperation agreement with Britain and four other accords, which were placed before ...
ANSF Dying at Five Times Rate of NATO Soldiers
July 31, 2012
WASHINGTON - Afghan security forces are dying at five times the rate of NATO soldiers as Taliban insurgents step up attacks ahead of the withdrawal of foreign troops in 2014, the latest figures show.
A total of 853 Afghan soldiers and police were killed in the past ...
NSC Discusses Voter Registration Process
July 30, 2012
KABUL - The National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday discussed preparations for the launch of a voter registration process for the next presidential election.
Chaired by President Hamid Karzai, the NSC meeting was also attended by Independent Election Commission (IEC) head Fazl Ahmad Manawi and members of the panel, a statement from Karzai's office said.
Manawi briefed participants of the meeting on the commission's readiness for the registration campaign. The meeting agreed with IEC's plan on launching the process and provision of required facilities in ...
Kabul Hopes Tajikistan Border to Reopen Soon
July 30, 2012
KABUL - Afghanistan on Sunday voiced the hope that Tajikistan would soon reopen the border crossings it sealed last week due to a military operation to detain a former warlord.
On Tuesday, Tajik President EmomaliRakhmon ordered an offensive in the autonomous region of Gorno-Badakhshan against supporters of ...