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Senators Blast High Peace Council’s Performance
Febraury 20, 2012
KABUL - Meshrano Jirga (upper house of Parliament) members, criticizing the performance of the High Peace Council, on Sunday summoned the council secretariat chief and spokesman.
Senator Ali Akbar Jamshedi claimed the council had been unable to achieve any breakthrough in talks with the rebels. He linked the ...
NATO Mistakes Strengthen Taliban: Karzai
Febraury 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD - President Hamid Karzai has said the Taliban have regained strength due to repeated mistakes by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
Addressing an audience at the National Defense University in Islamabad late on Friday, Karzai also thanked NATO for training and equipping Afghan forces. But he said the Taliban had been strengthened due to the mistakes of international troops."Civilian casualties ...
Karzai Urges Pakistan to Resume NATO Supplies
Febraury 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD - President Hamid Karzai has urged Pakistan to resume NATO supplies and charge increased levy, insisting that such a move would benefit both countries.
Talking about talks between the US and the Taliban and the Afghan government role in the issue, he said Afghanistan was aware of the ...
Bids for Oil, Gas Extraction to Be Called on March 7
Febraury 19, 2012
KABUL - A bidding process for oil and gas extraction in 31000 square kilometers of the Afghan-Tajik basin in the northeast would start on March 7, an official said on Saturday.
Six oil and gas zones were recently identified in the energy-deficient country -- Afghan-Tajik, Amu River, Koshk, Terpul in Herat, Kotawas ...
Karzai Had No Testy Exchanges with Pak Officials: Faizi
Febraury 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD - President Hamid Karzai neither had testy exchanges with Pakistani officials over Taliban's presence nor stormed out of a meeting with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in Islamabad, his spokesman said on Saturday.
Karzai reportedly used an aggressive tone in asking Pakistan to produce senior Taliban leaders for peace talks with his ...
Afghanistan Hopeful of Pakistan’s Help in Peace Drive
Febraury 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD - Afghanistan is optimistic that regional power Pakistan will help the Kabul government advance a reconciliation process with the Taliban, the Afghan president's spokesman said on Saturday.
Pakistan, seen as crucial to efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, has repeatedly said it wants peace in its ...
Finance, Interior Ministers Satisfy Lawmakers
Febraury 19, 2012
KABUL - Two ministers summoned by the Wolesi Jirga to answer questions from lawmakers were able to satisfy the lower house, an official said on Saturday.
Last week, the MPs decided to summon Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhelwal and Interior Minister Gen. Bismillah ...
Talks with Taliban without Afghan Input Would Fail: Saleh
Febraury 19, 2012
KABUL - The former head of the National Directorate of Security, Amrullah Salah, said in an exclusive interview with Tolo news that any kind of peace negotiations that lacked one of the three key players - the US, Afghanistan and the Taliban - would be a failure.
He also said that Pakistan and the Taliban have no interest in ...
Karzai Seeks Actionable Peace Strategy
Febraury 18, 2012
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, pledging greater cooperation in diverse fields, on Friday vowed to put up a joint front against the menace of terrorism and extremism in the region.
At a joint news conference after their third trilateral meeting in Islamabad, Presidents Hamid Karzai, Asif Ali Zardari and Mahmound Ahmadinejad also supported Afghan-led peace efforts with the Taliban.
With his administration urging Islamabad's help in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, Karzai underlined concrete joint ...
MPs Refuse to Vote for Rejected Cabinet Nominees
Febraury 18, 2012
KABUL - Some Wolesi Jirga (lower house of Parliament) members on Thursday refused to vote for the ministers-designate they had already rejected until the assembly's internal procedure code was amended.
But other lawmakers and legal experts said parliamentarians could ...
Moscow Hopes its Afghan Rebuild to Usher in Stability
Febraury 18, 2012
KABUL - Russia hopes to embark on a series of ambitious construction projects in Afghanistan aimed at reinforcing fragile stability in the country where Soviet troops fought a disastrous, decade-long war, its envoy to Kabul said Thursday.
Though not connected by land, Moscow sees war-ravaged Afghanistan as ...
Afghanistan Can’t Be Stable Without Drugs Crackdown: UN
Febraury 18, 2012
VIENNA - Afghanistan cannot be stable while its economy depends so heavily on the drugs trade, and its allies must step up the fight to combat the industry, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said on Thursday.
Opening a major international conference on ways to combat narcotics ...
US Cautions Against Going Public on Peace Process
Febraury 18, 2012
WASHINGTON - The United States on Thursday welcomed the participation of the Afghanistan government in trilateral peace talks with the Taliban, cautioning that public statements on the issue may harm the effort.
"The news that Afghanistan has joined those reconciliation ...
Karzai Seeks Access to the Taliban in Pakistan Trip
Febraury 16, 2012
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai is reportedly seeking Pakistan's support to provide access to senior Afghan Taliban leaders when he visits Islamabad on Thursday.
"We hope that Pakistan will arrange a purposeful meeting between us and so that we find a solution to our own problems," a senior Afghan official has told Reuters, emphasizing hopes of direct talks with Taliban leaders.
"Pakistan has paid little attention to our concerns and the level of cooperation has not ...
Afghanistan Commemorates 23rd Anniversary of Soviet Pullout
Febraury 16, 2012
KABUL - Twenty-three years ago, on Feb. 15, 1989, the last Soviet soldier pulled out of Afghanistan, marking the end of a decade of resistance by Afghans.
The Soviet troops, equipped with modern weapons, invaded Afghanistan on Dec. 24, 1979 through the Hairatan dry ...
New Ministers Introduce to WJ for Vote
Febraury 16, 2012
KABUL - Afghan Minister in Parliamentary Affairs, Homayoun Azizi on Wednesday said that some changes have been brought in the Afghan cabinet.
Mr Azizi said that the list of ministers has been sent to Afghan parliament to win vote of confidence.
It comes after some MPs criticized the government for ...
US-Afghan Strategic Agreement in Weeks: Panetta
Febraury 16, 2012
WASHINGTON - The issues of night raids and transfer of detention facilities are the last impediments to a US-Afghan strategic partnership agreement, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Panetta said ...
Taliban are Terrorists and the Murderers: Spanta
Febraury 14, 2012
KABUL - National Security Advisor to President Karzai, in an Exclusive Interview with Tolo news, said that Taliban are the murderers of Afghan people and are servants of foreigners.
Mr Spanta said one should not expect humane behavior from the Taliban.
He said if government tries to bring Taliban to power, he will feel ashamed to being part of it.
Killing is the art of the Taliban and if anyone calls Taliban leaders as "heroes", will be a traitor and enemy of Afghanistan, Mr Spanta ...
US Team in Kabul to Assess Investment Climate
Febraury 14, 2012
KABUL - A 12-member delegation of US entrepreneurs, led by Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez, arrived in Kabul on Monday to assess investment opportunities in Afghanistan.
An end to the US military mission in 2014 did not mean a halt ...
Investment in Minerals A Key Factor for Security in Afghanistan
Febraury 14, 2012
KABUL - Encouraging national and international companies to invest in Afghan minerals and extract the untapped underground treasures would help alleviate poverty and eventually lead to strengthening security in the militancy- plagued Afghanistan.
Afghanistan, according to officials, has minerals worth around 3 ...
Deadlock Ends as 2nd Deputy Speaker Elected
Febraury 13, 2012
KABUL - The Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of Parliament, finally elected its second deputy speaker in the house administrative board's polls on Sunday, ending days of a parliamentary deadlock.
Niamatullah Ghafari, a lawmaker from southern Helmand province, who won 121 votes in the assembly's general session, was elected second deputy speaker. Of the 125 MPs present, four voted against him.
On Saturday, four MPs, including Ghafari, ran ...
$70.8m Hairatan Port Revenue Unaccounted
Febraury 13, 2012
KABUL/MAZAR-I-SHARIF - Hairatan port's revenue amounting to 3.5 billion Afghanis ($70.8 million) has been unaccounted, a senior anti-corruption official claimed on Sunday. But the port director dismissed the allegation as baseless.
High Office of Oversight and Anti-corruption chief Dr. Azizullah ...
International Aid to ANSF, Main Topic at Tokyo Conference
Febraury 13, 2012
KABUL - The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday said that International Support to Afghanistan and Financing Afghan National Security Forces will be the main subject to be discussed at Tokyo Conference.
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Janan Musazai, said that Afghan ...
Can’t Go After Terrorists Hiding in Pakistan: Karimi
Febraury 12, 2012
WASHINGTON - Afghan Army Chief on Friday ruled out crossing the border in pursuit of terrorists hiding out in their havens in Pakistan, as suggested by some US lawmakers.
In an interview with PAN, the Afghan National Army Chief of General Staff, Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, said it would be illegal and against international norms to cross the border into the neighboring country while chasing insurgents.
He, instead, urged Pakistan to ensure that there were no safe heavens ...
WJ Approval Needed Before Investment on Mines: Experts
Febraury 12, 2012
KABUL - Afghan Parliament's approval is necessary before mines are invested on, some economic experts said on Saturday.
Experts believe that current parliament may not be able to technically evaluate the mines, but if future parliaments approve or disapprove the current contracts, it will discredit ...
WJ to Summon Minister of Interior
Febraury 12, 2012
KABUL - Some of the members of the Afghan House of Representatives, Wolesi Jirga (WJ), on Saturday said that the Afghan Minister of Interior, Besmellah Mohammadi, should be summoned over the recent NATO attack in Kapisa.
The House of Representatives wants to summon the Afghan Minister of ...
Kabul Students to Sit Entry Test on Feb. 20
Febraury 12, 2012
KABUL CITY - Students from 40 high schools in the capital Kabul are to sit a university entrance test on February 20, the Ministry of Higher Education announced on Saturday.
The graduates, including those who were unable to pass the test last year, should receive their entry cards from their relevant schools, a ...
Obama Holds Meeting on Pak-Afghan Situation
Febraury 11, 2012
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama on Wednesday held a meeting with his national security team on the current Afghanistan- Pakistan situation, the first after the recent start of peace talks with the Taliban.
During the meeting, Obama received an update on the building of capable Afghan security forces, America's support for an Afghan-led reconciliation process and its efforts to build a long-term strategic partnership between the US and Afghanistan, the White House said in a statement.
According to the statement, Obama also received an update on ...
Civilian Casualties Decline in South: ICRC
Febraury 11, 2012
KANDAHAR CITY - The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) on Thursday said there has been a remarkable decline in civilian casualties in southern Afghanistan, showing the security situation had improved in remote parts of the zone.
The ICRC representative, Daniel Cavoli, who met with Governor ...
ANSF Increasingly Taking the Lead: US General
Febraury 11, 2012
WASHINGTON - Afghan security forces are increasingly demonstrating their ability to protect people of the country and take a major lead in counter-terrorism operations, a top US army general stationed in Afghanistan said on Wednesday.
"The ANSF (Afghan National Security Force) are improving, and ...
Karzai Asks Scholars to Help Anti-Polio Efforts
Febraury 11, 2012
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has called on religious scholars, imams and tribal elders to help the government implement anti-polio vaccination campaigns.
In a message to the nation aired on radio on Thursday night, Karzai said he hoped scholars and elders in villages would make efforts at ...
Drone Strikes in Pak Producing more Militants: Khar
Febraury 11, 2012
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said American drone strikes within Pakistan are illegal, and are creating more militants.
"Attacks by US drones on Pakistani territory are illegal and cannot be tolerated," the Daily Times ...
Karzai Renews Promise on Cabinet Picks, Chief Justice
Febraury 09, 2012
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has promised sending a list carrying names of his Cabinet nominees, the chief justice and the attorney general to the lower house of parliament for a vote of confidence next week, officials said.
Wolesi Jirga Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi told Wednesday's session Karzai had promised him on Tuesday that he would introduce some ministers-designate to the Wolesi Jirga for the trust vote.
Since his reelection in the 2009 presidential vote, Karzai had introduced his picks ...
Pakistan for Political Solution to Afghan Conflict
Febraury 09, 2012
KABUL - Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said the Afghan conflict should be resolved politically for a durable peace in the region.
Khar told a joint press conference with her Russian counterpart in Moscow on Wednesday that Pakistan had a clear policy of extending full ...
Japan Pledges $8 Million for Nangarhar Projects
Febraury 09, 2012
JALALABAD - The Japanese government on Wednesday pledged $5 million (394,000,000 afs) in assistance to the eastern province of Nangarhar for 13 construction projects, officials said.
An agreement to the effect was inked between Governor Gul Agha Sherzai and an official of the Japan International Cooperation Agency ...