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China Supports Peaceful Reconstruction
December 21, 2011
UNITED NATIONS - China supports the peaceful reconstruction process in which Afghanistan is run and owned by Afghans, said Li Baodong, Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations on Monday. Li made the remarks while addressing a Security Council meeting on Afghanistan. He told the Council that the Bonn Conference held on ...
NATO’s Commitment Does Not End with Transition: Medley
December, 20 2011
KABUL- NATO Senior Civilian Representative spokesperson Dominic Medley has said the alliance would not abandon Afghanistan and was remained committed to its partnership with the country.
In a statement issued from his office, Medley said the message was clear at recent Bonn Conference and the following meeting of NATO and ISAF foreign ministers in Brussels on Dec 7.
He said Afghanistan was moving in the right ...
US, Taliban Talks Reach Turning Point
December, 20 2011
WASHINGTON - After 10 months of secret dialogue with Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents, senior US officials said the talks have reached a critical juncture and they will soon know whether a breakthrough is possible, leading to peace talks whose ultimate goal is to end the Afghan war.
As part of the accelerating, high-stakes diplomacy, the United States is ...
150,000 Students to Sit Entry Test this Year: Official
December, 20 2011
KABUL - Nearly 150,000 students would take a higher education entrance examination this year and 100,000 of them would be enrolled in higher and semi-higher institutions, the Higher Education Ministry announced on Monday.
Up to 34,460 of the students having good results would be enrolled in higher education institutions, deputy higher education minister, Bari ...
Iran Temporarily Relaxes Afghan Vehicles’ Check: Alokozai
December, 20 2011
KABUL - The issue of strict checking of Afghanistan-bound trade goods carrying vehicles by Iranian authorities has temporarily been resolved, an official said on Monday.
The relaxation resulted in calling off protests by Afghan drivers at a dry port in southwestern Nimroz province, second deputy head of Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) Khan Jan Alokozai told ...
NATO Insists Night Raids to Continue
December, 20 2011
KABUL - Despite renewed objections from President Hamid Karzai, NATO on Monday said US-led forces will increasingly take the lead in night-raids, insisting not a single shot was fired in 85 percent of such operations.
A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said night raids remained the safest form of operations ...
UNDP to Support Economic Growth: Chhibber
December 19, 2011
KABUL - The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Ajay Chhibber, has said that economic growth was crucial for Afghanistan.
"Economic growth is crucial for Afghanistan and UNDP reiterates commitment to support the government to give that growth a human face so it benefits all Afghans," Chhibber said on concluding his visit ...
Taliban Ready to Open Political Office: Arsala
December 19, 2011
KABUL - The Taliban are willing to open an office in an Islamic country, a step towards holding face-to-face peace talks with Afghanistan, a member of the Afghan government's team of negotiators with the group said on Sunday.
After a series of failed attempts at talks by Afghans and their ...
No One will Interfere in Afghan Peace Talks: Rasoul
December 19, 2011
KABUL - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zalmai Rasoul, on Sunday said that no party will take part in peace talks with the Taliban without the agreement of the Afghan government.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr Rasoul said that in order to pursue peace talks, an office to host the Taliban will be opened either ...
Taliban Must Be Part of Any Afghan Solution: Qatar PM
December 19, 2011
DOHA - The Taliban must be part of any resolution to the Afghanistan conflict, Qatar's premier said on Saturday after Kabul recalled its ambassador to the Gulf state in protest at being left out of talks over the opening of a Taliban office there.
"A solution in Afghanistan requires the participation of the ...
US Military Wants Troops in Afghanistan After 2014
December 19, 2011
KABUL - US military and diplomatic officials are putting together a new strategy that will commit American troops and money to Afghanistan after 2014, the National Journal reported.
The strategic review is being prepared in advance of a NATO summit in Chicago next May, a key gathering for securing financial and political ...
EU to Start Homework on Strategic Pact with Kabul
December 19, 2011
KABUL - The European Union would soon start homework on a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with Afghanistan, the President's Office said on Sunday.
The EU special representative for Afghanistan, Vygaudas Usackas, who met President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on ...
Afghans Still Don’t Have Personal Security: Karzai
December 18, 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan has achieved political stability, yet Afghans still do not feel personally secure in their daily lives, President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to be aired on Sunday.
"The international coalition and the Afghan government have been able to provide, in the past 10 years, political stability to Afghanistan," Karzai said on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS. "But we have not been able — the United States, NATO and Afghan government together — to provide the Afghan people with their ...
US Supports Afghan Govt.-Led Peace Process: Crocker
December 18, 2011
A 50 percent of the security responsibility would be transferred to Afghan forces by March 2012, the US envoy said, calling the development a great achievement for Afghans.
To a question about the possible setting up of a Taliban office in Turkey or Saudi Arabia, Crocker said holding talks with the rebels was the job of the Afghan government and his country was ready to help the ...
Scant Use of Law Protecting Afghan Women: UN
December 18, 2011
KABUL - A landmark law aiming to protect Afghan women's rights by criminalizing acts like child marriage and rape is only being used to prosecute a small number of cases, the United Nations said Wednesday.
The Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW) law was enacted in 2009 but Afghan courts have turned to it for just over 100 cases, often ...
Govt. Agrees to Taliban Office
December 18, 2011
KABUL - The Afghan government has agreed to the opening of an office for Taliban negotiations either in Kabul or in another Islamic country.
President Hamid Karzai met with key Taliban leaders and agreed to open an office, Aimal Faizi, a spokesman for the president, told ...
National Front Wants Taliban Office Confirmed
December 18, 2011
KABUL - The Afghanistan National Front, a coalition of various political parties, on Saturday said it would welcome the setting up of an office by the Taliban for peace talks only when it was confirmed by both the rebels and the Afghan government.
"The National Front has always been in favor of peace talks with the insurgents to bring peace and stability in the country, but the ...
India, Russia Agreed Afghanistan a Serious Issue: Singh
December 18, 2011
NEW DEHLI - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said both India and Russia are agreed that the Afghanistan problem is a "serious" issue, observing that whatever happens there is of deep interest to them and to all the neighbors of the strife-torn ...
German Troop Withdrawal to Start in January: DM
December 18, 2011
KABUL - Germany's defense minister, Thomas de Maizière, said on Saturday that 100 German troops will leave Afghanistan in January.
Germany has about 5,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of them based in northern Kunduz province. The country has lost 53 soldiers in Afghanistan ...
War Should Stop Before Peace Talks: Leaders
December 17, 2011
KABUL - Former jihadi leaders and religious scholars who met President Hamid Karzai on Thursday said they would not hold peace talks with the Taliban until the group renounced violence, Karzai's office said.
The meeting at the Presidential Palace concerned practical mechanisms and conditions for negotiations with rebel groups, according to a statement from the Presidential Palace. It said the peace talks should ...
Russia, India Back Afghan Control Handover
December 17, 2011
MOSCOW - Russia and India have said they back handing security affairs over to Afghanistan, putting Kabul in charge of its own security forces.
In a joint statement on Friday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged Afghanistan to "build up ...
Pakistan’s Reaction Has an Immediate Impact on Afghan Strategy: Grossman
December 17, 2011
WASHINGTON - The strong reaction by Pakistan in the aftermath of the November 26 incident is having an immediate impact on the American strategy in Afghanistan, a top Obama Administration official said on Friday. The cross border attack left 24 Pakistan soldiers dead in the ...
Karzai Only Supports Afghan-Led Talks: Spokesman
December 17, 2011
KABUL -Afghans must lead any peace negotiations to end the war in their country, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday, in a swipe at Qatar after reports that the Gulf state had agreed to set up an unofficial Taliban embassy. Kabul recalled its ambassador to Qatar on Wednesday, hours after an ...
Plan to Boost Afghan Forces Being Discussed: Ahmadzai
December 17, 2011
AIBAK - A plan for training, equipping and supporting Afghan forces is being discussed with ministries of defense, interior and National Directorate of Security (NDS), the security transition commission head said on Thursday. "Afghan military forces will be equipped with sophisticated weapons, armored and modern tanks," ...
US will Be Responsible if Pakistan Fails in War against Terrorism: Khar
December 17, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said the United States would be responsible if Pakistan fails in the war against terrorism after the US Senate agreed to freeze close to 700 million ...
We are Winning Tough Conflict in Afghanistan: Panetta
December 15, 2011
SHARAN - US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday visited American troops in the southeastern province of Paktika, bordering Pakistan's troubled tribal region of South Waziristan, an official said.
A day after his arrival in Kabul on an unannounced trip, Panetta told troops Pakistan should take more steps to secure its side of the border, the Paktika governor's spokesman, Mukhlis Afghan, reporters.
According ...
Surge of Secret Executions for Drug Offences Must End: Iran
December 15, 2011
TEHRAN - This year has seen a dramatic rise in the number of people – many impoverished – who are executed for drug offences in Iran, Amnesty International said Wednesday in a new report.
In the 44-page Addicted to Death: Executions for Drug Offences in Iran, the organization finds that at least 488 people have been ...
Afghanistan Responsible for U.S. Drone: Iran
December 15, 2011
BAKU - Afghanistan is responsible for U.S. drone flying over its territory, Head of the Iranian parliamentary commission for national security and foreign policy, Allaeddin Boroujerdi said during his meeting with Afghan deputy FM Mohammad Umayum Fuzi, ISNA reported.
"Presence of foreign military in Afghanistan poses a serious ...
Security Situation Improving: Azimi
December 15, 2011
KABUL - A Ministry of Defense official on Wednesday said the security situation in Afghanistan had improved during 2011 and would get even better next year.
The number and capacity of Afghan soldiers and police had considerably risen, leaving a positive impact on the security situation, ministry spokesman, Gen. Zahir Azimi, told a news ...
Karzai Says Peace Efforts to Go on
December 15, 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has promised the peace process will continue in accordance with the recommendation of last month's traditional Loya Jirga, his office said on ...
Afghanistan is on a Much Better Track: Panetta
December 14, 2011
KABUL – U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Afghanistan Tuesday to meet with commanders, as the U.S. grapples with an eroding relationship with Pakistan that has complicated supply routes and helped fuel insurgents in the east.
While he was upbeat about security progress in Afghanistan, Panetta was also likely to hear some somber news from commanders as they wrestle with the withdrawal of 23,000 more troops in the coming year, the transition of security to Afghan forces ...
US Troop Withdrawal Made Conditions-Based
December 14, 2011
WASHINGTON - Reaching an agreement on the $662 billion Defense Authorization Bill for the year 2012, US lawmakers arrived at a consensus on making the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan conditioned-based rather than arbitrary.
The bill allocates 15.5 billion for contingency operations, including in Afghanistan, the US House Armed Services Committee said, after a ...
US Freezes $700m in Aid to Pakistan
December 14, 2011
WASHINTON - Fertilizer used in many IEDs targeting coalition troops comes from two factories in Pakistan. Pakistan warns decision will further worsen already bad ties between the two countries NATO air strike which killed Pakistan soldiers and secret raid which killed Osama bin Laden exacerbate frosty relationship U.S. has given $20bn in military and economic aid to Islamabad since Afghanistan war started in ...
Afghan Policy Under Review: Pakistan
December 14, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Tuesday said the government was reviewing its policy on Afghanistan because a "prosperous, stable and peaceful" neighbor was in the best interests of ...
US Troop Withdrawal Made Conditions-Based
December 14, 2011
WASHINGTON - Reaching an agreement on the $662 billion Defense Authorization Bill for the year 2012, US lawmakers arrived at a consensus on making the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan conditioned-based rather than arbitrary.
The bill allocates 15.5 billion for contingency operations, including in Afghanistan, the US House Armed Services Committee said, after a ...