Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Afghan-Turkmen Gas Price Agreed

Afghan-Turkmen  Gas Price Agreed

December 14, 2011

KABUL - The Afghan Ministry of Mines on Tuesday announced that Afghanistan and Turkmenistan have agreed upon the price of gas and transit fare as part of the "Afghan Trans" project.
The two countries have reached an agreement and soon the buy/sell agreement of gas will be signed between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, ...

Considerable Progress in Afghan-US Strategic Talks: Crocker

Considerable Progress in Afghan-US Strategic Talks: Crocker

December, 13 2011

KABUL - US ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, on Monday said there has been considerable progress in discussions on strategic partnership between Afghanistan and the United States.
Speaking at a news conference in Kabul, Mr Crocker said he was not sure when the partnership document will be signed, but expressed optimism that considerable progress had been made.
"I absolutely cannot specify when it will be signed because it's ...

Afghanistan Needs International Aid Beyond 2014: Hague

Afghanistan Needs International Aid Beyond 2014: Hague

December, 13 2011

KABUL - British Foreign Secretary William Jefferson Hague says that Afghanistan will need financial aid from International community beyond 2014.
In an exclusive interview with TOLO news, Mr Hague said that countries which attended the Bonn conference in Germany on December 5, ...

Talks on Strategic Pact with US in Final Stages: Ludin

Talks on Strategic Pact with US in Final Stages: Ludin

December, 13 2011

KABUL - Discussions on a strategic cooperation agreement between Kabul and Washington are in their final stages, Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister announced on Monday.
Addressing a joint press conference with German Ambassador Rüdiger König, Javed Ludin said talks on the pact that were briefly stalled by ...

Women Have A Little Role to Play in the Parliament: MPs

Women Have A Little Role to Play in the Parliament: MPs

December, 13 2011

KABUL - Some of the women Members of Parliament (MPs) claimed they had a small role to play in the Wolesi Jirga due to lack of coordination among the women MPs while less importance was given to their ideas. The Parliament in Afghanistan consists of two Houses, the Wolesi Jirga (the National Assembly) and Meshrano Jirga (the Senate). The ...

Gold Worth $1 Trillion Buried in Afghanistan

Gold Worth $1 Trillion Buried in Afghanistan

December, 08 2011

KABUL - A trillion dollars' worth of gold under the hills of war-torn Afghanistan is set to be mined, as the Afghan government starts its tendering process.
There could be more scenes like this gold mine in Nor Aaba, Afghanistan, as the Afghan Ministry of Mines looks for companies to mine its trillion dollars of gold and copper reserves.
The Afghan Ministry of Mines has four separate projects up for grabs, to let global companies mine both gold ...

19 Civilians Killed in Helmand Bombing

19 Civilians Killed  in Helmand Bombing

December, 08 2011

LASHKARGAH - Nineteen civilians, including women and children, were killed in a road side bombing in southern Helmand province on Wednesday, an official ...

Deadly Ashura Blasts Widely Denounced

Deadly Ashura Blasts Widely Denounced

December, 08 2011

KABUL - The US-led international community has strongly condemned the twin explosions in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif that resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of Afghan civilian mourners on the occasion of Ashura. UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed his grief over the bombings, with his ...

Parliament, Ulema Council Denounce Assaults

Parliament, Ulema  Council Denounce Assaults

December, 08 2011

KABUL - Both houses of Parliament and the Afghanistan Ulema Council on Wednesday strongly condemned the suicide attack that killed up to 60 people and wounded more than 160 others.
The blast ripped through a crowd of Shiite worshipers marking the holy day of Ashura at a shrine in the capital. The widely condemned ...

Sherard Slams Afghan Deadline

Sherard Slams Afghan Deadline

December, 08 2011

KABUL - The former British ambassador to Afghanistan has denounced the 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of troops from the country as "tactics without strategy".
Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, ambassador from 2007 to 2009, said the move was "worse than questionable, it's disgraceful" if it was not ...

Karzai Blames Pakistani Group for Attacks

Karzai Blames Pakistani Group for Attacks

December, 08 2011

KABUL - President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday blamed a Pakistan-based group for bomb attacks in three cities that killed at least 65 people on Tuesday, an allegation that could stoke new tensions with Islamabad. The blasts were the worst sectarian attacks in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban government. The largest explosion, at a shrine in ...

London to Back Afghanistan Beyond 2014

London to Back  Afghanistan Beyond 2014

December, 08 2011

LONDON - London is committed to providing support to Afghanistan until it has the ability to sustain itself economically, the British foreign secretary said.
World delegates gathered for an Afghan conference in Bonn, Germany, this week to discuss ways to help the country maintain stability with ...

Strategic Cooperation Pact with Germany on Cards

Strategic Cooperation  Pact with Germany on Cards

December, 08 2011

KABUL - President Hamid Karzai and his German counterpart Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff have discussed a long-term cooperation pact between the two countries, the Presidential Palace in Kabul said on Wednesday.
At their meeting in Berlin, the presidents also agreed on expanding bilateral cooperation in different spheres. Wulff hailed the 2nd Bonn ...

Ashora Observed with Solemnity

Ashora Observed with Solemnity

December, 07 2011

KABUL - Twin blasts in Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif targeted Shiite community Tuesday, killing more than 60 people in one of the deadliest attacks and infusing the 10-year-old conflict with a new danger of sectarian strife.
The Taliban, Afghanistan's main insurgent group, quickly denied responsibility for the bombings, calling the attacks "inhumane and un-Islamic" and urging its fighters not to cause civilian casualties.
Afghan officials said that at least ...

Taliban, HIA Call Bonn Summit A Failure

Taliban, HIA Call  Bonn Summit A Failure

December, 07 2011

KABUL - Key insurgent groups -- the Taliban and 'Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) -- on Tuesday said the Bonn Conference was pointless and that it did not discuss any significant issue.
The meeting concluded yesterday, with delegates from more than 115 countries and international organizations promising to keep supporting ...

Germany and Afghans Plan Partnership Treaty

Germany and  Afghans Plan  Partnership Treaty

December, 07 2011

BERLIN - Germany will negotiate a partnership treaty with Afghanistan with an emphasis on training Afghan police and mining engineers, the two nations' leaders said Tuesday in Berlin.
President Hamid Karzai, who had told an international conference on Afghanistan in Bonn the previous day that Kabul needed billions of ....

Afghans Must Pursue Reform, Democracy: Clinton

Afghans Must Pursue  Reform, Democracy: Clinton

December, 07 2011

BONN - The United States is ready to support Afghanistan over the long haul but the country must carry through on reforms, take responsibility for its own security and build a democracy rooted in the rule of law, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday.
Speaking at an international conference on Afghanistan, Clinton added ...

Russia Cancels $11bn in Afghan’s Sovereign Debt

Russia Cancels $11bn in Afghan’s Sovereign Debt

December, 07 2011

KABUL - Russian Foreign Minister, Sergie Lavrov on Monday said that his country has cancelled more than $11 billion in Afghanistan's sovereign debt over the past decade.
"During the past decade Russia has made a significant contribution to the international effort in Afghanistan. We have written off more than ...

Afghanistan Must Proveit Can Manage Future Aid: IMF

Afghanistan Must Proveit Can Manage Future Aid: IMF

December, 07 2011

BONN - Afghanistan will need to prove to donor nations that it can effectively manage the vast sums of assistance it says it requires years into the future, even as foreign troops go home, a top IMF official said on Monday.
"Even under optimistic scenarios, for the next decade Afghanistan will need an extraordinary degree of donor support to meet ...

Pakistan has Role in Any Talks with Taliban: Karzai

Pakistan has Role in Any  Talks with Taliban: Karzai

December, 07 2011

BERLIN - Pakistan has an important role to play in the Afghan peace process, including in any negotiations with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday.
Speaking in Berlin a day after Pakistan boycotted a conference devoted to helping Afghanistan, Karzai said the two countries needed to work closely together.
"Pakistan's role in any negotiations with the Taliban is very ...

Pakistan will Support Peace Process: Westerwelle

Pakistan will Support  Peace Process: Westerwelle

December, 07 2011

KABUL - Germany's Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, said that Pakistan had signaled it will support the peace process in Afghanistan.
"Pakistan made it very clear that it will continue to support the political process and the stability of Afghanistan." Mr Westerwelle said at a news conference in Bonn yesterday held with his ...

India Wants “Marshall Plan” to Help Rebuild Afghanistan: Report

India Wants “Marshall Plan” to Help Rebuild Afghanistan: Report

December, 07 2011

NEW DELHI - India has urged the international community to stay engaged long-term in Afghanistan to eliminate "sanctuaries of terror" there and called for a Marshall Plan-style initiative to help rebuild the impoverished nation, The Hindu reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told ...

Afghans Need Decade of Help: Karzai

Afghans Need Decade of Help: Karzai

December, 05 2011

BERLIN - President Hamid Karzai appealed to delegates at talks on the future of Afghanistan to support his nation with financial and military aid for a decade after troops withdraw to ensure a stable future, in a magazine interview on Sunday.
The conference in the German city of Bonn, which starts on Monday, takes place a decade after a first Bonn conference on Afghanistan which ended in high hopes for its future.
With concern about security after international troops ...

Bonn Conference Seeks Plans for Afghanistan’s Future

Bonn Conference Seeks Plans for Afghanistan’s  Future

December, 05 2011

BERLIN - A global conference in Germany to discuss Afghanistan's future beyond 2014 comes as the country faces political instability, an enduring Taliban-led insurgency and possible financial collapse following the planned drawdown of international troops and foreign aid. About 100 countries and international organizations will be ...

Pakistan Hinders Talks with Taliban: Karzai

Pakistan  Hinders Talks with Taliban: Karzai

December, 05 2011

KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has accused Pakistan of undermining all talks with the Taliban, AFP reported."Up until now, they have sadly refused to back efforts for negotiations with the Taliban," Mr Karzai told Der Spiegel.
The publication of the comments tomorrow will coincide with the start of a conference in Bonn to discuss the future of ...

Afghanistan and Allies Fail to Prioritize Rights Conditions: HRW

Afghanistan and Allies Fail to  Prioritize Rights Conditions: HRW

December, 05 2011

KABUL - The human rights situation remains "critical" in Afghanistan despite the Taliban's ouster 10 years ago, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said, accusing Kabul and its Western backers of failing to prioritize rights conditions. The US-based group on Sunday said the government had missed opportunities to put the rights of Afghans at the top of the agenda ...

WJ Calls to Summon Ministers over Failure to Use Uplift Budget

WJ Calls to Summon  Ministers over Failure  to Use Uplift Budget

December, 05 2011

KABUL - Wolesi Jirga members on Sunday called for summoning the ministers who could not utilize their development budget during the last solar year.
Addressing the lower house, Fiscal and Budget Commission chief, Amir Khan Yar, said only 39 percent of the 111 billion Afghanis ($2.2b) development outlay had been spent so ...

Gilani Rejects Clinton’s Call for Boycott Review

Gilani Rejects Clinton’s Call for Boycott Review

December, 05 2011

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has rejected US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's call to reconsider the decision on boycotting the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan, slated for Monday. In a telephonic conversation with the prime minister late on Saturday, Clinton said the United States respected Pakistan's ...

Rasoul Urges Foreign Support Beyond NATO Pullout

Rasoul Urges Foreign Support Beyond NATO Pullout

December, 05 2011

KABUL - Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rasoul yesterday appealed for international support for his country after NATO troops pull out at the end of 2014.
"After 2014, we will continue to need long-term support from our friends in the international community," Rasoul said at a discussion forum in the German city of Bonn, ahead of a major ...

US to Give $19.2m to Ministry of Counternarcotics

US to Give $19.2m to Ministry of Counternarcotics

December, 04 2011

KABUL - The United States would give $19.2 million (925 million Afghanis) to the Ministry of Counternarcotics to fight drugs under the Good Performance Initiative (GPI), an official said on Saturday.
The money would go to 17 provinces poppy cultivation was brought down to zero or considerably reduced this year, Minister of Counternarcotics Zarar Ahmad Muqbil said before signing an agreement with US ambassador.
Each of the provinces would be paid $1 million ...

Oil Tankers Not Allowed to Enter Afghanistan

Oil Tankers Not Allowed to Enter Afghanistan

December, 04 2011

KHYBER AGENCY - The Pakistan custom office at Torkham on Friday sent back to Peshawar the tankers carrying commercial fuel for Afghanistan, administration official sources said.
The sources said that the action was taken after the circulation of a latter to custom officials from Pakistan's Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) asking them to halt export of commercial fuel to ...

Change & Hope Team in Bonn to Meet Delegates

Change & Hope Team in Bonn to Meet Delegates

December, 04 2011

BONN - Three representatives of the Change and Hope Coalition, the main opposition grouping, have arrived in Germany ahead of the upcoming Bonn Conference on Afghanistan's future direction.
Former minister of foreign affairs, Mahmud Saiqal, Najib Yousafi and Sultana Pronta are in the German city to meet delegates on behalf of the coalition on the sidelines of the Dec. 5 ...

Britain Provides Private Sector $9m Grant

Britain Provides Private Sector $9m Grant

December, 04 2011

KABUL - The British government would provide $9 million (433.9 million Afghanis) in grant support to the private sector of Afghanistan, an official said on Saturday.
The project would be jointly executed by the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) and the British Department International Development (DFID), AISA deputy head, Mohammad Nasim Akbar, told a news ...

Afghan Mission Unaffected By Supply Halt: US

Afghan Mission Unaffected By Supply Halt: US

December, 04 2011

WASHINGTON - There has been no adverse impact on NATO's Afghan mission as a result of the closure of the supply route by Pakistan, top US officials asserted Friday, saying they were in talks with Islamabad on lifting the blockade. "I wouldn't go into any specific details about any on-the-ground adjustments that are being made as a result of ...

Pakistan’s ‘Invisible Hand’ Felt in Jalalabad

Pakistan’s  ‘Invisible Hand’  Felt in Jalalabad

December, 04 2011

KABUL - Security service said to be highly active in Afghan city as part of Islamabad's bid to check Indian influence. Delegates from more than 90 countries will gather in Germany on Monday to assess the security situation in Afghanistan. A major factor that has long had an impact on the country's stability is neighbouring Pakistan, partly due to its influence on the Taliban. ...