Home » Afghanistan
Taliban Can’t Lift Finger without Pakistani Support: Karzai
October 08, 2011
KABUL- As the war in Afghanistan hit the 10-year mark Friday, President Hamid Karzai claimed the Taliban are being propped up by neighboring Pakistan, saying the militants can't lift a finger without the Pakistanis.
The war will only end when something is done to rout insurgents from ...
Three Million Afghans Hit By Drought
October 08, 2011
KABUL - As Afghanistan marks 10 years since the offensive that toppled the Taliban, a severe drought has hit 14 of the country's 34 provinces.
The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) says that 1/10/afghanistan-facing-severe-drought/"42 million dollars (105 million euros) is needed to feed roughly three million people situated in north and east of the ...
Pakistan Averse to Stable Afghanistan: Obama
October 08, 2011
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has alleged that Pakistan, feeling threatened by a stable and democratic Afghanistan, is hedging its bets in having interactions with "unsavory characters" who it thinks might end up regaining power in Kabul.
"They (Pakistan) see their security interests threatened by an ...
Turkey Extends Command in Afghanistan
October 08, 2011
KABUL - Turkey, acting upon NATO's request, has agreed to lead the Kabul Regional Command (RCC) for one more year.
Taking into account Afghanistan's special place for Turkey and the central role played by the RCC in establishing security and stability in Afghanistan, Turkey has decided to extend its term in the RCC ...
Obama Pressure on Militants Hurts Afghanistan: Pakistan
October 08, 2011
ISLAMABAD - President Barack Obama's warning to Islamabad over suspected ties to militants will only fuel anti-Americanism and make it harder for Pakistan to support US efforts to stabilize Afghanistan, a senior senator said on Friday.
Pakistan is seen as critical to bringing peace to neighboring ...
Six People Arrested Over Plot to Kill Karzai: Mashal
October 06, 2011
KABUL - Six people have been arrested after an alleged Al-Qaeda plot to assassinate President Hamid Karzai involving one of his bodyguards was foiled, officials said Wednesday. Those detained, who also included a university lecturer and students, were found with suicide vests and had been to North Waziristan in Pakistan's tribal belt for training, officials said.
They did not reveal how far advanced the plot was but the men were arrested a week ago and were said to ...
Pakistan Rejects Afghan Accusations Over Rabbani
October 06, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Tuesday rejected Afghan accusations that it had refused to cooperate in the investigation into the killing of Kabul government peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani.
"We completely reject, this is not true," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua told AFP.
"Pakistan stands by its commitment to help Afghanistan in ...
Clinton to Visit Turkey for Afghanistan Talks
October 06, 2011
WASHINGTON - A senior US official has said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Turkey on Nov. 2 to attend a meeting with Afghanistan's neighbors to discuss ways forward for the war-torn nation.
US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman, who is on a visit to Turkey, told the Turkish NTV broadcaster on ...
Senior Haqqani Leader Dead in Khost Airstrike
October 06, 2011
KHOST CITY/KABUL - A senior Haqqani network leader and two of his associates were killed during a precision airstrike in southeastern Khost province, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) announced on Wednesday.
The militant leader killed Musakhel district was identified as ...
Target Killing of Hazaras Continues in Pakistan
October 05, 2011
QUETTA, Pakistan - In yet another ethnic target killing in Quetta, Pakistan at least 14 people from Hazara Community were killed and 7 others were seriously injured.
The killings were carried out on Tuesday morning by unknown gunslingers who were riding bikes and stopped a bus near Akthar Abad neighborhood that was taking around 30 passengers from Hazara Town Burrori to Hazar Ganji, Quetta. They segregated Hazara passengers, dragged them out, made them stand in line and shot ...
French Govt. Provides Euro 5.7mln to Health Ministry
October 05, 2011
KABUL - The French government has provided 5.7mln euros (366 million Afghanis) for the implementation of an improved maternal and child health program in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, an official said on Tuesday.
This program would be implemented by Aga Khan Development Network ...
ISAF Supports Karzai’s Stance on Talks with Pakistan
October 05, 2011
KABUL - Militants have sanctuaries outside Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Tuesday, supporting President Hamid Karzai's stance on peace talk with Pakistan, not Taliban.
President Hamid Karzai on Monday accused Pakistan of failing to ...
Security Situation Alarming in Afghanistan: ICRC
October 05, 2011
KABUL - The International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday that deteriorating security in Afghanistan has impeded access to medical care, driving it to critically low levels in some areas of the country after nearly a decade of war.
"Despite improvements in the quality of life for certain sectors of the population over the past ...
ISI-Backed Groups Active Against Afghan Govt.: Nabil
October 05, 2011
KABUL - Fifteen Inter-services Intelligence-supported insurgent groups are operating against the Afghan government, the acting head of the National Directorate of Security ('NDS) told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Interior Minister Bismillah Mohammadi and the acting NDS chief, Rahmatullah Nabil, were summoned by the Wolesi Jirga to brief ...
Afghanistan and India Sign ‘Strategic Partnership’
October 05, 2011
NEW DEHLI - The leaders of Afghanistan and India have signed a strategic partnership agreement during a visit by President Hamid Karzai to New Dehli, India.
President Karzai met Indian PM Manmohan Singh, who said violence in Afghanistan was undermining security in South Asia.
He also said that India would "stand by Afghanistan" when ...
Text of Agreement on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
October, 05 2011
This Agreement, based on mutual understanding and long term trust between the Sides, envisages the elevation of the multifaceted ties between the two countries to higher levels, both in the bilateral field and in the international ...
Little Money Recovered in Kabul Bank Scandal
October 03, 2011
KABUL - More than a year after the Afghan government seized control of the nation's largest bank because its reserves were being looted, officials have recovered less than 10 percent of the nearly $1 billion that went missing.
The crisis has jeopardized up to $1.8 billion in foreign aid earmarked for Afghanistan because many donors stopped authorizing payments after the International Monetary Fund closed its program here as a result of the scandal. "Unless we solve the Kabul Bank issue" this ...
Senate Supports Karzai’s Remarks on Pakistan
October 03, 2011
KABUL - A number of Meshrano Jirga members on Sunday backed President Hamid Karzai's recent remarks that reconciliation talks be held with the Pakistan government, not Taliban.
It was important to discuss the issue of rebel safe havens with Islamabad to have peace and stability in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai told the National Ulema Council on ...
Gilani Urges Karzai to Stop Suspecting Pakistan
October 03, 2011
MULTAN – Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has called upon President Hamid Karzai to end misconceptions about Pakistan regarding High Peace Council leader Burhanuddin Rabbani's assassination.
Former Afghan President Rabbani, who had been tasked with trying to negotiate a political end to the war in Afghanistan, was killed on ...
Unseated Woman MP Goes on Fast Unto Death
October 03, 2011
KABUL - A woman parliamentarian, unseated by the Independent Election Commission ('IEC) in August, went on hunger strike unto death in front of the Wolesi Jirga on Sunday.
Samin Barakzai, a public representative from western Herat province, was among the nine sitting MPs disqualified by the commission, which ...
UNDP Establishes Provincial Committee
October 03, 2011
KABUL - Provincial Committee for the United Nations Development Programs has been established in Kandahar and will be headed for the Kandahar Governor.
Kandahar Governor Office, Provincial Council, UNDP Provincial Branches, Related Government Administrations, Provincial Reconstruction Team and UNAMA are the stake holders of the committee and will discuss ...
US Using Pakistan as Scapegoat for Failure in Afghanistan: Musharraf
October 03, 2011
ISLAMABAD – Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has accused the United States of using Pakistan as a scapegoat for its failure in Afghanistan.
In an exclusive video link interview with Express 24/7, Musharraf also said that Pakistani forces should use whatever influence they have and tell the Haqqanis not to cross the ...
ISI Behind Rabbani Assassination: Mohammadi
October 02, 2011
KABUL - Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence ('ISI) agency was directly involved in the assassination of ex-president Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghan Interior Minister claimed on Saturday.
The High Peace Council chief was assassinated on September 20 as a result of a suicide attack on his house in the high-security Wazir Akbar Khan diplomatic district of Kabul.
Wolesi Jirga summoned Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak, Interior Minister Bismillah Mohammadi and National ...
Afghans Drop Three-Way Peace Bid
October 02, 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan plans to suspend an effort to work with Pakistan and the U.S. to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, Afghan officials said, taking a tougher line with Pakistan after last week's assassination of Kabul's top peace negotiator.
Senior U.S., Pakistani and Afghan officials had been set to meet in ...
Norway to Host Meeting to Discuss Afghanistan, Regional Co-Operation
October 02, 2011
KABUL - Norway has gathered representatives from India, Iran, Pakistan, China and the US to talk about the situation in Afghanistan, a Norwegian newspaper reported.
About 20 diplomats will meet in Oslo on Friday, the newspaper said.
France, Britain and countries neighboring Afghanistan will also attend ...
President Karzai Meets Jihadi Leaders
October 02, 2011
KABUL - Jihadi Leaders advised Karzai to start his negotiation with Pakistan.
President Karzai met Afghanistan Jihadi Leaders and some political figures yesterday in the Presidential Palace. They exchanged ideas about the present security situation of Afghanistan and strategic ...
14 Provinces Threatened By Drought: Khalili
October 02, 2011
KABUL - A severe drought is threatening 14 provinces of Afghanistan's 34 provinces and Kabul needs 6.8 trillion Afghanis in assistance to deal with the situation, a senior official said on Saturday.
Balkh, Samangan, Takhar, Herat, Badghis, Ghor, Sari-i-Pul, Faryab, Jawzjan, Baghlan, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Daikundi are under ...
Rabbani Murder Plotted in Quetta: NDS
October 02, 2011
KABUL - The mastermind behind former President Burhanuddin Rabbani's assassination was detained and some documents were recovered from him, the spy service announced on Saturday.
The ex-chairman of the High Peace Council was killed on Sept. 20 as a result of a suicide attack at his house in the high-security Wazir Akbar Khan diplomatic ...
US to Withdraw 33,000 Troops By Next Year
October 02, 2011
WASHINGTON - His administration has succeeded in reversing Taliban's momentum, US President Barack Obama has said, hinting at the withdrawal of 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by next year.
"We have seen great progress in our fight against Al Qaeda; we have reversed the Taliban's momentum and we continue to see progress in ...
Karzai Suggests Talks with Pakistan Instead of Taliban
October 01, 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai taking a swipe at neighboring Pakistan, said it was clear the Taliban leadership was not independent enough to make its own decisions about how it conducted the war, and suggested talks with Islamabad instead.
President Hamid Karzai, long a staunch advocate of peace talks with the Taliban, on Wednesday questioned whether the insurgent group was able to seek a political settlement and blamed Pakistan for fomenting instability. "During our three-year efforts for ...
France to Start Gradual Afghan Withdrawal
October 01, 2011
PARIS - Sarkozy said troops sent for reinforcement would start returning in a time frame similar to the U.S. force withdrawal. President Barack Obama said Wednesday the United States would pull out 33,000 troops by late 2012.
Sarkozy's office said after he spoke to Obama by telephone "France will begin a gradual withdrawal of reinforcement troops sent to ...
Pakistan to Expand Ties with Afghanistan
October 01, 2011
ISLAMABAD - In an effort to eliminate militancy and bring peace to the region, Pakistan's top political and military leaders have vowed to boost relations with Afghanistan.
"On a priority basis, we need to further enhance our brotherly bilateral relations with Afghanistan at government-to-government, institution-to-institution and people-to-people levels," they ...
India Warns against Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan
October 01, 2011
KABUL - Expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, India warned against any "hurry" in withdrawing troops from the country, saying such a move should be done keeping in mind the ground realities and not just to meet any deadline.
"For peace, stability and security in Afghanistan, it is ...
UNSC Members Back Afghan Peace Drive
October 01, 2011
WASHINGTON - The road to peace is never smooth, members of the United Nations Security Council said, vowing not be deterred by the recent assassination of the former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani.
At a special Security Council briefing on Afghanistan, members ...
NATO Denies Security Worsening in Afghanistan
October 01, 2011
KABUL - The NATO-led international force in Afghanistan has denied that the security situation is deteriorating, after the United Nations reported a rise in incidents.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) late Thursday said that 'enemy-initiated attacks are 2 per cent lower' in the first eight ...