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7 Convicted of Drug Trafficking
September 13, 2011
KABUL - Seven individuals were sentenced from six months to 20 years in jail on charges of drug trafficking, the Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) announced on Monday.
Having defense lawyers to plead their cases, the accused were convicted by an appellant court at the end of an open trial on the basis of ...
Herat Govt. Enforces Strict Cleanliness Rule
September 13, 2011
HERAT CITY - The government warned on Monday of fining and jailing those dirtying the western Herat City, inhabited by a million people.
Gul Ahmad Ramesh, head of the attorney office, told Pajhwok Afghan News a new city cleanliness rule would take effect after an awareness ...
Afghan Refugees in Pak Don’t Want to Return to ‘Chaos’
September 13, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Afghan refugees, who are languishing in Pakistan, have little hope of stability in their home country in spite of ten years of US-led efforts to restore peace.
Many refugees fear chaos in Afghanistan after withdrawal of US troops, the Daily Times ...
EA Distributes Cycle Carts
September 13, 2011
KABUL - As a part of its social activities, Etisalat Afghanistan (EA) distributed 45 cycle carts to needy and unemployed people. The project is expected to help these individuals find a source of income to support themselves and their families. In addition to this, EA has paved the way for many Afghans to find jobs within and outside the ...
Security Transition Doesn’t Mean Disengagement: Crocker
September 12, 2011
KABUL - The US ambassador, reiterating his country's long-term commitment to Afghanistan, said on Sunday that security transition to Afghan forces from their international counterparts did not mean disengagement.
"We are and will remain committed to Afghanistan and the region. We are in this for the long haul.
We are transitioning security responsibility to Afghan forces, but transition does not mean ...
Italy to Cut Military Presence in Afghanistan
September 12, 2011
KABUL - Italy's special envoy said on Sunday his country would curtail its military presence in Afghanistan after 2014, but civilian assistance would continue beyond transition to Afghan security lead.
Franscesco M. Talo told reporters during a trip to Kabul the international community, especially Italy, would continue aiding ...
Truck Bomb Wounds 77 Foreign Troops
September 12, 2011
KABUL - A suicide bomber driving a truck of firewood attacked a NATO base in central Afghanistan, killing four civilians and injuring 77 foreign troops a day ahead of the tenth anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks, NATO and Afghan officials said on Sunday.
The Taliban ...
National Aviation Institute to Be Upgraded as Academy
September 12, 2011
KABUL - Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have promised $25 million (1,183,500,000 Afghanis) for upgrading the National Aviation Institute to an academy, officials said on ...
A Dozen Fighters Killed, Weapons Seized
September 12, 2011
KABUL - A dozen insurgents were killed during separate operations by Afghan forces over the past 24 hours in deferent parts of the country, the interior ministry said on Sunday.
Backed by coalition troops, the forces detained another 22 fighters in Laghman, Baghlan, Kandahar, Logar, Paktika, Helmand and Paktia ...
MTN Foundation Furnishing Schools in Kabul
September 12, 2011
KABUL - In continuation of its efforts to uplift & participate in the social efforts for the people of Afghanistan, MTN Foundation yet again proudly announces that distribution of new furniture including tables, chairs, cupboards, drawers and cabinet to Pule charkhi high ...
Farah PRT Blast Under Investigation
September 12, 2011
FARAH CITY - An investigation into the explosion in the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) compound in western Farah province has been launched, officials said on Sunday
The explosion occurred late on Saturday when unidentified men lobbed a hand grenade into the PRT building, Deputy Governor Mohammad Younus ...
UN Can Help Facilitate Afghan Peace Talks: Ban
September 11, 2011
>KABUL - United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the organization can help facilitate peace talks in Afghanistan. He also urged the international community not to abandon Afghanistan as troops withdraw.
Speaking in Australia ahead of the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks that triggered the war in Afghanistan, Mr Ban remembered the mayhem of that morning, which he saw firsthand from the UN headquarters in ...
Coalition Rejects Parliamentary Team for Talks
September 11, 2011
KABUL - The Coalition Supporting the Enforcement of Law on Saturday rejected a 10-member delegation named by the "Wolesi Jirga" to resolve problems arising out of the Independent election Commission's decision regarding the disqualification of several legislators.
With 104 members in ...
Italy Vows to Assist Afghanistan Beyond 2014
September 11, 2011
KABUL - Italy has promised to stay committed to peace, stability and development in Afghanistan beyond 2014, when Afghan forces will take full security responsibility across the country.
Francesco Maria Talo, Italy's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, held out the pledge during a meeting with President Hamid Karzai on Saturday ...
U.S. Faces Tough Choices on Defense Budget
September 11, 2011
WASHINGTON - Ten years after the United States embarked on a war against terrorism in the rubble of the September 11 attacks, the country finds itself financially exhausted and facing hard strategic choices as it grapples with new budget realities.
After spending heavily for a decade on the wars in Iraq and ...
Arab-American Company to Invest $100m in Food Processing
September 11, 2011
KABUL - An Arab-American company plans to open the biggest food processing company in the region in Afghanistan, creating thousands of jobs, the Afghan Investment Support Agency (AISA) said on Saturday.
ANHAM will invest $100 million in Afghanistan to build a food processing plant and a logistics hub covering 5,000 hectares of ...
Celebrating the History of U.S.-Afghan Relations
September 11, 2011
KABUL– On September 7, over one hundred guests joined officials from the U.S. Embassy, the Afghan government, and the international community for the opening of In Small Things Remembered, a photo exhibition that highlights U.S.-Afghan relations from 1911 to the present. This photo exhibition is being funded by the U.S. Department ...
ANA Strength to Reach 195,000 in October
September 11, 2011
KABUL - The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the international community have agreed to raise the number of Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers to 195,000 by the end of October, an official said on Saturday.
The ultimate goal was even a higher number, Chief of Army Staff ...
US, Allies Fail to Defeat Terror: MPs
September 11, 2011
KABUL - Some parliamentarians believe the United States of America and its allies have failed to root out terrorism during the 10-year war in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.
On September 11, 2001, a number of Al Qaeda-linked individuals hijacked four planes in the US, crashing one of them into the Pentagon ...
Kabul Ready to Help Free Pakistani Children
September 11, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Afghanistan is ready to help release the children kidnapped two weeks ago from the tribal region of Bajaur, the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan said on Saturday.
Pakistani Taliban abducted 25 children from the agency and transferred them to Afghanistan's eastern province of ...
Massoud’s 10th Death Anniversary Marked
September 10, 2011
KABUL - The 10th death anniversary of Afghan national hero Ahmad Shah Massoud was marked on Friday with laying of floral wreaths on his grave and a monument in Kabul.
A ceremony, attended by Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim, Cabinet members, Acting Chief Justice Abdul Salam Azimi and ""'Wolesi Jirga Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, was held at the Massoud Square in ...
Clinton, Spanta Confer on Regional Situation
September 10, 2011
WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Afghan National Security Advisor Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta discuss a wide range of bilateral and regional issues on Friday.
"The secretary and Afghan national security advisor discussed the full range of bilateral and regional issues in their meeting ...
US Promoting Literacy in Afghanistan: Crocker
September 10, 2011
KABUL - The United States reiterated on Thursday its commitment to helping Afghans build a better future for themselves through access to education.
Ambassador Ryan Crocker, addressing a function marking International Literacy Day at the US embassy in Kabul, said: "Literacy is more ...
Syed FazlullahWahidi: Security Agencies Lack Coordination
September 10, 2011
KABUL - Security incidents in eastern Kunar province are a result of inadequate coordination among security agencies, the governor said on Thursday. Syed Fazlullah Wahidi was addressing a gathering of tribal elders, former jihadi commanders and religious scholars from 14 districts of ...
US Says it is Not Seeking Permanent Afghan Bases
September 10, 2011
WASHINGTON - A new strategic partnership is intended to provide a transparent political framework for long-term cooperation between the US and Afghanistan, a State Department spokesperson said on ...
Lavrov Urges NATO to Fight Drugs in Afghanistan
September 08, 2011
MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized NATO's refusal to join anti-drug efforts with the post-Soviet security alliance in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Lavrov was referring to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which unites Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which are transit countries for illicit drugs trafficking from Afghanistan into Europe.
"We want NATO and the CSTO to ...
Crocker Reiterates Continued US-Afghan Partnership
September 08, 2011
KABUL - US Ambassador Ryan Crocker has reiterated the importance of a continued US-Afghan partnership after the security transition from foreign troops to local forces.
Meeting with governors from eastern provinces at an Eid celebration hosted by Regional Command (RC)-East Commander Major General Daniel Allyn and Senior Civilian Representative Paul Folmsbee, Crocker emphasized that ...
Negotiations Between Karzai, Insurgents Not Enough: US Scholars
September 08, 2011
WASHINGTON - Two eminent American scholars on Tuesday said the negotiations between President Hamid Karzai and elements of the insurgency were not enough to bring peace in Afghanistan, calling for the involvement of other countries for a permanent resolution to the conflict.
"Our judgment is that negotiations between Karzai and elements ...
Chinese Company Likely to Win Afghan Oil Extraction Bid
September 08, 2011
KABUL - The Afghan Ministry of Mines on Wednesday said that a Chinese company is likely to win an oil extraction bid in northern Afghanistan.
The Chinese company, CNPC International, has offered 15 per cent of oil to the Afghan government - the highest offer to the government -- encouraging the ministry of mines to award the contract to the Chinese ...
WJ Protesters Block Centre of Kabul
September 08, 2011
KABUL - Hundreds of supporters of would-be Afghan lawmakers, declared winners by a court but losers by an election body, blocked a main junction in downtown Kabul on Wednesday with a makeshift camp, the latest scene in a long-running political ...
Hajigak Iron Ore Gets Bids from India, Iran, Canada
September 08, 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan's richest iron-ore deposit drew bids from an Indian government-backed group, two Iranian contenders and Canada's Kilo Goldmines Ltd., an Afghan official said.
Afghanistan's mines ministry opened the bids yesterday for the estimated 1.8 billion metric tons of ore at Hajigak, 100 kilometers (60 miles) west ...
Iran Concerned About Dam Construction on Helmand River
September 08, 2011
KABUL - Foreign ministry in a letter had informed the energy and power ministry about Iran's concern over the construction of a dam on Helmand River, official sources said on Wednesday.
Officials of both the ministries rejecting Iran's concerns said the Kamal Khan Dam would be built at any cost as Afghanistan had the right ...
Govt. and Int’l Community Fail to Counter Narcotics: Senate
September 07, 2011
KABUL - Meshrano Jirga members on Tuesday said the government and the international community had failed in their efforts to counter narcotics in Afghanistan, asking the authorities concerned to answer questions raised by lawmakers in this regard.
After a prolonged discussion on the issue, the upper house decided to summon the Minister of Counter Narcotics, his deputy and Head of Counter Narcotics at the Attorney General's Office to brief the senate ...
ANA Commandos ConductFirst-Ever Independent Operation
September 07, 2011
KABUL - A commando unit of the Afghan National Army (ANA) carried out its first ever independent operation targeting a militant group linked to the Haqqani network in central Parwan province, the unit commander said on Monday. Brig. Gen. Dadan Lawang told a press conference in Kabul that the operation was conducted by the first battalion of the commando unit two ...
MTN Foundation, Distributing Furniture to the Local Schools
September 07, 2011
KABUL - The MTN Foundation started distribution of furniture which included tables, chairs, cupboards and cabinets to some selective governmental schools in Kabul this ...