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Taliban Aim to Sabotage Afghan Transition: UK Military
July 12, 2011
LASHKARGAH - Taliban insurgents are trying to sabotage a security handover in the capital of Afghanistan's violent southern Helmand province, but Afghan police and troops can protect the city after a year of preparation, British army commanders say. The late July handover will be a formality, that will make "no difference at all" on a day-to-day basis as Afghans have been in ...
Polio Vaccination Drive Begins in East
July 12, 2011
JALALABAD - A three-day polio eradication campaign aimed at 722,000 children under five years of age got under way in eastern provinces on Sunday, officials said.
The campaign is an initiative of the Ministry of Public Health in eastern Kunar, Nuristan, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces, the director of public health department in Nangarhar, Dr. Baz Mohammad Sherzad, told ...
MPs Criticize New Commission Over Electoral Tensions
July 11, 2011
KABUL – Wolesi Jirga on Sunday in an statement expressed objection to the new commission's evaluation of an initiative with six articles of Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC), that is made by President Karzai. The representatives warned that no one has the right to change the final result of Parliamentary elections. The House of Representatives has sent a message to Inter-parliamentary Union Office to support the legitimacy of the house. MPs said...
US-Afghan Strategic Talks Enter Second Phase
July 11, 2011
KABUL - Talks for a strategic agreement between the US and Afghan government have begun under a wider framework compared to first phase of talks, a top official in Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The first round of talks for a strategic agreement between Afghanistan and the United States was focused on enduring partnership ...
Turkish Airlines Begins Afghan Flights
July 11, 2011
KABUL - Afghan Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation on Sunday said that "Turkish Airlines" has for the first time begun to fly to Afghanistan. Turkish Airlines will fly to Afghanistan three times a week, Afghan officials said. Afghan officials added that Turkey has committed that will continue ...
Al-Qaeda’s Defeat “Within Reach”: Panetta
July 10, 2011
KABUL - New U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday, saying he believed the strategic defeat of Al-Qaeda was within reach if the United States could kill or capture up to 20 remaining leaders of the core group and its affiliates. Panetta, on his first trip since taking over the Pentagon on July 1, told reporters before arriving in Kabul that now was the time -- in the wake of the May killing of Osama bin Laden -- to intensify efforts to target Al-Qaeda's ...
Pests Cause Crop Damage in Bamyan
July 10, 2011
BAMYAN CITY - Farmers of Koh Mard district in the central province of Bamyan are concerned about the spread of pests that are causing damages to their crops and orchards. The agricultural pests have spread through their farms in the past two weeks, they said. Their harvests and orchards could be seriously ...
Afghanistan, Denmark Sign MoU on Closer Political Cooperation
July 10, 2011
KABUL – A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on political cooperation was signed between Afghan government and the Kingdom of Denmark at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Saturday afternoon. The MoU was signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin and Mr. Anders Cresten Damsgaard, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to ..
Arghandiwal, Zakhilwal Call for A Proper Strategy for Economy
July 10, 2011
KABUL - Afghan Economy Minister on Saturday told parliamentarians that the government should have an accurate strategy for the country's economy. On Saturday Economy and Finance ministers were summoned to the House of Representatives over a skyrocketing increase in food and fuel prices. Economy Minister Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal sees trade transition ...
UN Welcomes Parliamentary Vote Results Announced By IEC
July 10, 2011
>KABUL - Ban Ki-moon's special representative to Afghanistan has once again welcomed the former results of parliamentary elections announced by Independent Election Commission (IEC).
In response to a letter from Afghan House of Representatives, UN Special envoy to Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura wrote that the UN once...
Afghan, Pakistan Forces Agree on More Border Talks
July 10, 2011
KABUL – Military officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to hold more high-level talks to defuse a row over a series of attacks across their porous border, the Afghan defence ministry said Saturday. Officials from both militaries and from the United States met Thursday in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar to discuss a spike ...
World Must Assure it Won’t Abandon Afghanistan: Mistura
July 09, 2011
KABUL - As security transition to Afghan security forces is on track, the international community must reassure that it will not abandon Afghanistan, top UN envoy to Afghanistan said.
Staffan de Mistura, UN special representative to Afghanistan, told the UN Security Council Afghans are worried that they will be forgotten by the world once again. "I know that's not our intention, certainly not of the UN," AP news agency quoted de Mistura as saying.
"I think from the international point of view ...
Fitrat Faces Charges Over Kabul Bank
July 09, 2011
KABUL - The Afghan attorney general's office says it's prosecuting the former governor of the central bank who has fled Afghanistan amid allegations that he played a role in the Kabul Bank scandal. Deputy Attorney General Rahmatullah Nazari says that Abdul Qadir Fitrat and other officials at the central bank will be legally prosecuted. He said ...
Police in Kamdish Under Siege: Badr
July 09, 2011
JALALABAD - Nuristan governor Jamaluddin Badr on Thursday said border police in Kamdish district have been besieged and, with only 160 policemen, are unable to secure the province's 70-kilometre border with Pakistan. In a telephonic interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, the governor said ...
US House Approves $649 Bln for Defense
July 09, 2011
WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives voted on Friday to approve $649 billion in defense spending next year, overcoming opposition from war-weary lawmakers seeking to curb U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Libya. The measure, approved 336-87 in the Republican-dominated House, would raise the Pentagon's base budget for the 2012 fiscal year beginning on ...
US General Confident of Achieving Stability By 2014
July 09, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC - A top American general based in Afghanistan on Wednesday exuded confidence about the troop drawdown beginning this summer. "I believe the transition is on track and we can achieve sufficient stability across Afghanistan by 2014, with the troops redeploying as scheduled," Lt. Gen David Rodriguez, Commander of ...
Karzai Mulls Election Body Plan to Solve Poll Dispute
July 07, 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan's election body has presented a 6-point plan to President Hamid Karzai in a bid to end a standoff between the incumbent and the country's lower house that has thrown the country into political crisis, presidential palace spokesman said on Wednesday.
Last month, a special poll court set up by Karzai threw out results in about a quarter of the seats in the assembly, raising fears of a showdown between the president and
Gilani, Karzai Voice Concern over Militants’ Activities
July 07, 2011
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani telephoned President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday and expressed Pakistan's serious concern over the activities of militants along Pakistan-Afghan border, especially in Dir, Bajaur, Mohmand on the Pakistan side and Kunar on the Afghan side. The Prime Minister conveyed to President ...
No Peace Talks in Place with Anyone: Taliban
July 07, 2011
KABUL - The Taliban on Wednesday said they had not held talks with anyone, including the US, about the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, except about prisoner exchanges. "Once again the West is spreading false propaganda that talks with the Taliban to resolve the conflict are taking place," the insurgents said in a statement. It said the...
MPs Carry Guns into Parliament
July 07, 2011
KABUL - Some parliamentarians are carrying guns to sessions after the special election court disqualified 62 lawmakers in the 349-seat parliament. The special election tribunal was created to probe into allegations of fraud during last year's parliamentary elections. The court found ...
British Prime Minister David Cameron: Taliban Could Have Future in Government
July 06, 2011
KABUL - British Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday Taliban could have a future as part of a government, as former militants did in Northern Ireland, but warned that those who did not lay down arms risked being killed. Speaking alongside President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, Cameron said Britain would also step up aid to Afghanistan as troops were gradually withdrawn and unveiled plans for a new British Sandhurst-style academy to train Afghan army officers. "I've seen...
Karzai Wants 17 Poll Candidates Introduced to Parliament
July 06, 2011
>KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has sent a list of 17 disgruntled candidates from last year's election to the election commission to be seated. Wolesi Jirga after a special court disqualified 62 sitting MPs, a reliable source told Pajhwok Afghan News on Tuesday. The election commission has secretly sent a copy of the list to United ...
Female MPs Brawl in Wolesi Jirga
July 06, 2011
KABUL - An ugly brawl erupted in parliament between two female Afghan MPs on Tuesday after a row seemingly about one of the vice-presidents and ending only when shocked colleagues pulled them apart. Ex-army general Nazifa Zaki, dressed in casual black Afghan dress and head scarf, began arguing with fellow MP Hamida Ahmadzai and then threw...
Special Tribunal Verdict Unconstitutional: FEFA
July 05, 2011
KABUL - The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) on Monday said the special court for electoral complaints had exceeded its mandate and issued an illegal verdict.
FEFA initially welcomed the special court when it appeared that its members were operating within the legal framework of pursuing electoral fraud and criminal charges. But FEFA Executive Director Jan Dad Spinghar told ...
Karzai Meets US Senator
July 05, 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai met with a delegation from the US Senate to discuss the long-term strategic cooperation agreement between Afghanistan and the US, officials said Monday. A statement issued by the Presidential Palace said that Karzai was joined by US Senator John McCain, ranking member of the US Senate Armed...
Parliament Wants to Sever Diplomatic Ties with Pakistan
July 05, 2011
KABUL - Parliament called on President Hamid Karzai's administration to sever diplomatic ties with Pakistan over continuing cross-border attacks in the eastern provinces, and pledged unwavering support of any retaliatory action taken by the government. According to Afghan Border Police, over the past two months Pakistani forces have fired missiles, rockets and artillery shells into eastern ...
Iran to Seal Porous Afghan Border By 2015
July 05, 2011
TEHRAN - Iran will completely seal off its eastern borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan by 2015 to prevent drug smuggling and infiltration of armed groups, media quoted the police chief as saying Saturday. About 90 percent of Iran's eastern borders have already been sealed," Arman newspaper quoted General Esmaeil Ahmadi Moghaddam ...
Troop Drawdown is Unnecessary Risk: Sen. McCain
July 04, 2011
WASHINGTON - A prominent US Republican senator said Sunday the Obama administration is taking an unnecessary risk in drawing down the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," Arizona Sen. John McCain said none of the U.S. military commanders has recommended the drawdown.
President Barack Obama has ordered a troop reduction of 10,000 by the end of the year and another 23,000 by September 2012.
The Marine general who is expected to carry out the president's ...
Tensions between Gov.t, IMF will Not Affect WB Aids: Krafft
July 04, 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan's Ministry of Finance and the World Bank (WB) Sunday signed a $22 million grant from the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) for the Afghanistan New Market Development Project. The grant will help revitalize Afghanistan's nascent private sector which is mainly dominated by small and medium ...
Bamyan Wheat Production Drops
July 04, 2011
BAMYAN CITY - Wheat production in the central Bamyan province decreased by more than 14,500 tons due to drought and lack of rainfall, officials and farmers said on Sunday. The total wheat production of the province was more than 55,000 tons last year. The amount has decreased to 41,000 tons this year, Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and ...
Etisalat, 4th Annual Quran Contest A Huge Success
July 04, 2011
KABUL - Etisalat Afghanistan has begun conducting its 4th Annual Quran recitation contest in Kabul. In the past 3 years the contest has been held annually for participants from all over Afghanistan. The 4th annual contest started on June 30th and the finals will take place on 9th July, where scores of youth under 21 have taken part and the winner ...
Parliament Asks Karzai for Answers
July 04, 2011
KABUL - Some parliamentarians said on Sunday that President Hamid Karzai has spent $80 million of Kabul Bank during his presidential campaigns and bought 75 armored vehicles using money of the bank to carry on his campaign.
Lawmakers called on President Karzai to provide answers to the representatives of ...
103 Militants Killed in Kunar Offensive: Governor
July 03, 2011
ASADABAD - More than 100 Taliban insurgents were killed in a joint operation by Afghan and foreign troops in the Wata Pur district of eastern Kunar province, the governor said on Saturday.
Launched last week, the clearing offensive that concluded late on Friday night targeted militants in the district's Katar, Gambir and Sanga areas, Syed Fazullah Wahidi, told a news conference in Asadabad, the provincial...
Concerns upon Declining of Fruit Exports
July 03, 2011
KABUL - Some of the Afghan fresh fruit exporters are concerned about a decrease in Afghan fruit exports. These exporters on Saturday asked the government to explore other ways, beside Pakistan, to export their fresh fruits to other countries. The exporters said the Afghan government should talk with Pakistan government to facilitate the ways of exports, and if Pakistan does not ...
Int’l Community Committed to Afghanistan Post 2014: Eikenberry
July 03, 2011
KABUL - The International Community, the United States and NATO are committed to an enduring partnership with Afghanistan longer after 2014, top US diplomat said in Kabul on Saturday.
The 235th independence day of the United States was commemorated in a ceremony organised by the US embassy in Kabul on Saturday.
The commemoration...