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Karzai Due in Islamabad for Trade Talks
June 08, 2011
ISLAMABAD - President Hamid Karzai will travel to Islamabad on June 10 for talks on implementation of a recent trade accord and a joint counter-terrorism drive, officials said on Tuesday. Afghan deputy minister of foreign affairs, Javed Lodin, visited Pakistan on Monday to firm up the agenda for Karzai's meeting with Pakistani officials, Afghan Press Attaché Zardasht Sham told reporters...
ISAF Concerned About Civilian Deaths: Gen. Blotz
June 07, 2011
KABUL- Civilian casualties in Afghanistan are not intentional and foreign forces are seriously concerned about such incidents, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Monday. "We are doing our best to curb civilian deaths, which have been reduced this year, compared to 2010," Gen. Josef Blotz told a press conference in Kabul.
Reports issued by human rights organisations and the UN for 2010 show that 2,700 civilians lost their lives in the Afghan war during the year, indicating a 15 percent increase in civilian casualties, ...
Official Cautions on Pullout Effort
June 07, 2011
KABUL - Al-Qaida, even without Osama bin Laden, has "tremendous recruitment potential," the national security adviser to President Hamid Karzai warns. Rangin Spanta cautioned against any effort to speed up the pullout of U.S. troops in the wake of the May 2 killing of bin Laden by a U.S. SEALs team during a raid on his compound deep...
Obama Meets with Advisers on Afghanistan
June 07, 2011
WASHINTON - President Obama will meet with his national security team Monday to discuss the war in Afghanistan, less than a month before he announces if and how he will abide by his pledge to start the drawdown of troops there this July.
The session at the White House is a monthly occurrence. But this month’s gathering comes as the president is facing pressure on...
MPs to Meet Karzai on Cabinet Picks
June 07, 2011
KABUL - A parliamentary delegation is expected to meet President Hamid Karzai on the special election tribunal and introduction of cabinet nominees to lawmakers for a trust vote, the Wolesi Jirga deputy speaker said on Monday.
A day earlier, Parliament announced a 15-day delay in its summer recess to help Karzai finalize...
AG Unable to Sue Corrupt Officials
June 07, 2011
KABUL - Foreign support of top government officials has restricted the Attorney General's ability to sue corrupt officials.
Amanullah Eman, a spokesman for Attorney General's Office said records of 25 top government officials are under the observation of this institution, but some foreign circles do not want us to bring these officials to...
Petraeus Vows End to Night-Time Raids
June 06, 2011
KABUL- The top NATO commander in Afghanistan on Sunday promised an end to nighttime airstrikes on civilian houses during operations against insurgents. Gen. David Petraeus said keeping in view President Hamid Karzai's concern, NATO-led forces would try their level best to avoid civilian killings in future operations.
He held out the assurance at a high-level meeting of National Directorate of Security (NDS) officials at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Karzai's spokesman said in a...
MTN Organizes Free Computer Classes
June 06, 2011
KABUL – MTN Afghanistan has launched a program of 21 days of Y’ello Care from June 01, 2011. MTN users all over Afghanistan will devote all their energies to help society through launching campaigns on keeping environment clean and green, making people aware of hazardous effects of Drugs, free computer classes, helping orphan...
No Risks to Be Taken in Troop Drawdown: Gates
June 06, 2011
KANDAHAR - The gradual withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan set to begin next month will be done responsibly and will not expose other coalition and Afghan forces to undue risks, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday.
General David Petraeus, commander of the 150,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, will soon make recommendations to President Barack Obama...
Parliament Delays Summer Recess
June 06, 2011
KABUL- Parliament on Sunday announced a 15-day delay in its summer recess to let President Hamid Karzai finalize his long-awaited list of Cabinet choices for a vote of confidence from lawmakers.
Karzai was expected to send on Saturday the list of ministers-designate and other high-ranking officials of independent...
Success is the Only Real Option in Afghanistan: Gates
June 05, 2011
KABUL - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived on his final trip to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief on Saturday, acknowledging Americans have grown tired of war but warning that success was imperative because failure would be the most costly result.
Gates, who steps down as U.S. defense secretary at the end of June, said in remarks en route to Afghanistan that continued military pressure on the Taliban could improve prospects for political reconciliation talks, but he also appeared to leave open the...
Militant Groups Ready for Peace Talks: Rabbani
June 05, 2011
KABUL- The High Peace Council has held talks on reconciliation with all opposition groups in a bid to halt the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, the panel's chief told Parliament on Saturday.
Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani who, along with other members of the peace body, was summoned to the lower house, informed lawmakers that the groups had evinced an interest in joining the peace...
Karzai Fails to Keep Promise on Cabinet Picks
June 05, 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has once again failed to keep his promise of sending a complete list of cabinet choices to the Wolesi Jirga, lower house of Parliament, for a vote of confidence.
Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi informed the house on Saturday the president had phoned him that since the list was still being prepared,...
US Supports Project to Improve Labor Laws
June 05, 2011
KABUL – The U.S. Department of Labor has funded a three-year project to strengthen labor law and administration in Afghanistan. The program was launched by the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MOLSAMD) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations agency dealing with work and work-related...
Afghans Turning Against Insurgents: ISAF
June 04, 2011
WASHINGTON - Local Afghans are increasingly turning against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, a top International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) official has said.
It was reflected in information being given by Afghans against the extremist groups, ISAF Joint Command Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Michael Krause said on Wednesday.
There had lately been a significant increase in the number of foreign fighters sneaking into...
Pentagon Hails Indian Help to Afghan Forces
June 04, 2011
WASGHINGTON - The US Department of Defense has welcomed a report about India's pledge to provide help for strengthening Afghan security forces.
"We do not have any specifics on this, but if this is about helping to train Afghan national security forces, that is a positive thing," a Pentagon spokesman said on...
India to Phase Out Duty on Imports From Afghanistan
June 04, 2011
NEW DELHI - India will allow duty-free imports from Afghanistan over a five-year period, giving almost all products from that country zero-duty access to the Indian market.
The scheme will be implemented over a period of five years through 20-per cent tariff reduction on the current applied rates each year.
This is part of the government's economic package for least...
Zardari for Strong Pak-Afghan Parliamentary Contacts
June 04, 2011
ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday stressed for frequent exchange of parliamentary delegations between Pakistan and Afghanistan and urged for forging stronger links among women parliamentarians in the two countries. Talking to a delegation of Afghan women parliamentarians at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad,...
India to Help Strengthen Afghan Security Forces
June 02, 2011
NEW DELHI - India is committed to building strengthening Afghan security forces, Defence Minister AK Antony assured his visiting Afghan counterpart Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak on Wednesday.
During hour-long delegation-level talks, Antony said as a longstanding friend of the Afghan people, India remained "fully committed" to supporting that country in its reconstruction and development efforts.
He conveyed New...
Despite Warning, Karzai Knows U.S. is an Ally: Gates
June 02, 2011
HONOLULU - President Hamid Karzai recognizes that the United States is a friend and ally even as he warns that civilian casualties in Afghanistan risk making U.S.-led troops appear to be an occupying force, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday.
Gates, who spoke to reporters in Hawaii while en route to an Asian...
McDonough Emphasizes U.S. Commitment to Afghanistan, Central Asia Politics
June 02, 2011
>WASHINGTON - U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough traveled to Afghanistan and Uzbekistan during the last four days of May to underscore the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan and to a long-term relationship with Central Asia, National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said on Wednesday.
In Afghanistan, McDonough held meetings in Kabul with U.S. and...
US House Proposes $13b for Afghan Security Forces
June 02, 2011
WASHINGTON - The US House Appropriations Committee a draft Defence appropriations bill, allocating $13 billion for training and equipping of Afghan security forces in 2012.
Released on Tuesday, the draft bill also includes $475 million for Afghan Infrastructure Fund during the fiscal year ending on September...
US Becoming an ‘Occupying’ Force: Karzai
June 01, 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai warned Tuesday that the US-led foreign military in Afghanistan risks becoming an "occupying force" if air strikes which cause civilian casualties continue.
In some of his strongest remarks yet, Karzai harked back to Afghanistan's long history of "dealing with occupying forces" such as the Soviet Union and reiterated that bombing the homes of ordinary Afghans was now "banned."
The outspoken comments came after he issued a "last warning" on Sunday to foreign forces over civilian casualties,...
Attacks on Houses ‘Necessary’: NATO
June 01, 2011
KABUL - A NATO spokesperson says attacks on houses in Afghanistan are necessary and will continue, despite Afghan President Hamid Karzai's assertion that he will no longer permit them to take place.
Karzai took a hardline stance Tuesday against NATO airstrikes on houses, following an attack over the weekend that claimed the lives of women and...
Better Ties with Pakistan Needed for Peace: Karzai
June 01, 2011
KABUL - Friendship and lasting cooperative ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan are the way forward for regional stability and peace, President Hamid Karzai has said. "Please take a message of deepest love from Afghanistan to Pakistan," Karzai told visiting lawmakers on the conclusion of the 5th round of Pak-Afghan Parliamentarians Dialogue in Kabul. The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and...
Merkel, Singh Discuss Afghanistan and Fight Against Terror
June 01, 2011
NEW DELHI - Visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday reviewed regional security and pledged to work together against terrorism and promote stability in South Asia. The situation in Afghanistan with a projected withdrawal of NATO forces by 2014 and the efforts to engage with sections of the...
Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz: Nighttime Raids to Continue
May 31, 2011
KABUL - Despite President Hamid Karzai's orders for an immediate stop to nighttime raids, the NATO-led force said on Monday it would go ahead with the operations. On Sunday, Karzai issued a final warning to NATO-led troops over civilian deaths -- hours after 14 non-combatants were killed in a new airstrike in southern Helmand province. The fatalities resulting from a raid in Nawzad district included women and children, said the governor's spokesman Daud Ahmadi....
KB Audit to Start Next Week: Fitrat
May 31, 2011
KABUL - An audit about the issue of country's biggest private-sector financial institution, Kabul Bank, would start next week, the central bank governor announced on Monday. Funded by Canada and the United Kingdom, the audit would be completed in six months, Da Afghanistan Bank chief Abdul Qadir Fitrat told a news conference in...
Legislators Lose Patience with Acting Ministers
May 31, 2011
KABUL - A number of Wolesi Jirga members said on Monday that activities of acting ministers were illegal and called for pressurizing the government to replace them with immediate effect. Last year, Parliament endorsed a law allowing acting ministers to run some ministries for a month to give the president time to complete...
EU Ambassadors Met with Members of the Wolesi Jirga
May 31, 2011
KABUL - Head of the European Union Delegation in Afghanistan and EU Special Representative, Ambassador Vygaudas Usackas together with the ambassadors of EU Member States met on Monday, with the members of the Wolesi Jirga Administrative Board, the heads of parliamentary committees and the Secretary General of the Wolesi Jirga. "The...
President Hamid Karzai: US-Led Operations “Arbitrary” and Unnecessary
May 30, 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai called on the US military on Sunday to avoid operations that kill civilians, saying it was his "last warning" to Washington after 14 people allegedly died in an air strike. Reacting to the alleged deaths of 10 children, two women and two men in an air strike on Saturday in the southern province of Helmand, Karzai said such incidents were "murdering of Afghanistan's children and women."
"The president called this incident a great mistake and the...
Mujaddedi to Head Preparatory Body for Loya Jirga
May 30, 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has appointed Sibghatullah Mujaddedi as head of a preparatory commission for an upcoming Loya Jirga on strategic cooperation with the US. The traditional jirga would be held to take a decision on signing the strategic cooperation pact between Afghanistan and the US, a government-run news agency reported on Sunday. Mujaddedi, the...
New Kandahar Police Chief Vows Reforms
May 30, 2011
KANDAHAR - Border police commander for the southern region, Brig. Gen. Abdul Raziq, took charge as new police chief for Kandahar province on Sunday. Replacing the slain police chief, Khan Mohammad Mujahid, Raziq assumed charge at a ceremony at the governor's house.
The ceremony was attended by foreign and Afghan security officials,...
Turkmenistan to Increase Power Export to Afghanistan
May 30, 2011
KABUL - Turkmenistan has agreed to considerably increase the export of electricity to Afghanistan, the Presidential Palace in Kabul said on Sunday. Currently on a visit to the neighboring country, President Hamid Karzai signed four agreements with his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The agreements envisage power, railway, cultural and trade...
We Had Prior Info about Bomb Assault: Taqwa
May 30, 2011
KABUL - The government had prior information regarding the suicide attack on his office in Taloqan, the capital of northern Takhar province, the governor said on Sunday. They had received an intelligence tip about the attack and the bomber's mobile phone number Abdul Jabbar Taqwa told a press conference, a day after the brazen...