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Jirga on BSA: Karzai’s Move Seen as A Flop
November 26, 2013
KABUL - Political analysts and lawmakers on Monday accused President Hamid Karzai of resorting to delaying tactics on signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) in an effort to ...
Presidential Runners’ Names Placed on Ballot Paper
November 26, 2013
KABUL - A lucky draw, organized by the Independent Election Commission (’IEC), on Monday gave each candidate for the 2014 presidential elections a place on the ballot ...
Rice to Meet Karzai in Kabul
November 26, 2013
KABUL - U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice has arrived in Afghanistan and will meet with President Hamid Karzai, the White House said on ...
Jirga Endorses BSA
November 25, 2013
KABUL - Afghan tribal elites concluded a four-day Loya Jirga on Sunday, endorsing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the United States, which allows a residual U.S. troops to remain ...
Karzai Looking Out for Himself: Abdullah
November 25, 2013
KABUL - Presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah has argued that recent statements and moves by President Hamid Karzai indicate he is abusing the security pact negotiation process and preparations ...
Mujadadi Claims He Will Leave Afghanistan if BSA Not Signed
November 25, 2013
KABUL - On the last day of the Loya Jirga in Kabul, on Sunday, the gathering's Chairman, Sebghatullah Mujadadi, said that if President Hamid Karzai did not follow the Jirga's recommendation ...
IEC Announces Final List of Candidates
November 21, 2013
KABUL - The Independent Election Commission (’IEC) announced the final lists of presidential and provincial candidates on Wednesday, a day after the electoral watchdog announced completion ...
UN Welcomes Final List of Candidates
November 21, 2013
KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Wednesday welcomed the announcement of the final list of candidates for the 2014 presidential and provincial council ...
Loya Jirga to Approve BSA, Hopes White House
November 21, 2013
WASHINGTON - The White House on Tuesday said negotiations on BSA were still going on even as the general agreement had been in place since last month when Secretary of State John Kerry travelled to ...
Kabul All Set to Host Jirga on US Security Deal
November 21, 2013
KABUL - Kabul will host an epoch-making consultative Loya Jirga from Thursday (tomorrow) to Sunday to debate the nitty-gritty of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US and advise the ...
No Exit Policy, India Assures Afghanistan
November 19, 2013
NEW DELHI - India on Monday assured Afghanistan that its $2 billion humanitarian aid pledge was just the beginning of a process to reach out to the provinces and districts of the war-torn ...
Civil Society Sees No Need for Loya Jirga
November 19, 2013
KABUL - Afghanistan’s Civil Society Network (ACSN) on Monday said there was no need to convene a Loya Jirga on the security pact with the US in the presence of ...
Days before Jirga, Negotiations Over BSA Hit Wall
November 19, 2013
KABUL - Just three days before the Loya Jirga begins discussing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), Afghan and U.S. officials told The New York Times the negotiations are in a deadlock over the issue of ...
India to Hold Conference on Business with Afghanistan
November 18, 2013
KABUL - A two-day conference entitled "Trade With Afghanistan" is set to begin in New Delhi, India on Monday. Janan Mosazai, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ...
Karzai Approves List of Jirga Participants
November 18, 2013
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai approved the list of the Loya Jirga participants on Sunday. The event is expected to begin on Thursday at the Polytechnic University in Kabul, with some 3,000 leaders from ...
Regional Efforts for Afghan Stability Stressed
November 18, 2013
KABUL - Representatives of Afghan and regional countries’ policy groups on Sunday signed a joint declaration calling for peace and stability in Afghanistan, officials ...
Senators to Boycott Jirga
November 18, 2013
KABUL - A number of Afghan Senators on Sunday have voiced criticisms of the upcoming Loya Jirga and said that they would not participate in the ...
Officials Meddling in Polls to Be Sacked: Karzai
November 17, 2013
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai on Saturday asked government officials and foreigners not to middle in presidential and provincial elections, warning violators of removal from ...
Karzai Stresses Iran’s Role in Afghanistan’s Stability, Development
November 17, 2013
TEHRAN - President Hamid Kazai, in a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour in Kabul, underlined the importance of talks and ...
New Partnership with Afghans in Sight: Kerry
November 17, 2013
WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday said they were closer than ever to completing a new partnership agreement, which would define the long term relationship between Kabul and ...
Opium Crop Cultivation Rises A Record 36 Per Cent: Survey
November 16, 2013
KABUL – Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan rose 36 per cent in 2013, a record high, according to the 2013 Afghan opium survey released in Kabul by the Ministry of Counter Narcotics and the ...
Final Candidate List Delayed: ECC
November 16, 2013
KABUL - The final list of eligible Presidential and Provincial Council candidates of the spring elections was scheduled to be released on Saturday, November ...
Women’s Turnout Weak in Voter Registration Third Round: IEC
November 16, 2013
KABUL - The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said after the third round of the voter registration process ended on November 11 that turnout from Afghan women had been disappointingly ...
Afghanistan, Anti-Terror Measures Dominate RIC Meeting: Salman
November 12, 2013
NEW DEHLI - Terming the situation in Afghanistan as the "greatest concern" for the region, India along with Russia and China demanded "additional measures" from the ...
Hidden Agenda for Loya Jirga: Senators
November 12, 2013
KABUL - A number of Senators on Monday voiced concerns that additional items to the Kabul-Washington security pact were being planned for the agenda of the upcoming Loya Jirga being convened ...
Decision on Troop Pullout After BSA: UK
November 12, 2013
LASHKARGAH - British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond on Monday said his country would decide on pulling out troops from Helmand province with after the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement ...
Civilian Casualties Up By 60pc in Western Zone
November 11, 2013
HERAT CITY - Civilian casualties rose by 60 percent in western Afghanistan over the past 10 months, when 230 women and children were killed in roadside bomb explosions alone, a UN official said ...
Senate Debate on New ID Cards Inconclusive
November 11, 2013
KABUL - After a furious debate on whether or not to mention tribe’s name in computerized identity cards, Meshrano Jirga members on Sunday staged a walkout from the upper house, leaving the ...
ECC Assigns New Group to Review Challenges
November 11, 2013
KABUL - Nader Mohseni, the head of the Electoral Complaints Commission’s (ECC) Secretariat, on Sunday announced that a delegation had been charged with reviewing the bevy challenges ...
No Guarantees on Pakistan and Peace Process: MoFA
November 11, 2013
KABUL - Trilateral talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan and England were said to have gone well last week, however, according to Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokesman Janan ...
Turkey Aiding Afghan Peace Drive: Envoy
November 10, 2013
KANDAHAR - During his maiden visit to Kandahar, Turkish Ambassador, Bassat Ozturk, met the governor, provincial council and commerce and industries chiefs on ...
One Million Afghans Suffer from Drug Addiction: Report
November 10, 2013
KABUL - Nearly one million Afghans have been suffering from drug addiction, according to a report issued in Kabul on ...
Afghanistan Troop Increase Unpopular: Poll
November 10, 2013
WASHINGTON - Fewer than one in three Americans believe the number of troops in Afghanistan should be increased, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds, despite a leaked memo from General Stanley ...
Pakistan to Sponsor Additional 600 Afghan Students for Higher Studies
November 10, 2013
KABUL - Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, while addressing a sending off ceremony arranged by the Pakistan Embassy for Afghan students proceeding to various Pakistani ...
Half of Budget Unspent By Most Govt. Offices: Auditors
November 09, 2013
KABUL - The Afghan Supreme Audit Office, charged with scrutinizing the finances of government ministries and institutions, has reported that 20 government offices have failed to spend 50 ...