Home » Afghanistan
Senators Call for Giving Women Due Rights
November, 28 2011
KABUL - A number of Meshrano Jirga, upper house of Parliament, members on Sunday called for giving women their due rights as enshrined in the Shariah. "Women are given their due rights by Islam and the relevant Shariah law be enforced," said Deputy Chairman of Senate ...
Photo Exhibition Organized in Ghor
November 28, 2011
CHAGHCHARAN - A photo exhibition -- "New Afghanistan through Afghan Eyes" -- was held in the western province of Ghor, officials said on Sunday. The exhibition was organized on Saturday afternoon by the Photojournalism Center, with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the US Embassy in ...
SAARC Agree to Curb Human Trafficking
November, 27 2011
KABUL - The fourth technical meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) concluded in Kabul on Saturday with the adaptation of a six-point agreement on preventing human trafficking in member states. The two-day meeting, which discussed measures to combat human trafficking and ensure the welfare of woman and children, was attended by representatives ...
More Students to Be Sent Abroad: Karzai
November, 27 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai on Saturday said efforts were underway to double until next year the number of Afghan students receiving education abroad.
Speaking to members of the recent Loya Jirga from Daikundi, Bamyan, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni and Kabul provinces, Karzai said his government would also double budget for the purpose from the current $5 million ...
Nabeel, Delawari Win Trust Vote
November, 27 2011
KABUL - Eng. Rahmatullah Nabeel was confirmed as National Directorate of Security (NDS) director-general on Saturday, winning 208 votes from Wolesi Jirga, lower house of Parliament, members.
A dozen lawmakers voted against President Hamid Karzai's nominee for the spy chief, who appeared before the assembly for a vote of ...
Opposition View Must for Bonn Conference: Abdullah
November 26, 2011
KABUL - Change and Hope party on Thursday welcomed the second Bonn Conference on Afghanistan's future, saying opposition's views should have been included in the government's agenda.
Led by the Afghan government, the conference, slated for Dec. 5 in Germany, will confer on the country's future, regional cooperation, security transition, signing long-term agreements and the peace process.
Among other issues, the conference will review the progress made in ...
Moon Appoints Kubis New Afghan Envoy
November, 26 2011
KABUL - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday named Slovak diplomat Ján Kubiš as his new envoy to Afghanistan, a challenging post that will be changing hands for the third time in four years. Staffen De Mistura will complete his assignment as the UN special representative and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in ...
KB Bailout Cost to Be Recouped: Delawari
November 26, 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai's choice as Afghanistan's new central bank governor says the state may recover 80 percent of the $850 million it has spent to bail out the country's biggest commercial lender. Noorullah Delawari, who headed Da Afghanistan Bank from 2004 to 2007, has been chosen by Karzai to return to the post, said the president's ...
Mode of MPs Selection for Conference Opposed
November 26, 2011
KABUL - Wolesi Jirga members on Thursday said the selection of lawmakers for participation in the second Bonn Conference through the toss was against the Constitution and undermined the Parliament.
On Wednesday, the lower house decided that four MPs would take part in the upcoming conference, due on December 5. Some members suggested ...
We’re En Routeto Deliver Afghanistan Strategy: British CDS
November, 26 2011
KABUL - The Chief of the Defense Staff (CDS), General Sir David Richards, has said in an interview that in ten years time we will all agree the war in Afghanistan was necessary. General Richards gave an interview about UK operations in Afghanistan to The Times newspaper published. In the piece, CDS spoke about the ...
Success of Afghan War May Not Be Known Until 2020
November 26, 2011
LONDON - Britain will eventually be proud of its role in the Afghanistan war but it could be another decade before its gains are realized, the head of Britain's armed forces said in an interview published in Timeson Thursday. General Sir David Richards, the chief of the defense staff, admitted tactical mistakes had been made but that he had "every ...
Russia Averse to US Bases in Afghanistan
November, 24 2011
KABUL - Russia said on Wednesday it believed that a long-term foreign military presence in Afghanistan would not help maintain security in a region haunted by the twin scourge of terrorism and narcotics.
On Saturday, the traditional Loya Jirga on the strategic cooperation pact with the US concluded with the release of a 76-article declaration, recommending the creation of American bases in the country for a ...
Security Report Ready for Submission to President
November, 24 2011
KABUL - A 150-page draft report on overall security and measures to control the situation would be submitted soon to President Hamid Karzai, the Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.
The draft envisages the lead role for the Afghan National Army (ANA) in ensuring national security, the ministry spokesman, Gen. Zahir ...
Foreign Donors Donate $40m to Help Drought Victims
November, 24 2011
KABUL - The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock said that the international community has donated $40 million to fight winter food shortages resulting from drought in Afghanistan.
The money will be used to provide food to people in northern provinces - including Badakhshan, Ghor, Samangan and Takhar - which ...
Afghanistan will Need Billions in Aid for Years to Come: WB
November, 24 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan could face economic collapse if international assistance is abruptly cut as foreign combat forces are withdrawn, the World Bank warned, stressing that the war-ravaged nation will need billions of dollars in aid for a decade or more. The forecast by the World Bank, released late Tuesday, reflects broader concerns that Afghanistan will enter into a deep recession as ...
Law Protecting Women Has ‘Long Way to Go’: U.N.
November, 24 2011
KABUL - Afghan authorities are failing to enforce the law to protect women from murder, beating, rape and other violence and being sold into marriage and prostitution, the United Nations said on Wednesday. U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) revealed in a report that only a small number of cases of violence against women have been ...
Afghanistan Needs Afghan Owned, Inclusive Reconciliation: Pakistan
November, 24 2011
UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan has called for an "Afghan-owned and inclusive" reconciliation process towards durable peace as it told the world diplomats that pulling Afghanistan out of decades-old troubles depends on sustained cooperation of the international ...
Govt. Ready to Resume Negotiations with Taliban
November, 24 2011
KABUL - Senior official says talks will restart on condition that insurgents establish a political office first The Afghan government is prepared to resume negotiations with the Taliban despite the assassination of its chief peace envoy, Burhanuddin Rabbani, the senior ...
US Republicans Differ on Pace of Pullout from Afghanistan
November, 24 2011
WASHINGTON - Two top Republican presidential candidates clashed over the pace of withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, reflecting a lack of consensus in the main American opposition party.
Republican presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, supported the view of commanders on the ground regarding a timetable to withdraw 30,000
Ahmadzai, Wardak Officials Discuss Security Transition
November, 24 2011
MAIDAN SHAHR - The Security Transition Commission chairman on Wednesday discussed the second phase of the switch with officials and influential figures in central Maidan Wardak province.
Foreigners could not maintain Afghanistan's security and there would be no improvement in the situation as long as Afghans themselves did ...
Foreign Troop Presence Should Not Alarm Neighbors: NATO
November 23, 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan's neighbors should not be concerned about the long-term presence of foreign troops in the country, NATO said Tuesday.
NATO spokesman Dominic Medley stressed that delegates at the Traditional Loya Jirga had agreed over the weekend that any long-term pact with the US would be on the condition that no operations would be launched against any third country from Afghan soil.
"NATO has always said that Afghanistan's neighbors have nothing to fear from the presence of ISAF troops ...
Afghanistan Needs Support During Transition: UN
November 23, 2011
WASHINGTON - Reiterating its commitment toward establishing long-term peace in the country, the UN General Assembly has urged the international community for continued support to Afghanistan during the transition phase. Unanimously adopting a resolution at the end of its annual debate on ...
Ban, Karzai Discuss New UN Envoy’s Appointment
November 23, 2011
KABUL - UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon phoned President Hamid Karzai to discuss the appointment of his new representative in Afghanistan, the Presidential Palace said on Tuesday.
The two leaders discussed the issue late night on Monday. The tenure of ...
Senate Approves 3 Pacts with Foreign Countries
November 23, 2011
KABUL - The Meshrano Jirga, upper house of Parliament, on Tuesday approved three agreements with Iran, Russia and Tajikistan. The draft accords sent to the house on Tuesday had been approved, said members of the Senate Foreign Affairs ...
EU Pledges $2m to Help Feeds Afghans
November 23, 2011
KABUL - The European Union said it will give $2 million in food aid to help people in drought-stricken areas in northern provinces.
Using non-governmental organizations on the ground, the EU will disburse money directly or via cash-for-work schemes to help the local ...
Afghanistan Producing More Opium: Official
November 23, 2011
AGRA - Delegates taking part in a four-day conclave of heads of drug law enforcement agencies here voiced concern over the increase in the area under opium cultivation in Afghanistan.
This produce will eventually find markets through various conduits including the Maldives and Nepal, they ...
1,000 Ton of Gas Reaching Kabul
November 23, 2011
MAZAR-I-SHARIF - One thousands tons of liquefied gas will be supplied Wednesday to Kabul and another 500 tons to northern provinces from the Hairatan Port in northern Balkh province, an official said on Tuesday. The supply would help overcome the gas shortage and reduce the ...
3 Senior Officials Referred to WJ for Trust Vote
November 23, 2011
KABUL - Three individuals picked for senior government positions have been introduced to the Wolesi Jirga, lower house of Parliament, for a trust vote, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Hamayun Azizi said on Tuesday. Eng. Rahmatullah Nabil has been recommended for the National ...
Hunger Threat to Afghans Rejected as Baseless
November 23, 2011
KABUL - The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation has rejected reports that three million Afghans were going hungry due to a drought in northern and western parts of the country.
In a statement, the ministry said the process of distributing tens of thousands of tons of food items had already been launched with the ...
Stable, Sovereign Afghanistan in Pakistan’s Interest: Gilani
November 23, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani reiterating support to Afghan led and Afghan owned peace process said Tuesday an independent, prosperous, stable and sovereign Afghanistan was in Pakistan's interest. He, however, emphasized that Pakistan did not want an Afghan solution that could destabilize Pakistan as was the case last time when three ...
National Front for UN Led Peace Process
November 22, 2011
KABUL - The newly established Afghan coalition, Afghan National Front (ANF), asked on Monday for a UN led peace process. "Lack of capacity and credibility of the present government made us to think that Afghan government led peace process can't deliver. It is not transparent, not comprehensive and lacked strategic approach" said Jawad Sultani, the Deputy Chairman of the People's Unity Party of Afghanistan.
He said that peace process can't be inclusive without the forces ...
Russia “Can’t Understand” US Plans for Afghanistan: Kremlin
November 22, 2011
MOSCOW - The Kremlin has trouble understanding recent US policy announcements that it would pull its troops out of Afghanistan by 2014, but at the same time build new military bases there, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday. 'At least at the first glace, one contradicts the other,' Lavrov said ...
Strategic Pact with UK After Bonn Conference
November 22, 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan would sign a strategic cooperation pact with the United Kingdom after the 2nd Bonn Conference, slated for December 5 in Germany, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said on Monday. Addressing a press conference here, Aimal Faizi said Kabul and London ...
Afghanistan’s Population Reaches 26m
November 22, 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan's population has increased from 24.5 million to about 26 million, an official said on Sunday, quoting figures from Central Statistics Organization (CSO).
In 2009, the country's population stood at 24.5 million and reached 26 million in 2010, with 5.7 million people living in urban areas and ...
ANA Training Mission May Finish Before 2014: Gillard
November 22, 2011
KABUL - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Monday that the country's military training mission in Afghanistan may be completed before the 2014 target date.
Ms Gillard's speech to the Australian parliament raises the possibility that the country may begin withdrawing its troop within the ...