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Four Airlines Banned in Afghanistan
May 10, 2011
>KABUL - Transportation and Aviation Ministry has stopped four airlines to operate in Afghanistan mainly because of flying substandard aircraft. Transportation and Aviation Ministry Spokesman declined to disclose names of the airlines, but said the companies were providing cargo services.
The Ministry said after the crash of an aircraft belonging to Pamir Airways, a private Afghan Airline, we are seriously monitoring air...
Mullah Omar Probably in Pakistan: Reidel
May 10, 2011
KABUL - There have been reports for a long time that Taliban leader Mullah Omar is hiding in Karachi, which I think is almost certainly true, Bruce Riedel a US terrorism expert and a former advisor to President Obama has said.
Dier Spiegel has interviewed Bruce Riedel about the impact of Bin Laden's death on al-Qaeda network and how the US should respond to the...
Osama Death Won’t Affect Security Transition: NATO
May 10, 2011
KABUL - A senior NATO civilian official on Monday said the death of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan wouldn't have any impact on security transition process at all.
At a joint press conference with NATO Spokeswoman Gen. Christine Whitecross, Deputy C ivilian Spokesperson for NATO Chris Chambers said the transition process is unchangeable and will continue unaffected...
Taliban Lose 23 Fighters in Kandahar
May 09, 2011
KANDAHAR - Afghan police and soldiers put down a weekend offensive by Taliban militants in Kandahar that saw 23 rebels killed, government officials said.
The Interior Ministry said the assault began Saturday from a Taliban staging center at a hotel, the Los Angeles Times reported. Militants tried to storm the regional governor's residence and a federal...
Japan to Fund Peace Process in Badghis
May 09, 2011
QALA-I-NAW - Japan will provide $5 million (228.4 million Afghanis) in donation for the Afghan government-initiated peace process in northwestern Badghis province, a Japanese diplomat has said.
Seiji Okada, Japan's deputy ambassador to Afghanistan made the pledge during a visit to the province on Saturday. "The aim of my visit is...
USAID Supports Afghan Projects Worth $5bn
May 09, 2011
KABUL - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Sunday said projects at the total cost of $5bn are underway in Afghanistan.
Deputy US Ambassador to Afghanistan Anthony Wayne said some of the projects are infrastructure projects that will cover different provinces in...
Be Ready for Al-Qaeda Reprisal Attacks, UN Warns
May 09, 2011
>KABUL - The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned Afghanistan and its neighboring countries of reprisal attacks by Al Qaeda after the death of its leader in last week's US commando operation in Pakistan.
Ban, who met with President Hamid Karzai in Turkey, said that regional countries should be prepared for threats of Al Qaeda attacks,...
Special Tribunal to Unseat 80 Parliamentarians
May 08, 2011
KABUL - The Special Electoral Tribunal has decided to unseat more than 80 lawmakers in the House of Representatives, legislators said on Saturday.
Based on exact information about investigative processes of the special tribunal, it is planning to make the result of its probes public in a matter of days, Parliamentarians said.
"Recently, Special Tribunal along with justice organizations...
MPs Renew Call for Karzai to Complete Cabinet
May 08, 2011
KABUL - Wolesi Jirga members on Saturday once again renewed their call for President Hamid Karzai to introduce his remaining Cabinet ministers to the house for a vote of confidence.
In 2009, Karzai introduced his 24 cabinet picks to the Parliament, but only seven of them were able to get the trust vote, with the house rejecting most of...
Circles in Pakistan Govt. Cooperate with Terrorists: Karzai Spokesman
May 08, 2011
KABUL - There are circles inside Pakistani government that are cooperating with terrorist groups, President Karzai's Deputy Spokesperson said on Saturday.
Deputy Spokesperson for President Karzai Seyamak Herawi remarked that Afghan government has consistently suggested to the international community and Pakistan's government to keep an eye on organizations...
Lawmaker Proposes Pak-Afghan-Iran Counterterrorist Cooperation
May 08, 2011
TEHRAN - Senior Iranian lawmaker Kazem Jalali proposed on Saturday a tripartite cooperation among Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan in fighting against terrorism, the English language satellite PressTV reported.
Such a cooperation will help eliminate U.S. presence in the region, Jalali, spokesman for Iranian Parliament's National Security and...
Abdullah, Saleh Deadest Against Deal with Taliban
May 07, 2011
KABUL - President Hamid Karzai's principal political rival on Thursday warned of mobilizing street protests if the Afghan government did not heed his views on dealing with the Taliban insurgency.
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, leader of the Coalition for Change and Hope, and former intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh vehemently opposed peace with the Taliban who executed orders from foreign spy services and spilled the blood of innocent Afghans.
Addressing a huge gathering...
Bin Laden Death Game-Changer for US Military in Afghanistan: Gates
May 07, 2011
WASHINGTON - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the killing of Osama bin Laden could be game-changer for the U.S. military in Afghanistan by splitting the native Taliban from the al-Qaeda terror network.
Gates took questions for about 35 minutes Friday from about 300 airmen at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina.
US Must Get Out of Afghanistan: Pelosi
May 07, 2011
WASHINGTON - Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, the United States should end its war in Afghanistan, says House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. She also says, like many others, that bin Laden’s death doesn’t erase the threat of terrorism against the United States, CNSNews.com reports.
Pelosi’s comments during a news conference on Capitol Hill...
Clinton Hopes Taliban will Join Political Process
May 07, 2011
>WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hopes the Taliban would renounce Al Qaeda and join the political process.
"I think it (Osama's death) opens up possibilities for dealing with the Taliban that did not exist before," Clinton told in remarks to the National Conference of Editorial Writers. On...
Pakistan Should Hand Over Taliban Leaders to Afghanistan: MPs
May 07, 2011
KABUL - Pakistan should hand over the remaining senior Taliban leaders to Afghanistan, some Afghan MPs said on Thursday.
Lawmakers urged the international community and the government to apply more pressures on Pakistan so that the country starts acting honestly in the fight against terrorism and detention of senior...
Bin Laden Death Won’t Change Afghan Plan: Obama
May 07, 2011
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama told "60 Minutes" Correspondent Steve Kroft on Thursday the death of Osama bin Laden won't change U.S. plans for Afghanistan.
Kroft observed that, "There are people in Congress -- influential people now, on both sides of the aisle -- who are saying
Sovereignty Core Term for US Strategic Ties
May 05, 2011
KABUL - Afghanistan has identified respect for its sovereignty one of the key conditions presented to the US as part of a proposed strategic cooperation agreement, a presidential advisor said on Wednesday.
"Afghanistan wants to be independent in all its affairs and the US will have to address the security problem by providing training and equipment to Afghan forces," National Security Advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta told...
WB Provides $22mln Grant to Private Sector
May 05, 2011
WASHINGTON - The World Bank Wednesday approved a $22 million IDA grant to help revitalize Afghanistan’s private sector. The Afghanistan New Market Development Project will pilot a business development program in the four urban centers of Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad and Herat, which are the major hubs of economic...
Afghanistan Strategy Unchanged: Hague
May 05, 2011
LONDON - Britain's strategy in Afghanistan has not changed as a result of the death of Osama bin Laden, Britsh Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday.
But he said that the elimination of the terrorist mastermind makes it a "decisive moment" for Afghanistan, when the Taliban should be persuaded to break off links with his al-Qaida...
Laden’s Death will Not Change NATO Strategy: Rasmussen
May 05, 2011
BRUSSELS - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised Wednesday the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden as a "significant success" in efforts to fight global terrorism.
"You may ask what does that mean to NATO and what does that mean to our mission in Afghanistan?" he asked speaking at his...
Osama Death A Shared Achievement: Grossman
May 04, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Afghanistan, Pakistan and United States on Tuesday pledged support for an Afghan-led reconciliation effort to bring peace, security and development to a region haunted by militancy.
After trilateral talks in Islamabad, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and US Special Representative Marc Grossman held out the pledge at a joint news conference.
With the meeting, which took place in a cordial...
Osama Death Good News for Afghans: NATO Official
May 04, 2011
JALALABAD - The new commander of NATO-led troops in the eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday said the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was good news for Afghans and Americans.
Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind behind the devastating 9/11 attacks in the United States, was killed in his luxury mansion in Abbottabad city of Pakistan.
The world's most wanted individual, the multimillionaire Saudi citizen was...
Norway Deemed Best for Moms, Afghanistan Worst
May 04, 2011
NEW YORK - The best place in the world to be a mom is Norway, where maternal and child mortality rates are low, women's life expectancy and years in school are high, and the average maternity leave is about one year, a new study measuring the well-being of mothers and babies shows.
Australia and Iceland join Norway at the top of 8486Save the Children's 12th...
Mullah Omar Also Hiding in Pakistan: US Senator
May 04, 2011
WASHINGTON - An influential American senator has demanded the US Special Forces now target Taliban leader Mullah Omar, who is also hiding in Pakistan, for hosting the Al Qaeda chief in Afghanistan.
"Mullah Omar, who took over after the Russians left, was driven out during our invasion. We believe he's in Pakistan. I would like to capture Omar or kill him because he's the man who invited bin Laden as his guest," Senator Lindsay...
Pakistan Shielded Al-Qaeda Leader for Years: Minister
May 04, 2011
KABUL - The world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, was protected by the Pakistan Army and its powerful spy service, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Afghan interior minister alleged on Tuesday.
Bismillah Mohammadi said tracking down and killing the Al Qaeda leader in a compound a few hundred yards from the prestigious Kakul Military Academy...
Wardak Confirms Failed Bomber Lived in London
May 04, 2011
KABUL - Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak confirmed on Tuesday that the bomber who tried to kill him had lived in London for six years.
A gunman in army uniform entered the defense headquarters, adjacent to the presidential palace, on April 18, and tried to kill Wardak. The man, who was also wearing a suicide vest, was killed in firefight after he fatally shot three army ...
Burial at Sea Was the Best Option: WH
May 04, 2011
WASHINGTON - Burial at sea was the best option available for dealing with Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's body, the White House said on Monday. The funeral was carried out strictly in accordance with Islamic practices.
"The burial of bin Laden's remains was done in strict conformity with Islamic precepts and practices. It was prepared in accordance with the Islamic requirements. We early on made provisions for that type of burial," an ...
Tajikistan Bans 4 Big Afghan Transit Firms
May 04, 2011
KABUL - Tajikistan has stopped four huge Afghan transit companies operating there, Association of Afghanistan Freight Forwarder Companies (AAFFCO) said on Tuesday.
Officials in Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) said Afghan transit companies were providing better services compared to companies running ...
Osama Bin Laden Killed: Obama
May 03, 2011
KABUL- Al Qaeda's elusive chief Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind behind the devastating 9/11 attacks in the United States, was killed in his luxury mansion in Abbottabad city of Pakistan, US President Barack Obama announced. Islamabad confirmed the 'intelligence-driven military operation'.
The most wanted individual in the world, the multimillionaire Saudi citizen was killed on Sunday night during a firefight with American forces in Pakistan, Obama said in a late-night speech at ...
Osama was Murderer of Afghans: Karzai
May 03, 2011
KABUL - Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday described Osama Bin Laden the murderer of Afghans, after the news emerged about Osama's death in an operation conducted by US forces near Pakistani capital.
President Karzai called on the Taliban to take Osama Bin Laden's death as a lesson and renounce violence.
The death of Osama Bin Laden in Abbotabad, near...
Clinton Warns Taliban 'You Cannot Wait Us Out'
May 03, 2011
WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned the Taliban Monday "you cannot wait us out" in Afghanistan, urging the insurgents to break with Al-Qaeda after US forces killed Osama bin Laden. "Our message to the Taliban remains the same, but today, it may have even greater resonance," Clinton told reporters. "You cannot wait us out. You...
WJ Approves Budget
May 03, 2011
KABUL- In an expected move, the Wolesi Jirga -- lower house of Parliament -- on Monday accorded approval to the budget for the current fiscal year. The assembly twice rejected the budget due to various problems in the draft, on March 24 and April 25.
On Feb 8, Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal sent the draft budget to the...
UN, AIHRC Urge All Parties to Stop Civilian Deaths
May 02, 2011
ABUL - The UN mission in Afghanistan has called on all parties to "take all necessary measures to protect civilians" in the Afghan conflict in the forthcoming months.
"We call on all parties to take all possible measures to protect civilians, especially in the forthcoming months when we expect, unfortunately, intensified conflict," UN Chief in Afghanistan Staffen de Mistura said in a statement.
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) views any sorts of...
Budget Set to Be Approved on Monday
May 02, 2011
ABUL - Members of nine parliamentary commissions on Sunday approved the budget for the new financial year that commenced on March 21. The lower house, which twice rejected the draft, is expected to approve it on Monday.
Passed by the Senate, or Meshrano Jirga, the budget was rejected by the assembly, despite Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal's appeal for its early...