ISAF Suffers Casualties in Suicide Blasts

SHARAN - At least 40 security personnel suffered casualties in a suicide car-bomb attack on a joint Afghan-NATO compound in the Barmal District of southeastern Pakitika province, Taliban claimed on Wednesday. The bombing came hours after the killing of two NATO-led soldiers in a suicide attack on a joint base in the restive southeastern province of Khost, neighbouring Paktika. Rebel spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Pajhwok Afghan News over the telephone the attack took place this morning in the Margha area of Barmal. At least 40 Afghan and foreign soldiers were killed and wounded, he said. He added 3,000 kilograms of explosives were used in the blast. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) press office, meanwhile, confirmed the massive explosion, saying several soldiers were wounded. It gave no more details of the incident, which is currently under investigation. On Tuesday evening, a suicide bomber hit a joint Afghan Border Police-ISAF compound in Khost, the 44-nation force said, without giving the victims' names and nationalities. Dwellers of the Ali Sher district claimed hearing a huge blast at the joint base soon after sundown. The troops cordoned off the site of the explosion, they added. At least 122 international service members, most of them from the US and Britain, have been killed in Afghanistan so far during the current year. As many as 520 foreign troops perished in the country in 2009. A provincial security official, who did not want to be named, said the explosion took place at 7pm in the Ghulam Khan border area. The assailant clad in border police uniform blew himself up inside the compound, the source revealed. The Taliban mouthpiece, asserting responsibility for the suicide attack, said 25 Afghan and foreign security personnel were killed. Most of the soldiers based in Khost are Americans, working under ISAF command. The assaults happened as US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited the Marja town of southern Zabul province. The district was cleared of militants as a result of a recent three-week offensive, billed as the biggest since the ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001. (Pajhwok)

WASHINGTON - Despite serious attempts to deal with the problem, illicit ‎drug trade remains a challenge to the overall American counterinsurgency campaign ‎in Afghanistan, says a governmental report.‎ ‎"The illicit drug trade remains a challenge to the overall US counterinsurgency ‎campaign in Afghanistan. Afghanistan produces over 90 percent of the world's opium, ‎which competes with the country's licit agriculture industry, provides funds to ‎insurgents, and fuels corruption," adds the document.‎ According to the report on Afghanistan's opium production by the Government ‎Accountability Office (GAO), since 2005 the US has allotted over $2 billion to stem ‎the production, consumption and trafficking of illicit drugs while building the Afghan ‎government's capacity to conduct counter-narcotics activities on its own.‎ Noting that the US use of total poppy cultivation as a primary measure of overall ‎counter-narcotics success has limitations in that it does not capture all aspects of ‎efforts, the report said the administration was attempting to develop measures that ‎better captured overall success. ‎ US agencies have reported progress within counter narcotics program areas, but ‎GAO is unable to fully assess the extent of progress due to a lack of performance ‎measures and interim targets to measure Afghan capacity.‎ ‎"For example, although Defense is training Afghan pilots to fly interdiction missions ‎on their own, this programme lacks interim performance targets to judge incremental ‎progress. Furthermore, a lack of security, political will, and Afghan government ‎capacities have challenged some counter narcotics efforts," it said.‎ For example, eradication and public information efforts have been constrained by ‎poor security, particularly in insurgency-dominated provinces, according to the 55-‎page report, which says: "In addition, other challenges affect specific program areas. ‎For example, drug abuse and addiction are prevalent among the Afghan National ‎Police." ‎ Poor security, lack of political will and significant variances between provinces ‎challenged efforts to develop and spread appropriate counter narcotics messages ‎across Afghanistan, the document pointed out. "Security concerns largely dictate how ‎often and how far advisory teams can travel outside their base of operations." ‎ The GAO said despite ongoing challenges, including falling short of poppy ‎eradication goals, the US had reported some reductions in poppy cultivation, increases ‎in interdiction operations, the destruction of drug labs and the conviction of drug ‎traffickers in Afghanistan. ‎ ‎"While these are reasonable output measures, absent specific performance targets ‎against which to assess them, they do not sufficiently indicate the success of US ‎efforts to reduce the threat of illicit drugs to the stability, reconstruction, and ‎governance of Afghanistan," the report concluded.‎ (Pajhwok)

KABUL – A group of 22 Kabul Education University (KEU) students walked across the university’s stage on Wednesday in front of a packed auditorium at the university campus to become the first KEU students to receive an Afghan Master’s in Education diploma. The ceremony marked the beginning of a successful U.S. Government-funded post-graduate program at the university, which will enable KEU students to earn a Master’s in Education Degree from KEU without leaving Afghanistan. A group of 19 other KEU post-graduate students were also honored for recently receiving their Master’s in Education Degrees from two universities in the United States- Indiana University and the University of Massachusetts. The Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Professor Mohammad Osman Babury, and U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, presented the diplomas to the students during the ceremony. Deputy Minister Babury underscored the importance of having a program that reaches all of the universities nationwide. “The Afghan Master’s in Education is the best program so far in the country because it is conceived by Afghans, the curriculum was designed with Afghans in mind and it is delivered in Dari,” Deputy Minister Barbury said. “The program is relevant because it matches the long-term goals of Afghanistan and the Ministry of Higher Education considers it sustainable.” Ambassador Eikenberry congratulated all the students, and stressed the importance of having the new graduates use their educational skills teaching students majoring in education at universities throughout Afghanistan. “The Master’s of Education program is a key element in building the capacity of Afghanistan’s education system and the overall development of the country,” Ambassador Eikenberry said. (PR/USAID)

OTTAWA - A Canadian diplomat with extensive experience in Afghanistan says she raised the possibility that detainees transferred from Canadian to Afghan custody were at risk of torture back in 2005, but her concerns were ignored. In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Eillen Olexiuk, who arrived in Afghanistan in 2002 and was second in command at the Canadian Embassy in Kabul, said she told the Liberal government then in power that the transfer agreement didn't do enough to protect detainees. Canadian officials at the time weren't monitoring detainees after the transfer, and that left detainees vulnerable to torture once they were in Afghan hands, said Olexiuk, who met with torture victims during her three years in Afghanistan. She had also written three different human rights reports over three years warning that torture was a common problem in Afghanistan. But Olexiuk said her advice was ignored by Paul Martin's government. "I don't think anybody really cared, quite frankly," she said. It was only in 2007 that allegations of torture arose in the media, with reports of transferred detainees being beaten, whipped, starved, frozen, choked and shocked. After the allegations arose, Stephen Harper's newly elected Conservative government signed a transfer agreement with Afghanistan in May 2007, allowing Canadian officials to visit prisons and track detainees who had been transferred there. Allegations of torture have continued, despite that agreement. Richard Colvin, a senior diplomat with Canada's Afghan mission, testified before a House of Commons committee in November 2009 that detainees continue to be tortured. His testimony renewed debate in Ottawa over the fate of detainees. (CBC)

WASHINGTON - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has announced his decision to appoint a senior German diplomat as his deputy special representative (DSR) for Afghanistan. “The secretary-general has appointed Martin Kobler of Germany as his deputy special representative for Afghanistan, the UN spokesman, Martin Nesirky, told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.Kobler replaces Peter Galbraith of the United States, who was sacked by Ban last year in the wake of a spat with outgoing UNAMA head Kai Eide over the August presidential elections. “Mr. Kobler will be responsible for political issues, including electoral and parliamentary matters, as well as issues related to peace and stability, security sector reform and human rights,” said a UN spokesman. Nesirky added: “With more than 25 years in the foreign service, Mr. Kobler has a vast experience in developing policies for conflict areas. And he most recently served as Director-General for Culture and Communication in Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” The UN Security Council is slated to hold a debate on the current situation in Afghanistan on March 18. It is expected to extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) through a unanimous resolution on March 22. The current mandate of UNANA expires on March 23. (Pajhwok)

ZARANJ - Unidentified miscreants fired a rocket at a bus minutes after all passengers got down due to a technical problem in southwestern Nimroz province, eyewitnesses said on Wednesday. One of the travelers, Qudratulalh, told Pajhwok Afghan News the incident happened in Sanglal area of Dilaram district. A rocket fired by unknown people hit the bus 10 minutes later it stopped due to a technical problem. Qudratullah added no one was hurt in the attack. However, some goods worth 20,000 of traders were torched in the fire, said the driver Ghausuddin, who is the owner of the bus. He added he recently bought the bus at $40,000 and it was his first trip on the highway. However, provincial police chief, Col. Abdul Jabbar Purdali showed his unawareness about the incident. Also on Wednesday, police captured a man with a Kalashnikov and three pistols in Khwaja Sultan area on the outskirts of provincial capital Zaranj, said the police chief. Meanwhile, a National Directorate of Security (NDS) official, who wanted to be unnamed, said intelligence operatives have seized a catch of ammunitions and arms in Bandar area of Chahar Borjak district of the province. The ammunitions included 100 mortar shells, eight missiles and an anti-tank mine. The official added the cache was found hidden at a ruined building. (Pajhwok)

QALA-I-NAW - A clash between insurgents and villagers in Qadis district of northwestern Badghis province left an attacker and a villager dead, residents said on Wednesday. The clash erupted as a group of insurgents led by Mullah Abdul Hakim attacked the Hamai village late Tuesday night at around 9pm. Resident Mullah Mohammad Jan told Pajhwok Afghan News one attacker and a villager were killed and another civilian and a second assailant wounded during the hour long clash. The wounded civilian was rushed to a clinic for treatment and his condition is said to be stable. The insurgents attacked the village because they disobeyed Taliban. Provincial police chief, Brig. Gen. Syed Ahmad Sami confirmed the clash. He said the villagers did not inform police about the attack. He said if police were informed, they would have reached the area for support of the villagers. Sami said they were ready to assist the villagers and urged them to inform police in future. Taliban commander in Maqur district, Maulvi Abdul Manan, confirmed the attack, but gave no details. (Pajhwok)

KABUL - A leading international rights group urged the Afghan government on Wednesday to retract a law passed by President Hamid Karzai that allows perpetrators of war crimes and human rights abuses to go unpunished. In a statement released to media, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the amnesty law had been published in the official gazette, bringing it into effect, despite promises by Karzai he would not sign it. "Afghans have been losing hope in their government because so many alleged war criminals and human rights abusers remain in positions of power," HRW Asia director Brad Adams said in the statement. "The amnesty law was passed to protect these people from prosecution, sending a message to Afghans that not only are these rights abusers here to stay, but more might soon be welcomed in." Karzai traveled to Pakistan on Wednesday and his palace in Kabul could not be immediately reached for comment. It was not clear when Karzai passed the law because the date of the gazette was December 200. It may only have been published as late as January this year, said HRW. Although passed by parliament in 2007, the law could only come into effect with Karzai's approval. HRW said the amnesty law, called 'The National Stability and Reconciliation Law' allows anyone engaged in armed conflict before Afghanistan's Interim Administration in December 2001 to "enjoy all their legal rights" and "not be prosecuted". "MASSIVE WAR CRIMES" Afghanistan has endured three decades of war in which hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed. Following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, the country was plunged into a bloody civil war with different factions battling for control. Many of those factions' guerrilla commanders now hold positions of power in the government to the dismay of many ordinary Afghans. The amnesty law would effectively absolve them of any crimes committed before 2001. A spokesperson for the British Embassy in Kabul said they were aware the law had been passed. "We welcome their (Afghan government) commitment, reiterated at the London conference, to ensure that the human rights of the Afghan people are promoted and protected as enshrined in the Afghan Constitution," the spokesperson said, when asked to comment on the new law. It is not the first time Karzai has ushered through a law after promising not to pass it, or pledging to make changes to the law before signing it only to revoke those changes later. (Reuters)

JALALABAD - The death toll from a clash between two sub-tribes of the ‎Shinwari tribe in Achin district of Nangarhar has reached 13, officials said on ‎Wednesday. ‎ Ahmad Zia Abdul Zai, spokesman for the Nangarhar governor, told Pajhwok Afghan ‎News the area had been controlled by the police and national army soldiers since last ‎afternoon. ‎ He said a total of 13 people from both the sides had been killed and 18 others injured ‎in the fighting. A jirga of tribal elders had been sent to the area to resolve the dispute, ‎he added. ‎ The gubernatorial spokesman said the provincial government discussed the issue with ‎President Hamid Karzai, the Interior Minister and director of the national intelligence. The government was trying to avoid a repeat of clash between the two sides and ‎resolve the dispute through negotiations. ‎ Police spokesman Colonel Abdul Ghafoor told this news agency the disputed area ‎was under the control of security forces. He said the fighting had been stopped since ‎last afternoon. ‎ Director of the Public Health Department Dr. Ajmal Pardesh told this news agency ‎that the Health Net NGO provided assistance to the injured people in the hospital. ‎(Pajhwok)

JALALABAD - Several people were feared killed and injured in an armed ‎conflict over a land between two sub-tribes in Acheen district of the eastern ‎Nangarhar province on Tuesday. ‎ The longstanding land dispute between the Shinwari and Ali Sherkhel tribes emerged ‎once again at a time when a government advisor Waheedullah Sabawoon was in ‎Nangarhar to resolve the row. ‎ Spokesman for the police headquarters in Nangarhar Col. Abdul Ghafoor told ‎Pajhwok Afghan News they had heard about the fighting in the area. He said security forces present in the area were struggling to overcome the fighting. ‎The official added that they did not receive reports about casualties so far. ‎ He said a rocket was mistakenly fired by the Afghan army soldiers that resulted in the ‎killing of one soldier and injuries to two others. ‎ However, residents of the area said around 20 people had so far been killed in the ‎fighting. ‎ Najeebullah Omar Shinwari, a member of the Sah Pai tribe, told this news agency that ‎the Ali Sherkhel side attacked their men before noon. He said the opposite side used ‎small and heavy weapons that resulted in burning of at least 10 tents. ‎ He said the government troops were stationed in the area and trying to stop the ‎fighting. ‎ An elder from Ghanikhel sub-tribe of Shinwaris Dagarwal Mandozai said at least 12 ‎vehicles from both sides had been burnt in the fighting so far. He said intense fighting ‎was ongoing in the area and human losses will occur if it was not stopped. ‎ The dispute is between the Ali Sherkhel and Sah Pai sub-tribes of the Shinwari tribe ‎in Acheen district of Nangarhar. (Pajhwok)

KABUL – The UN refugee agency and the Governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan reviewed the management of the registered Afghans in Pakistan, as well as return and reintegration efforts inside Afghanistan during the 18th Tripartite Commission’s meeting held in Dubai, last Friday. The meeting, hosted by UNHCR, was attended by Pakistan’s Najamuddin Khan, minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), and Afghanistan’s minister for Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR), Abdul Rahim and UNHCR Representatives from Kabul and Islamabad. During the meeting UNHCR and Afghanistan recognized the generosity and goodwill of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, for hosting millions of Afghan citizens over three decades and for providing continued protection to them. Pakistan updated the Tripartite Commission on its strategy for the management of Afghans in Pakistan, and officially confirmed that, subsequent to the anticipated approval of the Prime Minister and the cabinet, it will extend, through 31 December 2012, the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for registered Afghans. The Tripartite Agreement for the voluntary repatriation will also be extended for another three years. Pakistan announced that it will start replacing existing PoR cards in 2010 with new cards with enhanced security features. Law enforcement and immigration authorities in Pakistan will be informed about the validity of the PoR cards. Unregistered members of registered families will be registered, and that Afghan children born in Pakistan to PoR card holders will be issued with birth certificates. The Parties reaffirmed their commitment to the voluntary and gradual return of registered Afghan citizens living in Pakistan in conditions of safety and dignity, recognizing that the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and the country’s absorption capacity may present certain constraints on return. The Parties agreed to work together to mobilize international support to promote sustainable return to Afghanistan, encouraging increased investment in areas of return and programmes which facilitate re-integration, in line with the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS).Afghanistan committed to continue implementing re-integration programmes, and pledged to make efforts to improve their effectiveness. During the meeting Pakistan and Afghanistan pledged to bilaterally address the issues of undocumented population movements and the unregistered Afghan population in Pakistan introducing a flexible visa regime. The support of UNHCR and other competent international entities will also be sought. Some 3.5 million Afghans have returned home under the tripartite agreement between Pakistan Afghanistan and UNHCR since 2002. Pakistan is still home to some 1.7 million registered Afghans. (PR/UNHCR)

LASHKARGAH - Around 50 suspected militants have been detained and arms and ammunitions seized in separate operations in the southern province of Helmand, an official claimed on Tuesday. The deputy head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Helmand told Pajhwok Afghan News the suspects were detained in recent weeks from various areas of the troubled province. Haji Mahmud Khan added the NDS personnel captured weapons including remote-controlled bombs, landmines, walkie-talkies and explosives fitted on a motorcycle. The detainees are being interrogated. A police vehicle hijacked in Khanshin district a year ago was recovered from the Taliban, the official said. (Pajhwok)

KABUL - Custom agents at the Kabul International Airport have seized 16 kilograms of heroin intended for smuggling out of the country. The smugglers were arrested and handed over to security authorities. The detainees were under investigation, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday. Separately, a special unit of the Afghan National Police (ANP) found more than 700 kilograms of explosive materials during an operation in Helmand province. "A special unit of ANP uncovered over 700 kg of explosives during an operation in Nad Ali district on Friday," the Interior Ministry said in statement. Supported by coalition forces, the police destroyed the materials on the spot. Police also detected and defused seven roadside mines and two rockets in Helmand, Khost and Parwan provinces. (Pajhwok)