KABUL (AP) — A confident President Hamid Karzai on Monday offered peace talks to Taliban militants if they renounce violence and called for a new relationship with the West if he wins a second term in next month’s presidential election.
Karzai is considered the favorite in the Aug. 20 vote. But his chances could hinge on [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Hamid Karzai’
Karzai: Afghans want rules for troops changed
July 28th, 2009 |
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Afghanistan ‘agrees Taliban deal’
July 27th, 2009 |
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The Afghan government has agreed a truce with Taliban insurgents in the north-western province of Badghis ahead of elections next month, officials say.
The Taliban have pledged not to attack voting centres and to hand key areas to government forces, officials say. There has been no word from the militants.
The government says it hopes to replicate the deal in other provinces.
The moves comes as the UK is emphasising that more must be done to engage moderate members of the Taliban.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband announced the shift of emphasis in the UK’s Afghanistan strategy in a speech to Nato.
He stressed the Afghan government must do more to talk to moderate members of the Taliban as part of a broader political process.
Violence in Afghanistan has escalated in recent months as UK and US forces launched a full-scale offensive against Taliban militants in the south of the country.
Taliban engagement
But Badghis has seen comparatively little violence in recent months.
The BBC’s Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says the province, which borders Turkmenistan, has been a launching point for attacks in the nearby provinces of Ghor and Herat.
In November 2008 about 200 militants attacked an Afghan army convoy in Badghis, killing at least 13 Afghan soldiers and policemen.
Presidential spokesman Siamak Hirawi told the BBC the agreement in Badghis also stipulated that the Taliban would allow the reconstruction of the main highway.
If the Taliban confirm they have agreed to the terms of the ceasefire and if the deal is repeated in other provinces, then it could mark a significant new stage in the conflict, correspondents say.
But it would not be the first time the Afghan government has tried to engage the Taliban.
In October 2008, President Hamid Karzai’s brother confirmed a BBC report that he had met former members of the Taliban in Saudi Arabia as part of a first step towards peace talks.
There are grave concerns about security across the country ahead of presidential and provincial council elections on 20 August.
Mr Karzai faces about 40 challengers for the post of president.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Miliband looks beyond war in Afghanistan
July 26th, 2009 |
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With British soldiers being killed at the highest rate since the war against the Taliban started eight years ago, David Miliband, the foreign secretary, will say tomorrow that more effort must be made to promote the political and economic development of Afghanistan.
In a speech at Nato headquarters in Brussels, Miliband will stress the need for a comprehensive strategy beyond the fighting by mainly US and British soldiers in southern Afghanistan.
His intervention comes at a time of concern within the government at the impact on public opinion of the rising number of British deaths. Ministers and defence chiefs have warned there will be more casualties as British and US troops mount offensive operations in an attempt to provide more security for the Afghan presidential elections next month.
The incumbent, Hamid Karzai, is expected to win, though privately both US and British officials are concerned about his dependence on corrupt warlords who pay scant regard to basic human rights.
Miliband is expected to emphasise the need for development aid to be channelled to economic and welfare programmes to help ordinary Afghans. Military action must be complemented by measures to improve the way Afghans are governed, Miliband is expected to say.
The coming months are regarded as crucial if Nato-led forces are to force the Taliban to retreat and lead to a reconciliation process involving at least some of their leaders to negotiate an inclusive agreement involving Pashtuns and with the blessing of Pakistan.
Whitehall officials said tonight that Miliband would go easy on European allies, most of whom have refused to allow their soldiers to be deployed for combat.
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Afghan election hopeful attacked
July 26th, 2009 |
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One of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s running mates in next month’s election has survived an assassination attempt, reports say.
Mohammed Qasim Fahim’s convoy was fired at with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns northern Kunduz province, said its governor.
Mr Fahim was not injured, although a bodyguard was hurt, reports say.
A vice-presidential candidate, Mr Fahim formerly led the Northern Alliance that helped topple the Taliban in 2001.
Mr Fahim survived an apparent assassination attempt when he was interim defence minister in 2002.
Elections are due to take place in Afghanistan amid tight security on 20 August. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Sceptical voters
July 25th, 2009 |
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The BBC’s Bilal Sarwary takes a bus ride in northern Afghanistan to gauge the mood of the people ahead of the presidential elections in August.
The dawn air is unusually crisp in Kunduz, one of Afghanistan’s northernmost provinces, as I wait beneath a flimsy structure for the bus to Kabul to arrive.
Eventually, the German-made bus appears silently in the distance, steadily making its way towards our congregation of 140-odd travellers.
The bus shudders to a halt. The driver, Mohammad Tayab, 38, disembarks and begins to greet us.
It takes some time for the rather large and diverse cluster of Afghans waiting with me to board to pack themselves into the vehicle. As I glance around me I can pick out a wide variety of ethnicities: Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Hazaras.
Rising corruption
Alongside local Kunduzis, I meet men and women who have travelled from as far as the Kishim district of the northeeastern province of Badakhshan, and others who hail from the neighbouring province of Takhar.
I take a seat next to Tayab, the driver. On my other side is Hassina Nasiray, a midwife from Badakhshan.
Mr Tayab places the key in the ignition, turns it, and waits. Two minutes pass, and then a third, before his passengers get impatient and lean over to ask what’s wrong with the bus.
"Nothing" Mr Tayab answers, with a smile. "The diesel engine just needs time to warm up".
After another two minutes of waiting, we are on our way.
As the bus meanders through jagged mountain passes, I ask Mr Tayab, "Aren’t you afraid of the Taliban when you drive through these mountains"
"I am more scared of the bad roads!" declares the tall, bearded driver.
Without any reservations, another passenger, Sufi Goal, makes his opinion heard: "Not to mention the corruption and insecurity. The Taliban is only one of our many concerns."
Haji Mullah, 69, another traveller, pipes in eagerly: "The Afghan government promised us roads, clinics, and security, but nothing happened."
Mr Mullah goes on to state that the sitting incumbent, President Hamid Karzai, will have a tough time defending his government against sceptical voters like himself and his daughter.
Before long, those sitting in the front rows erupt into gentle debate.
"Hamid Karzai is not a very bad president," says Sayed Daud.
"But corruption is fast becoming a serious issue in Afghan politics. Nothing gets done in the country without greasing palms," he continues.
Losing faith
At this, Goal Pacha, a trader from Kunduz shares some anecdotal evidence relating a story in which local officials did not allow him to open his own soap factory because he refused to pay them "bakhshis", the Afghan word for "bribe".
"Everyone knows how much corruption there is. Most of our officials became owners of palatial houses and luxury vehicles soon after getting appointed. This is not a coincidence," Mr Pacha observes.
I glance to my left, noting that Hassini Nasiray, the midwife from Badakhshan, is sitting quietly, seemingly disinterested in the conversation in which her fellow passengers are so engaged.
Suddenly, she erupts into a passionate tirade at the word "health".
"I have lost faith in the government because of the high infant mortality rate in my province. When Mr Karzai came to power, he listed health among his government’s top priorities. But, it turned out to be an empty promise. I voted enthusiastically in our last elections, but this time, I can’t say I will vote at all."
"People want to live in peace. They want to vote because they don’t want to suffer anymore. I want to stop babies from dying and I will vote for anyone who will help me stop it," said Ms Nasiray, a mother of five children.
President Hamid Karzai has a mixed legacy – for some he is a national hero, a man who brought some measure of stability and development to a war-ravaged country.
For others, however, his government epitomises is wrought with problems.
As the bus nears Kabul, it becomes clear to me that many voters are sitting on the fence; they have not seen enough evidence that the Karzai administration is interested in changing their lives, but at the same time, trustworthy alternatives appear few and far between.
Hamid Karzai, as well as the 40 other presidential hopefuls, face an unconvinced electorate.
Mr Tayab, however, offers a different take.
"Peace is a distant and elusive dream. This country was destroyed for 30 years with war after war. It will take more than two elections and presidents to fix it," he says, as he struggles with the reception of the ancient radio on the bus’ dashboard.
"Let’s enjoy some music – no bus trip is complete without a song!"</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Govt under fire over power crisis
July 24th, 2009 |
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ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik Friday told the Upper House that the government had provided proof of Afghanistan and IndiaÂ’s involvement in insurgency in Balochistan to the heads of the government of both countries.
Responding to the point of order of Senator Jamal Leghari, Malik said that Afghanistan had been told that there were camps in that country training perverted Balochi youths involved in terrorist activities.
He said that the government for the first time had taken the issue on record with the Indian Government. He said that he himself held a meeting with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul and provided him the proof regarding training camps in Afghanistan where Balochi insurgents were being given training.
He said that President Karzai had agreed to start three bio-metric check posts on Pak-Afghan border which would become operative in August. He said that Karzai had assured to close down those camps, which were being run by the Indian intelligence agencies on Afghan soil.
The Minister said that Balochistan and its people had been badly ignored by the previous regimes and the present government was committed to giving them their rights with a view to removing their grievances. He said that the government had taken on board all political leaders of the province to move forward for resolving issues.
The Interior Minister said that all fourteen points recommended by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to improve law and order situation in the country were being implemented in letter and spirit. Referring to the interview of a Baloch separatist leader in London to a local private channel, Malik said that the PEMRA had taken notice of the broadcast adding that action would be taken in this regard.
The Minister said that talks with politicians, civil society members and other stakeholders were the only solution to the problems of Balochistan but made it clear that parleys were out of question with those who wanted independence. He said that it was appreciable that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had raised the issue of Balochistan with his Indian counterpart in Sharm El Sheikh.
Earlier, Senator Jamal Leghari of PML-Q on a point of order exhibited his fears that situation in Balochistan was worsening like East Pakistan. He said that Pakistan could not afford separation of Balochistan urging the government to take necessary measures before the time was out of hand. Referring to separatists leaderships sitting in London, the Opposition Senator asked the government to approach the UK Government to expatriate them because of their involvement in anti-Pakistan activities.
Terming former President and Prime Minister ‘thieves’ treasury benches here on Friday said that the current energy crisis in the country was due to wrong planning of Pervez Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz.
Speaking on a point of order, PPP senior leader Senator Raza Rabbani said that the ill planning of former President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was the real reason behind the existing power outages in the country and asked them to come home to face the nation.
He proposed that a commission should be constituted to conduct an inquiry into the matter of privatisation of KESC in Shaukat AzizÂ’s government. Raza Rabbani also suggested that the government should take over KESC and appoint its operator as the private company had failed to run the affairs of KESC as per legal agreement. He said that due to negligence and slackness of the KESC administration and its so-called prudent policies masses were facing the brunt.
He also criticized the government for giving a free hand to KESC adding that Karachi had witnessed some worst and horrible blackouts in the history of Pakistan on June 17 and July 21. “Since last many days, more than 2,500 industrial units have been closed,” he stated. He was of the view that Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz were guilty and asked them to face the music in front of the general public and courts of law as they were the ones who were the sheer culprits of the present-day situation.
Senate also witnessed some obnoxious and repulsive scenes as members of the ruling coalition raised slogans against Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz terming them thieves, looters and plunderers of national exchequer. They stood from their respective seats in the House and raised slogans like “Pervez Musharraf thief”, “Dacoit Shaukat Aziz”, “Both are Looters”, etc. They were asking them to come and face the courts.
Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, Senator Wasim Sajjad speaking on a point of order said that it was a wrong decision to shelve the KBD project in view of the current power crisis. Wasim Sajjad asked the government to give a deadline when the people would get rid of load-shedding. He said frequent power outages were not only affecting the peopleÂ’s lives but also casting negative effects on business, agriculture and industries.
Upon this the ANP and PPP Sindh Senators protested and raised a hue and cry. They said that KBD was a controversial project and thus shelved by the government and now there was no point in debating this issue.
Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi urged the government to pay back circular debt of IPPs, adding that power rentals would in no way be in the interest of the country due to its ten times higher prices. He said that unless the KESC was not de-privatized, the national economy would not improve. Senator Tariq Azeem said that the television commercials being funded by PEPCO as an austerity drive was just the wastage of public money. Azeem said that all the claims of the government had ended in fiasco as it had asserted that it would plunge the country out of power dilemma with various projects but to no avail. Senator Shahid Bugti was of the view that through proper usage of existing capacity of power production, the government can control 70 to 80 per cent energy crisis.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf told the Upper House that if load-shedding was not ended by December 31, he was ready to face the music adding undoubtedly due to so-called prudent policies of the previous government the country was facing such consequences. He said that due to heavy credits of the past government, the incumbent government was unable to cope with overwhelming expenditures.
He said that for immediate needs, thermal and rental plants were the only way with which the country could cope with power dilemma adding that the construction of dams and new projects would take some time from now. He said that more than 4 billion dollars investment had been made in the field of energy to tackle the energy crises through thick and thin. He said that the former government was responsible for power crisis in the country saying due to non-payment in the past, the circular debt had ballooned to Rs 400 billion.
The Minister said that the schedule of load-shedding sometimes got disturbed due to certain reasons which included blowing up of power pylons in subversive activities or through natural calamities. The Minister said that within a few days Mangla DamÂ’s tunnel was repaired which was now generating 400 megawatt of electricity.
Senators from both treasury and Opposition benches unanimously demanded of the government to restore their Hajj quota. Speaking on a point of order, Senator Shahid Bugti raised the matter before the House and urged Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to restore SenatorsÂ’ Hajj quota through an executive order, which was endorsed by all other members of the Upper House.
Responding to the point, Leader of the House Syed Nayyar Bokhari told the House that the decision to withdraw SenatorsÂ’ quota was taken in a Cabinet committee meeting. However, Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek asked the Leader of the House to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister and the Minister concerned to get the decision undone. He asked Nayyar Bokhari to report the House on Monday in this regard as it was a unanimous demand of the Senators. The Chairman Senate also informed the House that Senator Dr Javed Leghari had tendered resignation from his Senate seat.
Earlier, the Business Advisory Committee of the Senate decided to take up the post-operation rehabilitation steps in Swat and Malakand Division, situation in Balochistan and law and order across the country during the 55th session of the Senate.
The meeting of the business advisory committee was held here under the chairmanship of Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek. Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali, Leader of the House Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Leader of the Opposition Senator Wasim Sajjad, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Minister for Local Government Abdur Razzaq Thahim, and other parliamentary leaders of the political parties attended the meeting. It was also decided that the current session would continue till August 7 and the session would not be held during the holy month of Ramazan.
The Senate also expressed gratitude to the President for his address to both Houses of Parliament, which assembled together on 28th of March this year. A motion to this effect was moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan that was adopted unanimously by the House.
In the morning, the proceedings of the House were suspended for more than an hour due to mechanical fault in the mike system. Later, the Chairman Senate Farooq H Naik adjourned the senate session till 5:00 Monday evening.
Karzai ‘to review foreign forces’
July 24th, 2009 |
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Afghan president Hamid Karzai has said that he will review agreements with foreign forces operating in Afghanistan if he is re-elected.
He said he would make international forces sign an agreement governing how they operate, in an effort to limit civilian casualties.
President Karzai is seeking re-election in next month’s presidential poll.
The Afghan government has long been concerned about the civilian death toll as foreign troops battle insurgents.
The new commander of US and Nato-led troops in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, has recently echoed this concern.
Last month he said troops must make the shift from conventional warfare strategies to protecting Afghan civilians.
The move came after a US military inquiry found that a US air strike in May in which Afghan civilians died had breached guidelines.
The number of civilian casualties has been a potent issue for many Afghans and for candidates campaigning ahead of next month’s presidential and provincial council elections.
Tensions high
Mr Karzai was speaking at a campaign rally in the capital, Kabul.
He said that foreign forces too often took decisions without consulting the Afghan government.
"It should be clear who is the owner of the house and who is the guest," Mr Karzai was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying at the rally.
Tensions between Kabul and Washington have been high in recent months over the numbers of civilian casualties.
The UN says US, Nato and Afghan forces killed 829 civilians while fighting Taliban insurgents last year.
US and British troops have recently launched a major offensive against insurgent strongholds in southern Afghanistan.
President Karzai’s campaign rally comes one day after he refused to take part in a televised debate between two of the main presidential candidates.
He is facing challenges from 40 other candidates.
Correspondents say the front runners in the vote are President Karzai, former finance minister Ashraf Ghani, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and former deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, Mirwais Yasini.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Former Afghan FM Abdullah emerges as serious challenger to Karzai
July 24th, 2009 |
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Afghanistan’s former Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, has emerged as a serious challenger to President Hamid Karzai, who is bidding for a second consecutive term in office.
According to a New York Times report, Dr. Abdullah may have started his presidential campaign late, but is drawing larger crowds than Karzai in the six provinces that he [...]
Guardian Daily: MPs attack Balls over Sats
July 24th, 2009 |
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Ed Balls, the children’s secretary, was partly to blame for last year’s Sats fiasco, according to a report by MPs on the children, schools and families select committee. Barry Sheerman, who chairs the committee, says government interference caused confusion in the body responsible for regulating the exam system.
Although Labour is widely expected to lose today’s Norwich North byelection, chief leader writer Julian Glover says the result is hard to predict.
Hamid Karzai has refused to take part in tonight’s televised debate between candidates in next month’s Afghan presidential election. As Jon Boone reports from Kabul, Karzai’s support is slipping away, to the consternation of western diplomats.
Topless sunbathing is in decline in its spiritual home, France. Our Paris correspondent Angelique Chrisafis says younger Frenchwomen don’t share the traditional view of going topless as being synonymous with feminism and rebellion.
Martin Wainwright reports from a stately home in Yorkshire, where a cache of rare gramophone records was discovered by a keen-eyed visitor.
TV debate for Afghan contenders
July 23rd, 2009 |
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Afghan television is set to broadcast a debate between presidential candidates, despite the withdrawal from the debate of President Hamid Karzai.
He pulled out of the debate to be aired on the private television channel Tolo after his advisors told him it would be biased against him.
Correspondents say that leaves the stage free for his top two challengers to talk between themselves.
The election is due to be held amid tight security on 20 August.
The debate was scheduled to take place between President Karzai, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani.
There are 41 candidates standing in the forthcoming elections.
Although Tolo is the country’s most-watched television channel, correspondents say that the overwhelming majority of Afghans do not have access to television and the outcome of the election is much more likely to be determined by deals with regional power brokers.
But following President Karzai’s decision to withdraw with barely 24 hours to go, an aide to Mr Abdullah has also said he might not participate.
Mr Ghani, a former top World Bank official, has repeatedly called on the president to hold a debate.
"It is the Afghan public that will suffer another broken promise, not any presidential candidate, if the future plans of each candidate is not made clear standing side-by-side his/her rival," he said on his website this week.
Mr Karzai’s campaign team said that he would not take part because the majority of the 41 candidates in the election campaign had not been invited.
His team said it only received its invitation take part only one day before the debate.
Under the country’s constitution, the vote should have been held in May, but the deteriorating security situation prompted a postponement until August.
The delay came as little surprise to many observers. Large parts of the south and east are considered too unsafe for a free and fair vote.
Thousands of extra US troops are due to be sent to help improve security. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Afghan plan
July 21st, 2009 |
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By Adam Brookes
BBC News, Washington
The news from eastern Afghanistan is, on examination, mixed.
In Gardez and Jalalabad, at least six Afghan security personnel were killed in a series of coordinated attacks by suicide bombers and gunmen on Tuesday.
The bombers strapped explosives to their chests and then tried to run into government offices. One blew himself up, killing three members of the Afghan security forces. Two others were shot by police.
One tried to get into the office of the provincial governor, but was shot. Another attacked a police station. He was shot, too.
The attacks suggest a high degree of organisation and coordination, and a measure of fanatacism. But the police response suggests that the authorities are far from helpless when under attack.
Stripped mountains
News of these incidents in Gardez caught my eye.
I remember reporting on heavy fighting between Afghan and US forces near Gardez. I remember the US gunships swooping low over the plains and rocketing the mountainsides. American bombing stripped the trees in mountain villages of all their leaves.
I was reminded of those spectral images of denuded forests from World War I. The bodies of young Taleban fighters lay amid the rubble, stiffening in the dry, crisp air.
That was seven years ago.
Yet, here we are in 2009, and the same war is being fought in the same place by the same people.
"We know what we need to do. I think we know how to do it. It’s now a matter of resourcing it and executing it"
Adm Mike Mullen
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
In the course of those seven years, nothing conclusive has happened in Afghanistan.
The Obama administration is now trying to act conclusively – or at least in a fashion which will tip this conflict towards a conclusion.
By the end of this summer more than 90,000 US and Nato troops will be deployed. That is not as many as are in Iraq, but it is starting to be a military effort of comparable dimensions.
The president’s strategy review – which he announced in March – reworked some of the war’s basic assumptions.
We are now in the middle of another review – this time conducted by the new commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal.
Resigned
We expect that General McChrystal will find that without an even greater expansion in the number of Afghan security forces, the success of the overall military effort will remain in the balance.
The current plan is to expand the Afghan from 85,000 to 134,000 in the next two years or so. General McChrystal may well seek more than that – with the funding to match.
And that will prompt a further round of political soul-searching in Washington.
The increase in coalition and troop numbers have a clearly stated purpose: to provide security for the Afghan people, and to open up a space in which development and governance can start to take root.
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Afghanistan last week. He said his troops were "the finest counterinsurgency force in the world".
"We know what we need to do," he said. "I think we know how to do it. It’s now a matter of resourcing it and executing it."
Some officials, though, remain concerned that Afghan capacity in development and governance will never rise to American expectations, even reduced expectations.
Even if US and Nato troops succeed in bringing a measure of security, "where is this Afghan official who will step in", asked one.
American and British officials seem resigned to the idea that Hamid Karzai will retain the presidency in next month’s elections, and they will have to put up with what they often describe as his corrupt and ineffectual administration.
One source close to Afghan policy-making says the hope is no longer for a "single writ of government country-wide". Rather, he says, "local arrangements are the key".
In practice, that may mean shoring up local power structures based on tribes or mayors or governors, rather than hoping for a central government whose power flows through the entire country; a patchwork of politics, rather than a pattern.
This intensification of the war by the Obama administration in part explains why the coalition casualties are rising.
July has seen more US, British and Nato troops die than any other month since the invasion; 56 fatalities. Two-thirds of them were from roadside bombs.
The number of attacks on coalition forces has risen precipitately. In the first five months of this year the number of attacks by "Improvised Explosive Devices" – mainly roadside bombs – were up 64% over the previous year.
Attacks using ‘direct fire’ – that means mainly automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades – were up 61%.
These are frightening numbers for a war-weary American public – though popular support for the Afghan war seems to remain relatively solid. In a recent Gallup poll, 54% of respondents said things were going well in Afghanistan.
So is the Obama plan for Afghanistan working It is too early to say.
"Check back in a year. Or two," said one military officer.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Taliban Video Shows Captive US soldier: AP sources
July 19th, 2009 |
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WASHINGTON — The American soldier who went missing June 30 from his base in eastern Afghanistan and was later confirmed to have been captured, appeared on a video posted Saturday to a Web site by the Taliban.
Two U.S. defense officials …
Act now over Afghanistan, says Cameron
July 15th, 2009 |
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Tory leader says the government should act to reduce the number of lives lost in war against Taliban
David Cameron today told Gordon Brown he had to provide more leadership to reduce the numbers of British lives lost in Afghanistan.
In the last prime minister’s question time before the summer recess, the Conservative leader said the government should “show greater urgency and make more visible progress” in Afghanistan and said forces needed a more tightly defined mission.
This month 15 British soldiers have died in Afghanistan, taking the death toll to 184, more than that of the Iraq war.
Cameron also accused the government of failing to provide enough helicopters. He told Brown: “The number of helicopters we have in Afghanistan is simply insufficient.” Britain had fewer than 30 in Helmand while the Americans, with similar numbers of troops, had 100.
But as he and Cameron traded quotes by military figures on the issue, Brown said: “We have done everything we can to increase the numbers of helicopters and there will be more helicopters on the ground … While the loss of life is tragic and sad, it is not to do with helicopters.” The budget for helicopters was £6bn over the next 10 years.
The prime minister added: “The purpose of our mission is very clear: to prevent terrorism coming to the streets of Britain.”
Brown said that Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, had responded favourably to his request that the Kabul government provide more police and soldiers in Helmand. “President Karzai has promised that he will provide additional resources to do that.” After October, Britain will provide more training to the Afghan security services, he said.
The head of the British army said earlier today that more coalition troops were needed in Helmand to provide the security for its people to go back to their ordinary lives.
General Sir Richard Dannatt said that “more boots on the ground” were key to success in Helmand, though he stressed that it did not matter whether they belonged to British, American or Afghan troops.
At PMQs, Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, accused Brown of promising lots but doing nothing on bankers’ bonuses, the recession and cleaning up parliament. It was just “business as usual”, Clegg said.
Brown said the opposition parties should go away over the summer and reflect on why they had no policies to deal with the big issues facing Britain.
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PM demands more troops from Kabul in Helmand
July 13th, 2009 |
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PM says Afghan soldiers must hold ground taken by British forces
Gordon Brown has told the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, to put more Afghan troops into Helmand province immediately to make sure the costly territorial gains made by UK forces are not lost and British soldiers do not die in vain.
Amid mounting political pressure on the government over the sharp rise in British fatalities this month, Brown issued his demand to Karzai in a phone conversation on Sunday after talks with the US president, Barack Obama.
Less than 10% of the 80,000-strong Afghan army are stationed in Helmand even though 50% of the fighting is being conducted in the Taliban stronghold.
British forces have been repeatedly frustrated that they capture vital ground only for it to be ceded within months due to the lack of Afghan soldiers to move in and take control. There are only 500 Afghan troops involved in the British Operation Panther’s Claw in Helmand province.
Brown said bluntly he wanted to see “a very substantial increase” in Afghan troop numbers.
He also gave a strong indication that the British presence will remain at the current figure of just over 9,000 troops, or might even increase after the Afghan presidential elections in August and a US-led 60-day review of the entire Nato Afghan strategy. Britain is also temporarily sending an extra 140 soldiers from Cyprus.
The US-led review is likely to see General Stanley A McChrystal, the new senior commander in Afghanistan, recommend that the Afghan army will have to grow even faster than the planned expansion from 85,000 to 134,000, which was initially expected to take five years but now fast-tracked for completion by 2011.
US marines, currently deploying to Helmand, have been struck by the lack of support from the Afghan army.
The Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch Brown recently highlighted the UK’s concern, saying: “We need to look at some slightly out-of-the-box solutions to supplement the numbers we have who are willing to protect communities from Taliban activity.”
There is also a growing worry that the presidential election in August will fall way short of a democratic poll, with some observers fearing ballot rigging that will make the recent Iranian elections look like a model of western democracy.
In a Commons statement today, Brown brushed aside Conservative and Liberal Democrat claims that British troops are dying due to insufficient troop numbers or resources. He said: “It has been a very difficult summer and it is not over yet but if we are to deny Helmand to the Taliban in the long term, if we are to defeat this insurgency, and by doing so make Britain and the world a safer place, then we must persist with our operations in Afghanistan … I am confident that we are right to be in Afghanistan, that we have the strongest possible plan.”
But a Populus poll for ITV’s News at Ten found 75% of the population believe that the troops are inadequately supplied and equipped for the war.
The Tories claim there is a shortage of helicopters and blame Brown for cutting the helicopter budget by £1.4bn in 2004.
It was noticeable that the Tories reined back on some of their rhetoric today, but the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, said the government strategy was “over-ambitious and under-resourced”.
Brown said the British military had told him that they had sufficient troops for current operational requirements. He also denied that any helicopter shortfall had led to the recent British deaths.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, an army spokesman, offered Downing Street a measure of support, saying: “You could put as many helicopters as you wanted in here, but sadly at the end of the day troops have to go on the ground. You cannot defeat the enemy from a helicopter.”
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Obama ‘examining Afghan killings’
July 13th, 2009 |
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The US president says he is examining an alleged massacre in Afghanistan amid allegations the Bush administration resisted efforts to investigate it.
Barack Obama told CNN he had told officials to "collect the facts for me" and could order a full inquiry.
The allegations concern the deaths of hundreds or even thousands of Taliban fighters who had surrendered to the US-backed Northern Alliance in late 2001.
They were in the custody of a US-backed warlord, Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum.
The allegations that the prisoners were deliberately left to suffocate in shipping containers, or were shot dead through the container walls, first surfaced in 2002 but there has been no formal investigation.
"The first reaction of everybody [in the White House] was, ‘Oh, this is a sensitive issue; this is a touchy issue politically’"
Pierre Prosper
Former US envoy for war crimes
On Friday the New York Times quoted government officials and human rights organisations as saying that "Bush administration officials had repeatedly discouraged efforts to investigate the episode".
The issue has gained fresh urgency since Gen Dostum was reinstated as military chief of staff to the Afghan president last month.
At present he remains in exile in Turkey after being suspended last year over allegations he threatened a political rival at gunpoint.
‘We have to know’
Now Mr Obama says he is looking into the affair.
"The indications that this had not been properly investigated just recently was brought to my attention," Mr Obama told CNN in an interview to be aired at 2200 on Monday (0200 Tuesday GMT).
"So what I’ve asked my national security team to do is to collect the facts for me that are known, and we’ll probably make a decision in terms of how to approach it once we have all of the facts gathered up," he said, according to excerpts released in advance.
On the question of whether he could order a full investigation, he replied: "I think that there are responsibilities that all nations have, even in war.
"And if it appears that our conduct in some way supported violations of laws of war, then I think that we have to know about that."
US ‘feared investigation’
According to a Newsweek report published in 2002, which cited a UN memo, the prisoners died in crowded container trucks while being transported from Kunduz in northern Afghanistan to Sheberghan prison, west of Mazar-e-Sharif.
The prisoners were allegedly left to suffocate to death, or were shot inside the containers, before being buried in mass graves.
The estimates of the number who died range from several hundred to 2,000.
At the time Gen Dostum was on the CIA payroll and his militia was working closely with US forces, The New York Times said.
It said the US government was also worried about destabilising the government of Hamid Karzai, in which Gen Dostum was serving as a defence official.
The newspaper quoted Pierre Prosper – who served as the envoy for war crimes under President George W Bush – as saying that, at the White House, "Nobody said no to an investigation, but nobody ever said yes, either.
"The first reaction of everybody there was, ‘Oh, this is a sensitive issue; this is a touchy issue politically.’"</p
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