Afghanistan

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  Big News Network

• Obama Weighs Troop Increase in Afghanistan

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:09 pm

  The debate over sending more troops to Afghanistan got more complex this month as another heavy hitter on President Obama's national security team questioned whether more soldiers can truly help the U...

• Wootton Bassett salutes war dead from Afghanistan for 100th time

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:07 pm

  END: Module - M24 Article Headline with no image --> BEGIN: Module - Main Article --> Yesterday was the 100th time that the small Wiltshire town of Wootton Bassett has fallen silent as...

• Afghan government would fall if NATO withdraws - Miliband

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:07 pm

  LONDON (Reuters) - The Afghan government would quickly be overthrown if NATO troops pulled out of the country now, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Friday."If international forces leave, you c...

• McCain urges Obama to speed up Afghan decision

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:58 pm

  HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- U.S. Sen. John McCain predicted success in the Afghan war effort Friday if President Barack Obama makes a decision quickly to send the reinforcements requested by his top comm...

• Afghan govt would fall if NATO withdraws - UK minister

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:45 pm

  LONDON (Reuters) - The Afghan government would quickly be overthrown if NATO troops pulled out of the country now, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Friday. "If international forces lea...

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  BBC World News: Afghanistan

• Afghan donors 'must tackle graft'

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:57 pm

  US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says foreign aid donors must use their influence to tackle corruption in Afghanistan.

• Tories ponder Army's German role

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:11 pm

  UK troop levels in Germany could be scaled back if the Tories win power, the shadow defence secretary has said.

• Is the new EU President a good choice?

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:49 pm

  Belgian PM Herman van Rompuy is the EU president and the UK's Baroness Ashton is foreign policy chief. What is your reaction?

• Will Clinton's gamble on Karzai pay off?

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:32 pm

  Will US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's gamble in dealing with troubled Afghan President Hamid Karzai pay off, asks the BBC's Kim Ghattas.

• Funeral for Afghan blast officer

  20 Nov 2009 | 6:41 am

  The funeral of a Royal Military Police officer who was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan takes place in Manchester.

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  Topix: Afghanistan

• Afghan police are weak link in security force

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:15 pm

  Underpaid, under-equipped and under-trained, Afghanistan's 93,000-member police force is the weak link in an ambitious security strategy to hand over defense of the country to Afghans so American and other foreign troops can go home.

• Police: Afghan Lawmaker Narrowly Escaped Assassination

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:30 am

  Afghan police say Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a parliamentarian and powerful former warlord, has narrowly escaped an assassination attempt near Kabul.

• Afghan Taliban chief now in Karachi says US

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:40 am

  Houston News.Net Friday 20th November, 2009 Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar has shifted his base from Quetta to Karachi with the help of Pakistana s Inter Services Intelligence, the Washington Times reports.

• Suicide bomber kills 13 in western Afghanistan

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:52 am

  A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle killed 13 people, including a police officer, and wounded 30 others Friday in a busy city square in western Afghanistan, AP reported.

• Afghanistan is world's worst place to be born: UN

  19 Nov 2009 | 11:28 pm

  Eight years after a U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, the war-ravaged state is the most dangerous place in the world for a child to be born, the United Nations said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

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  Institute for War and Peace Reporting

• Swine Flu Panic Grips Afghanistan

  11 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  But government-declared state of emergency seen by some as motivated more by political interests than health concerns. By Habiburrahman Ibrahimi, Mustafa Saber and Abdul Latif Sahak in Kabul, Heart and Mazar-e-Sharif (ARR No. 345, 12-Nov-09)

• The Strange Case of Bala Murghab

  10 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  Conflicting reports of dead and injured following US supply drop incident. By Mustafa Saber in Herat (ARR No. 345, 10-Nov-09)

• Afghans Fear Insurgent Infiltration Across Iran Border

  10 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  Some officials say Herat frontier checkpoint giving Taleban a backdoor into Afghanistan. By Zia Ahmadi and Mustafa Saber in Herat (ARR No. 345, 11-Nov-09)

• What Drove Afghan Policeman to Kill UK Troops?

  4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  Western and Afghan forces try to find out why an otherwise normal young man snapped and killed men he had worked with for months. By Aziz Ahmad Tassal and Mohammad Ilyas Dayee in Lashkar Gah (ARR No. 344, 5-Nov-09)

• Bumper Wheat Crop Brings Cheer to North

  3 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  It comes after years of drought, which resulted tin failed harvests and food crises. By Abdul Latif Sahak in Balkh (ARR No. 344, 4-Nov-09)

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  RAWA News

• Afghanistan is world’s worst place to be born: U.N.

  20 Nov 2009 | 9:06 am

  Reuters: Eight years after a U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, the war-ravaged state is the most dangerous place in the world for a child to be born, the United Nations said on Thursday. It is especially dangerous for girls, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in launching its annual flagship report, The State of the World’s Children.

• Afghan minister accused of taking $30 million bribe

  18 Nov 2009 | 11:38 am

  Washington Post: The Afghan minister of mines accepted a roughly $30 million bribe to award the country's largest development project to a Chinese mining firm, according to a U.S. official who is familiar with military intelligence reports. In the case of the minister of mines, there is a "high degree of certainty," the U.S. official said, that the alleged payment to Mohammad Ibrahim Adel was made in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

• Transparency International: Afghanistan 2nd most corrupt nation

  16 Nov 2009 | 11:48 pm

  PAN: Afghanistan, a recipient of billions of dollars in international aid, achieved another dubious distinction on Tuesday when an influential global watchdog ranked it as the second most corrupt nation of the world. The Berlin-based Transparency International said in its annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) Somalia stayed the world's most corrupt country, followed by conflict-torn Afghanistan and Iraq.

• How the US army protects its trucks – by paying the Taliban

  13 Nov 2009 | 1:09 am

  The Guardian: Welcome to the wartime contracting bazaar in Afghanistan. It is a virtual carnival of improbable characters and shady connections, with former CIA officials and ex–military officers joining hands with former Taliban and mujahideen to collect US government funds in the name of the war effort. In this grotesque carnival, the US military's contractors are forced to pay suspected insurgents to protect American supply routes. It is an accepted fact of the military logistics operation in Afghanistan that the US government funds the very forces American troops are fighting.

• New Report Reveals US Indirectly Funding the Taliban

  12 Nov 2009 | 9:59 pm

  Democracy Now!: In a last-minute dissent ahead of a critical war cabinet meeting on escalating the Afghan war, US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry has cast doubt on a troop escalation until the Afghan government can address corruption and other internal problems. Meanwhile, a report reveals how the US government is financing the very same insurgent forces in Afghanistan that American and NATO soldiers are fighting. Investigative journalist Aram Roston traces how the Pentagon’s civilian contractors in Afghanistan end up paying insurgent groups to protect American supply routes from attack.

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  Rejuvenation of an Afghan Soul

• H1N1 in Afghanistan??

  Atash Parcha

  11 Nov 2009 | 10:10 pm

  You’ve probably heard – the swine flu (or as they call it in Pashto – Haych yaww enn yaw) has hit Afghanistan. People are wearing masks, reluctant to shake hands, schools have been called off for a few weeks until this ‘flu’ somehow disappears. The toll – 400 cases of swine flu.But let’s face it! How good is Afghanistan’s health system? Not very good at all. They’re not very good at diagnosing so as far as we’re concerned, it could be anything. An Afghan-German doctor in Germany conducted his research and he found that the symptoms are very closely linked to cholera –…

• Relief

  Atash Parcha

  3 Nov 2009 | 2:50 am

  Afghans didn’t want the run off elections. They were satisfied with karzai’s win in the first round because they were wise enough to know that an election without fraud is impossible in Afghanistan – at least for the next 10 years or so. How long did it take the Americans and they still don’t have fair elections! It was Abdullah and the westerners pushing for a run off election. On one hand Abdullah voices his concerns and how he is so very passionate about the civilian casualties in Afghanistan, on the other hand, he was pushing for second round to satisfy his greed. Nevertheless,…

• One of the blackest days of Kabul

  Atash Parcha

  28 Oct 2009 | 11:22 pm

  Yesterday was clearly a bad day. It was a black day for Kabul but it wasn’t THE blackest of Kabul days. There have been days where hundreds of Afghans have been killed in rocket attacks in Kabul alone. Nevertheless, it was still a dark day. And it’s haunting. Next door, in Peshawar 107 people killed in a bomb blast. It was in a shopping area where it’s mainly women and children. Most of the killed were women and children. I can only imagine the grief and pain their families are going through. A few countries away, in Palestine. On the news, images of a father and his heartbroken 6 year…

• UN guesthouse comes under commando-style attacks

  Atash Parcha

  27 Oct 2009 | 9:43 pm

  It’s 9.02 am. 6am. Neighbouring suburb, a UN guest house in Sheerpur has come under attack. 6 militants stormed the house and began shooting, killing three UN workers and injuring around five. Numbers to be confirmed. Of course, the Afghans killed haven’t been mentioned yet. I heard more explosions, sounded like an RPG and then gun firing. It was the Kabul Serena Hotel. Kabul Serena has also come under attack. RPG and other weaponry have also been involved. Reports coming in that that there were 7 militants – 3 of them were suicide bombers who detonated themselves and the rest of them…

• The protest continues

  Atash Parcha

  25 Oct 2009 | 10:54 pm

  It’s 10.18am. Kabul time. Yesterday around this time I could hear shouting outside “Death to America” “Death to Democracy”. Protestors protesting against NATO troops burning the Quraan. En route to Parliament. 20,000 young men. Mostly university students. A few moments ago approximately 20-30 police cars. Police armed in riot gear speeding towards the parliament. There are reports that another demonstration is taking place. Eight more police cars (and counting) have just sped in the opposite direction. Hope no one gets hurt or killed. Posted in Uncategorized

• Photostream from Daylife
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  thruafghaneyes

• 11 Nov 2009 | 9:09 pm

  11 Nov 2009 | 9:09 pm

  If need any kind of photograph about AfghanistanPlease feel free to contact us.Services we provide1- News images2- Photo stories3- Photo documentation4- Photo exhibitions & Print5- Professional photojournalism trainings6- Covering all type of conferences, TV showsAdd: Shahr-e-Naw Kabul, AfghanistanCell Phone: 0093 (0) 799 33 50 87 Email: fardin150@gmail.com & waezi9@gmail.com © Photos by FARDIN WAEZI / Thruafghaneyes / WebistanATENTION: Using photos from this Web log without permission are not…

• HERAT Monumen

  7 Nov 2009 | 10:55 pm

  HERAT Monumen Seven cript shrineHaft Qalam. Herat. Gazargah. Haft Qalam (Seven Pens), cenotaph (1496) of son of Sultan Husain-i Baiqara, detail. Carved black marbleHaft Qalam(seven pens) is a tomb covered with black marble in Khaja Abdullah Ansari Complex in the Herat city, the stone is carved with seven figures called Haft Qalam (seven pens), the text above the tomb is translated that, “ On the day of the great kings death the lord sent him repose, and the pin of fate inscribed his simple epitaph, Rest in peace. (A. H. 718)QALA IKHTYARUDDIN HERAT: As well as being one of the most visible…

• HERAT Monumen

  7 Nov 2009 | 9:56 pm

  HERAT Monumen Herat Khowja Ansar Shrine Shrine of Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, Herat. The Saint of Herat, as he is often referred to, was a mystic and a poet and his "Munajat Nama", reminiscent of St. Augustine's oeuvre, is a series of dialogues with God - and is deeply revered in Persian literature.Herat Khowja Ansar ShrineHerat Jihad Museum Herat goldsmith bazar Herat Decorators

• Herat Dail life

  7 Nov 2009 | 9:49 pm

  Herat Dail life 12345

• Transmitting Ceremony of two bodies of UN international Stuff

  3 Nov 2009 | 5:42 am

  Transmitting Ceremony of two bodies of UN international Stuff Transmitting Ceremony of two bodies of UN international Stuff (Jossie Esto and Lydia Wonyene) those were killed in an attack by Taliban at 28 October 2009 in Shirpoor district at UN guest house, Kabul International Airport, Kabul Afghanistan November 3 2009 23

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  Afghan LORD

• Reflecting on Clinton Global Initiatives

  30 Oct 2009 | 3:25 pm

  Note: I wrote this piece for my college paper here“It was a great and exciting meeting because I saw Brad Pitt and Ricky Martin.” After a few interactions with my classmates and friends at Dickinson, I discovered how to describe my trip to New York at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Conference. Apparently no one has interest in hearing that I came from a conference where world leaders came from across the world, no matter what political affiliations they have, no matter what religious beliefs they have and even no matter what languages they were speaking. They came together to commit…

• Homage To Mahatma Gandhi

  1 Oct 2009 | 6:31 pm

  Google opened my clotted mind with its logo that paid tribute to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on the 140th anniversary of his birth today. Google replaced its first ‘G’ with his picture. I have already written on my Farsi blog and ask my Farsi readers to pay homage to this wise man who devoted his time freeing millions of people in his country. I write these words to honor his wisdom, greatness and as an emancipator of humanity. I write these lines to pay special homage to him when he stood against imperialism and smiled at them while saying these words:"I would like you to lay down the…

• Meet Afghanistan's Biggest Blogger

  4 Sep 2009 | 8:13 pm

  BY ANNIE LOWREYFrom: At this point, the litany of contemporary Afghanistan's problems is well known. The country has few paved roads, let alone computers; its population is poor and illiterate; it is blighted with poverty, disease, and violence. For the past 30 years, Kabul has been under the control of radicals, strongmen, foreigners, or some combination of the three. Only rarely can the foreign reporters who describe these conditions leave the safe bubble of Kabul or the back seat of an armored vehicle. As a result, Afghanistan's people, culture, and traditions remain woefully unknown to…

• Learning Online Journalism and Writing Blogs in Helmand Province

  2 Aug 2009 | 10:21 am

  Note that this article was first published in the America.gov (direct link of this interview)and if you reproduce this article you must retain this notice.-----Introduction: A surprising number of Afghans blog on the Internet and even more want to learn how. Nasim Fekrat has been at the forefront of helping Afghans use modern technology to communicate with each other and the rest of the world – but it can be a dangerous business. America.gov’s Jane Morse talked with him earlier this year while he was in United States on a fellowship (see: Eager to Learn About the World, Tech Savy Afghans…

• Eager to Learn About the World, Tech Savvy Afghans Turn to Blogs

  1 Aug 2009 | 10:12 am

  Note that this article was first published in the America.gov (direct link of this interview)and if you reproduce this article you must retain this notice.Afghan blogger teaches others his craft------- By Jane MorseStaff Writer Washington — Tech-savvy Afghans increasingly are turning to blogs for information about their country and the world. They also use blogs as a platform for telling their stories about Afghanistan to the world, says Nasim Fekrat, one of Afghanistan’s trailblazing bloggers. Although Internet penetration is not high in Afghanistan compared with other countries, since…

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  Afghan LORD

• Reflecting on Clinton Global Initiatives

  30 Oct 2009 | 3:25 pm

  Note: I wrote this piece for my college paper here“It was a great and exciting meeting because I saw Brad Pitt and Ricky Martin.” After a few interactions with my classmates and friends at Dickinson, I discovered how to describe my trip to New York at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Conference. Apparently no one has interest in hearing that I came from a conference where world leaders came from across the world, no matter what political affiliations they have, no matter what religious beliefs they have and even no matter what languages they were speaking. They came together to commit…

• Homage To Mahatma Gandhi

  1 Oct 2009 | 6:31 pm

  Google opened my clotted mind with its logo that paid tribute to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on the 140th anniversary of his birth today. Google replaced its first ‘G’ with his picture. I have already written on my Farsi blog and ask my Farsi readers to pay homage to this wise man who devoted his time freeing millions of people in his country. I write these words to honor his wisdom, greatness and as an emancipator of humanity. I write these lines to pay special homage to him when he stood against imperialism and smiled at them while saying these words:"I would like you to lay down the…

• Meet Afghanistan's Biggest Blogger

  4 Sep 2009 | 8:13 pm

  BY ANNIE LOWREYFrom: At this point, the litany of contemporary Afghanistan's problems is well known. The country has few paved roads, let alone computers; its population is poor and illiterate; it is blighted with poverty, disease, and violence. For the past 30 years, Kabul has been under the control of radicals, strongmen, foreigners, or some combination of the three. Only rarely can the foreign reporters who describe these conditions leave the safe bubble of Kabul or the back seat of an armored vehicle. As a result, Afghanistan's people, culture, and traditions remain woefully unknown to…

• Learning Online Journalism and Writing Blogs in Helmand Province

  2 Aug 2009 | 10:21 am

  Note that this article was first published in the America.gov (direct link of this interview)and if you reproduce this article you must retain this notice.-----Introduction: A surprising number of Afghans blog on the Internet and even more want to learn how. Nasim Fekrat has been at the forefront of helping Afghans use modern technology to communicate with each other and the rest of the world – but it can be a dangerous business. America.gov’s Jane Morse talked with him earlier this year while he was in United States on a fellowship (see: Eager to Learn About the World, Tech Savy Afghans…

• Eager to Learn About the World, Tech Savvy Afghans Turn to Blogs

  1 Aug 2009 | 10:12 am

  Note that this article was first published in the America.gov (direct link of this interview)and if you reproduce this article you must retain this notice.Afghan blogger teaches others his craft------- By Jane MorseStaff Writer Washington — Tech-savvy Afghans increasingly are turning to blogs for information about their country and the world. They also use blogs as a platform for telling their stories about Afghanistan to the world, says Nasim Fekrat, one of Afghanistan’s trailblazing bloggers. Although Internet penetration is not high in Afghanistan compared with other countries, since…

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  Topix: Kabul

• Afghan police are weak link in security force

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:15 am

  Underpaid, under-equipped and under-trained, Afghanistan's 93,000-member police force is the weak link in an ambitious security strategy to hand over defense of the country to Afghans so American and other foreign troops can go home.

• 2 coalition troops killed in blasts, clashes in Afghanistan

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:09 am

  KABUL: Two coalition troops have been killed in bomb blast and clashes in Afghanistan belonging to UK and Denmark.

• Afghanistan President Karzai inaugural: promises of clean cabinet

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

  Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai promised to crack down on corruption after being sworn in for his second term on Thursday. But his related promise to fill his cabinet with "professionals" may be what the US and other governments were most hoping to hear on the topic."The ministers of Afghanistan must possess integrity and be professionals serving the nation," President Karzai said in his second inaugural speech. "Those who spread corruption should be tried and prosecuted."His speech also outlined a goal for Afghan forces to "take the lead" in providing national security within five years,…

• Speed up 26/11 trial, Krishna to Qureshi

  19 Nov 2009 | 5:52 pm

  ON BOARD SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: With India's patience running out, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today enquired from his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi about the progress into Mumbai attacks case and pressed for quickening the trial realising the "urgency". Krishna made the enquiries from Qureshi during their face-to-face meet at a ...

• U.S. headed for Vietnam War-like disaster in Afghanistan, two experts warn

  19 Nov 2009 | 11:23 am

  The United States is being dragged into a bloody Vietnam War-like morass because of a misguided obsession with establishing a national government in Kabul and its military failure to protect rural Afghans, a new analysis concludes.

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  Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

• Afghans Assess Roles for NATO, UN, Regional Actors

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm

  'Afghans Assess Roles for NATO, UN, Regional Actors', Gallup, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "As NATO, the United Nations, and regional neighbors take stock of their roles in Afghanistan, Gallup surveys provide insight into what roles Afghans think these groups or countries are playing and should play in resolving the situation. Afghans surveyed in June were most likely to think NATO, the United Nations, India, and Iran are playing roles in reconstruction. In regard to Pakistan, however, Afghans were just as likely to say that country's role is supporting the Taliban as they were to say it is…

• Pakistan Demands US Share Afghan Blueprint

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 2:57 pm

  'Pakistan Demands US Share Afghan Blueprint', The Associated Press, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "Pakistan expressed fear Friday that a large increase in foreign troops in Afghanistan could push militants across the border into its territory and called on the U.S. to factor in that concern as part of its new war strategy. Meanwhile, a suspected U.S. missile strike killed eight militants in northwestern Pakistan, officials said, the second attack this week in an area believed to hold many insurgents who fled from an army offensive elsewhere in the Afghan border region. American officials…

• US to Tighten Control of Afghan Aid

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 2:45 pm

  'US to Tighten Control of Afghan Contracts: Gates', Reuters, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "The United States must tighten control of Afghan aid contracts as a first step toward stemming rampant corruption, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday. A central question as President Barack Obama debates sending up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan is whether the Afghan government can become a more credible partner in the war by tackling corruption undermining its legitimacy. 'The reality is that the international presence in Afghanistan has provided a significant influx of assistance dollars…

• Afghan Police are Weak Link in Security Force

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:16 am

  'Afghan Police are Weak Link in Security Force', The Associated Press, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "Underpaid, under-equipped and under-trained, Afghanistan's 93,000-member police force is the weak link in an ambitious security strategy to hand over defense of the country to Afghans so American and other foreign troops can go home. A strong, unified national police force has long eluded Afghanistan, a country torn by occupation and warfare for hundreds of years. But with the West now attempting to help turn the country from a failed state into at least a functioning one, the police will play a…

• Karzai Wants ANA to Replace Foreign Forces in Five Years

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 7:18 am

  'Karzai Wants Afghan Troops to Replace Foreign Forces in Five Years', The Guardian, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "Hamid Karzai has said he is determined that the Afghan army should be built up so it can take over responsibility from foreign troops for securing the entire country within five years. Speaking after being sworn in for a second term as president, Karzai said he wanted Afghanistan's security forces to be improved in 'quantitative and qualitative terms'. Currently only one of the 34 provinces, the capital, is controlled by the country's own security forces. Karzai said that by…

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  The Canada-Afghanistan Blog

• Banners Go Up; A People's Victory

  18 Nov 2009 | 12:21 am

  Reporting from Peshawar:The display of anti-Taliban banners by unknown persons in various areas of Kabal was the topic of discussion in Swat on Monday and majority of people hailed the move as a sign of an end to the Taliban era.Kabal residents said on Sunday that they saw anti-Taliban banners calling leader of the Swat militants Maulana Fazlullah a “shameless” person. “Where is the shameless Fazlullah?” was the slogan inscribed on one of the banners. One can infer from the writing on the banner that those having displayed the banners were criticising the Taliban leader for going…

• Operation Hydra

  18 Nov 2009 | 12:06 am

  Mark at The Torch highlights a large Canadian operation and vents a little frustration:So far only the Globe and Mail (good on them, but a rather, er, curt story) has seen fit to report this; most of our media only pretend to cover the CF at Kanadahar, and don't even use what is reported--see second story:Canadian offensive sees little action [that's good, right?]Operation Hydra launches with 1,000 Canadian troops [emphasis added, that's big, right?] and 200 Afghanistan National Army soldiers in push toward a known Taliban command post south of KandaharOne of the biggest Canadian operations…

• Left Is Right; Down Is Up

  17 Nov 2009 | 3:31 pm

  Taliban leader flees Pakistan for Afghanistan; plans to use Afghan soil as a haven to launch attacks across the border.

• Thinking Things Through

  16 Nov 2009 | 1:21 pm

  Steve Coll, who happens to knows a thing or two about this subject, discusses the implications of withdrawal from Afghanistan. They include (his headings):The Nineties Afghan Civil War on SteroidsMomentum for a Taliban Revolution in PakistanIncreased Islamist Violence Against India, Increasing the Likelihood of Indo-Pakistani WarIncreased Al Qaeda Ambitions Against Britain and United StatesSheds some light on why certain people avoid the question, doesn't it?

• "The Latest Poster Girl For Dizzy, Bourgeois Vanity"

  16 Nov 2009 | 1:07 pm

  Pursuant to the post below, Terry takes the ball and runs with it.It is only in "the west" that [Joya] serves any purpose. She can be summoned as a sort of celebrity spokesmodel for that caste of the west's rich liberals who have a weird need to believe the lie that there is something "feminist" or "progressive" in the narcissistic, reactionary isolationism they have adopted as the defining mark of their own political virtue. It's the reason why so much effort is expended in building up a cult of celebrity around Joya. That's all that's going on here. It has absolutely nothing to do with what…

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  Ghosts of Alexander

• New Afghanistan Blogs

  Christian

  19 Nov 2009 | 11:03 pm

  Well, maybe not that new. But I really haven’t seen many links to these blogs, so they are probably new to you. I’ll just excerpt from them to give you a taste of what they are all about: First, from Jeni Mitchell writing at The Crime-Conflict Nexus: …there is another problem: the presence of intoxicated militants in combat. What effects are they having? Do we know how to cope with them? It is important to view narco-trafficking as a strategic problem, but in doing so we should not neglect the tactical and local-level effects. It’s safe to say that it does matter if…

• Afghan Experiences of Conflict, 1978-2009

  Christian

  18 Nov 2009 | 4:31 am

  Yes. This: Much has been written about the wars in Afghanistan and the basic narrative of the conflict, in one form or another, has been repeated in countless books, academic articles and news reports. But the voices of ordinary Afghans are often absent from these accounts, and yet it is the Afghan people who are most affected by the violence. From this: Oxfam, 2009. “The Cost of War: Afghan Experiences of Conflict, 1978-2009.” Download PDF. This is definitely worth a read. Many of the questions that were asked are original. They shouldn’t be, but they are. And the time…

• Hero/Monster

  Christian

  18 Nov 2009 | 2:11 am

  I was in a shared taxi in southern Tajikistan when I saw a billboard with an unfamiliar face on it. I squinted at the modified Cyrillic and caught the name. The name was very familiar. I wanted to get out and take a picture. But…there are some people who don’t appreciate him. Some see him as a monster. As a war criminal. However, there are  those who see him as a savior, a hero. The last thing I wanted to do was ask the taxi driver to stop in front of a mural of a man who may have killed his relatives. Of course, alternately the taxi driver might be quite fond of the man on the…

• Modern Warfare versus Afghanistan

  Christian

  15 Nov 2009 | 5:18 pm

  This says it all, via flick user agentvladimir: This reminds me of another picture from a couple of years ago: Must be frustrating to be deployed and to know that outside your circle of family and friends, nobody really cares. Living in the US from 1998-2008, I never saw a country at war. And I’m not just talking about the college towns I lived in. As for those places, well, they are different. I once made the mistake of mentioning at a grad student gathering (2004-2005ish) that my brother was deployed to Al Anbar with the 24th MEU. Big mistake. It was if I said that Hitler was a great…

• Crazy Conspiracy Theories

  Christian

  13 Nov 2009 | 6:55 am

  There are so many in Afghanistan. My personal favorite is the one that involves trained tigers being dropped from American planes into villages to eat the people: “We heard that foreigners are releasing them at night from planes to eat people. We heard that usually the tiger cats attack the throat and drink all the blood,” said Mohammed Saber, also from Saidkhail. Air delivery? But wouldn’t the fall kill the cats? “They fly really low,” said Koko Gul, 20, of nearby Monara village, holding his hands a foot from the ground, “and they just drop the cats onto…

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  Travel Blogs from Asia , Afghanistan

• Kandahar Airfield KAF

  Week 13KAF One word DUSTYThis place is huge I would say 95 of the population here are guys and by far the Americans are the worst when it comes to chasing down women. At first it felt good to have all the attentions the stares and the waves but now that I have been here for over three weeks it does gets annoying. I have a nice comfy room and I plan on sleeping in a sleeping b

• Training in Kingston for deployment to Kandahar

  Day 1 Oct 26 2008Wow I have been looking forward for this training for two months now only to have the bus coming late There were already a few people waiting so I introduced myself since after all we are all going to be together for 12 days. Finally after what seemed like an eternity the bus shows up. I was surprised that the bus belonged to the Government of Canada however the inside is

• 23 octobre

  23 octobre Avec Ross je fais mon troisieme voyage aux lacs de BandeAmir.26 octobre Je suis deploye pour le runoff dans la merveilleuse cite de Nili. Villagecapitale de la province de Daikundi. Jrsquoy serai jusqursquoau 16 novembre.27 octobre Participer a des seances de formation du staff electoral. Petit choc culturel en effet jrsquoai appris que les Afghans se mariaient entre cousin

• 1 au 9 octobre

  1 octobre Jrsquoai decouverts qursquoil y avait un petit gym au centrevillebazard de Bamyan jrsquoai t faire un petit tour histoire de rechauffer mes muscles.2 octobre En cette journee de conge je decouvre qursquoil y a un gym UN a pas plus que 1 minute de marche de ma guesthouse Je profite donc de cette journee pour forger mon corps drsquoathele.345 octobre Entrainement a la

• 22 au 30 septembre

  22 septembre Belle petite soire en effet on a mange des brochettes sur un genre de BBQ. Lrsquoambiance tait super. Belle temprature. Quand mme bizarre un BBQ pas de femmes et pas drsquoalcool.23 septembre Jrsquoai regarde la premire saison de la tlsrie Californication. Jrsquoai trouve ca pas mal drle lrsquohistoire drsquoun crivain dsabus qui fornique parci parl. J

• 
  Global: John D McHugh | guardian.co.uk

• Video, Afghan rogue policeman: 'Wishful thinking that it's just one'

  Peter Beaumont, Laurence Topham, Shehani Fernando, John D McHugh, Sean Smith

  4 Nov 2009 | 7:37 am

  Observer foreign affairs editor Peter Beaumont analyses the wider implications after a policeman in Helmand province killed five British solidersPeter BeaumontLaurence TophamShehani FernandoJohn D McHughSean Smith

• War in Afghanistan: hall of mirrors

  John D McHugh, Michael Tait, Lindsay Poulton, Ben Summers

  30 Apr 2009 | 1:28 am

  The Afghan people find themselves stuck in the middle, between Taliban threats and US marines who don't know who to trust. It's a frustrating hall of mirrors for the American forces tasked with winning hearts and mindsJohn D McHughMichael TaitLindsay PoultonBen Summers

• G20 protests: 'I don't know who is being protected here'

  John Domokos, Christian Bennett, Laurence Topham, John D McHugh, Felix Clay

  1 Apr 2009 | 7:32 pm

  G20 protests: A street-level view of the peaceful gathering that erupted into violenceJohn DomokosChristian BennettLaurence TophamJohn D McHughFelix Clay

• Video: Obama's war: Afghanistan's failing army

  John D McHugh, Ben Summers, Michael Tait, Lindsay Poulton

  27 Mar 2009 | 7:40 am

  As Barack Obama announces more US troops to train the Afghanistan army, John D McHugh reports on how US soldiers view their Afghan counterparts as ill-disciplined, badly led and with a crippling taste for hashishJohn D McHughBen SummersMichael TaitLindsay Poulton

• Combat Outpost: exclusive film from the Afghan frontline

  John D McHugh, Michael Tait, Lindsay Poulton

  15 Feb 2009 | 4:06 pm

  As US and the UK forces struggle for a way forward in Afghanistan, John D McHugh's unique film from one of the US military's most dangerous outposts shows just how western forces are losing ground to the TalibanJohn D McHughMichael TaitLindsay Poulton

• 
  Greetings from Afghanistan

• Rebuild Afghanistan Summit 2009

  25 Oct 2009 | 9:08 am

  Rebuild Afghanistan Summit 2009Hosted by Rebuild Afghanistan Summit CommitteeSunday, November 01, 2009 at 11:00 AM (PT)Dominican University of California -Guzman Hall, 2nd floor -San Rafael, CA

• 6 Jul 2008 | 6:01 pm

  6 Jul 2008 | 6:01 pm

  Kabul is a city of hustle and bustle. There are few paved roads and no traffic lanes, intersections or traffic lights. Livestock including sheep, goats and camels weave in and out of traffic consisting mostly of old Toyota Corolla Sedans converted to taxicabs while young men in jeans talk on cell phones. It is a cacophony of traditional and modernity. (Camel photo courtesy of Marsha MacColl)

• Skateistan

  15 Jun 2008 | 2:13 pm

  Check out this blog about skateboarding in Afghanistan.

• In the Neighborhood, Demazang District

  28 Mar 2008 | 11:00 pm

• Peace on You

  24 Mar 2008 | 8:24 pm

  Salam! ("peace") is the Dari way of saying "hello", to which the response is simply salam! This greeting, which means "peace on you", is also used for the other greetings of the day. An extension of this becomes the more traditional Muslim greeting Asalamu alaykum! ("peace on you") to which the formal response is Alaykum asalam ("[and] on you peace!")

• 
  WordPress Tag: Afghanistan

• Afghans say President Karzai's five-year handover is not soon enough

  waylon1776

  20 Nov 2009 | 6:28 pm

  Jerome Starkey in Shinwar, Times online “People hate the Americans from the bottom of their hearts,” Haji Akhtar Mohammed Shinwari said as he recalled how the US military had brought death to his homeland. For residents of Shinwar, a village in distant Nangahar province, the message from President Karzai’s address yesterday that the Americans would hand over security over the next five years was disappointing. At the village bazaar, Mr Shinwari told The Times that he could not wait that long. In 2007, a unit of special forces was speeding along a busy road a few miles from his village…

• Karzai 'would fall in weeks' if Nato pulls out-Guardian UK.

  ramanan50

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:58 pm

  First shore up your government.Illusions of setting Right the world has landed the world into a messier situations. Story: The Afghan government could fall within weeks if Nato pulled out troops now, David Miliband warned today as he urged British opponents of the war to give the fight to rebuild the country more time. In an interview with the Guardian at the end of a visit to Kabul for the presidential inauguration of Hamid Karzai, the foreign secretary said: “If international forces leave, you can choose a time – five minutes, 24 hours or seven days – but the insurgent forces will…

• Obama Allies Want New Tax To Pay For Cost Of Protecting Afghan Opium Fields, Bribing Taliban

  wecogitate

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:34 pm

  Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Friday, November 20, 2009 Not content with savaging American ta

• Why We Fight - November 2009

  Matt Holzmann

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:07 pm

  Thursday, November 19, 2009 KABUL: Afghan authorities said Wednesday that local security forces backed by Nato   troops killed more than three-dozen militants in a series of military operations across Afghanistan.Twenty-three Taliban militants were killed in an operation by Afghan and Western troops in Paktika province late Tuesday, Hamidullah Zhwak, a provincial spokesman, said in a statement. Nato warplanes pounded insurgent positions in support of ground forces in Paktika’s Barmal district, the spokesman added. The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) could not…

• Forte chute du Liban au classement de la gestion des ressources naturelles

  dodzi

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm

  L’Orient le Jour Le Liban est arrivé en 92e position sur 216 pays dans le classement établi par les universités de Columbia et de Yale. Le Liban est arrivé en 92e position sur 216 pays dans le classement basé sur l’indicateur 2009 de gestion des ressources naturelles dans le monde, 23e sur 30 pays à revenu intermédiaire (UMIC) et 8e sur 17 pays de la région Moyen-Orient-Afrique du Nord (MENA). Conjointement effectué par les universités de Columbia et Yale aux États-Unis, et repris par le bulletin économique hebdomadaire de la Byblos Bank, Lebanon This Week, le…

• 
  IPS Inter Press Service Afghan Divide

• Q&A: "Karzai Assigned a Rabbit to Take Care of the Carrot"

  VANCOUVER, Canada, Nov 20 (IPS) - In the aftermath of national elections widely condemned as fraudulent, the United States and its allies are wondering what to do about Afghanistan.

• U.S.: Obama Returns to Greater Middle East Mess

  WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (IPS) - As Barack Obama arrives home from his weeklong tour of East Asia, he confronts a growing list of ever more urgent problems in the Greater Middle East that he inherited from George W. Bush's "global war on terror".

• AFGHANISTAN: Black & Veatch's White Elephant in Kabul

  KABUL, Nov 19 (IPS) - In a secluded valley a few miles from Kabul's international airport, Caterpillar turbines custom-built in Germany and giant transformers flown in from Mexico hum away at a brand-new power plant.

• CORRUPTION: Paying Off Afghanistan's Warlords

  KABUL, Nov 18 (IPS) - Every morning, dozens of trucks laden with diesel from Turkmenistan lumber out of the northern Afghan border town of Hairaton on a two-day trek across the Hindu Kush down to Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.

• CORRUPTION: Afghanistan, Iraq Near Bottom of Transparency Index

  WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (IPS) - Despite billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and other countries to improve governance in Afghanistan and Iraq, the two countries remain among the world's most corrupt nations, according to the latest edition of Transparency International's (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

• 
  Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

• Afghans Assess Roles for NATO, UN, Regional Actors

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm

  'Afghans Assess Roles for NATO, UN, Regional Actors', Gallup, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "As NATO, the United Nations, and regional neighbors take stock of their roles in Afghanistan, Gallup surveys provide insight into what roles Afghans think these groups or countries are playing and should play in resolving the situation. Afghans surveyed in June were most likely to think NATO, the United Nations, India, and Iran are playing roles in reconstruction. In regard to Pakistan, however, Afghans were just as likely to say that country's role is supporting the Taliban as they were to say it is…

• Pakistan Demands US Share Afghan Blueprint

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 2:57 pm

  'Pakistan Demands US Share Afghan Blueprint', The Associated Press, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "Pakistan expressed fear Friday that a large increase in foreign troops in Afghanistan could push militants across the border into its territory and called on the U.S. to factor in that concern as part of its new war strategy. Meanwhile, a suspected U.S. missile strike killed eight militants in northwestern Pakistan, officials said, the second attack this week in an area believed to hold many insurgents who fled from an army offensive elsewhere in the Afghan border region. American officials…

• US to Tighten Control of Afghan Aid

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 2:45 pm

  'US to Tighten Control of Afghan Contracts: Gates', Reuters, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "The United States must tighten control of Afghan aid contracts as a first step toward stemming rampant corruption, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday. A central question as President Barack Obama debates sending up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan is whether the Afghan government can become a more credible partner in the war by tackling corruption undermining its legitimacy. 'The reality is that the international presence in Afghanistan has provided a significant influx of assistance dollars…

• Afghan Police are Weak Link in Security Force

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:16 am

  'Afghan Police are Weak Link in Security Force', The Associated Press, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "Underpaid, under-equipped and under-trained, Afghanistan's 93,000-member police force is the weak link in an ambitious security strategy to hand over defense of the country to Afghans so American and other foreign troops can go home. A strong, unified national police force has long eluded Afghanistan, a country torn by occupation and warfare for hundreds of years. But with the West now attempting to help turn the country from a failed state into at least a functioning one, the police will play a…

• Karzai Wants ANA to Replace Foreign Forces in Five Years

  Human Security Report Project

  20 Nov 2009 | 7:18 am

  'Karzai Wants Afghan Troops to Replace Foreign Forces in Five Years', The Guardian, 20 November 2009 EXCERPT: "Hamid Karzai has said he is determined that the Afghan army should be built up so it can take over responsibility from foreign troops for securing the entire country within five years. Speaking after being sworn in for a second term as president, Karzai said he wanted Afghanistan's security forces to be improved in 'quantitative and qualitative terms'. Currently only one of the 34 provinces, the capital, is controlled by the country's own security forces. Karzai said that by…

• 
  Global Voices Online: Afghanistan

• Pakistan: Conflict With Afghanistan

  Rezwan

  20 Nov 2009 | 8:38 am

  Sikander Hayat discusses about the hurdles in the path of resolving the conflicts between Pakistan & Afghanistan and some possible solutions.

• Egypt: Nidal Hassan - Psychiatrist or Psychotic?

  Marwa Rakha

  14 Nov 2009 | 1:03 am

  Major Nidal Hassan is the US military psychiatrist of Arab origins who recently went on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas, killing 12 soldiers and one civilian. He is now facing charges of premeditated murder. “Psychiatrist or Psychotic?”, ask Egyptian bloggers. Nawara Negm sympathizes with him: اكيد سمع هلاوس كتير من الظباط اللي جايين من العراق بعد ما قتلوا اطفال وستات كان عايز يسيب الخدمة وطلبه اترفض وكل محامي عشان يرفع له قضية عشان يسيب الخدمة…

• USA: Veterans ask Obama to reconsider Afghanistan

  Solana Larsen

  11 Nov 2009 | 10:46 am

  Brave New Foundation posts a petition and YouTube video with young veterans asking Obama not to send more troops to Afghanistan.

• Afghanistan: UN withdraws from Kabul?

  Adil Nurmakov

  8 Nov 2009 | 1:57 am

  Sailani says that in response to continuing threats to the foreign staff in Afghanistan, it now appears that a decision has been made to withdraw about six hundred UN international officers from Kabul.

• Afghanistan: Who are the leaders of Taliban?

  Adil Nurmakov

  8 Nov 2009 | 1:49 am

  Nick Fielding reflects on the the question of who is running the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and who are the members of the so-called the Quetta Shura, the Taliban's leadership.

• 
  کابل پرس: خبری، تحليلی و انتقادی | Kabul Press

• جنایتکار رسول سیاف گریخت

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:35 pm

  در ماه مارچ سال 2007 نيز نیروهای آمريکایی به محل سکونت عبدالرب رسول سیاف هجوم برده بودند و ضمن خلع سلاح محافظان وی، محل سکونت وی را بازرسی کردند. سیاف تا مدتی در پارلمان افغانستان حضور نيافت و زمانی که به پارلمان برگشت نيز مدت ها سکوت اختيار کرده بود. يک سال قبل از آن نيز در ماه مارچ سال 2006، کاروان حامل صبغت الله مجددی يکی از…

• بازی روشنفکران اخته با نام یک قهرمان

  حبیب

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:17 pm

  این لگد آلیدا پوزه‌ی انجمن قلمی ها، روح الامین امینی، قسیم اخگر (دعوت از یک روشنفکر دینی در محفل بزرگداشت یک انقلابی مارکسیست به خودی خود معنا دار است)، عمر [1] و... را هم خرد می‌کند که خواسته اند با تقلید و استعانت از ایرانیان رژیمی، چه گوارا را ملا گکی در سطح خود شان جلوه دهند. ولی در این میان آقای وحید وارسته سر دسته انقلابیون…

• چگونگی بررسی رژیم پارلمانی درافغانستان

  شفیق الله شفیق

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:41 am

  روابط پیچیده اجتماعی یک از موارد مهم درقضایای ملت شدن میباشد که همیشه تنش زا ومصبت آفرین بوده است وایجاد حکومت ها را درافغانستان با هرنوع پیوند ایدئولوژیک که باخود بهمراه داشته است، بازهم درخود هویت های قومی را انطباق داده ودنبال رواین مشخصه ها بوده است وسبب مشکلات اعظیمی وبحران وخیم ی شده است .بافت های تباری در افغانستان که تا…

• بررسی رژیم پارلمانی و کنکاش آن در افغانستان

  شفیق الله شفیق

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:34 am

  درشکل پارلمانی حکومت روابط قوه ای مقننه ومجریه خیلی نزدیک میباشد استمرار ماموریت حکومت ویاهم کابینه بستگی به اراده قوه مقننه دارد.در این مکانیزم سیاسی دموکراتیک قوه مقننه از صالبت وقدرت بیشتر برخودار میباشد.این شیوه ازحکومت را بنابر موجودیت دو رئیس یعنی رئیس حکومت یا کابینه رئیس اسمی دولت، پادشاه ویا هم رئیس جهمور بنام حکومت…

• It's all a conspiracy!!!!

  Hadi Zaher

  19 Nov 2009 | 6:25 pm

  As I put pen to paper Hamid Karzai is on the verge of being inaugurated for another term; Obama is soon to announce his administration's new strategy for Afghanistan and if there will be another surge of troops; major towns and cities across Afghanistan and Pakistan are gripped with fear of suicide bombings and coordinated Taliban attacks; travellers across Afghanistan fear IEDs and Taliban roadblocks, villagers in the highlands are not sure whether they will survive the winter; thousands of victims of self-immolation lie in bloodied beds in overcrowded hospitals; Afghanistan sits at the…