US Defense Secretary in
Afghanistan
Robert Gates
VOA News / September 2, 2010
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Afghanistan for
meetings with President Hamid Karzai and the commander of NATO
forces in the country, U.S. General David Petraeus.
Gates arrived in Kabul Thursday from Baghdad, where he attended
ceremonies Wednesday marking the end of the U.S. military's
seven-year combat mission in Iraq.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday the drawdown of U.S.
forces in Iraq has freed up resources to go on the offense against
insurgents trying to topple the Karzai government.
Mr. Obama said he will start a transition to Afghan security
responsibility next August. But, he added the pace of U.S. troop
reductions in Afghanistan will be determined by "conditions on the
ground."
NATO says the latest fighting in Afghanistan has killed two
American soldiers and a Taliban commander.
The alliance says the U.S. soldiers were killed Thursday in
separate attacks in eastern and southern Afghanistan, regions
where Taliban militants are strongest. This week has been deadly
for U.S. troops with a spate of militant attacks, killing at least
21 since Saturday.
NATO said it killed the Taliban commander in an air strike
Wednesday as he rode his motorcycle in the eastern province of
Paktika. Officials said the commander led a group of insurgents
involved in laying roadside bombs and smuggling foreign fighters
into Afghanistan.
In August, Taliban militants killed 80 international troops, 56
of them Americans, while NATO said combined forces killed 160
militants and detained more than 500 others.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, and AFP.
3 rockets hit
Afghan capital: Police
Press TV / September 2, 2010
Afghanistan police say at least three rockets have targeted the
Afghan capital city of Kabul while the country is still suffering
from the 2001 US-led invasion.
The rocket attacks had no casualties, but caused some damage, a
Press TV correspondent reported on Thursday.
According to reports, one of the missiles slammed into the wall
of the Eggers military base, which is used by US forces.
No person or group has claimed responsibility for the attack
yet.
In another incident, two US soldiers were killed in separate
militant attacks in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
The nine-year-old war has brought daily attacks and bombings to
the country, claiming the lives of countless numbers of Afghan
civilians and injuring many more.
The US-led conflict has also cost Washington and its Western
allies billions of dollars, with the lives of many Americans and
Europeans influenced directly or indirectly by the war.
A majority of Americans see no end in sight to the war and
nearly six out of 10 oppose the conflict, according to a new poll,
released by Associated Press-GfK.
US-led attacks
kill 16 Afghan civilians
Press TV / September 2, 2010
US-led forces in Afghanistan have killed at least 16 civilians
over the past 24 hours, amid growing public rage over such
attacks.
Ten civilians have been killed in a NATO airstrike in the
northern Takhar province. The victims were reportedly election
campaign workers.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the attack on
three vehicles carrying election campaign workers.
"In the war on terror, pro-democracy people should be
distinguished from those who fight against democracy," a statement
quoted Karzai as saying.
Earlier on Wednesday, six civilians were killed and several
others injured in another aerial attack in the southern province
of Kandahar.
Witnesses say most of the victims were women and children.
Loss of civilian lives at the hands of foreign forces has
dramatically heightened anti-American sentiment among Afghans.
Thousands have taken to the streets in recent months,
protesting against rising civilian deaths by US-led forces.
Large numbers of Afghans have been killed during NATO's air and
ground operations since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in
2001.
NATO air raids
kill
civilians in Afghan: Afghan gov't
KABUL, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Afghan government accused NATO-led
troops of using airpower and killing civilians in northeast Takhar
province on Thursday and denounced it. "President Hamid Karzai
condemns air strikes that claimed the lives of civilians in Takhar
province today," a statement released by Presidential Palace said.
The statement also stressed that bombarding Afghan villages
would not serve the war on terror except harming non-combatants.
Ten election campaigners were killed as a meeting arranged by a
parliamentary candidate Abdul Wahid Khurasani came under attack in
northeastern Takhar province on Thursday morning, spokesman for
provincial administration Faiz Mohammad Tawhidi said.
He also added that five persons including Khurasani sustained
injuries in the incident.
Afghanistan's second parliamentary elections since the fall of
Taliban regime in late 2001 is scheduled for September 18 this
year amid tight security as Taliban militants vowed to derail it.
Two US soldiers killed in
Afghanistan
Press TV / September 2, 2010
Two American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, bringing
the death toll of US troops killed in the Afghan war to 326 so far
this year.
According to NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF),
two US soldiers died following separate militant attacks, one in
the east Afghanistan, and the other in the south on Thursday.
The number of foreign troops killed in war-ravaged Afghanistan
so far in 2010 stands at 493, close to the 2009 total of 521, AFP
reported.
Despite the casualties, commander of US and NATO forces in
Afghanistan General David Petraeus said on Tuesday that
deployments would reach 150,000 within days.
A new poll, released by Associated Press-GfK, indicates that a
majority of Americans see no end in sight to the war and nearly
six out of 10 oppose the nine-year-old conflict.
The issue will be a major headache in the US November mid-term
elections, in which voters will be choosing one third of the
Senate and the full House of Representatives.
Pundits say US President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party
face an uphill battle, but Obama has expressed confidence that his
party will retain control of both houses of Congress in the
elections.
4 Taliban killed,
suicide vests
seized in southern Afghan province
GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces
raided Taliban hideouts in southern Ghanzi province killing four
insurgents, provincial police chief Dilawar Zazai said Thursday.
"The security forces stormed Taliban positions in Andar
district late Wednesday night killing four rebels," Zazai told
Xinhua.
There were no casualties on the troops, he stressed.
Meantime, he said that the insurgents fired a rocket hit a
residential area as a result a civilian was killed.
In a related development, security forces detained five
insurgents and seized suicide vests from their possessions on the
same night Wednesday night in provincial capital Ghazni city, the
police further said.
Taliban insurgents who have intensified their activities are
largely relying on suicide attacks and roadside bombings which
often claim civilians' life.
Afghan Government
Welcomes Additional US Resources
VOA News
September 1, 2010
Sean Maroney | Islamabad
U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged to start transitioning
security responsibilities in Afghanistan to the Afghan forces next
August. He also said a drawdown of the U.S. military in Iraq has
helped free resources for the war effort in Afghanistan.
President Obama's plans for Afghanistan come against a backdrop
of a worsening security situation.
Ongoing violence
Violence has continued throughout the country, despite the
increasing numbers of international troops. Plus, insurgent
attacks that primarily had occurred in the Taliban-controlled
south have started to appear in what was the relatively peaceful
north.
In the face of this, Afghans awoke Wednesday to President
Obama's pledge to start a transition of power to the country's
security forces next August. Since late last year, Mr. Obama has
vowed to start withdrawing U.S. troops next July, depending on
security conditions.
He also said the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq has freed
resources for the war effort in Afghanistan.
New resources
General Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for Afghanistan's Ministry
of Defense, told reporters in Kabul that his country welcomes the
additional U.S. resources. He said the increasing attention will
help create a framework so that the Afghan army can stand on its
own, making the transition fast and easy.
But General Azimi said the transition should have come much
sooner. He said one of the reasons that the security situation has
deteriorated is because attention on Afghanistan waned as the war
in Iraq began. He said he believes that conditions at that time in
Afghanistan were suitable for the formation of a strong national
army and infrastructure. But he adds that the opportunity was
missed.
New focus
Afghanistan Center for Research and Policy Studies Director
Haroun Mir agrees that the country suffered from an insufficient
international focus during most of the Iraq War. But he says
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government and the international
community should not dwell on the past.
"I think it is too late for this blame game. So now we have to
focus on using all the resources that are available in Afghanistan
in order to improve the Afghan security forces because we all know
it will be politically very difficult for the Obama administration
to change its strategy," Mir said.
Afghanistan withdrawal
Mir says President Obama's low public approval ratings in the
United States show that he cannot afford to delay America's
withdrawal from Afghanistan, despite saying that it will depend on
conditions on the ground.
He also warns that the U.S. troop pullout will not be smooth
because of President Karzai's criticism of the withdrawal plan.
Late last week, Mr. Karzai called President Obama's July 2011
deadline to begin the pullout a "morale boost" for insurgents.
But Mir says the biggest boost for insurgents will come from
the government in Kabul, if it fails to stem corruption and
provide for Afghanistan's people.
Afghan Financial
System Computerised
Tolo news / September 2, 2010
The financial system of the Afghan government is equipped with
modern computer systems
The Afghan Treasure Department of the Ministry of Finance says
after the department is equipped with the modern computerised
system, all the salary payments and expenditures of government
employees will be done through computers and the information will
be carried to the ministry in Kabul in a very short time.
The department has cited the modernisation of the country's
financial system a big achievement and says that it will encourage
the international community to increase donations to the Afghan
government.
The Treasure Department has already paid some government
employees' salaries using the new financial system in the past two
days.
"The control centre shows us the number of cheques, salary
amount and expenditures," said head of the treasure department,
Mohammad Aqa.
Some of the employees who receive cheques in provinces said
with the new machines, they are able to do a one-day work in an
hour.
Besides modernisation of the country's financial system, the
new systems will help decrease administrative corruption in
Afghanistan.
Leading stories
in today’s Afghan media
UNAMA
2 September 2010 - IEC head says some polling centres will face
security problems in Helmand; Karzai orders huge shakeup in
Interior Ministry; My remarks in media wrongly projected - former
deputy attorney-general; No Taliban-Holbrooke talks - US; Afghan
school poisonings linked to toxic chemicals; and Afghan Defence
Ministry welcomes President Obama’s remarks that more attention
will be paid to Afghanistan, says it will open 91 more polling
centres, and expresses concern that over-publicity on
international troops' draw-down only heightens the enemy's
spirits.
AFGHAN TV NEWS
Tolo TV Headlines
Referring to corruption in Kabul Bank and its leadership
change, the Afghan Central Bank chief says no more shareholder can
become bank executive in Afghanistan.
President Obama of America again emphasizes the country’s
serious attention to the counter-terrorism campaign in
Afghanistan.
Afghan Defence Ministry welcomes President Obama’s remarks in
which he says more attention will be paid to Afghanistan,
following withdrawal from Iraq.
The Defence Ministry’s spokesman says the propaganda on foreign
troops’ withdrawal can encourage terrorists, but cannot increase
security problems, adding that the ministry is to open 91 more
polling stations which were earlier declared to remain shut during
the elections. Moreover, the Ministry says military operations in
Kandahar have already began starting from Shah Walicot district.
In his trip to Helmand, IEC chief Fazel Ahmad Manawi says some
polling stations will be faced with security problems in that
province, adding that elections would be held in all Helmand
districts except in Baghran and Deshu.
Ariana TV Headlines
In his trip to Helmand, IEC head Fazel Ahmad Manawi says 80 per
cent of polling stations will be open in that province.
Defence Ministry Spokesman Gen Zaher Azimi says the Ministry is
to open 91 more polling stations which were earlier declared to be
closed in the elections. Azimi explained that security forces have
recently conducted 15 successful military operations in five
provinces for the safety of the elections.
Elections authorities in Takhar say most of the polling
stations with high security risk are in Yangi Qala and Darqad
districts bordering Tajikistan, adding that they have reduced the
number of closed polling stations from 17 to 12. They added that
they will probably be able to open more polling stations by
elections day.
Pointing to complaints raised by a number of election
candidates as well as those omitted from the list of candidates,
the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) says complaints can be
handed over to the Commission.
Some election candidates say their campaign activities are
blocked by powerful election candidates. Some of them say a number
of election candidates are making use of Government resources for
their own interest.
On the other hand, some of those who are omitted from the list
of candidates say they have illegally been deprived of their
rights by mafia circles. An example is Gen. Aminullah Amarkhil,
who was once police commander at the Kabul Airport and who was
fired from his job by those linked to the drug mafia. Amarkhil
said he has completed all conditions formulated for candidates.
AFGHAN PRINT MEDIA
Outlook Afghanistan
President Hamid Karzai through a decree has ordered a major
reshuffle in the Interior Ministry on Wednesday. The President
asked for the reshuffling of 21 high-profile officers at the
Ministry, with General Baz Muhammad Ahmadi appointed as deputy
minister for counter-narcotics, and General Ghulam Ali appointed
as deputy minister for administration, a statement from the
presidential office said.
Afghanistan’s Central Bank governor said top officials of the
country’s largest commercial bank resigned to comply with new
rules, rejecting US newspaper reports that his agency forced them
out for corruption. Governor Abdul Qadeer Fitrat of the Da
Afghanistan Bank told reporters in the capital that the Chairman
and the Chief Executive Officer of Kabul Bank resigned their
positions after the central bank prohibited shareholders from
holding senior management jobs.
The United States has strongly refuted news reports about peace
talks between representatives of the Taliban and and Hezb-e-Islami,
and emissaries of Richard Holbrooke in Islamabad and Peshawar.
Blood samples taken from Afghan schoolgirls who collapsed in
apparent mass poisonings showed traces of toxic chemicals found in
herbicides, pesticides and nerve gas, the Health Ministry said
Wednesday.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) chief visited Helmand
on Wednesday. He held a meeting with the provincial governor and
some parliamentary candidates, discussing security maintenance and
logistical issues for transferring election materials to polling
stations across the province. Briefing reporters about his visit
to Helmand, Manawi said his agenda was to keep himself informed of
hurdles to polls in the region. The IEC chief vowed to prevent
rigging and to ensure a transparent vote.
The former deputy Attorney-Ggeneral said his remarks about his
retirement were projected beyond the reality in media outlets,
according to General Muhammad Naeem Dawari, head of the detection
and investigation branch at the Attorney-General’s Office on
Wednesday. In an interview, Faqiryar said the reports published
about his resignation were incorrect. "I am lawyer, and know what
I should share with media," he said.
To a question about the involvement of Afghan National Security
Advisor, Dr Spanta, in the illegal transfer of US$ 500,000 to
Saudi Arabia in Hajj operations in 2007, Dawari said no documents
had been filed with the Attorney-General’s Office in this regard.
General Zahir Azimi, a top official in the Afghan Defence
Ministry, remarked on Wednesday that an over publicity of
international troops' draw-down is beneficial for neighbouring
countries and insurgents.
Afghanistan Times
The Afghan Defence Ministry has welcomed President Obama’s
fresh remarks on “specific attention” on Afghanistan.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has strongly
condemned attacks on parliamentary poll candidates and their
supporters, an IEC press release said.
As US President Barack Obama announced the end of the US combat
mission in Iraq, he promised that his country will begin a
transition to Afghan responsibility next August. Addressing the
American nation from his Oval Office, the President said on
Tuesday that he had ordered the deployment of additional troops
under the command of NATO's top commander, Gen. David Petraeus, to
break the Taliban's momentum.
Kabul Times
International troops killed four Afghan civilians, including
two women, during an operation in Helmand, NATO said on Wednesday.
Afghan and coalition forces, conducting a medical evacuation
mission, opened fire at two civilians in an escalation of forces
incident, NATO said in a statement.
Kabul Weekly
While there are only 17 days to election day, the Electoral
Complaints Commission has not launched public outreach program for
the awareness of the public.
Daily Arman-e-Milli
Hamed Wardak, son of Afghan Defense Minister and the owner of
NCL international company, has been detained in America. Also
arrested in the US are Asaadullah Ramin, brother of a former
Cabinet minister, and a brother of Hamidullah Farooqi, former
Transport Minister.
Daily Erada
In Helmand, the IEC head said there are around 10.5 million
Afghan voters, whereas more than 18 million registration cards
have been printed for those who are to vote.
State Media Editorials
Hewad Daily
The Pakistani Government which has imposed a ban on the
transmission of Afghan media in its territory, should understand
that it’s the era of globalization and both nations have the right
to be updated on news and events happening countrywide.
Eslah Daily
Our people support the formation of a High Peace Council. The
commission will only be successful if its members have faith in
peace and have no record of involvement in the past civil war.
Private Media Editorials
Afghanistan Times
Recently President Karzai met with a number of US congressmen
and once again highlighted the existence of sanctuaries of
terrorists as well as civilian killings as the main reasons for
the violence in the country. It is very surprising that instead of
paying attention to the two aforementioned issues, NATO officials
continue stressing over military operations in villages of
Afghanistan, which is not effective in putting an end to war.
Daily Afghanistan
In relation to the scandal in Kabul Bank, the editorial says
the people have now lost their confidence in all Afghan banks,
which should be resolved.
Daily Hasht-e-Subh
The daily has welcomed the new appointments in the leadership
of the Interior Ministry, saying that because of the grasp of
inappropriate people on the leadership of the Ministry, all the
expenses for police improvement are gone with the wind. It also
implied that the removed officials had been appointed to safeguard
corrupt people, which led the public to mistrust the police.
Daily Cheragh
Pointing to reports published in American newspapers on CIA
employees among the staff in the Presidential Palace, the daily
says that such newspapers are at the service of the American
Government.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Nangarhar (RTA) Headlines
The Deputy Governor of Nangarhar province convened a meeting of
the Emergency Assistance Committee with participation of youth
representatives and Government officials in Jalalabad. While
thanking the international community for their assistance to
flood-affected people, the Deputy Governor said the focus of the
relief aid should be those who have lost their homes in the
flooding. He said tents should be provided to them urgently.
Hundreds of people from Behsud district staged a demonstration
condemning those who fired rockets in Jalalabad city.
Elders of Shinwar and Momand districts of Nangarhar province
met with the chair of the Provincial Council to express their full
support to the Government and the upcoming elections.
The Governor of Nangarhar organized a meeting with
participation of security bodies, tribal elders, the chairperson
of the Provincial Council, director of Nangarhar IEC and
Government officials in order to discuss the upcoming elections.
While urging that the election should be conducted in a smooth and
fair manner, they sought the opinion of the participants on how
best to conduct the polls. The Governor pointed out that the
support of the tribal elders is critical to best organize the
election. The elders vowed their full support for the elections.
The participants also discussed security in some “problematic
areas.”
In Kama district, two schools – one each for boys and girls –
have been constructed with Government support of US$ 162,000.
About 1,500 applicants underwent a written test for the
position of IEC District Field Coordinators (DFCs) to conduct the
elections; 600 of them will be selected.
Balkh (Arzu TV) Headlines
The northern region national security department chief, Gen.
Faizullah, told media in a press conference on Wednesday in Mazar-e-Sharif
that the provincial governors have been authorized to assemble
communities in the distant villages and districts and distribute
arms among them to enable them to defeat Taliban and Al-Qaida
infiltration in their areas, especially the possible pre- and
post-election security challenges.
Saripul (RTA Saripul) Headines
Germany’s international development and donation agency GTZ
donated furniture and equipment worth 1,280,000 Afs (equivalent to
US$ 28,000) for the teachers training facilities of Balkhab and
Sangcharak districts of Sar-i-pul province on Wednesday.
Herat (RTA) Headlines
On the occasion of the 91st Afghan Independence Day, and in
accordance with a presidential decree, 52 prisoners, including
seven women, were released from Herat Prison.
Herat National Security Directorate officials recovered five
tons of explosive devices from Seyawshan village of Guzara
district on Wednesday.
Jan Malekzade, head of the western regional office of UNAMA,
met with the new governor of Herat, Dr. Mohammad Daoud Saba, on
Wednesday during which he expressed support.
US Designates Pakistani Taliban
as Foreign Terrorist Organization
VOA News
September 1, 2010
Meredith Buel
The United States has designated the Pakistani Taliban as a
foreign terrorist organization and charged its leader with
conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens abroad.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton designated the group,
known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban or TTP, and its two top leaders as
global terrorists.
The State Department says the group has carried out numerous
attacks on U.S. citizens abroad, including the December 2009
suicide bombing on a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan
that killed seven employees of the CIA.
Dan Benjamin is the State Department's Ambassador at Large for
Counterterrorism.
"The TTP is very much a part of the most dangerous terrorist
threat that the United States faces," said Dan Benjamin. "The TTP
and al-Qaida have a symbiotic relationship. TTP draws ideological
guidance from al-Qaida while al-Qaida relies on the TTP for safe
haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border."
The State Department says the Pakistani Taliban is responsible
for the April 2010 suicide bombing at the U.S. consulate in the
northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, which killed six
Pakistani citizens.
The group also claimed responsibility for the May 2010 failed
car bombing in New York City's Times Square.
Again, Ambassador Dan Benjamin.
"TTP's goals include toppling the government of Pakistan by
waging a campaign of terrorism against the civilian leaders of
that country and its military," he said. "The group also targets
NATO forces in Afghanistan. TTP has claimed responsibility for
numerous attacks against both Pakistani and U.S. interests."
The TTP has also been accused by Pakistani law enforcement of
being behind the 2007 assassination of former Pakistan's Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto.
U.S. officials say designating the group as a foreign terrorist
organization will help stop the flow of finances and provide the
Department of Justice with a critical tool to prosecute those
providing material support to the TTP and its senior leaders.
The Justice Department has filed an arrest warrant for the head
of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud and charged him with
conspiracy to murder Americans abroad.
The U.S. has also announced a $5-million reward for information
leading to the arrest of Mehsud or his deputy, Wali Ur Rehman.
Robert Hartung is with the State Department's Bureau of
Diplomatic Security.
"In Southern Asia, Mr. Mehsud and Mr. Rehman have planned and
organized the killing of citizens from both the United States and
Pakistan," said Robert Hartung. "These individuals are dedicated
terrorists and they are attempting to extend their bloody reach
into the American homeland. They are a danger to the interests of
the United States, to its facilities and its citizens."
U.S. officials say they are determined to eliminate the
Pakistani Taliban's ability to carry out terrorist attacks and to
disrupt, dismantle and defeat its networks along the border with
Afghanistan.
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