Aggregated News about Afghanistan

A suicide bomber killed 14 people Monday in Baghlan Province, including Rasul Mohseni, who was widely seen as the most powerful man in the province.

As Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, deputy commander of the Special Operations forces in Afghanistan, prepares to leave the country, a program created to train villagers to protect their homes from insurgents will be his legacy there.

President Karzai on his two day visit to India will meet Indian officials and discuss about increasing India's aid to Afghanistan both in the military and non-military sectors.

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The Commander of ISAF, General Joseph F. Dunford said that Afghan forces have the capability to take charge of security from the foreign forces and make arrangements for the upcoming Presidential elections.

All the Police Chiefs of Afghanistan got together at a conference in Kabul with the ISAF Commander.

General Joseph Dunford is confident that Afghan security forces can take charge of all military operations from June, 2013 onward.

Afghan Interior Minister, Ghulam Mojtaba Patang said that Afghan police should be equipped with all necessary weapons to keep all the achievements made intact.

The issue of lack of police equipments, evaluating the challenges faced by the police and providing security for the upcoming Presidential elections in 2014 were discussed at the conference.

Patang pointed out all of the achievements that Afghanistan had made in the last decade at the conference.

"Democracy, an elected government, a Parliament, human rights, progress within the army and security intelligence are the segments where success has been achieved and all this should be used to bring peace in the country," Ghulam Mojtaba Patang said.

Meanwhile, General Joseph Dunford believing on the ability of Afghan security forces said, "You have given your lives for the people of Afghanistan, your commitment for a better future in Afghanistan gives me hope. When people ask me where we are in a campaign? I respond by answering three fundamental questions: Can Afghan forces soon assume a lead for responsibility for security this June? The answer is yes. Can Afghan forces provide a secure environment within which to conduct elections in 2014? The answer is yes. And will we be able to effect full security transition in December 2014? The answer is yes."

The comment from the General clearly showed the level of confidence he has on the Afghan security forces. 

"The Army and police have some defects. We should tactfully rectify them," Afghanistan Chief of Staff Sher Mohammad Karimi said.

Afghan security forces are passing through a sensitive phase, security transition and upcoming Presidential elections are some of the major challenges.

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A suicide attack took place on Monday in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province killing the Provincial Council Head Mohammad Rasol Mohseni, Baghlan Police Chief, General Asadullah Shirzad said.

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Based on the information received by the Ministry of Defense (MoD), all Madrasas (religious schools) which previously were the hotspots for terror activities in Pakistan have been closed and all the students of these Madrasa are now being sent to Afghanistan to carry out insurgent activities.

Spokesperson of the Ministry, General Zahir Azimi said that even though the Taliban activities have increased in the country but the Afghan National Army (ANA) has the ability to eliminate these threats.

Meanwhile, the National Security Council has ordered Ministry of Finance to buy five Russian Antonov cargo and transportation planes for the Ministry of Defense at a cost of $100 million.

General Zahir Azimi said, "Our information indicates that all madrasas which could give boost terrorism have been shut and now in order to keep the terror activities going the students are being sent to Afghanistan to carry out suicide attacks. But our security forces like always have the ability to remove all these threats and keep the situation under control."

In the meantime, Afghan security forces are facing numerous challenges including lack of facilities in Afghan Air force which was emphasized by the MoD.

General Zahir Azimi said, "The main challenge is to upgrade the Afghan Air Forces for which the Minister of Defense has expressed his concerns and the National Security Council decided to buy five Russian Antonov cargo planes."

Najeebullah Manilai Advisor to the Ministry of Finance said, "The Ministry of Finance will discuss the issue with the Ministry of Defense and money for buying these planes will be sanctioned."
It seems that government's concentration on the upgradation of the Air Force is high on pirority.

Meanwhile, ISAF called its training sessions for the Afghan security forces to be in line with Nato standards. ISAF Spokesperson General Gotenkidz believes that in the upcoming years, Afghan pilots would be able to match the level of a Nato pilot in terms of competency.

General Gotenkidz said, "I am a pilot and I went to training facilities in Shendand and Kabul and I flew MI17 planes. As a Nato pilot I can tell you what I have seen, those young student pilots are doing extremely well and each of those student pilots from Afghanistan could be a NATO pilot in the future because of high standards that I have seen in the Shendend and Kabul facilities. You can be very proud of your Air Force and your pilots who will protect you in the future. On top of it this is a moment as the first female pilot recently graduated from Shendend, which is yet another success story for the Afghan Air Force."

Air force is known to be an important part of defense forces for each country. Afghanistan is endeavoring to own a fully equipped and powerful air force but still there exists some major challenges.

Afghanistan's Lower House Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi on Monday said that a special commission needs to be set up to review some articles of the law on elimination of violence against women.

The Speaker added that religious scholars from outside the House can also be a part of the commission and participate in the reviewing of the law.

Over the past few days, the discussion on the law has changed its course and taken a complete political turn. 

The lawmakers believe that there is no need to discuss it in the Lower House as it is an endorsed law. On the other hand, some say that if the religious scholars are consulted and their participation is sought in the lawmaking process then it will help in eliminating all the flaws.

"We repeatedly asked administrative board of the Parliament not to include the law on elimination of violence against women in its agenda, unfortunately they included it. The law is valid and no changes should be made in it," Kabul MP Farkhonda Zahra Naderi said.

"Where should the women facing atrocities go? The shelters are a necessity for such women. Efforts should be made to legalise the law," Member of Parliament Sima Joinda said.

Another lawmaker Ghulam Hussain Naseri said, "There are some people who lack knowledge on Islam but at the same time comment on some articles of the law. The law should be made in consultation with great scholars in order to make a stronger law."

"Whatever is against the Quran will be rejected. The regulations of Islam should be considered while making the law on elimination of violence against women otherwise it will be rejected by us," MP Abdul Rahman Rahmani said.

The law on elimination of violation against was approved by a legislative decree of the President in 2009.

Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) on Monday said that foreign investors are awaiting the approval of new mining law in Afghanistan.

The officials of AISA said that as soon the new mining law is approved, traders who are interested in the mining sector can practically start investments in Afghanistan.

The officials believe that mining sector is a fine opportunity to bring investments into the country, and for this to happen the investors are asking for a fine law in this sector.

"Majority of the foreign investors willing to invest in the mining sector are waiting for approval and signing of the mining law. Once the law is approved they will start their work. In the absence of any law, they will not invest in Afghanistan," Head of AISA Wafiullah Iftikhar said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Mines officials said that they will send the law to the National Assembly within this week.

"We hope that the new law will be approved soon and pave the way for great investment opportunities. Till such time Afghanistan needs to strengthen its economy," Head of Law Department in the Mines Ministry Sayed Zaman Hashimi said.

The mining law was approved by council of ministers and sent to the Justice Ministry for consultation and approval.

 A wave of 12 bomb attacks across Iraq killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more on Monday, security and medical officials said.

Two car bombs exploded in the main southern port city of Basra, killing seven people and wounding 35, the officials said.

In the Iraqi capital, seven car bombs and a roadside bomb hit eight different areas of Baghdad, killing six people and wounding 57.

And in Samarra, north of Baghdad, another car bomb killed two Sahwa anti-Al-Qaeda fighters and wounded 12, while a roadside bomb in the north Iraq city of Mosul wounded three people.

Violence in Iraq has fallen from its peak in 2006 and 2007 but attacks are still common, killing more than 200 people in each of the first five months of this year, according to figures tallied from official sources.

A suicide attack took place on Monday in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province killing the Provincial Council Head Mohammad Rasol Mohseni, Baghlan Police Chief, General Asadullah Shirzad said.

The Council Head was entering his office building when the suicide bomber wearing police uniform came closer to the Council Head and blew up. The explosion killed the bodyguards including his assistant.

Baghlan Police Chief, General Asadullah Shirzad said that the incident happened at 10 am which killed 13 and injured 10 civilians. The killed included four bodyguards of the Council Head and eight civilians.

Several visitors at the Council Head's office were also among the injured and killed. They were there in the office for various works.

The injured have been rushed to the Pul-e-Khumri and Nasaje hospitals in the province.

The blast site has been cordoned off and the roads leading to the Council office have been closed by the police.

Sultan Mohammad Ebadi Provincial Governor said, "Unfortunately we witnessed another tragedy where many of our innocent people were killed and injured including the Baghlan Provincial Head. We pray to the almighty Allah for a speedy recovery of those injured and paradise for the ones who lost their lives."

Meanwhile, President Karzai in a statement has condemned the killing and said that those who carried out the attack are enemies of Afghanistan.

This is the third consecutive suicide attack that took place in Afghanistan. The previous ones happened in the Shah Shahed area of Kabul and Kandahar province. In the blasts 50 were killed and dozens injured.

Taliban has claimed responsibility for the blast.

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Commander of the Infantry Forces of Afghan National Army (ANA) Lt. General Murad Ali while on a visit to the south-east Paktika province emphasized on mobilisation of security forces in Paktika province.

A delegation headed by Murad Ali, Commander of the Infantry Forces of ANA inspected the country's borders and said that the Ministry of Defence wants to mobilise the security forces of Paktika province with heavy weapons since it is a border province.

"Necessary guidance has been given to enable the mobilization of the security forces and this needs to be done soon," Murad Ali said.

Meanwhile, Paktika's Governor Muhibullah Samim called the role of local police in maintaining the security of the borders as crucial. He said that currently there are about two thousand local police receiving training and after the completion of training these men will be moved into the eight districts of Paktika province.

"I am emphasizing on enhancing the local police force because they are very effective in keeping the borders secured," Pakatika's Governor Muhibullah Samim said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants that the laws governing Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) must be approved.

President Karzai in an interaction with the Heads of Parliamentary committees asked the MPs to approve the laws governing the IEC and ECC.

This development happened at a time when President Karzai made some changes in the law and resent it for approval to the Parliament.

A number of MPs believe that the Presidency will use all possible ways for the changes made in the law to be accepted.

It is said that the President asked the lawmakers to decide over new adjustments and approve it at the earliest.

"I think that if the law is approved soon then many of our problems will be solved before upcoming elections," Member of Parliament, Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi said.

The transferring of the ECC's responsibilities to the Attorney General is one of the changes made by President Karzai.

"The Presidency is against ECC. The Parliament has approved the creation of this Commission. I think, if the commission is not established, the upcoming election will face lots of challenges and it might so happen that the President may even support his favorite nominee in the election," Member of Parliament, Ghulam Farooq Majroh said.

The laws governing the IEC and ECC were approved by the Afghanistan National Assembly. Many political parties consider the law to be of utmost importance for the upcoming election. But it is unclear as to when the law would be reapproved by the Parliament.

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Afghan Senators on Sunday's session said that the networks of foreign spies stationed at the Presidential Palace are working for their own interests. The foreign spies had been positioned in the Palace on the orders of the President.

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Afghanistan government will not sign the security agreement with US until the end of war in the region and overall stability is visible.

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Oil and Gas Enterprise Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries on Sunday said that a number of Afghani and Pakistani traders are smuggling Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) into Pakistan due to its high price in the Pakistani market.

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Oil and Gas Enterprise Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries on Sunday said that a number of Afghani and Pakistani traders are smuggling Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) into Pakistan due to its high price in the Pakistani market.

The Oil and Gas department officials believe that if the government does not take steps to prevent smuggling, the prices of gas will increase in Afghanistan.

The officials said that the price of 1Kg of LPG in Pakistan has escalated to 180 Pakistani Rupees. Due to this steep rise in its price, the smuggling of gas has also increased.

Officials have said that at present LPG is smuggled through the Spin Boldak district in Kandahar into Pakistan.

"We are asking our security forces to prevent the smuggling of LPG into Pakistan," Head of Oil and Gas Enterprise Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Faridullah Shirzai, told TOLOnews.

Currently Pakistan does not have transit permits to pass through Afghanistan, thus, a number of Pakistani and Afghani traders smuggle LPG into Pakistan.

Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA) on Sunday said that Afghanistan has failed to make much progress in building a strong governance system.

IWA in its survey said that Afghanistan has received 33 points out of 100 amongst 58 other countries which were surveyed by the organization for having good governance.

Based on the survey, illegal mining, lack of access to information and lack of suitable environment to live are the basic obstacles that Afghanistan is facing and preventing it from having a good governance system.

The organization's survey revealed that Afghanistan has some progress in its judicial system.

"Based on the results of the survey that we have done, Afghanistan has come out as a failure in having good governance and that is why the country got 33 points amongst other countries of the world," Head of Integrity Watch Afghanistan Yama Turabi said.

The organization believes that the country has some serious problems. The major one is illegal mining. "Illegal extraction of country's natural resources, accountability to people, and lack of cooperation with various organizations are the basic challenges in Afghanistan," Yama Turabi said.

Afghanistan secured the 49th place amongst 58 countries of the world. Integrity Watch Afghanistan surveys good governance in all the developing countries at an interval of two years.

Afghanistan's network of civil societies on Sunday said that the law on elimination of violence against women is not in opposition to Islamic Sharia law and should not be scrapped in the name of Islam.

The activists warned that if the law is abolished then all the efforts made in the field of women rights over the last 11 years will go down the drain.

Meanwhile, a number of MPs said that the country's religious scholars have a different view about Islam and if these scholars with differences participate in the legislative process then it will change the entire course of lawmaking.

"Religious scholars in the country have diverse perceptions and if these scholars interfere with the legislative process then they will harm the entire lawmaking process," MP, Mohammad Hassin Fahimi told TOLOnews.

Afghanistan's network of civil society said that none of the articles in the law is against Islam and nothing should be incorporated in the law by using Islamic values and keeping personal vendetta in mind.

"None of the articles in the law is against Islam or the Constitution," civil society activist told TOLOnews.

"If the act is abolished then 11 years of government's achievements will go down the drain," Sayed Nasir Mousawi a civil society activist told TOLOnews.

The network of civil society organisations in Afghanistan say that if the law is not approved by the Parliament then it will be the reason behind the increase of violence against women in the country. The activists are urging the President to support the law.

"Afghanistan civil society network strongly supports this law and will not permit any one to scrap the law," Marzia Yazdan Panah, a civil society activist told TOLOnews.

One of the articles in the law states that the legal age for marrying girls is 16 years but a number of lawmakers consider this article to be against the Islam Sharia law.

On the other hand, a number of religious scholars said that in Islam once the girl is biologically mature then only she can be married. Thus, fixing the age for marriage is not right.

"In Islam when the girl matures then only she is ready for marriage and that there is no specific age mentioned. This is because the body growth varies from person to person," Hafiz Abdul Qayoum, member of Afghanistan Ulema Council told TOLOnews.

The comments came in after the law on elimination of violence against women received negative response from a number of MPs and was finally dropped from the Parliament's agenda on Saturday.

The law was to be voted in the Parliament but a number of MPs raised their voices against some articles and demanded that the House should repeal it.