17 Jul 05

Senior figure calls for end to insurgent bases in Pakistan
(The Kabul Times) The chairman of Afghanistan's National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, Hazrat Sebghatullah Mujadiddi, issued a call to the international community to identify the main "nests of terrorism" active in Pakistan and take immediate measures to close them. In Friday prayers on July 15 at the major Haji Yaqub mosque in central Kabul, Mujadiddi condemned the recent spate of murders of Afghan clerics and religious scholars, which he said were against Islamic law and principles. "The enemies of Afghans come in under various pretexts from abroad - to be specific, they cross the Afghan-Pakistan border - and attack our scholars, government offices and people," he said.
(The Kabul Times is a state-run daily published in English every other day.)

Taleban Kill Seven Police
(Anis)Taleban insurgents killed seven policemen and wounded five others in an attack on a police post in Kandahar, according to local officials. The clash, which took place in the Shorabak district of the unsettled southern province of Kandahar, resulted in the deaths of several Taleban as well, said a Kandahar official. Local officials say that the bodies of four militants were left on the battlefield, but claimed that the actual number of Taleban casualties was much higher. Taleban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi said the insurgents lost two insurgents in the battle but set fire to two security posts.
(Anis is a state-run daily published mostly in Dari.)

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Master plan for Bamian approved
(Islah)A government delegation including reconstruction minister Mohammed Yusuf Pashtun attended the inauguration of a project to expand the town of Bamian, provincial capital of the central province of the same name. Bamian, is the site of the two giant Buddha statues, is not only important for Afghanistan, but is a historical and archeological site of world significance, said Pashtun. The government has therefore decided to expand the city, because Bamian is seen as the most attractive historical site for tourists in Afghanistan, he said.
(Islah is a state-run daily published mostly in Dari.)

Five injured in grenade attack in Jalalabad
(Erada) Five members of one family were wounded when unidentified gunmen threw a hand grenade at a house in the southeastern city of Jalalabad. Mohammad Yusuf, an elder of the family, said that they had no known enemies, "I don't know why my house was targeted in a grenade attack." Yusuf's neighbour, Khan Mohammad, said the attack took place around midnight. The crime control chief for Nangarhar province, Haji Ghulam Dastgir, confirmed the incident, saying investigations were under way. Dr Samiullah Kamawal, a doctor at Jalalabad hospital, said that one of the victims was still in critical condition, but the rest were out of danger.
(Erada is an independent daily run by the Afghan Media and Resource Centre.)

US releases 20 more detainees
(Arman-e-Milli) The US military released 20 Afghans from detention on July 16 after it was decided that they no longer pose a threat. A total of 133 detainees have been released from Bagram, the main American base in Afghanistan, in recent past weeks. Another 42 are to be released shortly, an official said. The release came as US and Afghan forces continued to search for the Arab nationals who broke out of the fortress-like prison on July 11.
(Arman-e-Milli is an independent paper run by a group of journalists.)

Taleban dead found inside Pakistan
(Cheragh) On July 15, Pakistani troops found 24 bodies of suspected Taleban insurgents who are believed to have been killed in overnight fighting with US-led Coalition forces and Afghan troops inside Afghanistan. Major-General Shaukat Sultan was quoted by Pakistani TV as saying the bodies were found near Alwara Mandi, a small market town in the North Waziristan tribal area.
(Cheragh is an independent daily run by the Development and Democracy Association.)

18 Jul 05

Hizb-e-Islami linked with Taleban, al-Qaeda
(Cheragh) Both the Taleban and al-Qaeda are working in collaboration with the Hizb-e-Islami group, defence ministry spokesman General Zaher Azimi said on July 17. Talking to reporters, he said that intelligence reports indicated that members of Hizb-e-Islami, the militia faction led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, have coordinated their activities with the Taleban and al-Qaeda, but he refused to go into more detail. Azimi said certain circles in Pakistan - but not the government - have been persuading what he called foreign militants to go to Afghanistan. He noted in their latest operation in South Waziristan, Pakistani troops killed and captured a number of Taleban and other "terrorists".
(Cheragh is an independent daily run by the Development and Democracy Association.)

Suspected spy arrested in Paktia
(Outlook) The Afghan military have arrested a foreign national who was allegedly involved in spying, a defence ministry official said on July 14. The man, Jalat Khan, was captured by the Afghan National Army's 203rd Corps in the southern province of Paktia, in an area bordering Pakistan. Ministry spokesman General Zaher Azimi said secret documents had also been recovered from the detained man, but his full identity was not known. Afghan president Hamed Karzai last week said there were large numbers of foreign intelligence officers and spies working inside Afghanistan to derail the ongoing peace process.
(Outlook is an independent paper published in English.)

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Four US soldiers wounded in Paktia
(Islah) Four American soldiers were wounded in an explosion in the southern province of Paktia on July 16. The US army published a statement saying that the soldiers' vehicle ran over a mine. The statement continued that the injured soldiers were taken to the US base for treatment. US officers found some batteries with wires in the area and opened an investigation. A spokesman for the US forces said that such attacks could halt the peace process in Afghanistan. Taleban insurgents have been attacking international forces since the collapse of the regime in late 2001.
(Islah is state-run daily published mostly in Dari.)

Twenty insurgents killed in Khost
(Anis) In a recent joint operation, Afghan National Army and Coalition forces killed 20 Taleban insurgents in the southeastern province of Khost. Addressing a press conference on July 17, Defence Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said five of the rebels were foreigners: three Chechens and two from Uzbekistan. Azimi said that the foreign militants' identity was revealed by documents they had in their pockets. The operation was planned after this group attacked a squad of the Afghan National Army, resulting in death of an Afghan soldier, said Azimi.
(Anis is a state-run daily published mostly in Dari.)

Unexplained killing in Herat
(Erada) Unidentified armed men gunned down a young man in the village of Babaji village, in the eastern province of Herat, then fled the scene of crime. Nikzad, the press officer for Herat police headquarters, said that the 22-year-old man was shot dead last night, but his identity has not yet been determined. A special delegation has assigned to investigate the incident, he added. Mohammad Rafiq Shirzai, head of the emergency ward at Herat hospital, said that the man's abdomen was riddled with bullets, and he died on the way to the hospital. No one has come to hospital to identify the body, said Shirzai.
(Erada is an independent daily run by the Afghan Media Resource Centre.)

Kidnapper arrested
(Arman-e-Milli) Local people caught a woman trying to abduct a six-year-old girl in the Afghan capital. Residents stepped in and held the woman, one of two who were trying to kidnap two sisters aged six and two, after the girls started screaming for help. The kidnapper is now in custody, a police official said, adding that the other woman let go of the two-year-old and fled in a waiting vehicle. The official said the detained woman is refusing to speak and pretending to be insane.
(Arman-e-Milli is an independent daily run by a group of journalists.)