31 Jul 05

American helicopter crashes in Bagram
(Arman-e-Milli) A US helicopter crashed on July 29 during a routine training mission in Bagram, north of Kabul, injuring the two crewmen on board, according to a statement released by Coalition forces. The US-led forces have lost several helicopters in Afghanistan through technical problems, weather conditions and hostile fire since the overthrow of the Taleban government in late 2001. The latest crash comes a day after a Chinook CH-47 helicopter was destroyed in what the military called "a hard landing" during an operation to hunt down insurgents in southern Afghanistan.
(Arman-e-Milli is an independent paper run by a group of journalists.)

Six Taleban killed in Zabul
(Anis)Six Taleban militants were killed and one wounded on July 29, in a joint operation conducted by Afghan and US forces in the unsettled southern province of Zabul. The attack occurred near the town of Shinkay. There were no Afghan or US casualties, according to the Afghan defence ministry. "Ten suspected enemy combatants were also captured as a result of the firefight," ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi told the state-run Bakhtar News Agency. Southern provinces such as Urozgan and Zabul are frequently the scene of Taleban attacks.
(Anis is a state-run daily published mostly in Dari.)

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New group claims killing of three US troops
(The Kabul Times)A new Islamic insurgent group claimed on July 30 that it killed three US soldiers and wounded as many more in a clash in the eastern province of Kunar. The US military confirmed that the firefight had taken place. Mullah Ismail, leader of the "Bara bin Malek Front" - a group said to be independent of the Taleban movement but loyal to its head Mullah Omar - said the US forces were conducting operations in the region when they where ambushed by his fighters in the Manogay district on the evening of July 29. Ismail said his group was not aligned to any other network and had 200 well-equipped fighters.
(The Kabul Times is a state-run paper published in English every other day.)

New US envoy recalls father's time in Kabul
(Cheragh) The new US ambassador to Kabul, Ronald Neumann, has taken the oath of office in Washington. Neumann replaces Zalmay Khalilzad, who is now ambassador to Baghdad, where he himself previously worked as a counsellor on political and military affairs. The incoming head of mission's father, Robert Neumann, was US ambassador to Afghanistan 30 years ago. Emotionally recalling memories of his childhood in Kabul, Neumann said his parents' love for "this profession and for Afghanistan" was profound. Before his tenure in Baghdad, Ronald Neumann served as US ambassador in Algeria and Bahrain.
(Cheragh is an independent daily run by the Development and Democracy Association.)

Anti-drug task force starts work
(Outlook) The United Nations-backed special counter-narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force, CJTF, created to fast-track major drug cases within Afghanistan, officially began operating on July 28, according to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, UNODC. The government of Afghanistan set up the Task Force in January 2005 with support from UNODC and donor countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Belgium. The United States is providing additional operational support. Over the last few months training courses have been conducted and offices established for the new task force.
(Outlook is an independent daily published in English.)

Musharraf: Foreign religious students must leave
(Erada) Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has announced plans to expel foreign religious students from madrassas, in an effort to reform religious schooling in Pakistan. There are approximately 14,000 foreigners studying at these schools. Musharraf said that visas for foreigners would not be extended. Reports suggest, however, that there have been few changes at the country's most radical madrassas - those that spawned Afghanistan's Taleban movement. Nor is it clear when the government's measures will be implemented.
(Erada is an independent daily run by the Afghan Media and Resource Centre.)

01 Aug 05

Huge arms cache seized in Ghazni
(Outlook) The Afghan National Army and US-led Coalition forces seized a huge cache of weapons in the southern province of Ghazni on July 31. Lieutenant-Colonel Abdul Rauf, the senior military officer in Ghazni, said 2,000 surface-to-surface rockets, 3,000 mortar rounds, 500 artillery shells and 100 boxes of anti-aircraft ammunition had been recovered. Speaking in Kabul, defence ministry spokesman General Zaher Azimi claimed that the cache was intended to be used to disrupt the upcoming parliamentary elections. "It was a very important operation to prevent the killing of civilians," said Azimi.
(Outlook is an independent daily published in English.)

Communist defence minister to return from exile
(Erada) Shahnawaz Tanai, a former defence minister under the Soviet-backed communist regime who now leads a political party called the Peace Movement of Afghanistan (Da Afghanistan Da Solay Ghorzang Gond) has announced that he is coming to Afghanistan on August 4 after 15 years of exile in Pakistan. Tanai fled after staging an unsuccessful coup against the Najibullah government in 1989, in collaboration with radical mujahedin leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Pakistani officials. As leader of a new Afghan movement, he said, "during my 15-day visit, I will have an opportunity to take a close look at the election campaign".
(Erada is an independent daily run by the Afghan Media and Resource Centre.)

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President Karzai meets outgoing ISAF chief
(Anis) President Hamed Karzai met with General Ethem Erdagi, the Turkish commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), whose mission is completed in Afghanistan. Expressing his pleasure over his six-month mission in Afghanistan, Erdagi said, "I have gone to various parts of Afghanistan during my mission. People in all parts of the country welcomed the cooperation of ISAF - Afghan people are thirsty for peace and stability and are hoping to have a prosperous Afghanistan in the future." Karzai expressed his appreciation for ISAF, which has worked hard to ensure security for the Afghan people. "You are one of those commanders who have been in touch with the people during the past six months and have solved their problems through these contacts."
(Anis is a state-run daily published mostly in Dari.)

Afghanistan thanks Australia for troops
(Cheragh) President Hamid Karzai has welcomed a decision by Australia to send 150 troops to Afghanistan in order to ensure security for the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18. "We greatly value the commitment of the Australian people, who are offering to send their sons and daughters to Afghanistan," said a statement by Karzai. Australian prime minister John Howard announced earlier this month that 150 SAS soldiers and support personnel would be sent to Afghanistan for one year from this September, when the parliamentary elections are scheduled. Australia currently has one soldier in Afghanistan, who is involved in mine clearance.
(Cheragh is an independent daily run by the Development and Democracy Association.)

Two drugs smugglers arrested in Nangarhar
(Arman-e-Milli) Two alleged narcotics traffickers named as Abdul Malik and Mohammad Yunus have been arrested in the Shinwari district of Nangarhar province, and 32 kilograms of heroin seized. Colonel Ebrar, deputy commander of the Nangahar border patrol force, told a press conference that they acted on reports that a pick-up truck loaded with heroin was being smuggled to another province via the provincial capital Jalalabad. According to reports, 42 heroin laboratories have been destroyed in Shinwari district so far.
(Arman-e-Milli is an independent daily run by a group of journalists.)