UPDATES AUGUST 4TH
August 4 updates
Editorial: HIA, the Taliban and the next government
Times and again the Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), led by Gulbaddin Hikmatyar, has edged over the obdurate and politically blunt Taliban for its political flexibility and maturity. Though, HIA has been part of problems in this country and putting its share in unleashing insurgency and terror, nevertheless, when it comes to negotiations and share in the democratic government, it has towered above the Taliban. The difference seems to be because of their recruits.
HIA has educated and moderate recruits who believe in democracy unlike the Taliban—as its recruits are illiterate or having traditional education totally lacking knowledge of the ground realities that patching the stretched and at war Muslim nations into Caliphate is not possible at current day world.
These days certain media reports are doing rounds that HIA has been negotiating options for future cooperation including the possibility of joining the new government, which is just a few weeks away. HIA has shown willingness to work with both presidential contenders irrespective of it who wins the race. This shows HIA has proved itself to be politically much flexible.
Those who are part of HIA are also Afghans and those standing in the ranks of Taliban are also Afghans, but why this much difference in their approaches?
HIA insurgents also enjoy perks in Pakistan while the leadership of Afghan Taliban also are being supported by Islamabad—then why the one is stubborn and hell-bent destroying peace in the country and hate democracy while the other one is politically flexible and never hesitate to be part of the democratic setup? Does it mean Pakistan uses a card with two sides—Taliban and HIA.
If one fails the other will work out? Or HIA really believes in democracy and negotiations. Time will reveal it, however, we the citizens of Afghanistan, appreciate anybody who believes in negotiations and accepting democracy a viable setup for a country like ours.
If the Taliban could also take this road, the road of negotiations, the day is not so far there will be peace, harmony, change and development in the country where people will have no fear to go to mosques, schools, markets and offices. This is pertinent to mention here that HIA had defied to participate in the 2004 and 2009 presidential polls and also boycotted the June runoff election however it took part in the April 05 elections while supporting the presidential candidate Qutbuddin Hilal in the first round of the polls.
Later on HIA boycotted the runoff between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani while claiming the two candidates were against their programs and principles. At that time many political pundits argued that HIA will eventually come to the table as this move was seen just an attention grabber stunt.
But the biggest and hardest part of the problem is the Taliban. They look besotted in arrogance and the mirage of victory, but they need to be disillusioned now. They have lost the charm, capacity and support to storm Kabul once again. Too many things have changed already and too many other things will change while leaving no room for militant mindset. They have also lost the war on propaganda front after the complete transition of security responsibilities from foreign troops to Afghan national security forces. Now they don’t see foreign troops on ground so who they will fight against? Afghan forces? And who are they? Their own Afghan brothers and family members. For how long they will keep continue their war against Afghan forces is something they are head-reeled by.
They know it in their bones they cannot win against them as Muslim on Muslim violence will make them more abhorred in the eyes of general public. Moreover, he is the winner who has the support of general public. Now the Taliban should tell the nation where do stand the general public—with them or Afghan security forces? Indeed Afghan security forces enjoy public support.
So, it is better the Taliban should also take the road of negotiations and the HIA should keep its words. HIA shouldn’t play a dual game—to remain in the next government and also keep fanning insurgency in the country. Should this happen and the nation will never forgive HIA’s cunningness.
http://www.afghanistantimes.af/news_details.php?id=8370&cid=4
-----------
ONE BILLION RISING- NO MORE EXCUSES
News - Afghanistan
Woman Kills Four Taliban Before Dying
Sunday, 03 August 2014 23:12 Written by Anisa Shaheed
http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/15821-woman-kills-four-taliban-before-dying
------------
Afghan presidential candidates' teams join audit
Last Modified: Monday, August 4, 2014 at 6:14 a.m.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan election official says representatives of both presidential candidates have now joined the audit of ballots from the June election runoff.
The process is a key step toward insuring a peaceful transfer of power and determining the successor to Hamid Karzai, the only president the country has known since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban.
Election commission spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor says observers from the team of former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah joined the internationally supervised process on Monday.
On Sunday, when the audit resumed after a holiday break, only representatives from candidate Ghani Ahmadzai's team were on hand.
Preliminary results showed Ahmadzai well ahead of Abdullah, but both sides alleged fraud. The audit of the more than 8 million votes is likely to take weeks.
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20140804/API/308049910
-------------
AUGUST 1 2014- 200 MORE OBSERVERS- save democracy in Afghanistan... the world is very aware that Abdullah Abdullah stayed in Afghanistan is and loved dearly by ordinary people.... Karzai's puppet has American Citizenship ... come on...
Over 200 additional international election observers arrive in Afghanistan
By Ghanizada - Fri Aug 01, 5:03 pm
A large contingent of international observers have arrived in Afghanistan to play a key role in comprehensive audit of the results of the Presidential election run-off held on 14 June.
The audit process is expected to resume on Saturday by the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan in full presence of international and domestic observers, candidates’ agents, the media and UN advisors.
The international observers are hailing from the European Union and including its Election Assessment Team (EU EAT) and the American non-government organizations National Democratic Institute (NDI), Democracy International (DI) and Creative as well as Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL).
Dozens of experts from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) will also be based in the audit warehouses where they will provide advice on international best practices and provide good offices for dispute resolution.
Jeff Fischer, a senior international expert on elections, was also among the large contingent of the international observers who arrived in Afghanistan today. His prior experience with the United Nations includes serving as chief electoral officer for the Popular Consultation for East Timor and heading the Joint Registration Taskforce in Kosovo.
“The arrival of a large contingent of international observers, in addition to the domestic observer groups, and UN experts is a powerful and tangible expression of the international community’s commitment to Afghanistan. It reflects a deep desire by Afghanistan’s international partners to respond to the two candidates’ urgent request to ease the electoral impasse the country faced by helping Afghan institutions conduct a comprehensive and credible audit, in accordance with best international practice and under robust international supervision,” said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Ján Kubiš.
The Special Representative called upon the campaigns of the two Presidential candidates to honour their agreement to take advantage of the extensive international mobilisation and goodwill through their participation in the fully transparent audit of every single ballot box which they themselves requested.
“Now that the complete regulatory framework for the audit is in place – as proposed by the United Nations in full and thorough consultation with the parties and based on best international practice – this unprecedented audit provides a credible mechanism to address the concerns of the parties and the people so as to ensure justice and the legitimacy of the result of the Presidential elections,” Mr. Kubiš said. “It would be a disservice to the millions of ordinary Afghans who bravely voted across the two rounds if it is not made use of, if it is marred by further interruptions.”
Under the 12 July technical agreement reached by the two Presidential candidates, the United Nations was asked to propose the manner for the international supervision of the audit, which involves the entirety of the approximately 23,000 ballot boxes from the run-off being audited in Kabul by the IEC in the presence of international and domestic observers, candidate agents, the media and UN experts.
Any disputes or questions not responded to in a satisfactory manner in the audit will be referred to UN supervisors for advice, including on international best practices, or for resolution through its good offices.
The agreement also calls on the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to transport all of the ballot boxes from the provinces to the capital, Kabul, with UN support. Accompanied by IEC officials, campaign agents and the Afghan security forces, to date ISAF and the UN have moved almost 75 per cent of the boxes to Kabul without incident.
http://www.khaama.com/over-200-additional-international-election-observers-arrive-in-afghanistan-6506
-------------------
JULY 30, 2014- seriously... this is so set up against Abdullah Abdullah the man of the ordinary people of Afghanistan.... Shame on Obama/Karzai/United Nations and World Banking- u hijacked democracy in Afghanistan... again.... so sad...
------------
JUNE 23 2014- CANADA NEWS UPDATE
DR. ABDULLAH ABDULLAH- His supporters praise him for staying in the country during the civil war and fighting the Taliban, as opposed to Ahmadzai who lived in exile and at one point even had U.S. citizenship, which he gave up for his own failed bid against Karzai five years ago.
News
Afghanistan election: Voters brave Taliban threats to choose new president
Afghanistan National Army soldiers
Afghanistan National Army soldiers guard a street in Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 13, 2014. Photo: Hoshang Hashimi/The Associated Press
Published: June 14, 2014, 7:13 pm
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghans braved threats of violence and searing heat Saturday to vote in a presidential run-off that likely will mark the country’s first peaceful transfer of authority, an important step toward democracy as foreign combat troops leave. The new leader will be challenged with trying to improve ties with the West and combating corruption while facing a powerful Taliban insurgency and declining international aid.
Abdullah Abdullah, who emerged as the front-runner with 45 per cent of the vote in the first round, faced Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, an ex-World Bank official and finance minister. Neither garnered the majority needed to win outright, but previous candidates and their supporters have since offered endorsements to each, making the final outcome unpredictable.
The two men differ more in personality than policy. Both promise to sign a long-delayed security pact with the United States, which Afghan President Hamid Karzai has rebuffed. That would allow nearly 10,000 American troops to remain in the country for two more years to conduct counterterrorism operations and continue training and advising the ill-prepared Afghan army and police. And both pledge to fight for peace and against corruption.
But their different ethnic backgrounds have highlighted the tribal fault lines in this country of 30 million ravaged by decades of war.
“I voted today for my future, because it is still not clear — the country is at war and corruption is everywhere and security is terrible. I want the next president to bring security above all and jobs,” said Marya Nazami, who voted for Ahmadzai.
The White House praised Afghan voters for their “courage and resolve” in the second round.
“These elections are a significant step forward on Afghanistan’s democratic path,” it said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the next government chosen by the Afghan people.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised Afghans for “laying the groundwork for the first democratic transition” in their country’s history.
“These brave Afghans from all walks of life again defied the threat of violence and went to the ballot box and voted because they want to set the course for a more inclusive, prosperous, and stable future,” Kerry said in a statement. He said it is essential that the process of tallying the votes, adjudicating completes and finalizing the results “be transparent and accountable.”
Afghanistan election
An Afghan woman shows her inked finger after casting her vote at a polling station in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, on June 14, 2014. Kamran Shefayee/The Associated Press
Observer groups said the balloting was relatively smooth, although both candidates and observers said they had evidence of fraud ranging from ballot box stuffing to proxy voting. Several polling stations also opened late or failed to open at all because of security concerns, and many voters complained of ballot shortages.
The Taliban intensified attacks ahead of voting and warned people to stay away from the polls, but the Islamic militants failed to disrupt the first round. They stepped up attacks again ahead of this round, including an assassination attempt that narrowly missed Abdullah just over a week ago.
Despite a series of rocket barrages and other scattered attacks that Interior Minister Mohammad Umar Daudzai said killed 47 people, including 20 civilians and an election commission worker, the voting was largely peaceful. Daudzai also said 60 militants were killed.
Independent Election Commission Chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nouristani, speaking at a joint press conference after polls closed, said initial estimates show that more than seven million Afghans voted, which would be equivalent to the first round on April 5. That would be a turnout of about 60 per cent of Afghanistan’s 12 million eligible voters.
Official preliminary results were to be announced on July 2, with final results released on July 22. Nouristani said his commission would release partial results in the coming weeks.
Many voters said they were eager to get the bilateral security agreement with the United States signed after seeing Islamic extremists seize large sections of Iraq in recent days, nearly three years after U.S. troops withdrew from that country. Iraq’s Shiite-led government had discussed the possibility of a residual U.S. force but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement.
“Iraq is burning,” said shopkeeper Abbas Razaye after voting in a mosque in western Kabul. “We need the foreign troops for the time being. Otherwise our history of civil war will repeat itself and Afghanistan will deteriorate even more than Iraq.”
Abdullah, 53, whose mother was a Tajik, draws his support mainly from that ethnic group although his father was Pashtun. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, he served as adviser to and spokesman for Tajik warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated by al-Qaida two days before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Later that year, Abdullah became the face of Afghanistan’s anti-Taliban movement after the U.S. toppled the Taliban government, giving frequent news conferences to international journalists. He served as foreign minister and then was the runner-up in Karzai’s disputed re-election in 2009.
His supporters praise him for staying in the country during the civil war and fighting the Taliban, as opposed to Ahmadzai who lived in exile and at one point even had U.S. citizenship, which he gave up for his own failed bid against Karzai five years ago.
“Abdullah was always among the Afghans inside Afghanistan,” said restaurant owner Mohammad Nahim, who cast his ballot in western Kabul. “Abdullah can bring peace and improve the economy.”
Afghanistan election
Afghan women leave a polling station after casting their votes in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 14, 2014. Rahmat Gul/The Associated Press
Ahmadzai, a 64-year-old, U.S.-educated Pashtun, has gained the support of the country’s largest ethnic group, particularly in the Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan.
“According to our will, Ashraf Ghani is the best candidate and the rightful leader of our country,” said Abdul Saboor Zamaria, who works for a non-governmental organization in the southern city of Kandahar. “If Abdullah Abdullah is made our leader, more mistrust and rage will spread in our country and violence will keep increasing day by day.”
Ahmadzai called on electoral officials to take the complaints seriously and investigate them.
“We will patiently wait for the final results of the election. Figures are on the way,” he said at a news conference. “But the nation has proved that it wants a change, and we are the team for change.”
Abdullah expressed concern about the independence of the electoral commissions, which were appointed by Karzai, and called on them to act fairly, saying the legitimacy of the future government depends on it.
“We are in a good position. I can say we are in a very good position, and it’s up to the two commissions to make the announcement.”
Karzai, who has led the country since the U.S. invasion and was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, cast his ballot at a high school near the presidential palace. Many analysts say his decision to step down peacefully will be one of the major successes of his otherwise troubled legacy.
“Today your vote will lead Afghanistan toward a better future, better government and a better life,” he said to his countrymen. “Afghanistan is taking another step forward in a transition toward security, progress and stability.”
http://o.canada.com/news/world/afghan-voters-brave-taliban-threats-to-choose-new-president
-----------------------
AFGHAN, PAKISTAN IRAN YOUTH- Selena Gomez joins fight against taliban 4 education rights of girls AND boys- our world needs educated youth...badly.
Selena Gomez Joins Malala In Fight Against Taliban For Education Rights
Thursday, April 10
Malala's Story - #WeAreSilent
TAKE A SILENT STAND SO OTHERS CAN BE HEARD.
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Se1MpgdN-0
"We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced." —Malala Yousafzai
AFGHAN YOUTH APRIL 8, 2014
August 4 updates
Editorial: HIA, the Taliban and the next government
Times and again the Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), led by Gulbaddin Hikmatyar, has edged over the obdurate and politically blunt Taliban for its political flexibility and maturity. Though, HIA has been part of problems in this country and putting its share in unleashing insurgency and terror, nevertheless, when it comes to negotiations and share in the democratic government, it has towered above the Taliban. The difference seems to be because of their recruits.
HIA has educated and moderate recruits who believe in democracy unlike the Taliban—as its recruits are illiterate or having traditional education totally lacking knowledge of the ground realities that patching the stretched and at war Muslim nations into Caliphate is not possible at current day world.
These days certain media reports are doing rounds that HIA has been negotiating options for future cooperation including the possibility of joining the new government, which is just a few weeks away. HIA has shown willingness to work with both presidential contenders irrespective of it who wins the race. This shows HIA has proved itself to be politically much flexible.
Those who are part of HIA are also Afghans and those standing in the ranks of Taliban are also Afghans, but why this much difference in their approaches?
HIA insurgents also enjoy perks in Pakistan while the leadership of Afghan Taliban also are being supported by Islamabad—then why the one is stubborn and hell-bent destroying peace in the country and hate democracy while the other one is politically flexible and never hesitate to be part of the democratic setup? Does it mean Pakistan uses a card with two sides—Taliban and HIA.
If one fails the other will work out? Or HIA really believes in democracy and negotiations. Time will reveal it, however, we the citizens of Afghanistan, appreciate anybody who believes in negotiations and accepting democracy a viable setup for a country like ours.
If the Taliban could also take this road, the road of negotiations, the day is not so far there will be peace, harmony, change and development in the country where people will have no fear to go to mosques, schools, markets and offices. This is pertinent to mention here that HIA had defied to participate in the 2004 and 2009 presidential polls and also boycotted the June runoff election however it took part in the April 05 elections while supporting the presidential candidate Qutbuddin Hilal in the first round of the polls.
Later on HIA boycotted the runoff between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani while claiming the two candidates were against their programs and principles. At that time many political pundits argued that HIA will eventually come to the table as this move was seen just an attention grabber stunt.
But the biggest and hardest part of the problem is the Taliban. They look besotted in arrogance and the mirage of victory, but they need to be disillusioned now. They have lost the charm, capacity and support to storm Kabul once again. Too many things have changed already and too many other things will change while leaving no room for militant mindset. They have also lost the war on propaganda front after the complete transition of security responsibilities from foreign troops to Afghan national security forces. Now they don’t see foreign troops on ground so who they will fight against? Afghan forces? And who are they? Their own Afghan brothers and family members. For how long they will keep continue their war against Afghan forces is something they are head-reeled by.
They know it in their bones they cannot win against them as Muslim on Muslim violence will make them more abhorred in the eyes of general public. Moreover, he is the winner who has the support of general public. Now the Taliban should tell the nation where do stand the general public—with them or Afghan security forces? Indeed Afghan security forces enjoy public support.
So, it is better the Taliban should also take the road of negotiations and the HIA should keep its words. HIA shouldn’t play a dual game—to remain in the next government and also keep fanning insurgency in the country. Should this happen and the nation will never forgive HIA’s cunningness.
http://www.afghanistantimes.af/news_details.php?id=8370&cid=4
-----------
ONE BILLION RISING- NO MORE EXCUSES
News - Afghanistan
Woman Kills Four Taliban Before Dying
Sunday, 03 August 2014 23:12 Written by Anisa Shaheed
http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/15821-woman-kills-four-taliban-before-dying
------------
Afghan presidential candidates' teams join audit
Last Modified: Monday, August 4, 2014 at 6:14 a.m.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan election official says representatives of both presidential candidates have now joined the audit of ballots from the June election runoff.
The process is a key step toward insuring a peaceful transfer of power and determining the successor to Hamid Karzai, the only president the country has known since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban.
Election commission spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor says observers from the team of former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah joined the internationally supervised process on Monday.
On Sunday, when the audit resumed after a holiday break, only representatives from candidate Ghani Ahmadzai's team were on hand.
Preliminary results showed Ahmadzai well ahead of Abdullah, but both sides alleged fraud. The audit of the more than 8 million votes is likely to take weeks.
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20140804/API/308049910
-------------
AUGUST 1 2014- 200 MORE OBSERVERS- save democracy in Afghanistan... the world is very aware that Abdullah Abdullah stayed in Afghanistan is and loved dearly by ordinary people.... Karzai's puppet has American Citizenship ... come on...
Over 200 additional international election observers arrive in Afghanistan
By Ghanizada - Fri Aug 01, 5:03 pm
A large contingent of international observers have arrived in Afghanistan to play a key role in comprehensive audit of the results of the Presidential election run-off held on 14 June.
The audit process is expected to resume on Saturday by the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan in full presence of international and domestic observers, candidates’ agents, the media and UN advisors.
The international observers are hailing from the European Union and including its Election Assessment Team (EU EAT) and the American non-government organizations National Democratic Institute (NDI), Democracy International (DI) and Creative as well as Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL).
Dozens of experts from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) will also be based in the audit warehouses where they will provide advice on international best practices and provide good offices for dispute resolution.
Jeff Fischer, a senior international expert on elections, was also among the large contingent of the international observers who arrived in Afghanistan today. His prior experience with the United Nations includes serving as chief electoral officer for the Popular Consultation for East Timor and heading the Joint Registration Taskforce in Kosovo.
“The arrival of a large contingent of international observers, in addition to the domestic observer groups, and UN experts is a powerful and tangible expression of the international community’s commitment to Afghanistan. It reflects a deep desire by Afghanistan’s international partners to respond to the two candidates’ urgent request to ease the electoral impasse the country faced by helping Afghan institutions conduct a comprehensive and credible audit, in accordance with best international practice and under robust international supervision,” said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Ján Kubiš.
The Special Representative called upon the campaigns of the two Presidential candidates to honour their agreement to take advantage of the extensive international mobilisation and goodwill through their participation in the fully transparent audit of every single ballot box which they themselves requested.
“Now that the complete regulatory framework for the audit is in place – as proposed by the United Nations in full and thorough consultation with the parties and based on best international practice – this unprecedented audit provides a credible mechanism to address the concerns of the parties and the people so as to ensure justice and the legitimacy of the result of the Presidential elections,” Mr. Kubiš said. “It would be a disservice to the millions of ordinary Afghans who bravely voted across the two rounds if it is not made use of, if it is marred by further interruptions.”
Under the 12 July technical agreement reached by the two Presidential candidates, the United Nations was asked to propose the manner for the international supervision of the audit, which involves the entirety of the approximately 23,000 ballot boxes from the run-off being audited in Kabul by the IEC in the presence of international and domestic observers, candidate agents, the media and UN experts.
Any disputes or questions not responded to in a satisfactory manner in the audit will be referred to UN supervisors for advice, including on international best practices, or for resolution through its good offices.
The agreement also calls on the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to transport all of the ballot boxes from the provinces to the capital, Kabul, with UN support. Accompanied by IEC officials, campaign agents and the Afghan security forces, to date ISAF and the UN have moved almost 75 per cent of the boxes to Kabul without incident.
http://www.khaama.com/over-200-additional-international-election-observers-arrive-in-afghanistan-6506
-------------------
JULY 30, 2014- seriously... this is so set up against Abdullah Abdullah the man of the ordinary people of Afghanistan.... Shame on Obama/Karzai/United Nations and World Banking- u hijacked democracy in Afghanistan... again.... so sad...
Karzai's cousin and Ghani ally killed in Afghan suicide attack
By Reuters
KABUL (Reuters) - President Hamid Karzai's powerful cousin, a close
ally of presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani, was killed on Tuesday in a suicide
bomb attack at his home, the office of the southern province of Kandahar said.
Hashmat Karzai was hosting an event at his house for the Eid al-Fitr holiday
when a man set of hidden explosives.
------------
JUNE 23 2014- CANADA NEWS UPDATE
DR. ABDULLAH ABDULLAH- His supporters praise him for staying in the country during the civil war and fighting the Taliban, as opposed to Ahmadzai who lived in exile and at one point even had U.S. citizenship, which he gave up for his own failed bid against Karzai five years ago.
News
Afghanistan election: Voters brave Taliban threats to choose new president
Afghanistan National Army soldiers
Afghanistan National Army soldiers guard a street in Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 13, 2014. Photo: Hoshang Hashimi/The Associated Press
Published: June 14, 2014, 7:13 pm
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghans braved threats of violence and searing heat Saturday to vote in a presidential run-off that likely will mark the country’s first peaceful transfer of authority, an important step toward democracy as foreign combat troops leave. The new leader will be challenged with trying to improve ties with the West and combating corruption while facing a powerful Taliban insurgency and declining international aid.
Abdullah Abdullah, who emerged as the front-runner with 45 per cent of the vote in the first round, faced Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, an ex-World Bank official and finance minister. Neither garnered the majority needed to win outright, but previous candidates and their supporters have since offered endorsements to each, making the final outcome unpredictable.
The two men differ more in personality than policy. Both promise to sign a long-delayed security pact with the United States, which Afghan President Hamid Karzai has rebuffed. That would allow nearly 10,000 American troops to remain in the country for two more years to conduct counterterrorism operations and continue training and advising the ill-prepared Afghan army and police. And both pledge to fight for peace and against corruption.
But their different ethnic backgrounds have highlighted the tribal fault lines in this country of 30 million ravaged by decades of war.
“I voted today for my future, because it is still not clear — the country is at war and corruption is everywhere and security is terrible. I want the next president to bring security above all and jobs,” said Marya Nazami, who voted for Ahmadzai.
The White House praised Afghan voters for their “courage and resolve” in the second round.
“These elections are a significant step forward on Afghanistan’s democratic path,” it said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the next government chosen by the Afghan people.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised Afghans for “laying the groundwork for the first democratic transition” in their country’s history.
“These brave Afghans from all walks of life again defied the threat of violence and went to the ballot box and voted because they want to set the course for a more inclusive, prosperous, and stable future,” Kerry said in a statement. He said it is essential that the process of tallying the votes, adjudicating completes and finalizing the results “be transparent and accountable.”
Afghanistan election
An Afghan woman shows her inked finger after casting her vote at a polling station in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, on June 14, 2014. Kamran Shefayee/The Associated Press
Observer groups said the balloting was relatively smooth, although both candidates and observers said they had evidence of fraud ranging from ballot box stuffing to proxy voting. Several polling stations also opened late or failed to open at all because of security concerns, and many voters complained of ballot shortages.
The Taliban intensified attacks ahead of voting and warned people to stay away from the polls, but the Islamic militants failed to disrupt the first round. They stepped up attacks again ahead of this round, including an assassination attempt that narrowly missed Abdullah just over a week ago.
Despite a series of rocket barrages and other scattered attacks that Interior Minister Mohammad Umar Daudzai said killed 47 people, including 20 civilians and an election commission worker, the voting was largely peaceful. Daudzai also said 60 militants were killed.
Independent Election Commission Chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nouristani, speaking at a joint press conference after polls closed, said initial estimates show that more than seven million Afghans voted, which would be equivalent to the first round on April 5. That would be a turnout of about 60 per cent of Afghanistan’s 12 million eligible voters.
Official preliminary results were to be announced on July 2, with final results released on July 22. Nouristani said his commission would release partial results in the coming weeks.
Many voters said they were eager to get the bilateral security agreement with the United States signed after seeing Islamic extremists seize large sections of Iraq in recent days, nearly three years after U.S. troops withdrew from that country. Iraq’s Shiite-led government had discussed the possibility of a residual U.S. force but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement.
“Iraq is burning,” said shopkeeper Abbas Razaye after voting in a mosque in western Kabul. “We need the foreign troops for the time being. Otherwise our history of civil war will repeat itself and Afghanistan will deteriorate even more than Iraq.”
Abdullah, 53, whose mother was a Tajik, draws his support mainly from that ethnic group although his father was Pashtun. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, he served as adviser to and spokesman for Tajik warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated by al-Qaida two days before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Later that year, Abdullah became the face of Afghanistan’s anti-Taliban movement after the U.S. toppled the Taliban government, giving frequent news conferences to international journalists. He served as foreign minister and then was the runner-up in Karzai’s disputed re-election in 2009.
His supporters praise him for staying in the country during the civil war and fighting the Taliban, as opposed to Ahmadzai who lived in exile and at one point even had U.S. citizenship, which he gave up for his own failed bid against Karzai five years ago.
“Abdullah was always among the Afghans inside Afghanistan,” said restaurant owner Mohammad Nahim, who cast his ballot in western Kabul. “Abdullah can bring peace and improve the economy.”
Afghanistan election
Afghan women leave a polling station after casting their votes in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 14, 2014. Rahmat Gul/The Associated Press
Ahmadzai, a 64-year-old, U.S.-educated Pashtun, has gained the support of the country’s largest ethnic group, particularly in the Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan.
“According to our will, Ashraf Ghani is the best candidate and the rightful leader of our country,” said Abdul Saboor Zamaria, who works for a non-governmental organization in the southern city of Kandahar. “If Abdullah Abdullah is made our leader, more mistrust and rage will spread in our country and violence will keep increasing day by day.”
Ahmadzai called on electoral officials to take the complaints seriously and investigate them.
“We will patiently wait for the final results of the election. Figures are on the way,” he said at a news conference. “But the nation has proved that it wants a change, and we are the team for change.”
Abdullah expressed concern about the independence of the electoral commissions, which were appointed by Karzai, and called on them to act fairly, saying the legitimacy of the future government depends on it.
“We are in a good position. I can say we are in a very good position, and it’s up to the two commissions to make the announcement.”
Karzai, who has led the country since the U.S. invasion and was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, cast his ballot at a high school near the presidential palace. Many analysts say his decision to step down peacefully will be one of the major successes of his otherwise troubled legacy.
“Today your vote will lead Afghanistan toward a better future, better government and a better life,” he said to his countrymen. “Afghanistan is taking another step forward in a transition toward security, progress and stability.”
http://o.canada.com/news/world/afghan-voters-brave-taliban-threats-to-choose-new-president
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AFGHAN, PAKISTAN IRAN YOUTH- Selena Gomez joins fight against taliban 4 education rights of girls AND boys- our world needs educated youth...badly.
Selena Gomez Joins Malala In Fight Against Taliban For Education Rights
Thursday, April 10
Malala's Story - #WeAreSilent
TAKE A SILENT STAND SO OTHERS CAN BE HEARD.
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Se1MpgdN-0
"We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced." —Malala Yousafzai
AFGHAN YOUTH APRIL 8, 2014
KABUL DREAMS- GOOD MORNING FREEDOM
comment: Sadaa-e man means: My voice
The song says: My voice, your voice, the voice of Afghanistan
We are on our own to destiny, we are on our way to peace.
The song says: My voice, your voice, the voice of Afghanistan
We are on our own to destiny, we are on our way to peace.
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APRIL 8 2014- Maclean's Canada- this is Afghans victory... and they raised the whole world up.
A victory for Afghan voters
The enthusiasm and bravery Afghans displayed voting this weekend is a victory for them, and for the foreign soldiers who helped make it possible.
by Michael Petrou
1
Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
This is not what defeat looks like. This is not what failure looks like.
On Saturday, some seven million Afghans — a third of them women — defied Taliban threats and the doom-heralding predictions of outside observers to vote in a presidential election that will lead to Afghanistan’s first democratic and peaceful transition of power in its history. They lined up before dawn, and they were there in such large numbers that voting stations had to be kept open late to accommodate them.
This enthusiasm for democracy was not limited to Kabul. According to an Associated Press report, long lines of voters, including women, turned up in the alleged Taliban strongholds of Kandahar and Helmand. “I want to be a part of this revolution and I want to fulfill my duty by casting my vote so that we can bring change and show the world that we love democracy,” Saeed Mohammad, a 29-year-old Kandahari mechanic told the wire service.
Western analysts and placard-wavers have been declaring the Afghan war lost almost since it began — or at least since 2001, when we joined an ongoing struggle between the majority of Afghans who want a more decent and free life, and the medieval thugs in the Taliban and their Pakistani patrons who want to stop them. Before 2001, of course, the placard-wavers didn’t care.
And yet many Afghans who voted this weekend in numbers comparable to or better than in established Western democracies did so explicitly as a rebuke to the same Taliban who are supposedly on the cusp of a return to power.
Spend a bit of time on Twitter or Facebook, where some 500,000 Afghans have an account. Everywhere is resolve to vote and pride at having done so. Yes, Afghans on social media are a minority — but then barely a decade ago almost none of them had phones. Scroll through press photographs of voting Afghans. Those of you who have seen new parents might recognize the same expressions of joy on their faces.
This is an Afghan victory. It was Afghans who risked their lives to vote. And it was Afghans — hundreds of thousands of them — who protected the voters. But those soldiers wouldn’t be as numerous, as trained and as capable had they not received the mentorship and support of foreign soldiers who came to Afghanistan to help them. And they would not be in a position to protect their fellow citizens had those same foreign soldiers — including thousands of Canadians — not fought and died to hold the line against the Taliban while Afghanistan built an army of its own. This, then, is also a victory in which Canada has played a part.
None of this means the path ahead for Afghanistan is easy, or that the country’s battle with the Taliban is over. I believe Canada quit Afghanistan too soon. As usual, America must make up for its allies’ slack, and that’s not something President Barack Obama seems particularly keen to do. But Afghans are much better positioned to carry on this fight now than they were 13 years ago.
An Afghan friend of mine, Shuja, was a student when the Taliban took Kabul in 1996. They threw him in jail because they thought he looked like he came from the Panjshir Valley (he didn’t). He fled to Pakistan. After the Taliban’s demise, Shuja returned to Afghanistan. A bodybuilder with biceps the size of small melons, he says his vote is his power. That’s not what defeat sounds like either.
POSTED ON:
Monday, April 7, 2014
http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/a-victory-for-voters-in-afghan-election/
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IDLE NO MORE CANADA
APRIL 8TH... FROM UR CANADA 2 OUR AFGHANS...
Pte David Greenslade, Cpl Brent Poland, Pte Kevin Kennedy, Cpl Chrisopher Stannix, Sgt Donald Lucas, Cpl Aaron Williams
Canada lost 6 sons on this day.... in Afghanistan... as we reflect and remember and pray during Easter week... it still hurts... we still mourn... we always will. Afghanistan defined us 2 so many of Canada's youngbloods... we always remember in a special way- us WWII children of the war, Korea, etc... but Afghanistan showed us a new kind of cruelty- vicious landmines(ied) and Muslim cowards killing their blood of blood and ... troops having 2 protect innocents INSTEAD OF KILLING THE MONSTERS... and it cost sooooo dearly. Afghans love Canadians because we walked in2 their villages and cities and started rebuilding Afghanistan, and getting schools going, medicine and thousands of things- Canadians made Afghans see our innate decencey and love of humanity....
David, Brent, Kevin, Christopher, Donald and Aaron ... u did all this... and 2da... our Afhan everyday folks... said 'no taliban gonna make us live on ur knees' and voted- 7 million youth, women with their children and elders... it was the thing 2 see...
Of course there will cries of fraud (what countries doesn't crap about this) and more innocent Afghans tortured and killed... BUT THE VICTORY... OH MY THE VICTORY ON THOSE AFGHAN FACES ... on Saturday, April 5th... proved- all u did, all u sacrificed and died 4 was worth it by God's name... and u showed the world- WOULD U DIE 2 VOTE??? well democratic proud countries, Would u die 2 vote 4 ur very freedoms- wld u honour and participate in ur elections? didn't think so... but Canadian sons... u, now in heaven with God, know.... the absolute courage and belief in Afghans ... the sheer bravery this took.... Afghans honour u, we adore and miss u... God is lucky.
Media and countries around the world cannot believe the absolute courage of Afghans... the greatest quote 2 u on this day is from a determined Afghan gent, ""We will prove ... through this election to the international community that their generous investment in blood and treasure in the past 13 years has not been wasted," Daudzai said.
------------
Afghans Demonstrate Commitment On Democratic Future, Canadian Embassy
Written by Manager
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
Kabul (BNA) Canada’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Deborah Lyons on Monday congratulated the Afghan people for successfully holding the election process and called them a committed nation for a democratic future.
“Canada congratulates the Afghan people for courageously taking to the polls, in high numbers, exercising their right to vote during the Presidential and Provincial Council elections”, a statement from the embassy said.
“We welcome the unprecedented number of Afghan women who ensured that their voices were heard, and support their desire for a brighter and stable future.”
The statement quoted the ambassador as saying, “The Afghan people have demonstrated their commitment to a democratic future. In turn, the new government must demonstrate their commitment to a democratic Afghanistan where the voices of all Afghans, especially women, are heard.”
The candidates’ commitment to the advancement of Afghanistan’s democracy and to serving the Afghan people is to be commended, the statement said.
Canada recognizes the work of the Ministry of Interior and the Afghan National Security Forces in carrying out effective security during this election. Canada continues to support the full transition of Afghanistan taking over the country’s security responsibilities essential to Afghanistan’s future peace and stability.
Canada supports the efforts of the Independent Election Commission and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) in ensuring the credibility of this election.
“We encourage Afghans to refer all complaints to the IECC for a thorough investigation and adjudication, including allegations of irregularities. Canada looks to the Independent Election Commission to fully cooperate and support the IECC’s work.
“Canada also encourages candidates, their party agents, and supporters, to continue to cooperate with the Independent Election Commission, the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission and other stakeholders to ensure that Afghanistan’s electoral process is completed successfully.
“As Afghans await the final results, Canada calls on all parties to continue to respect the electoral process and to uphold the principles of non-violence that have been an overwhelming feature of the campaign period and today’s Election Day.”
http://www.bakhtarnews.com.af/eng/politics/item/11754-afghans-demonstrate-commitment-on-democratic-future-canadian-embassy.html
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Leaders among 86 militants arrested in Kandahar
By 4 hours 22 minutes ago
KANDAHAR CITY (WNA-April. 8, 2014): As many as eighty-six fighters including three of their leaders were arrested during the last 15 day’s 35 operations in southern province of Kandahar, a statement from the governor office said Monday.
Militants’ commander, Akhtar Mohammad, Mohammad Nader and Abdul Aziz were leading the several groups of insurgents and suicide bombers against the security forces in different parts of the country, the statement said.
The arrested individuals also included three suicide bombers named Sardar Wali, Usman and Qader Jan along with a Saracha type car and six motorcycles packed with 200kg of explosives, according to the statement.
Some arms, ammunitions and several suicide vests were also seized during the operations, said the governor office in the statement.
Report: Ataullah Mohmand
http://wakht.af/en/index.php/security-and-crime/5981-leaders-among-86-militants-arrested-in-kandahar.html
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Taliban website taken down 24 hours after launch
08 April, 2014
ISLAMABAD: Less than a day after the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan launched UmarMedia.com – a website hosting videos, a magazine, and its leaders' interviews and statements – it was mysteriously taken down.
A news release issued by the information and publication wing of the TTP said Umar Media, the "media wing" of the militant group, had sponsored the website. Deeper investigation into the domain's registered records on Monday revealed that the website was hosted by a company from Punjab. Speaking to a private TV channel anonymously, the owner of the company said he had no idea who the client was.
"The domain was registered in November 2013, and until yesterday, we had no idea as to what the content on the website would be." "The order for the domain and the website were placed through an address from Karachi, and the client always used proxy servers to access the online administrative panel," he said. "The address was apparently fake."
The TTP has waged a seven-year bloody war against the Pakistani state and was declared a banned outfit in August 2008. Umar Media was launched a few years ago and has been disseminating the TTP-related information and videos since.
The website contained the TTP flag, verses from the holy Quran, statements and videos containing sectarian, hate and propaganda material, especially against security forces, a message of TTP deputy Shaikh Khalid Haqqani for the people of Balochistan.
http://paktribune.com/news/Taliban-website-taken-down-24-hours-after-launch-268163.html
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Taliban governor among 32 killed in Kunar, Nangarhar
By 4 hours 26 minutes ago
http://wakht.af/en/index.php/security-and-crime/5982-taliban-governor-among-32-killed-in-kunar-nangarhar.html
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Afghanistan's Military, Army and Cops... u make us and ur Comrades in Arms sooooo proud.... 2001- 2014 thank u... God is with u... Afghanistan, God loves u.
17 Senior Pakistani and Afghan Taliban leaders killed in Kunar airstrike
By Ghanizada - Tue Apr 08 2014, 11:50 am
predator-drone1At least 17 prominent Taliban leaders including the Taliban shadow governor were killed following an airstrike in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan on Monday.
The Afghan intelligence – national directorate of security (NDS) following a statement said Tuesday that the latest intelligence report indicates that a gathering of the senior Pakistani and Afghan Taliban leaders was targeted in an airstrike on Monday evening.
The statement further added that the meeting was organized by the Taliban shadow governor for Kunar in Shegal district, which was attended by senior Pakistani and Afghan Taliban leaders.
NDS released the following information regarding Taliban’s casualties in Kunar airstrike:
1. Noor Qasim Sabari, shadow governor of Taliban in Kunar.
2. Qari Osman, Taliban’s shadow district chief for Shegal.
3. Qari Zubair, senior Talban leader.
4. Qari Latif, senior Taliban leader.
5. Qari Tari, senior Taliban leader.
6. Mullah Bashir Gajar, Taliban leader responsible for major roadside bombings.
7. Qari Nasir Gajar, Taliban’s suicide attack coordinator.
8. Qari Sherin, Taliban leader responsible for assassinating tribal elders and Mullah Imams.
According to NDS, several Pakistani Taliban militants were killed during the airstrike and their dead bodies can be seen among those killed, however the exact number is not clear so far.
http://www.khaama.com/17-senior-pakistani-and-afghan-taliban-leaders-killed-in-kunar-airstrike-3543
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IRAN AND PAKISTAN NEED 2 GET THEIR SHEEEEET 2GETHER... WE LOVE OUR AFGHANS.... GOD LOVES AFGHANS.... seriously dudes.... we will always be watching, loving and protecting our beloved Afghanistan and Afghan peoples...it's Canada's innate sense of loyalty and decency and basic freedom.... it's about Afghanistan and their cultures, their education, their future 4 women, children, elders and men... so respect ur Afghan brothers and sisters... seriously... we are watching... protecting loving... with God...
Iran supports next Afghan government, official
By 7 hours 5 minutes ago
http://wakht.af/en/index.php/politics-and-parliament/5980-iran-supports-next-afghan-government-official.html
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Afghanistan’s successful election spoken worldwide
By 8 hours 23 minutes ago
KABUL (WNA-April.7, 2014): President Hamid Karzai in his meeting with Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Belidit discussed holding presidential and provincial councils’ elections and bilateral matters of interest on Monday.
The Swedish foreign minister congratulated successfully holding of the April 5 elections to the president and the people of Afghanistan and added the successful process was recalled everywhere in the world.
Calling the last several years’ achievements too significant, the minister said the successfully held election process demonstrates “your [President Karzai] wise leadership over the past years.”
President Karzai said Afghans, through their wide-ranging participation in the elections demonstrated their firm decision through using their franchise can determine their country’s future.
The president said the Afghans wanted to further strengthen national unity and protect the country’s last decade’s achievements.
Swedish minister of foreign welcomed the opening of the Afghan embassy in Stockholm, the Swedish capital and said the move could provide ease in meeting bilateral issues.
He assured of his country’s continued support and lasting cooperation with Afghanistan.
President Karzai also thanked the Swedish cooperation over the last one decade and asked for continuation the aids in the future.
Report: Jawid Ahmad
Edit: Wakht
http://wakht.af/en/index.php/politics-and-parliament/5976-afghanistan%E2%80%99s-successful-election-spoken-worldwide.html
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News - Afghanistan
15 Killed by Roadside Bomb in Kandahar
Tuesday, 08 April 2014 11:47 Written by TOLOnews.com
http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/14480-15-killed-by-roadside-bomb-in-kandahar
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APRIL 7, 2014 - NEWS UPDATES- NO TALIBAN GONNA KEEP US LIVING ON R KNEES.... God loves Afghan people- IDLE NO MORE AFGHANISTAN
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Hey everybody... this is how we remember Afghanistan from the 60s... when Afghans led the world in culture, science, math, sports and best air force on the planet... so photos...
AFGHANISTAN 1960S...
Afghan King Zahir Shah and his wife with US President John F. Kennedy-far right- and his wife Jacqueline -far left
Bilingual -Greek and Aramaic- edict by Emperor Ashoka from the 3rd century BCE was discovered in the southern city of Kandahar
One of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, Buddhism was widespread in the region before the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan
MANY MORE PHOTOS - 60s and 70s
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2013/01/28/podlich-afghanistan-1960s-photos/5846/
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AFGHANISTAN- APRIL 7 - UPDATES
SWEDEN QUICKLY STEPS UP- Sweden Restates Post-2014 Commitment to Afghanistan sweden-foreign-minister-07-april-14
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AFGHANISTAN- April 7, 2014- brave, brilliant and beautiful Afghans... just in..
OPINION: Demographics Transformed Afghanistan Into Democratic State
REUTERS/ Tim Wimborne
14:08 07/04/2014
Tags: democracy, demographic, elections, UN, Taliban, Afghanistan
MOSCOW, April 7 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – Demographics have played a huge role in the transformation of Afghanistan into a member of the democratic states of the world, according to Shuja Nawaz, the director of the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center.
“The Afghan people appear to have won another round with the Taliban and against the forces that want to derail the progress achieved by them – despite heavy odds – over the past decade plus,” Nawaz said.
Despite the Taliban’s threats of violence, some 60 percent of eligible voters in the country turned out for a presidential election on Saturday. According to preliminary estimates, 7 million ballots were cast at 6,000 polling stations across the country.
In explaining the country’s move towards democracy, Nawaz cited the youthful population “that is connected to each other and to the world” as well as increasing urbanization and the growing market economy, despite official sluggishness and corruption.
“All these factors have been evident in the manner in which the population defied the Taliban threats and voted this weekend,” he added.
In the run-up to the election, the Taliban said it would violently disrupt the vote, which it saw as a “waste of time.” Dozens of attacks occurred across the country and several polling stations remained closed on election day due to security threats, yet the vote took place as scheduled.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) congratulated Afghanis on the election, which is largely seen as the country’s first democratic vote providing for the peaceful transfer of power from one elected president to another.
"Ordinary Afghans turned out to vote in remarkable numbers, defying Taliban attacks and threats. Often in long queues and bad weather, voters patiently waited to exercise their basic human right to vote,” said Ján Kubiš, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.
“They chose to determine the future direction of the country by political means and resolutely rejected the enemies of peace and democracy,” Kubiš said.
The results will start to become clear in another week or so, but early indications seem to validate the various polls indicating that a runoff appears likely, with Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani the likely candidates.
“Regardless of who comes out ahead, and Ghani seems to have the early edge, the Taliban will need to find a new means to assert themselves,” Nawaz told RIA Novosti, adding that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seemed committed to furthering ties with Afghanistan.
“China and Russia will also have to step up their support and rather than competing for influence, [they should] compete to help Afghanistan. India already has invested close to $2 billion,” Nawaz said.
Afghanistan’s new president will succeed Hamid Karzai, who has been in power since 2001 and cannot run for a third consecutive term after having reached the constitutional limit of two terms in office.
“After Afghanistan, the Indian elections of this week will close this phase of important political change in the Greater South Asia region: first Iran, then Pakistan, Afghanistan and finally India,” Nawaz continued. “South Asia may yet become the economic and political fulcrum of Asia.”
Preliminary results are scheduled to be announced on April 24. If no candidate wins over 50 percent of the votes, a runoff election will be held at the end of May.
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140407/189086042/OPINION-Demographics-Transformed-Afghanistan-Into-Democratic.html
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April 7- our beloved Afghans... we said in 2001 that God loves the Afghan people and the Afghan people love us around the world as well... and their bravery, brilliance and beauty of human dignity and courage and conviction... will always be treasured by the men and women of our Nato nations who walked the talk.. because they believed in everyday Afghans...
SO...
----------------------- 30% voted are women- ONE BILLION RISING BABY! ONE BILLION RISING...huge number are Afghan youth.... our Nations troops and Afghans troops and policing and Afghans themselves made this possible.... God truly does love us
Seven million voters turn out for Afghanistan election
Last updated Sat 5 Apr 2014
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-04-05/seven-million-voters-turn-out-for-historic-afghan-election/
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Just in from Bangkok
Bangkokpost
Women queue outside a school to vote in presidential elections in the northwestern city of Herat on Saturday Afghanistan
Huge turnout for Afghan vote
Published: 5 Apr 2014 at 21.35
Online news: .
KABUL - Afghanistan's landmark election on Saturday was marred by a shortage of ballot papers that left many voters still queueing to cast their vote with polling due to close.
Because of Afghanistan's difficult terrain, it will take weeks for officials to gather ballot boxes from around the country and count the votes. Official preliminary results are not expected until late April.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/403620/
---------------- Afghans defy Taliban and vote in droves
As Afghans flocked to polling stations, the turnout became so high that some polling centres ran out of ballots.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/04/05/afghans_make_history_as_they_defy_taliban_and_vote_in_droves.html
beautiful photos of beloved Afghans- Canada
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APRIL 8 2014- Maclean's Canada- this is Afghans victory... and they raised the whole world up.
A victory for Afghan voters
The enthusiasm and bravery Afghans displayed voting this weekend is a victory for them, and for the foreign soldiers who helped make it possible.
by Michael Petrou
1
Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
This is not what defeat looks like. This is not what failure looks like.
On Saturday, some seven million Afghans — a third of them women — defied Taliban threats and the doom-heralding predictions of outside observers to vote in a presidential election that will lead to Afghanistan’s first democratic and peaceful transition of power in its history. They lined up before dawn, and they were there in such large numbers that voting stations had to be kept open late to accommodate them.
This enthusiasm for democracy was not limited to Kabul. According to an Associated Press report, long lines of voters, including women, turned up in the alleged Taliban strongholds of Kandahar and Helmand. “I want to be a part of this revolution and I want to fulfill my duty by casting my vote so that we can bring change and show the world that we love democracy,” Saeed Mohammad, a 29-year-old Kandahari mechanic told the wire service.
Western analysts and placard-wavers have been declaring the Afghan war lost almost since it began — or at least since 2001, when we joined an ongoing struggle between the majority of Afghans who want a more decent and free life, and the medieval thugs in the Taliban and their Pakistani patrons who want to stop them. Before 2001, of course, the placard-wavers didn’t care.
And yet many Afghans who voted this weekend in numbers comparable to or better than in established Western democracies did so explicitly as a rebuke to the same Taliban who are supposedly on the cusp of a return to power.
Spend a bit of time on Twitter or Facebook, where some 500,000 Afghans have an account. Everywhere is resolve to vote and pride at having done so. Yes, Afghans on social media are a minority — but then barely a decade ago almost none of them had phones. Scroll through press photographs of voting Afghans. Those of you who have seen new parents might recognize the same expressions of joy on their faces.
This is an Afghan victory. It was Afghans who risked their lives to vote. And it was Afghans — hundreds of thousands of them — who protected the voters. But those soldiers wouldn’t be as numerous, as trained and as capable had they not received the mentorship and support of foreign soldiers who came to Afghanistan to help them. And they would not be in a position to protect their fellow citizens had those same foreign soldiers — including thousands of Canadians — not fought and died to hold the line against the Taliban while Afghanistan built an army of its own. This, then, is also a victory in which Canada has played a part.
None of this means the path ahead for Afghanistan is easy, or that the country’s battle with the Taliban is over. I believe Canada quit Afghanistan too soon. As usual, America must make up for its allies’ slack, and that’s not something President Barack Obama seems particularly keen to do. But Afghans are much better positioned to carry on this fight now than they were 13 years ago.
An Afghan friend of mine, Shuja, was a student when the Taliban took Kabul in 1996. They threw him in jail because they thought he looked like he came from the Panjshir Valley (he didn’t). He fled to Pakistan. After the Taliban’s demise, Shuja returned to Afghanistan. A bodybuilder with biceps the size of small melons, he says his vote is his power. That’s not what defeat sounds like either.
POSTED ON:
Monday, April 7, 2014
http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/a-victory-for-voters-in-afghan-election/
-------------
IDLE NO MORE CANADA
APRIL 8TH... FROM UR CANADA 2 OUR AFGHANS...
Pte David Greenslade, Cpl Brent Poland, Pte Kevin Kennedy, Cpl Chrisopher Stannix, Sgt Donald Lucas, Cpl Aaron Williams
Canada lost 6 sons on this day.... in Afghanistan... as we reflect and remember and pray during Easter week... it still hurts... we still mourn... we always will. Afghanistan defined us 2 so many of Canada's youngbloods... we always remember in a special way- us WWII children of the war, Korea, etc... but Afghanistan showed us a new kind of cruelty- vicious landmines(ied) and Muslim cowards killing their blood of blood and ... troops having 2 protect innocents INSTEAD OF KILLING THE MONSTERS... and it cost sooooo dearly. Afghans love Canadians because we walked in2 their villages and cities and started rebuilding Afghanistan, and getting schools going, medicine and thousands of things- Canadians made Afghans see our innate decencey and love of humanity....
David, Brent, Kevin, Christopher, Donald and Aaron ... u did all this... and 2da... our Afhan everyday folks... said 'no taliban gonna make us live on ur knees' and voted- 7 million youth, women with their children and elders... it was the thing 2 see...
Of course there will cries of fraud (what countries doesn't crap about this) and more innocent Afghans tortured and killed... BUT THE VICTORY... OH MY THE VICTORY ON THOSE AFGHAN FACES ... on Saturday, April 5th... proved- all u did, all u sacrificed and died 4 was worth it by God's name... and u showed the world- WOULD U DIE 2 VOTE??? well democratic proud countries, Would u die 2 vote 4 ur very freedoms- wld u honour and participate in ur elections? didn't think so... but Canadian sons... u, now in heaven with God, know.... the absolute courage and belief in Afghans ... the sheer bravery this took.... Afghans honour u, we adore and miss u... God is lucky.
Media and countries around the world cannot believe the absolute courage of Afghans... the greatest quote 2 u on this day is from a determined Afghan gent, ""We will prove ... through this election to the international community that their generous investment in blood and treasure in the past 13 years has not been wasted," Daudzai said.
------------
Afghans Demonstrate Commitment On Democratic Future, Canadian Embassy
Written by Manager
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
Kabul (BNA) Canada’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Deborah Lyons on Monday congratulated the Afghan people for successfully holding the election process and called them a committed nation for a democratic future.
“Canada congratulates the Afghan people for courageously taking to the polls, in high numbers, exercising their right to vote during the Presidential and Provincial Council elections”, a statement from the embassy said.
“We welcome the unprecedented number of Afghan women who ensured that their voices were heard, and support their desire for a brighter and stable future.”
The statement quoted the ambassador as saying, “The Afghan people have demonstrated their commitment to a democratic future. In turn, the new government must demonstrate their commitment to a democratic Afghanistan where the voices of all Afghans, especially women, are heard.”
The candidates’ commitment to the advancement of Afghanistan’s democracy and to serving the Afghan people is to be commended, the statement said.
Canada recognizes the work of the Ministry of Interior and the Afghan National Security Forces in carrying out effective security during this election. Canada continues to support the full transition of Afghanistan taking over the country’s security responsibilities essential to Afghanistan’s future peace and stability.
Canada supports the efforts of the Independent Election Commission and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) in ensuring the credibility of this election.
“We encourage Afghans to refer all complaints to the IECC for a thorough investigation and adjudication, including allegations of irregularities. Canada looks to the Independent Election Commission to fully cooperate and support the IECC’s work.
“Canada also encourages candidates, their party agents, and supporters, to continue to cooperate with the Independent Election Commission, the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission and other stakeholders to ensure that Afghanistan’s electoral process is completed successfully.
“As Afghans await the final results, Canada calls on all parties to continue to respect the electoral process and to uphold the principles of non-violence that have been an overwhelming feature of the campaign period and today’s Election Day.”
http://www.bakhtarnews.com.af/eng/politics/item/11754-afghans-demonstrate-commitment-on-democratic-future-canadian-embassy.html
---------------
Leaders among 86 militants arrested in Kandahar
By 4 hours 22 minutes ago
KANDAHAR CITY (WNA-April. 8, 2014): As many as eighty-six fighters including three of their leaders were arrested during the last 15 day’s 35 operations in southern province of Kandahar, a statement from the governor office said Monday.
Militants’ commander, Akhtar Mohammad, Mohammad Nader and Abdul Aziz were leading the several groups of insurgents and suicide bombers against the security forces in different parts of the country, the statement said.
The arrested individuals also included three suicide bombers named Sardar Wali, Usman and Qader Jan along with a Saracha type car and six motorcycles packed with 200kg of explosives, according to the statement.
Some arms, ammunitions and several suicide vests were also seized during the operations, said the governor office in the statement.
Report: Ataullah Mohmand
http://wakht.af/en/index.php/security-and-crime/5981-leaders-among-86-militants-arrested-in-kandahar.html
------------
Taliban website taken down 24 hours after launch
08 April, 2014
ISLAMABAD: Less than a day after the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan launched UmarMedia.com – a website hosting videos, a magazine, and its leaders' interviews and statements – it was mysteriously taken down.
A news release issued by the information and publication wing of the TTP said Umar Media, the "media wing" of the militant group, had sponsored the website. Deeper investigation into the domain's registered records on Monday revealed that the website was hosted by a company from Punjab. Speaking to a private TV channel anonymously, the owner of the company said he had no idea who the client was.
"The domain was registered in November 2013, and until yesterday, we had no idea as to what the content on the website would be." "The order for the domain and the website were placed through an address from Karachi, and the client always used proxy servers to access the online administrative panel," he said. "The address was apparently fake."
The TTP has waged a seven-year bloody war against the Pakistani state and was declared a banned outfit in August 2008. Umar Media was launched a few years ago and has been disseminating the TTP-related information and videos since.
The website contained the TTP flag, verses from the holy Quran, statements and videos containing sectarian, hate and propaganda material, especially against security forces, a message of TTP deputy Shaikh Khalid Haqqani for the people of Balochistan.
http://paktribune.com/news/Taliban-website-taken-down-24-hours-after-launch-268163.html
--------------
Taliban governor among 32 killed in Kunar, Nangarhar
By 4 hours 26 minutes ago
http://wakht.af/en/index.php/security-and-crime/5982-taliban-governor-among-32-killed-in-kunar-nangarhar.html
------------------
Afghanistan's Military, Army and Cops... u make us and ur Comrades in Arms sooooo proud.... 2001- 2014 thank u... God is with u... Afghanistan, God loves u.
17 Senior Pakistani and Afghan Taliban leaders killed in Kunar airstrike
By Ghanizada - Tue Apr 08 2014, 11:50 am
predator-drone1At least 17 prominent Taliban leaders including the Taliban shadow governor were killed following an airstrike in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan on Monday.
The Afghan intelligence – national directorate of security (NDS) following a statement said Tuesday that the latest intelligence report indicates that a gathering of the senior Pakistani and Afghan Taliban leaders was targeted in an airstrike on Monday evening.
The statement further added that the meeting was organized by the Taliban shadow governor for Kunar in Shegal district, which was attended by senior Pakistani and Afghan Taliban leaders.
NDS released the following information regarding Taliban’s casualties in Kunar airstrike:
1. Noor Qasim Sabari, shadow governor of Taliban in Kunar.
2. Qari Osman, Taliban’s shadow district chief for Shegal.
3. Qari Zubair, senior Talban leader.
4. Qari Latif, senior Taliban leader.
5. Qari Tari, senior Taliban leader.
6. Mullah Bashir Gajar, Taliban leader responsible for major roadside bombings.
7. Qari Nasir Gajar, Taliban’s suicide attack coordinator.
8. Qari Sherin, Taliban leader responsible for assassinating tribal elders and Mullah Imams.
According to NDS, several Pakistani Taliban militants were killed during the airstrike and their dead bodies can be seen among those killed, however the exact number is not clear so far.
http://www.khaama.com/17-senior-pakistani-and-afghan-taliban-leaders-killed-in-kunar-airstrike-3543
--------------
IRAN AND PAKISTAN NEED 2 GET THEIR SHEEEEET 2GETHER... WE LOVE OUR AFGHANS.... GOD LOVES AFGHANS.... seriously dudes.... we will always be watching, loving and protecting our beloved Afghanistan and Afghan peoples...it's Canada's innate sense of loyalty and decency and basic freedom.... it's about Afghanistan and their cultures, their education, their future 4 women, children, elders and men... so respect ur Afghan brothers and sisters... seriously... we are watching... protecting loving... with God...
Iran supports next Afghan government, official
By 7 hours 5 minutes ago
http://wakht.af/en/index.php/politics-and-parliament/5980-iran-supports-next-afghan-government-official.html
--------------------
Afghanistan’s successful election spoken worldwide
By 8 hours 23 minutes ago
KABUL (WNA-April.7, 2014): President Hamid Karzai in his meeting with Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Belidit discussed holding presidential and provincial councils’ elections and bilateral matters of interest on Monday.
The Swedish foreign minister congratulated successfully holding of the April 5 elections to the president and the people of Afghanistan and added the successful process was recalled everywhere in the world.
Calling the last several years’ achievements too significant, the minister said the successfully held election process demonstrates “your [President Karzai] wise leadership over the past years.”
President Karzai said Afghans, through their wide-ranging participation in the elections demonstrated their firm decision through using their franchise can determine their country’s future.
The president said the Afghans wanted to further strengthen national unity and protect the country’s last decade’s achievements.
Swedish minister of foreign welcomed the opening of the Afghan embassy in Stockholm, the Swedish capital and said the move could provide ease in meeting bilateral issues.
He assured of his country’s continued support and lasting cooperation with Afghanistan.
President Karzai also thanked the Swedish cooperation over the last one decade and asked for continuation the aids in the future.
Report: Jawid Ahmad
Edit: Wakht
http://wakht.af/en/index.php/politics-and-parliament/5976-afghanistan%E2%80%99s-successful-election-spoken-worldwide.html
-------------
News - Afghanistan
15 Killed by Roadside Bomb in Kandahar
Tuesday, 08 April 2014 11:47 Written by TOLOnews.com
http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/14480-15-killed-by-roadside-bomb-in-kandahar
--------------------
APRIL 7, 2014 - NEWS UPDATES- NO TALIBAN GONNA KEEP US LIVING ON R KNEES.... God loves Afghan people- IDLE NO MORE AFGHANISTAN
--------------------
Hey everybody... this is how we remember Afghanistan from the 60s... when Afghans led the world in culture, science, math, sports and best air force on the planet... so photos...
AFGHANISTAN 1960S...
Afghan King Zahir Shah and his wife with US President John F. Kennedy-far right- and his wife Jacqueline -far left
MANY MORE PHOTOS - 60s and 70s
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2013/01/28/podlich-afghanistan-1960s-photos/5846/
-----------------
AFGHANISTAN- APRIL 7 - UPDATES
----------------------
HEROES OF AFGHANISTAN-
USA promised their interpreters houses 4 heroes... and now leave them 2
their death along with their families.
Afghans have been so brave 4 basic freedom and dignity... this is so
wrong on so many levels... WHY DOES USA MAKE PROMISES THEY NEVER KEEP????
www.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/.../afghans-visas-us.ht...
The New York Times
Loading...
Mar 24, 2014 - Raiz
Ahmad, left, and Mirwais, Afghan interpreters, in Kabul last ... In late
2012, while he was traveling home with his two brothers, ...
Breaking With the West, Afghan Leader Supports Russia's Annexation of Crimea
MARCH 23, 2014 ... expired because they are canceled if they
sit unused for two years.
HOWEVER IN... CANADA
o Similar
The Globe and Mail
Loading...
Apr 20, 2012 - Dozens
of interpreters who served as Canada's voice during the war in
... “What I find really disappointing about all of this is that, with my
overall ... Eager bidding drove the sale price of this East York home to
an area record ...
UNITED KINGDOM KEEPS PROMISES
www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Up-600-Afghan-interpreters-council-ho...
Daily Mail
Loading...
Nov 23, 2013 - An
Afghan interpreter, his face masked for security purposes, pictured ...
The US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have all granted Afghan ....
so many of our own youngsters are unable to find affordable
accommodation. 3.
AFHANISTAN
HEROES AS WELL.. AUSSIES ALWAYS STEP UP 4 THEIR OWN
Posted
11 March 2014, 21:56 AEST
By
Brendan Trembath
A
group of Afghan interpreters are being resettled in Australia after they helped
troops in their fight against the Taliban.
Afghan
interpreters who worked alongside coalition troops are being resettled in
Australia
----------
Afghanistan's Youth- it's their time...
God has truly blessed our beloved Afghanistan- We love u so much... our Nato troops never gave up their boots 2 the ground... nor have Afghan's troops and cops... nor have u Afghanis.... we love u... we love u... God loves u
--------------
2
LEADING IN AFGHAN VOTES...
Ashrafghani,
Abdullah with more ballots
By 06/04/2014 12:51:00
KABUL
(WNA-April. 6, 2014): However none of the eight presidential runners are
allegedly close to eligibility of winning a figure of 50+1 per cent, but based
on unconfirmed count results, two front-runners, Ashrafghani Ahmadzai and
Abdullah Abdullah are said to be in the lead.
The
Afghan landmark poll for both presidential and provincial elections started at
7:00am when Chairman of the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) cast his
ballot and continued to 4pm, but extended for one hour more in the stipulated
time.
Despites
threats from militants and sequential rain, over seven million Afghans
including more than 35 per cent women dared to go the polling stations to
exercise their franchise to elect their next leaders.
As
many as 133,984 ballots had been reported to be cast, with Ashraf Ghani
Ahmadzai of 42.10 percent votes, Abdullah Abdullah 40.72 per cent and Zalmai
Rassoul 7.66 percent.
The
remaining runners with less than the number had wrapped up the voting for
which, any winning runner first have to bag 50+1 of votes, pushing back the
process a run-off in late May this year.
Congratulating
the successful conclusion of the ballot, the IEC announced over 7 million
Afghans could brave the harsh situations to cast their votes for their favorite
nominees of presidential and provincial council elections on Saturday’s crucial
vote.
Report:
Jawid Ahmad
--------------
UNITED
NATIONS
The
council in the statement applauded the Afghan-led efforts to prepare for and
hold these elections and recognize the important role of the Afghan electoral
institutions, including the Independent Election Commission and the Independent
Electoral Complaints Commission, as well as the support provided by
international partners.
It
also welcomed the level of public debate during the campaign, through the media
and in communities, which has enabled the people of Afghanistan to discuss the
issues that are important to them.
Performance
of the Afghan National Security Forces in leading security arrangements for the
elections, was also commended by the UNSC which called on the Afghan
Government, with the assistance of the international community, to continue to
address the threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan.
UN
urges Afghan stakeholders to adopt patience
----------
HEADS
UP/HEADS UP/HEADS UP/ F**king Pakistan
The
officials further added that a group of the Pakistani Taliban militants were
looking to storm the election sites in Paktika province, however Afghan Taliban
militants opposed with them which erupted heavy gun battle between the two
sides.
Heavy
clashes reported among Afghan and Pakistani Taliban in Paktika
By
Ghanizada - Fri Apr 04 2014, 3:49 pm
---------------------
Sweden's
top diplomat said that in addition to financial aid, his government planned to
assist in the training of the Afghan national security forces after 2014.
"Our
government and parliament are committed to having Afghanistan be the country
that receives the most development in the years ahead," Mr. Bildt said.
Sweden
Restates Post-2014 Commitment to Afghanistan
------------
Afghan
election 'less fraudulent' than 2009: Officials
By AFP
Published:
April 7, 2014
==========
PAKISTAN
Landmark
polls: Pakistan congratulates Afghans on crucial vote
By Our
Correspondent
Published:
April 7, 2014
-------------
INDIA
PM
congratulates Karzai on successful conclusion of 1st round polls
New
Delhi, Apr 7 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called up Afghan President
Hamid Karzai and congratulated him on the successful conduct of the first round
of Presidential elections in Afghanistan and said India would continue to stand
by that country.
The
Prime Minister also lauded Afghan people who, he said, had defied terrorism and
violence and voted for their democratic and prosperous future, an spokesman of
the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.
------------
News
- Afghanistan
ECC
Receives 600 Complaints, Hears Candidates' Concerns
Monday,
07 April 2014 19:31 Written by Shakeela Ahbrimkhil
--------------
Drone
strike kill top Taliban leaders in eastern Afghanistan
By
Ghanizada - Mon Apr 07 2014, 6:31 pm
Two
top leaders were killed following a drone strike in eastern Kunar province of
Afghanistan on Monday.
Taliban’s
shadow provincial governor, Qasim Sabri was killed along with shadow district
governor Qari Osman following the drone strike, local officials said.
The
officials further added that the aristrike was carried out around 3:00 pm local
time, while the Taliban militants were looking to cross the border and enter
Pakistan.
Several
other Taliban militants were also reportedly killed following the drone strike
which was carried out in Shegal district.
Kunar
is among the volatile provinces in eastern Afghanistan where Taliban militants
are actively operating in its various districts and routinely carry out
insurgency attacks.
--------------
Canadian
Women for Women in Afghanistan
CW4WAfghan-60Seconds-PSA
-------------
GERMANY
Afghan
election a 'good sign', says Berlin
Germany's
governing coaltion found positive words for Saturday's election in Afghanistan,
citing primarily the high voter turnout. They called on the new head of state,
however, to step up the fight against corruption.
------------
Swear...
no different in so many ways 2 Canada... and USA and Europe... seriously...
GULF
NEWS-Reuters Published: 15:28 April 7, 2014
Rivals
cry foul as first results put Abdullah ahead in Afghan vote
Ballot
counting likely to last weeks in Afghanistan’s presidential election
---------------
Canadian
Women for Women in Afghanistan
The
real enemy in Afghanistan is illiteracy
Col
Jamie Cade, Canadian Military
“A
building is not a school. A building is a school when
it has
a good teacher, a good curriculum, and
lots
of activity. Then it’s a school.”
Yasin
Farin, Executive Director,
PARSA
(CW4WAfghan Project Partner)
Over
the last decade, there has been remarkable progress made in Afghanistan. This
girl (and millions like her) has returned to school. Her mother is able to see
a doctor. But most women still have little access to education and schools lack
books and qualified teachers. Most Afghans live in extreme poverty and many
fear for their safety.
HomePage
In
Afghanistan today, there is hope for the future thanks to the help of Canadians
like you. However, without a long-term commitment to advancing human rights and
opportunities for Afghan women and their families, this hope could be lost for
the people of Afghanistan.
CW4WAfghan
is a volunteer-based registered charity founded in 1996 to advance education
and educational opportunities for Afghan women and their families, and to
educate Canadians about human rights in Afghanistan. CW4WAfghan implements,
funds, and manages education projects in two main program areas: (1) Community
Libraries & Book Development Program, and (2) Investments in Public
Education. We have supported over 300 projects in Afghanistan to date, and work
with a variety of Afghan civil society and women’s organizations to deliver our
programs. A complete list of our current projects is available here: HOW WE
HELP.
And
what can you do? Check out our many web-based resources and read more about how
you can host a Breaking Bread for Afghan Women pot-luck dinner with your
friends and family. Make a donation to our Lantern Fund. Donations contribute
to teacher training, community schools, orphan support, training and education
resources towards our goal of improving the quality and access to education for
Afghan women and girls.
Help
us ensure the rights of Afghan women and girls are as real and lasting as those
of our own mothers, daughters and sisters. Join us!
HumanRights
isUniversal
--------------------
CW4WAFGHAN
PARTNERS WITH KANDAHAR SCHOOL
Submitted
by cw4w on Sun, 2014-03-09 11:45
in
CW4WAfghan
News
On the
occasion of International Women’s Day, we are pleased to announce a new
partnership with the Kandahar Institute of Modern Studies (KIMS), a higher
education institution located in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which provides
employment-oriented education to Kandahari youth, with an emphasis on women’s
access. Students take classes in courses such as English language, information
technology, and business programs. The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
(SAIT) based in Calgary, Alberta delivers online training from their faculty
via Skype as part of KIMS’ programming.
KIMS
promotes the participation of women in the economy, political life, and Afghan
civil society by providing employment-oriented education that has created
significant change for students in Kandahar, particularly for women. From 2007
to 2012, 2,278 students graduated from KIMS’ professional training programs,
most of them women studying Information Technology at no charge. Of these
students, at least 1,157 were able to secure or obtain promotions. Each
employed graduate provided financial support for an average of seven family
members, resulting in KIMS helping to create a source of income for more than
9,800 Kandahar residents, or close to 1% of the population of Kandahar
province.
Canadian
Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan), a Canadian charity established in
1996 and dedicated to the advancement of education for women and girls in
Afghanistan, has committed $25,000 of funds raised from Canadian donors to KIMS
programming in 2014, which allowed the organization to meet a funding shortfall
that nearly closed its doors.
A
class of KIMS graduates received their diplomas on International Women’s Day
this year, and CW4WAfghan’s president, Madeliene Tarasick, was able to deliver
congratulatory remarks to the graduates via video message, from Kingston,
Ontario. She said, “Today, we joyfully stand with you as you receive your
diplomas. We know this has meant a great deal of work, and that many of you
have overcome great challenges to commit yourself to your studies. We greatly
admire your courage and commitment. You have embarked on the journey to become
educated. Your education cannot be taken away from you, nor undone, nor
diminished in any way. You are changed forever and you bring honour and
prosperity to yourselves, your families, your school, your community and your
country. Education is the future of Afghanistan.”
The
governor of Kandahar province, an Afghan-Canadian, Tooryalai Wesa, was in
attendance with his wife at the ceremony and said, “If we look at the last 13
years in Afghanistan, thousands of girls are now going to schools,
universities, midwifery training and many others programs. Today I promise that
we will work closely with women to solve the challenges they face”. He urged
the women graduates to participate in the upcoming elections, saying, “It’s
your right and responsibility to select a good person to become president.”
CW4WAfghan
is pleased to contribute support that will enable more women to graduate from
KIMS and gain marketable skills to enter the workforce in Kandahar, and to work
even more closely with KIMS after many years of collaboration together.
Media
Inquiries:
Tel:
+1 (403) 244-5625 Email: Info@CW4WAfghan.ca www.cw4wafghan.ca
---------------
An
advocate for women and girls in Afghanistan was the special guest speaker at an
International Women’s Day lunch Saturday at Newlands.
Submitted
by cw4w on Wed, 2014-03-12 10:38
in In the News
Lauryn
Oates has been passionate about women’s rights there since 1996, when she first
learned how the Taliban was treating women. She converted her passion into action by setting up a
chapter of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan) in Vancouver,
and is currently projects director for the organization.
“Girls
were banned from school. Women couldn’t work outside the home and weren’t
allowed to even leave their homes without a male relative. The rules
effectively meant that women and girls were no longer human beings,” Oates
said.
She
first went to Afghanistan in 2003, after the Taliban was overthrown, following
the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the United States by Al-Qaeda.
She
told the more than 200 people at the event, sponsored by the Langley Central
Rotary Club, that Afghanistan is "a place of extremes.” In some areas, a
fairly high number of girls are getting an education, but in others, literacy
is minimal, child mortality is high and vaccination levels are very low.
“Educating
mothers is the single biggest factor in improving the whole situation,” she
said. “The best prediction of a state’s peacefulness is how women are treated.”
Oates
is a big advocate of literacy, and not just learning to read, but making
reading an enjoyable everyday habit.
“The
human right to read is the key that opens the lock,” she said “Literacy allows
women to become independent.”
She
told the crowd that the “human rights of others far away from us are entwined
with us here. In our comfort here in Canada, we have sometimes forgotten that
rights were not given, they were taken. There is no excuse for treating people
differently, even when you are told to mind your own business.”
Three
local women of distinction were honoured at the event.
Marilyn
Gabriel is hereditary chief of the Kwantlen First Nation, and in her almost 20
years of leadership has helped the First Nation regain its traditional name,
expand its cultural and educational programs and enter into a number of
business activities. It has good relations with other levels of government, and
Gabriel has empowered the people of her community.
Ingeborg
Violet is a member of the Langley Central club,
and with her late husband Claude, started Domaine de Chaberton Winery in
South Langley — the first winery in the Fraser Valley and the first of many
wineries to come to the area. Since they sold the winery in 2005, after
operating it for more than 20 years, she has been an active community
volunteer, raising funds for Langley Memorial Hospital and other causes.
Christina
Bucholtz, 23, began The People’s Foundation of Sierra Leone to empower young
people in the west African country which endured a 12-year civil war. The
foundation is involved in health education, encourages mentoring and provides
university scholarships.
She is
there at present, as a volunteer teacher. Her award was accepted on her behalf
by her mother Bonnie.
By
Langley Times Published: March 11, 2014
09:00 AM
Find
this article at:
------------
Successful
poll, real exercise of democracy: NSC
By 10 hours 19 minutes ago
--------
------------------
AFGHANISTAN- April 7, 2014- brave, brilliant and beautiful Afghans... just in..
OPINION: Demographics Transformed Afghanistan Into Democratic State
REUTERS/ Tim Wimborne
14:08 07/04/2014
Tags: democracy, demographic, elections, UN, Taliban, Afghanistan
MOSCOW, April 7 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – Demographics have played a huge role in the transformation of Afghanistan into a member of the democratic states of the world, according to Shuja Nawaz, the director of the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center.
“The Afghan people appear to have won another round with the Taliban and against the forces that want to derail the progress achieved by them – despite heavy odds – over the past decade plus,” Nawaz said.
Despite the Taliban’s threats of violence, some 60 percent of eligible voters in the country turned out for a presidential election on Saturday. According to preliminary estimates, 7 million ballots were cast at 6,000 polling stations across the country.
In explaining the country’s move towards democracy, Nawaz cited the youthful population “that is connected to each other and to the world” as well as increasing urbanization and the growing market economy, despite official sluggishness and corruption.
“All these factors have been evident in the manner in which the population defied the Taliban threats and voted this weekend,” he added.
In the run-up to the election, the Taliban said it would violently disrupt the vote, which it saw as a “waste of time.” Dozens of attacks occurred across the country and several polling stations remained closed on election day due to security threats, yet the vote took place as scheduled.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) congratulated Afghanis on the election, which is largely seen as the country’s first democratic vote providing for the peaceful transfer of power from one elected president to another.
"Ordinary Afghans turned out to vote in remarkable numbers, defying Taliban attacks and threats. Often in long queues and bad weather, voters patiently waited to exercise their basic human right to vote,” said Ján Kubiš, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.
“They chose to determine the future direction of the country by political means and resolutely rejected the enemies of peace and democracy,” Kubiš said.
The results will start to become clear in another week or so, but early indications seem to validate the various polls indicating that a runoff appears likely, with Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani the likely candidates.
“Regardless of who comes out ahead, and Ghani seems to have the early edge, the Taliban will need to find a new means to assert themselves,” Nawaz told RIA Novosti, adding that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seemed committed to furthering ties with Afghanistan.
“China and Russia will also have to step up their support and rather than competing for influence, [they should] compete to help Afghanistan. India already has invested close to $2 billion,” Nawaz said.
Afghanistan’s new president will succeed Hamid Karzai, who has been in power since 2001 and cannot run for a third consecutive term after having reached the constitutional limit of two terms in office.
“After Afghanistan, the Indian elections of this week will close this phase of important political change in the Greater South Asia region: first Iran, then Pakistan, Afghanistan and finally India,” Nawaz continued. “South Asia may yet become the economic and political fulcrum of Asia.”
Preliminary results are scheduled to be announced on April 24. If no candidate wins over 50 percent of the votes, a runoff election will be held at the end of May.
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140407/189086042/OPINION-Demographics-Transformed-Afghanistan-Into-Democratic.html
---------------------
April 7- our beloved Afghans... we said in 2001 that God loves the Afghan people and the Afghan people love us around the world as well... and their bravery, brilliance and beauty of human dignity and courage and conviction... will always be treasured by the men and women of our Nato nations who walked the talk.. because they believed in everyday Afghans...
SO...
Hey Canada- America is asking their folks- Would u
risk ur life 2 Vote?- Canada’s Quebec Province goes 2 the polls 2day... fair
question- Our precious beloved Afghans
did...we have been saying since 2001... God loves the everyday Afghan people
dearly and completely.... our troops on the ground believed and died proving
it.... as do/did Afghan troops and cops.... and still do... so?
Would You Risk Your Life to Vote? It Looks Like 7
Million Afghans Did.
In
November 2012, U.S. voter turnout was 58 percent. And on Saturday, Afghan
turnout was about the same—in the face of dire threats and violence. What does
that say about our democracy?
What
would you be willing to risk in order to vote? Would you cast a ballot if it
meant your finger might be cut off? Would you head to the polls if there were a
credible threat that terrorists were going to blow up your polling station?
Would you even leave your house on Election Day if terrorists threatened to
kill people who voted?
I
doubt I would risk that much. But those were the dangers the people of
Afghanistan faced as they went to the polls Saturday to determine who would
succeed President Hamid Karzai.
What
do you think the voter turnout was in Saturday’s election in Afghanistan? But before
you answer, let me give you a bit more information about what the Afghan people
endured in the run-up to the vote.
The
Taliban ordered 39 suicide bombings in the two months
leading up to the election. The Taliban also circulated letters warning Afghans
that if they voted, they could have a finger chopped off or even be killed.
Just
three days before the election, a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people.
And on Tuesday, a candidate for a provincial office and nine of his supporters
were kidnapped and killed by the Taliban.
Ali
Soufan, a former FBI agent and CEO of The Soufan Group, called the Taliban’s
actions a concerted effort to derail the elections. And in case you think the
media were exaggerating the threats against the Afghan people, a U.S. Army
officer who recently returned from Afghanistan told me, “The people out there
are scared as hell of the Taliban.”
So
now, keeping all that in mind, how many Afghans do you think risked life and
limb to cast their ballot? Keep in mind that in our 2012 presidential election,
we had a 58 percent voter turnout.
Early estimates are that 7 million courageous
Afghans voted, a number that represents a 58 percent voter turnout. That’s
considerably higher than the 4.5 million Afghans who voted in their last
election, in 2009.
The
high voter turnout in Afghanistan tells me two things. First, despite what many
on the right will tell you, there are people in the Muslim world who embrace
democracy. While Muslims are in no way monolithic, clearly the 7 million
Afghans who risked their lives to vote are a shining example of people who very
much want democracy. As a side note, anyone who tells you all Muslims think a
certain way on any issue understands nothing about Muslims. When you see those
people on Fox “News,” change the channel because they are making you dumber.
My
second takeaway is that our voter turnout is pathetic. The Afghans voted
despite the Taliban’s threats of murder. What’s the biggest thing we risk to
vote? Maybe missing an episode of The Big Bang Theory or Keeping Up
with the Kardashians?
Yet
in our 2010 midterm elections, in which we elected all 435 members of the
House, 37 U.S. senators, and local officials around the country, voter turnout
was just 41 percent. Worse still, Texas had an anemic 32 percent turnout and Tennessee
was close behind at 34 percent. https://webmail.iac.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=XCNO_Jra2kOrX81REvCqzotd5UCMJdEISjlEfiWcPpuFkkK0nsLv9Hj2qN_dzII7uQSnaSb4B5s.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.thedailybeast.com%2fcheats%2f2014%2f04%2f06%2fvote-count-begins-in-afghanistan.html
That’s
right—in 2010 so few people voted that we were in danger of not even being a
democracy.
It’s
possible that we will see an even lower turnout in this November’s midterm
elections. And don’t be surprised if the numbers keep trending downward in the
years to come.
There’s
an overall sense that voting is meaningless, thanks in large part to the
conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court who over the past few years,
including last week, have rendered decisions that give the
wealthy and large corporations much more influence in our elections. As I wrote last week, these court rulings have made an
increasing number of Americans distrust our government; alarmingly, 26 percent
of those polled in a 2012 study by the Brennan Center for Justice said they
were less likely to vote. https://webmail.iac.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=XCNO_Jra2kOrX81REvCqzotd5UCMJdEISjlEfiWcPpuFkkK0nsLv9Hj2qN_dzII7uQSnaSb4B5s.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.thedailybeast.com%2fcheats%2f2014%2f04%2f06%2fvote-count-begins-in-afghanistan.html
Add
to that the push by some Republican officials to curtail
early votinghttps://webmail.iac.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=XCNO_Jra2kOrX81REvCqzotd5UCMJdEISjlEfiWcPpuFkkK0nsLv9Hj2qN_dzII7uQSnaSb4B5s.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.thedailybeast.com%2fcheats%2f2014%2f04%2f06%2fvote-count-begins-in-afghanistan.html
and enact voter ID laws that studies say will reduce voter turnout further.
Republicans claim these laws are to protect the “integrity” of our elections.
I’m sure that’s their concern, just as the conservative Supreme Court justices
who invalidated campaign finance laws did so to protect the average American’s
right to participate in our democracy by giving the rich and big business even
more influence in elections.
In
Afghanistan, the 2014 election is over but the fight for democracy continues.
On Sunday, two election workers were killed by a roadside bomb that also destroyed
some ballots. But in six weeks, the Afghan people will have the results of an
election that was truly a profile in courage.
In
our case, however, questions remain. Can we find a way to inspire people to
vote and engage in our democracy? If not and voter turnout keeps falling, at
what point will we no longer be able to say with a straight face that we are a
democracy?
------------------
---------------
Afghanistan presidential poll hailed as a 'success'
Women
made up 34% of those voting, says the National Electoral Commission
Afghan
and Western leaders have described Afghanistan's presidential election and the
turnout as a success.
The
votes of more than seven million Afghans estimated to have taken part - out of
an electorate of 12 million - are now being counted.
The
election commission has received 162 allegations of fraud after the poll marked
by sporadic violence and reports of ballot-paper shortages.
It
marks the strife-torn nation's first transfer of power via the ballot box.
Eight
candidates are seeking to succeed President Hamid Karzai. A second round
run-off between the top two contenders may be needed to decide the winner,
correspondents say.
“Start
Quote
In
the city famed for being the first to topple the Taliban more than a decade
ago, voters arrived early and queued late ”
End
Quote
Karen
Allen BBC News, Mazar-e-Sharif
Three
million more people voted in this presidential election than in the previous
one, in 2009.
A
massive operation was launched to thwart the Taliban, who had vowed to disrupt
the election, and heavy rainfall may have depressed turnout in some areas.
Mr
Karzai, barred by the constitution from seeking a third term, said after the
polls closed: "Despite the cold and rainy weather and possible terrorist
attack, our sisters and brothers nationwide took in this election and their
participation is a step forward and it is a success for Afghanistan."
US
President Barack Obama, in a statement issued by the White House, said:
"We commend the Afghan people, security forces, and elections officials on
the turnout for today's vote - which is in keeping with the spirited and
positive debate among candidates and their supporters in the run-up to the
election.
Photos:
Voters
were choosing from among eight candidates
For
some voters, a finger stained with identifying ink has become a badge of pride
- and defiance
"These
elections are critical to securing Afghanistan's democratic future, as well as
continued international support," Mr Obama added.
UK
Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement: "It is a great achievement
for the Afghan people that so many voters, men and women, young and old, have
turned out in such large numbers, despite threats of violence, to have their
say in the country's future."
Analysis
David
Loyn BBC News, Kabul
All
three of the leading candidates have now appeared on TV since the polls closed,
talking up their chances. Former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani, his voice
hoarse from the campaign, complained that some people were denied a vote as
ballot papers had run out. Abdullah Abdullah had a more fundamental charge,
namely that there had been fraud perpetrated against him by police and other
people employed by the state.
The
interior minister denied the charge. The third candidate, Zalmai Rassoul, said
"any president elected by fraud will not be legitimate".
Some
counts have already been completed but will need to be rechecked before any
official announcement, which will not be for some days. Answering claims of
fraud could take longer.
One
of the leading independent election observers, Nader Nadery, said that the
Afghan election process "is not finished with this poll - it has just
begun".
Nato
military alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the elections were "a historic moment for Afghanistan".
Nato
has co-ordinated much of the work of foreign forces in Afghanistan - most of
them US and British troops - in a mission that will end this year.
"I
congratulate the millions of Afghan men and women from across the country who
have cast their votes in presidential and provincial council elections with
such an impressive turnout and enthusiasm," Mr Rasmussen said in a
statement.
Although
there are eight candidates for president, only three are considered
frontrunners - former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmai Rassoul,
and former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.
Analysts
say Dr Abdullah has fought a polished campaign, Mr Ghani has strong support among
the new urban youth vote, and Dr Rassoul is believed to favoured by Mr Karzai.
However,
no candidate is expected to secure more than the 50% of the vote needed to be
the outright winner, which means there is likely to be a second round run-off
on 28 May.
Afghanistan's
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nouristani said
its latest estimates were that more than seven million people had voted by
17:00 local time, when the polls had officially closed and counting began.
Photos
Long
queues built up at some polling stations
A
second round run-off is expected in May because no candidate is expected to
poll more than 50%
Two-thirds
of those who voted were men and one third women, the commission believes. Some
polling stations stayed open for another four hours to allow everyone queuing
to vote.
"This
election was a message to the enemies of Afghanistan," Mr Nouristani said.
"With this determination of the honourable people of Afghanistan, the
enemies were defeated."
IEC
secretary Ziaul Haq Amarkhel, asked to comment on widespread reports of polling
stations running out of ballot papers, said they were "false".
Police
arrested
But
BBC correspondents received reports of polling centres running out of ballots
hours before the polls closed in many areas, including Kabul, northern Takhar
province, north-eastern Badakhshan province, eastern Paktia province.
In
Nimroz province in the south-west, one man, Abdul Ahad, said he and 15 family
members had been to every polling centre in their district in an attempt to
vote, but all of them had run out of ballot papers.
photos:
MP
Shukria Baraksai tells Lyse Doucet that turnout was a "reaction" to
violent threats by the Taliban
Abdul
Malik Niazi says he is proud to have voted
Dr
Abdullah, who pulled out of the 2009 vote before the second round amid
allegations of voting irregularities, hailed Saturday's poll as a success.
However,
he complained that large numbers of voters had been deprived of their right to
take part because of a lack of ballot boxes.
The
biggest military operation since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 was rolled out
for the vote, says the BBC's David Loyn in the Afghan capital. All 400,000 of
Afghanistan's police and soldiers were said to be on duty for the election.
Fears
of fraud, which have marred previous polls in Afghanistan, resurfaced with
reports from the southern province of Kandahar that police were preventing
voters and observers from reaching polling stations.
The
interior ministry said two police officers were arrested in Wardak province for
stuffing ballot boxes.
Concerns
were also raised before the poll about the possible presence of
"ghost" polling stations as well as the fact that the number of
election cards in circulation appeared to be vastly more than the number of
registered voters.
Did
you vote in this election? Did you feel confident about the security
arrangements? Email <haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
>with 'Afghan election' in the subject field.
Or
send us your views and experiences with us using this form:
Send
your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124
(UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you
can
upload
here.
----------------------- 30% voted are women- ONE BILLION RISING BABY! ONE BILLION RISING...huge number are Afghan youth.... our Nations troops and Afghans troops and policing and Afghans themselves made this possible.... God truly does love us
Seven million voters turn out for Afghanistan election
Last updated Sat 5 Apr 2014
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-04-05/seven-million-voters-turn-out-for-historic-afghan-election/
--------------
Just in from Bangkok
Bangkokpost
Women queue outside a school to vote in presidential elections in the northwestern city of Herat on Saturday Afghanistan
Huge turnout for Afghan vote
Published: 5 Apr 2014 at 21.35
Online news: .
KABUL - Afghanistan's landmark election on Saturday was marred by a shortage of ballot papers that left many voters still queueing to cast their vote with polling due to close.
Because of Afghanistan's difficult terrain, it will take weeks for officials to gather ballot boxes from around the country and count the votes. Official preliminary results are not expected until late April.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/403620/
---------------- Afghans defy Taliban and vote in droves
As Afghans flocked to polling stations, the turnout became so high that some polling centres ran out of ballots.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/04/05/afghans_make_history_as_they_defy_taliban_and_vote_in_droves.html
beautiful photos of beloved Afghans- Canada
------------------
YOUTH MARCHING THE VOTE OF AFGHANISTAN.... nobody gonna stop them... so brave, brilliant and beautiful
APRIL 5- ELECTION STARTED IN AFGHANISTAN... we love u and pray 4 you from all around the world... God is with u
5
april 2014- from New Zealand with Love
Afghans
vote in historic election-Updated 13 minutes ago
Polling
stations have opened in Afghanistan in elections to choose a new president.
.
All
400,000 of the country's police and soldiers have been deployed to provide
security for voters, say officials.
Photo:
AFP
Eight
candidates are vying to succeed Hamid Karzai, who is barred by the constitution
from seeking a third consecutive term as president.
It
will be the country's first ever transfer of power through the ballot box.
A
massive security operation is under way to thwart the Taliban which has vowed
to disrupt the election.
The
BBC reports the poll has already been overshadowed by the shooting of two
foreign journalists.
Award-winning
German photographer Anja Niedringhaus was killed and veteran Canadian reporter
Kathy Gannon was injured when a police commander opened fire on their car in
the eastern town of Khost on Friday. They had both worked for Associated Press
for many years.
It was
the latest in a string of deadly attacks that have marred the lead-up to the
election.
----------------
AFGHANISTAN- APRIL 7, 2014-Pakistan monsters invading our Afghanistan- told ya -shame USA
EVIL PAKISTAN... OUR BELOVED AFGHANISTAN
EVIL
PAKISTAN... OUR BELOVED AFGHANISTAN
64
Pakistani rebels sneak in2 Afghanistan
HERAT:
40 Pakistan rebels and 24 suicide attackers have entered Afghanistan....
64
Pakistani rebels sneak into western zone
By AON
On 6 Apr, 2014 At 12:56 PM | Categorized As Afghanistan | With 0 Comments
By
Storai Karimi
by
Storai Karimi on 6 April, 2014 – 16:38
HERAT
(Pajhwok): Forty Pakistani rebels and 24 suicide attackers have entered the
country’s western zone to disrupt the count of votes and transfer of ballot
boxes, officials alleged on Sunday.
-------------
News
- Afghanistan APRIL 7 NEWS UPDATES
Security
Forces Praised for Peaceful Election Day
Sunday,
06 April 2014 09:18 Written by Geeti Mohsini
Officials
from the Independent Elections Commission (IEC), Afghanistan's top security
institutions and a number of presidential candidates have applauded the Afghan
National Security Forces (ANSF) for maintaining an overwhelmingly peaceful
atmosphere for the millions of voters nationwide who participated in Saturday's
historic elections.
------------
Afghans
Receive International Praise For Peaceful, Popular Elections
Sunday,
06 April 2014 13:47 Last Updated on Sunday, 06 April 2014 14:13 Written by
TOLOnews.com
alt
World
leaders have come out left and right to praise Afghans following Saturday's
vote, which marked the beginning of Afghanistan's first democratic transition
of power in modern history. Although insurgents had threatened to derail the
elections, they were carried out peacefully and saw turnout that surpassed
expectations.
The
Independent Election Commission (IEC) estimated in a press conference Saturday
night that over seven million Afghans participated in the presidential and
provincial council elections, which would mean twice as many as did in 2009.
U.S.
President Barack Obama on Sunday congratulated Afghanistan for the election and
said it was "critical" to securing the country's democratic prospects
and continued international aid. The U.S.-led NATO coalition is prepared to
withdraw from the country by the end of this year, and the person elected to
succeed President Hamid Karzai will likely play a key role in shaping the
future of relations between Kabul and Washington.
The
ballots "represent another important milestone in Afghans taking full
responsibility for their country as the United States and our partners draw
down our forces," Obama said in a statement. "These elections are
critical to securing Afghanistan's democratic future, as well as continued
international support."
The
U.S. has been trying to settle a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the
Karzai administration that would allow some foreign troops to stay in
Afghanistan after 2014 to help advise the Afghan security forces, conduct
counterterrorism operations and oversee the use of aid money. Over four billion
USD in military supported funding is tied to the deal. With Karzai refusing to
sign on, however, the last hope for the pact seems to fall on whoever is
elected to replace him.
Heading
into Saturday's vote many Afghans and non-Afghans alike were concerned about
insurgent violence and possible fraud. Militants led a surge of violence in the
weeks leading up to the vote. But Saturday came and went with a few scattered
attacks that had no large effect on the national process, and fraud, for the
moment, appears to have been more subdued than in past years.
The
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has welcomed the Afghan elections as a
historic event, and urged all candidates to respect the electoral institutions
and their processes. It is likely the vote counting process will not be
complete for several weeks.
"The
members of the Council reiterate the importance of these historic elections to
Afghanistan's transition and democratic development," the UNSC said in a
statement.
"Members
commend the participation and courage of the Afghan people to cast their ballot
despite the threat and intimidation by the Taliban and other extremist and
terrorist groups," the statement added.
The
high turnout, from both male and female voters, was celebrated by most as the
major success of the day, regardless of the elections' outcome.
"It
is a great achievement for the Afghan people that so many voters, men and
women, young and old, have turned out in such large numbers, despite threats of
violence, to have their say in the country's future," British Foreign
Secretary William Hague said in a statement.
NATO
chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen also chimed-in, calling the elections "a
historic moment for Afghanistan". Saturday was the first time since the
coalition invaded the country that an election has been managed entirely by
Afghans.
"This
will be a historic moment, if we get this right, this democratic
transition," European Union (EU) Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton
said.
The
Indian government, a close ally of the Karzai administration, also commended
Afghans on their participation in Saturday's elections. "We salute the
people of Afghanistan who turned out in such great numbers to exercise their
right to vote despite the threat of violence and intimidation from terrorists
and those who do not wish to see a strong, democratic and sovereign
Afghanistan," an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said on Saturday.
International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials also congratulated the people of
Afghanistan. "Today's success clearly demonstrates that the Afghan people
have chosen their future of progress and opportunity," ISAF said in a
statement.
"As
the world watched, the Afghan National Security Forces provided the opportunity
for the Afghan people to choose their new President, securing over 6,200
polling centers across the country," the statement added.
The
Afghan security forces have taken over responsibility for security from US-led
forces, and this year the last of the NATO coalition's remaining 51,000 combat
troops will pull out. The relative peacefulness of Saturday's vote will mark a
crowning success for the security forces who have already been applauded for
their impressive performance during their first fight season in the lead over
the past year.
------------
COMMENT:
Did u
know- that more people voted in Afghanistan than any other country... ie 58% or
more and 30% women.... think about it Canada, USA, EU etc.... and they are
living in such tumultuous conditions -
Afghanistan
made the world soooooo proud April 6, 2014-
Afghans honoured the men and women of our
nations troops who lived and died 4 their basic rights and freedoms and their
troops and cops...
it's sooooo easy 2 be a Muslim Taliban
al-qaeda (whatever) coward who slithers under his mother's skirt and hides
behind children 2 murder and maim... BUT
it takes incredible courage 2 be an Afghan military, army or cop and just plain
everyday Afghans who deserve a destiny of basic peace and freedom and education
and...a life...
We
have been here since 2001 Afghanistan;
We love u so much; our political landscape has changed so much in
Canada... even with Taliban Jack who created more deaths of Canada's kids and
Afghan's than could be imagined; however, we have stayed loyal along with our
troops on the ground since 2001.... and we are still here... and will be 4 a
long time 2 come. We love u...God loves
u...God be praised.
APRIL
7 2014
Smooth
Afghan election raises questions about Taliban's strength
imageeee
KABUL:
A bigger-than-expected turnout in Afghanistan's presidential election and the
Taliban's failure to significantly disrupt the vote has raised questions about
the capacity of the insurgents to tip the country back into chaos as foreign
troops head home.
The
Taliban claimed that they staged more than 1,000 attacks and killed dozens
during Saturday's election, which they have branded a U.S.-backed deception of
the Afghan people, though security officials said it was a gross exaggeration.
There
were dozens of minor roadside bombs, and attacks on polling stations, police
and voters during the day. But the overall level of violence was much lower
than the Taliban had threatened to unleash on the country.
And,
despite the dangers they faced at polling stations, nearly 60 percent of the 12
million people eligible to vote turned out, a measure of the determination for
a say in their country's first-ever democratic transfer of power, as President
Hamid Karzai prepares to stand down after 12 years in power.
"This
is how people vote to say death to the Taliban," said one Afghan on
Twitter, posting a photograph that showed his friends holding up one finger -
stained with ink to show they had voted - in a gesture of defiance.
There
was a palpable sense in Kabul, the capital, on Sunday that perhaps greater
stability is within reach after 13 years of strife since the ouster of the
Taliban's hardline Islamist regime in late 2001. The insurgency has claimed the
lives of at least 16,000 Afghans civilians and thousands more security forces.
"It
was my dream come true," said Shukria Barakzai, a member of Afghanistan's
parliament. "That was a fantastic slap on the face of the enemy of
Afghanistan, a big punch in the face of those who believe Afghanistan is not
ready for democracy."
TOO
SOON TO WRITE OFF THE TALIBAN:
It may
be too early, however, to conclude from the Taliban's failure to trip up the
election that it is now on a backfoot.
More
than 350,000 security forces were deployed for the vote, and rings of
checkpoints and roadblocks around the capital, Kabul, may well have thwarted
Taliban plans to hit voters and polling stations.
It is
possible that the Taliban deliberately lay low to give the impression of
improving security in order to hasten the exit of U.S. troops and gain more
ground later. After all, they managed to launch a wave of spectacular attacks
in the run-up to the vote.
Indeed,
they remain a formidable force: estimates of the number of Taliban fighters,
who are mostly based in lawless southern and eastern areas of the country,
range up to 30,000.
Borhan
Osman of the independent Afghan Analysts Network argues that for now the
insurgency does not appear to be winning, though the Taliban might argue it has
already exhausted the United States' will to fight.
In a
report published late last month Osman wrote that support for the Taliban was
fading in regions where they had previously counted on help from villagers, and
they appeared to lack the strength to besiege major towns or engage in frontal
battles.
"So
far, they have rather focused efforts on hit-and-run attacks, among other
asymmetric tactics, which can bleed the enemy but usually not enough to knock
it down," Osman said.
There
could, though, be an opportunity for the Taliban to reassert itself if - as
happened in 2009 - the election is marred by fraud and rigging, and Afghans
feel cheated of a credible outcome.
Early
reports would suggest that this election was far smoother than the last one.
Still, there were many instances of ballot-stuffing and attempts to vote with
fake cards on Saturday.
Around
14 percent of polling centres did not open, most of them in the south-east and
southern provinces where the Taliban presence is strongest, as the army was
unable to provide security due to the high risks of attack.
There
is also a risk that if a final result is delayed for several months, a strong
possibility if there has to be a run-off between the top two candidates, this
would leave a political vacuum that the Taliban could exploit.
"An
ambiguous electoral outcome breeds uncertainty and confusion, which can grow
the gap between the government and its citizens and leave a bigger opening for
the Taliban to cause trouble," Diplai Mukhopadhyay, an Afghanistan expert
at Columbia University in New York, said in an email comment to Reuters.
THREAT
FROM ACROSS THE BORDER:
In
2003, the then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld suggested that the war
in Afghanistan was in a "clean-up phase". It was soon clear, however,
that the back of the insurgency was far from broken and the Taliban bounced
back.
Indeed,
Taliban attacks were muted during Afghanistan's first election in 2004, when
Karzai obtained a mandate for a presidency he had held on an interim basis
since 2002. By early 2005, U.S. generals were saying that the militants were on
the run, only to regret their optimism a short while later as casualties
mounted.
Karzai
has repeatedly accused neighbour Pakistan of being behind Taliban attacks in
Afghanistan and impeding efforts by his government to thrash out a peace deal
with the insurgents.
Islamabad
denies that it aids insurgents fighting Kabul and says it has its hands full
battling the Pakistan Taliban. But it is widely believed that the shadowy
intelligence arm of Pakistan's military has long had a relationship with
militant groups, including those active in Afghanistan.
Carlotta
Gall, a journalist who reported from the region for many years argued in a
just-published book that the United States has been fighting the wrong enemy, and
that it is in Pakistan where the training and funding of the Taliban and
support of the al Qaeda network has occurred.
Underlining
the threat from across the border, military chiefs and security officials in
the region told Reuters last month that the Taliban from both countries had
secretly agreed to focus on carrying out operations in Afghanistan. (Reuters)
-------------
APRIL
7 2014
Election
is a 'slap in the face of the enemies of Afghanistan' - video
COMMENT:
HEY
PAKISTAN AND IRAN....we know u will slither back and jab and try 2 steal from
our beloved Afghans in the interim of vote counting and new Afghanistan... but
our nations forces and Afghans military, army and policing and security... will
hunt u down... and must be mindful of international laws- 4 now....
However,
God and Afghans will hunt ur sorry arses down when it's Afghanistan's turn (our
Nations security have left- we trained our comrades in arams Afghan brothers
and sisters well)-
u wipe ur arses on the Genevea Convention as u
please... and slap the face of every woman and youth and elder of
Afghanistan... this will change... heretic Muslims who r NOT even Afghan...
will die hard.... wait and see...
-------------
COMMENT:
The
actual Afghan??? Heretic Muslim Taliban will be squashed when Afghans take over
their own security and reconstruction and rebuilding of their Afghansitan...
like Tunisia there will be democracy their way.
God hates u Heretic Muslim Taliban... God despises u who would kill
blood of your blood daughers, mothers and elders and youth of Afghanistan...
Allah is angry and u will be sourged with your family when he recives u.... of
that u can be sure. Your safety ring of
Nato's military will be gone... that u will face... THE AFGHAN PEOPLE... God is
waiting... patiently.
Afghan
Taliban reject democracy; say they want sharia
National-18
hours ago BY Agencies
LONDON/KABUL
The
Afghan Taliban say they do not recognise the democratic system and have made
many sacrifices for the establishment of an
Islamic government and free the country from
foreign occupation.
In an interview with BBC, about Afghanistan’s
presidential and provincial council elections, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah
Mujahid rejected them and said that the Taliban have the right to free their
country and implement the Islamic system.
Mujahid said that those who have attended
election rallies do not understand political affairs and cities are living
under the umbrella of the enemy.
The Taliban spokesman said that a majority of
people who are engaged in jihad with their blood, soul and money have the right
to decide the actual Islamic principles and select the system for the country.
Mujahid said the presence of foreign troops in the polls and vote would mean
nothing because the money and the plots have deceived millions of people.
He said this does not mean that the Taliban,
who in the past 13 years
defeated the world’s greatest fighting force
have lost.
-------------
CANADA
Afghan
election: Candidates promise to respect will of the people
----------
KOREA
Afghans
hail peaceful election
--------------
Afghan
candidates promise to respect results
By
RAHIM FAIEZ and KIM GAMEL, Associated Press | April 6, 2014 | Updated: April 6,
2014 8:07am
-----------
EU
News
High
turnout for Afghanistan landmark election
-----------
Turkey
congratulates Afghanistan on elections
--------------
News
- Afghanistan
42
Taliban Insurgents Killed in Ghazni Raids
Sunday,
06 April 2014 13:58 Last Updated on Sunday, 06 April 2014 14:07 Written by
TOLOnews.com
-----------
An
election official was among three people killed in a bomb attack apparently
targeting a truck carrying full ballot boxes in northern Afghanistan.
Source AAP
UPDATED
2 HOURS AGO
A
roadside bomb has hit a truck carrying full ballot boxes in northern
Afghanistan, killing three people a day after the country voted for a successor
to President Hamid Karzai.
Eight
boxes of votes were destroyed in the Sunday blast, which came as the leading
candidates voiced concerns about possible fraud.
Around
seven million people voted, according to the Independent Election Commission
(IEC), a turnout of more than 50 per cent despite poor weather and Taliban
threats.
Sayed
Sarwar Hossaini, police spokesman for the province of Kunduz, said the truck
was hit as it carried ballot boxes from polling stations to Kunduz city.
"The
blast killed three people, including an IEC member, a policeman and a driver.
The truck and eight ballot boxes were destroyed," Hossaini said.
Amir
Amza Ahmadzai, the head of the IEC in Kunduz, confirmed the incident.
Roadside
bombs have been a key weapon for the Taliban in the bloody insurgency waged
against Karzai's government and its Western backers since being ousted from
power in 2001.
In the
run-up to the poll the Islamists urged their fighters to target election
workers, voters and security forces to disrupt the vote, which they rejected as
a foreign plot.
.jpg)
------------------
APRIL 6 NEWS- THE MAJESTY AND MOST PERFECT DEMOCRATIC ELECTION EVER- COUNTRIES like Canada, USA, EU, Australia etc. could only wish 2 have such a turnout
Afghanistan
elections: Youth voters 'vital'
Nearly
two-thirds of Afghans are under the age of 25, and many seem engaged and
somewhat optimistic.
Kabul,
Afghanistan - The explosion was powerful
enough to boom its way over the small, barren mountains covered in makeshift
houses that lie in the centre of Kabul and echo over the heads of the throng
crowding in to see Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai speak on the last day of the
Afghan presidential campaign season. No one in the crowd blinked or even turned
their head.
Ahmed
Shah Wardak, without pausing, continued to explain why he thinks Afghanistan's
youth are so important to this vote. "People my age have grown up during
war. Our minds are old, and things have changed in the past decade," says
the 53-year-old former Afghan Communist army officer. "We need a new
mentality. Our country and our people, they need a big, positive change right
now. Only young people can do this."
And
with nearly two-thirds of Afghans under the age of 25, this demographic will be
critical for candidates to win. But, while young people do seem to be more
engaged and more enthusiastic for this vote compared to the one in 2009, major
factors like fears over security, ethnic tensions, the war, vote rigging, and
the candidates' histories have all worked to pull attention away from this
group, making their role in the upcoming ballot hard to gauge and their effect
hard to measure.
"Afghanistan's
youth make up a vital portion of voters. So despite all this insecurity and
threats, all these attacks over the past few weeks, we have seen all these
young people queuing to get their voter ID cards," says Abdul Waheed Wafa,
executive director of the Afghanistan Center at Kabul University. "A lot
of the candidates are counting on them to turn out and vote on April 5."
Many
people my age are interested in voting because we want to support our country
and we want to make our choice.
-
Rahmatullah, 20, a Pashtun university
student from Kandahar
To do
this, Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, and Dr. Ghani - all
frontrunners - have made pledges to bring Afghan youth into government, though
how this will be done remains unclear. For the most part, however, the
candidates - and the press - have focused
on other issues .
Some
attention has focused on the conflict with the Taliban, as in the past months a
spate of bombings has rocked Kabul, targeting the election commission, a
guesthouse and a hotel used by a foreign aid organisations and a restaurant
frequented by foreigners. Attention has also focused on the bilateral security
agreement between the US and Afghanistan, a document that would set the status
of foreign forces past the December 2014 withdrawal date. All of the candidates
have said that they will sign the accord.
The
candidates have also talked about ending corruption - or at least mitigating
corruption - finding more work for the unemployed, and expanding education, all
extremely important aspects of Afghanistan's political landscape. Yet,
Afghanistan is the lead opium producer in the world, is dependent on foreign
aid, has 35 percent unemployment (according to a 2008 estimate), an insurgency
raging in the countryside, rampant
corruption , and a divided, illiterate,
rural populace - all ensuring that this presidential campaign is taking place
in conditions very different from elections in other parts of the world.
Optimistic youth
Yet
through all this, young Afghans seem to be engaged and somewhat optimistic –
even when the candidates are all older men who have been either government
insiders or somehow involved in the past 30 years of violence.
"Many
people my age are interested in voting because we want to support our country
and we want to make our choice," says Rahmatullah, 20, a Pashtun
university student from Kandahar who had just come out of a rally supporting
Rassoul in Kabul. And he may get to make that choice twice, after gleefully
shouting that he has two voter registration cards - casting a spotlight on
broad fears among the international community that the $126m foreign-funded
election will be flawed by massive fraud.
His
friend, Rafiq Agha, a heavyset 21-year-old studying in Turkey who had come back
for the election, was more specific, saying, "Rassoul is a doctor, he is
intelligent and he worked for many years in the government and he has a PhD.
Also, he wants 50 percent of the government to be run by young people. I just
hope that he creates a ministry for youth issues in Afghanistan."
Shaista
Shaikhan, 19, a singer dressed in fluttering red and green robes, supports
Ghani for the same reason. "Dr. Ghani is thinking of giving 60-70 percent
of the young generation positions in the government. He wants to give power to
the younger generation. My vote will make a difference."
Indeed,
unlike older Afghan voters, who seem to be focused on security and stability,
younger voters seem most interested in the economy and education. "The
economy is important for young people. It's the most important. Our leaders
need to know that young people can work with their own hands, that we can
improve our own level, that we can improve the future," says Ghowsuddin,
18, a student from Samangan who is studying in Kabul.
Other
issues interested Sadav Tanha, a 19-year-old filmmaker who is supporting
Rassoul. "During his speech he was talking about improving Afghanistan by
ending corruption and by ending violence again women. I will vote for Zalmai
Rassoul and my parents will also vote for him, too," she says, brushing a
wisp of black hair back under her hijab. But she said they had not influenced
her. "This is my decision, not my parents'. This is an election for my
future, so I have to make the decision myself."
'Factured and unclear picture'
Although
everyone was able to say why they were supporting a candidate, few were clear
on why they opposed the others, emphasising the fact that while Western
diplomats see differences in the personalities and histories of the candidates,
they see little difference between their platforms. Only one young person was
clear on why he would vote for one and not the others, saying, "One thing
that is important to understand is that these men are very good, but from among
them, many were jihadi leaders in Afghanistan," says Nazir Rassouli, 20.
"This means they have had a hand in the fighting in Afghanistan, and I
will not vote for them."
What
emerges, after talking to Afghan youth, is a fractured and unclear picture - a
fact that will make their role in the upcoming election hard to predict.
"Youth constitute the largest voting bloc. Unfortunately, they have not
been able to articulate their grievances and the candidates are not from the
same generation - so you people do not see them represented. Besides, the
platforms that have been introduced are not youth-oriented. From a youth perspective,
the elections do not appear to be very promising," says Daoud Moradian,
the head of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies and a former Foreign
Ministry advisor.
In the
end, any conclusions are hard to make, since Afghanistan's under-25 population
is so vast and diverse. "Young Afghans are a large group and are varied in
their outlook, depending on where they come from and where they live. There is
a tendency to see them as a group that is somehow intrinsically moderate and
modern and more educated than their parents, but that might be a bit too
optimistic. They cover a wide spectrum," says Martine van Bijlert, a
founder of the Afghanistan Analysts Network.
"With
so many youths, you're getting a lot of voters who don't necessarily have the
same political baggage as their parents or the same history, and this makes it
more difficult to predict how they will vote and where the election will
go," van Bijlert says. "They may vote very differently from their
parents, or they may not. And because the youth population is fragmented, it
makes it harder to predict how the vote will go."
--------
A New
Era? Afghan Presidential Hopefuls Court Women's Vote
by
Sean Carberry
April
03, 2014 4:02 PM ET
On
International Women's Day last month, Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf
Ghani held a rally in Kabul attended by several thousand women. While they were
all wearing headscarves, there was not a full-length burqa to be seen in the
crowd. And the Western-educated Ghani did something highly unusual in
Afghanistan: He let his wife, Rula, a Lebanese-American Christian, address the
crowd.
Afghans
head to the polls on Saturday to elect a successor to President Hamid Karzai in
what will be the first democratic transfer of power in the country's history.
And
women have been far more visible and vocal during this campaign than in
previous elections — at least in urban areas. The candidates have made much
more of an effort to address women's rights in their speeches and debates.
Ghani
sits next to his wife, Rula, during a campaign rally in Kabul on March 9. In an
unusual move for Afghan politics, Ghani's wife spoke during the rally.
Ghani
sits next to his wife, Rula, during a campaign rally in Kabul on March 9. In an
unusual move for Afghan politics, Ghani's wife spoke during the rally.
David Gilkey/NPR
But
that's not necessarily what's swaying female voters.
Take
Khatera Tajamyar, for instance. What matters to her, the 24-year-old says, is
that Ghani is a Western-educated, former World Bank official.
"Four
years ago, I studied a couple of his books, and I prefer him as a candidate
because of his knowledge," she says.
Parliamentarian
Elay Ershad explains her support for Ghani this way: "We need someone who
can build this country."
Ershad
and other Afghan women say they fully back Ghani, even though one of the other
leading candidates, Zalmay Rassoul, has a female vice presidential running
mate.
"I
would have not vote for someone because she is a woman or that person is a
woman," Ershad says, adding that policies, not gender, are important to
her.
The
third front-runner, Abdullah Abdullah, has female supporters for a mix of
reasons as well.
Hafezo
Mir, 55, says she supports Abdullah because he's mujahid, referring to the
anti-Taliban mujahedeen, Arabic for "holy warriors." Abdullah was one
of the top political officials of the mujahedeen.
Activist
Aqlima Moradi says that Afghan women are motivated to vote for different
reasons.
"Women,
like men, they are not one bloc," she says.
Photo- Hoshang Hashimi/AP
Some
are concerned about security and the economy, while others are focused on
preserving the gains in women's rights since the fall of the Taliban.
But
Moradi argues the presidential candidates have failed to motivate many women to
vote in this election.
"They
were not specific, they were sort of conservative in their speeches about
women," she says.
And as
Moradi and Afghanistan expert Martine Van Bijlert both argue, many female
voters who do vote don't end up voting for the candidate they personally
prefer.
"It's
not a given actually that women will necessarily vote differently from their
men," Van Bijlert says — especially rural women who are still largely
illiterate and subject to tribal or family pressure.
Van
Bijlert also says that even if female turnout is high on paper, it doesn't mean
all of them came out to vote. There is an illegal practice, especially in the
conservative and violent parts of the country, where men cast proxy votes.
"Basically
men coming in with large bags of voter cards for women, and voting en masse for
the women of their family or for whoever," she says. It's one of the common
forms of election fraud in Afghanistan.
The
surge in pre-election violence, Moradi adds, could scare proportionally more
women from voting, further diminishing their voice in this historic election.
-----------------
FROM
CANADA WITH LOVE....
Afghan
election chief casts ballot, launching nationwide vote
KABUL,
Afghanistan -- The Afghan election chief has cast his ballot, launching
nationwide elections for a new president and provincial councils that is taking
place amid heavy security.
Men
and women lined up more than an hour before the polls opened, defying fears of
violence as the Taliban have threatened to disrupt the vote.
Independent
Election Commission chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nouristani urged all Afghans to vote
on Saturday as he marked his ballot live on television.
----
Afghanistan
begins voting in presidential elections
April
05, 2014 - Updated 740 PKT
From
Web Edition
KABUL:
Afghans have begun voting in the country's third presidential election to
choose a successor to Hamid Karzai, who has led the country since the fall of
the Taliban in 2001.
The
Taliban have rejected the election as a foreign plot, and urged their fighters
to attack polling staff, voters and security forces.
The
NATO coalition force is pulling out its last 51,000 combat troops this year,
leaving Afghan forces to battle the resilient Taliban insurgency without their
help.
Poll
security is a major concern following a string of high-profile attacks in the
capital Kabul, most recently a suicide bombing at the Interior Ministry on
Wednesday that killed six police officers.
Interior
Minister Omar Daudzai said all 400,000 of Afghanistan's police, army and
intelligence services were being deployed to ensure security around the
country.
The
polling would end at 4 PM.
---------------
Anja
Niedringhaus and Kathy Gannon were travelling in a convoy protected by Afghan
forces - these photo journalists gave so much and love the Aghan people so
much... please vote- 4 them and 4 so many of Nato troops and Afghan troops and
cops who gave so much... 4 your election 2da... we love u so much...
Prayers
go out 2 Anja and her family... and deep love and prayers 2 Canada's Kathy
Gannon... ensuring freedoms in hard parts of the world is horrible at times...
yet without the visuals and the voices of the innocents and everyday people of
countries like our beloved Afghanistan... there would be dull silence ... in
the very word... called freedom imho...
A look
at the work of slain AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus
Kart-e
Sakhi mosque
Anja
Niedringhaus' March 21, 2013 photo of Kart-e Sakhi mosque in Kabul,
Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)
The
Associated Press
Last Updated Friday, April 4, 2014 7:05PM
EDT
Anja
Niedringhaus faced down some of the world's greatest dangers and had one of the
world's loudest and most infectious laughs. She photographed dying and death,
and embraced humanity and life. She gave herself to the subjects of her lens,
and gave her talents to the world, with images of wars' unwitting victims in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and beyond.
Shot
to death by an Afghan policeman Friday, Niedringhaus leaves behind a broad body
of work -- from battlefields to sports fields -- that won awards and broke
hearts. She trained her camera on children caught between the front lines, yet
who still found a place to play. She singled out soldiers amid their armies as
they confronted death, injuries and attacks.
• IN
PICTURES: Anja Niedringhaus' Afghanistan photography
Two
days before her death, she made potatoes and sausage in Kabul for veteran AP
correspondent Kathy Gannon, who was wounded in the attack that killed
Niedringhaus, and photographer Muhammed Muheisen.
"I
was so concerned about her safety. And she was like, 'Momo, this is what I'm
meant to do. I'm happy to go,"' Muheisen recalled. And then they talked,
and argued. Mostly, they laughed.
Niedringhaus,
48, started her career as a freelance photographer for a local newspaper in her
hometown in Hoexter, Germany, at the age of 16. Her coverage of the fall of the
Berlin Wall led to a staff position with the European Pressphoto Agency in
1990. Based in Frankfurt, Sarajevo and Moscow, she spent much of her time
covering the brutal conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
She
joined The Associated Press in 2002, and while based in Geneva worked
throughout the Middle East as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan. She was part of
the AP team that won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for
coverage of Iraq, among many journalistic awards and honours for her work. In
2006-07, she studied at Harvard University under a Nieman Fellowship.
"What
the world knows about Iraq, they largely know because of her pictures and the
pictures by the photographers she raised and beat into shape," said AP
photographer David Guttenfelder. "I know they always ask themselves, 'What
would Anja do?' when they go out with their cameras. I think we all do."
Niedringhaus
captured what war meant to her subjects: An Afghan boy on a swing holding a toy
submachine gun. A black-clad Iraqi giving a bottle to her baby as she waits for
prisoners to be released. A U.S. Marine mourning the loss of 31 comrades.
Other
images showed life going on among the killing: A Canadian soldier with a
sunflower stuck in his helmet. A young girl testing her artificial limbs, while
her sister teasingly tries to steal her crutches. A bearded Afghan man and
grinning boy listening to music on an iPod borrowed from German soldiers.
"Anja
Niedringhaus was one of the most talented, bravest and accomplished
photojournalists of her generation," said AP Vice-President and Director
of Photography Santiago Lyon. "She truly believed in the need to bear
witness."
She
didn't stop caring when she put down the camera. In 2011, she photographed a
Marine who had been evacuated from Afghanistan with severe injuries. She wanted
to know what happened to him, and after six months of searching she found him.
She showed him her photos from that day, and gave him a piece of wheat that had
stuck to his uniform when he fell; she had plucked it and saved it when she was
done taking photographs.
"I
don't believe conflicts have changed since 9-11 other than to become more
frequent and protracted," she told The New York Times in a 2011 email
exchange. "But the essence of the conflict is the same -- two sides
fighting for territory, for power, for ideologies. And in the middle is the
population who is suffering."
Niedringhaus
was injured several times on assignment, including having her leg badly broken
in the Balkans after narrowly escaping an ambush. She suffered severe burns to
her leg in Iraq, and received a shrapnel injury while on patrol with Canadian
forces in Afghanistan.
There
were many more close calls; after one, in Libya, she took up smoking again five
years after quitting.
"Benghazi
was hell today," she wrote a colleague from Libya in 2011. "The tanks
came in while I was brushing my teeth." In the days to come, she sheltered
with a local family, sleeping on the floor. When the gunfire in front of the
house kept her awake, she listened to music on her iPhone.
While
she rejected the idea that she was fearless, she made colleagues feel safe in
danger zones. She insisted on local freelancers getting the same protections
that visiting staff photographers had.
She
was as stubborn as she was caring.
"If
she believed in something, she was convinced she was right and there was almost
nothing you could do to dissuade her," said former AP reporter and editor
Robert Reid, who met Niedringhaus in Kosovo in 1998 and worked with her in Iraq
and Afghanistan. He said she was determined to cover the U.S.-led military
presence in Afghanistan to the very end, even as the world's interest waned.
She
captured victory too -- on Olympic podiums, at World Cups, at Wimbledon and
beyond. And world diplomacy, solar airplanes and cow-fighting contests.
And
she found fun in it all.
AP
photographer Jerome Delay, who met her in Sarajevo in the 1990s, remembered
playing ping pong with Niedringhaus on a dining table at the Palestine Hotel in
Baghdad. Back home on another continent that might have been another planet, he
wrote, "we raced our motorbikes around Lake Geneva between G-7 photo ops
and riots."
This
summer, after covering tennis at Wimbledon, she planned to swim the width of
Lake Geneva.
Anywhere,
everywhere, she laughed -- a wide-mouthed, head-thrown-back laugh that could
wake an army and infected everyone nearby.
At an
exhibit of her work in Berlin in 2011, she said: "Sometimes I feel bad
because I can always leave the conflict, go back home to my family where
there's no war."
That
family includes her mother, two sisters and an aunt. Several years ago the
family bought an old house in the central German town of Kaufungen, where she
liked to spend time with her niece and nephews.
Her
teenage niece and goddaughter won first place in a riding competition Friday
and dedicated the victory to her.
Niedringhaus
is the 32nd AP staffer to die in pursuit of the news since AP was founded in
1846.
"This
is a profession of the brave and the passionate, those committed to the mission
of bringing to the world information that is fair, accurate and important,"
said Gary Pruitt, the AP's president and CEO. "Anja Niedringhaus met that
definition in every way. We will miss her terribly."
.
-------------
Canadian
reporter wounded, AP photographer killed by security detail in Afghanistan
A
Canadian-born journalist working for the Associated Press in Afghanistan was
shot and wounded Friday when a police officer opened fire on her vehicle. A
German photographer travelling with her was killed in the attack.
Kathy
Gannon, 60, who grew up in Timmins, Ont., was travelling in the Tani district
along with her friend and colleague Anja Niedringhaus, an Associated Press
photographer from Germany.
They
were with a convoy of Afghan election workers delivering ballots ahead of
Saturday’s presidential elections and were under the protection of the Afghan
National Army and Afghan police.
Related
Stories
A look
at the work of slain AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus
Anja
Niedringhaus acclaimed AP photographer of life and death
Taliban
attack targets Afghan election commission HQ
Photos
Canadian
reporter killed in Afghanistan
Canadian
reporter and AP Special Regional Correspondent Kathy Gannon sits with girls at
a school in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Oct 1, 2011. (AP / Anja Niedringhaus)
Anja
Niedringhaus
Associated
Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus poses for a photograph in Jerusalem in
2003. Niedringhaus was killed when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they
were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan, Friday, April 4, 2014. (AP
Photo)
According
to Muhammad Lila, a Canadian reporter with ABC News, one of the Afghan police
commanders who had been accompanying them on security detail turned his weapon
on them.
“They
were shot point blank, by a policeman who had been with them for most of the
day,” Lila told CTV’s Canada AM from Kabul.
“Up
until the point where they were shot, there was no indication this policeman
had any intention of violence. Suddenly, he walks up to the car as they’re
sitting in the back seat, opens fire, shouts “God is Great” in Arabic
("Allahu Akbar"), and then raises his hands and turns himself in.
Afghan
police say the attacker wanted to avenge family members who died in a NATO
bombing.
Niedringhaus,
48, was killed instantly, according to an AP Television freelancer who
witnessed the shooting.
Images
from the eye of slain photographer Anja Niedringhaus
Gannon
was hit twice in each arm. She underwent surgery to remove the bullets and is
currently in stable condition, says her husband, Naeem Pasha.
“She
is in shock, I am told, more by Anja’s passing away than for herself,” Pasha
told Canada AM from Islamabad.
It’s
expected Gannon will be airlifted shortly to Frankfurt, Germany.
Gannon
has covered conflict in Afghanistan for three decades, an unusually long
posting for a foreign correspondent. She has been based in Pakistan, where she
lives with her husband.
Gannon
began her reporting on Afghanistan in 1986 as the Soviet Union was being
defeated by the Afghan mujahedeen. She then witnessed the subsequent feuding
between warlords, the rise of the Taliban, and the subsequent arrival of Arabs,
including Osama bin Laden.
Lila
says Gannon is an inspiration as a journalist.
“She
is a friend, she is a mentor, she is an inspiration. And I do have to say, she
is one of the gutsiest and bravest journalists who cover this region,"
Lila said.
"She’s
been here for decades. She was covering the Taliban before anyone even knew who
the Taliban were.”
Pasha
said Gannon and Niedringhaus had been friends and colleagues for several years
and had done several imbeds together, including with the Pakistani army.
“Anja,
in the last five, six years, became part of the family. She always came and
stayed with us,” he said.
AP
Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said the news agency was heartbroken over
Niedringhaus's death.
"Anja
was a vibrant, dynamic journalist well-loved for her insightful photographs,
her warm heart and joy for life. We are heartbroken at her loss," she
said.
In
2002, Gannon was the recipient of the International Women's Media Foundation
Courage in Journalism award and in 2003-04, received the Edward R. Murrow
fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2006, she published a memoir
entitled "I is for Infidel: From Holy War to Holy Terror in
Afghanistan."
In an
interview from 2011 with Intercultures Magazine and posted on the Department of
Foreign Affairs website, Gannon said she knew very early on in her career that
she wanted to travel abroad.
She
told the publication that after years of reporting on Afghanistan, she felt
very little had changed in the lives of most people in the country over the
last 20 years.
“Today,
things are very much the way they were in '94 or '95 before the Taliban came,
which means that it's hugely insecure and people are limited in their
development,” she said.
“After
the fall of the Taliban, Afghans truly believed there was going to be a change
but if you look at the rural South, it's pretty much the same old thing and now
everyone is paying the price for it.”
The
Taliban has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks on Westerners,
including two other journalists killed in separate incidents.
Former
Afghanistan correspondent Graeme Smith told CTV News that it’s unclear whether
journalists are now being targeted.
“The
Taliban say they are not targeting journalists specifically, but that’s cold
comfort when journalists die,” Smith said.
With a
report from CTV News’ Laurie Graham and with files from The Associated Press
-----------
Afghans
start voting in historic election
Over
350,000 troops deployed to protect election from Taliban threats as country
picks a successor to Hamid Karzai.
John
Wendle Last updated: 05 Apr 2014 02:37
Kabul,
Afghanistan -
Millions of Afghans have started voting to choose a new leader in an election
that could lead to the first democratic transfer of power in the nation's 5,000
year history.
After
months of manoeuvring, jockeying, tribal meetings and campaigning, Ashraf Ghani
Ahmadzai, Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmai Rassoul have emerged as the frontrunners
from a field that includes everyone from former mujahedeen commanders to
Western-educated technocrats.
All
three men command a similar number of supporters and the race is seen as wide
open with voters, analysts and longtime observers uncertain of the outcome – a
rarity in a country where much in politics has traditionally been decided by
backroom deals or through convoluted patronage networks.
Afghanistan
has never had an election so well prepared so well in advance.
Nicholas
Haysom, deputy head of the UN mission in Afghanistan
|
Adding
to the uncertainty is a vow from the Taliban, intent on toppling the
government, to disrupt Saturday's poll.
The
group has followed through on that threat, carrying out several attacks in the
capital Kabul and across the country that have left many dead and created an
atmosphere of insecurity - even with 352,000 troops on duty to provide security
for about 12 million voters and 28,500 polling stations
On
the eve of the vote, two Associated Press news agency journalists were shot as
they reported on the preparations. Anja Niedringhaus, a 48-year-old German
photographer, was killed and journalist Kathy Gannon was injured.
In a
move that underlined the complexities of the race, a last minute drama unfolded
on Friday when a rumour swept Kabul that Hamid Karzai, the incumbent, had
switched his support from Rassoul – who as former foreign minister is seen as
Karzai’s chosen successor – to Ghani.
"That
is absolute nonsense. This is very dirty politics, and very false
rumours," a top official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Al
Jazeera.
"They
are trying to capture power in this way, but it is absolutely unacceptable to
the Afghan nation," he said, adding that he was certain of Rassoul's
victory.
But
he added: "I am not prophesising anything in advance. That is the decision
of the Afghan nation."
Run-off
likely
Though
the rumour may have been a failed attempt to influence the poll, it was
indicative of a fear expressed by some Western diplomats that eleventh hour
power politics could influence the poll.
Afghanistan
is ready for elections
|
Massive
fraud during the 2009 campaign undercut Karzai’s legitimacy and allegations are
already being made that deals have been cut to stuff ballot boxes. Some
observers, though, expect this election to be fairer and better-run.
"Afghanistan
has never had an election so well prepared so well in advance," Nicholas
Haysom, deputy head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera.
"Really
everything has been delivered according to timeline both in regard to broad
legislative and other provisions but also the delivery of ballot papers,
sensitive and non-sensitive materials to the seven thousand-odd voting
centres."
With
analysts predicting that a vote of over 50 percent, required for an outright
win, is unlikely to be achieved by any of the leading candidates, a May 28th
second round between the two who poll the highest is a real prospect.
The
US and other nations are watching closely and hoping the $126 mln
foreign-funded poll goes smoothly. A free and fair election would give them a
small success to point to after 13 years of bloodshed since US-led forces
toppled the Taliban, and make the scheduled pull-out of most foreign troops
this year easier.
Follow
John Wendle on Twitter @JohnWendle
comment:
Hope
this Election help afghans to Choose a Good Leader..Best of Luck
----------
---------------------------
Voters urged to cast votes without fears
imageeee
AT
News Report
KABUL:
Third Trend (TT), a civil rights organization, urged voters to cast their votes
on April 5 without fearing for their lives as Saturday’s presidential election
was important for future of the country.
Chief
of TT, Ahmad Reshad Mangori, said that strict security measures have already
been taken by the Afghan security forces and there would be no major threat.
“Therefore, the citizens shall come out of their homes on the polling day and
rush to the voting centers to neutralize the plots of the enemies who want to
sabotage the election,” he added.
Sayed
Ihsanuddin Taheri, deputy of TT, suggested that number of international
observers should be increased as currently 200 foreign observers are in the
country which is not sufficient for monitoring of elections. He said the number
of foreign observers was not enough to ensure transparent polls, because
polling would take place in 364 districts.
He
also called on national and international observers to remain neutral while
monitoring the election process.
It is
worth to mention that the Independent Electoral Commission of Afghanistan has
said that there are 300 international poll monitors, and 748 polling centers
would be closed due to insecurity and logistic problems.
----------------
ON THE
CHAT LINES - AFGHANSITAN- COALITION OF TOP 3 CANDIDATES POSSIBLE
APRIL
4, 2014
Afghan
specialists globally say they think the 3 top leaders running in Afghanistan
would be excellent if they could form some form of Coalition and make Afghanistan strong.... so many news
sources are covering Afghanistan, and over 200,000 security in place.... this
is just amazing... and millions of youth, women and elders are so determined...
it's amazing.
---------------
u
know.... this doesn't sound any different than canada, usa, europe etc...does
it... look at the political bullshit and beans and underhand going on in our
countries... an American pilot came in2 Canada with an armed weapon 4 f**k's
sake- CANADA!!!
So amazed
at afghanistan stepping up by God.... this is a miracle working... and the
incredible Afghan youth... by God's grace... Afghan youth... getting education,
savvy and free....
News
- Afghanistan
Five
Including IEC Employee Arrested for Selling Votes: MoIA
Friday,
04 April 2014 19:09 Last Updated on Friday, 04 April 2014 19:55 Written by
Geeti Mohseni
alt
The
Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoIA) on Friday reported that at least five
people, including an employee of the Independent Election Commission (IEC),
were arrested in Kabul for reportedly attempting to sell nearly 4,000 voting
cards.
The
presidential and provincial council elections tomorrow will be Afghanistan's
first democratic process entirely managed by Afghan authorities since the U.S.-led
invasion helped install the current government over a decade ago.
"One
of the five men arrested was serving as a DFC of the Election Commission and
the head of a polling site in Kabul city, he abused his position and was
selling voting cards," MoIA spokesman Sediq Sediqi said on Friday.
Although the IEC employee went unnamed, his title as a District Field
Coordinator would place him in the middle-to-upper range of Commission
personnel.
Responding
to news of the arrests, the Independent Election Commission (IEC), which has
assured this Saturday's elections will be more transparent and credible than
those of past years, reminded its employees publicly that anyone found guilty
of electoral improprieties would face legal repercussions.
"...his
name would be put on a blacklist and he would lose the chance to work in any of
the institutions in the future, the nation must have confidence," IEC
Secretariat chief Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhail said.
But
the problem of voter cards sales has generally been a much bigger concern when
it comes to average Afghans, rather than IEC employees. Police in Kunar
province on Thursday said they had arrested a ten year boy carrying at least
12,000 fake voter cards.
Aside
from security concerns, much of the anxiety heading into Saturday's vote has
surrounded suspicions of government interference and electoral fraud, in large
part because of the experience of the 2009 presidential election, which was
marred by irregularities. Nevertheless, enthusiasm for the upcoming vote is
high, with a surge in voter registration over the past two weeks.
The
presidential vote on Saturday will mark the first democratic transition of
executive power in Afghanistan history, and determine who will succeed
President Hamid Karzai as foreign troops prepare to withdraw by the end of the
year.
-----------
UN
lauds Afghan officials for better poll preparations
AT
News Report
KABUL:
The United Nations’ Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) appreciated Afghan
officials for better technical, security and political preparations for
upcoming presidential and provincial council elections that will be held on
Saturday.
The UN
Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of UNAMA in Afghanistan,
Jan Kubiš, on Wednesday in a press conference said that Afghan election bodies,
political parties and government departments have well arrangements for
upcoming elections. “Better technical, political and security measures have
been taken by electoral bodies and security organs, while political parties and
candidates have also played better role comparing to the past,” Kubis said,
adding, “This time the elections are Afghan-owned, Afghan-led and
Afghan-managed. Thus, such better polls can determine the country’s future.”
He
also appreciated wider participation of the citizens in election campaigns and
said that hundreds of thousand people were taking part in runners’ campaigns,
even in remote parts of the country, which is a clear sign of full support of
public for elections.
“Well
technical and political preparations ensure that there will be less chance of
fraud to take place in elections,” he noted.
Kubis
while responding to a query said that there will be no interference from
foreign countries in presidential elections, but positive support from the
international community and the United Nations will continue.
He
also informed that the UNAMA mandate has been extended for one more year where
the mission will provide more support for the country in different fields.
Kubis
once again called on Afghan citizens to come out and take active part in
provincial and presidential elections and elect the next president with strong
omen and better decision.
He
said that credential cards have been issued to more than 200,000 domestic and
foreign observers to observe the April 5 polls in capital and other provinces
of the country.
----------
Karzai
expresses grief over Khost incident
imageeee
KABUL:
President Hamid Karzai on Friday expressed grief over the killing and injuring
of Associated Press journalists in southeastern Khost province.
A
gunman in a police uniform on Friday shot one female western journalist and
wounded another in southeastern Khost province, officials said.
A
brief statement from the governor’s office identified the slain journalist as
German photographer Anja Niedringhaus and the injured as senior American
reporter Kathy Gannon.
A
statement from the Presidential Palace while quoting Karzai said that the
president directed the Ministry of Interior and Khost governor to forthwith
transfer the injured journalist and provide her with all medical facilities.
The
president condoled with the bereaved family of the slain reporter and prayed for
swift recovery of the wounded journalist. (PAN)
----------------
Germany
confirms death of photographer in Afghanistan
---------------
China
seeks strategic advantage in Afghanistan
New
Great Game?
According
to a recent report by The Guardian newspaper, US officials believe that
Beijing and Washington are basically on the same page when it comes to
combating Islamist militancy in Afghanistan, opening the possibility of greater
cooperation between the world's two most powerful nations.
China
has already set up a fledgling security partnership with Kabul, training at
least 300 Afghan police officers since 2012. In February, Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi travelled to Kabul, where he highlighted the central
importance of Afghanistan to Beijing’s broader interests in the region.
Despite
its interest in fighting militancy in Afghanistan, Beijing remains wary of a
long-term American and NATO military presence in the region.
"China
is aware that there are certain lobbies, there are certain constituencies,
there's a certain school of thought in capitals like Washington, D.C. or
Brussels which talk of a China threat, which talk of containment of China,
which talk of encirclement of China," Hussain said.
"China
doesn't want that Afghanistan should become the center of a revived new great
game that could in turn suck China into a debilitating tug of war strategically
with the US or its proxies."
----------
.
On
prez poll eve, task force says India wants peaceful, stable Afghanistan
By ANI
| ANI – 46 minutes ago.
Lambah
said, "Our vision of Afghanistan is of a stable and peaceful hub linking
Centraland South Asia through a network of trade, transit and pipelines for the
ultimate benefit of the countries and the people in the region. India is
working with Afghanistan for its integration with the regional economy since
2002."
"I
hope, therefore, that the promised development of Chahbahar Port through
cooperation between India and Iran is also realized soon," Lambah added.
-------------
Two
Commanders of Armed Oppositions Killed
Written by
Friday
April 4, 2014 Kabul (BNA) Two commanders of armed rebels were killed by
security forces in Kunduz province the other day. National army and National
police forces targeted armed rebels’ hideout, as a result of which Qari Ahmad
Shah Mujahid and Qari Zabihullah two commanders of them were killed, another
wounded and three others arrested in Khan Abad district of the province. Sayeed
Sarwar Hussaini spokesman of Kunduz police chief in a telephonic converstaion
confirmed the incident said, two commanders of armed rebels along with a man
were killed and three other insurgents arrested in the incident. According to
Hussaini the incident occurred while security forces launched an operation to
eliminate armed opposition from Khan Abad district, Kunduz province. It has
been said dozen villages cleaned from the existence of armed oppositions in the
district
------------
20
Taliban killed, 8 others detained in operations
imageeee
AT
News Report
KABUL:
As many as 2O Taliban militants have been killed, 12 wounded and eight others
arrested following coordinated military operations carried out by the Afghan
security forces in different parts of the country.
The
operations were carried out by the Afghan National Police (ANP) in
collaboration with the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the National Directorate
of Security (NDS) operatives.
The
Interior ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that 20 Taliban were killed
and 12 others were injured during the operations.
The
source added that the operations were conducted in Kabul, Laghman, Zabul,
Uruzgan, Maidan Wardak and Logar provinces.
The
source also said that eight Taliban were detained during the military
operations and the Afghan forces confiscated various types of weapons and
explosives during the operations.
The
ANP forces recovered and seized three improvised explosive device (IEDs) during
the operations in Chaparhar district of eastern Nangarhar province.
--------------
(pssst love u Dr. Abdullah... but... it's Canada... and we always play fair...American Wall Street complain about Canada's innate decency :-)
ASIA-
The
top contenders for the Afghan presidency
PUBLISHED
: Friday, 04 April, 2014, 10:27pm
For
the first time in Afghanistan's history, the outcome of today's presidential
election is a mystery.
President
Hamid Karzai cannot serve a third four-year term, and there has been no front
runner among the people vying to replace him.
For
weeks, the major candidates - Abdullah Abdullah, Ashraf Ghani and Zalmai Rasoul
- have criss-crossed the country, describing their policies at huge outdoor
rallies. Cheering, flag-waving crowds have sometimes waited hours in the sun
without food or water.
Ashraf
Ghani Ahmadzai, Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmai Rassoul. Photo: AFPAbdullah, 53,
is an ophthalmologist and former fighter in the war against the Soviets. He ran
for president in 2009 and blamed his defeat on ballot fraud. He was the foreign
minister for the military front, the Afghan Northern Alliance. After the murder
of its leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, two days before the September 11th 2001
attacks against the United States, Abdullah helped broker the group's
co-operation with US-led forces to topple the Taliban.
Ghani,
65, won about four per cent of the vote in 2009 after serving as finance
minister from 2002 to 2004. A former official at the World Bank and the United
Nations, he surprised many when he chose as his running mate Abdul Rashid Dostum,
an Uzbek who commands a personal militia in his northern power base. He could
deliver a significant ethnic vote bloc.
Rasoul,
71, a Karzai confidant, served as the outgoing president's foreign minister
from 2010 to 2013. He demonstrated his commitment to women's rights by choosing
as one of his two vice-presidential running mates the only woman in the race:
Habiba Sarobi, an ethnic Hazara and the former governor of Bamiyan province.
Many
Afghans, weary of the violence and corruption that stalks their lives and sick
of being marginalised by an unaccountable political elite, believe that this
time every vote counts. Many have waited until the last minute to make up their
minds.
Lynne
O'Donnell
-----------
shame
on Pakistan...
Army
aviation wing ready for polls: MoD
imageeee
AT News
Report
KABUL:
Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Wednesday said that army aerial force along with
other security organizations was ready to ensure security of polling sites
during elections.
Commander
of the Afghan Air Force, Major General Mohammad Dawran, said the air force
units have been deployed recently to different part of the country to ensure a
better security during polling process and throughout the country.
Speaking
at a press conference here he said that air force also shifted electoral
material to 39 districts out of 45 districts, listed by the Independent
Election Commission (IEC). ?“Transfer of material to remaining six districts
was delayed due to unfair weather condition. We still got time to shift the
material. We will do it as soon as possible,” he added.
Spokesman
of Defense Ministry, General Zahir Azimi, reiterated that the ministry has made
all necessary security arrangements.
He
said army was fully prepared to ensure security of polling sites.
Regarding
transfer of election material, Azimi said that if weather was not good then the
ministry would use ground transportation to shift the materials on time.
He
also expressed grievances over lack of cooperation on part of the Pakistani
authorities with the Afghan government.
The
spokesman said that Afghanistan was as threshold of political transition and
expecting honest support from Pakistan
----------------
Three
big names go down to the wire in Afghan elections
Friday,
April 04, 2014
Political
manoeuvring and speculation have been fevered but with ethnic loyalties likely
to play a decisive role.
Afghanistan
goes to the polls on Saturday with three contenders dominating the eight-man
race to succeed President Hamid Karzai and lead the country without the aid of Nato
combat troops to fight the Taleban.
Political
manoeuvring and speculation have been fevered but with ethnic loyalties likely
to play a decisive role, few experts are willing to predict the eventual
winner.
Urbane
former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah was a member of Burhanuddin Rabbani’s
government before the Taleban era, and he made a name for himself abroad for
his fluent English and courtly manner.
A
qualified eye surgeon, he was born to a Pashtun father and a Tajik mother. His
support base is the Tajik ethnic areas of the north and northeast.
After
the fall of the Taleban in 2001, he was appointed foreign minister during the
transitional government and served under Karzai until he was sacked in 2006.
He
came second in the 2009 election with around 30 percent of the vote, triggering
a run-off against Karzai but withdrew amid allegations that Karzai supporters
were involved in massive vote fraud.
On the
campaign trail, he has often warned election officials to be on guard against a
repeat of the corruption seen in 2009. Abdullah, 53, is married with three
daughters and a son.
A
razor-sharp academic and renowned intellectual, 64-year-old Ghani taught at
several universities in the United States during the Soviet occupation of
Afghanistan in the 1980s.
He
worked with the World Bank for 11 years from 1991 and served in Kabul as
special adviser to UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi after the fall of the Taleban.
He was
appointed finance minister in Karzai’s transitional government of 2002-2004 and
later led the national security transition commission.
Ghani,
who is known for his quick temper, came fourth in the 2009 election with less
than three percent of the vote, but has performed strongly during the campaign.
He has
given passionate speeches vowing to concentrate on improving local
infrastructure such as roads, railways, dams and electricity supplies.
He is
a Pashtun, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, and has energised support
in the south and east. Last year he came second in a “world thinkers” poll by
Prospect magazine. He shocked many Afghans by choosing as a running mate
General Abdul Rashid Dostum, a warlord accused of multiple human rights abuses
who should deliver the Uzbek minority vote.
The
softly-spoken former foreign minister became a major contender when he emerged
as the unofficial preference of President Karzai.
Karzai
has vowed to not publicly back any one runner, but his choice appeared clear
when Karzai’s brother Qayum dropped out of the race and endorsed Rassoul.
Rassoul
is one of the president’s closest loyalists, and diplomats in Kabul have
described his shot at the top job as “propelled by the palace”. Aged 70, he was
born in Kabul and is a doctor by profession, training at a medical school in
Paris.
He
served as chief of staff and personal doctor to former king Zahir Shah. In
2002, Rassoul was minister of civil aviation and later national security
adviser to Karzai.
Rassoul
is a bachelor and fluent in Dari, English, French, Italian and Arabic. He is
ethnically Pashtun but has been criticised for his poor Pashto-language skills.
Rassoul is the only leading candidate to choose a woman as one of his two
running mates.
--------------
Search
for missing Malaysian jet is emotional: Cape Breton-born pilot
Sharon
Montgomery-DupePublished on March 27, 2014
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi-left and Afghan Foreign Minister Zarar Ahamad Osmani-right
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised the government of Afghanistan for technical and security preparations
KABUL DREAMS- CAN U FLY
----------------------------------------------------------
APRIL 3- 7pm just in
We trust in God
Afghans say Pakistani Taliban border attacks rise
By RAHIM FAIEZ April 3, 2014 Updated 5 hours ago
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks on border posts between the two countries despite starting peace talks with Islamabad earlier this month, a senior Afghan official said Thursday.
Interior Minister Mohammad Umar Daudzai made the comment while responding to a question about security concerns in the eastern half of the country that borders Pakistan amid fears of violence during national elections this weekend. The Taliban have threatened to use "all force necessary" to disrupt the vote.
Electoral officials, meanwhile, expressed confidence that Saturday's vote would go smoothly as workers packed sealed ballot boxes onto trucks and donkeys for delivery to nearly 5,500 polling centers nationwide.
Daudzai told reporters that most of the border checkpoints in several eastern provinces came under attack the night before but security forces were ready and the militants "were repulsed, although some may have sneaked in, which we are dealing with."
The Pakistani government under new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has held direct peace talks with the Taliban. But Daudzai said the Taliban on both sides of the border are trying to keep democracy and stability from flourishing in Afghanistan.
Afghan officials have blamed Pakistan for a series of recent high-profile attacks in Kabul, but the Pakistani government has denied any involvement. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said earlier that it would beef up security along the border during Saturday's elections in Afghanistan.
Daudzai and other security officials acknowledged that eastern Afghanistan remained one of the most difficult areas to control but insisted government security forces were ready to protect voters nationwide. He also promised troops would remain neutral amid fears that tribal and other loyalties could create a conflict of interest.
Nearly 200,000 Afghan forces are being deployed to protect voters and polling stations. It will be a key test of their readiness to provide security as international combat troops prepare to withdraw by the end of this year.
"We will prove ... through this election to the international community that their generous investment in blood and treasure in the past 13 years has not been wasted," Daudzai said.
Addressing concerns about fraud, President Hamid Karzai, who is constitutionally barred from a third term, called on Afghans to vote and said he had instructed government employees not to use government resources for or against any candidates.
"I believe that after the campaign period all the candidates will respect the nation's decision and they will accept the legitimate outcome of the election," he said in a televised address.
Much of the violence in recent weeks has centered on Kabul, but attacks also continued elsewhere in the country.
A roadside bomb struck a taxi in the Maywand district of the southern Kandahar province Thursday, killing the driver and a passenger, provincial government spokesman Bawa Khan Minabal said.
-------------------------
APRIL 3 2014- GLOBAL UPDATES - REMEMBER THIS IS ABOUT AFGHANISTAN AND THEIR CULTURE AND THEIR VERY FIRST REAL FREE ELECTIONS- U HONOUR OUR TROOPS... 4 girls and women and children- One Billion Rising.... u believed in global women... thank u.... u believed in our troops and yourselves... thank u... we love u
HEY GLOBAL YOUTH- Afghanistan's election- Youth in action- freedom roars with the beautiful youth, women and elders... changing the world....
News
- Afghanistan
Afghan Pro-Democracy Group Pushes
Participation
Thursday,
03 April 2014 18:53 Last Updated on Thursday, 03 April 2014 20:13 Written by
Aazem Arash
At a
rally held in Kabul on Thursday, members of an Afghan pro-democracy group
dedicated to promoting the 2014 presidential elections called on their fellow
countrymen to take part in the voting process to shape their future and defy
the militants trying to destabilize the country.
The
group, named "Third Civil-Political Process", embodied the Afghan
public's determination attitude that has been widely discussed in domestic and
international news media in the lead up to Saturday's vote. Despite a spike in militant
violence targeting election officials and civilians, Afghans have flooded voter
registration centers over the pasfft two weeks at unprecedented rates.
"We
want people go to the polling stations on Saturday and vote without any
fear," the group's Chairman Irshad Mangori said on Thursday.
The
Independent Election Commission (IEC) has registered 3.8 million new voters
this year, and some experts have projected a total voter turnout of roughly 13
million. In 2009, after an official vote audit, the IEC estimated the total
number of valid votes to have been less than five million.
Ahead
of Saturday, many have expressed concerns about the potential for election
rigging and fraud like that which marred the 2009 vote. However, election
officials have assured that new counter measures are in place that will protect
the integrity of the elections.
Participants
of Thursday's rally, like Ehsan Tahiri, were adamant about election observers
keeping a close eye on the voting process this year. Election officials have
said there will be more monitors in place than in any other election.
Saturday's
vote will mark Afghanistan's first democratic transition of presidential power
in history. It comes at a critical time as the NATO coalition prepares to
withdraw its forces by December, leaving Afghan forces on their own to continue
the fight against the Taliban insurgency.
------------
April 3 2014
NO
TALIBAN GONNA KEEP US DOWN- Islamic Republic of Afghanistan- rising up...no
taliban gonna ruin their world no more... millions of women and children by
their side- youth and elders lining up 2 vote- we rather die than live on our
knees anymore under the vicious cruelty of heretic Muslims.... God bless the
innocent Muslims who just want dignity, freedom, basic rights, education and
productive lives in their beautiful religion of peace and culture..... Afghans
believe in their everyday people and respect our beautiful nations troops on
the ground and the incredible Afghan Army, Policing and Military who die
everyday wearing their Afghanistan Flag- now that's honour ... and our
beautiful sons and daughters of our nations who served so long and hard have much
2 be proud of on April 5, 2014- God bless u all
PROMISE-
WE WILL BLAME PAKISTAN CHAOS ERUPTS.... in our beloved Afghanistan ..... Shame
on u and USA covering ur arse 4 so long with $$trillions. It's Afghanistan's
time... we love u Afghanistan.... God bless our beloved nations troops and our
Afghan troops and cops... and everyday Afghans... feel it... it's freedom...
Afghan women are NOT gonna let u kill freedom.... no way... IDLE NO MORE
AFGHANISTAN... IDLE NO MORE
Pakistan
to tighten border for Afghan elections
At:
2014-04-03 10:53 PM
AGENCE
FRANCE PRESSE
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan will increase security along its border with Afghanistan, the foreign
ministry announced today, as its neighbour heads into presidential elections
this weekend that Taliban militants have vowed to disrupt.
Deadly
violence has surged in Afghanistan in the run-up to the election, the first
round of which begins Saturday. Afghan officials have hinted at Pakistani
involvement in recent attacks, a suggestion Islamabad denies. “Pakistan will
beef up security along the border during elections,” Tasnim Aslam, spokeswoman
of Pakistan’s foreign ministry, told reporters today. “Beefing up security
means there will be more vigilance. At this stage I can’t say what measures
would be taken, but we would like to make sure that there are no unauthorised
crossings.”
The
vote will be Afghanistan’s first-ever democratic transfer of power, as Hamid
Karzai steps down.
It
comes after a US-led military campaign which has radically changed the country,
but failed to defeat the Taliban.
Militant
attacks and electoral fraud are threats to the vote. A repeat of the violence
and massive cheating that marred Karzai’s re-election in 2009 would undermine
claims that a decade of coalition fighting and billions of dollars of aid have
helped establish a functioning state.
Karzai
has had complex relations with Islamabad, often accusing it of failing to play
a role in bringing peace in Afghanistan
-------------
We love u.... Global women love u Afghanistan.... thank u 4 believing in Global Girl Power....
Afghan
women make their voices heard
By
Deborah Lyons, Ottawa Citizen
Colonel
Robert Spencer, the Canadian Defence Attach of Afghanistan, hands over the
folded Canadian flag to Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Ambassador to the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan, as a symbol of the continued Canadian support to
Afghanistan during the flag lowering ceremony on March 12, 2014 at
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters.
Photograph
by: MCpl Patrick Blanchard , MCpl Patrick Blanchard
The
Afghan elections on April 5 will mark the first democratic transfer of power in
Afghanistan’s history. The 2014 elections will also be a milestone for Afghan
women: nearly seven million Afghan women are registered to vote, there are
three female vice-presidential candidates and a greater percentage of
provincial council candidates than ever before are women. I have been fortunate
to meet and spend time with many of these brave women.
Canada’s
efforts have helped Afghan women make real, irreversible progress over the last
decade. Of the nearly eight million Afghan children in school, 40 per cent are
girls. Afghan women have greater access to health care and a woman giving birth
today has a 70 per cent better chance of survival than she would have had in
2002.
However,
great challenges remain. According to the 2012 Human Rights Watch World Report,
close to 90 per cent of Afghan women will be victims of some form of violence
in their lifetime. Afghan women have one of the lowest literacy rates in the
world. And violence against women voters remains a constant threat going into
the election on this coming Saturday. It is clear that women in Afghanistan
still struggle for their basic rights.
I have
travelled to provinces in the north, south, east and west of the country to
speak directly with Afghan women about their challenges. I’ve shared cups of
chai with women from all walks of life: teachers, activists, students, doctors,
mid-wives, entrepreneurs and housewives. I’ve met with vice-presidential
candidates, members of parliament, and with provincial council candidates from
33 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. While their experiences are very different,
they all have a common message: more than 50 per cent of society’s voices
cannot be diminished or discarded.
Resoundingly,
Afghan women tell me that they want to vote, but that in many parts of the
country they fear for their personal safety. Despite extensive planning and
preparation related to election security, the situation in Afghanistan as we
head into April remains volatile. In a country where attacks on candidates are
common and the Taliban have issued a warning to Afghans not to participate in
the elections, each woman who steps forward — as a candidate or a voter — is
putting her safety at risk. Yet millions of women will take this risk.
Canada,
through its significant engagement, stands for the advancement of Afghan women.
We must ensure that the hard fought gains that have been won are not rolled
back, nor forsaken for political expediency. The future success of Afghanistan
will require that the voices of Afghan women be heard, because the future
stability and development of Afghanistan will be a direct result of the role
they play. They are of immense consequence.
As I
think of Afghan women heading to the polls, I am proud that Canada has made
women’s rights and empowerment our top priority. On April 5 and beyond, Canada
will continue to walk in lock step with the women of Afghanistan, towards the
freedom they yearn so deeply for and so greatly deserve.
Deborah
Lyons is Canada’s ambassador to Afghanistan.
--------------------
OKAY
...LOVE THIS GOOD, GOOD AND DECENT MAN...
UN
chief praises technical, security preparations for Afghan elections
By
Ghanizada - Thu Apr 03 2014, 8:38 pm
The UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised the government of Afghanistan for
technical and security preparations and urged all Afghan men and women to fully
participate in the vote on April 5.
United
Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said, the Secretary-General
is encouraged by the technical and security preparations and broad public
engagement for Afghanistan’s upcoming Presidential and Provincial Council
elections. These are extremely important elections for the country.
UNAMA
following a statement said, the UN Secretary General urges all Afghan men and
women to participate in the vote on 5 April and to take this opportunity to
have their say on the future direction of their country.
The
statement further added that Secretary-General denounces violence by any group.
He specifically condemns statements by the Taliban threatening further attacks
on civilian election workers, candidates, observers, voters and election sites.
Ban
Ki-moon reiterated that deliberate attacks against civilians are serious
violations of international humanitarian law and that those responsible will be
held accountable.
“The
Secretary-General welcomes Afghan ownership of the electoral process and calls
upon Afghan institutions to discharge their responsibility to deliver credible,
inclusive and transparent elections,” UNAMA said.
Ban
Ki-moon also urged the candidates and their supporters to show patience and
respect for electoral institutions and processes, while the ballots are counted
and complaints adjudicated, and to abide by the results of the polls.
----------------
News
- Afghanistan
NAI
and TEFA Call on Media to Closely Monitor Elections
Thursday,
03 April 2014 18:36 Last Updated on Thursday, 03 April 2014 18:40 Written by
Geeti Mohsini
NAI,
an NGO supporting open media in Afghanistan, and Transparent Election
Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA) said on Thursday that the media must ensure to
monitor the elections and the counting process at the polling centers this
weekend.
As the
country heads closer to Saturday's presidential and provincial councils
elections, NAI has asked media outlets to closely monitor upcoming elections in
order to prevent frauds and riggings during the polling process.
"Journalists
and media must effectively cover the elections so that the election process is
transparent," TEFA Observer Department Chairman, Shams Rasekh, said.
"The media must monitor the counting procedure at the polling centers
too."
NAI
Executive Director, Sediquallah Tawhidi, emphasizes what Rasekh stressed about:
The media and the journalists must oversee the counting of votes at the polling
centers.
In the
meantime, media commission of the IEC of Afghanistan has urged the media to
respect the silent period.
The
silent period, referenced from the election law, states that 48 hours before
Election Day candidates are not allowed to campaign and the media is requested
to abide it by not producing stories on the presidential candidates.
"We
hope that the media also respects the silent period," Farida Nekzad,
chairperson of media department of the election commission of Afghanistan,
said. "For now we are completely satisfied of the media. We hope that our
relations continue in same way.
http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/14437-nai-and-tefa-call-on-media-to-closely-monitor-elections
--------------
F**KING
PAKISTAN
Prime
Minister House denies release of Taliban prisoners
April
03, 2014 - Updated 1650 PKT
From
Web Edition
ISLAMABAD:
No Taliban prisoner has been released on the orders of Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, said a spokesman for the PM House rejecting a report by Reuters news
agency about Mr Sharif ordering the release of 16 Taliban prisoners in a bid to
revive peace talks with militants.
He
said that the report regarding the release of prisoners was baseless since the
prime minister had not ordered the release of any Taliban prisoner.
The
spokesman, however, confirmed that the Political Agent in FATA had released
some prisoners involved in petty crimes.
-------------------
Afghanistan's
election: Who's next after Karzai?
Here
are four men who are leading candidates for president. Afghans will vote on
April 5.
By Dan
Murphy, Staff writer / April 3, 2014
Afghan
men, young and old, watched as presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai
held a rally in Kabul on April 1. Afghans vote April 5 in Afghanistan's first
democratic transition of power.
Scott
Peterson/Getty Images
Who
will lead Afghanistan after Karzai?
In an
environment in which national polling has been all but impossible, insurgent
attacks on polling places are likely to deter turnout, and money to buy votes
is at least as important as the political promises of the candidates, the
election is impossible to call.
Numerous
high-profile attacks just ahead of Saturday's vote – including on a heavily
fortified hotel and Afghanistan's election headquarters – underscore how hard
it is to get to "free" and "fair" in Afghan elections.
But it
does seem clear that one of four men will lead Afghanistan after Mr. Karzai.
Zalmai
Rassoul
Mr.
Rassoul served as Karzai's foreign minister for three years until stepping down
to run for president last October. He is Karzai's favored candidate. His ticket
includes a notable first for Afghanistan: his female vice-presidential running
mate, Habiba Sarobi.
Rassoul
doesn't have much of a power base of his own and how much Karzai's patronage
network will help him is an open question. While the president has amassed a
lot of power in 12 years, he is now a lame duck, and his ability to keep
promises and extract favors from other prominent Afghans is on the wane.
Ashraf
Ghani Ahmadzai
Mr.
Ghani is probably the American preference to lead Afghanistan.
He
lived in exile from the late-1970s until the fall of the Taliban, worked at the
World Bank for a decade, and was an adviser to the Bonn, Germany, conference
that brought Karzai to power with the blessings of NATO and the United States.
He served for a time in Karzai's government as finance minister, and mounted a
failed challenge for the presidency in 2009, garnering less than 5 percent of
the vote.
Like
Rassoul, he has a limited power base. But he does have a powerful ally in his
running mate, Rashid Dostum, the ethnic Uzbek warlord whose support for Karzai
in 2009 helped swing the election for him.
Abdullah
Abdullah
Another
former foreign minister, Mr. Abdullah has become a vocal critic of corruption
under Karzai.
He
dropped out of the runoff in the 2009 election complaining of vote-rigging. He
was close to Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Northern Alliance commander who was
assassinated in 2001, and has meaningful support among the nation's ethnic
Tajiks.
Will
that be enough to win (and hold) power?
That
is hard to say. Abdullah has been a staunch opponent of the Taliban, but has
also spoken at times of a willingness to conclude peace talks with the Taliban.
Abdul
Rassoul Sayyaf
An
ethnic Pashtun, Mr. Sayyaf is the sort of man the US probably doesn't want
leading Afghanistan. A fearsome military commander in the war against the
Soviet Union and in the Afghan civil war in the 1990s, he's an opponent of the
Taliban – but he also had warm relations with Osama bin Laden when Mr. bin
Laden moved to Afghanistan in the mid-1990s.
The
group Abu Sayyaf, a small militant Muslim group in the southern Philippines
that US forces helped fight in the early years of the last decade, named itself
in his honor.
He's
also a current member of parliament and a preacher, but his mujahideen roots
are still visible. When he announced his candidacy last October, he paraded
through Kabul with gun-toting loyalists
---------------
April
2014: six countries, one billion people, the world's most democratic month
In
terms of sheer numbers, April will be the most democratic month the world has
ever seen as national elections take place in half a dozen countries with total
electorates of more than one billion people – in India, Afghanistan, Hungary,
Indonesia, Algeria and Iraq
Afghanistan
Supporters
of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah
Supporters
of presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah wait outside a stadium to catch a
glimpse of him leaving his campaign rally in the northwestern city of Herat.
Photograph: Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images
Date:
5 April
No of
voters: 12 million
Frontrunners:
Ashraf Ghani, Abdullah Abdullah, Zalmai Rassoul
Free
and fair factor: 2
Biggest
anxiety: a Taliban campaign of violence could mar voting tomorrow on Saturday;
inconclusivity and rancour could destabilise the aftermath
What
it means for the world: a first peaceful democratic transfer of power would be
a major achievement, but it is only half the battle. The new president needs to
unite a perennially divided nation, raise living standards and prospects, stand
up to regional power brokers and fill the security void left by departing
western troops
============
Sceniaros
in Afghan high-stakes election
----------------
---------------------
Afghan
election could reset US-Kabul relations
By DEB
RIECHMANN
Associated
Press
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- While many Americans have given up hope that Afghanistan can ever
prosper in peace, tens of thousands of Afghans are flocking to campaign rallies
ahead of Saturday's presidential election
--------
France
condemns bombings in pre-election period in Afghanistan
--------------------
MOI
Assures Election in a Peaceful Environment
Thursday,
03 April 2014 18:59 Last Updated on Thursday, 03 April 2014 20:16 Written by
Aazem Arash
alt
Ministry
of Interior assures that the upcoming elections will be held in a peaceful
environment, with no chances of cheating. Muhammad Omer Dauodzai, Minister of
Interior emphasizes on preparations taken for security of elections, election
employees, local and foreign observers and voters.
Mr.
Dauodzai asks all the citizens of Afghanistan to widely participate in the
elections and send a strong message to the enemies by putting their votes in
the ballot boxes.
"Inshallah,
the upcoming elections will be without cheating, cheating is history" says
Dauodzai.
Mr.
Dauodzai adds that this time, election this time will send a message to the
International Community that the investment in Afghanistan was not useless.
"This
election will prove to the people of the world that investments of the past 13
years were not useless. This country is now able to maintain its security and
hold election and its people can go and select their presidential and
provincial council candidates" Dauodzai added.
Although,
terrorists are trying to insecure the election process, their efforts will be
useless, says the Acting of Head of National Directorate of Security,
Rahmatullah Nabeel.
"We
have done our best but enemies are also trying to disturb the process but we
have had many achievements such as wide participation of people for
registration and end of presidential campaigns in a peaceful environment"
said Nabeel.
Mr.
Dauodzai reported of his order to all security forces to maintain their
neutrality during elections and prevent any form of violation and cheating.
-----------------------
2 OUR NATO TROOPS- U HELPED CREATE THIS DAY.... APRIL 5 2014- U CREATED A FREEDOM... AND A FORM OF DEMOCRACY.... thank u 4 proving 2 our hard world of greed... that girls, women, elders deserve basic freedom , humanity and education...thank u 2001-2014
APRIL 2, 2014 Deutsche Welle
Afghanistan set for crucial elections
Despite escalating violence, Afghanistan is set to hold historical elections on April 5. Although some say the vote won't be completely fair, it will be more credible than the 2009 poll, according to analysts.
The preparations for the Afghan presidential elections are in full swing. The candidates have had two months' time to lure voters. Alongside the usual election posters, there were large campaign rallies and - for the first time - televised debates.
Eight candidates out of an initial eleven are still in the race. According to unofficial polls, there are three frontrunners: Zalmai Rassoul, one of President Hamid Karzai's closest allies; Ashraf Ghani, who became finance minister and Abdullah Abdullah, who challenged Karzai at the polls back in 2009 and finished second with 30 percent of the vote.
In the meantime, the Taliban have stepped up their attacks over the past few weeks, killing nine people in a luxury hotel on March 21 and firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at the country's electoral commission eight days later. Eighteen people were killed nationwide in bombings and suicide attacks on March 31 alone.
A constant threat
"The attacks are likely to continue over the next few days and probably after Election Day," Philipp Münch, analyst at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) told DW.
Experts say attacks by the Taliban are likely to continue over the next few days
"The assaults on the Serena Hotel and the Election Commission show that the Taliban are capable of attacking 'difficult' targets," he said. This means that the 350,000-strong Afghan security forces have to be in a constant state of alert.
Nevertheless, according to Adrienne Woltersdorf, director of the Kabul office of the German foundation Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the security concerns have not discouraged the general population. "Especially in Kabul, where many attacks have taken place, people seem somewhat gloomy, but they are also determined to go ahead with the poll," she told DW.
Out of the more than 7,170 polling centers nationwide, some 750 - located mostly in the south of the country - will remain closed for security reasons, according to the Election Commission.
A more transparent vote
The past presidential elections were overshadowed by allegations of massive voter fraud. Many Afghans fear the electoral process won't be fair this year either, as there are many ways of rigging votes.
Woltersdorf says Afghans are determined to go ahead with the vote despite the violence
These concerns are shared by Hamidullah Noor Ebad, director of the National Policy Research Institute at Kabul University. Nonetheless, he hopes that Afghans have learned from the experiences made in 2009 and that this will lead to a better monitoring of polling stations this time round.
Woltersdorf points out, however, that neither the Afghans nor the international community expect the votes of the country's 12 million eligible voters to be correctly counted. What's important, she argues, is that the electoral results are credible and therefore acceptable to Afghan society. A one hundred-percent result is not to be expected in light of the fact that democracy was only introduced a short time ago in Afghanistan.
Eight candidates out of an initial eleven are still in the race. According to unofficial polls, there are three frontrunners: Zalmai Rassoul, one of President Hamid Karzai's closest allies; Ashraf Ghani, who became finance minister and Abdullah Abdullah, who challenged Karzai at the polls back in 2009 and finished second with 30 percent of the vote.
In the meantime, the Taliban have stepped up their attacks over the past few weeks, killing nine people in a luxury hotel on March 21 and firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at the country's electoral commission eight days later. Eighteen people were killed nationwide in bombings and suicide attacks on March 31 alone.
A constant threat
"The attacks are likely to continue over the next few days and probably after Election Day," Philipp Münch, analyst at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) told DW.
Experts say attacks by the Taliban are likely to continue over the next few daysNevertheless, according to Adrienne Woltersdorf, director of the Kabul office of the German foundation Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the security concerns have not discouraged the general population. "Especially in Kabul, where many attacks have taken place, people seem somewhat gloomy, but they are also determined to go ahead with the poll," she told DW.
Out of the more than 7,170 polling centers nationwide, some 750 - located mostly in the south of the country - will remain closed for security reasons, according to the Election Commission.
A more transparent vote
The past presidential elections were overshadowed by allegations of massive voter fraud. Many Afghans fear the electoral process won't be fair this year either, as there are many ways of rigging votes.
Woltersdorf says Afghans are determined to go ahead with the vote despite the violenceWoltersdorf points out, however, that neither the Afghans nor the international community expect the votes of the country's 12 million eligible voters to be correctly counted. What's important, she argues, is that the electoral results are credible and therefore acceptable to Afghan society. A one hundred-percent result is not to be expected in light of the fact that democracy was only introduced a short time ago in Afghanistan.
--------------
APRIL 2, 2014
News - Afghanistan
Abdullah Promises Equality Under Law
Wednesday, 02 April 2014 16:55 Written by Ghafoor Saboory
alt
During the last day of election campaigning, presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah spoke at his last campaign before Saturday's election in Kohdaman, a district of Kabul, promising to implement equality under law if elected as president.
He says with the implementation of equality under the rule of law will rescue Afghanistan from its current situation.
"If elected as president, we hope to fulfill the aspirations of the citizens by implementing the law equally so Afghanistan can get out of its ongoing problems," Abdullah said.
He expressed concerns about the possibility of electoral fraud emphasizing to the crowd that his team will not accept fraudulent ballot boxes.
"We want to address the IEC: ballot papers must be available to all eligible voters. The election commission should remember that we do not accept imaginary ballot boxes," Abdullah said.
Abdullah also encouraged the people of Kohdaman to participate in Saturday's election.
According to the law, Wednesday marks the end of the candidates' campaigns leaving only three days until Election Day.
-----------
News - Election 2014
Final List of Polling Centers Released, New Closures to Prevent Fraud
Sunday, 30 March 2014 20:23 Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 April 2014 07:39 Written by Tariq Majidi
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Sunday announced the final list of polling centers expected to be open on Election Day. Although the number of centers to be closed is higher than previous estimates, officials suggested this precaution would help minimize the chances of electoral fraud.
Officials said 748 out of the total 6,770 available polling centers nationwide will be closed, a 352-center jump from the original estimate of 396 made by security officials in the spring of last year. However, the current figure makes up only 10 percent of all polling centers, a much smaller portion than was the case in the 2009 presidential election.
"Our people can use 90 percent of the sites," Election Security Committee head General Salem Ehsas said. "Security institutions have made all the preparations possible with the available resources."
The additional closures announced this week were justified by concerns surrounding security threats and challenges to monitoring the voting process. Many of the new centers to be closed are reportedly located in or around areas where insurgents are highly active. Officials said the centers would be too vulnerable to violence and electoral fraud if opened.
"Security institutions have indicated about 352 centers where there are security problems, participation would be difficult, observers cannot go, mines are spread around the sites and IEC and other institutions cannot go there either," IEC Secretariat chief Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhail said.
Militant leaders have promised to disrupt the upcoming elections, which will mark the first democratic transition of presidential power in Afghan history. Despite a spike in related violence in recent days, election and security officials have assured voters that their safety will be provided for and the elections will carry on as planned.
For their part, voters have expressed a similar resolve, with many voicing an even greater determination to exercise their democratic rights in light of insurgents' attempts to keep them from doing so. On Sunday, long lines streamed out of voter registration centers throughout Kabul, despite militants having laid siege to the IEC's headquarters in the capital for six hours on Saturday.
Kabul resident Arzo Hashemi spoke to TOLOnews while waiting to receive her voting card on Sunday. She suggested voting was best way for Afghans to defy those seeking to destabilize the country.
"These suicide bombings and explosions are done by the enemies of Afghanistan, and registering to vote is a strong step against them."
---------------
AFGHANS ARE ANGRY... and are taking their right 2 vote in their Country's election as their right - so brave.... The men and women serving in the military and policing of Afghanistan... u are truly heroes... we pray 4 those lost 2da... dying 4 Afghanistan and 4 Afghans... u honour the world of troops who, boots 2 the ground, stood by u, with u, trained, love and support u.... u honour the world...Afghanistan rises from the ashes... free at last..
PAKISTAN WE KNOW IT'S U... SHAME ON U
NEWS JUST IN.... from Afghanistan and regions
News - Afghanistan
Wednesday, 02 April 2014 17:54 Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 April 2014 19:26
With only three days left until Afghans head to the polls, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on Wednesday that 195,000 Afghan National Police (ANP), National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Afghan National Army (ANA) forces have been deployed to polling centers around the country.
MoD spokesman Zahir Azimi also claimed foreign interests are behind attempts to derail the election process, echoing previous remarks made by other Afghan security officials and politicians in response to the recent surge in violence across the country.
"Up to 195,000 security personnel have been assigned to provide security for the elections and security personnel have been deployed to vulnerable areas," Azimi said. "Our reserve forces are also on red alert and all ANA soldieries are contributing in the security of elections," said Zahir Azimi
Last week, security officials reported that 748 out of the total 6,770 available polling centers nationwide would be closed on Saturday, a 352-center jump from the original estimate of 396 made by security officials in the spring of last year. However, the current figures makes up only 10 percent of all polling centers, a much smaller portion than was the case in the 2009 presidential election.
Security officials have continuously tried to instill confidence in the precautions being taken and their ability to provide a safe atmosphere for voters. Adding to that chorus of assurances, ANA Commander Mohammad Dawran on Wednesday said the Afghan forces would be bringing out air support on Election Day to ensure ground troops have all the help they need.
"The Air Force is on red alert, and ready to act quickly if an incident happens during the elections," he said.
Defense Ministry spokesman Azimi said security officials are shaping their strategy for Saturday based on past experiences during elections and recent intelligence gathered.
Taliban leaders have publicly stated their intention to use disrupt the elections by any means necessary, including violence against election officials, candidates and voters. Yet the Afghan public has responded defiantly, with a spike in voter registration over the past two weeks.
-----------------
God bless our glorious troops and their boots 2 the ground incredible achievements in our beloved Afghanistan... God bless ISAF and God bless the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the everyday Afghan people lining up in the millions with their children in defiance of the heretic Muslim monster talibans ... free at last.... u have trained Afghans Military, Army and Policing in2 the miracle they have become- proud, intelligent and brave...so brave... they carry the honour of each of u.... thank u... thank u... thank u...
Britain hands over Helmand command
Britain formally hands over command of military operations in Helmand province in Afghanistan to the US.
Britain's command of military operations in Helmand province in Afghanistan has been formally handed over to a US general.
It is the latest step in the UK's withdrawal of combat troops from the country, which is due to be completed by the end of this year.
Forces remaining will be part of the US-led Regional Command (South West).
A total of 448 UK military personnel have died in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001.
Forces reduced
British forces in Helmand have been reduced from a peak of more than 10,000 to about half of that number, as Afghan national forces have taken a greater role in the country's defence.
Last month the MoD announced the closure or handover of three frontline bases in Helmand, leaving just one outside Camp Bastion.
Britain's senior officer in Helmand will now be Deputy Commander Regional Command (South West), Brig Robert Thomson.
Last month, Brig James Woodham, the final commander of Task Force Helmand, said "history would judge" the success of the British mission in Afghanistan.
--------------
2 April 2014 Last updated at 08:13 ET
Afghanistan: Before and after the Taliban
The people of Afghanistan will go to the polls on 5 April
to vote for their first new president since Hamid Karzai took over after the
fall of the Taliban in 2001.
In the past 13 years, thousands have been killed and billions of dollars
spent trying to secure a peaceful future for the country's inhabitants.
Afghan women get married young and typically have five children on average. According to the CIA World Factbook, the country has the 10th highest birth rate in the world.
Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan and is the country's largest city by far, with a population of about 3.3m. Kabul province is the only one in the country with a larger urban than rural population. According to the UN, 76% of Afghans still live in rural areas.
The Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, comprising about 42% of the population. The Tajiks are the second-largest group at 27%.
There are also about 1.5 million nomads, the ethnic Kuchis.
Education
In 2001 no girls attended formal schools and there were only one million boys enrolled. By 2012 the World Bank says there were 7.8 million pupils attending school - including about 2.9 million girls.
However, many schools are still operating from tents, houses and under trees. The World Bank says of 180,000 teachers, only 52% meet the minimum standards required and the rest are receiving in-service training.
Girls' dropout rates are still very high in secondary schools and the country's adult literacy rate, 39% over the age of 15 can read and write, is one of the lowest in the world.
Women
Literacy among female adults is still very low - although official statistics are hard to come by. A report by the Central Statistsics Organisation/Unicef reported a literacy rate of 22.2% among women aged 15-24 in 2010/11.
Some women have begun to forge careers for themselves. More than a quarter of parliament and government employees are now women, according to charity Islamic Relief. A survey by the Central Statistics Oranisation (CSO) in 2009 found women were being employed by government at a much faster rate than men. If the female growth rate continued, the share of female employees would be more than 40% by 2020.
Women are now also employed in the police and army. British officers have helped to establish a military training academy that aims to train 100 female army officers per year.
Despite the advances, violence against women is still a problem, with beatings, forced marriage and lack of economic support being listed as the top three offences reported by the CSO in 2010. Although the number of cases appears to be going down, the report also notes a new form of violence - prevention of women from taking part in social activities.
Poverty in Afghanistan, 2014
31.3m
Population
9m
In poverty- 61% access to clean water
- 30% linked to electric power
- 28% have a flush toilet or latrine
AFP
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are
seeking US$406 million to provide five million people with essential,
life-saving aid in 2014.
Afghanistan has one of the world's largest repatriated populations. Almost
six million refugees have now returned home since the Taliban were ousted - and
the UNHCR estimates just under two million of these still require support. About 600,000 people are still recognised as internally displaced - most of them in the south and west of the country.
The proportion of the population of Afghanistan in poverty is estimated at 36% - although it varies from a relatively low 29% in urban areas to 36% in rural areas and 54% among the country's nomadic or Kuchi population.
In 2010 Afghanistan had the lowest gross national income per head of population among the developing countries in Asia, well below Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
According to the CIA World Factbook, 78.6% of Afghanistan's population is employed in agriculture. In 2008 the unemployment rate was estimated to be 35%.
The number of people with access to the internet is now 5.5% - although many more people have access to mobile phones. The CIA World Factbook estimated there were 18 million mobile phones in circulation in the country in 2012.
Health
Life expectancy has increased slightly from 56 to 60 years. But there have been big improvements in the under-five mortality rate and the maternal mortality rates.
According to the UN, access to safe drinking water improved from 4.8% of the population to 60.6% by 2011. Access to better sanitation, including private rather than shared toilets, has also improved to an average 37%. But the averages again mask big differences between urban and rural areas, with much less improvement in rural areas.
Vaccination campaigns continue to work towards the elimination of polio in Afghanistan, one of the last remaining countries where the disease remains endemic. In 2013 there were 14 reported cases, down from 37 in 2012.
Economy
Afghanistan's biggest export is still opium - despite attempts to persuade
farmers to diversify. 2013 was a record year and the country produces 90% of the
world's opium. The high sale price of opium makes it difficult for farmers to resist. They also say promises to provide high-quality seeds and fertiliser have not been kept.
Other exports include fruit and nuts, handwoven carpets and wool.
Imports include machinery, food, textiles and petroleum products.
Afghanistan is said to have rich mineral reserves, including natural gas, which have not been exploited due to the political situation in the country.
---------
The incredibly brave Afghan Army, Military and Police are dying 4 freedom of Afghan people and will continue... they are the true heroes of Afghanistan and the brave Afghan people determined and will vote..... it's so easy 2 be a coward hiding under ur mother's dress and behind babies and children and kill blood of ur blood... the real courage is our troops of our nations and our beloved Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.... the heretic Muslim monsters will find the Geneva Convention they wipe their arses with... will be a different story... when Afghanistan is owned by the brave and free Afghans... tears and prayers 2 the Afghans wearing the badges of their nation...
Taliban suicide bomber kills police at Afghanistan Interior Ministry in Kabul as pre-election bloodshed continues
Afghan police block the street after a suicide bomber struck the entrance gate of the Interior Ministry compound in Kabul, Afghanistan, April 2, 2014.
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide bomber wearing a military uniform killed six police officers Wednesday inside the heavily fortified Interior Ministry compound in the heart of Kabul, authorities said, the latest in a wave of violence as the Taliban threatens to disrupt Afghanistan's presidential election this weekend.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the death toll rose from four to six as investigators reached the site of the explosion.
The bomber walked through several checkpoints to reach the ministry gate before detonating his explosives. An Interior Ministry statement said the bomber was among other men in uniform entering the compound.
Within minutes of the blast, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack. It came soon after he issued a statement to journalists warning of more violence ahead of Saturday's presidential elections.
Witness Mohammad Karim, who was walking toward the gate to leave the compound, said he was blown back by the force of the blast. Police then rushed him and others into a safe room.
Baryalai, a police officer who only gave one name as is common among Afghans, said the blast occurred near a bank that is close to the entrance gate. Police officers collect their paychecks at the bank.
A corresponding statement released on websites by the Taliban warned citizens against participating in the elections, saying polling stations and electoral commission staff would all be legitimate targets for attacks.
The Interior Ministry primarily has responsibility for securing the elections. Several recent high-profile attacks also have threatened to undermine the results by scaring voters away. The Electoral Commission's own office in Kabul was attacked last week by militants carrying suicide vests and small arms.
Earlier Wednesday, an Afghan official said Taliban gunmen killed nine people, including a candidate running for a seat in the provincial council, who had been abducted in northern Afghanistan.
The governor of Sar-i-Pul province, Abdul Jabar Haqbeen, said authorities received word that the candidate, Hussain Nazari, and the others were killed overnight by their abductors. They were seized by the Taliban three days ago while traveling to the provincial capital.
Haqbeen says they recovered four bodies and one man who was wounded, while the five other bodies, including the candidate's, are in a remote area and have yet to be found.
Haqbeen says authorities were told that Nazari and two others were beheaded.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the death toll rose from four to six as investigators reached the site of the explosion.
The bomber walked through several checkpoints to reach the ministry gate before detonating his explosives. An Interior Ministry statement said the bomber was among other men in uniform entering the compound.
Within minutes of the blast, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack. It came soon after he issued a statement to journalists warning of more violence ahead of Saturday's presidential elections.
Witness Mohammad Karim, who was walking toward the gate to leave the compound, said he was blown back by the force of the blast. Police then rushed him and others into a safe room.
Baryalai, a police officer who only gave one name as is common among Afghans, said the blast occurred near a bank that is close to the entrance gate. Police officers collect their paychecks at the bank.
The Interior Ministry primarily has responsibility for securing the elections. Several recent high-profile attacks also have threatened to undermine the results by scaring voters away. The Electoral Commission's own office in Kabul was attacked last week by militants carrying suicide vests and small arms.
Earlier Wednesday, an Afghan official said Taliban gunmen killed nine people, including a candidate running for a seat in the provincial council, who had been abducted in northern Afghanistan.
The governor of Sar-i-Pul province, Abdul Jabar Haqbeen, said authorities received word that the candidate, Hussain Nazari, and the others were killed overnight by their abductors. They were seized by the Taliban three days ago while traveling to the provincial capital.
Haqbeen says they recovered four bodies and one man who was wounded, while the five other bodies, including the candidate's, are in a remote area and have yet to be found.
Haqbeen says authorities were told that Nazari and two others were beheaded.
-------------------
NEWS UPDATES APRIL 1 2014- Afghans are incredible just incredible...
SERIOUSLY... USA AND THEIR BACKDOOR $$$ 4 PAKISTAN AND NATO HIERARCHY PLACING TROOPS ON GROUND AND AFGHANS IN DANGER WITH THEIR ARROGANCE... UN ... U HAVE BETRAYED US ALL... Afghanistan rising above the ashes.... free at last... free at last.... as they hug Afghans Military and Policing and our Nato ground troops close... because they knew these are the men and women who have paid so dearly 4 the freedom they have on this day.... God bless the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan....
No extra military gear for Pakistan: State Dept
WASHINGTON: Addressing concerns of the Karzai government, the Obama administration on Monday ruled out transferring the leftover military hardware from Afghanistan to Pakistan. “We note we have not and do not intend to READ MORE
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ISI behind all attacks, alleges Mohammadi
MAIDAN SHAHR: The defence minister on Monday alleged all terrorist attacks in Afghanistan were plotted by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). During his visit to central Maidan Wardak province to monitor elec READ MORE
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News - Afghanistan
60,000 Fresh ANA Troops Deployed Across Afghanistan
Tuesday, 01 April 2014 18:51 Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 April 2014 18:59 Written by Geeti Mohsini
With only four days left until Afghans head to the polls, officials of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Tuesday that 60,000 fresh Afghan National Army (ANA) troops have been deployed around the country to support security precautions for the upcoming elections.
MoD spokesman Zahir Azimi spoke about the reinforcements at a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday, and assured that adequate steps had been taken to ensure militants would not be able to disrupt Saturday's presidential and provincial council elections.
"More than 60,000 of our forces have been deployed all over the country, they have established new positions, commando units have been deployed across Afghanistan and are ready to act in case of emergency," Azimi said.
Militant leaders have promised to derail the elections, which will mark Afghanistan first democratic transition of presidential power in history. Despite a recent slue of violence against election officials and civilians around the country, voter registration has jumped in the past few days and many Afghans have said the attacks have made them only more determined to vote.
Mr. Azimi took the opportunity to encourage Afghans to get out and vote on Saturday. "Your broad participation in the elections will be a strong punch in the face to our internal and external enemies," he said.
Afghan security forces, including the Afghan National Police and Local Police, are all on high alert this week. Officials have said hundreds of new checkpoints have been erected nationwide.
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Afghans are taking back their world.... millions are flocking out 2 vote in the election April 5, 2014. They respect their Afghanistan Army, Policing and Military and treasure our troops on the ground Nato men and women who have given and sacrificed ssooooooo much... MANY OF US HAVE NOTICED HUGE CHANGES WITHIN THE PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN SINCE LAST FALL.... their courage, their dignityh and determination 2 be free at last... the love the Nelson Mandela of Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah who has the love of Afghan youth, women and elders.... AND GUESS WHAT... HERETIC MUSLIMS... BETTER WATCH THEMSELVES... because when u deliberately stomp in2 Afghanistan baby nursery (so u think) 2 murder innocent Afghan children... and get blown away by Afghan's elite Military and their Nato Comrades in Arms there... instead 4 special ops.... u know... Afghanistan is becoming free at last... the BEST NEWS SHARE...
News - Afghanistan
Taliban Suicide Bomber Turns on His Own Commanders, Kills 15
Tuesday, 01 April 2014 16:57 Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 April 2014 18:59 Written by TOLOnews.com
At least 15 senior Taliban commanders were killed on Tuesday in Ghazni province by a suicide bomber reportedly attempting to keep them from carrying out plans to disrupt Saturday's elections, according to Afghan officials.
In addition to the 15 confirmed dead, nine other militants were wounded by the blast, which occurred in the Gelan district of Ghazni, according to the National Directorate of Security (NDS). Among the casualties were said to be Pakistani Taliban leaders.
Insurgents have publicly stated their intent to derail the elections, which will mark the country's first democratic transition of presidential power in history.
The Taliban commanders were reportedly meeting to plan Election Day attacks when one of their own decided to turn against them using the very tactic made infamous by the insurgent group.
Tuesday's incident was first made known by the NDS and then confirmed by the Ghazni Governor's office.
Violence around the country has increased in recent weeks, including a number of attacks on Independent Election Commission (IEC) offices in Kabul and elsewhere.
The Taliban has also threatened voters with violence, yet over the course of the past week there has been a major surge in voter registration. Many Afghans have said they plan to participate in the elections as a way of defying the militants
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Voters urged to cast ballots, shape future
KABUL: Active Youth for Change Network (AYCN), a non-governmental organization, on Monday urged voters to ignore terror threats and cast ballots on April 5 in order to shape their future as well as of the country. Chief READ MORE
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The Nelson Mandela and most trusted man of Afghanistan... Dr. Abdullah Abdullah- Afghan youth, women and elders adore this good man.... honest and brave and proud brilliant Afghan... it doesn't get better than this...
News - Afghanistan
Abdullah Team Rallies in Herat Days Before Election
Tuesday, 01 April 2014 19:35 Written by Ghafoor Saboory
Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah on Monday delivered a speech to supporters in Herat province, in which he asserted that the votes of Afghans, not fraud and powerbrokers, would determine the next leader of the country.
Abdullah was the runner-up in the 2009 president elections. At the time, he, along with many independent observers, questioned the legitimacy of the voting process, which they said was marred by ballot box stuffing and ghost centers - referring to nonexistant polling centers included in the vote count - that leaned in President Hamid Karzai's favor.
At Monday's gathering in the Herat Sports Stadium, Abdullah's Second Vice President Mohammad Mohaqeq also spoke and urged the public to get out and vote on Saturday.
"You will vote for number '1'," Mohaqeq said referring to his ticket's placement at the top of the ballot in the coming election. Abdullah was the first of the presidential candidates to register with the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in the fall of last year, so he was awarded the top position on the paper ballots being used on Saturday.
"As you are aware, the whole world revolves around a single pole, or 'one'; Allah is one, the prophet is one, the holy book is one, Kabba is one, the leader is one, and the electoral number is one," Mohaqeq said.
Abdullah's team was welcomed warmly in Herat.
"It is our duty to provide security, complete the Salma Dam project, and increase cement production and industrial development," Abdullah said to the crowd gathered to hear him speak, touching on a number of specific issues important to local residents. "We will fulfill all these duties, Inshallah."
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WILL FINALLY UK IS STEPPING UP AND GETTING THE HERETIC ISLAMISTS UNDER CONTROL... the absolute abuse of Muslim women and children is horrendous.... and UK is a democracy that is long established.... it actually took the Arab world and Egypt 2 say enough of the Heretic Muslim bullshit and beans in their world.... over 1 million innocent Muslim women and children and elders have been butchered by these Muslim monsters...... ON THIS DAY... Nato troops and all of us still here... and Afghans love and respect our Afghan troops, police and military who bled and died 2 save them and help rebuilt the world of love and peace that Muslims deserve...
Britain’s PM orders review into Muslim Brotherhood’s activities
Reuters, 01/04 16:59 CET
By Kylie MacLellan and Andrew Osborn
LONDON (Reuters) – The Muslim Brotherhood’s activities in Britain will be reviewed over concerns about possible links to violence, Prime Minister David Cameron said, widening pressure on a veteran Islamist movement facing an intensifying crackdown in the Arab world.
The Brotherhood and affiliated organisations and parties are part of the political landscape in many Arab and Islamic states where they have placed deep roots in society thanks to their involvement in social and charitable works.
It also gained political power in some Arab nations after the 2011 uprisings that toppled long-entrenched autocratic regimes. But the Brotherhood has been crushed in Egypt after the military overthrew an elected Islamist president in July, declared a terrorist organisation in Saudi Arabia and subjected to a wave of prosecutions and jailings in Gulf Arab kingdoms leery of any spread of Islamist influence since the Arab Spring.
Britain, where many Brotherhood-influenced organisations are based, said its review would include looking at allegations made by authoritarian Arab leaders that the group was linked to violence, a charge it has repeatedly denied.
“What is important … is to make sure we fully understand what this organisation is, what it stands for, what its links are, what its beliefs are in terms of both extremism and violent extremism, what its connections are with other groups, what its presence is here in the United Kingdom,” Cameron told reporters.
A spokeswoman for Cameron said the review would examine the philosophies and values of the Muslim Brotherhood and how it operated in different countries around the world, including in the UK, as well as its impact on Britain’s national security.
Both the British domestic and foreign intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 would be consulted as part of the review, she added, which would focus on the activities of the Brotherhood in the wider region, not Egypt alone.
“There have been some concerns as well that have been raised about potential linkages to violent activity and some extremist groups of some of the organisations that tend to come together under the wider Muslim Brotherhood organization,” another spokesman said. Therefore the review would look at “alleged and reported links to extremist organisations”.
The government hopes the review, being led by John Jenkins, its ambassador to Saudi Arabia, will report findings by July.
In Cairo, Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said: “Egypt welcomes Britain’s decision in carrying out urgent investigations into the role the Muslim Brotherhood group carries out from British soil and the extent of the relationship between the…Brotherhood and violent activities and extremism.”
The Muslim Brotherhood Press Office in London, which has become the movement’s main communication channel since July, said it would release a statement later on Monday.
“I think there’s a definite linkage between Cameron’s announcement of investigation of the Brotherhood in the UK to Saudi and other Gulf state perceptions of the Brotherhood as a threat,” said Theodore Karasik, director of research and consultancy at the Gulf security and military think-tank INEGMA.
“The pressure point is related to the fact that an event (can) occur on the Arabian Peninsula that is tied to the Brotherhood and originates in the UK,” he told Reuters.
EGYPT SHATTERS BROTHERHOOD
Britain’s move came amid increasing Arab repression of the Brotherhood especially in Egypt, where security forces have killed hundreds of Islamists and jailed thousands including almost all leaders of the movement since the army ousted President Mohamed Mursi after mass protests against his rule.
The military-backed authorities have banned the Brotherhood and more than 500 members have been sentenced to death for murder over deaths during clashes with security forces. Mursi faces charges that could lead to the death penalty.
The Brotherhood has reiterated a decades-long policy of non-violence, denying any connection with recent bloodshed.
Analysts say Mursi, a leading Brotherhood figure, alienated all but a hard-core constituency by devoting his energy to asserting Islamist control of Egypt’s governing institutions rather than implementing civic-minded policies to revive its paralysed economy and heal political divisions.
Still, in the wake of Mursi’s removal Britain’s Foreign Office voiced concern over the collective round-up of Brotherhood members, warning that politicised arrests would hinder Egypt’s post-2011 transition towards democracy.
Saudi Arabia, a staunch supporter of the military-buttressed governing authorities in Egypt, formally designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation last month.
Riyadh fears that the group, whose Sunni Islamist doctrines challenge the Saudi principle of dynastic rule, has tried to build support in the kingdom since the Arab Spring revolutions.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Andrew Osborn in London, Yasmine Saleh in Cairo; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Mark Heinrich)
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Afghan police discover 22-ton explosives stash
(AGI) Kabul, Apr 1 - Just four days prior to Saturday's presidential elections, Afghan officials said police discovered a 22-ton stash of explosives just outside Takhar's provincial capital, Taloqan. According to government spokesman Sediq Sediqqi the explosives were probably set aside for suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices. . .
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Afghans line up for last-minute voter registration as election interest high despite violence
By The Associated Press April 1, 2014 11:00 AM
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah arrives for a campaign rally in Herat, Afghanistan, Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Eight Afghan presidential candidates are campaigning for the third presidential election. Elections will take place on April 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi)
KABUL - Afghan voters are lining up in a last-minute rush to register for voting cards in a sign that interest in Saturday's presidential election is high despite fears of violence.
The Taliban have vowed to "use all force" to disrupt the balloting and the militants already have staged several high-profile attacks in the Afghan capital of Kabul in recent weeks.
But men and women lined up on the last day of registration Tuesday say they won't let the threats keep them away from the polls as Afghanistan experiences its first democratic transfer of power. President Hamid Karzai is constitutionally barred from a third term.
Shopkeeper Ghulam Abbas says Karzai didn't keep his promises to make the country better and he hopes a new president will give the country a fresh start.
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Afghans know their neighbours.... it's their time... and we are so proud and love them so much... our beautiful brave Nato troops on the ground... have win the respect of the everyday Afghan people and the trust and respect of the Afghan Army, Policing and Military...
IRAN WILL NEVER FOOL AFGHANS... AND THEIR NEW GOVERNMENT APRIL 5 2014- THEY KNOW THEIR NEIGHBOURS WELL.... AND WILL NEVER TAKE ANY MORE BULLSHIT AND BEANS FROM TRAITOROUS PAKISTAN (who has 2 much $$$$ backing from USA and United Nations)...
Tripartite accord to allow Afghanistan access India via Iran
KABUL: Afghanistan, Iran and India will soon sign a tripartite agreement to allow Kabul have access to India via Iran's southern Chabahar Port, a senior Afghan official said. Afghanistan will connect to India via Iran in READ MORE
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Kabul summons Pakistani envoy over cross-line attacks
KABUL: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Afghanistan on Monday has summoned Pakistani chargé d’affaires in Kabul over unceasing cross-line attacks on Afghan troops. Spokesman of MFA, Ahmad Shekib Mustaghni, sai READ MORE
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AFGHAN YOUTH... SO BRAVE... SO LOVING OF THEIR AFGHANISTAN AND FREE AT LAST...
Activists call on candidates to fulfill promises if elected
KABUL: Civil rights activists asked the presidential candidates to fulfill election promises if elected in the presidential election. They said that presidential hopefuls shall not use promises and claims made during ele READ MORE
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Health centers will remain open during elections: Minister
KABUL: Minister of Public Health (MoPH) directed heads of all capital and provincial healthcare centers to prepare for emergency health services on Election Day. Suraya Dalil in a press conference here on Tuesday said th READ MORE
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Election will be held on scheduled date: Faizi
KABUL: Aimal Faizi, Spokesman for President Hamid Karzai, assured that election will be held on its scheduled date (5th April), where citizens will exercise their franchise to choose their next president. Faizi while tal READ MORE
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Paktia elders call on Karzai
AT News Report
KABUL: Elders and Ulema from Paktia province called on President Hamid Karzai here on Tuesday, where they briefed the president on problems that they face in their respective areas.
The elder urged the government to build electricity generating dams in Paktia, promote the province to first grade, develop provincial hospital construct Gardez-Zurmat ring road.
Senator Baz Muhammad while hinting at achievements of the past 12 years said that the next president of the country should work for strengthening national unity among Afghans.
President Karzai after hearing about the problems faced by people in Paktia province, the president said that the CoM their problems will be discussed in presence of their representatives in next session of the Council of Ministers.
President Karzai urged residents of Paktia province to exercise their franchise to choose their next president.
The Governor of Paktia province, Juma Khan Hamdard, was also present on the occasion.
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News - Election 2014
Violence Will Not Keep People from Voting: Abdullah
Sunday, 30 March 2014 19:57 Last Updated on Monday, 31 March 2014 12:27 Written by Ghafoor Saboory
Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah stood in front of a crowd in Kandahar on Sunday addressing the people that the militant attack on the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) will not stop people from voting.
"The IEC building was attacked yesterday; I am telling Afghanistan's enemies that Afghans will not change their decision in taking part in elections," Abdullah said. "Threats and attacks will not change the people's decision."
Abdullah said President Hamid Karzai's government should not interfere in the election process because this time the people will decide the outcome.
In the 2009 election Abdullah was Karzai's key opponent who later withdrew from the race when the result of elections went into a second round of voting because of misconduct.
Abdullah's second vice president, Mohammad Mohaqiq said if the election process is not fair and fraudulent acts take place then the country will face a serious catastrophe.
"If Afghanistan holds a transparent election then peace and stability will follow," Mohaqiq said. "If Afghanistan handles the election by fraud then disaster will follow."
During his campaign in Kandahar, Abdullah promised the people to bring peace, economic stability, improve the education system and develop agriculture in the province if elected president.
With only six days left until Election Day, the candidates have a busy week of final campaigning before the public sets off to vote.
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A POST FROM 2007 FOLKS...AFGHANISTAN-- Taliban gonna take out the China Dragon???
MY COMMENT on their article -myspace 2007
RESPONSE TO BREITBART... AND THEIR ARTICLE.... TALIBAN VERSUS THE CHINA DRAGON?????
Al-Quaida tells China to prepare to fight- they beat the bear which is russia and will certainly beat China "A prominent al-Qaida militant urged Uighurs in Xianjiang to make serious preparations for a holy war against "oppressive" China and called on fellow Muslims to offer support.
Abu Yahya al-Libi, in a video posted on an Islamist website on Wednesday, warned China of a fate similar to that of former communist superpower, the Soviet Union, which disintegrated some two decades ago.... and so on at this site: http://www.canada.com/news/Prepare+fight+China+Qa... http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmNhbmFkYS5jb20vbmV3cy9QcmVwYXJlK2ZpZ2h0K0NoaW5hK1FhaWRhK2ZpZ3VyZSt0ZWxscytVaWdodXJzLzIwNzUxMTAvc3RvcnkuaHRtbA==
We pointed out that 17 provinces have been cleared up and cleaned in Afghanistan .... AND TODAY...TWO HEROIN LABS, IED MAKING COMPOUND DESTROYED IN AFGHANISTAN: OFFICIAL (j...ust in oct 7th)
The Afghan government destroyed two heroin producing laboratories, IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices)making compound and seized huge amount of contraband in different operations over the past four days in northern and southern Afghanistan, deputy of counter-narcotics department of Interior Ministry Gen. Mohammad Daud Daud said on Wednesday. "Two heroin labs were destroyed, from which 306 kg opium were seized and burnt over the past three days in separate operations in northern Badakhshan province,"
Daud told a press briefing here. Some 90 tons of poppy seeds, 1,800 kg of opium and 35 tons of ammonium nitrate, which are used for making explosive materials, were found in an operation in Kajaki district of country's poppy growing province Helmand of southern Afghanistan on Oct. 5, he added.... at this site...
Personal view... Since 2001 there have been remarkable victories in Afghanistan. Thousands and thousands of us who support our NATO and UN military research each and all articles and celebrate the enormous triumphs.
Who ever would think that these terrorists would not take on the beautiful China Dragon... has got to be kidding. They know that we have beaten them down... and this winter is going to be a long, long, long and cold winter for these killers.
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Crucial... wonderful
News - Election 2014
Presidential Candidates Sign Pact With Civil Society
Monday, 31 March 2014 19:53 Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 April 2014 19:50 Written by Saleha Sadat
A press conference held on Monday by the Afghanistan Civil Society Forum (ACSF) announced that a majority of the presidential candidates have promised civil society groups in writing that they will prioritize the needs of the public if elected.
ACSF representatives called the achievements of the past decade in areas of human rights, freedom of speech, reconstruction and education critical to Afghanistan's future. Therefore, they said the agreement is intended to help build upon the improvement and maintainance of peace and stability in the country.
There are five main spheres of policy priority in the agreement: political peace and stability, human development, economic development, health and sports and environment. ACSF emphasized that a transparent election is key to honoring the achievements already made on these issues and advancing them further.
"These suggestions are within the national framework and are sent to all the presidential candidates to serve as a vow between members of the civil society and the presidential candidates," Executive Director of Civil Society and Human Rights Network, Muhammad Naeem Nazari, said.
Presidential candidates Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, Daoud Sultanzoy, Qutbuddin Helal, Gul Agha Sherzai and Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf have either signed the agreement already or made verbal comfirmation of their intent to. The remaining three presidential candidates - Zalmai Rassoul, Abdullah Abdullah and Hedayat Amin Arsala - have not signed yet, but ACSF representatives said they anticipate hearing from them soon.
The head of ACSF, Azizullah Rafiye, said that proactive work by civil society groups will be important for the future of Afghanistan and its people.
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4 would-be bombers held in Paktia, Kandahar
KABUL: Afghan security forces in their recent clearance operations have detained four would-be suicide bombers in south and south eastern provinces of the country, Ministry of Interior (MoI) said on Monday. Afghan securi READ MORE
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Afghanistan's also-ran who turned election into a three-way race
After losing badly in 2009, technocrat Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai learned lessons and gained an influential ally
Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul
The Guardian, Tuesday 1 April 2014 17.14 BST
Afghans prepare a banner for Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai during a campaign rally in Jalalabad. The ex-finance minister has a good chance of reaching the runoffs. Photograph: Rahmat Gul/AP
Helmand's dusty towns, poppy fields and insurgent hideouts are a difficult place for government officials, so dangerous and marginal that during Afghanistan's last presidential election five years ago, not a single candidate bothered to visit.
So when Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai chose Lashkar Gah's fading stadium to launch his series of nationwide rallies this spring, it was an bold statement of ambition and intent in his search for votes from every corner of his diverse country. "I am coming to the most troubled province to demonstrate that Helmand has a different face. This is about the rebranding of Afghanistan," he said, after addressing a crowd of more than 2,000 people, surrounded by local politicians and tribal leaders.
But the rally was also a triumphant celebration of the former World Bank technocrat's unlikely journey from embarrassed also-ran in the 2009 election to one of three serious contenders to lead the country when President Hamid Karzai steps down this year.
Ghani's transformation has electrified an election campaign that many had expected to be a two-way race between a Karzai-backed candidate and the president's main rival from 2009, Abdullah Abdullah. Instead it is now a fierce, and wide open, competition.
"He has learned to be a politician," one campaign aide admitted, as Ghani met Helmand powerbrokers behind closed doors to barter for support.
Although he is from the Pashtun ethnic group that dominates south Afghanistan, Ghani's tribe has traditionally had more clout in the east. But in Lashkar Gah he attracted local leaders whose loyalties might once have been with rival Pashtun campaigns, including Haji Abdullah Khan, from nearby Kandahar.
The 37-year-old said he had backed Karzai in the past two elections, like most of his Achakzai tribe, but was considering switching allegiances and had driven over that morning to meet Ghani. "President Karzai didn't pass his test, development programmes never happened, there is no electricity. Even if he was running again we wouldn't vote for him," he said. "In [Ghani's] character we see peace and the development of Afghanistan."
When Ghani announced his first run in 2009, it was as a modernising moderate whom many westerners saw as a perfect candidate. A university chancellor and ex-finance minister, he was a public intellectual nominated for secretary general of the UN, untainted by corruption rumours that swirl round many powerful Afghans.
Bill Clinton's master strategist James Carville signed up to run his campaign for free, complete with theme tune that could be downloaded as a mobile ring-tone. But his team forgot to check his appeal to the voters. Most Afghans are still illiterate farmers, with a tradition of voting in ethnic blocks, and where civil-war-era warlords are as loved by their followers as they are hated by the people who suffered at their hands.
He won barely 3% of the ballots cast, and many assumed it was the end of his political career. Instead, it became a lesson in electioneering at home, after two decades living overseas and even taking US citizenship, though he renounced his American passport in 2009.
In 2011 he got a position as co-ordinator of the security handover from Nato to Afghan forces, which demanded travel to every province, talks with local military and political leaders, and the redistribution of shrinking resources. He denies campaigning on the job, but his trips involved rousing speeches to parade grounds packed with soldiers, and in-depth discussions about each area's challenges and strengths that made him seem very much like an aspiring politician. He started adding his tribal name, Ahmadzai, to "Ashraf Ghani", emphasising his roots in a province south of Kabul, and mostly ditched western suits for traditional loose trousers and shirt.
Still his campaign plans were widely dismissed in Kabul as a second quixotic bid for an office beyond his reach, until he revealed his main running mate would be Abdul Rashid Dostum. An Uzbek warlord who made his name during the civil war and then fighting the Taliban, he is a controversial but powerful figure who commands a large block of votes.
In a 2009 letter to the Times, after Dostum backed Karzai's campaign that year, Ghani denounced the commander as a "known killer". But now he has decided the support Dostum can muster among Uzbeks and Turkmen voters in the north, where he is revered by hundreds of thousands, is more important than his past. "Had General Dostum gone to another ticket, my winning would have become theoretical," Ghani said in the conservatory of his understated home in west Kabul, shortly before the Helmand gathering.
He has wrung a near apology for past crimes out of Dostum, who said in a message on Facebook: "We apologise to all who have suffered on both sides of the wars." Although low-key and somewhat reluctant, it is the closest any civil war commander has come to saying sorry, and Ghani presents it as proof of Dostum's commitment to his reformist plans. "It's a ticket that is going to win in order to bring out an agenda of transformation. Without putting together an electoral ticket that can win, all these ideas remain just that," he added.
The alliance shocked Kabul's political elite and cost Ghani voters among the educated urban professionals attracted by his clean past and pragmatic programme, but the losses seem to have been more than balanced – as Ghani anticipated – by the gains from Dostum supporters.
Afghanistan has had few opinion polls, but most published so far put him in the runoff or within reach of it. He insists, though, that political compromises he has made will not change how he rules, sticking to the campaign promise of "change and continuity". "Power is not an end, I have no need for power," he said. "But if I am going to fulfil my desire as an Afghan citizen, then I need to be able to shape policy directly, and that requires winning, and this is a winning ticket."
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APRIL 2014- GOD BLESS THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN- so brave...so much honour, courage and dignity... free at last...free at last...
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THANK YOU TO ALL SOLDIERS WHO SERVED IN AFGHANISTAN.... FROM 2001 TO 2014
AS NATO TROOPS ON THE GROUND... PETER MACKAY...CHRIS ALEXANDER HAVE BEEN SAYING... THERE ARE SO MANY MIRACLES IN AFGHANISTAN... however, the real problem is Pakistan and USA and Nato protecting PAKISTAN... AND $$$TRILLIONS... Afghans are so brave and Nato Comrade in Arms have so much respect and honour of the pure courage and honour of Afghanistan Army, Policing and Military... and Afghan people.... they honour the world...
Pakistan, USA, Nato leaders... have shamed us all.... and it's so blatant... especially of the millions of us who have had the backs of our troops thoroughly since 2001... God bless our Canada and God bless the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan..
COMMENT: As an Afghan who have lived both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I am shocked that you know so exactly about all these things and still you haven't bothered to speak about it for so long.
Born and raised in Waziristan, I can surely tell you that by just carpeting this place with enough bombs, almost all Alqaeda and Talibans sanctuaries along side their Paki intelligence and army mentors will be eliminated.
To summarize, I think all of you guys know that all these Alqaida and extremists are backed and trained by Pakistani Army and intelligence agency but you guys look to have got something to be turning a blind eye on all these things. I don't know how a country like Pakistan can prove to be so powerful for the whole NATO states, that is illogical and that than take a person to a conclusion that something is of common interest between Pakistan and NATO states (US mainly).
Don't underestimate this threat, they carried out a strike once on 11/9 and can do the same thing again if they are not going to be finished.
Article:
Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism, Chris Alexander says
As an Afghan who have lived both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I am
shocked that you know so exactly about all these things and still you
haven't bothered to speak about it for so long.
Born and raised in Waziristan, I can surely tell you that by just
carpeting this place with enough bombs, almost all Alqaeda and Talibans
sanctuaries along side their Paki intelligence and army mentors will be
eliminated. To summarize, I think all of you guys know that all these Alqaida and extremists are backed and trained by Pakistani Army and intelligence agency but you guys look to have got something to be turning a blind eye on all these things. I don't know how a country like Pakistan can prove to be so powerful for the whole NATO states, that is illogical and that than take a person to a conclusion that something is of common interest between Pakistan and NATO states (US mainly).
Don't underestimate this threat, they carried out a strike once on 11/9 and can do the same thing again if they are not going to be finished.
International community must address situation immediately, immigration minister says
By Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Apr 01, 2014 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Apr 01, 2014 5:00 AM ET
Canada and its allies must take a united front against Pakistan because it is a state sponsor of terrorism that threatens world security, says Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander.
Alexander, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, said the fight against the Taliban and groups like al-Qaeda will never be won in Afghanistan alone because it is a “cross-border conflict” supported by the Pakistan government.
Speaking on a special edition of CBC's Power & Politics about Canada’s legacy in Afghanistan, Alexander said the world has only caught up with that reality in recent years, despite long-standing warnings from Afghanistan that Pakistan is a big part of the problem.
“This is state sponsorship of terrorism. It’s covert. It’s been denied. Not even Western analysts agree that it’s happening on the scale we know it to be happening,” he told host Evan Solomon.
lexander, who authored the book The Long Way Back: Afghanistan’s Quest for Peace, called for continued support for Afghans who are fighting against the Taliban and for security and democracy as Canada and other countries wrap up prolonged military missions. But he also urged allies to confront Pakistan.
“We need to have a united front in dealing with Pakistan. The civilian government there doesn’t control military policy, strategic policy.… the army and the intelligence service do,” he said.” And they have denied the obvious, postponed this reckoning for years with so many terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, that are doing so much harm around the world, still based in that country, this should be a priority for everyone.”
Alexander said the international community must address the Pakistan situation urgently because it’s “all connected” with other trouble spots — linked to Syria and Iraq because so many militants and jihadis are going there, and also linked to foreign policy on Russia.
'Haven for terrorists'
Pakistan's tribal region along the border of Afghanistan has long been labelled a "haven for terrorists." But Alexander said even people within Pakistan aren’t aware of the degree of official involvement. He cited a recent New York Times article (censored in Pakistan) that focused on Pakistan’s relationship with al-Qaeda and its knowledge of Osama bin Laden hiding within its borders.
“The civilian government will say we don’t control it, it happens behind closed doors in places run by the army, run by the ISI (Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence). The Pakistani population doesn’t know this is happening. But it has to be said. You can not, they have not, trained, financed, equipped the Taliban on this scale without the institutional involvement with these groups. And they are negotiating with the Taliban — trying to lie down with the lion inside Pakistan in spite of all the loss of life inside Pakistan. This has got to change.”
Former Canadian diplomat David Mulroney, who served as deputy minister in charge of the Afghanistan Task Force overseeing co-ordination of Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan, said that if Alexander’s remarks represent the government's official position, they must be followed up with “real measures” and a “much tougher stance” against Pakistan.
“Tomorrow can’t be business as usual for our High Commission in Islamabad. We can’t have the same kind of co-operation with Pakistan,” he said. “And we have to make very certain that players like the Canadian Forces and our security establishment aren’t having one set of conversations with the Pakistanis while our diplomats are having another. We have to get really serious.”
Mulroney, distinguished senior fellow at the Munk School's Canada Centre for Global Security Studies, said Canada should engage in talks with Washington, where the "real levers" are.
Roland Paris, university research chair in International Security and Governance at the University of Ottawa, agreed that Alexander’s statement has significant implications for foreign policy.
“If this is Canadian government policy, that has implications for what we are doing. And if it’s Canadian government policy, the actions need to be brought into line with that policy. If it isn’t Canadian government policy, then minister Alexander should reconsider those words,” he said.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pakistan-a-state-sponsor-of-terrorism-chris-alexander-says-1.2593584
March 31, 2014- Disabled ask 4 preferences/more Afghans line up 2 vote- news updates-
Home | Politics and Parliament | Disables demand polling facilitation
Disables demand polling facilitation
By 26 minutes ago
Disables demand polling facilitation
KABUL (WNA-March. 31, 2014): Representatives of persons with disabilities on Monday have demanded the independent election commission (IEC) to provide necessary facilities for them in the polling stations and make the polling stations accessible.
They also asked the presidential runners to specify their agenda about them.
These demands were made by the persons with disabilities during an advocacy meeting held by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan in Mazar-e-Sharif. The Rehabilitation of Afghans with Disabilities (RAD) programme of SCA had organized the meeting.
Representatives of Disabled Peoples Organizations (DPO) from Balkh, Samangan and Jawzjan participated in the advocacy meeting. The objective of the meeting was to engage people with disabilities in the coming presidential and provincial council elections.
The Afghan presidential elections are scheduled to be held 5th of April next week.
Director of Afghanistan Human Rights in the north zone Qazi Sayed Mohammad Sameh read out the statement which demanded the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to carry out their activities as per the electoral law article II to facilitate the persons with disabilities take part in the election process, the IEC should also ensure the polling station accessible to the persons with disabilities.
They also demanded preparation of election campaign and electoral education programs to be prepared in sign languages.
The representatives asked the media to publish articles about the rights of the persons with disabilities in their respective outlets, arrange roundtable discussion that should be attended by the representatives of the candidates to declare their plans for the persons with disabilities.
Media should also prepare programs for the persons with disabilities so they can take part in the voting process, they demanded.
In another demand they asked the Ministry of Labour,Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) to implement the article 53 and 16 sub article 2 of the Afghan constitution in order to facilitate the persons with disabilities have their proper existence in the polling process.
The Afghan constitution in article 53 and 16 sub article 2 states“The state shall adopt necessary measures to regulate medical services as well as financial aid to survivors of martyrs and missing persons, and for reintegration of the disabled and handicapped and their active participation in society, s in accordance with provisions of the law.
The state shall guarantee the rights of retirees, and shall render necessary aid to the elderly, women without caretaker, disabled and handicapped as well as poor orphans, in accordance with provisions of the law.”
The meeting was also attended by the representatives of the presidential candidates Dr. Zalmai Rasoul, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, Abdul Rab Raosul Sayaf and Gul Agha Shirzai was presented.
Report/edit: Wakht
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Pakistan News Home -> Afghanistan -> News Details
Voters rush to register for Afghan poll despite attacks
31 March, 2014
KABUL: Crowds queued up outside voter registration centres in Afghanistan on Sunday and presidential candidates held large campaign rallies, six days ahead of elections that have been shaken by Taliban attacks.
The vote, which will choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai, comes as US-led foreign troops withdraw after 13 years of fighting the fierce Islamist insurgency raging across the south and east of the country.
One Romanian soldier was killed on Sunday by an improvised explosive device (IED) in the southern province of Zabul, taking the US-led coalition death toll to 3,429 since operations began in 2001.
On Saturday, the Kabul headquarters of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) was attacked when five Taliban militants occupied a nearby building and unleashed rockets and gunfire towards the fortified compound.
All five attackers were killed by Afghan security forces six hours after the attack began, and there were no other casualties.
"Our vote is our responsibility, people want change and we will bring that change through voting," said Abdul Waris Sadat, a 21-year-old student waiting with several hundred people for hours outside a voter registration centre in Kabul.
"The attacks by the Taliban have motivated people to come to this centre, register and vote," he said. "This is only answer that they give to the Taliban."
Rassoul Khurami, a 60 year-old shopkeeper, added: "I know my vote counts, and this time even if I get killed I will go and vote, I'm not scared of Taliban threats." According to the latest IEC figures, nearly 3.7 million new voters have registered for Saturday's presidential and provincial council elections.
Afghan officials, the United Nations and foreign donor nations have struck a defiant note ahead of the vote after recent attacks on IEC centres, Kabul's most prestigious hotel and a guesthouse run by a US-based anti-landmine charity.
"Thousands of people are queuing every day behind IEC offices to get voter cards, showing strength and determination that nothing will stop us," said interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi. Former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani and Karzai loyalist Zalmai Rassoul held rallies in the northwestern province of Herat on Sunday, while Abdullah Abdullah, who came second in the 2009 vote, campaigned in the southern province of Kandahar.
"We will be victorious in this election — not through fraud, but based on the votes of the people," Abdullah told thousands of flag-waving supporters.
"These attacks cannot stop the people of Afghanistan, who want to have the election." Rassoul is widely seen as Karzai's favoured candidate, and Ghani has drawn big crowds to his rallies, but the two could split the Pashtun ethnic vote while Abdullah retains strong support from non-Pashtun communities.
Eight candidates are running in the April 5 presidential election, with a second round run-off between the two leading contenders expected in late May. The IEC announced on Sunday that 748 polling stations would stay closed as they were in dangerous insurgent strongholds, leaving a total of 6,757 stations to open on Saturday.
"The sites that will remain closed are in places where the observers cannot go, or there are landmines," said Ziaulhaq Amarkhil, head of the IEC secretariat. "We want to the people to go to polling... we want the candidates to respect the people's votes and we want the candidates to avoid fraud."
A repeat of the violence and corruption seen in previous elections would undermine international donors' claims that the expensive 13-year US-led intervention has made progress in establishing a functioning Afghan state.
A small European Union monitoring team will assess the election, and will issue a preliminary report two days after voting. The Romanian government confirmed that one of its soldiers was killed and five injured on Sunday on a patrol with Afghan forces along the main highway from Kabul and Kandahar.
On March 20, four Taliban gunmen smuggled pistols into Kabul's high-security Serena hotel and shot dead nine people including four foreigners.
End.
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IT'S A DIFFERENT AFGHANISTAN..... Afghans are taking back their nations... elders will not allow Heretic Muslims 2 destroy their Afghanistan after so much work.... God bless Afghan people
Election runner kidnapped in Sar-i-Pul
By 59 minutes ago
SAR-E-PUL (WNA-March. 31, 2014): Armed militants have kidnapped a provincial council candidate in northern Sar-i-Pul province, an official said Monday.
Hossain Nazari, the provincial council runner was seized from a passenger vehicle on his way from Suzma Qala district to the provincial capital late on last day.
Governor Abdul Jabbar Haqbin confirmed the incident and said Nazari was contesting the April 5 provincial elections from Balkhab district of the province.
According to hi, the contender had been taken to an unknown location, with local elders and security personnel making efforts to secure his release.
The governor said the runner would be helped through a military operation if the elders mediation failed.
Four kidnapped individuals and another election runner have also been freed.
Report: Atahullah Mohmand
AND..
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http://wakht.af/en/index.php/security-and-crime/5920-election-runner-kidnapped-in-sar-i-pul.html
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An Afghan Afghanistan
by Brahma Chellaney*
30 March 2014, Sunday / NEW DELHI
As it braces for its upcoming presidential election, Afghanistan finds itself at another critical juncture, with its unity and territorial integrity at stake after 35 years of relentless war.
Can Afghanistan finally escape the cycle of militancy and foreign intervention that has plagued it for more than three decades?
Two key questions are shaping discussions about Afghanistan's post-2014 trajectory. The first concerns the extent to which Pakistan will interfere in Afghan affairs, such as by aiding and abetting the Afghan Taliban and its main allies, including the Haqqani network and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's militia. This will depend on whether the United States conditions its generous aid to cash-strapped Pakistan on noninterference in Afghanistan.
The second question is whether US-led NATO forces will continue to play any role in Afghanistan. It is no secret that US President Barack Obama wants to maintain an American military presence in the country -- a reversal of his declaration in 2009 that the US sought no military bases there.
Indeed, for several months, the US has been involved in painstaking negotiations with the Afghan government to conclude a bilateral security agreement that would enable the US to maintain bases in Afghanistan virtually indefinitely. What was supposed to be an endgame for Afghanistan has turned into a new game over America's basing strategy.
But, despite having finalized the terms of the agreement, Obama failed to persuade Afghanistan's outgoing president, Hamid Karzai, to sign it. That means that America's role in the country can be settled only after the new Afghan president assumes office in May.
And the election's outcome is far from certain. While all eight Afghan presidential candidates claim to support the security accord, this may offer little comfort to the US, given that most of the candidates have directly opposed US interests in the past -- not to mention that several of them are former or current warlords.
Moreover, there remains the question of how a residual American-led force, even if sizable, could make a difference in Afghanistan, given that a much larger force failed to secure a clear victory over the past 13 years. Obama has offered no answer.
Nonetheless, there is strong bipartisan support in the US for maintaining military bases in Afghanistan, as a means of projecting hard power, and the increasingly charged confrontation between the US and Russia over Ukraine has boosted that support considerably. In fact, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice explicitly linked Russia's actions in Ukraine with “talk of withdrawal from Afghanistan, whether the security situation warrants it or not.”
According to Rice, anything less than a residual force of 10,000 American troops will send the message that the US is not serious about helping to stabilize Afghanistan -- a message that would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin further. What she does not seem to recognize is that America's deteriorating ties with Russia -- a key conduit for US military supplies to Afghanistan -- could undercut its basing strategy.
The US is clearly convinced that a continued military presence in Afghanistan is in its interests. But what would it mean for Afghanistan, a country that has long suffered at the hands of homegrown militant groups and foreign forces alike?
Afghanistan has been at war since 1979, when Soviet forces launched a disastrous eight-year military campaign against multinational insurgent groups. That intervention -- together with the US and Saudi governments' provision of arms to Afghanistan's anti-Soviet guerrillas through Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency -- helped spread militancy and terrorism, which the subsequent US military intervention has kept alive. As a result, Afghanistan is now at risk of becoming partitioned along ethnic and tribal lines, with militia- or warlord-controlled enclaves proliferating.
In short, foreign involvement in Afghanistan has so far failed to produce positive results. That is why Afghanistan's political and security transition would be better served by focusing on three key internal factors:
* Free and fair elections that are widely viewed as reflecting the will of the Afghan people to chart a peaceful future.
* The ability of Karzai's successor to unite disparate ethnic and political groups -- a tall order that can be filled only by a credible and widely respected leader.
* The government's success in building up Afghanistan's multi-ethnic security forces.
How next month's presidential election plays out is crucial. If threats and violence from the Taliban prevent too many Afghans from casting their vote, the legitimacy of the outcome could be questioned, possibly inciting even more turmoil, which Afghanistan's fledging security forces would struggle to contain.
To be sure, the security forces have, so far, mostly held their ground, deterring assassinations and keeping Kabul largely secure. But they have also failed to make significant gains, and US plans to cut aid will make progress even more difficult. Unable to sustain the current force with reduced aid, the Afghan government will have to try to make it “leaner and meaner.” Whether it will succeed is far from certain.
That only increases the pressure to maintain a foreign military presence, even though it is unlikely to bring peace to Afghanistan. In fact, the risk of becoming locked in a protracted, low-intensity war against militancy and warlordism is likely to outweigh any geopolitical advantages that the US would gain from military bases in the country. After all, the terrorist havens and command-and-control centers for the Afghan insurgency are located in Pakistan -- undercutting the US military effort to rout the Afghan Taliban since 2001.
All of this points to a clear conclusion: Afghanistan's future must finally be put in the hands of Afghans. Outside resources should be devoted to building the governing capacity needed to keep the country united and largely peaceful.
*Brahma Chellaney is professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research.
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News - Afghanistan
Afghans Brave Long Lines to Register to Vote
Sunday, 30 March 2014 20:19 Last Updated on Monday, 31 March 2014 14:57 Written by Shakeela Ahbrimkhil
alt
Throngs of Kabul residents this week have waited hours to register to vote in Saturday's election, but long lines have not done much to hinder the spirits of potential voters who say participation in this year's election is a way of opposing those who threaten their country's wellbeing.
For the past few days Afghans have lined up long before registration centers open at 8AM in hopes of getting their cards quickly. But the crowds have not let up as the days wear on, with long lines stretching out of registration offices until closing time at 4PM.
The large turnout at registration centers bodes well for participation in Saturday's presidential and provincial council elections, though it comes as somewhat of a surprise given the steady stream of militant attacks that have plagued Kabul over the past few days. For many Afghans, the uptick in violence seems to have had the opposite effect from what insurgents intended.
"These suicide bombings and explosions are by the enemies of Afghanistan, and registering to vote is a strong step against them," said Arzo Hashemi, a Kabul resident in line to receive her voting card on Sunday.
Militants laid siege to the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) office in Kabul on Saturday. Although it took six hours, the attack was effectively thwarted by security forces and there were no civilian casualties.
"I am here to get my voting card and I am not afraid of anyone," another Kabul resident named Zahra said.
People of all ages were waiting in line to register on Sunday. Tela Begum and Seema were two elderly women who waited in the long line for hours to get their voting cards. Although they were decades older than many of the others in line, they felt they had an equal right and responsibility to help determine their country's future.
The presidential vote on Saturday will mark Afghanistan's first democratic transition of presidential power in history.
Kabul residents have asked the IEC to increase the number of registration centers to avoid long waiting times. Currently there are 41 registration centers throughout the country that will be open until Wednesday. Each center has two stations - one for men and one for women.
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Afghan Forces Launch Coordinated Assaults Nationwide
Monday, 31 March 2014 12:15 Last Updated on Monday, 31 March 2014 14:15 Written by TOLOnews.com
alt
The Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoIA) released a statement on Monday saying that 36 insurgents were killed, 17 injured and 14 others arrested over the course of the past 24 hours during a series of coordinated nationwide operations conducted by Afghan forces.
The statement said the "Afghan National Police (ANP), Afghan National Army and the National Directorate for Security (NDS) conducted several joint anti-terrorism operations in Kunar, Nangarhar, Badakhshan, Sar-e-Pul, Jawzjan, Kandahar, Zabul, Wardak, Ghazni and Helmand provinces."
The MoIA did not indicate how many, if any, casualties there were among the Afghan forces.
"During these operations ANP discovered and confiscated light and heavy rounds of ammunition and IEDs," the statement read.
The series of operations over the course of the past day came as security and election officials make their final preparations for the upcoming presidential and provincial council elections this Saturday.
On Sunday, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced the final list of polling centers expected to be open on Election Day. Although the number of centers to be closed is higher than previous estimates, officials suggested this precaution would help minimize the chances of electoral fraud.
Officials said 748 out of the total 6,770 available polling centers nationwide will be closed, a 352-center jump from the original estimate of 396 made by security officials in the spring of last year. However, the current figure makes up only 10 percent of all polling centers, a much smaller portion than was the case in the 2009 presidential election.
There are over 350,000 Afghan soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Foreign troops are due to leave by the end of 2014, after handing over full security responsibility to Afghan forces.
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Abdullah Sees Surprise Win Making Him Afghanistan President
By Eltaf Najafizada on 04:09 pm Mar 31, 2014
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah waves to supporters at an election rally in Kandahar, on March 30, 2014. (Bloomberg Photo)
Abdullah Abdullah, who finished second in Afghanistan’s 2009 presidential election, is confident he can win enough ballots on April 5 to avoid a runoff and sign a deal “within a month” to keep US troops in the country.
“God willing, we will have an election which will purely reflect the outcome of Afghans votes and it won’t go to the second round,” Abdullah, 53, said in an interview on March 28 during a campaign stop in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif when asked about his chances. “I’m not that much concerned about other candidates.”
Abdullah is one of several leading contenders to succeed President Hamid Karzai, who has refused to sign an agreement to keep US troops in Afghanistan beyond this year. The Taliban, which lost power after the U.S. invasion in 2001, has sought to disrupt the vote with attacks on police outposts, election offices and establishments frequented by foreigners.
A surprise first-round victory followed by the security agreement would pave the way for Asia’s poorest country to receive billions of dollars in funds to pay government salaries and fight militants. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, the head of US-led forces in the country, said this month the elections are likely headed for a runoff, and a new president probably wouldn’t take office until August.
Abdullah, who served as Karzai’s foreign minister for four years, withdrew in 2009 from a runoff with his former boss, saying it wouldn’t produce a clean vote. Abdullah said he has “hope” that this election will be cleaner than the 2009 election, even as Taliban attacks curtail monitoring activities.
Afghanistan needs the US and international community to provide support, both financially and with security, Abdullah said. PresidentBarack Obama said Feb. 25 that he asked the Pentagon to prepare plans for withdrawal of all forces by December, while waiting to see if the next Afghan leader will sign the Bilateral Security Agreement.
The number of international troops in Afghanistan should be enough to “assert their presence and provide support,” Abdullah said. “It’s in the interest of Afghanistan.”
At the same time, he called for closer relations with neighboring countries and said Afghanistan’s foreign policy should balance concerns of Russia, China and the US. While cross-border attacks have hurt relations with Pakistan, it’s still an important partner for Afghanistan, he said.
“Pakistan understands Pakistani Taliban are threatening their own security, and Afghan Taliban are also threatening their security and ours,” Abdullah said.
Karzai blamed Pakistan for a March 20 attack on Kabul’s Serena Hotel that killed nine people. In a phone call two days ago with Secretary of State John Kerry, Karzai questioned whether the US has the ability or will to influence countries that “support terrorism,” a reference to Pakistan.
The Taliban are boycotting the elections and have vowed to disrupt the polls. Abdul Jabar Haqbeen, governor of northern Sar-e Pol province, said the group last night abducted a candidate who is running for a seat in the provincial council along with his seven associates. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed did not answer calls to his mobile phone.
The guerrilla group attacked the Election Commission headquarters in Kabul two days ago, adding to violence that killed or injured more than 8,000 civilians in 2013, a 14 percent increase from the previous year, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
The people of Afghanistan “just desire peace,” Abdullah said in the interview, adding that he’d continue talks with the Taliban to reach a settlement.
Abdullah is half Pashtun and half Tajik. Pashtuns account for 42 percent of Afghanistan’s 31 million people, while Tajiks make up 27 percent, according to the CIA World Factbook. Uzbeks and Hazaras both account for 9 percent and other groups comprise the rest, it says.
Last week in Mazar-e-Sharif, an area where Pashtuns are a minority, tens of thousands of people came to hear Abdullah’s speech. Some supporters celebrated the political rally by dancing in the crowd.
“Dr. Abdullah has grown up among people and he can better understand people’s sorrow, said Jawid Khaliqi, 27, a book seller in the city, in an interview. ‘‘Other candidates grew up in foreign countries and will never understand our needs.’’
Abdullah was a close aide of Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Masood, a Tajik who is seen by many Afghans as a national hero. They fought together against Soviet occupiers in the 1980s and the Taliban in the 1990s. Suicide bombers killed Masood two days before the Sept. 11 attacks that led to the US invasion.
Abdullah’s top opponents are Pashtuns who have also had roles in Karzai cabinets: Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, a former finance minister who holds a doctorate degree in cultural anthropology from Columbia University in New York, and Zalmai Rassoul, an ex-foreign minister who received an endorsement from Karzai’s brother.
Also running is former warlord Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, according to a Feb. 27 report from the Congressional Research Service. Sayyaf supported figures in the 1980s and 1990s who ultimately formed al-Qaeda and served as the ‘‘mentor” of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, according to The 9/11 Commission Report.
Either Abdullah or Ghani will probably become Afghanistan’s next president, according to Faizullah Jalal, a lecturer at Kabul University.
“It is hard to say which one of these two most popular politicians will win,” he said. “But it’s simple to say one of them will win unless there is fraud.”
Bloomberg
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AFGHANISTAN UPDATES- EDUCATION
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Some 900 teachers attend pay-scale exam in Helmand
40 graduates to leave for Kazakhstan
80,000 students to be recruited to higher, semi higher institutions
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600 teachers pass pay-scale exam in Kandahar
By 01/03/2014 16:37:00
KANDHAR CITY (WNA-March. 1, 2014): Up to 600 teachers are said to have passed a pay-scale exam in the southern province of Kandahar, where the administrative reforms and civil services program was underway, governor office said Saturday.
More than one hundred female teachers included in the program which covered some 600 participants in the province, where the governor office in a statement said the passed teachers were expected to be appointed as professional teachers in the center and districts of the province.
The teachers with license degree would enjoy a high payment, under the program’s required law, said the statement.
The ministry of education is planned to run the test for the remaining from 1,265 volunteers enlisted by the pay-scale program in the province.
Report/edit: Wakht
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Karzi and Nato troops are right.... it will always be remembered that USA/NATO and UN did nothing 2 stop Pakistan..... and now Afghans are strong and brave and determined 2 be free..... Pakistan must be addressed and surrounding countries must step up....it's their turn...imho
Karzai to leave office with mixed legacy 12 years after inheriting a broken Afghanistan
By Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press March 30, 2014
Karzai to leave office with mixed legacy 12 years after inheriting a broken Afghanistan
In this Wednesday, May 26, 2014 photo, a picture of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, right, hangs next to Afghan political and military leader Ahmad Shah Massoud at a luxury hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghans go to the polls April 5, 2014 to choose a new president, and that in itself may one day be considered Karzai’s greatest achievement. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
KABUL - Afghans go to the polls next weekend to choose a new president, and that in itself may one day be considered Hamid Karzai's greatest achievement.
There has been no shortage of criticism of Karzai in recent years. His mercurial behaviour and inability or unwillingness to tackle corruption in his government have been well documented.
But in a nation hardened by decades of war, the fact that he is stepping down as president in the first democratic transfer of power ever is no small matter. It is made possible by a constitution that Karzai helped draft and that prohibits him from serving a third five-year term.
The April 5 election "is a historical marker that will in many ways determine I think not only how he's seen in history if he achieves that but will also be a very important indicator about the future of this country," U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham said last week.
Cunningham said the differences between Karzai and his former American backers will most likely be relegated to a mere historical footnote. Karzai has refused to sign a security pact with the U.S. that would allow thousands of foreign forces to remain here after the end of 2014. Despite overwhelming public support for the deal, he left the decision to his successor. Many believe Karzai simply did not want to be remembered as the president who permitted foreign troops to stay in Afghanistan.
Karzai inherited a broken country when the Americans and their allies chose him more than 12 years ago as a leader they hoped could cross ethnic lines, embrace former enemies and bring Afghans together. As he prepares to leave office, Afghanistan has made great strides yet remains hobbled by a resilient Taliban insurgency and fears of a return to civil war.
In many parts of the country, women have more opportunities, schools have opened and nascent governmental institutions are functioning. After five years of oppressive Taliban rule, people are allowed to express their views in public.
"This is one of his greatest legacies. We are here and we can say whatever we want and we can say it to him," said Saima Khogyani, one of 69 women lawmakers in parliament. "Whether he does what we ask is something else, but he listens."
But widespread corruption, poor governance and stubborn poverty foster support for the Taliban, who control vast rural sections of southern and eastern Afghanistan. The militants have not only shown little interest in peace but have stepped up attacks aimed at disrupting the elections.
Critics fault Karzai for employing former warlords linked to massive abuses. Karzai's defenders say he was hamstrung because the U.S.-led coalition enlisted those warlords to fight the Taliban, empowering them.
Many remember the Karzai of the 1980s, when he lived in Pakistan as the former Soviet Union bombed his homeland, napalm laying waste to the countryside. He would talk of the Afghanistan of his childhood — ruby red pomegranate orchards as far as the eye could see, tribal elders passing through his family home outside the southern city of Kandahar, his father, a Popalzai tribal elder, dispensing wisdom and making decisions with a single sweep of his hand.
"What he understood as democracy was what his father practiced in Kandahar, traditional (ethnic) Pashtun back and forth, (use of) jirgas," as a tool of governance, said Afghan journalist Ahmad Rashid. "I think it is his memories of his father and his past and how ruling and governing was done in the 60s when he was a child that has had just a huge impact on him."
Shortly after the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 1996, Karzai became a matchmaker of sorts, shuttling between Afghanistan's disparate anti-Taliban groups trying to unite them under a single umbrella.
After the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001, Karzai led a small band of men into southern Afghanistan to take on the Taliban regime. The Taliban eventually surrendered not to the Americans but to Karzai, seeking his guarantees of safe passage.
Karzai was still in the mountains in Uruzgan province when he was reached by satellite telephone and told that his lifelong dream would come true: He would be the president of Afghanistan. He was to head a government cobbled together in Bonn, Germany, a collection of warlords-turned-politicians who brought with them their weapons and their militias.
Afghanistan, which was a monarchy until 1973, has had other heads of state but none has been democratically elected.
"There were other possible leaders, but Karzai's role in opposing the Taliban, his personal and family sacrifices, and his role in the war set him apart," said Zalmay Khalilzad, who served as President George W. Bush's special representative to Afghanistan.
To many Afghan officials and foreign observers, Khalilzad was Afghanistan's de-facto ruler in those initial months after the Taliban's collapse. He lived at the palace, crafted alliances and took centre stage organizing the traditional grand councils or loya jirgas that would eventually approve Afghanistan's constitution.
"In the early days he (Karzai) was very much obligated to the Americans, in their lap as it were," said Rashid. "Khalilzad was almost running the country. It took some time for him to emerge."
Khalilzad and Rashid agreed that Karzai's greatest contribution was his ability to cross ethnic lines, make deals with former enemies and hold the country together.
"Karzai helped communities overcome past divisions, uniting the minority groups with the non-Taliban Pashtuns," said Khalilzad. "He enabled all communities to come together and overcome, to a large extent, the conflicts of the past. He has not put people in jail because they oppose him. He allowed freedom of expression. State structures have been restored, though unevenly."
His leadership was affirmed in a 2004 election, although his re-election in 2009 was tainted by allegations of massive ballot box stuffing. With that in mind, some candidates have raised fears about fraud and government interference in the upcoming elections. Relentless insurgent violence also could keep jittery voters from the polling stations.
Time and distance have caused memories to fade, occasionally shining an unfairly harsh light on Karzai's performance, said Paula Newberg, a former special adviser to the United States in Afghanistan.
"It's sometimes hard to remember how isolated Afghanistan was in 2001," said Newberg, a government professor at University of Texas. "Afghanistan from 1996 to mid-2001 was a place where free speech was absent, women were hidden, food was scarce, and health care almost non-existent. Afghans themselves had little opportunity to improve their lives in Afghanistan, and large numbers were leaving the country for any place that would have them."
The list of challenges Karzai faced over the years was daunting, said Newberg.
"President Karzai's tenure in office could not have been anything but challenging," she said. "He came to office with the high expectations of others and great optimism among many Afghans and foreigners alike."
He wowed the West with his impeccable English. Even the creative force behind Gucci, Tom Ford, anointed Karzai, resplendent in his long green and purple striped coat and signature karakul hat, "the choicest man on the planet."
But the presence of more than 130,000 U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, a spike in deaths of civilians by errant bombings and a coterie of "yes" men by Karzai's side caused the relationship to sour. He began angering Washington with belligerent statements, sometimes accusing the U.S. of being in cahoots with the Taliban and more recently calling the Taliban "our brothers" as he sought to bring them into a peace process.
Karzai resented the United States for not taking the fight to Pakistan, where he believed the war should have been fought instead of in Afghanistan. And his friends say he never forgave many world leaders for what he felt was their deeply insulting criticism of the disputed 2009 election.
"He disagreed with the United States about the source of the war," Khalilzad said in an email. "Also, he was treated personally in a way that violated his sense of honour."
Associated Press writer Kim Gamel contributed to this report. Kathy Gannon is AP Special Regional Correspondent for Afghanistan and Pakistan and can be followed on www.twitter.com/kathygannon
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Amazing the complete pride of our Canadian troops ... with all the blood of our troops spilt...wounded... focus on the Afghans and the fact that Canada's goal about making Afghanistan safer whilst helping 2 construct and rebuild and generate a future.... quote
“When you start talking about the millions of girls in school, the universities that were built, the eradication of polio in the south and women being able to go to doctors because there are now female doctors — those are pretty significant achievements,” said Mackenzie.
Afghan instability lingers as Canadian troops look to next mission
By Trevor Robb ,Edmonton Sun
First posted: Saturday, March 29, 2014 04:19 PM EDT | Updated: Saturday, March 29, 2014 04:36 PM EDT
More troops are to return home Monday. Approximately 35 members of the Canadian Armed Forces returned home as part of the final commitment of Canadian troops in Afghanistan at the Shell AeroCentre at the Edmonton International Airport on Friday, December 13, 2013. TREVOR ROBB/Edmonton Sun
Canada’s military commitment to Afghanistan may have ended, but terrorism in the war-torn nation continues.
Less than a week after all but about 20 Canadian troops returned home, Taliban forces launched an offensive attack on the heavily fortified Serena hotel in Kabul last Tuesday. Gunmen killed nine people, including two Canadian women and a National Democratic Institute (NDI) observer.
The NDI and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were brought into the area to oversee the country’s upcoming election, slated for April 5.
Observers from both the NDI and the OSCE have now been pulled from the area and sent to Turkey.
While the situation in the nation’s capital becomes increasingly unstable, close to 20 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members remain in Kabul lending security support to the Canadian Embassy.
“While it is impossible to eliminate all danger, CAF personnel are well trained and prepared to deal with risks associated with their service in a particular operational theatre,” said Daniel Le Bouthillier, spokesperson with the Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND).
Immediately following the attack, Kabul pointed the finger of blame at Pakistan’s intelligence agencies.
“We are aware of the allegations that Pakistan was involved in the attack, and these allegations are very troubling if true,” said Béatrice Fénelon, spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.
Adding to the unrest, a group of five militants, including two suicide bombers who successfully blew themselves up, stormed an election office in Kabul this week. However, a five-hour gunfight with security forces — many of whom have been trained by Canadian troops, including those from Edmonton Garrison — resulted in the deaths of all five militants.
Canada will provide $330 million between 2015 and 2017 to help sustain those Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).
The ability for the ANSF to properly protect themselves was the cornerstone of the CAF’s final mission in Afghanistan, Operation ATTENTION, where troops trained the ANSF for the last several years as part of the NATO Training Mission–Afghanistan (NTM-A).
Major General (Ret’d) Lewis Mackenzie has been out of the CAF for 22 years now but toured Afghanistan four times with trips as recent as 2005, just before CAF forces moved south to Kandahar.
When discussing the measurement of success regarding Canada’s role in Afghanistan, Mackenzie has always answered the question with a 50/50 response.
“I don’t know what the time frame is when we’ll be able to say one way or another — I think it will be, though, within five years — and we’ll be able to say what we did stuck, it worked, and we played a major role,” said Mackenzie from his Ottawa home.
But the future success of Canada’s role in Afghanistan hinges on the ANSF’s ability to blanket themselves from Taliban threats and attacks, both from within and beyond its borders.
“The elephant in the room, as they say, is Pakistan and as a result of that it depends somewhat on the Pakistan Taliban,” said Mackenzie, who points out the possibility of a Pakistan-Afghanistan Taliban merger is tenuous at best,
However, reports in October 2013 surfaced when senior Pakistan Taliban militant, Latif Mehsud, was discovered among an Afghan convoy heading to Kabul for secret talks. Couple that with reports from the Afghan intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) who said last Wednesday they arrested Pakistani Taliban commander Muftauddin (Mansoor) in the eastern Nuristan province of Afghanistan. NDS said in a statement that Muftauddin, who was arrested carrying numerous weapons and ammunition, was sent to the area to target presidential and provincial council elections.
“It scares one when you think of the Afghanistan Taliban and the Pakistan Taliban working together,” said Mackenzie.
But as the situation stands today, there are specific success stories that one can point to.
“When you start talking about the millions of girls in school, the universities that were built, the eradication of polio in the south and women being able to go to doctors because there are now female doctors — those are pretty significant achievements,” said Mackenzie.
“If we had thought those were going to be possible when we went there in 2001, people would have just shaken their heads. Those are definite improvements within a country fighting an insurgency.”
There are many successes to be heralded at home too. MacKenzie has nothing but admiration for those serving out of Edmonton Garrison.
“Edmonton has been just fantastic right from the very beginning — and I know the war had something to do with that but nevertheless — the relationship that’s been established in Edmonton is an international model not just a Canadian model.”
Time to Heal
Post-Afghanistan is a time for healing, both physically and mentally.
Many western-based Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) soldiers will receive about a month worth of leave before being reintegrated back into their regiments.
When it comes to mental health issues within the ranks, Brig.-Gen. Christian Juneau, Commander 3rd Canadian Division and Joint Task Force West, says the first order of business is removing the stigmas attached to the seemingly invisible injury.
“When I talk to my soldiers, what I tell them is that it’s no different than any other type of injury or illness,” said Juneau. “If you have a bad back, a bad knee or if you have tooth ache you go and seek medical attention and that’s really the way to look at mental health as well.”
While in combat in Afghanistan, soldiers operate under ‘the buddy system’.
“It’s part of our culture. It creates a bond that’s quite strong,” said Juneau, adding soldiers are willing to take a bullet for their battle buddy. “So now, we’re asking our folks to look after each other at home the same way they do in operation.”
The other message Juneau enforces to his troops is to not suffer in silence and seek the necessary attention when needed.
“Mental health is not like wine, it doesn’t get better with time,” said Juneau. “If you have an issue, address it immediately.”
CAF members can call a 24-hour Member Assistance Program line at 1-800-268-7708.
Where to Now?
After 13 years of combat in Afghanistan soldiers have returned home, and the answer to the question of what happens next appears to lie in the frigid Arctic lands in northern Canada.
From Feb. 13 to Feb. 26, approximately 500 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI), trained alongside Canadian Rangers in the 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group and the Arctic Response Company Group in Kugaaruk, Nunavut.
During ARCTIC RAM 2014, troops worked on various exercises including survival training, snowmobile patrolling, advance winter warfare skills and quick response to a threat or hazard in Canada’s North.
It’s training missions like these that Chief of Defence Staff General Tom Lawson covets and looks towards when discussing the immediate future of Western Canadian-based soldiers.
“Re-learning how to be really good at operating in the Arctic is the kind of thing we used to be really good at and will continue to be really good at in the future,” said Lawson, when visiting Edmonton earlier this month.
Russia, Canada, the United States, Denmark and Norway have all thrown their name into the Arctic hat, claiming sovereignty over certain areas.
In December 2013, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minster John Baird unveiled to reporters plans for the federal government to lay claim to the North Pole.
However, the claim has been delayed until scientists can gather sufficient data to confirm Canada’s territorial expansion.
“As we gain a third ocean in Canada at a much more accelerated pace than what we thought we would gain just 20 years ago, we see how important it is,” said Lawson.
“And not only from a resource point of view but the fact that other nations from around the world now question some of the assumptions that we made regarding the sovereignty of our territory in the water ways up there.”
trevor.robb@sunmedia.ca
@SunTrevorRobb
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/03/29/afghan-instability-lingers-as-canadian-troops-look-to-next-mission
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APRIL 30-30- just in from China- best news source on planet... see nobody trusts Pakistan... like Canada Former Ambassador said all along... Afghanistan is fine... Pakistan is the problem and USA and UN must stop protecting Pakistan... now Iran is angry...
Iran to tighten security along border with Pakistan
English.news.cn 2014-03-30 23:12:48
TEHRAN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran has begun constructing 120 watch posts along its eastern border areas with Pakistan to enhance the security there, the Iranian police chief said on Sunday.
Brigadier General Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam said the police are building the watch posts and a 120-km road in cooperation with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to step up the security along the country's eastern borders.
The move comes after recent attacks against Iranian border guards by the Sunni rebels.
On Friday the IRGC announced that their forces will undertake the security of the 300-km border in the southeastern city of Saravan in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province.
Last Sunday Jaish Al-Adl Sunni rebel group from Iran's Sistan- Baluchestan province said they killed one of the five Iranian border guards that they claimed to have taken as hostages in February.
Editor: yan http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-03/30/c_133225300.htm
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NEWS UPDATES MARCH 30 2014- FROM AND AROUND AFGHANISTAN NATIONS.... defiant, brave and strong... God bless Afghans... free at last... free at last...
Candidates
CANADIAN SOLDIER... so eloquent, honest about his devotion 2 everda Afghans- believing in them, respecting them... that's the Canada we know and love... thank u
Canadian soldier on Afghan mission: 'I'm proud'
Canadian soldier Phil Palmer on his conflicted feelings about Afghanistan
By Phil Palmer - special to, CBC News Posted: Mar 23, 2014 5:00 AM ET| Last Updated: Mar 23, 2014 5:00 AM ET
Canada's mission in Afghanistan officially ended on March 12, with this C-17 bringing the last troops back to Ottawa on March 18.
Last week, The Sunday Edition aired a special feature called “Our Longest War” that focused on Canada's mission to Afghanistan, which officially ended on March 12.
The segment prompted a large response from listeners, including an email from Ottawa resident Phil Palmer, a soldier who did two tours of Afghanistan.
The producers of The Sunday Edition asked Palmer to come into their Ottawa studio to read the letter on air. Here is the text version.
I heard your program last Sunday morning about Canada ending its mission in Afghanistan, and wanted to share with you a most profound moment I experienced not 15 minutes ago.
I had just finished a walk through the woods with my dog after dropping the kids off at school. It was a cold, quiet March morning. As I was crossing the street near my children’s school, I heard an approaching aircraft. This wasn’t unusual. I live under one of the main flight paths to the Ottawa International airport. When I looked up, though, my heart nearly stopped in my chest.
Phil Palmer is a Canadian veteran who did two tours of Afghanistan. (Courtesy of Phil Palmer)
Immediately recognizable to me, and approaching in a low, slow and deliberate manner in the clear, bright sky, was a C-17 cargo plane, escorted by two CF-18 Hornets. I was gobsmacked to realize that flying overhead – and very close to me – was the last flight of Canadian soldiers returning home from Afghanistan. I had heard about their imminent arrival that morning on the news, and had hoped to see the aircraft fly by. But nothing like this.
As I stood there staring, a truck pulled up to the intersection. I looked over and pointed up. The roar of the aircraft engines was hard to ignore, and the trucker got out to see what I was gesturing at. As we both stood there watching, I was nearly overcome by emotion. I waved, instinctively, in silent tribute. After the aircraft had passed by, the man turned to me and said, “Thanks for pointing, I would have missed it.”
“No problem,” I said. “They were the last of our soldiers returning from Afghanistan.”
And then: “I was there myself, twice.”
He nodded, climbed back in his truck, and went on his way. The dog and I continued home. I choked back the tears.
The moment was profound because of the memories it stirred in me. Because it made me think hard about Canada. And because I’d blurted out to a complete stranger that I was even there. I have served multiple tours overseas, including in Somalia, Bosnia and twice in Afghanistan.
To say Afghanistan changed my life would be an understatement. My wife and I are both soldiers, and in a less than a 10-year period, we spent probably close to three years apart while on different tours — on the ground in Afghanistan or in operations related to 9/11.
That service has left us both physically and emotionally scarred, and we have dealt with issues related to operational stress.
Despite those setbacks, however, we are committed to nursing our relationship, minds and bodies back to health for ourselves and our children. We don’t want to add to the casualty count of this war.
I lost several friends in Afghanistan. Many others were blown up by IEDs, shot, maimed, emotionally wounded and some ended their own lives after they returned home. I physically left Afghanistan in October 2008, but some part of me remains there.
¦Faces of the fallen: Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan
¦Special report: Canada in Afghanistan
I’m proud that Canadians – as we did in WWI, WWII, Korea and elsewhere - stood up for values that I believe were worth fighting for. We went to Afghanistan because our allies, way of life and values were attacked. As the conflict raged, we stood alone for a time, refused to relent and remained committed to what we started.
I’m proud that our commitment, however, wasn’t simply to drop bombs, kill and/or capture the Taliban and al-Qaeda. We worked on development, education and health. We helped Afghans see the value in sovereignty, sustainability, self-help and security.
This, I will tell my children, is why their Mummy and Daddy left them behind on multiple occasions.
The debate about whether Canada did the right thing, accomplished enough or tried hard enough in Afghanistan will continue. For me, however, the return of that big, lumbering C-17 that flew over my head this morning signalled the beginning of the end. Farewell to the lost. Good luck, Afghanistan. For me and my family, it’s time to move on.
This summer, Phil Palmer will be medically released from the forces after 26 years of service. He's going to university now, pursuing a degree in political science.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadian-soldier-on-afghan-mission-i-m-proud-1.2581829
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AFGHANISTAN... FREE AT LAST... FREE AT LAST..... DR. ABDULLAH ABDULLAH AND THE YOUTH AND WOMEN AND AFGHANS ARE CHANGING THEIR WORLD.... LOOK AT THE BRAVERY.... FOLKS.... thx 2 our Nato troops 4 believing.... and thx 2 Afghans brave military and army and policing- honour.... is...rising.... in Afghanistan...
"Our vote is our responsibility, people want change and we will bring that change through voting," said Abdul Waris Sadat, a 21-year-old student waiting with several hundred people for hours outside a voter registration centre in Kabul.
"The attacks by the Taliban have motivated people to come to this center, register and vote. This is only answer that they give to the Taliban."
Rassoul Khurami, a 60 year-old shopkeeper, added: "I know my vote counts, and this time even if I get killed I will go and vote, I'm not scared of Taliban threats."
According to the latest IEC figures, nearly 3.7 million new voters have registered for Saturday's presidential and provincial council elections
Afghan voters rush to register for poll despite attacks
Published: 30 Mar 2014 at 18.49 Online news: Asia
Crowds queued up outside voter registration centres in Afghanistan on Sunday and presidential candidates held large outdoor rallies for supporters, six days ahead of elections that have been shaken by Taliban attacks.
Burqa-clad Afghan women pose with their voter identification cards at a registration center in Ghazni province on March 27, 2014
The vote, which will choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai, comes as US-led foreign troops withdraw after 13 years of fighting the fierce Islamist insurgency raging across the south and east of the country.
One Romanian soldier was killed on Sunday by an improvised explosive device (IED) in the southern province of Zabul, taking the US-led coalition death toll to 3,429 since operations began in 2001.
On Saturday, the Kabul headquarters of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) was attacked when five Taliban militants occupied a nearby building and unleashed rockets and gunfire onto the fortified compound.
All five attackers were killed by Afghan security forces six hours after the attack began, and there were no other casualties.
"Our vote is our responsibility, people want change and we will bring that change through voting," said Abdul Waris Sadat, a 21-year-old student waiting with several hundred people for hours outside a voter registration centre in Kabul.
"The attacks by the Taliban have motivated people to come to this center, register and vote. This is only answer that they give to the Taliban."
Rassoul Khurami, a 60 year-old shopkeeper, added: "I know my vote counts, and this time even if I get killed I will go and vote, I'm not scared of Taliban threats."
According to the latest IEC figures, nearly 3.7 million new voters have registered for Saturday's presidential and provincial council elections.
Afghan officials, the United Nations and foreign donor nations have struck a defiant note ahead of the vote after recent attacks on IEC centres, Kabul's most prestigious hotel and a guesthouse run by a US-based anti-landmine charity.
"Thousands of people are queueing every day behind IEC offices to get voter cards, showing strength and determination that nothing will stop us," said interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.
Former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani and Karzai loyalist Zalmai Rassoul held rallies in the northwestern province of Herat on Sunday, while Abdullah Abdullah, who came second in the 2009 vote, campaigned in the southern province of Kandahar.
Eight candidates are running in April 5 presidential election, with a second round run-off between the two leading contenders expected in late May.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/402558/
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Election Result Should Bring Security, Stability to Afghan People, Qanooni
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Kabul (BNA) The first vice president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Younus Qanooni yesterday morning met with a number of directors and employees for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and discussed related to current conditions of the country and the government’s responsibilities. According to presidential press office to BNA, in consideration to current opportunities till presidential elections, the first vice president said, “Election process should be successfully completed, so we have to support the process.”
The first vice president considered the elections as key for future and stability in Afghanistan, adding Afghan people had no other ways except highly participating in the elections.
“Peaceful transition of power in the country can be possible as the result of transparent and free elections and result of the elections should bring security and stability to Afghanistan people,” Qanooni added.
He said, “By widely participating in the elections, we should bid farewell with the past in order that our new generation should not be hostage by the past.”
Representing the others in the meeting, head of consulate affairs for MoFA asserted that MoFA beside other government institutions would make efforts for what all Afghan people want from elections.”
http://www.bakhtarnews.com.af/eng/politics/item/11613-election-result-should-bring-security-stability-to-afghan-people-qanooni.html
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Terrorist Attacks Never Stop Afghans From Demonstrating Their National Will, President Karzai
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Kabul (BNA) Hamid Karzai, president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has seriously condemned terrorist attacks on IEC main office and a foreign hotel in Kabul.
President Hamid Karzai called the terrorist attacks as offensive of foreign intelligence networks trying to make Afghanistan instable and sabotage the presidential elections by launching such terrorist attacks. The country’s president suggested such terrorist attacks would never stop Afghanistan people from participation in the election and demonstration of their national will, but millions of Afghans would go to polling stations to cast votes for their country’s president and provincial councils’ members.
The president stressed that the elections would be held on its due time and the enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan could never stop Afghanistan people from participating in their national and democratic process. President Karzai has instructed relevant officials to urgently assist to the family of a young girl martyred yesterday in a terrorist attack on a hotel in Kabul.
http://www.bakhtarnews.com.af/eng/security/item/11611-terrorist-attacks-never-stop-afghans-from-demonstrating-their-national-will-president-karzai.html
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AFGHANISTAN... BELOVED ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN... FREE AT LAST... FREE AT LAST...... so love Afghans and their dignity, courage .... bravehearted women, youth and children and elders.... God bless u each and all.
Afghanistan elections: Domestic and external spoilers
The challenge facing Afghan leaders will be to allow for the constitutional process to run its course, without meddling.
Last updated: 30 Mar 2014 09:13 Omar Samad
Omar Samad is a senior Central Asia fellow at New America Foundation. He was Afghanistan's ambassador to France (2009-2011) and Canada (2004-2009), and Spokesperson for the Afghan Foreign Ministry (2002-2004).
A large number of Afghans are eager to take part in the upcoming watershed presidential and provincial council elections, writes Samad [Getty Images]
With less than a week left before Afghans go to the polls to elect a new leader to replace President Hamid Karzai, who has been in office for the past 13 years, the country is vacillating between trepidation and enthusiasm. For the first time since 2004 (the date for the first post-Taliban general election), there is a groundswell of political excitement building up across the country. But the spectres of intimidation, meddling and uncertainty are acting as spoilers. These could become serious barriers to realising a relatively fair and free ballot that will determine the level of credibility and legitimacy needed to assure a more stable and prosperous future.
A new survey released this week indicated that a large number of Afghans are eager to take part in the upcoming watershed presidential (and provincial council) elections. Last winter's survey conducted by the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), indicates more than 91 percent of respondents support the holding of elections slated for April 5, and more than 74 percent want to participate.
Whether events unfolding over the next few days will allow for a large turnout on E-day is another question.
Intimidation through violence
Although rigging is a prime concern for most political actors across the country, security has become a major worry since the beginning of the year. Kabul and a number of high target provinces have experienced a spate of suicide attacks and assassinations after the Taliban leadership issued one of its signatory statements earlier this month promising to "use all force" possible to disrupt the presidential elections.
Making good on their promise, they have unleashed spectacular suicide attacks that have resulted in civilian deaths as part of a pre-meditated intimidation strategy.
But the reaction by Afghans across ethnic and socio-economic lines has been one of defiance. Realising that peace talks between Pakistan and the home-grown TTP (Taliban of Pakistan) may be intended to facilitate the Taliban's ability to disrupt the Afghan elections, there is growing Afghan civil resistance, especially due to the news that many attackers are Taliban students being deliberately discharged from cross-border madrassas.
Afghan sensitivities to perceptions of intrusion by any foreign power, as well as local spoilers, have hardened voters' resolve to assure the success of the national process.
Despite having more than 20 million voter cards in circulation in a country with an estimated 11 million eligible voters, there are still long lines of Afghan men and women at registration stations eager to sign up. All indications point to a heavy turnout on election day, both in urban as well as relatively safe rural areas.
In addition to more than 380,000 army, police and international forces securing the elections, more than 13,000 women will also help with security to boost gender participation.
The challenge facing current and future Afghan leaders will be to allow for the constitutional process to run its course, without undue meddling or tampering.
Meddling and fraud
Despite a dynamic campaign and mobilisation effort, several frontrunners in the 2014 race point to fraud and high-level meddling as the primary challenge facing the overall process.
There are lingering questions about the neutrality, independence and capacity of the independent election commissions to mitigate, investigate and follow up with the irregularities.
Moreover, some candidates have accused high government officials of financial impropriety, bias and intrusion in favour of preferred candidates.
Empty threats and warnings have been issued by the authorities, but to date, no one has been seriously penalised or prosecuted.
Three major types of fraud are anticipated: ballot stuffing and the use of illegal voter cards on elections day; post-elections manipulation of results; and biased or erroneous assessment and adjudication of complaints.
While most of the campaigns, civil society, media, and international observers groups and youth organisations are concentrating their monitoring efforts on election day, there is little that is envisaged in terms of oversight in the crucial post-balloting phases before results are finalised.
Many Afghans have all but given up on the international community playing a neutral but effective oversight role in assuring a credible outcome. Even the United Nations, usually seen as an unbiased arbiter, came out with a contradictory position this week, whereby it condemned electoral fraud, but also warned candidates to accept final results and refrain from protesting.
If election results were to be contested by large constituencies, the ultimate responsibility for a botched election will rest partly with corrupt candidates and their agents, the electoral commissions and, above all, with the outgoing government.
Karzai has tried in vain to avoid giving the impression of meddling, but has not been able to appease public doubts since the 2009 fiasco that led to the disqualification of more than one million votes.
Uncertainty amid growing enthusiasm
Both random cases of insecurity and likelihood of fraud have fueled uncertainty about the transparency of elections. However, as shown by recent surveys, Afghans consider an inclusive electoral process as not a perfect solution, but as the best opportunity to express their free will, given the challenges they face at this juncture.
The FEFA survey also reveals that most Afghans want to protect the gains of the last decade, and are looking for traits in a leader that include good education and experience, in addition to honesty and being just.
Caught between uncertainty and enthusiasm, it is evident that the electoral process and widespread communal participation in political life - exposed through a vibrant media - have enriched the countrywide discourse and strengthened the bonds of nationhood.
It is for these reasons that domestic and external spoilers aim to disrupt the flow of progress by resorting to extreme means of violence and intimidation. But these forces are now facing deep resentment and defiance by all segments of society.
The challenge facing current and future Afghan leaders will be to allow for the constitutional process to run its course, without undue meddling or tampering.
Omar Samad is a senior Central Asia fellow at New America Foundation. He was Afghanistan's ambassador to France (2009-2011) and Canada (2004-2009), and Spokesperson for the Afghan Foreign Ministry (2002-2004).
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/03/afghanistan-elections-domestic--201433071230544489.html
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PAKISTAN- UNITED NATIONS AND USA MUST STOP $$$$$$ PAKISTAN...
Progress likely on prisoners release: Sami
March 30, 2014 - Updated 1434 PKT
From Web Edition
ISLAMABAD: Maulana Samiul Haq has said that progress was likely on the issue of prisoners’ release in talks between the Taliban and the government.
Speaking to Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, Chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council on Sunday, Samiul Haq said that the prime minister and the interior minister were playing positive role in the negotiation process.
He said that the national wanted peace and anti-talk elements would not succeed, adding that ceasefire will also continue.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-142950-Progress-likely-on-prisoners-release:-Sami
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Malik opposes release of any killer on Taliban demand
KARACHI: Former interior minister Rehman Malik Saturday said that the Taliban demand for release of prisoners gave the impression of negotiations being held between the two sides. He said that the government must think over before releasing the prisoners that there was no provision in law for any such decision.
Talking to media at the airport here, Rehman Malik demanded that if Shahbaz Taseer and Ali Gilani were really in Taliban custody, then their video should be released.
Referring to the threatening letter to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former interior minister said that Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) were not separate entity and added the letter sent to Bilawal was the violation of Taliban-government accord.
Everyone knows where are the roots of LeJ and Punjab government should investigate into the matter, he said.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-7-241103-Malik-opposes-release-of-any-killer-on-Taliban-demand
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(article ? replaces - )
THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES- CONDOLEEZZA RICE- SHE LOVE OUR TROOPS AND LOVES AMERICA ... AND PROVED IT AGAIN AND AGAIN...
In fact, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice explicitly linked Russia’s actions in Ukraine with “talk of withdrawal from Afghanistan, whether the security situation warrants it or not.”
According to Rice, anything less than a residual force of 10,000 American troops will send the message that the U.S. is not serious about helping to stabilize Afghanistan - a message that would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin further. What she does not seem to recognize is that America’s deteriorating ties with Russia - a key conduit for U.S. military supplies to Afghanistan could undercut its basing strategy.
Creating an Afghanistan that defines itself
Updated : 2014-03-30 20:45
NEW DELHI ? As it braces for its upcoming presidential election, Afghanistan finds itself at another critical juncture, with its unity and territorial integrity at stake after 35 years of relentless war. Can Afghanistan finally escape the cycle of militancy and foreign intervention that has plagued it for more than three decades?
Two key questions are shaping discussions about Afghanistan’s post-2014 trajectory. The first concerns the extent to which Pakistan will interfere in Afghan affairs, such as by aiding and abetting the Afghan Taliban and its main allies, including the Haqqani network and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s militia. This will depend on whether the United States conditions its generous aid to cash-strapped Pakistan on noninterference in Afghanistan.
The second question is whether US-led NATO forces will continue to play any role in Afghanistan. It is no secret that U.S. President Barack Obama wants to maintain an American military presence in the country ? a reversal of his declaration in 2009 that the U.S. sought no military bases there.
Indeed, for several months, the U.S. has been involved in painstaking negotiations with the Afghan government to conclude a bilateral security agreement that would enable the U.S. to maintain bases in Afghanistan virtually indefinitely. What was supposed to be an endgame for Afghanistan has turned into a new game over America’s basing strategy.
But, despite having finalized the terms of the agreement, Obama failed to persuade Afghanistan’s outgoing president, Hamid Karzai, to sign it. That means that America’s role in the country can be settled only after the new Afghan president assumes office in May.
And the election’s outcome is far from certain. While all eight Afghan presidential candidates claim to support the security accord, this may offer little comfort to the U.S., given that most of the candidates have directly opposed U.S. interests in the past ? not to mention that several of them are former or current warlords.
Moreover, there remains the question of how a residual American-led force, even if sizable, could make a difference in Afghanistan, given that a much larger force failed to secure a clear victory over the past 13 years. Obama has offered no answer.
Nonetheless, there is strong bipartisan support in the U.S. for maintaining military bases in Afghanistan, as a means of projecting hard power, and the increasingly charged confrontation between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine has boosted that support considerably. In fact, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice explicitly linked Russia’s actions in Ukraine with “talk of withdrawal from Afghanistan, whether the security situation warrants it or not.”
According to Rice, anything less than a residual force of 10,000 American troops will send the message that the U.S. is not serious about helping to stabilize Afghanistan a message that would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin further. What she does not seem to recognize is that America’s deteriorating ties with Russia a key conduit for U.S. military supplies to Afghanistan could undercut its basing strategy.
The U.S. is clearly convinced that a continued military presence in Afghanistan is in its interests. But what would it mean for Afghanistan, a country that has long suffered at the hands of homegrown militant groups and foreign forces alike?
Afghanistan has been at war since 1979, when Soviet forces launched a disastrous eight-year military campaign against multinational insurgent groups. That intervention ? together with the U.S. and Saudi governments’ provision of arms to Afghanistan’s anti-Soviet guerrillas through Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency ? helped spread militancy and terrorism, which the subsequent U.S. military intervention has kept alive. As a result, Afghanistan is now at risk of becoming partitioned along ethnic and tribal lines, with militia- or warlord-controlled enclaves proliferating.
In short, foreign involvement in Afghanistan has so far failed to produce positive results. That is why Afghanistan’s political and security transition would be better served by focusing on three key internal factors:
? Free and fair elections that are widely viewed as reflecting the will of the Afghan people to chart a peaceful future.
? The ability of Karzai’s successor to unite disparate ethnic and political groups ? a tall order that can be filled only by a credible and widely respected leader.
? The government’s success in building up Afghanistan’s multi-ethnic security forces.
How next month’s presidential election plays out is crucial. If threats and violence from the Taliban prevent too many Afghans from casting their vote, the legitimacy of the outcome could be questioned, possibly inciting even more turmoil, which Afghanistan’s fledging security forces would struggle to contain.
To be sure, the security forces have, so far, mostly held their ground, deterring assassinations and keeping Kabul largely secure. But they have also failed to make significant gains, and U.S. plans to cut aid will make progress even more difficult. Unable to sustain the current force with reduced aid, the Afghan government will have to try to make it “leaner and meaner.” Whether it will succeed is far from certain.
That only increases the pressure to maintain a foreign military presence, even though it is unlikely to bring peace to Afghanistan. In fact, the risk of becoming locked in a protracted, low-intensity war against militancy and warlordism is likely to outweigh any geopolitical advantages that the U.S. would gain from military bases in the country. After all, the terrorist havens and command-and-control centers for the Afghan insurgency are located in Pakistan ? undercutting the U.S. military effort to rout the Afghan Taliban since 2001.
All of this points to a clear conclusion: Afghanistan’s future must finally be put in the hands of Afghans. Outside resources should be devoted to building the governing capacity needed to keep the country united and largely peaceful.
By Brahma Chellaney
Brahma Chellaney is professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research. ? Ed.
(Project Syndicate)
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140330000434
-----------
USA MUST STOP FUNDING$$$ TERROR NATIONS LIKE PAKISTAN... SERIOUSLY.... AND MUSLIM KILLING MUSLIM HATE-
He also told Kerry that he did not accept U.S. arguments that it had no influence “over countries that support terrorism,” and said U.S. refusal to go after the Pakistani intelligence agency could further hurt U.S. relations with Afghanistan.
Karzai steps up Pakistan accusations
Foreign National 2 hours ago BY AGENCIES KABUL-30 March 2014
In a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Hamid Karzai accused Pakistan of being behind a recent series of attacks and of blocking his government from striking a peace deal with the Taliban, the Afghan president’s office said Sunday.
Karzai routinely makes such accusations against Islamabad, but his tone in recent days has been particularly pointed and direct. They come after run of three attacks in five days in the capital Kabul, the latest a Saturday machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenade barrage of the country’s electoral commission ahead of general elections set for next week.
Karzai told Kerry on Saturday the attacks were complex in nature and stage-managed by “foreign intelligence agencies,” a reference to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. He also told Kerry that he did not accept U.S. arguments that it had no influence “over countries that support terrorism,” and said U.S. refusal to go after the Pakistani intelligence agency could further hurt U.S. relations with Afghanistan.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the recent violence in Kabul. Islamabad has a long and complicated relationship with the group, but few analysts accept Karzai’s allegations that Pakistani intelligence agencies and not the Taliban are staging attacks. Pakistan denies that it is assisting the Taliban.
Karzai is not allowed to run for re-election in the April 5 ballot, as he is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term in office. He is seen as positioning himself for life after the presidency, depicting himself as a tough-speaking nationalist.
Karzai has also refused to sign a Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States which would allow for the U.S. and NATO to leave behind a residual force of about 12,000 soldiers after the final withdrawal of international combat troops takes place at the end of this year. Despite widespread support for the agreement, Karzai says he first wants the U.S. to move forward with a peace pact with the Taliban, presumably by putting pressure on neighbor Pakistan.
During the telephone conversation, according to the Afghan presidency, Karzai told Kerry that the Taliban were willing to talk to his High Peace Council, an 80-member body tasked by the president to spearhead reconciliation with his armed opposition, but Pakistan was preventing them.
The presidency did not provide further details.
The Taliban has denied any talks with Karzai and says it does not want to speak with the Afghan president. However several Taliban leaders have met with members of Karzai’s High Peace Council in the United Arab Emirates, according to both Taliban and high peace council members, who have previously spoken to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so as not to disrupt the delicate diplomacy.
Also on Sunday, a roadside bomb killed a service member with the international military coalition in Afghanistan in a southeastern province, said Coalition spokesman Capt. Patrick Simmons.
The bomb was set off by remote control as a convoy reached the outskirts of Qalat, capital of Zabul province, said district governor Abdul Khaliq Ayubi. He said another three troops were wounded.
NATO usually waits for member countries to announce the nationalities of casualties.
Most of Afghanistan’s security is now in the hands of the Afghan National Security Forces ahead of the withdrawal of international combat troops at the end of December. Still, international service personnel occasionally patrol troubled areas and assist Afghan troops when requested.
A stubborn insurgency still rages in Afghanistan’s south and east.
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2014/03/30/national/karzai-steps-up-pakistan-accusations/
---------------
PEACE OF CHRIST
Romanian Soldier Killed
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Kabul (BNA) A Romanian solider of NATO troops was killed in an explosion in Zabul province this morning.
The blast occurred in Safa city, Zabul province while another NATO solider and three civilians were wounded in an explosion.
Ghulam Sakhi Rogh Lewani police chief of Zabul told BNA, the explosive materials in a vehicle exploded while, the convoy of NATO troops were passing the area.
He confirmed that in the incident, a NATO soldier was killed and another one with three civilians wounded.
Rough Lewani said that the injured were taken for treatment to provincial hospital of Qalat city and Doctors called the health condition of them satisfactory.
T. Suraya-Yarzada
http://www.bakhtarnews.com.af/eng/security/item/11621-romanian-soldier-killed.html
----------------
First VP Meets German Ambassador To Kabul
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Kabul (BNA) First Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Younus Qanooni met yesterday evening with Martin Haiger, German ambassador to Kabul.
Presidential press office stated BNA in the courtesy meeting, the first vice president called relations between Germany and Afghanistan as historic and praised Germany for its assistance to Afghanistan people.
“We are in a historic moment which is key for us and our international partners, hoping we pass this way successfully,” the first vice president said.
Qanooni asserted that the people and government of Afghanistan would soon have presidential elections and terrorist attacks would not stop Afghanistan government and people from their will and determination. In the meeting, the German ambassador to Kabul while expressing sympathy and condolence over death of late Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim asserted that you were a suitable replacement to him and your presence was a good opportunity for fighting current challenges
http://www.bakhtarnews.com.af/eng/politics/item/11614-first-vp-meets-german-ambassador-to-kabul.html
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BBC News
UN: Over one million displaced by South Sudan conflict
Los Angeles Times
As Syria civil war enters fourth year, rebels are clearly losing
BBC News
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López denied bail
--------------
BACK IN IN THE REAL WORLD-
MARCH 30- REALITY BITES-
The NATO Panic-The alarmist claims that the alliance can’t defend Europe from Russia are preposterous.
By Fred Kaplan
106478434-swedish-soldiers-with-the-nato-led-international Swedish soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force are seen with their tanks in Afghanistan in 2010. The Western alliance is plenty strong enough to stand up to Russia’s faded military power.
Photo by Kazim Ebrahimkhil/AFP/Getty Images
Granted, the crisis in Ukraine is worrisome, Vladimir Putin’s behavior is unpredictable, and the 30,000 Russian troops amassed on the Ukrainian border arouse a sense of dread and danger unfelt since the Cold War. That said, the alarmism is getting out of hand. Legitimate concerns are spiraling into war chants and trembling, a weird mix of paranoia and nostalgia, needlessly inflating tensions and severely distorting the true picture.
Fred Kaplan Fred Kaplan
Fred Kaplan is the author of The Insurgents and the Edward R. Murrow press fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
A bizarre example of this is a March 26 New York Times story headlined “Military Cuts Render NATO Less Formidable as Deterrent to Russia.” The normally seasoned reporters, Helene Cooper and Steven Erlanger, note that the United States “has drastically cut back its European forces from a decade ago.” For instance, during “the height of the Cold War” (which was actually three decades ago, but let that pass), we had about 400,000 combat-ready forces defending Western Europe—whereas now we have about 67,000. In terms of manpower, weapons, and other military equipment, they write, “the American military presence” in Europe is “85 percent smaller than it was in 1989.”
Yet the article contains not one word about the decline of Russia’s “military presence” in Europe since that time. It only takes one word to sum up that topic: disappeared. The once-mighty Warsaw Pact—the Russian-led alliance that faced NATO troops along the East-West German border—is no more. And its erstwhile frontline nations—East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland—have been absorbed into the West, indeed into NATO. This is hardly an esoteric fact, yet its omission makes the Times’ trend lines seem much scarier than they really are.
Nor, even with its own borders, is the Russian army the formidable force it once. According to data gathered by GlobalSecurity.org, Russian troop levels have declined since 1990 from 1.5 million to 321,000. Over the same period, tank divisions have been slashed from 46 to five, artillery divisions from 19 to five, motorized rifle divisions from 142 to 19, and so it goes across the ranks.
In short, the United States “drastically cut back its European forces” because there’s no longer a threat to justify those forces. Nor does Putin’s seizure of Crimea augur a resumption of that threat—not to any degree that warrants anything like a restoration of NATO circa ’89.
Putin’s moves have rattled the nerves of the newest, most eastern NATO members, especially Poland and the Baltic nations. They once belonged to the Warsaw Pact; their adult populations remember Russian occupation; and, lacking the long-standing ties that bind the alliance’s western members, they naturally wonder whether we’d really honor the treaty’s Article 5 commitments (i.e., an attack on one is an attack on all). President Obama has tried to allay these fears by sending more troops and advanced fighter jets to those nations. His speech in Brussels—one of his more rousing—was meant to signal a commitment as well.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO. President George W. Bush thought about putting Ukraine on a fast track for inclusion in 2008, after Russia’s invasion of Georgia, but pulled back for good reasons. First, polls revealed that few Ukrainians wanted to join NATO. Second, high-level discussions revealed that few allies were keen on going to war to defend Ukraine. Third, Bush’s father and President Clinton had assured Russian leaders that NATO’s eastward expansion wouldn’t extend right up against the motherland’s borders, and even George W. recognized the wisdom of that restraint.
Still, a Russian invasion of Ukraine—or an incursion into the southern and eastern parts of the country, where pro-Russia sentiment can easily be mustered—would rouse enormous fear and tension across Europe—not just for the fate of Ukraine, but for what Putin might do next. This is the real reason for the West’s countermoves (the sanctions, the deployments, the speeches, the meetings): not to regain Crimea (it’s gone, and everyone knows it), but to deter Putin from going further. Putin has dreams of restoring Great Russia (he once, famously, lamented the Soviet Union’s breakup as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century”), but his actions are those of an opportunistic tactician. He will go as far as he can, but—so far—no farther. Crimea was easy: He already had troops there, as well as the headquarters for a large naval fleet. Most Russians regarded the peninsula as theirs already. He exploited the turmoil in Kiev to grab it for good. The task now, as Obama and other Western leaders see it, is to convince Putin that grabbing more land will mean real trouble.
Here’s where the sorts of numbers cited in the Times article have no meaning, one way or the other. According to Western officers and several private specialists, the forces gathered in Russia’s Western Military District are capable of invading Ukraine’s easternmost cities, like Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk. They would probably start off by sending in special forces to recruit local allies, then mount a wave of cyber-attacks to degrade or spoof the Ukraine military’s warning and communication networks, followed by a blitzkrieg attack by tanks, paratroopers, and so forth.
But occupying those towns for any length of time is another matter. Logistics—refurbishing troops with a line of supplies—were always the Russian army’s weak point, even in the Cold War heyday; that’s still the case. Then there’s the army itself. The special forces and paratroopers are professional, but the rest of the army consists of draftees, serving one-year terms that many of them spend drunk and disorderly. If they face any resistance, whether from the Ukrainian army (a ragtag force itself) or “irregulars” (homegrown insurgents) or outside agents (a squad or two of Delta Force troops), the Russian soldiers could find themselves seriously bogged down.
Politically, Putin would find himself on very shaky ground. Already, he mustered only 10 other countries—the likes of Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Sudan, and Syria—to oppose a U.N. resolution condemning the annexation of Crimea. If he invades Ukraine, a sovereign nation with a United Nations seat, his isolation will widen and deepen politically, diplomatically, and economically.
If he crosses that line, he will also do more than anyone ever has to rouse the European nations out of their post-Cold War stupor. He can count on Britain, Germany, and France to boost their defense budgets, and in a way that confronts Russia. He can also count on the United States to station more troops, fighter jets, maybe even armored weapons in Poland and the Baltics—to hell with concerns about provocation. And he must know the lesson that other nation-states have learned in recent years: that if he prompts a conventional conflict with the United States military, he will lose badly.
This is one reason why Putin probably won’t take the next step. Pavel Felgenhauer, the most astute Russian military analyst, also notes in Foreign Policy that the Russian army’s conscripts are scheduled to rotate in April. The troops with a year of training under their belts (such as it is, and it isn’t much) will be replaced by new grunts, who aren’t likely to be thrilled by their thrust into combat or competent at carrying out the mission. If Putin wanted to invade eastern Ukraine, the best time to do so would have been last week.
Then again, and this is another source of nervousness, Putin has shown himself to be an irrational actor. He already possessed Crimea, really, and probably could have hardened de facto into de jure through more peaceful methods, over time. He operated many levers of influence in Ukraine, and could have maneuvered the upcoming elections in his favor, whether through bribing key candidates or any number of other time-honored techniques.
Putin didn’t have to take the route he took. Few predicted that he would, if only because it would do him no good and he had other ways to accomplish his goals. This is another reason to be nervous now. He doesn’t have to make incursions into mainland Ukraine either: It would really do him no good, and there are other ways to continue Russian influence in that country.
He seized Crimea anyway. Will he dive into Donetsk, too? Nobody knows, and this is cause for concern. But it’s not cause for panic, the NATO nations aren’t in mortal danger, and to claim otherwise by citing comparisons with the state of NATO in 1990 is profoundly misleading and, in any case, irrelevant.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2014/03/russia_ukraine_and_nato_the_alarmist_claims_that_the_western_alliance_can.single.h
---------------
march 30
Seriously... think of the billions we could feed and children we could educate by placing the UN $$$$trillions 2 run yearly in2 the task of saving humanity... just like we did when we dumped the League of Nations in 1945. United Nations was built on the Jewish Holocaust 2 be saviours of humanity.... how ugly is this 2da as we reflect... and remember 100 days of silence from all G7 countries and world media... on Rwanda and 800,000 innocents butchered .... let's get back 2 humanity folks... the real people ... imho
ROMEO DALLAIRE'S SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL.... THE HORROR OF UN AND G7 AND WORLD MEDIA BETRAYAL OF... RWANDA- 100 days of silence.... 800,000 innocents murdered.... We Remember.... Canada Remembers- this is the movie-
read the book and honour Romeo Dallaire- The Saviour of Rwanda... when a UN Peacekeeper said f**k ur rules... we're saving lives ...not playing your games of letting monsters humiliate and murder innocents whilst UN Peacekeepers had 2 stand down and watch.... NEVER AGAIN... ANOTHER RWANDA...
---------------
march 30
COMMENT SAYS IT ALL ABOUT UKRAINE- AGAIN...ABOUT OIL AND POWER... and UN watches as the world crashes and burns ... in the real world. Billions have education but No jobs... whilst Billions have no education along with no rights, dignity... or life..... what happened 2 humanity?
BEST COMMENT: The more we loan em, the more we own em. Frankly my dear, any rational person wold have taken the Russian deal after seeing what our banksters did to Greece & the real revolution would have been against their own oligarchs who are the real culprits here. Never thought I'd see the
Russians as the good guys but then again I never thought I'd see an American whistle blower as a refugee in Russia.
Harper mum on opportunity presented by Ukraine crisis: Tim Harper
There will be a transformational change in European energy policy following Russia's invasion of Crimea, but PM can't go there yet.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/03/27/harper_merkel_mum_on_opportunity_presented_by_ukraine_crisis_tim_harper.html
-----------------
BLOGGED:
Crimean War-- Nova Scotia's William Nelson Edward Hall Victoria Cross-Halifax has only monument 2 honour/Nations of War- u all need 2 behave/CANADA'S CRIMEA HISTORY-DAILY UPDATES
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/canada-military-news-crimean-war.html
FREEDOM ROARS BABY EDWARD SNOWDEN-SUPERSTAR... FREEDOM ROARS..... F**K the free world who refused 2 help the freedom of each of us... only Russia had the guts2 step up.... we will remember. hugs and love Edward Snowden... hugs and love... AND 2 our troops- 2Da Canada finishes in Afghanistan- Afghan Women and Children matter 2
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/freedom-roars-baby-edward-snowden.html
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH GLOBALLY- SHAME ON CANADA/ USA/EU/UN/NATO-- u stand by and watch billions slaughtered starved and destroyed every damm day... 2014- women are NOT even equal- who are u 2 judge others with ur dirty hands...
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/human-rights-watch-globally-shame-on.html
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Why we are in Afghanistan- Why have politicans and United Nations betrayed our troops worse than the Heretic Muslim who kill innocent Muslims by million? Why the betrayal so badly by global politicans of Nato children serving?
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/01/canada-military-news-why-we-are-in.html
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Afghanistan and Afghans best news- lookee Russia, China, India, Pakistan stepping up- Afghan's awesome Military and Cops and Afghans- the good stuff u don't see- BUT IT'S THERE- loving our troops since 2001
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/12/canada-military-news-afghanistan-and.html
------------------
MARCH 29, 2014
God bless beloved Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, our glorious Nato troops on the ground and their Afghanistan Comrades in Arms of Afghan's Military and Policing- who bring honour, courage and basic dignity 2 everyday Afghans and earned the respect of over 50 Nato nations who sacrificed so much believing in a beautiful and fresh; whilst honouring their history, Afghanistan 2 the women and men of Afghanistan... hugs, love and pride from Canada.BLOGGED:
Crimean War-- Nova Scotia's William Nelson Edward Hall Victoria Cross-Halifax has only monument 2 honour/Nations of War- u all need 2 behave/CANADA'S CRIMEA HISTORY-DAILY UPDATES
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/canada-military-news-crimean-war.html
FREEDOM ROARS BABY EDWARD SNOWDEN-SUPERSTAR... FREEDOM ROARS..... F**K the free world who refused 2 help the freedom of each of us... only Russia had the guts2 step up.... we will remember. hugs and love Edward Snowden... hugs and love... AND 2 our troops- 2Da Canada finishes in Afghanistan- Afghan Women and Children matter 2
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/freedom-roars-baby-edward-snowden.html
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH GLOBALLY- SHAME ON CANADA/ USA/EU/UN/NATO-- u stand by and watch billions slaughtered starved and destroyed every damm day... 2014- women are NOT even equal- who are u 2 judge others with ur dirty hands...
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/human-rights-watch-globally-shame-on.html
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Why we are in Afghanistan- Why have politicans and United Nations betrayed our troops worse than the Heretic Muslim who kill innocent Muslims by million? Why the betrayal so badly by global politicans of Nato children serving?
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/01/canada-military-news-why-we-are-in.html
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Afghanistan and Afghans best news- lookee Russia, China, India, Pakistan stepping up- Afghan's awesome Military and Cops and Afghans- the good stuff u don't see- BUT IT'S THERE- loving our troops since 2001
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/12/canada-military-news-afghanistan-and.html
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MARCH 29, 2014
+OF+THE+ISLAMIC+REPUBLIC+OF+AFGHANISTANuntitled.png)
BLOGGED:
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Mar 13, 2014- IDLE NO MORE CANADA-Afghan Youth doing the same-brilliant and smart and no more tent talk/News of 2day/HISTORY POSTS FROM 2003 ON COMING -HERE'S SOME/Critical Surveys show love of Afghans 4 boots on the ground and respect of cultures- O Canada /Laura Bush visits Afghanistan 4 women and girls 2005- 158 IN PICTURES N 24 FROM 9/11/01- Canadians Remember
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2014/03/canada-military-news-mar-13-2014-idle.html
----------------
Washington
Has Set The World On A Path To War
Global
Research, March 16, 2014
Region:
Russia and FSU
Theme:
Law and Justice, US NATO War Agenda
In-depth
Report: UKRAINE REPORT
Why
is Washington so opposed to Crimean self-determination? The answer is that one
of the main purposes of Washington’s coup in Kiev was to have the new puppet
government evict Russia from its Black Sea naval base in Crimea. Washington
cannot use the government Washington has installed in Ukraine for that purpose
if Crimea is no longer part of Ukraine.
What
Washington has made completely obvious is that “self-determination” is a weapon
used by Washington in behalf of its agenda. If self-determination advances
Washington’s agenda, Washington is for it. If self-determination does not
advance Washington’s agenda, Washington is against it.
The
Washington-initiated UN Security Council resolution, vetoed by Russia, falsely
declares that the referendum in Crimea, a referendum demanded by the people,
“can have no validity, and cannot form the basis for any alteration of the
status of Crimea; and calls upon all States, international organizations and
specialized agencies not to recognize any alteration of the status of Crimea on
the basis of this referendum and to refrain from any action or dealing that
might be interpreted as recognizing any such altered status.”
Washington
could not make it any clearer that Washington totally opposes
self-determination by Crimeans.
Washington
claims, falsely, that the referendum cannot be valid unless the entire
population of Ukraine votes and agrees with the decision by Crimeans. Note that
when Washington stole Kosovo from Serbia, Washington did not let Serbians vote.
But
lets overlook Washington’s rank hypocrisy and self-serving double-standards.
Let’s apply Washington’s argument that in order to be valid any change in
Crimea’s status requires a vote on the part of the population of the country
that it departs. If this is the case, then Crimea has never been a part of
Ukraine.
Under
Washington’ s interpretation of international law, Ukraine is still a part of
Russia.
When
Khrushchev transferred Crimea (but not Sevastopol, the Black Sea base) to
Ukraine, Russians did not get to vote. Therefore, according to Washington’s own
logic it is invalid to recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine. That also goes for
other parts of Russia that Lenin transferred to Ukraine. Under the logic of
Washington’s UN resolution, large parts of Ukraine are not legitimately part of
Ukraine. They have remained parts of Russia, because Russians were not allowed
to vote on their transfer to Ukraine. Thus, there is no issue about “Russia
annexing Crimea,” because, according to Washington’s logic, Crimea is still a
part of Russia.
Do
you need any more proof that the Ukrainian crisis is made up out of thin air by
schemers in Washington who created the entire crisis for one purpose–to weaken
Russia militarily.
No
one was surprised that the New York Times published on March 14 the
warmongering rant, written by neoconservatives for John McCain, which described
Washington’s aggression in Ukraine as Russia’s aggression. The US government
overthrows an elected democratic Ukrainian government and then accuses Russia
of “invading and annexing Crimea” in order to divert attention from
Washington’s overthrow of Ukrainian democracy. There is no elected government
in Kiev. The stooges acting as a government in Kiev were put in office by
Washington. Who else choose them?
What
surprised some was Rand Paul joining the hysteria. Rand Paul wrote his
propagandistic rant against Russia for Time. Rand Paul claims, falsely, that
Putin has invaded Crimea and that it is an affront to “the international
community.” First of all, the decision of Crimea to leave Ukraine is a decision
of the Crimean population and the elected government, not a decision by Russia.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s take Rand Paul’s lie as the truth: Is
“Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine a gross violation of that nation’s
sovereignty and an affront to the international community” like Washington’s
invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and Washington-sponsored invasions of Libya
and Syria, and Washington’s ongoing slaughter of Pakistanis and Yemenis with
drones, and Washington’s violation of Iran’s sovereignty with illegal
sanctions, and Washington’s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty by overthrowing
the elected government and imposing Washington’s stooges?
If
Putin is behaving as Rand Paul ignorantly asserts, Putin is just following the
precedents established by Clinton in Serbia, by Bush in Afghanistan and Iraq,
and by Obama in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine. Washington’s argument
is reduced to: “We, the exceptional and indispensable nation can behave this
way, but no other country can.”
As
some Americans have misplaced hopes in Rand Paul, it is just as well that he
revealed in Time that he is just another fool prostituting himself for the
neoconservative warmongers and the military/security complex. If Rand Paul is
the hope for America, then clearly there is no hope.
As I
have been pointing out, the propaganda and lies issuing from Washington, its
European puppets, New York Times, Time, and the entirety of the Western media
are repeating the path to war that led to World War 1. It is happening right
before our eyes.
-----------------
Why
did Israel fail to back US-supported UN resolution on Crimea?
By Ali Abunimah
Global
Research, March 29, 2014
The
United States often stands virtually alone, save for the company of its
colonies like Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, as well as other
settler-colonial states like Canada, in opposing UN resolutions critical of Israel.Israel
did not return the favor today by backing a resolution the US feels very
strongly about.
The
UN General Assembly passed resolution A/68/L.39 condemning Russia’s
annexation of Crimea.
UN
Gen.Assembly Resolution defending #Ukraine‘s territorial integrity adopted. 100
for, 11 against, 58 abstentions pic.twitter.com/XqqBu5oslY
—
Melissa Kent (@KentUNCBC) March 27, 2014
As
the final tally shows, 100 countries voted in favor,
11 against and 58 abstained on the resolution, which was sponsored by Canada,
Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine.
The
United States, predictably, voted in favor, Russia against, and China
abstained.
But
Israel was a no-show, not voting at all. Perhaps it was because Israeli diplomats are on strike.
That
would be a convenient excuse. But surely even the Israeli diplomats’ union
would make an exception for a vote that Israel’s strongest backer – the Obama
administration – feels is absolutely critical, as these fervent tweets by US
ambassador Samantha Power indicate:
Today’s
UN resolution made it clear: the world won’t accept #Russia’s illegal annexation of #Crimea. #UnitedforUkraine
—
Samantha Power (@AmbassadorPower) March 27, 2014
#Russia’s actions endanger not just the people of
#Ukraine, but the international system as a
whole. The U.S. stands #UnitedforUkraine.
—
Samantha Power (@AmbassadorPower) March 27, 2014
Uncomfortable
precedent
Perhaps
Israel was disturbed by the language of today’s resolution, which “Calls upon
all States, international organizations and specialized agencies not to
recognize any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and
the city of Sevastopol” and to “refrain from any action or dealing that might
be interpreted as recognizing any such altered status.”
Israel,
of course, remains in flagrant violation of dozens of similarly worded UN
General Assembly and Security Council resolutions including Security Council Resolution 465 of 1980, deeming
Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem and its settlements on occupied land to be
illegal.
That
resolution declared that “all measures taken by Israel to change the physical
character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the
Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including
Jerusalem, or any part thereof, have no legal validity and that Israel’s policy
and practices of settling parts of its population and new immigrants in those
territories constitute a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention
relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.”
It
also called “upon all States not to provide Israel with any assistance to be
used specifically in connexion with settlements in the occupied territories.”
Israel
lying low
Today’s
no-show at the UN is only the latest instance of Israel, a serial annexer of
other countries’ lands, trying to evade having to give a position on Crimea.
Earlier
this month, a Jewish-Ukrainian MP expressed frustration at Israel’s “silence on
Crimea.”
The
MP, Oleksandr Feldman, said he was disappointed at what The Times of Israel termed “a rather toothless
statement the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem released …. reportedly after
American pressure.”
Israel
expressed “great concern” and urged “diplomacy” but said absolutely nothing
supporting the Obama administration’s strident denunciations of Russia’s move.
Israel,
apparently, has a enough of a sense of irony not to condemn Russia – and
perhaps set a precedent for itself.
The
US, by constrast, continues to shamelessly impose sanctions and issue threats
regarding Russia’s absorption of Crimea, while at the same time financing and
shielding Israel’s continued annexation, occupation and colonization of Syrian,
Lebanese and Palestinian land.
-----------------
AND
HERE'S UR IRAN.....
Rohani:
U.S., Soviet Union Brought Violence To Afghanistan - Iranian
President Hassan Rohani has said during a visit to Kabul foreign countries that
have twice occupied Afghanistan "have brought violence and
extremists" to the country. Without specifically naming the Soviet Union
and United States, Rohani said the occupiers had "brought the unfortunate
seeds of violence" in Afghanistan, which has "damaged the lives of
people." 03/28/14
------------
Column:
The Value of Human Rights Advocacy with Friends and Foes - Human
rights criticism by the West is often seen in targeted countries as reflecting
double standards and cultural relativism. Iran, for example, bristles when the
United States and Europeans chide it for one of the highest rates of capital
punishment in the world. -Barbara Slavin, VOA 03/27/14
-------------
Pakistani
Jihadis Claim Execution of Iranian Hostage - Sunni Muslim militants
have killed one of the five Iranian border guards they have been holding
hostage for the past six weeks, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported on
Monday. It identified the victim as Jamshid Danaei-Fard, shown sitting against
a mud wall in an unidentified location with the other four captives in a grainy
photo apparently taken by their captors -Maryam Manzoori, VOA 03/25/14
--------------
Women can play larger role in Iranian economy -
Iran is facing a socioeconomic issue in women's unemployment. According to an
article published in the March 2014 issue of Iran Economics, only 13% of the
workforce consists of women and the latest official statistics for women's
unemployment stands at 15.6%, though unofficial unemployment figures for this
group is 38.3%. Furthermore, only 9.2% of the entrepreneurs in Iran are women.
-Al-Monitor. 03/27/14
-----------
cartoon by Ehsan Ganji, Etemaad daily
ISNA
reports that Jannati said the Press Supervisory Board is a seven-member
committee including representatives from the judiciary, Parliament, seminaries
and the High Council of the Cultural Revolution, and the Ministry of Culture
has only two members on it. The decisions are taken by majority vote, Jannati
said.
Progressive
forces had high hopes that the Rohani government would create a more open arena
for cultural activities, but restrictions on newspapers and books have
persisted with greater input from hardliners.
Through Iranian Eyes
-
March 28, 2014- The United Nations Human Rights Council voted 21 to 9 to renew
the mandate of Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed, a welcome development for
human rights in Iran, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said
today. 03/29/14
--------------
-
U.S. President Barack Obama has held talks with King Abdullah in Riyadh amid
tensions between the two countries over Iran's nuclear program and the civil
war in Syria. After the two-hour meeting, a White House statement underscored
the "strong" bilateral relationship. 03/29/14
--------------
UKRAINE-
AND IT MATTERS 2 AFGHANISTAN- 2 SYRIA AND 2 MUSLIM NATIONS BY A WORLD FED UP
WITH MUSLIM ON MUSLIM HATE...
Global
Economics (it's always about money..imho)
The
New Great Game: Why Ukraine Matters to So Many Other Nations
By Peter Coy, Carol Matlack, and Henry
Meyer February 27, 2014
The
New Great Game: Why Ukraine Matters to So Many Other Nations
Photo
illustration by 731
Ukraine
doesn’t seem like the kind of place that world powers would want to tussle
over. It’s as poor as Paraguay and as corrupt as Iran. During the 20th century
it was home to a deadly famine under Stalin (the Holodomor, 1933), a historic
massacre of Jews (Babi Yar, 1941), and one of the world’s worst nuclear
disasters (Chernobyl, 1986). Now, with former President Viktor Yanukovych in
hiding, it’s struggling to form a government, its credit rating is down to CCC,
a recession looms, and foreign reserves are running low. Arseniy Yatsenyuk,
head of the opposition party affiliated with former Prime Minister Yulia
Tymoshenko, said on Feb. 24 in Parliament, “Ukraine has never faced such a
terrible financial catastrophe in all its years of independence.”
But
Ukraine is also a breadbasket, a natural gas chokepoint, and a nation of 45
million people in a pivotal spot north of the Black Sea. Ukraine matters—to
Russia, Europe, the U.S., and even China. President Obama denied on Feb. 19
that it’s a piece on “some Cold War chessboard.” But the best hope for Ukraine
is that it will get special treatment precisely because it is a valued pawn in
a new version of the Great Game, the 19th century struggle for influence
between Russia and Britain.
Russia,
which straddles Europe and Asia, has sought a role in the rest of Europe since
the reign of Peter the Great in the early 18th century. An alliance with
Ukraine preserves that. “Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be a Eurasian
empire,” the American political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski wrote in 1998.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to join his Eurasian Union trade
bloc, not the European Union. Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet is headquartered
in Sevastopol, a formerly Russian city that now belongs to Ukraine. Last year
Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom (OGZPY) sold about 160 billion cubic meters
of natural gas to Europe—a quarter of European demand—and half of that traveled
through a maze of Ukrainian pipelines. Those pipelines also supply Ukrainian
factories that produce steel, petrochemicals, and other industrial goods for
sale to Mother Russia. “Ukraine is probably more integrated than any other
former Soviet republic with the Russian economy,” says Edward Chow, a senior
fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Story:
Seven Reasons Putin Won't Give Up Ukraine
China
looks to Ukraine as a secure source to satisfy its ravenous appetite for food
and energy. It’s lending the country billions of dollars to upgrade farm
irrigation and develop coal gasification. In December, Yanukovych and Chinese
President Xi Jinping gripped and grinned while signing a “treaty of friendly
cooperation.” According to the official China Daily, in addition to agriculture
and energy, they agreed to collaborate on infrastructure, finance, high-tech,
aviation, and aerospace.
Western
nations want to keep Ukraine from becoming a failed state and to discourage
Putin from retaking the nation by force. The U.S., busy with conflicts from
Syria to Afghanistan, regards Ukraine as mainly the EU’s problem. The EU hopes
eventually to welcome a stable Ukraine as a member, but not yet. On Feb. 25, EU
policy chief Catherine Ashton stressed to reporters “the importance of the
strong links between Ukraine and Russia.” Even Poland, which identifies with
Ukraine because it too was once under the Soviet thumb, isn’t prepared to
rescue its eastern neighbor unconditionally. “Poland will not sweat its guts
out” providing foreign aid that just props up oligarchs, Prime Minister Donald
Tusk said on Feb. 24, according to the New York Times.
Photo
Essay: Uprising in Ukraine
The
geopolitical struggle comes down to money. Russia pledged $15 billion in loans
to pull Ukraine into its nascent Eurasian Union, but after paying out $3
billion it has put further funds on hold. On Feb. 26, Secretary of State John
Kerry said the U.S. was organizing a stopgap $1 billion loan guarantee—far
short of the $35 billion in aid Ukraine is seeking. The Institute of
International Finance, which represents big banks, estimates that with no
change in policy Ukraine would need $30 billion in foreign assistance this year
alone. The IIF predicts that the International Monetary Fund will insist as a
condition for aid that Ukraine cut natural gas subsidies to consumers and
industry, and allow its currency, the hryvnia, to fall further, shrinking the
trade deficit. The problem: Those measures will be so unpopular that they will
jeopardize any new government.
The
risk is that Ukraine will disintegrate. Opposition parties united only in their
hatred of Yanukovych range from Europhile democrats to rightist nationalists.
If the West doesn’t manage to stabilize Ukraine, Putin could plausibly present
himself as the nation’s savior a year or two from now.
Ukraine
stumbled after the Orange Revolution of 2004-05; the oligarchs kept power. The
rebellion that brought down Yanukovych is a second chance. “The awakening of
the people is much stronger this time,” says Oleh Shamshur, a former ambassador
to the U.S. For those who want a free and democratic Ukraine, says Timothy Ash,
chief emerging-market economist at Standard Bank in London, “it’s now or
never.”
----------------------
and
it begins.... the winding down of caring 4 Muslims in hard and harsh ruling
countries..... Ukraine had complete world coverage whilst over 500 Egyptians
sentenced 2 death without benefit of a trial... and USA feeds $$$trillions of
$$$....
US
Congressional panel approves bill diverting $10mln Pakistan aid to Ukraine
Pakistan News.Net - Friday 28th March, 2014 A
key US Congressional committee has passed legislation, deducting a small amount
from its aid to Pakistan and diverting it to Ukraine. Nearly 10 million dollars
will be deducted from the 1.5 ... - See more at: http://www.pakistannews.net/#sthash.MJdFLRR1.dpuf
-----------------
The
Economist
Feb
20, 2014 - AMERICA and Europe, exhausted by futile wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq and by their ... In Egypt and Syria, America and Europe have
largely thrown up their ... ensured that election-stealing, as in Serbia
in 1999, would likely fail. .... such a system had great appeal and gave great hope
to the middle classes ...
---------------------
Senior
Iranian aide warns Pakistan of cross-border raid to set free border guards
Pakistan News.Net - Friday 28th March, 2014
Iran has warned Pakistan of a cross-border raid by an elite task force to free
its abducted border guards from Jaishul Adl's bases. Syed Hossein Naqavi
Hosseini, rapporteur of Iran's parliament on ... - See more at: http://www.pakistannews.net/#sthash.MJdFLRR1.dpuf
---------------
AFGHANISTAN/AFGHANISTAN/AFGHANISTAN.... we believe and love Afghanistan- they are rising above the world and setting their country on a new course and positive life and future - thx 2 Nato troops on the ground and their Afghan Comrades in Arms of Military and Policing.... congratulations..
News
- Election 2014
Abdullah
Calls for Election Transparency
Friday,
28 March 2014 17:44 Last Updated on Saturday, 29 March 2014 18:57 Written by
Saboor Ghafoory
Presidential
candidate Abdullah Abdullah visited Balkh province on Friday to meet with
residents of Mazar-e-Sharif and encourage them to participate in next week's
elections, which he assured would be legitimate.
"This
time, the people's vote will be decisive," said Abdullah, who ended his
candidacy in 2009 when the presidential election marred by improprieties went
into a second round of voting.
"We
support the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) efforts for transparency in
the elections, and we want to make it clear to the world that this time the
people's vote will make the final decision," Abdullah said.
Abdullah's
Vice Presidents also emphasized the importance of the elections, which will
mark the first democratic transition of presidential power in Afghan history.
The elections have been viewed as the first step in a political transition at a
pivotal time in Afghanistan with the NATO coalition withdrawing at the end of
the year.
Abdullah's
First Vice President Muhammad Khan said he and his running mates would not
accept a fraudulent result from the elections.
"We
would not accept an imposed government," Muhammad Khan said. "We will
accept the results of the elections based on the votes of the people."
Abdullah's
ticket spoke at length about plans for reconstruction and economic development.
"Dr.
Abdullah and Engineer sahib Muhammad Khan are committed to reconstruction and
development in Afghanistan," Abdullah's Second Vice President Muhammad
Mohaqeq told the crowd in Mazar.
What
started as a joyful gathering turned scary toward the end when a crowd of
Abdullah supporters rushed toward the stage and caused a small stampede. A
number of people caught in the crowd were injured by the sudden rush.
--------------
News
- Afghanistan
Kabul
Residents Praise Afghan Forces' Response to Guesthouse Attack
Saturday,
29 March 2014 18:37 Last Updated on Saturday, 29 March 2014 19:15 Written by
Anisa Shahid
alt
Following
a militant attack on a foreign guesthouse in the Kar-e-Sea neighborhood of
Kabul Friday night, residents of the capital praised security forces for their
swift and effective response.
The
attack resulted in the deaths of two Afghan civilians and the injuring of four
security guards. All of the militants involved in the assault were killed
within 20 minutes of its beginning.
"The
Afghan forces reacted well; when Commander Khushhal arrived he entered the
building and killed the insurgents, and the police rescued all the
guests," Kabul resident Massoud said.
The
attack began when a suicide bomber detonated explosives outside the front of
the guesthouse, according to Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesman Sediq
Sediqqi. The first blast caused the deaths of the two Afghan civilians.
Militant
spokespeople claimed the building was being used as a church, despite it being
operated by a well-known NGO named Roots of Peace.
Two
of the attackers were quickly gunned down by Afghan forces and another
detonated explosives after being injured by the security guards of the
guesthouse.
Five
foreign nationals were on the third floor of the guest while the security
guards blockaded the second floor. One of the foreigners was reportedly hidden
inside a cupboard.
The
attack was part of a militant offensive in the lead up to the presidential and
provincial council elections, which they have vowed to derail. On Saturday, an
attack on the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) headquarters in Kabul was
also quickly subdued by Afghan forces. There were no casualties, and all five
of the attackers were killed.
--------------
News
- Afghanistan
Afghans Undeterred By Attacks, Determined to
Vote
Saturday,
29 March 2014 18:33 Written by Aazem Arash
alt
The
recent slue of terrorist attacks on civilians and election officials has
received a lot of attention as the eyes of the world shift to Afghanistan just
a week ahead of its historic presidential election. For many Afghans, militant
attempts to disrupt the country's democratic process have only fueled a greater
determination to participate in the upcoming vote.
Residents
of the Hoot Khail area of Kabul witnessed a six hour long assault on the
Independent Election Commission's headquarters on Saturday, but most continued
to go about their everyday routines. Security forces were able to contain the
attack and prevent any civilian casualties. Two soldiers were injured, and all
five of the attackers were killed.
Toryalai
is a roadside money exchanger who faces the dangers of life in Kabul on a daily
bases. But he told TOLOnews on Saturday that he would cast his vote to choose
President Hamid Karzai's successor no matter what.
There
are many others like Toryalai, such as Pacha Gul, another Kabul resident.
"These attacks happen every day and our enemies are trying to prevent us
from voting, but these attacks by no means can stop us," he said.
Waheed,
a mechanic, said that he has seen worse violence over the course of the past 30
years and the recent flare up of violence does not worry him. Waheed said he is
determined to vote, and even more so now that insurgents are trying to prevent
him from doing so.
Only
a matter of days remain before polls open, and in all likelihood there will be
more attacks in Kabul and elsewhere before then. But the resolve of Afghans who
want to help determine their country's future is strong, and seems to have been
only strengthened by insurgents' subversive tactics.
------------------
The
youth of Afghanistan, women and elders love Dr. Abullah Abdullah... he is
called the Nelson Mandela of Afghanistan and the most honest man of
honour...April 5th will see Dr. Abdullah Abdullah as the new President of the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan... and millions of Afghanistans will vote it
so....
Is Dr Abdullah Abdullah the next Afghan president?
He
leads the polls for April’s election, and is one of the incumbent’s harshest
critics. Three of his team have been shot dead and his motorcade attacked. No
wonder gunmen guard his gates. He talks to Emily Dugan in Kabul
Emily Dugan Kabul Saturday 22 March 2014
It
is hard to believe that the streets surrounding the Kabul home of Afghanistan’s
leading presidential candidate were once a quiet residential neighbourhood.
Now, gunmen in military fatigues guard high barricades, and a steel airlock
surrounded by piles of sandbags marks the entrance to Abdullah Abdullah’s
house.
It
may seem paranoid, but the man leading the polls for next month’s presidential
elections has reason to be cautious. Over the past two months his campaign has
been under siege. Three of Dr Abdullah’s campaign team were shot dead in
attacks last month in Herat and Sari Pul, and four weeks ago his motorcade came
under heavy fire while driving back from Jalalabad.
Dr
Abdullah has tried to continue as normal. “I don’t lose sleep at night,” he
insists, though he admits he has moved his family away.
Walking
into the room, he has the kind of immediate presence that brings conversation
to an abrupt halt and makes its occupants scramble to their feet. Behind the
military barriers, the former foreign minister lives in the same elegant family
home that he was born in, 53 years ago. Its walls are covered in oil paintings
and sweet-smelling sandalwood panelling, the floor draped in ornate Afghan
rugs.
With
just over two weeks to go until the elections, the escalating violence towards
the candidates is a sign that the poll on 5 April will not be as fair as some
hope. Dr Abdullah came second to Hamid Karzai in the first round of the
presidential race in 2009, but stood down before the run-off vote, citing
allegations of large-scale voter fraud by Mr Karzai.
Although
Mr Karzai is not in the running this time, Dr Abdullah is worried: “The same
concerns are valid this time,” he says. “If there is massive industrial-scale
fraud, the people will not tolerate it. It might lead to a crisis.”
He
believes President Karzai’s persuasion of his brother Quayum to stand down and
back his favoured candidate, Zalmai Rassoul, is evidence that the outgoing
leader is already interfering in the election. Mr Karzai was accused in
parliament last week of just that. Recalling the confrontation, Dr Abdullah said:
“[Mr Karzai] said ‘look, everybody has somebody who was in government, so if
that’s interference then it’s divided,’ but that’s not true... that’s not the
same as using the state apparatus in favour of one candidate, that’s different
from having sympathisers.”
Fierce
but charming, Dr Abdullah is known for his polished dress sense and engaging
speech. Not normally seen outside a pressed suit, the evening he meets The
Independent he looks tired, his grey shalwar kameez covered in a zip-up
coat and woolly scarf.
At
times he is brutally realistic. When describing his vision for his country’s
future, he says: “The aim has to be to recreate opportunity because as it seems
at the moment it’s so hopeless. It’s a downslide in many ways.”
He
wants to recapture the optimism that followed the overthrow of the Taliban. “In
2001 there was an engagement by the international forces, and ... the rest of
it was just hopes. There was no system, no assistance, no government, no rule
of law. Then that hope helped the people of Afghanistan to take some steps
which were fundamental. It helped us move towards where we are at the moment
but in between we missed a lot of opportunities, there is no doubt about it.”
Although
he is keen to woo foreign donors and military help, he also believes the
international community squandered opportunities and failed to listen to a
range of Afghan voices. “They listened to only one person throughout [Mr Karzai
]... They listened mainly to the people they knew, like the Afghan Americans or
the Afghan Europeans, who knew Europe and America much much better than they
knew Afghanistan .... The indigenous voices were considered as biased or not
important.”
He
is also concerned that billions of dollars in international assistance have
failed to train native talent. “We relied fully on the borrowed capacity from
outside, either from foreign experts, or Afghans who were abroad ... when the
time comes they take the capacity [away] with them.”
His
apparently liberal opinions will prove popular with Western powers. He is
persuasive on the need for a greater role for women in society and public life,
saying: “If you want to see this country or any other country even being able
to deal with the challenges and develop, it cannot happen without the role of
half the population.”
Despite
serving as a foreign minister under Mr Karzai from 2001 to 2005, Dr Abdullah is
increasingly one of the President’s staunchest critics. He is scornful of Mr
Karzai’s refusal to sign a bilateral security agreement allowing the continued
presence of US troops after Nato forces pull out, by the end of the year. All
candidates have indicated they would sign an agreement, but he has been the
most enthusiastic, announcing last week that were he elected he would sign it
“within a month”.
His
assessment of Mr Karzai’s legacy is damning. “I would say Hamid Karzai doesn’t
have a vision for the country,” he says. “Earlier I thought he was interested
in democracy, in the rule of law, in the rights of citizens, but his record has
been very poor ...
“Let’s
look at security. At one stage he believed the Taliban and al-Qa’ida was not a
threat, which was a mistake. Today it seems that the enemy No 1 is not Taliban
or al-Qa’ida, it’s the United States, Britain. Again, another mistake. He
played games unfortunately.... There are lessons for everybody in it.”
In a
field otherwise made up of Pashtun candidates, Dr Abdullah, born to a Tajik
mother and Pashtun father, is regarded as the candidate of choice for
non-Pashtuns. Most recent polling puts him in the lead, followed by technocrat
Ashraf Ghani and Mr Karzai’s favoured candidate, the former foreign minister,
Mr Rassoul, in third place.
Since
it is likely that no candidate will get more than 50 per cent of the vote, the
top two will then go to a run-off. In this case it is possible that all Pashtun
votes may be consolidated against Dr Abdullah, making it hard for him to win.
But since so many Pashtuns live in unstable Taliban strongholds, this will
depend on whether they are able to stand up to Taliban insistence that they not
participate in the ballot at all.
Training
as a doctor at Kabul University, Dr Abdullah turned to politics after becoming
a medic for the Northern Alliance, a coalition of guerrilla fighters against
Soviet occupation. He soon became a close adviser to and spokesman for its
leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud, known as the Lion of Panjshir. Massoud was
assassinated two days before the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and is widely seen as a hero
of Afghanistan’s struggle.
It
was the Soviet invasion which convinced Dr Abdullah he wanted to go into
politics. Describing the walk home from his sister’s house the morning after
troops arrived, he says: “On the way I saw many tanks and the Red Army and then
I thought that life might have changed for Afghans forever – and for myself as
well.
“It
was very sad. They had come here as if this was their own country. It was in
the middle of... a very harsh winter. And then when I came here my father, who
was earlier a senator..., when I saw him his eyes were red. He had not slept
that night, he was so sad.”
It
is perhaps Dr Abdullah’s background in the battlefield which makes him less
inclined than some of his rivals to rush to the negotiating table with the Taliban.
When asked if he could find common ground with them, he laughs. “If we get to
the stage where the Taliban come to the conclusion that they cannot win
militarily and they give up violence, sever links with terrorist groups, and
enter mainstream politics – even with maintaining their strange ideas – such a
situation will be the beginning of finding a permanent solution. But we are far
away from that.”
Additional
reporting by Aleem Agha
---------------
this
needs fixing.... fast... and how about all Canada politicians work 2 make sure
our Canada Military, Militia, Reservists and Rangers get the full Canadian love
and respect they deserve... and stop carving up 4 political gains... all
political parties have screwed up..... outside of Peter Mackay, Rick Hillier,
Walt and Romeo Dallaire... the rest of ya - shame on the lot of ya
Canadian police upset over not being recognized for
role in Afghanistan
The Gazette
Saturday 29th March, 2014
Montreal
police officer Patricia Bourgeois reflects on Afghanistan, where she trained
police officers in the most recent of her four overseas missions. Bourgeois and
several of her Canadian counterparts didn't receive the Operational Service
Medal from the Canadian government and she wonders why. Video shot March 28,
2014.
-
See more at: http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/220632817/scat/6e1d5c8e1f98f17c#sthash.R9v1YEXU.dpuf
-------------
WHO
IS THE BIGGEST ENEMY 2 OUR NATO TROOPS... PAKISTAN, IRAN... OR USA POLITICIANS???
U.S.
Military Denies Afghan Reports It Will Provide Equipment To Pakistan
A
U.S. mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle patrols a highway leading
to the border with Pakistan used for transporting goods in Afghanistan's Khost
Province.
March
28, 2014
The
U.S. military force in Afghanistan has denied media reports that it plans to
donate excess military equipment to Pakistan as it withdraws from Afghanistan
by the end of this year.
In a statement on March 28, the U.S. force in
Afghanistan (USFOR-A) said it "does not provide or intend to provide any
such equipment" to Pakistan.
The Voice of America reported on March 21 that
the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Josef Dunford, unveiled the plan
during testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Service Committee.
He reportedly said the force was looking into
giving 1,200 mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles to
"Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other partners that have participated in
operations with us."
The reports outraged officials in Kabul, who
insist that all such equipment must remain in Afghanistan.
With
reporting by VOA
------------------------------
AS
FORMER CANADIAN AMBASSADOR 2 AFGHANISTAN SAYS.... THE BIGGEST AND WHOLE PROBLEM
NOW IS PAKISTAN... AND SURROUNDING NATIONS...
Afghanistan
is in fine shape with well trained brave Nato Comrade in Arms Afghan troops and
policing.... who are incredible and so much honour...
First
peace talk round between Pak govt, Taliban ends in deadlock
Afghanistan News.Net Friday 28th March, 2014
The first direct peace dialogue between the Pakistan government and the Taliban
militants have reportedly ended in a deadlock. An unnamed source has revealed
that the five-member militants' committee set two conditions for continuation
of the peace talks. While the first condition includes the creation of a
demilitarized peace zone in mountainous Shaktoi, South Waziristan, in order to
allow free movement, the second seeks the release of non-combatants. The TTP
demanded that the Pakistan government gave them written guarantees before they
could commit to an extension in the month-long ceasefire, the Dawn reported.
Describing the situation as stalemate, the source said that the government
representatives could not offer any written guarantees, adding that it was not
their mandate, so they came back without winning any commitment either for an
extension of ceasefire or the release of non-combatants in their custody. The
insider said that the militants had tied the continuation of the peace talks or
extension of ceasefire on acceptance of their demands. (ANI) - See more at: http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/220614655/scat/6e1d5c8e1f98f17c/ht/First-peace-talk-round-between-Pak-govt-Taliban-ends-in-deadlock#sthash.eSNr0RPa.dpuf
--------------------
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Afghanistan
News March 27, 2014: Today's headlines.....
Exclusive:
Pakistan Taliban agrees to ceasefire to help Afghan allies
By
Katharine Houreld
KABUL
(Reuters) - The Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan have secretly agreed to
focus on carrying out operations in Afghanistan, with Pakistani militants
announcing a ceasefire with their government in order to preserve militant
bases used to stage cross-border attacks.
---------------
16-year-old
suicide bomber arrested in Laghman
By
Ghanizada - Thu Mar 27 2014, 11:46 am Khaama Press
A
teenager suicide bomber was arrested by Afghan security forces in eastern
Laghman province of Afghanistan on Thursday.
---------------
Afghan
lawmaker survives militants ambush in Herat province
By
Ghanizada - Thu Mar 27 2014, 11:09 am Khaama Press
A
group of militants ambushed a vehicle convoy of an Afghan lawmaker in western
Herat province of Afghanistan, local officials said.
----------------
Afghan
presidential candidate field narrows to 8
Associated
Press By KATHY GANNON and AMIR SHAH March 26, 2014 12:41 PM
KABUL,
Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan presidential campaign narrowed to a field of
eight men Wednesday after the grandson of the country's last king pulled out
and endorsed a front-runner less than two weeks before the vote.
----------------
Mohaqiq
Criticizes Government for Exonerating Taliban from Serena Attack
TOLOnews.com
By Ghafoor Saboory 26 March 2014
In
response to the statement the National Directorate of Security (NDS) made linking
Pakistan's intelligence services behind the Kabul Serena Hotel attack, Abdullah
Abdullah's second vice president Mohammad Mohaqiq said the Taliban officially
claimed responsibility for the attack and the government acquits the statement.
------------------
A
Shift in Afghanistan’s Balance of Power
Foreign
Policy BY Moh. Sayed Madadi MARCH 26, 2014
Marshal
Mohammad Qasim Fahim, Afghanistan's two-time vice president and a once
prominent jihadi leader, died of natural causes on Sunday, March 9, 2014, but
his death was as controversial as his life, with many people comparing it to
the unexpected assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud -- the famous guerilla
warrior who fought against the Soviets and the Taliban
---------------
IEC
Says Taliban Warnings Will Not Stop Election Day
TOLOnews.com
By Geeti Mohseni 26 March 2014
In
response to the Taliban organized attack on the Independent Election Commission
of Afghanistan's regional office in Kabul on Tuesday, the IEC asked security
institutions to strengthen security for IEC employees and polling stations as
Election Day nears.
----------------------
Threats
Will Not Stop Afghan Youths from Voting
TOLOnews.com
By Aazem Arash 26 March 2014
On
Wednesday a number of Afghan youths rallied in Kabul at Kabul University in
support of the upcoming elections on April 5, 2014 saying threats will not stop
them from voting.
-----------------
7
Afghan militants killed in raids
KABUL,
March 27 (Xinhua) -- Seven militants were killed in Afghanistan within the last
24 hours, the authorities said Thursday.
-------------------
Afghans
Criticize Government’s Handling Of International Norouz Event
By
Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty March 27, 2014
KABUL
- The Paghman Hill Castle was a year in the making, cost more than $10 million,
and was meant to host one of the biggest events of the year in Afghanistan --
the international festival marking Norouz, the Persian New Year.
But
in a move that has been widely criticized, the Afghan government abruptly
----------------
Leaders
Gather In Kabul For Norouz Celebration
March
27, 2014 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Eurasian
leaders are gathering in Afghanistan for festivities to mark the new year on
the Persian calendar, known as Norouz.
----------------------
Arsala
Visits Balkh Province
TOLOnews.com
By Ghafoor Saboory 26 March 2014
At
a gathering held in northern Balk province on Wednesday, presidential candidate
Hedayat Amin Arsala pledged to implement justice and create job opportunities
for the people if elected president.
-------------------------
Kandahar,
cradle of Afghan insurgency, torn by tribal rivalry ahead of vote
Reuters
By Hamid Shalizi and Jessica Donati 27 March 2014
KANDAHAR,
Afghanistan - Growing violence in the southern province of Kandahar ahead of
Afghanistan's presidential election next week highlights a rift between Pashtun
tribes that could tip the country back into civil war.
-------------------
Afghanistan's
First Lady
BY
Malali Bashir MARCH 27, 2014 Foreign Policy (blog)
Have
you ever seen Afghanistan's current first lady? Has anybody?
Throughout
the time her husband has been in office, Zeenat Karzai has remained unengaged
and hidden inside Arg -- the Afghan presidential palace. But in many ways, this
might not have been expected. Even if she had no interest in politics, or no
option to be active on behalf of other Afghan women, her training as a medical
doctor might have motivated
------------------
Afghanistan
cricket wins Laureus Spirit of Sport award
By
Ghanizada - Thu Mar 27 2014, 8:56 am Khaama Press
The
Afghanistan cricket team was honored with the prestigious Laureus Spirit of
Sport Award for beating all odds and for their feat in rising from refugee
camps and long-running conflict to qualify for the 2015 World Cup.
--------------
In
Kabul, UN peacekeeping chief voices solidarity with Afghans ahead of crucial
polls U.N. - Top Stories Friday 28th March, 2014 28 March 2014 150
The United Nations peacekeeping chief today
expressed his solidarity with the Afghan people on the eve of next week's
elections and reaffirmed the world body's support for the country through the
polls and beyond. "The upcoming elections are a crucial part of
Afghanistan's political transition. I am here to underscore the UN's commitment
to transparent elections and to show solidarity with all those Afghans
determined to take part and make them work," Under-Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations Herv233; Ladsous said in the capital, Kabul, as he
wrapped up a three-day visit. Following Tuesday's deadly suicide attack and
armed assault against an office of the country's Independent Election
Commission (IEC), Mr. Ladsous met with key officials of the agency that has a
lead role in organizing the 5 April presidential and provincial council
elections. "I want to send out a clear message of solidarity with the
people of Afghanistan," said Mr. Ladsous. "The targeting of IEC
premises and its staff by enemies of democracy is repugnant." "As the
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has consistently pointed
out," he continued, "such attacks on civilians are serious violations
of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes." Mr.
Ladsous underlined that violence will not deter the UN's resolve to support
Afghanistan, saying, "The UN has had a presence in Afghanistan for more
than six decades, often during some extremely difficult times - this commitment
will not change in the weeks, months or years to come." He also spoke of
his hope that every Afghan citizen will take up his or her right to vote in the
upcoming polls and have their say in shaping the country's future. Further, he
noted the improvements in the electoral preparations compared to earlier
elections, as well as the measures taken in difficult circumstances by national
bodies to improve the security environment so that voters can cast their
ballots in safety. Mr. Ladsous highlighted the measures put in place by the IEC
and other Afghan electoral authorities to detect fraud, and how the presence of
observers and candidate agents at polling centres will help safeguard the
transparency of the elections. "Everything that can be done to counter
fraud - not just by the authorities but by Afghan citizens themselves as well -
must be done," Mr. Ladsous said. "Widespread fraud would affect the
acceptability of the final results from the polls and would impact upon the
international community's future aid commitments to Afghanistan. We are entering
a new phase for Afghanistan and transparent elections are essential." Mr.
Ladsous made particular reference to women in the upcoming elections, noting
the important role they will play - as candidates, election workers and voters.
"As with all facets of life, women have a key role to play in these
elections - without them, the vote cannot be truly representative and
credible," he said. The Under-Secretary-General's visit, during which he
met with electoral, government and security officials, as well as
representatives of civil society and the international community, comes at a
crucial time for Afghanistan. Next week's elections will lead to the country's
first democratic transfer of power, and this year will also see the withdrawal
of the majority of allied international military - See more at: http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/220614787/scat/6e1d5c8e1f98f17c/ht/In-Kabul-UN-peacekeeping-chief-voices-solidarity-with-Afghans-ahead-of-crucial-polls#sthash.RkVuO8oP.dpuf
-----------------
Kabul
gunfight ends, all militants killed
Afghanistan News.Net Saturday 29th March, 2014
A five-hour gunfight close to Afghanistan's main election office in Kabul ended
Saturday evening after Taliban gunmen were killed in a counter-attack, an
official said. "Five suicide bombers were killed and two policemen were
wounded in Saturday's terrorist attack on the Independent Elections Commission
(IEC) office in eastern Kabul," Deputy Interior Minister in-charge of
Security Mohammad Ayoub Salangi told reporters near the site. The attack began
at midday after the militants seized a four-storey building close to the IEC HQ
and fired several rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) on the fortified complex
besides exchanging fire with security forces, Xinhua reported. The attack took
place days before Afghans go to polls in the country's third presidential and
provincial councils general elections slated for April 5. The Taliban insurgent
group has vowed to disrupt the polls. The militants, armed with heavy guns and
RPGs, were covered from head to toe in Muslim women's attire to pass several
security checkpoints, the official noted. An IEC staff told Xinhua by cell
phone that no employee of the body was hurt in the incident. Smoke was rising
from the compound and nobody knew if any sensitive electoral materials were
damaged in the incident. The Afghan Crisis Response Unit and the Afghan Special
Forces arrived shortly after the attack. On Friday, two Afghan civilians and
five Taliban insurgents were killed after the militants launched an attack on a
US guest house in western Kabul. More than a dozen foreign nationals survived
the attack and a powerful car bombing. "Attacks by terrorist will not
deter Afghan National Security Forces from the path they have chosen, providing
security for upcoming elections," Interior Minister Mohammad Omar Daudza
said in a statement. Since early this year, the Taliban insurgent group have
launched several attacks on civilian targets. The Afghan security forces are
also taking over security charges from more than 52,000 NATO-led foreign troops
who are set to leave the country by the year-end. - See more at: http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/220641267/scat/6e1d5c8e1f98f17c/ht/Kabul-gunfight-ends-all-militants-killed#sthash.mp8xf6Xd.dpuf
--------
Taliban
refuses to release sons of Gilani Taseer
Afghanistan News.Net - Friday 28th March, 2014
The Taliban has refused to release the sons of former prime minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani and slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer. The terror outfit has
however conditionally agreed to set free the ... - See more at: http://www.afghanistannews.net/#sthash.mjaYc2CQ.dpuf
--------------
Pakistani
Taliban demand release of 400 captives
Afghanistan
News.Net - Thursday 27th March, 2014 Maulana Samiul Haq, a member of the
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)-nominated negotiating committee for peace talks
said Thursday that the Taliban have demanded the release of up to 400 ... - See
more at: http://www.afghanistannews.net/#sthash.mjaYc2CQ.dpuf
------------
Taliban
refuses to free former Pakistan PMs son
Afghanistan News.Net - Friday 28th March, 2014
The Taliban has refused to free the sons of former Pakistan prime minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani and slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer, media reported
Friday. The shura members of the ... - See more at: http://www.afghanistannews.net/#sthash.mjaYc2CQ.dpuf
--------------
Taliban
mistake armed compound for day-care center
The Seattle Times Saturday 29th March, 2014
KABUL, Afghanistan - The Taliban assailants apparently thought they were
attacking an unprotected Christian-run day-care center. But they mistakenly
burst into the compound next door, where a U.S. government contractor’s
employees were heavily armed and ready, according to accounts that the
contractor and the Afghan police gave Friday of a wild four-hour shootout in
Kabul. The contractor, Roots of Peace, which runs agricultural projects
financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development, had taken the
precaution of blocking its front gate with an armored Land Cruiser, which
guard... - See more at: http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/220634467/scat/6e1d5c8e1f98f17c#sthash.XP0Xokwh.dpuf
---------------
Pakistan
court hands out death sentence to Christian man for blasphemy
Pakistan News.Net - Friday 28th March, 2014 A
Pakistan court has reportedly sentenced a man to death on account of blasphemy,
triggering a riot in Lahore. The accused, Sawan Masih, was found guilty of
insulting the Prophet Mohammed, ... - See more at: http://www.pakistannews.net/#sthash.MJdFLRR1.dpuf
-------------
News -
Afghanistan
Thursday, 20 February 2014 09:10
Last Updated on Thursday, 20 February 2014 15:46
Afghan presidential candidate Dr Abdullah Abdullah survived a Taliban attack on Wednesday on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway, his campaign said.
The attack occurred on Wednesday about 4:30 pm, when a group of armed men targeted Abdullah's convoy while he was returning to Kabul from an electoral campaign event in Nangarhar province.
"Yesterday after participating in a gathering...Dr Abdullah was on his way from Nangarhar province to Kabul, when he was targeted in the Tangi Abrasham area of Sorobi district," said campaign spokesman Fazal Rahman Oria. "Fortunately no one was hurt and then Abdullah went to Sorobi district and gave a speech."
Oria condemned the attack, and accused the government of neglecting in providing security for the candidates.
"Unfortunately I must say that the government should provide security and arrange forces in the area, which the government didn't," Oria added.
Ministry of Interior Spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told TOLOnews that the attack was on police forces and not Abdullah. Sediqqi added that candidates should cooperate with the ministry and that police forces took control of the area after the attack.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack and said that three of Abdullah's personal guards were killed in the attack.
Previously, unknown gunmen shot dead two of Abdullah's in the western city of Herat, highlighting concerns about security in the run-up to the April vote.
Shujahudeen and Dr Faiz Ahmad Hamdard were shot dead just one day before the official start of the election campaign in early February.
Security has been a top concern for Afghan officials leading into this year's elections, which come as President Hamid Karzai leaves office and the NATO coalition leaves Afghanistan.
A number of presidential candidates have mounted criticisms recently against what they say are insufficient security measures being taken to protect the elections
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