Friday, August 14, 2009
Rockets hit Peshawar
PESHAWAR: A young girl was injured as one of the six rockets fired at the city hit her on Friday. The rockets, which were fired at the provincial capital from an unknown place in the early hours of Friday, landed in various areas. The incident is second in less than a week period.“A rocket hit the house of a prayer leader, Noorul Haq, inside Masjid Aqsa in Gulberg. The projectile damaged a part of the house and mosque and injured minor daughter of the prayer leader.Another rocket landed in the Postal Colony, a public sector residential area on Kohat Road, while one fell near a dump in Amin Colony. “Both the devices did not cause any casualty or damage,” stated Syed Atiq Shah, the station house officer of Bhanamari Police Station. A shell landed near the Peshawar International Airport in Pishtakhara, while two others fell in the jurisdiction of the Badaber Police Station. There were reports that one rocket landed on the airport’s runway. Another also hit the runway but didn’t explode.
Battle to continue until militants eliminated: Hoti
PESHAWAR: The Independence Day was celebrated across the Frontier(PUKHTUNKHWA) province with national zeal and fervour on Friday.In Peshawar various colourful functions were held. The main flag hoisting ceremony was held at Malik Saad Khan Shaheed Police Lines where NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti was chief guest.
Throwing light on importance of the day, he recalled the sacrifices rendered by the people for creation of the country and said that the credit went to those who fought against the British Raj.‘Our province is playing as frontline region against terrorism. Terrorists are trying to snatch our independence but we will never let them do so and continue to fight them till complete elimination of anti-state elements,’ he vowed.In order to defeat the extremists and militants, he said it was need of the hour that people irrespective of their political affiliation, colour, creed and region should take a united stand and come forward and support the government.Referring to the sufferings of the people of Malakand, he said the provincial government faced serious challenges including financial constraints but did not bow to the terrorists and managed to facilitate the internally displace persons.He said Pakhtuns revived the country’s history by supporting the displaced people. He appreciated the people of Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera and other host districts.
North Korea’s “Dear Leader” opens umbrella boom
Kim Jong-il may be at the forefront of a fashion trend that has just hit the streets of Pyongyang: Using oversized umbrellas as parasols.The North Korean leader started travelling this year with a soldier whose job is to carry a large black umbrella to protect him from the sun.Kim, called the “Dear Leader” by his state’s official media, has been trailed by his umbrella bearer on many occasions since he returned to the public scene earlier this year after suffering a suspected stroke a year ago.The iconic traffic ladies of Pyongyang have been swept up in the trend inspired by Kim.
Visitors to the North Korean capital have a hard time forgetting the young women who stand at major intersections in uniforms and direct the few cars on the road with gestures that seem inspired by military drill sergeants and professional boxers. Pyongyang does not have traffic lights. One of the few state secrets that residents of the North Korean capital will share with foreign visitors is that these women are often selected for their looks.It appears Kim, who is also greatly concerned about their access to make-up, was behind the umbrella proliferation:“The traffic controllers are moved by the warm affection shown for them by General Secretary Kim Jong-il who saw to it that the platforms with umbrellas are being set up this time after raincoats, rain boots, sunglasses, gloves and cosmetics as well as seasonal uniforms were provided to them,” the North’s official KCNA news agency said on Thursday.
(PIcture at top: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visits the Yeonsa district revolution battlefield at an undisclosed place in North Korea, in an undated photo released by North Korea’s official KCNA news agency May 24, 2009. The photo of the traffic policewoman was released on August 13, 2009.)
Karzai leading ahead of Afghan election
KABUL – President Hamid Karzai holds a strong lead in the Afghan presidential race but is still short of the majority he needs for a first-round victory, according to a poll released Friday with less than a week to go before the balloting.
The poll by a U.S. government-funded group suggests turnout will be crucial, especially in the Pashtun south — the president's support base where Taliban fighters have been warning voters to stay away from the polls.
Ahead of next Thursday's vote, there are fears that election tension could boil over into street violence if presidential losers allege massive fraud. Opposition candidates have been accusing Karzai and his team of using state resources to ensure re-election. Local and international monitors are convinced there will be voter irregularities.
According to the latest poll, Karzai remains the leading candidate in a crowded field of three dozen contenders with about 44 percent support, a rise of 13 percentage points from a poll conducted in May.
Karzai's main challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, trailed at 26 percent — a dramatic increase over the 7 percent he received in the May poll.
If no candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will face a run-off in early October. That could lead to a coalition uniting around a single candidate to try to defeat Karzai.
The poll, based on face-to-face interviews with 2,400 people between July 16 and 26, was funded by the International Republican Institute, a non-governmental group that receives money from USAID, the U.S. government aid arm. The poll had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
Karzai, meanwhile, took his campaign Friday to the western city of Herat, where he won the public endorsement of Energy Minister Ismail Khan, the political czar of the region.
Karzai told a crowd of several thousand that if re-elected, his first priority would be to initiate talks with the Taliban and other insurgent groups.
About 90 percent of the respondents in the latest poll said they planned to vote, despite Taliban threats to disrupt the balloting. Election authorities have said about 10 percent of nearly 7,000 polling centers will likely remain shut, most of them because of bad security.
The threat is the greatest in the south and east, where the country's ethnic Pashtuns live. Karzai, himself a Pashtun, could see his totals lowered if insurgent violence keeps Afghans there from voting.
In an effort to encourage voting, village elders in the south are trying to broker election day cease-fire agreements with Taliban commanders, according to Karzai's brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai.
"Local elders in some of the far-flung villages are just meeting with some small group commanders to not bother people during elections and let them vote," he told The Associated Press.
However, a Taliban spokesman denied any talks were under way.
"We are denying any deals with anyone," Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmedi told the AP by telephone. "Don't listen to those liars. There is no truth to any talk of a cease-fire. People should not go to vote. The Taliban has no agreement with the government."
In the southern province of Helmand, U.S. Marines have been trying to secure the strategic town of Dahaneh to cut Taliban supply lines and enable the government to open a polling station there.
After two days of fighting, Marines helped Afghan officers raise the Afghan flag over the town Friday after tribal elders assured the Americans there were no Taliban left there.
Soon after the flag-raising ceremony, the Marine base in the town came under small arms, machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire, sending Marines running for cover.
A patrol was sent out to find the gunmen and ended up locked in a lengthy gunfight which continued into the night.
Elsewhere, a suicide bomber attacked an Afghan army base in southern Afghanistan on Friday, killing a soldier and wounding four other people, an official said. The bomber rammed his vehicle into the base's gate in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, said Daud Ahmadi, the provincial governor's spokesman. Three civilians and a soldier were among the wounded, he said.
In the capital, meanwhile, two rockets were fired at Kabul's airport Friday but caused no damage or casualties, said U.S. military spokesman Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo. It was the second rocket attack on the capital this month.
Taliban militants took responsibility for the previous attack.
Kabul is heavily guarded by Afghan security forces, and authorities say rockets fired from a distance are the only weapon insurgents can use against the capital.
The poll by a U.S. government-funded group suggests turnout will be crucial, especially in the Pashtun south — the president's support base where Taliban fighters have been warning voters to stay away from the polls.
Ahead of next Thursday's vote, there are fears that election tension could boil over into street violence if presidential losers allege massive fraud. Opposition candidates have been accusing Karzai and his team of using state resources to ensure re-election. Local and international monitors are convinced there will be voter irregularities.
According to the latest poll, Karzai remains the leading candidate in a crowded field of three dozen contenders with about 44 percent support, a rise of 13 percentage points from a poll conducted in May.
Karzai's main challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, trailed at 26 percent — a dramatic increase over the 7 percent he received in the May poll.
If no candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will face a run-off in early October. That could lead to a coalition uniting around a single candidate to try to defeat Karzai.
The poll, based on face-to-face interviews with 2,400 people between July 16 and 26, was funded by the International Republican Institute, a non-governmental group that receives money from USAID, the U.S. government aid arm. The poll had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
Karzai, meanwhile, took his campaign Friday to the western city of Herat, where he won the public endorsement of Energy Minister Ismail Khan, the political czar of the region.
Karzai told a crowd of several thousand that if re-elected, his first priority would be to initiate talks with the Taliban and other insurgent groups.
About 90 percent of the respondents in the latest poll said they planned to vote, despite Taliban threats to disrupt the balloting. Election authorities have said about 10 percent of nearly 7,000 polling centers will likely remain shut, most of them because of bad security.
The threat is the greatest in the south and east, where the country's ethnic Pashtuns live. Karzai, himself a Pashtun, could see his totals lowered if insurgent violence keeps Afghans there from voting.
In an effort to encourage voting, village elders in the south are trying to broker election day cease-fire agreements with Taliban commanders, according to Karzai's brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai.
"Local elders in some of the far-flung villages are just meeting with some small group commanders to not bother people during elections and let them vote," he told The Associated Press.
However, a Taliban spokesman denied any talks were under way.
"We are denying any deals with anyone," Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmedi told the AP by telephone. "Don't listen to those liars. There is no truth to any talk of a cease-fire. People should not go to vote. The Taliban has no agreement with the government."
In the southern province of Helmand, U.S. Marines have been trying to secure the strategic town of Dahaneh to cut Taliban supply lines and enable the government to open a polling station there.
After two days of fighting, Marines helped Afghan officers raise the Afghan flag over the town Friday after tribal elders assured the Americans there were no Taliban left there.
Soon after the flag-raising ceremony, the Marine base in the town came under small arms, machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire, sending Marines running for cover.
A patrol was sent out to find the gunmen and ended up locked in a lengthy gunfight which continued into the night.
Elsewhere, a suicide bomber attacked an Afghan army base in southern Afghanistan on Friday, killing a soldier and wounding four other people, an official said. The bomber rammed his vehicle into the base's gate in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, said Daud Ahmadi, the provincial governor's spokesman. Three civilians and a soldier were among the wounded, he said.
In the capital, meanwhile, two rockets were fired at Kabul's airport Friday but caused no damage or casualties, said U.S. military spokesman Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo. It was the second rocket attack on the capital this month.
Taliban militants took responsibility for the previous attack.
Kabul is heavily guarded by Afghan security forces, and authorities say rockets fired from a distance are the only weapon insurgents can use against the capital.
Marines try a woman's touch to reach Afghan hearts
KHAWJA JAMAL, Afghanistan – Put on body armor, check weapons, cover head and shoulders with a scarf.
That was the drill for female American Marines who set out on patrol this week with a mission to make friends with Afghan women in a war zone by showing respect for Muslim standards of modesty.
The all-female unit of 46 Marines is the military's latest innovation in its rivalry with the Taliban for the populace's loyalty. Afghan women are viewed as good intelligence sources, and more open to the basics of the military's hearts-and-minds effort — hygiene, education and an end to the violence.
"It's part of the effort to show we're sensitive to local culture," said Capt. Jennifer Gregoire, of East Strasburg, Pa. She leads the Female Engagement Team in the Now Zad Valley of Helmand province, the heartland of the Taliban insurgency.
"If you show your hair, its kind of like seeing a nude picture here, because women are very covered up," she said.
Women are technically barred from combat units in the Marines, and some infantrymen have been surprised to see them in brightly colored head scarves under their helmets, deployed in the most intense combat zones in the country.
"But ... I think they understand that what we're doing is vital to operations and vital to the counterinsurgency program they want to run," said Gregoire.
Women soldiers were assigned to search women at checkpoints in Iraq, and the experience fed into the Afghan effort, said Cpl. Sarah Furrer, from Colorado Springs, Colo., who served in both war zones.
"I'm not married and I don't have children, so they think that's awkward because I'm 24," Furrer said of her Iraq experience. But as a result, "we're not so much afraid of engaging the women" in Afghanistan, she said.
"I've found you get great intel from the female population," said Capt. Zachary Martin, who commands the Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, stationed in Now Zad. "The women don't want their men out there conducting jihad and getting killed."
Martin said units have frequently received tips from women about weapons caches or hidden bombs.
But just to find the women is a challenge. There were none in sight as Gregoire's team entered Khwaja Jamal, a village of mud brick homes with no electricity or government presence.
While heavily armed Marines fanned out, the four women started by trying to strike up conversations with the few old men and young children who ventured outdoors.
The several hundred villagers grow wheat and opium poppies in the crossfire between Marines and Taliban fighters who are in the woods less than a mile away.
"They look at us through binoculars. They'll kill anybody who talks to the Americans," said Abdul Gayom to explain why the villagers were so wary of meeting the patrol.
1st Lt. Victoria Sherwood was undaunted, talking to him through her Afghan translator. She gave him painkillers for his back, and small presents for the children timidly clustering around. Some of them begged to try on her sunglasses, and promptly made off with them.
Sherwood, from Woodbury, Conn., got Gayom to promise he might let her into his compound to meet his wife, who he said with a shrug is "so old, the Taliban probably won't care."
But there was a snag: The translator was male. Could he be in the wife's presence? "No way," said Gayom, then asked the Marines for more medicine and goods.
Deeper in the village, an elderly woman eventually appeared on a doorstep. Gusha Halam claimed she was 120 — so old she could do what she pleased. Her black head scarf left her wrinkled face uncovered and revealed some hair, dyed bright orange with henna.
"The Taliban took everything from us. Make them leave," Halam said, before her sons and grandsons arrived, stopped the conversation and hustled her indoors.
Britons defend their health care from US criticism
LONDON – Britons reacted with outrage Friday at American criticism of the country's health care system and defended their cradle-to-grave medical coverage on Twitter, television and in the tabloids.
Right-wing attacks on President Barack Obama's health reform plans have struck a nerve in Britain, where residents broadly take for granted their universal coverage under the state-funded National Health Service — and look askance at the millions of Americans without insurance.
"Land of the Fee," declared the Daily Mirror in reference to the United States' high-charging health model. The London newspaper called the "lies and distortions" being circulated in the United States about the National Health Service "truly sickening."
"Jaw droppingly untruthful," said the British Medical Association's chairman, Hamish Meldrum.
"NHS often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death," Prime Minister Gordon Brown tweeted. "Thanks for always being there."
Even British health campaigner Kate Spall — who criticizes NHS failings in U.S. television ads produced by Conservatives for Patients' Rights, a lobby group that opposes Obama's plans — declared that the group had misled her and was distorting her true views. Spall's mother died of kidney cancer while waiting for treatment.
"There are failings in the system but I'm not anti-NHS at all," Spall told the British Broadcasting Corp.
"I help the vulnerable patients in our country that come to me for help, those that have been denied treatment," she said. "So the irony is, the people that are falling through the net in the U.S. are patients that I would support anyway."
Britain's opposition Conservative Party is distancing itself from its maverick member of European Parliament, Daniel Hannan, who has criticized the NHS on U.S. news programs.
Conservative leader David Cameron dismissed Hannan as having "eccentric views."
In an e-mail to Conservative Party workers published on his blog, Cameron said millions, including his own family, were grateful for NHS-provided care.
"Just look at all the support which the NHS has received on Twitter over the last couple of days," he wrote. "It is a reminder — if one were needed — of how proud we in Britain are of the NHS."
The NHS, founded in 1948, is the cornerstone of the United Kingdom's welfare state.
About 12 percent of the UK's 61 million residents have private insurance, but the vast majority rely on state-funded emergency care, surgery and access to family doctors. Even those who complain about the system say they want it improved, not dismantled.
British officials acknowledge that their system has been struggling to cope and faces a 15 billion pound ($24 billion) deficit. Hospitals are often overcrowded, dirty and understaffed, which means some patients do not get the care they are promised.
Right-wing attacks on President Barack Obama's health reform plans have struck a nerve in Britain, where residents broadly take for granted their universal coverage under the state-funded National Health Service — and look askance at the millions of Americans without insurance.
"Land of the Fee," declared the Daily Mirror in reference to the United States' high-charging health model. The London newspaper called the "lies and distortions" being circulated in the United States about the National Health Service "truly sickening."
"Jaw droppingly untruthful," said the British Medical Association's chairman, Hamish Meldrum.
"NHS often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death," Prime Minister Gordon Brown tweeted. "Thanks for always being there."
Even British health campaigner Kate Spall — who criticizes NHS failings in U.S. television ads produced by Conservatives for Patients' Rights, a lobby group that opposes Obama's plans — declared that the group had misled her and was distorting her true views. Spall's mother died of kidney cancer while waiting for treatment.
"There are failings in the system but I'm not anti-NHS at all," Spall told the British Broadcasting Corp.
"I help the vulnerable patients in our country that come to me for help, those that have been denied treatment," she said. "So the irony is, the people that are falling through the net in the U.S. are patients that I would support anyway."
Britain's opposition Conservative Party is distancing itself from its maverick member of European Parliament, Daniel Hannan, who has criticized the NHS on U.S. news programs.
Conservative leader David Cameron dismissed Hannan as having "eccentric views."
In an e-mail to Conservative Party workers published on his blog, Cameron said millions, including his own family, were grateful for NHS-provided care.
"Just look at all the support which the NHS has received on Twitter over the last couple of days," he wrote. "It is a reminder — if one were needed — of how proud we in Britain are of the NHS."
The NHS, founded in 1948, is the cornerstone of the United Kingdom's welfare state.
About 12 percent of the UK's 61 million residents have private insurance, but the vast majority rely on state-funded emergency care, surgery and access to family doctors. Even those who complain about the system say they want it improved, not dismantled.
British officials acknowledge that their system has been struggling to cope and faces a 15 billion pound ($24 billion) deficit. Hospitals are often overcrowded, dirty and understaffed, which means some patients do not get the care they are promised.
Festivities in full swing to celebrate independence
Festivities are in full swing across the country, as nation celebrates the 63rd Independence Day with traditional zeal and national enthusiasm.Various programs were organized in the Federal Capital as well as provincial capitals of the country to mark the event.The day dawned with 31 gun salutes in the Capital and 21 each in the four provinces, followed by special prayers in mosques across the country for the progress, prosperity and stability of Pakistan.A smartly turned out contingent of the Pakistan Naval Academycadets mounted guard at the Quaid's Mausoleum. Representatives of three services laid Inter Services FloralWreath at the Mazar of quaid-e-Azam and offered dua.The central flag hoisting ceremony was organized at Convention Centre Islamabad where Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani hoisted the national flag. Members of the Federal Cabinet, Army Chief, Speaker National Assembly, Chiefs of Armed Forces and other dignitaries attended the program.Flag hoisting ceremonies were also held in all the big and small cities of the country including the four provincial capitals – Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta – besides Muzafarabad, capital of Azad Kashmir.
Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan and Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah hoisted the national flag in Karachi.Similar ceremony was held at Huzuri Bagh in Lahore where Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was the chief guest.The Malakand affectees also took active part in the independence day celebrations, as an atmosphere of festivities was witnessed in the relief camps.The IDPs who returned to Swat are also celebrating the countries freedom with passion.
Obama visits Mountain West, knowing vulnerability
DENVER – Perhaps no region of the country better illustrates Barack Obama's political vulnerabilities than the mountain West.
He's hoping to ease some of those concerns in a Western swing blending town hall appearances and visits to national parks beginning Friday.
Democrats have made recent election inroads in the region by successfully courting independents, Republican crossovers and conservative-to-moderate loyalists in their own party. But it's these very voters — gun owners, civil libertarians, private property advocates — who seem to be turning away from the president across the country because of deep-seated concerns about expanding government and soaring budget deficits.
They are people who bristle at big business bailouts and decry government's reach into their own lives. They don't see Obama's stimulus plan jump-starting the economy or boosting employment. They fret about the enormous price tags of his sweeping proposals to overhaul health care and revamp energy policy.
"People are ready to see him move beyond the rhetoric. People want to see jobs come back. We want to see the economy recover. So we're still, I think, waiting to see that," says Chris Lawson, 30, who voted for Obama last fall and says he doesn't regret it. The Littleton, Colo., resident expressed worries about health care in particular, saying: "We are clearly moving toward more government in more people's lives. ... That's not a good thing, more government."
Another Obama voter, Eric Schreiber, 44, of Denver argued it's too early to judge the president. But, he added, Obama definitely hasn't sold him on the health care overhaul. "It's a good idea to do health reform, but I think everybody wants to know more about how it will work," Schreiber said.
Obama is hoping he can allay such worries as he promotes his plan at town hall-style events in reliably Republican areas: Friday in Belgrade, Mont., and Saturday in Grand Junction, Colo., near the Utah state line. The first family also plans to visit Yellowstone and Grand Canyon to highlight the country's national parks.
In a nod to his surroundings, the president plans to try out the classic Western sport of fly-fishing for the first time Friday, using a new reel that was a birthday present from some avid fishermen on his staff and accompanied by a guide — but not any media.
Just eight months ago, the president took office with sky-high job approval ratings, the first Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson to win the White House with more than 50 percent of the popular vote. He did it by cobbling together support that spanned the ideological spectrum. He pulled new voters — particularly left-leaning young people and minorities — into the process and turned out his Democratic base in droves. And independents, disaffected Republicans and middle-of-the-road Democrats put him over the top.
That coalition — coupled with a national desire for change after years of Republican George W. Bush — made it possible for Obama to win a slew of states that hadn't voted for a Democrat in years, Colorado and Nevada, among them. He also won New Mexico, a perennial swing state, came very close to winning Montana, and lost by just 9 percentage points in Republican John McCain's home state of Arizona. Still, Obama lost badly in ultraconservative Republican bastions, including Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.
Since his inauguration, Obama has watched his support slide nationally. It hovered at 55 percent in a recent AP-GfK poll, though other surveys show him under 50 percent.
Out-of-power Republicans have tagged Obama as a classic big-spending, big-government liberal, and those gripes may have resonated with independents and centrists who polls show have turned away from Obama or whose support is soft. The GOP's message may be particularly well-received in the mountain West, a region traditionally wary of the federal government.
"Democrats had some success last year. Since then, I think the president has slipped not just a little but a great deal," said Dave Hansen, head of the Utah GOP who once held the same position in Montana. "He's a charming, charismatic guy, but all of a sudden the issues are taking over, and it's not going over well."
Tracking polls by Gallup from January through June show that of the 10 states where Obama's approval rating was the lowest, five are in the mountain West. They include the two states Obama is visiting this weekend as well as Wyoming, Idaho and Utah.
Those findings raise the question: Will the recent Democratic successes in the region last?
"I don't think we can say that yet," said Bob Loevy, a political scientist at Colorado College.
Certainly Obama's successful nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court will help with the region's rapidly growing Hispanic communities, a pivotal Democratic-leaning constituency. And future trips to the West are certain between now and midterm elections next fall.
For its part, the GOP in the mountain West has its work cut out for it.
The party can't seem to even field strong candidates to challenge incumbent Democrats. Most recently, Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., decided against challenging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid next year in Nevada, even though the Democrat's job performance numbers are dismal.
He's hoping to ease some of those concerns in a Western swing blending town hall appearances and visits to national parks beginning Friday.
Democrats have made recent election inroads in the region by successfully courting independents, Republican crossovers and conservative-to-moderate loyalists in their own party. But it's these very voters — gun owners, civil libertarians, private property advocates — who seem to be turning away from the president across the country because of deep-seated concerns about expanding government and soaring budget deficits.
They are people who bristle at big business bailouts and decry government's reach into their own lives. They don't see Obama's stimulus plan jump-starting the economy or boosting employment. They fret about the enormous price tags of his sweeping proposals to overhaul health care and revamp energy policy.
"People are ready to see him move beyond the rhetoric. People want to see jobs come back. We want to see the economy recover. So we're still, I think, waiting to see that," says Chris Lawson, 30, who voted for Obama last fall and says he doesn't regret it. The Littleton, Colo., resident expressed worries about health care in particular, saying: "We are clearly moving toward more government in more people's lives. ... That's not a good thing, more government."
Another Obama voter, Eric Schreiber, 44, of Denver argued it's too early to judge the president. But, he added, Obama definitely hasn't sold him on the health care overhaul. "It's a good idea to do health reform, but I think everybody wants to know more about how it will work," Schreiber said.
Obama is hoping he can allay such worries as he promotes his plan at town hall-style events in reliably Republican areas: Friday in Belgrade, Mont., and Saturday in Grand Junction, Colo., near the Utah state line. The first family also plans to visit Yellowstone and Grand Canyon to highlight the country's national parks.
In a nod to his surroundings, the president plans to try out the classic Western sport of fly-fishing for the first time Friday, using a new reel that was a birthday present from some avid fishermen on his staff and accompanied by a guide — but not any media.
Just eight months ago, the president took office with sky-high job approval ratings, the first Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson to win the White House with more than 50 percent of the popular vote. He did it by cobbling together support that spanned the ideological spectrum. He pulled new voters — particularly left-leaning young people and minorities — into the process and turned out his Democratic base in droves. And independents, disaffected Republicans and middle-of-the-road Democrats put him over the top.
That coalition — coupled with a national desire for change after years of Republican George W. Bush — made it possible for Obama to win a slew of states that hadn't voted for a Democrat in years, Colorado and Nevada, among them. He also won New Mexico, a perennial swing state, came very close to winning Montana, and lost by just 9 percentage points in Republican John McCain's home state of Arizona. Still, Obama lost badly in ultraconservative Republican bastions, including Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.
Since his inauguration, Obama has watched his support slide nationally. It hovered at 55 percent in a recent AP-GfK poll, though other surveys show him under 50 percent.
Out-of-power Republicans have tagged Obama as a classic big-spending, big-government liberal, and those gripes may have resonated with independents and centrists who polls show have turned away from Obama or whose support is soft. The GOP's message may be particularly well-received in the mountain West, a region traditionally wary of the federal government.
"Democrats had some success last year. Since then, I think the president has slipped not just a little but a great deal," said Dave Hansen, head of the Utah GOP who once held the same position in Montana. "He's a charming, charismatic guy, but all of a sudden the issues are taking over, and it's not going over well."
Tracking polls by Gallup from January through June show that of the 10 states where Obama's approval rating was the lowest, five are in the mountain West. They include the two states Obama is visiting this weekend as well as Wyoming, Idaho and Utah.
Those findings raise the question: Will the recent Democratic successes in the region last?
"I don't think we can say that yet," said Bob Loevy, a political scientist at Colorado College.
Certainly Obama's successful nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court will help with the region's rapidly growing Hispanic communities, a pivotal Democratic-leaning constituency. And future trips to the West are certain between now and midterm elections next fall.
For its part, the GOP in the mountain West has its work cut out for it.
The party can't seem to even field strong candidates to challenge incumbent Democrats. Most recently, Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., decided against challenging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid next year in Nevada, even though the Democrat's job performance numbers are dismal.
Pakistan's tribal areas to get parliamentary reps
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan lifted a ban on political activities in its tribal regions on Friday, granting the areas close to Afghan border parliamentary representation for the first time in the hopes it would reduce the grip of the Taliban there.
Pakistan's seven semiautonomous agencies have never been politically and administratively integrated into the rest of the country — a vacuum that observers say has allowed lawlessness and an al-Qaida- and Taliban-led militancy to thrive there.
"This breaks the monopoly of clerics to play politics from the pulpit of the mosque to the exclusion of major secular political parties," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for President Asif Ali Zardari "It empowers the locals and weakens the extremists."
Since the days of British colonial rule, the region's 4 million people have been ruled by government-appointed agents in concert with tribal leaders. They are subject to tribal laws that allow for detention without trial and communal punishment among other unpopular measures.
Babar said Friday's announcement did not reduce the powers of the political agent or modify the laws, but would mean that political parties could campaign there and represent the region in the national parliament after the next elections in 2013.
Since 2001, the border region has become a haven for militants behind surging violence in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Visiting Western officials have called on Islamabad to integrate it with the rest of the nuclear-armed country as a means of reducing militancy there.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rehman Malik appealed to the militants to surrender to the government, urging them to "say goodbye to terrorism and start a new life" in televised comments to the media.
The call could be a sign the government is seeking to exploit any potential weaknesses in the militant movement since Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was reportedly killed in a CIA missile strike on Aug. 5. U.S. and Pakistani officials believe he is dead, though his followers contend he is still alive.
Pakistani officials have called on the militants to surrender before, but with little success. The level of behind-the-scenes contact between the two sides is unknown.
U.S. and Western officials have said reaching out to moderate Taliban will likely be a major part of any solution to the raging insurgency in neighboring Afghanistan, but have been concentrating on urging Pakistan to fight the extremists, not talk with them.
Pakistan launched an operation against militants close to the border in the Swat Valley earlier this year after they violated the terms of a peace deal. It claims to have killed more than 1,200 extremists there and brought the region under government control.
Pakistan's seven semiautonomous agencies have never been politically and administratively integrated into the rest of the country — a vacuum that observers say has allowed lawlessness and an al-Qaida- and Taliban-led militancy to thrive there.
"This breaks the monopoly of clerics to play politics from the pulpit of the mosque to the exclusion of major secular political parties," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for President Asif Ali Zardari "It empowers the locals and weakens the extremists."
Since the days of British colonial rule, the region's 4 million people have been ruled by government-appointed agents in concert with tribal leaders. They are subject to tribal laws that allow for detention without trial and communal punishment among other unpopular measures.
Babar said Friday's announcement did not reduce the powers of the political agent or modify the laws, but would mean that political parties could campaign there and represent the region in the national parliament after the next elections in 2013.
Since 2001, the border region has become a haven for militants behind surging violence in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Visiting Western officials have called on Islamabad to integrate it with the rest of the nuclear-armed country as a means of reducing militancy there.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rehman Malik appealed to the militants to surrender to the government, urging them to "say goodbye to terrorism and start a new life" in televised comments to the media.
The call could be a sign the government is seeking to exploit any potential weaknesses in the militant movement since Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was reportedly killed in a CIA missile strike on Aug. 5. U.S. and Pakistani officials believe he is dead, though his followers contend he is still alive.
Pakistani officials have called on the militants to surrender before, but with little success. The level of behind-the-scenes contact between the two sides is unknown.
U.S. and Western officials have said reaching out to moderate Taliban will likely be a major part of any solution to the raging insurgency in neighboring Afghanistan, but have been concentrating on urging Pakistan to fight the extremists, not talk with them.
Pakistan launched an operation against militants close to the border in the Swat Valley earlier this year after they violated the terms of a peace deal. It claims to have killed more than 1,200 extremists there and brought the region under government control.
Pakistan marks 62nd Independence Day
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 14 -- Pakistan Friday celebrated its 62nd Independence Day with traditional zeal and fervor and firm determination to safeguard security and solidarity of the country in the face of diverse challenges, local TV channels reported.President Asif Ali Zardari in a message to the nation on Independence day urged the nation to adhere to principles of democracy and human rights to banish dictatorship, militancy and extremism and provide economic opportunities for all in the country. He said "we should also rededicate ourselves to uphold the principles for which Pakistan was created."Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani unfurled the national flag in Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad. When addressing the gathering, he said terrorism and extremism are the biggest challenges to Pakistan, and the country also faces economy and energy crisis. Gilani said the government's priority is economic growth and there is a need to create harmony in Pakistani society.It is a public holiday. With the dawn of this day, special prayers were held in mosques for the progress and prosperity of the country. Celebrations began with a 31-gun salute in the Federal Capital Islamabad and 21-gun salute in all the four provincial capitals. At 0158 GMT, all vehicular traffic stopped for two minutes with the sounding of sirens and national anthem played at 0200GMT.A change of the guard ceremony at the mausoleum of Pakistan's founder Quaid-e-Mohammed Ali Jinnah also took place in southern Pakistan's city of Karachi, where a contingent of Pakistan Naval Academy assumed charge of the guard. Later, the Naval Academy Commandant laid wreath on the mausoleum of the founder of Pakistan and offered "Fateha" for the salvation of the soul of the great leader of Muslims of sub-continent.The Independence Day celebrations, which kicked off midnight Thursday rose to it height this morning, which would continue for the whole day, as the ruling Pakistan People's Party as well as other major political parties are all set to celebrate the historic day in a dignified manner by hoisting national and party flags, while the electronic and print media have planned comprehensive programs.Keeping alive previous traditions, all the government and private buildings have been illuminated. People, all over the country have decorated their houses, shopping centers and offices with national flags, banners, lightings, paintings and balloons, particularly in green and white colors. Pakistani police and other law-enforcement agencies put security on high alert to avert any terror strike on the independence day. Police sources said a heavy contingent of security officials had been deployed at sensitive points in cantonment areas and international hotels in the capital of Islamabad and the garrison city Rawalpindi.Pakistan's Independence Day is observed on Aug. 14, the day on which Pakistan became independent from the British rule in 1947.
U.S. Detains Journalist Fleeing Pakistan Threats
U.S. immigration officials have detained a Pakistani journalist employed by the U.S.-sponsored Voice of America news service who was hoping to find refuge in the United States after Islamic militants in Pakistan destroyed his house and threatened his life.
Rahman Bunairee, 33, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon upon arriving at Dulles International Airport, according to VOA officials.
It is not clear why Bunairee was detained.
Joan Mower, a spokeswoman for VOA, declined to comment on the particulars of Bunairee's detention other than to say: "VOA is obviously extremely concerned. We're really upset about what's happened to this guy."
Cori Bassett, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed that Bunairee is in the agency's custody but said she could not release further details because of privacy reasons.
Bunairee, in addition to filing reports for VOA's Pashto-language radio service, is a popular reporter with the privately owned Pakistani broadcaster Khyber TV. He is usually based in the southern port city of Karachi, but he is originally from the Buner district of Pakistan's embattled North-West Frontier Province near the Afghanistan border, where the Taliban and other Islamic militant groups are active. He recently returned to that region to cover a series of major offensives against the militants by the Pakistani military.
In the past, the militants enjoyed a measure of support, or at least tolerance, among many Pakistanis. But the public mood shifted markedly against the militants this spring, partly because of local media reports about their cruel practices in Buner and other districts then under their control.
On July 7, Bunairee participated in a VOA call-in radio show in which he discussed the Taliban's continued presence in Buner despite a major campaign by the Pakistani military to oust them last May, Mower said.
Two nights later, several dozen armed militants went to Bunairee's family compound in Buner.
Bunairee was not there. The militants told his father that because Bunairee was "speaking against them," they had orders to destroy the house. The men allowed Bunairee's family, including his wife and four children, to leave, then ransacked the house and leveled it with explosives.
That night in the Buner district, militants bombed the home of another journalist, Behroz Khan, a reporter for Pakistan's English daily, the News.
Most recently, Taliban militants flattened the houses of at least six journalists in the neighboring district of Swat before fleeing advancing Pakistani forces, according to Bob Dietz, Asia program coordinator for the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
Soon after Bunairee's home was destroyed, gunmen scaled the wall surrounding Khyber TV's bureau in Karachi, several hundred miles south of Buner, and announced that they were looking for him, Dietz said.
Alarmed, officials at VOA arranged to bring Bunairee to the United States on a J-1 visa, often used by research institutions to bring in scholars and experts on temporary visits.
"We're expanding our Pashto broadcasting, and he was going to be working on that," Mower said.
Dietz stressed that Bunairee was not seeking to relocate to the United States but wanted to spend some time outside Pakistan until matters cooled.
He added that he was particularly concerned about the message that Bunairee's detention sends.
"It's mortifying," he said. "Here's a journalist who has performed a valuable service by reporting from an area critical to U.S. security. And our country is slamming the door in his face."
Rahman Bunairee, 33, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon upon arriving at Dulles International Airport, according to VOA officials.
It is not clear why Bunairee was detained.
Joan Mower, a spokeswoman for VOA, declined to comment on the particulars of Bunairee's detention other than to say: "VOA is obviously extremely concerned. We're really upset about what's happened to this guy."
Cori Bassett, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed that Bunairee is in the agency's custody but said she could not release further details because of privacy reasons.
Bunairee, in addition to filing reports for VOA's Pashto-language radio service, is a popular reporter with the privately owned Pakistani broadcaster Khyber TV. He is usually based in the southern port city of Karachi, but he is originally from the Buner district of Pakistan's embattled North-West Frontier Province near the Afghanistan border, where the Taliban and other Islamic militant groups are active. He recently returned to that region to cover a series of major offensives against the militants by the Pakistani military.
In the past, the militants enjoyed a measure of support, or at least tolerance, among many Pakistanis. But the public mood shifted markedly against the militants this spring, partly because of local media reports about their cruel practices in Buner and other districts then under their control.
On July 7, Bunairee participated in a VOA call-in radio show in which he discussed the Taliban's continued presence in Buner despite a major campaign by the Pakistani military to oust them last May, Mower said.
Two nights later, several dozen armed militants went to Bunairee's family compound in Buner.
Bunairee was not there. The militants told his father that because Bunairee was "speaking against them," they had orders to destroy the house. The men allowed Bunairee's family, including his wife and four children, to leave, then ransacked the house and leveled it with explosives.
That night in the Buner district, militants bombed the home of another journalist, Behroz Khan, a reporter for Pakistan's English daily, the News.
Most recently, Taliban militants flattened the houses of at least six journalists in the neighboring district of Swat before fleeing advancing Pakistani forces, according to Bob Dietz, Asia program coordinator for the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
Soon after Bunairee's home was destroyed, gunmen scaled the wall surrounding Khyber TV's bureau in Karachi, several hundred miles south of Buner, and announced that they were looking for him, Dietz said.
Alarmed, officials at VOA arranged to bring Bunairee to the United States on a J-1 visa, often used by research institutions to bring in scholars and experts on temporary visits.
"We're expanding our Pashto broadcasting, and he was going to be working on that," Mower said.
Dietz stressed that Bunairee was not seeking to relocate to the United States but wanted to spend some time outside Pakistan until matters cooled.
He added that he was particularly concerned about the message that Bunairee's detention sends.
"It's mortifying," he said. "Here's a journalist who has performed a valuable service by reporting from an area critical to U.S. security. And our country is slamming the door in his face."
Zardari unveils Pakistan tribal belt reform
ISLAMABAD — Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari unveiled political reforms in the country's tribal belt Friday in a bid to extricate the lawless region from the grip of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.
Pakistan's seven federally administered tribal areas (FATA) have become a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled after the US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in neighbouring Afghanistan in late 2001.
"From today political activities will be started and be allowed in FATA," Zardari told senior politicians in a speech marking the 62nd independence day since Pakistan was created out of the Indian sub-continent.
Political activities were previously banned in FATA, where politicians were subject to arrest. Zardari's announcement was seen as an effort to draw the lawless region closer into national politics.
"In the long run we must defeat the militant mindset to defend our country, our democracy, our institutions and our way of life," Zardari was quoted as saying by state news agency APP during his overnight address.
Although his civilian government is weak, Zardari is a key ally in US President Barack Obama's strategy to defeat Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgents in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where 100,000 US and NATO troops are deployed.
Pakistani and US officials believe that Pakistan's public enemy number one, Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, was killed last week during a US spy plane attack on his South Waziristan tribal stronghold.
Mehsud's Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan movement appears to have been thrown into turmoil following his presumed death and analysts have urged Pakistan to now bolster efforts to eliminate militants in tribal strongholds.
Pakistan has waged countless military operations in the tribal belt, most recently a six-month offensive that killed hundreds of people in Bajaur, which the military announced in February was secure.
Pakistan's seven federally administered tribal areas (FATA) have become a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled after the US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in neighbouring Afghanistan in late 2001.
"From today political activities will be started and be allowed in FATA," Zardari told senior politicians in a speech marking the 62nd independence day since Pakistan was created out of the Indian sub-continent.
Political activities were previously banned in FATA, where politicians were subject to arrest. Zardari's announcement was seen as an effort to draw the lawless region closer into national politics.
"In the long run we must defeat the militant mindset to defend our country, our democracy, our institutions and our way of life," Zardari was quoted as saying by state news agency APP during his overnight address.
Although his civilian government is weak, Zardari is a key ally in US President Barack Obama's strategy to defeat Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgents in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where 100,000 US and NATO troops are deployed.
Pakistani and US officials believe that Pakistan's public enemy number one, Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, was killed last week during a US spy plane attack on his South Waziristan tribal stronghold.
Mehsud's Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan movement appears to have been thrown into turmoil following his presumed death and analysts have urged Pakistan to now bolster efforts to eliminate militants in tribal strongholds.
Pakistan has waged countless military operations in the tribal belt, most recently a six-month offensive that killed hundreds of people in Bajaur, which the military announced in February was secure.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
All set for I Day celebrations in Swat Valley
MINGORA: All is set to celebrate major events of the Independence Day celebration in Swat as the nation celebrates 62nd Independence Day today.
Sources here Thursday informed that the major events of I Day celebrations arranged by Pakistan Television would be held at Wadudia Hall, Saidu Sharif.
Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain would be the chief guest on the occasion, they said.
Sources informed that arrangements have been made for flag hoisting ceremony which will be held at 10am followed by national songs and coloruful functions.
Security has been beefed up and vacations of police forces have been cancelled to avoid any incident.
It is pertinent to mention here that the scenic valley has just passed through a disastrous stage as militants had taken over the administration of the valley but security forces managed to overcome the situation and smashed the anti-state elements from the valley.
Meanwhile, Coordinator Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Special representative of the President and prime minister, MNA Asma Alamgir visited Swat here on Thursday.
Chairman Special Services Group (SSG) Corps Commander Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmad also accompanied her on the occasion.
Asma Alamgir, while talking to mediamen said that people of Swat and security forces had rendered countless sacrifices adding that celebrating the major events of Independence Day in Swat, meant to pay a rich tribute to all the martyrs.
She said that the prime minister had already announced Rs500 million grant and soon the President would also announce a special grant for Swat, Buner and Dir.
Asma informed that 90 per cent of repatriation of Swat IDPs had completed and the rest would also return home soon adding that special institutions would be set up for orphans.
She also lauded opposition’s role at the critical stage.
Earlier Asma Alamgir along with Lieutenant General Nadeem visited Girls High School Saidu Sharif and various markets of Mingora.
Sources here Thursday informed that the major events of I Day celebrations arranged by Pakistan Television would be held at Wadudia Hall, Saidu Sharif.
Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain would be the chief guest on the occasion, they said.
Sources informed that arrangements have been made for flag hoisting ceremony which will be held at 10am followed by national songs and coloruful functions.
Security has been beefed up and vacations of police forces have been cancelled to avoid any incident.
It is pertinent to mention here that the scenic valley has just passed through a disastrous stage as militants had taken over the administration of the valley but security forces managed to overcome the situation and smashed the anti-state elements from the valley.
Meanwhile, Coordinator Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Special representative of the President and prime minister, MNA Asma Alamgir visited Swat here on Thursday.
Chairman Special Services Group (SSG) Corps Commander Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmad also accompanied her on the occasion.
Asma Alamgir, while talking to mediamen said that people of Swat and security forces had rendered countless sacrifices adding that celebrating the major events of Independence Day in Swat, meant to pay a rich tribute to all the martyrs.
She said that the prime minister had already announced Rs500 million grant and soon the President would also announce a special grant for Swat, Buner and Dir.
Asma informed that 90 per cent of repatriation of Swat IDPs had completed and the rest would also return home soon adding that special institutions would be set up for orphans.
She also lauded opposition’s role at the critical stage.
Earlier Asma Alamgir along with Lieutenant General Nadeem visited Girls High School Saidu Sharif and various markets of Mingora.
Jubilant Swatis say no to Taliban
MINGORA: Though seemed a figment of the imagination, it was reality as hundreds of jubilant Swatis, dancing, clapping and chanting slogans in support of the government and country’s armed forces converged at the Nishat Chowk not only to mark the Independence Day celebrations, but the routing of Taliban and return to their paradise after living for more than three months in camps.
A further boost to the confidence of the dwellers was observed when elected members of the NWFP assembly from Swat, though under strict police security, joined the people and responded to their slogans.
This is the first time in the past three years that the people were seen celebrating the Independence Day in such a befitting manner despite bitterly bruised by the presence of Taliban and their harsh tactics of violence during that period.
Green Chowk, the area once known as Khoony or bloody Chowk, where Taliban used to slaughter people and even did not spare women in their killing spree, was massed by hundreds of young and old men and even children to mark their celebrations over the return of peace in this city once known for its calm and peace all over the country.
This was the first time in the past several months that curfew relaxation was extended up to 11 pm. Though many people did not know about the relaxation and they got back to their houses before dusk. However, crowds of people were seen returning to the city main market from far-off areas till late night to join the celebrations.
Rallies of youth on foot, in cars, pick-up trucks and on motorbikes were seen marching through the streets of the city with playing music in loud voice while others dancing at the thump of drums fitted on the vehicles.
“We have many reasons to celebrate,” said a middle-aged man holding a six-year-old boy on his shoulders. “God rid of Taliban, we returned to our areas and curfew is relaxed. All these have added to our happiness of the Independence Day,” he added.
Almost all the important buildings, both government and private, were decorated with colourful lights and people at shops and in vehicles were playing music in loud voice.
Once turned into a dreaded city because of the presence of Taliban, Mingora was presenting a look of some area outside Pakistan. Army and police personnel were patrolling in their vehicles and waving to the people to join their celebrations.
Nishat Chowk, where thousands of people gathered to chant slogans in support of peace and against violence, were decorated with colourful lights. Groups of youth were coming from each side of the city and merge into the crowd to join the chorus ‘Pakistan Zindabad.’
“We can’t imagine this. This is the courage of the people who are coming out in such a large number and with such zeal and fervour despite seeing hundreds of beheadings, slaughtering and killing of innocent people,” said Usman Khan, resident of Gul Kada area of Mingora City.
“It is terrible....It is unbelievable,” said Abdullah, a medical student hailing from the same city. He said Mingora people used to celebrate the country’s Independence Day in befitting manners, “but this is the first time that I’m seeing such a zeal and fervour among the people.”
Locals said they did not celebrate the day in the past three years. To Abdullah, this is another independence, but this time from militants, who were out to impose their brand of Islam on the people of Swat.
The main function of the Independence Day celebrations will be held at the Wadudia Hall at the Wali-era Jehanzeb College. Ministers, MNAs, MPAs and dignitaries from all the four provinces are expected to join the ceremony.
Children of different schools will present national songs. It would be followed by a musical concert. A hockey match between Swat Green and Swat Red will be played at the Grassy Ground to mark the I-Day celebrations.
Officials said the chief minister NWFP and President Asif Ali Zardari are also expected to join the ceremony which is the grand function of the Independence Day.
A further boost to the confidence of the dwellers was observed when elected members of the NWFP assembly from Swat, though under strict police security, joined the people and responded to their slogans.
This is the first time in the past three years that the people were seen celebrating the Independence Day in such a befitting manner despite bitterly bruised by the presence of Taliban and their harsh tactics of violence during that period.
Green Chowk, the area once known as Khoony or bloody Chowk, where Taliban used to slaughter people and even did not spare women in their killing spree, was massed by hundreds of young and old men and even children to mark their celebrations over the return of peace in this city once known for its calm and peace all over the country.
This was the first time in the past several months that curfew relaxation was extended up to 11 pm. Though many people did not know about the relaxation and they got back to their houses before dusk. However, crowds of people were seen returning to the city main market from far-off areas till late night to join the celebrations.
Rallies of youth on foot, in cars, pick-up trucks and on motorbikes were seen marching through the streets of the city with playing music in loud voice while others dancing at the thump of drums fitted on the vehicles.
“We have many reasons to celebrate,” said a middle-aged man holding a six-year-old boy on his shoulders. “God rid of Taliban, we returned to our areas and curfew is relaxed. All these have added to our happiness of the Independence Day,” he added.
Almost all the important buildings, both government and private, were decorated with colourful lights and people at shops and in vehicles were playing music in loud voice.
Once turned into a dreaded city because of the presence of Taliban, Mingora was presenting a look of some area outside Pakistan. Army and police personnel were patrolling in their vehicles and waving to the people to join their celebrations.
Nishat Chowk, where thousands of people gathered to chant slogans in support of peace and against violence, were decorated with colourful lights. Groups of youth were coming from each side of the city and merge into the crowd to join the chorus ‘Pakistan Zindabad.’
“We can’t imagine this. This is the courage of the people who are coming out in such a large number and with such zeal and fervour despite seeing hundreds of beheadings, slaughtering and killing of innocent people,” said Usman Khan, resident of Gul Kada area of Mingora City.
“It is terrible....It is unbelievable,” said Abdullah, a medical student hailing from the same city. He said Mingora people used to celebrate the country’s Independence Day in befitting manners, “but this is the first time that I’m seeing such a zeal and fervour among the people.”
Locals said they did not celebrate the day in the past three years. To Abdullah, this is another independence, but this time from militants, who were out to impose their brand of Islam on the people of Swat.
The main function of the Independence Day celebrations will be held at the Wadudia Hall at the Wali-era Jehanzeb College. Ministers, MNAs, MPAs and dignitaries from all the four provinces are expected to join the ceremony.
Children of different schools will present national songs. It would be followed by a musical concert. A hockey match between Swat Green and Swat Red will be played at the Grassy Ground to mark the I-Day celebrations.
Officials said the chief minister NWFP and President Asif Ali Zardari are also expected to join the ceremony which is the grand function of the Independence Day.
Karzai says he will win Afghan election
KABUL - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday he will win next week's presidential election and will offer government positions to his top two challengers.
Karzai's announcement seemed designed to offer a pre-election deal to his main rivals and offset any postelection tension at a time when large parts of Afghanistan are embroiled in an insurgency. Afghans vote next Thursday for president, their second-ever direct presidential election. More than 100,000 international troops and 175,000 Afghan forces are deployed to provide security.
Karzai is the leading candidate in a crowded field of three dozen contenders hoping to win a five-year term. He is trailed by his former foreign and finance ministers, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani.
Karzai said that if he wins, "I will invite Dr. Abdullah, I will invite Ashraf Ghani, give them food and tea and give them jobs, as I did last time."
A spokesman for Abdullah's campaign said the people, not Karzai, will decide who wins and forms the government.
Let's wait for next week's polling day and see the election results," spokesman Sayyid Agha Hussain Fazel Sancharaki said.
Ghani's campaign team said it rejects any pre-election deal with Karzai.
A week before the vote, there are fears that election tensions could boil over into street violence if presidential losers allege fraud. Opposition candidates have been accusing Karzai and his team of using state resources to ensure re-election.
While Karzai is leading in the polls, the latest public opinion surveys show him at under 50 per cent support. If no candidate wins 50 per cent of the vote on Aug. 20, the top two finishers will have a run-off. That could open the possibility of a coalition uniting around a single candidate to try to defeat Karzai.
Most of the country's most violent regions - in the south and the east - are where the country's ethnic Pashtuns live. Karzai, himself a Pashtun, could see his returns lowered if insurgent violence keeps Afghans there from voting.
The Taliban has threatened to disrupt the vote and warned people to stay away from polling centres on election day.
Afghan journalists in central Ghazni province received a letter from the Taliban on Thursday in which the militants threatened shopkeepers to keep their businesses closed for three days before the vote. The letter also asked students to not go to school and warned people not to get anywhere close to polling centres.
The president said the people should come out and vote despite the Taliban threats.
"Even if there are a hundred explosions, we will go out and cast our votes," Karzai said Thursday.
Karzai spoke at a gathering of female supporters on the capital's outskirts. Some of the teachers present said their school principal asked them to attend.
Shekeba Ahmadi, a teacher from Kabul, thought she was going to a seminar. Wahida, another teacher who gave only one name, said their principal had ordered them to come. None would identify their schools for fear of retribution.
Karzai's announcement seemed designed to offer a pre-election deal to his main rivals and offset any postelection tension at a time when large parts of Afghanistan are embroiled in an insurgency. Afghans vote next Thursday for president, their second-ever direct presidential election. More than 100,000 international troops and 175,000 Afghan forces are deployed to provide security.
Karzai is the leading candidate in a crowded field of three dozen contenders hoping to win a five-year term. He is trailed by his former foreign and finance ministers, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani.
Karzai said that if he wins, "I will invite Dr. Abdullah, I will invite Ashraf Ghani, give them food and tea and give them jobs, as I did last time."
A spokesman for Abdullah's campaign said the people, not Karzai, will decide who wins and forms the government.
Let's wait for next week's polling day and see the election results," spokesman Sayyid Agha Hussain Fazel Sancharaki said.
Ghani's campaign team said it rejects any pre-election deal with Karzai.
A week before the vote, there are fears that election tensions could boil over into street violence if presidential losers allege fraud. Opposition candidates have been accusing Karzai and his team of using state resources to ensure re-election.
While Karzai is leading in the polls, the latest public opinion surveys show him at under 50 per cent support. If no candidate wins 50 per cent of the vote on Aug. 20, the top two finishers will have a run-off. That could open the possibility of a coalition uniting around a single candidate to try to defeat Karzai.
Most of the country's most violent regions - in the south and the east - are where the country's ethnic Pashtuns live. Karzai, himself a Pashtun, could see his returns lowered if insurgent violence keeps Afghans there from voting.
The Taliban has threatened to disrupt the vote and warned people to stay away from polling centres on election day.
Afghan journalists in central Ghazni province received a letter from the Taliban on Thursday in which the militants threatened shopkeepers to keep their businesses closed for three days before the vote. The letter also asked students to not go to school and warned people not to get anywhere close to polling centres.
The president said the people should come out and vote despite the Taliban threats.
"Even if there are a hundred explosions, we will go out and cast our votes," Karzai said Thursday.
Karzai spoke at a gathering of female supporters on the capital's outskirts. Some of the teachers present said their school principal asked them to attend.
Shekeba Ahmadi, a teacher from Kabul, thought she was going to a seminar. Wahida, another teacher who gave only one name, said their principal had ordered them to come. None would identify their schools for fear of retribution.
Pakistanis View Al-Qaeda, Taliban Negatively, Poll Finds
Washington Post
Pakistani views of al-Qaeda and the Taliban have shifted markedly since last year, with unfavorable opinions doubling to about two-thirds of those surveyed in a new Pew Research Center poll.
Condemnation of extremists did not coincide with a more favorable view of the United States, held by only 16 percent of the Pakistanis surveyed. Only 13 percent said they had confidence in President Obama, a stark contrast to his overwhelming popularity in much of the rest of the world. A hefty 64 percent said they regard the United States as an enemy of Pakistan.
But more than half said that improved relations between Pakistan and the United States were important, and large majorities supported U.S. efforts to provide aid and intelligence to the Pakistani military. U.S. military assistance to Pakistan has totaled about $11 billion since 2001, and the Obama administration has requested an additional $2.5 billion for 2010.
Public displeasure with the United States focused on the war in Afghanistan -- with seven in 10 Pakistanis calling for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops -- and on missile attacks by U.S. Predator drones on al-Qaeda and Taliban sanctuaries in the western Pakistani mountains near the Afghan border.
Only 22 percent said the United States takes Pakistani views into account when making foreign policy decisions, a number largely unchanged since 2007.
The face-to-face survey of about 1,200 adults, largely in urban areas, took place in late May and early June, about a month after the Pakistani army began a major offensive against entrenched Taliban forces in the Swat Valley region in northwest Pakistan. The military last month declared victory in the operation, although the return of more than 2 million people displaced by the fighting has been slowed because of ongoing security concerns.
Military operations have also produced at least a temporary lull in suicide bombings that swept Pakistan this year. More than 87 percent said such attacks are never justified, the highest percentage in the poll.
Public support for the Pakistani military remains high, with 77 percent saying it is having a good influence on their country. But President Asif Ari Zardari has dropped sharply in popularity, with 32 percent saying they had a favorable view of him, down from 64 percent in a similar survey last year. By contrast, 67 percent said they approved of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, and 79 percent had a favorable view of the leader of the government's main political opposition, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
India remains a prime concern for most Pakistanis, with 88 percent saying they viewed it as a threat, compared with 73 percent for the Taliban and 61 percent for al Qaeda.
Pakistani views of al-Qaeda and the Taliban have shifted markedly since last year, with unfavorable opinions doubling to about two-thirds of those surveyed in a new Pew Research Center poll.
Condemnation of extremists did not coincide with a more favorable view of the United States, held by only 16 percent of the Pakistanis surveyed. Only 13 percent said they had confidence in President Obama, a stark contrast to his overwhelming popularity in much of the rest of the world. A hefty 64 percent said they regard the United States as an enemy of Pakistan.
But more than half said that improved relations between Pakistan and the United States were important, and large majorities supported U.S. efforts to provide aid and intelligence to the Pakistani military. U.S. military assistance to Pakistan has totaled about $11 billion since 2001, and the Obama administration has requested an additional $2.5 billion for 2010.
Public displeasure with the United States focused on the war in Afghanistan -- with seven in 10 Pakistanis calling for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops -- and on missile attacks by U.S. Predator drones on al-Qaeda and Taliban sanctuaries in the western Pakistani mountains near the Afghan border.
Only 22 percent said the United States takes Pakistani views into account when making foreign policy decisions, a number largely unchanged since 2007.
The face-to-face survey of about 1,200 adults, largely in urban areas, took place in late May and early June, about a month after the Pakistani army began a major offensive against entrenched Taliban forces in the Swat Valley region in northwest Pakistan. The military last month declared victory in the operation, although the return of more than 2 million people displaced by the fighting has been slowed because of ongoing security concerns.
Military operations have also produced at least a temporary lull in suicide bombings that swept Pakistan this year. More than 87 percent said such attacks are never justified, the highest percentage in the poll.
Public support for the Pakistani military remains high, with 77 percent saying it is having a good influence on their country. But President Asif Ari Zardari has dropped sharply in popularity, with 32 percent saying they had a favorable view of him, down from 64 percent in a similar survey last year. By contrast, 67 percent said they approved of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, and 79 percent had a favorable view of the leader of the government's main political opposition, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
India remains a prime concern for most Pakistanis, with 88 percent saying they viewed it as a threat, compared with 73 percent for the Taliban and 61 percent for al Qaeda.
Pakistan's 63rd Independence Day celebrations begin
ISLAMABAD : The nation would celebrate its 63rd Independence Day on Friday with great zeal, enthusiasm and renewed commitment to make Pakistan strong, progressive and prosperous.
It will be a public holiday. The day will dawn with special prayers in mosques for the progress and prosperity of the country.
Celebrations will begin with a 31-gun salute in the Federal Capital and 21-gun salute in all the four provincial capitals. At 7.58 am, all vehicular traffic will stop for two minutes with the sounding of sirens and national anthem will be played at 8:00 am.
A change of the guard ceremony at the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's founder, in Karachi would also take place.
A number of events have been chalked out to celebrate the Independence Day in a befitting manner and pay homage to those, who laid down their lives to create an independent motherland for the coming generations.
The main event of the day will be a flag-hoisting ceremony in the Capital. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani will unfurl the national flag.
Keeping alive previous traditions, all the government and private buildings have been illuminated. People, all over the country have decorated their houses, shopping centers and offices with national flags, banners, lightings, paintings and balloons, particularly in green and white colours.
The ruling Pakistan People's Party as well as other major political parties are all set to celebrate the historic day in a dignified manner by hoisting national and party flags.
To mark the occasion in a befitting manner, the electronic and print media have planned comprehensive programmes. The electronic media would present various programmes including national songs, talk shows, dramas and children programmes.
While the print media would carry out special supplements, features and articles, highlighting the importance of the day and sacrifices rendered by heroes and nation's forefathers for it.
Rallies, processions and colorful functions under the aegis of various public and private sector, social and political organizations in all small and major towns and cities of the country will be the hallmark of the day.
In these programmes, the speakers would highlight the significance of the day, goals set for the future and in words of the father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam bring "Unity, Faith and Discipline" to its people.
In the Federal Capital the main celebrations include flag hoisting ceremony at the premises of Lok Virsa, while the artisans would display their work, folk music performances at open air theater, photographic exhibition will be the other major features of the day.
The Heritage Museum will remain open to public from 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 pm for local and foreign visitors.
Pakistan Helicopter Gunships Kill 11 Taliban
WANA, Pakistan- Pakistani gunship helicopters attacked Taliban bases on Thursday, killing 11 militants and keeping up pressure after the reported death of the Pakistani Taliban leader in a U.S. missile strike last week.
The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said on Wednesday said there were signs of disarray within the group following the apparent death of Baitullah Mehsud.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan's efforts to suppress Islamist militants on its side of the border are vital for a U.S.-led bid to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan, where Taliban have threatened to disrupt the August 20 presidential election.
Pakistani and U.S. officials are almost certain that Mehsud was killed along with his second wife and some bodyguards in a strike on his father-in-law's house in South Waziristan near the Afghan border on August 5.
But Mehsud's aides insist he is alive.
Pakistani helicopters attacked several bases run by Hakeemullah Mehsud, one of Mehsud's main commanders who is seen as a possible successor, in the Kurram and Orakzai ethnic Pashtun tribal regions northeast of Mehsud's South Waziristan powerbase.
"We have reports that eight militants have been killed," Fazal Rahim, a government official in Orakzai, told Reuters.
An intelligence official in the nearby Kurram region said three militants were killed in air strikes there.
Hours later, a pro-government Pashtun tribal elder and three other people were killed in a bomb attack in South Waziristan.
"He was travelling in his car when a suicide bomber riding a motorbike blew himself up," said an intelligence official in Wana, the main town of South Waziristan.
FACTIONS CLASH
The elder, Khadeen Wazir, one of his colleagues and two passers-by were killed, he added. Another security official said Wazir and four other people were killed in the blast set off by remote control.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack although Mehsud and his men have a long record of assassinating their pro-government rivals.
Clashes have broken out since Mehsud's reported killing between his men and members of a rival militant faction.
At least seven militants opposed to Mehsud were killed and four were abducted by Mehsud's men in an attack near South Waziristan on Wednesday.
Members of the faction opposed to Mehsud, which is led by a commander known as Turkestan Bitani, later attacked a village inhabited by Mehsud loyalists and abducted 15 men, intelligence officials and residents said.
Mehsud is leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, an alliance of about 13 militant groups.
He has been blamed for a wave of bomb and suicide attacks across Pakistan, including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007.
His killing, if confirmed, would be a major blow for the Taliban in Pakistan.
Mehsud focussed his efforts on battling Pakistani security forces and analysts say he could be replaced by a commander more intent on driving Western forces out of Afghanistan.
The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said on Wednesday said there were signs of disarray within the group following the apparent death of Baitullah Mehsud.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan's efforts to suppress Islamist militants on its side of the border are vital for a U.S.-led bid to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan, where Taliban have threatened to disrupt the August 20 presidential election.
Pakistani and U.S. officials are almost certain that Mehsud was killed along with his second wife and some bodyguards in a strike on his father-in-law's house in South Waziristan near the Afghan border on August 5.
But Mehsud's aides insist he is alive.
Pakistani helicopters attacked several bases run by Hakeemullah Mehsud, one of Mehsud's main commanders who is seen as a possible successor, in the Kurram and Orakzai ethnic Pashtun tribal regions northeast of Mehsud's South Waziristan powerbase.
"We have reports that eight militants have been killed," Fazal Rahim, a government official in Orakzai, told Reuters.
An intelligence official in the nearby Kurram region said three militants were killed in air strikes there.
Hours later, a pro-government Pashtun tribal elder and three other people were killed in a bomb attack in South Waziristan.
"He was travelling in his car when a suicide bomber riding a motorbike blew himself up," said an intelligence official in Wana, the main town of South Waziristan.
FACTIONS CLASH
The elder, Khadeen Wazir, one of his colleagues and two passers-by were killed, he added. Another security official said Wazir and four other people were killed in the blast set off by remote control.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack although Mehsud and his men have a long record of assassinating their pro-government rivals.
Clashes have broken out since Mehsud's reported killing between his men and members of a rival militant faction.
At least seven militants opposed to Mehsud were killed and four were abducted by Mehsud's men in an attack near South Waziristan on Wednesday.
Members of the faction opposed to Mehsud, which is led by a commander known as Turkestan Bitani, later attacked a village inhabited by Mehsud loyalists and abducted 15 men, intelligence officials and residents said.
Mehsud is leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, an alliance of about 13 militant groups.
He has been blamed for a wave of bomb and suicide attacks across Pakistan, including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007.
His killing, if confirmed, would be a major blow for the Taliban in Pakistan.
Mehsud focussed his efforts on battling Pakistani security forces and analysts say he could be replaced by a commander more intent on driving Western forces out of Afghanistan.
IDPs from Nowshehra returning home
PESHAWAR : More than 200 families of Swat IDPs are returning home on Thursday from the Jalozai camp of Nowshehra.Affectees have been provided the transport facility and one month ration as they were about to leave for home. There are still 24,656 people of 4,742 IDPs’ families in the same camp who are waiting to make their way home once the situation is completely under control.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Pakistani Christians Observe Black Day
Lahore: Christians took out protests and hoisted black flags to observe “Black Day”
to demand repeal of blasphemy laws and condemn burring alive Christians in Gora city by Muslim extremists attack. There was not any significant program or gathering on Minority Day announced by government. The 20 million Christians expressed their unity and demanded repeal of blasphemy law, resignation of Shahbaz Bhatt, minister for minorities, and true representation in parliament. The rallies were taken out in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan, Gojra, Summandri, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad in front of Press Clubs. There were special prayers held in Churches also.In Lahore, SLM, CLAAS, NCP, CNJP and PCC activists gathered at Press Club and marched toward Punjab Assembly, The rally of thousands was addressed by Joseph Francis, Sohail Johnson and other leaders.Islamabad observed ‘Black Day” by holding three rallies separately. The mega rally was led by J Salik, Chief of WMA and former federal minister and Xavier William , Coordinator PCC, who marched to protest in front of Parliament House of Pakistan. The Islamabad police have blocked all roads leading to parliament on which protesters offered prayers on police blockade for martyred in Gojra. Mr. J Salik condemned present representation of Christians in Pakistan and demanded repeal of blasphemy laws.In Karachi, large gathering of Christians at Press Club chanted slogans to repeal blasphemy laws and arrests of killers of Christians in Pakistan. There were news that protestors clashed with police on blocking their way to governor house but news not yet confirmed according to PCP sources. The major protests were organized in Azam Town, Drig Road and Korangi by different groups also.In Gojra, where Muslims militants attacked on August 1, 2009, killing 11 Christians and set on fire 60 homes remained main venue of protest. In presence of heavy contingents of police Christian Human Right Federation organized a rally and demanded arrests of attackers and repeal of blasphemy laws.Nazir S Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC, who called for “Black Day” on July 21, 2009, instead of Minority Day by government, marked Black Day with a Press Conference in National Press Club, Washington DC, on August 10, 2009, and urged US and EU to intervene and press Pakistan to repeal blasphemy laws. He further demanded resignations of Shahbaz Bhatti, Federal Minister for Minorities and Kamran Michael, Punjab government minister on failing to protect minorities.In a statement issued here today, Dr. Nazir S Bhatti, paid homage to 20 million Christians in Pakistan to express their unity to observe Black Day and to reject Minority Day of government.
There are protest to observe Black Day today also in Paris, London and Toronto while Pakistani American Christians will launch Black Day protest in front of UNO in New York on August 12, 2009
to demand repeal of blasphemy laws and condemn burring alive Christians in Gora city by Muslim extremists attack. There was not any significant program or gathering on Minority Day announced by government. The 20 million Christians expressed their unity and demanded repeal of blasphemy law, resignation of Shahbaz Bhatt, minister for minorities, and true representation in parliament. The rallies were taken out in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan, Gojra, Summandri, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad in front of Press Clubs. There were special prayers held in Churches also.In Lahore, SLM, CLAAS, NCP, CNJP and PCC activists gathered at Press Club and marched toward Punjab Assembly, The rally of thousands was addressed by Joseph Francis, Sohail Johnson and other leaders.Islamabad observed ‘Black Day” by holding three rallies separately. The mega rally was led by J Salik, Chief of WMA and former federal minister and Xavier William , Coordinator PCC, who marched to protest in front of Parliament House of Pakistan. The Islamabad police have blocked all roads leading to parliament on which protesters offered prayers on police blockade for martyred in Gojra. Mr. J Salik condemned present representation of Christians in Pakistan and demanded repeal of blasphemy laws.In Karachi, large gathering of Christians at Press Club chanted slogans to repeal blasphemy laws and arrests of killers of Christians in Pakistan. There were news that protestors clashed with police on blocking their way to governor house but news not yet confirmed according to PCP sources. The major protests were organized in Azam Town, Drig Road and Korangi by different groups also.In Gojra, where Muslims militants attacked on August 1, 2009, killing 11 Christians and set on fire 60 homes remained main venue of protest. In presence of heavy contingents of police Christian Human Right Federation organized a rally and demanded arrests of attackers and repeal of blasphemy laws.Nazir S Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC, who called for “Black Day” on July 21, 2009, instead of Minority Day by government, marked Black Day with a Press Conference in National Press Club, Washington DC, on August 10, 2009, and urged US and EU to intervene and press Pakistan to repeal blasphemy laws. He further demanded resignations of Shahbaz Bhatti, Federal Minister for Minorities and Kamran Michael, Punjab government minister on failing to protect minorities.In a statement issued here today, Dr. Nazir S Bhatti, paid homage to 20 million Christians in Pakistan to express their unity to observe Black Day and to reject Minority Day of government.
There are protest to observe Black Day today also in Paris, London and Toronto while Pakistani American Christians will launch Black Day protest in front of UNO in New York on August 12, 2009
Pakistan Taliban Burning Schools to Face New Assault
Aug. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Taliban militants are still active in parts of Pakistan’s northwestern Buner district, where they have torched schools, and will face a renewed assault by security forces, the military said.
After a 10-week army campaign in areas northwest of the capital, Islamabad, the military handed control of Buner to civilian officials, claiming success over the militants. It says it has killed about 1,700 Taliban fighters since beginning the offensive in April to take back control of the Swat valley and other districts, including Buner.
“We have reports of Taliban movement in a part of Buner,” military spokesman Athar Abbas said in a phone interview today. “Call it reorganization of Taliban or just movement, the security forces plan to flush them out,” he said. Taliban activity had been reported in about 10 percent of Buner, he said.
The military offensive in the northwest forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes. The refugees started returning last month after the army declared victory. The new assault will be planned by the local administration, Abbas said.
“This hit-and-run strategy by the Taliban will continue until the militants are completely finished from Swat valley and the neighboring tribal area,” said Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, assistant professor of international relations at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad.
Jaspal said the next big target for the army is to “secure tribal areas by eliminating Taliban from there.” The military turned its attention to extremists in these regions along the border with Afghanistan in June.
Mehsud Killing
The violence in Buner comes amidst a propaganda battle between the government and the Taliban over the killing of Baitullah Mehsud, the chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik says the government is trying to gather physical evidence that the nation’s No. 1 terrorist was killed in a U.S. missile strike this month, leaving the Taliban leadership in disarray. Mehsud’s deputy, Hakimullah Mehsud, called journalists and analysts two days ago to dismiss claims he and his boss had died.
Mehsud, who said he ordered terrorist bombings in Pakistan, led about 5,000 fighters in the border region with Afghanistan. Pakistan and the U.S. have described his killing as a major victory in their fight against the Taliban.
After a 10-week army campaign in areas northwest of the capital, Islamabad, the military handed control of Buner to civilian officials, claiming success over the militants. It says it has killed about 1,700 Taliban fighters since beginning the offensive in April to take back control of the Swat valley and other districts, including Buner.
“We have reports of Taliban movement in a part of Buner,” military spokesman Athar Abbas said in a phone interview today. “Call it reorganization of Taliban or just movement, the security forces plan to flush them out,” he said. Taliban activity had been reported in about 10 percent of Buner, he said.
The military offensive in the northwest forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes. The refugees started returning last month after the army declared victory. The new assault will be planned by the local administration, Abbas said.
“This hit-and-run strategy by the Taliban will continue until the militants are completely finished from Swat valley and the neighboring tribal area,” said Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, assistant professor of international relations at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad.
Jaspal said the next big target for the army is to “secure tribal areas by eliminating Taliban from there.” The military turned its attention to extremists in these regions along the border with Afghanistan in June.
Mehsud Killing
The violence in Buner comes amidst a propaganda battle between the government and the Taliban over the killing of Baitullah Mehsud, the chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik says the government is trying to gather physical evidence that the nation’s No. 1 terrorist was killed in a U.S. missile strike this month, leaving the Taliban leadership in disarray. Mehsud’s deputy, Hakimullah Mehsud, called journalists and analysts two days ago to dismiss claims he and his boss had died.
Mehsud, who said he ordered terrorist bombings in Pakistan, led about 5,000 fighters in the border region with Afghanistan. Pakistan and the U.S. have described his killing as a major victory in their fight against the Taliban.
70 dead as rival militants clash
PESHAWAR - Dozens of gun-totting militants were killed and more than 40 houses destroyed as a result of clashes between Taliban of Baitullah Mehsud group and those loyal to the pro-government tribal leader Malik Turkistan Betani.
As per details, the clashes started when scores of Taliban militants from Baitullah Mehsud attacked the supporters of Malik Turikistan Betani in village Shoza in Soor Ghar area in Frontier regions connecting South Waziristan Agency and Tank district of NWFP late on Wednesday night.
The Taliban militants used modern and sophisticated weapons against the Betani tribesmen and their supporters. As per unconfirmed reports, around 70 persons from both the sides were killed. Around 40 houses owned by supporters of Malik Turikistan Betani were also destroyed. The killed and the injured included women and children.
Malik Turikistan Betani when contacted confirmed the clashes, saying Baitullah Mehsud group militants had attacked the houses of his relatives in Soor Ghar area. He claimed that the attack was so far repulsed but a large number of people from both the sides were killed. He, however, was unable to give exact figures in this respect.
The local people informed that security situation in the area was tightened whereas gunship helicopters were also used to bring the situation under control.
Malik Turikistani Betani has shown disappointment over the role of security forces. He said that amidst presence of two brigades of the armed forces, frequent attacks against him and his supporters is surprising. It was the second attack against Malik Turikistan Betani in a period of one week by militants from Baitullah Mehsud.
UN braced for possible South Waziristan displacement
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations is preparing to assist an estimated 150,000 Pakistanis who could be displaced in the event of a full scale military operation against a Taliban stronghold, officials said Wednesday.
In June, officials said up to 45,000 people had left their homes in South Waziristan, many fearing an offensive against Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, who is now believed to have died in a US drone attack last week.
‘The estimates that we have now and the working figure that we are using is that the number of displaced could rise somewhere between 90 (thousand) to 150,000,’ UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Mogwanja told a press conference.
‘The number of IDPs (internally displaced persons) eventually depends on the scale and the nature of the military operations,’ he added.
The United Nations and aid workers have stockpiled supplies at a logistical base in the Bhakkar district of Punjab, the province adjacent to districts that in turn neighbour the mountains of South Waziristan.
‘Now currently we are undergoing a registration exercise of those who are already displaced or those who decided not to return to their summer homes in South Waziristan,’ Mogwanja said.
Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal regions are hubs for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters who escaped the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan that ousted the Taliban regime in Kabul.
The United States, which has been a vocal supporter of Pakistan's fight against the Taliban in the northwest, alleges that al-Qaeda fighters are holed up in the region plotting attacks on western targets.
Mogwanja said more than 800,000 displaced people had returned to northwest districts Buner and Swat, after a summer offensive, with 1.2 million still living in host communities and another 165,000 were still in camps.
The military claims to have largely defeated Taliban in Swat and Buner since launching an operation in late April, but talk of waging a large ground offensive in South Waziristan has not been matched by events on the ground.
In June, officials said up to 45,000 people had left their homes in South Waziristan, many fearing an offensive against Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, who is now believed to have died in a US drone attack last week.
‘The estimates that we have now and the working figure that we are using is that the number of displaced could rise somewhere between 90 (thousand) to 150,000,’ UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Mogwanja told a press conference.
‘The number of IDPs (internally displaced persons) eventually depends on the scale and the nature of the military operations,’ he added.
The United Nations and aid workers have stockpiled supplies at a logistical base in the Bhakkar district of Punjab, the province adjacent to districts that in turn neighbour the mountains of South Waziristan.
‘Now currently we are undergoing a registration exercise of those who are already displaced or those who decided not to return to their summer homes in South Waziristan,’ Mogwanja said.
Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal regions are hubs for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters who escaped the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan that ousted the Taliban regime in Kabul.
The United States, which has been a vocal supporter of Pakistan's fight against the Taliban in the northwest, alleges that al-Qaeda fighters are holed up in the region plotting attacks on western targets.
Mogwanja said more than 800,000 displaced people had returned to northwest districts Buner and Swat, after a summer offensive, with 1.2 million still living in host communities and another 165,000 were still in camps.
The military claims to have largely defeated Taliban in Swat and Buner since launching an operation in late April, but talk of waging a large ground offensive in South Waziristan has not been matched by events on the ground.
Marines assault Taliban town in Afghanistan
www.usatoday.com
DAHANEH, Afghanistan — Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines backed by Harrier jets stormed into a strategic Taliban-held town in southern Afghanistan before dawn Wednesday, battling to gain control of the area ahead of next week's presidential elections.
Associated Press journalists traveling with the first wave said Marines were met with small arms, mortar and rocket propelled grenade fire as they flew in helicopters over Taliban lines and dropped into the town. Fighting was still underway hours later, with U.S. Marine Harrier jets streaking overhead and dropping flares in a show of force.Other Marines met heavy resistance as they fought to seize control of the mountains surrounding Dahaneh in the southern province of Helmand. Another convoy of Marines rolled into the town despite roadside bomb attacks and gunfire.It was the first time NATO troops had entered Dahaneh, which has been under Taliban control for years. Casualty figures were unavailable due to security restrictions.U.S., NATO and Afghan troops are working to protect voting sites around the country so Afghans can take part in the country's second-ever direct presidential election. Taliban militants have vowed to disrupt the elections, and attacks are on the rise around Afghanistan.Marines said they had captured several suspects in Wednesday's push and seized about 66 pounds of opium, which the militants use to finance their insurgency. Troops hope to restore control of the town so that residents can vote in the presidential election.The new offensive, named "Eastern Resolve 2," is designed to break the monthslong stalemate in this southern valley where the Taliban are solidly entrenched. By occupying Dahaneh, the Marines hope to isolate insurgents in woods and mountains, away from civilian centers."I think this has the potential to be a watershed," said Capt. Zachary Martin, commander of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, who lead the assault.The goal is to cut off the Taliban from a major rear base, and reclaim the area's main market district. It is hoped this would have a ripple effect through neighboring villages, making civilians more willing to cooperate with NATO forces. The Taliban levy taxes in Dahaneh and maintain checkpoints in the area, which serves as a main trading route through northern parts of Helmand, which produces 60% of the world's opium."In the long term, it could have tremendous effects for the entire province," said Martin, who company is based in the nearby town of Now Zad.A combined force of some 500 U.S. and Afghan troops took part in the attack, which included helicopters, snipers, and women Marines brought in to deal with Afghan women during the compound-by-compound search conducted by Afghan forces that accompanied the Americans.Martin said the Marines had devised tactics to minimize civilian casualties in the densely populated area. He said troops would strictly limit the type of weapons they used and would stick to a "proportional response" when under fire.Casualties have mounted as U.S. and NATO troops ramp up military operations following President Obama's decision to send thousands more American forces to Afghanistan to cope with the rising Taliban insurgency.Last month, U.S. and NATO deaths from roadside and suicide bomb blasts in Afghanistan soared six-fold compared with the same month last year, as militants detonated the highest number of bombs of the eight-year war, according to figures released Tuesday.Three U.S. Marines and a Polish soldier died in the latest attacks, setting August on course to surpass the 75 U.S. and NATO deaths from all causes in July.Though roadside bombs target U.S., NATO and Afghan troops, the blasts have killed a record number of civilians this year as well. Nine Afghans riding in a vehicle died in a bomb blast Tuesday in Kandahar province, said Daud Farhad, a doctor at Kandahar's Mirwais hospital."The enemy has moved to increase the use of indiscriminate IEDs against our forces as well as the Afghan people," said U.S. Lt. Col. Todd Vician, a spokesman for the NATO-led force. He said IED attacks are up in part because of increased operations by NATO troops.Afghan soldier deaths from IEDs are also up sharply, Azimi said, but had no figures. A roadside bomb in Zabul killed two Afghan soldiers Tuesday, said Lt. Gen. Sher Mohammad Zazai.At least 14 NATO troops, including at least seven Americans, have died in bomb blasts this month.
DAHANEH, Afghanistan — Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines backed by Harrier jets stormed into a strategic Taliban-held town in southern Afghanistan before dawn Wednesday, battling to gain control of the area ahead of next week's presidential elections.
Associated Press journalists traveling with the first wave said Marines were met with small arms, mortar and rocket propelled grenade fire as they flew in helicopters over Taliban lines and dropped into the town. Fighting was still underway hours later, with U.S. Marine Harrier jets streaking overhead and dropping flares in a show of force.Other Marines met heavy resistance as they fought to seize control of the mountains surrounding Dahaneh in the southern province of Helmand. Another convoy of Marines rolled into the town despite roadside bomb attacks and gunfire.It was the first time NATO troops had entered Dahaneh, which has been under Taliban control for years. Casualty figures were unavailable due to security restrictions.U.S., NATO and Afghan troops are working to protect voting sites around the country so Afghans can take part in the country's second-ever direct presidential election. Taliban militants have vowed to disrupt the elections, and attacks are on the rise around Afghanistan.Marines said they had captured several suspects in Wednesday's push and seized about 66 pounds of opium, which the militants use to finance their insurgency. Troops hope to restore control of the town so that residents can vote in the presidential election.The new offensive, named "Eastern Resolve 2," is designed to break the monthslong stalemate in this southern valley where the Taliban are solidly entrenched. By occupying Dahaneh, the Marines hope to isolate insurgents in woods and mountains, away from civilian centers."I think this has the potential to be a watershed," said Capt. Zachary Martin, commander of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, who lead the assault.The goal is to cut off the Taliban from a major rear base, and reclaim the area's main market district. It is hoped this would have a ripple effect through neighboring villages, making civilians more willing to cooperate with NATO forces. The Taliban levy taxes in Dahaneh and maintain checkpoints in the area, which serves as a main trading route through northern parts of Helmand, which produces 60% of the world's opium."In the long term, it could have tremendous effects for the entire province," said Martin, who company is based in the nearby town of Now Zad.A combined force of some 500 U.S. and Afghan troops took part in the attack, which included helicopters, snipers, and women Marines brought in to deal with Afghan women during the compound-by-compound search conducted by Afghan forces that accompanied the Americans.Martin said the Marines had devised tactics to minimize civilian casualties in the densely populated area. He said troops would strictly limit the type of weapons they used and would stick to a "proportional response" when under fire.Casualties have mounted as U.S. and NATO troops ramp up military operations following President Obama's decision to send thousands more American forces to Afghanistan to cope with the rising Taliban insurgency.Last month, U.S. and NATO deaths from roadside and suicide bomb blasts in Afghanistan soared six-fold compared with the same month last year, as militants detonated the highest number of bombs of the eight-year war, according to figures released Tuesday.Three U.S. Marines and a Polish soldier died in the latest attacks, setting August on course to surpass the 75 U.S. and NATO deaths from all causes in July.Though roadside bombs target U.S., NATO and Afghan troops, the blasts have killed a record number of civilians this year as well. Nine Afghans riding in a vehicle died in a bomb blast Tuesday in Kandahar province, said Daud Farhad, a doctor at Kandahar's Mirwais hospital."The enemy has moved to increase the use of indiscriminate IEDs against our forces as well as the Afghan people," said U.S. Lt. Col. Todd Vician, a spokesman for the NATO-led force. He said IED attacks are up in part because of increased operations by NATO troops.Afghan soldier deaths from IEDs are also up sharply, Azimi said, but had no figures. A roadside bomb in Zabul killed two Afghan soldiers Tuesday, said Lt. Gen. Sher Mohammad Zazai.At least 14 NATO troops, including at least seven Americans, have died in bomb blasts this month.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Mingora to host Independence Day celebrations
PESHAWAR: The NWFP(PUKHTUNKHWA) government will officially celebrate the Independence Day in Mingora, the main town of Swat, to restore confidence of the people and convey the message to the world that peace has been achieved in the valley. “August 14 will be celebrated as Peace Day in Swat,” NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar told a news conference here on Tuesday.
Mian Iftikhar said purpose behind holding the I-Day function in Mingora was to restore confidence of the people in the government and to tell the countrymen and world community that peace had been restored and those out to disturb the situation had been subdued.
The provincial government has formed a three-member committee to finalise arrangements for the Independence Day celebrations in Mingora. Officials said the step would be a morale booster for both the security forces and the people of Swat.
“The miscreants, who are on the run, must learn a lesson from the killing of their top leader,” the minister said while referring to the suspected death of Waziristan-based Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in the August 5 drone attack in South Waziristan.
However, Mian Iftikhar said Baitullah Mehsud had been killed and his followers were now on the run and could not find a safe place to hide. He said the network of “terrorists” had been dismantled.
In the same breath, Mian Iftikhar, who is also spokesman for the provincial government, demanded of the security forces to keep the operation precise and targeted in areas yet to be purged of the trouble makers. To a question, he said the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had received a serious blow and the recent internal differences would prove the last nail in its coffin.
However, he skipped the answer when asked about the official confirmation of Baitullah Mehsud’s death in the drone attack. “No one can confirm the death of any person engaged in guerilla war,” said the minister.
He lauded the security forces for their sacrifices to get rid of the terrorists in Malakand division where they posed serious threat to the security and solidarity of the country. To a question about Sufi Muhammad, Mian Iftikhar said the case of the Tanzeem Nifaze Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief was in the court. He also admitted trouble in some parts of Buner district, but hoped the troops were struggling to cleanse the area of troublemakers.
Mian Iftikhar said purpose behind holding the I-Day function in Mingora was to restore confidence of the people in the government and to tell the countrymen and world community that peace had been restored and those out to disturb the situation had been subdued.
The provincial government has formed a three-member committee to finalise arrangements for the Independence Day celebrations in Mingora. Officials said the step would be a morale booster for both the security forces and the people of Swat.
“The miscreants, who are on the run, must learn a lesson from the killing of their top leader,” the minister said while referring to the suspected death of Waziristan-based Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in the August 5 drone attack in South Waziristan.
However, Mian Iftikhar said Baitullah Mehsud had been killed and his followers were now on the run and could not find a safe place to hide. He said the network of “terrorists” had been dismantled.
In the same breath, Mian Iftikhar, who is also spokesman for the provincial government, demanded of the security forces to keep the operation precise and targeted in areas yet to be purged of the trouble makers. To a question, he said the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had received a serious blow and the recent internal differences would prove the last nail in its coffin.
However, he skipped the answer when asked about the official confirmation of Baitullah Mehsud’s death in the drone attack. “No one can confirm the death of any person engaged in guerilla war,” said the minister.
He lauded the security forces for their sacrifices to get rid of the terrorists in Malakand division where they posed serious threat to the security and solidarity of the country. To a question about Sufi Muhammad, Mian Iftikhar said the case of the Tanzeem Nifaze Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief was in the court. He also admitted trouble in some parts of Buner district, but hoped the troops were struggling to cleanse the area of troublemakers.
President Karzai’s supporters ‘buy’ votes for Afghanistan election
www.timesonline.co.uk
Supporters of President Karzai are preparing to rig voting in next week’s presidential elections in unstable parts of Afghanistan’s south as Taleban violence threatens to intimidate voters and hit turnout in his traditional support base.
The Times has talked to several witnesses whose reports will bolster suspicions within the international community that there will be electoral fraud across the south, some of it allegedly orchestrated by Mr Karzai’s half-brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai.
Such irregularities could threaten the credibility of the election process and have led to threats of violent demonstrations in the north if Mr Karzai is thought to have stolen the vote.
Several tribal leaders and local people in Helmand described a systematic attempt by supporters of Mr Karzai to collect or buy voter registration cards from local people.
One tribal elder in the Marja district of Helmand alleged that the vote rigging was being organised by members of Mr Karzai’s family and local tribal allies, particularly Sher Mohammad Akhundzada, the former governor of the province.
“In Marja and other districts we can’t vote because of security problems,” he said. “We are continuing to buy the cards. I am one of the people responsible for collecting cards in Marja. We bought the cards for $30 (£18).”
The man, who asked not to be identified, said that other elders were also collecting cards for Mr Karzai.
“Behind the curtain it is the brother of Mr Karzai and Sher Mohammad Akhundzada who are working on this,” he added.
Wali Karzai and Mr Akhundzada have been accused frequently of involvement in drugs smuggling by Western officials.
Wali Karzai, who firmly denies the narcotics allegations, is the head of the provincial council of Kandahar province and Mr Akhundzada is a member of the Upper House of the Afghan parliament. Neither could be reached for comment.
Another tribal elder in Marja said: “The tribal elders in all the districts are organising this. They buy the voting cards for money or mobile phone scratch cards.”
Threats from the Taleban meant that few people in outlying districts of the province would be able to vote, he said. British military commanders insisted that 90 per cent of Helmand’s population would have access to polling stations but there is no Afghan government presence in five of the thirteen districts in Helmand.
British forces have spent the past month attempting to clear the populous Nad Ali district of Taleban fighters before the elections. Ten British troops were killed in Operation Panther’s Claw, with a total of 22 operational deaths in July.
Haji Mohammad, from Marja, said that he sold all his family’s voting cards because there were no polling stations in his area. He said that he did not want Abdullah Abdullah, Mr Karzai’s main rival, to win.
“I don’t think most of the districts will vote in the election,” he said. “When this team goes to other districts they will buy many votes because everyone is poor, everyone needs money and they can sell their votes.
“When they came to me they said, ‘If you don’t vote then Dr Abdullah will win’. That is why people think it is a good reason to sell their votes. We want Karzai to win the elections.”
Alex Strick van Linschoten, a research analyst in Kandahar, said that there were reports of similar schemes in several districts including Zarai, Panjwai and Maiwand, with local police participating in the process.
The Afghan Independent Election Commission has accredited 160,000 observers to attend polling stations. However, the country’s main monitoring agency, the Afghan Free and Fair Elections Foundation, said that it would have observers at only 70 per cent of stations because of security concerns.
Western diplomats said that precautions designed to prevent fraud would be ineffective in insecure districts of the south, where election monitors could not go.
Supporters of President Karzai are preparing to rig voting in next week’s presidential elections in unstable parts of Afghanistan’s south as Taleban violence threatens to intimidate voters and hit turnout in his traditional support base.
The Times has talked to several witnesses whose reports will bolster suspicions within the international community that there will be electoral fraud across the south, some of it allegedly orchestrated by Mr Karzai’s half-brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai.
Such irregularities could threaten the credibility of the election process and have led to threats of violent demonstrations in the north if Mr Karzai is thought to have stolen the vote.
Several tribal leaders and local people in Helmand described a systematic attempt by supporters of Mr Karzai to collect or buy voter registration cards from local people.
One tribal elder in the Marja district of Helmand alleged that the vote rigging was being organised by members of Mr Karzai’s family and local tribal allies, particularly Sher Mohammad Akhundzada, the former governor of the province.
“In Marja and other districts we can’t vote because of security problems,” he said. “We are continuing to buy the cards. I am one of the people responsible for collecting cards in Marja. We bought the cards for $30 (£18).”
The man, who asked not to be identified, said that other elders were also collecting cards for Mr Karzai.
“Behind the curtain it is the brother of Mr Karzai and Sher Mohammad Akhundzada who are working on this,” he added.
Wali Karzai and Mr Akhundzada have been accused frequently of involvement in drugs smuggling by Western officials.
Wali Karzai, who firmly denies the narcotics allegations, is the head of the provincial council of Kandahar province and Mr Akhundzada is a member of the Upper House of the Afghan parliament. Neither could be reached for comment.
Another tribal elder in Marja said: “The tribal elders in all the districts are organising this. They buy the voting cards for money or mobile phone scratch cards.”
Threats from the Taleban meant that few people in outlying districts of the province would be able to vote, he said. British military commanders insisted that 90 per cent of Helmand’s population would have access to polling stations but there is no Afghan government presence in five of the thirteen districts in Helmand.
British forces have spent the past month attempting to clear the populous Nad Ali district of Taleban fighters before the elections. Ten British troops were killed in Operation Panther’s Claw, with a total of 22 operational deaths in July.
Haji Mohammad, from Marja, said that he sold all his family’s voting cards because there were no polling stations in his area. He said that he did not want Abdullah Abdullah, Mr Karzai’s main rival, to win.
“I don’t think most of the districts will vote in the election,” he said. “When this team goes to other districts they will buy many votes because everyone is poor, everyone needs money and they can sell their votes.
“When they came to me they said, ‘If you don’t vote then Dr Abdullah will win’. That is why people think it is a good reason to sell their votes. We want Karzai to win the elections.”
Alex Strick van Linschoten, a research analyst in Kandahar, said that there were reports of similar schemes in several districts including Zarai, Panjwai and Maiwand, with local police participating in the process.
The Afghan Independent Election Commission has accredited 160,000 observers to attend polling stations. However, the country’s main monitoring agency, the Afghan Free and Fair Elections Foundation, said that it would have observers at only 70 per cent of stations because of security concerns.
Western diplomats said that precautions designed to prevent fraud would be ineffective in insecure districts of the south, where election monitors could not go.
Security on high alert after rocket attacks.
PESHAWAR: Security has been put on high alert following rocket attacks in different areas of the Provincial capital on late Monday night in which three people were killed and several were injured as some of the rockets landed in residential areas in different localities. According to the police, strict security measures have been taken in different parts of the provincial metropolis in the wake of the rocket attacks by unknown miscreants that reportedly hit houses in the posh area of Hayatabad Phase-6, Wali Abad, Pushtakhara, Canal Town and Abdara Road. It is also reported that Frontier Corps Camp in Hayatabad Phase-6 was also targeted however no causality occurred. Twelve rockets were fired within just few minutes, No one claimed immediate responsibility for the rocket assault. The police have taken extra-ordinary security measures in Hayatabad, Pushtakhara, Canal Town and some of the other areas adjacent to tribal area of Khyber Agency that have been declared sensitive. Meanwhile, several suspected people have been arrested from the Peshtakhara area as police has started search operation for the miscreants. Moreover, on Tuesday, bomb disposal squad difused another rocket which landed just outside a house in Canal Town area. According to an eye witness whose house was also hit in the rocket attacks, he saw smoke coming out of the ground. “As soon as I saw smoke, I called police and after sometime the bomb disposal squad arrived on the scene,” he said. While talking to The Frontier Post Inspector of bomb disposal Squad Hukam Khan said that the peace of rocket burried in the ground was very dangerous for that perticular reason road from both the sides was blocked and people were advised not to come near the spot.
Taliban torch 7 schools in Buner
PESHAWAR: Taliban burnt down seven primary schools in Buner, where children recently resumed their studies after the area was declared safe by the army, officials said on Tuesday as security forces killed 25 Taliban in Swat and a tribal area.
“Three boys’ and four girls’ primary schools were set on fire by Taliban on Monday in Buner district,” district police chief Abdul Rasheed told AFP.
No one was hurt in the arson attacks as the schools were closed for the night, he said, but the buildings were burnt to the ground.
Shamsul Arifeen, the NWFP education secretary, confirmed the attacks. The military claims to have largely defeated the Taliban in the area.
The Online news agency reported that five schools were also torched in Shangla.
According to the APP news agency, eight Taliban and three security personnel were killed in a gunbattle – which continued for about 18 hours.
Troops also arrested 29 Taliban from various areas of the valley.
Meanwhile, two Taliban surrendered in Khairarai.
In Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, three people were injured as helicopter gunships shelled the area on Tuesday, sources said.
Security forces also destroyed four houses owned by Taliban in Shalobar area.
Separately, unidentified gunmen kidnapped Palai Union Council Sher Muhammad Khan from a mosque in Zor Mandi area.
Meanwhile, paramilitary forces killed at least 17 Taliban in a tribal area after the group killed two civilians in a rocket attack in Peshawar, said officials.
“In an operation by security forces today 17 Taliban were killed,” said a paramilitary statement.
A paramilitary commander separately told AFP the operation was launched after Taliban fired rockets at a paramilitary post early on Tuesday in a rare and brazen assault in Peshawar.
The pre-dawn rocket attack targeted a Frontier Corps base in the city’s Hayatabad neighbourhood. agencies/staff report
“Three boys’ and four girls’ primary schools were set on fire by Taliban on Monday in Buner district,” district police chief Abdul Rasheed told AFP.
No one was hurt in the arson attacks as the schools were closed for the night, he said, but the buildings were burnt to the ground.
Shamsul Arifeen, the NWFP education secretary, confirmed the attacks. The military claims to have largely defeated the Taliban in the area.
The Online news agency reported that five schools were also torched in Shangla.
According to the APP news agency, eight Taliban and three security personnel were killed in a gunbattle – which continued for about 18 hours.
Troops also arrested 29 Taliban from various areas of the valley.
Meanwhile, two Taliban surrendered in Khairarai.
In Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, three people were injured as helicopter gunships shelled the area on Tuesday, sources said.
Security forces also destroyed four houses owned by Taliban in Shalobar area.
Separately, unidentified gunmen kidnapped Palai Union Council Sher Muhammad Khan from a mosque in Zor Mandi area.
Meanwhile, paramilitary forces killed at least 17 Taliban in a tribal area after the group killed two civilians in a rocket attack in Peshawar, said officials.
“In an operation by security forces today 17 Taliban were killed,” said a paramilitary statement.
A paramilitary commander separately told AFP the operation was launched after Taliban fired rockets at a paramilitary post early on Tuesday in a rare and brazen assault in Peshawar.
The pre-dawn rocket attack targeted a Frontier Corps base in the city’s Hayatabad neighbourhood. agencies/staff report
US Army brigade retools for new Afghan mission
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – More than 100 soldiers in the brigade studied Arabic for 10 months. Their officers boned up on Iraq by reading dozens of books.
Then, five months ago, the 5,000 troops of the U.S. Army's 5th Stryker Brigade were told they were headed to Afghanistan instead.
The Obama administration's decision to switch America's main battlefront from Iraq to Afghanistan is more than a geographic shift. While there are similarities between the two Muslim nations, there are also major differences in language, culture and topography.
The Fort Lewis, Wash.-based Stryker brigade, which arrived in southern Afghanistan last month as part of the U.S. troop surge, is among those scrambling to adapt.
There was only time to give about 50 soldiers a nine-week crash course in Pashto, the main language of southern Afghanistan.
"It was a whole 180-degree turn. It's like English and French: some words are the same but that's it. The grammar is different, the sentences are different," said Spc. John Dazey, a 21-year-old from Vacaville, Calif., who had to fit his training on driving combat vehicles around eight-hour-a-day language classes.
He spoke at the main international base in southern Kandahar province as he waited to deploy out to southeastern Afghanistan.
The soldiers will also encounter a society that is more conservative and traditional than Iraq's.
While two-thirds of Iraq's 28 million people live in major cities, three-fourths of the 34 million Afghans live in rural areas, where conservative values remain strong. Nearly three-quarters of Iraqis can read and write. In Afghanistan, only 28 percent are literate — with rates for women about half that.
All that is especially true among the Pashtuns, the biggest ethnic group and the vast majority of the Taliban. U.S. troops must win over the Pashtuns if there is to be peace in Afghanistan.
Soldiers who've gone through the language course are briefing their comrades on how to interact with the local population — part of the U.S. strategy of building ties to the community.
Dazey has told the men in his squadron to avoid talking to women, or even looking at them — a cursory glance at a burqa-covered woman can be seen by her husband as a lewd come-on.
"The Pashtuns, we've been told the culture is a lot like the Arabic culture except it's on steroids," he said.
Perhaps most importantly, engaging Afghans — and the Pashtuns in particular — requires a different approach.
"Afghanistan is more of a tribal-based society," said Lt. Col. William Clark, commander of the Stryker brigade's 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. "There are more informal leaders you have to recognize."
Conversely, the brigade faces a tightly organized Taliban structure in Kandahar with commanders and even spokespeople, in contrast to the loosely connected insurgency of Iraq.
The Stryker brigade, named after its fast-moving tank-like assault vehicles, is meant to be a next-generation fighting force equipped with advanced communication technology and soldiers skilled in both fighting and peace-building.
Some of the Pashto-speaking soldiers have been given special permission to grow a beard to better interact with men in a culture where a beard is a sign of manhood.
"The fact that so many of the military guys are so against it shows how much cultural importance a beard can have," Col. Harry Tunnell, the brigade commander, said.
Operating in Afghanistan — a country of few roads, no national electricity grid, formidable mountains and bleak stone deserts — presents major challenges.
Soldiers who have done Iraq tours talk about being wowed by Saddam Hussein's palaces. Here they're lucky if they find a road.
At Kandahar Air Field, a massive truck laid down a metal track sturdy enough for the 38,000-pound Strykers to cross.
"When we were going to Iraq, I didn't think we'd be using these bridges at all. Things are more developed there," said 1st Lt. John Davis as he tested a bridge-laying vehicle.
He said they'll use the bridges to establish new routes over small waterways or gullies, or cross areas bombed out by Taliban explosives.
And while terrain in southern Afghanistan is not that different from the Iraqi desert, if the brigade moves farther up the eastern border, they'll confront mountains and valleys still littered with the carcasses of Soviet tanks from the war in the 1980s.
In Iraq these soldiers would have been taking over from existing brigades, but here they're deploying in a part of the country that has only had a sparse international force and never an American presence.
The Stryker vehicles are flown over. The operating bases have to be built and no one knows for sure how the Taliban will respond in an area where they've never been given much of a fight. This will be the first deployment for the brigade and for many of its soldiers, so many are studying up to make sure they're ready for a different theater with a lot more responsibility.
"If we went to Iraq we'd already have assumed operations," said Maj. Joe Hugh, the executive officer of the brigade's Special Troops Battalion, comprised of soldiers with various technical specialties. "Here it's a Rubik's Cube. We're just trying to figure it out every day."
Then, five months ago, the 5,000 troops of the U.S. Army's 5th Stryker Brigade were told they were headed to Afghanistan instead.
The Obama administration's decision to switch America's main battlefront from Iraq to Afghanistan is more than a geographic shift. While there are similarities between the two Muslim nations, there are also major differences in language, culture and topography.
The Fort Lewis, Wash.-based Stryker brigade, which arrived in southern Afghanistan last month as part of the U.S. troop surge, is among those scrambling to adapt.
There was only time to give about 50 soldiers a nine-week crash course in Pashto, the main language of southern Afghanistan.
"It was a whole 180-degree turn. It's like English and French: some words are the same but that's it. The grammar is different, the sentences are different," said Spc. John Dazey, a 21-year-old from Vacaville, Calif., who had to fit his training on driving combat vehicles around eight-hour-a-day language classes.
He spoke at the main international base in southern Kandahar province as he waited to deploy out to southeastern Afghanistan.
The soldiers will also encounter a society that is more conservative and traditional than Iraq's.
While two-thirds of Iraq's 28 million people live in major cities, three-fourths of the 34 million Afghans live in rural areas, where conservative values remain strong. Nearly three-quarters of Iraqis can read and write. In Afghanistan, only 28 percent are literate — with rates for women about half that.
All that is especially true among the Pashtuns, the biggest ethnic group and the vast majority of the Taliban. U.S. troops must win over the Pashtuns if there is to be peace in Afghanistan.
Soldiers who've gone through the language course are briefing their comrades on how to interact with the local population — part of the U.S. strategy of building ties to the community.
Dazey has told the men in his squadron to avoid talking to women, or even looking at them — a cursory glance at a burqa-covered woman can be seen by her husband as a lewd come-on.
"The Pashtuns, we've been told the culture is a lot like the Arabic culture except it's on steroids," he said.
Perhaps most importantly, engaging Afghans — and the Pashtuns in particular — requires a different approach.
"Afghanistan is more of a tribal-based society," said Lt. Col. William Clark, commander of the Stryker brigade's 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. "There are more informal leaders you have to recognize."
Conversely, the brigade faces a tightly organized Taliban structure in Kandahar with commanders and even spokespeople, in contrast to the loosely connected insurgency of Iraq.
The Stryker brigade, named after its fast-moving tank-like assault vehicles, is meant to be a next-generation fighting force equipped with advanced communication technology and soldiers skilled in both fighting and peace-building.
Some of the Pashto-speaking soldiers have been given special permission to grow a beard to better interact with men in a culture where a beard is a sign of manhood.
"The fact that so many of the military guys are so against it shows how much cultural importance a beard can have," Col. Harry Tunnell, the brigade commander, said.
Operating in Afghanistan — a country of few roads, no national electricity grid, formidable mountains and bleak stone deserts — presents major challenges.
Soldiers who have done Iraq tours talk about being wowed by Saddam Hussein's palaces. Here they're lucky if they find a road.
At Kandahar Air Field, a massive truck laid down a metal track sturdy enough for the 38,000-pound Strykers to cross.
"When we were going to Iraq, I didn't think we'd be using these bridges at all. Things are more developed there," said 1st Lt. John Davis as he tested a bridge-laying vehicle.
He said they'll use the bridges to establish new routes over small waterways or gullies, or cross areas bombed out by Taliban explosives.
And while terrain in southern Afghanistan is not that different from the Iraqi desert, if the brigade moves farther up the eastern border, they'll confront mountains and valleys still littered with the carcasses of Soviet tanks from the war in the 1980s.
In Iraq these soldiers would have been taking over from existing brigades, but here they're deploying in a part of the country that has only had a sparse international force and never an American presence.
The Stryker vehicles are flown over. The operating bases have to be built and no one knows for sure how the Taliban will respond in an area where they've never been given much of a fight. This will be the first deployment for the brigade and for many of its soldiers, so many are studying up to make sure they're ready for a different theater with a lot more responsibility.
"If we went to Iraq we'd already have assumed operations," said Maj. Joe Hugh, the executive officer of the brigade's Special Troops Battalion, comprised of soldiers with various technical specialties. "Here it's a Rubik's Cube. We're just trying to figure it out every day."
Hillary Clinton: I'm secretary of state, not Bill
KINSHASA, Congo – Hillary Clinton has a message for the world: It's not all about Bill.
The secretary of state bristled Monday when — as she heard it — a Congolese university student asked what her husband thought about an international financial matter.
Karzai offers rival top Cabinet post in effort to avoid election defeat
www.timesonline.co.uk
One of the three main contenders in Afghanistan’s presidential election admitted yesterday that he had been offered a power-sharing deal by President Karzai in an apparent attempt to sideline the other leading candidate and avoid a second-round vote.
Ashraf Ghani, a former academic and World Bank executive, told The Times that a “weakening” Mr Karzai had attempted to persuade him to abandon his campaign in exchange for the position of prime minister in a new Karzai administration.
Mr Ghani, who was Finance Minister in Mr Karzai’s first Cabinet, said that he was “listening” to the approaches from Mr Karzai’s intermediaries but was not giving up his campaign for the election on August 20. “An offer was made. It was for a position as ‘chief executive’ [in the Cabinet],” he said. “The details were not worked out. I am not discontinuing my election campaign.”
The proposed deal could seriously undermine the campaign of the other major contender in the election, Abdullah Abdullah, who is widely regarded as the main threat to Mr Karzai’s continued grip on power.
Wahid Omer, a spokesman for Mr Karzai, confirmed that there had been talks with Mr Ghani, but denied there had been an offer of a specific post. “Our talks are going towards Ashraf Ghani joining with Karzai. Ghani’s team has also contacted us ... It’s not just us contacting them.”
The alleged offer appears to suggest that the President is no longer confident of winning an outright majority in the first round, and may even fear losing in a second round run-off with Dr Abdullah.
It has also prompted speculation that the international community supports the idea as a way of stunting Mr Karzai’s power and bringing on board a skilled technocrat, while retaining an administration led by ethnic Pashtuns. Both Mr Karzai and Mr Ghani are Pashtuns, the country’s majority ethnicity and the one from which the Taleban draws it strength.
Dr Abdullah, a former Foreign Minister in Mr Karzai’s first Government, is of mixed Tajik and Pashtun ethnicity but has longstanding links to the Tajik north, which is his main support base. Some diplomats fear that if he won it would further exacerbate the sense of alienation among the Pashtun southern tribes and fuel greater violence.
Sources close to the Ghani campaign denied that the United States was driving the deal, but confirmed that US diplomats had offered assurances that the Karzai offer was “genuine”.
Dr Abdullah, however, said he doubted that the US supported the proposed power-sharing arrangement. “Afghanistan has not benefited from these deals,” he told The Times. “A dream team? Or a nightmare team? I don’t know. What I do know is that people want change.”
Public mood is notoriously difficult to judge in Afghanistan, but opinion polls do suggest a narrowing lead for the President and an increasing likelihood of a second round.
Mr Ghani said that President Karzai’s strategy of brokering deals with regional strongmen had failed. “Karzai’s support is weakening in every place you look,” he said.
“His strategy is to seek out ethnic entrepreneurs on the assumption that they have vote banks that can deliver blocs of votes. They can’t. I am peeling away a major portion of his support. Abdullah is succeeding in peeling another major portion of it.”
One of the three main contenders in Afghanistan’s presidential election admitted yesterday that he had been offered a power-sharing deal by President Karzai in an apparent attempt to sideline the other leading candidate and avoid a second-round vote.
Ashraf Ghani, a former academic and World Bank executive, told The Times that a “weakening” Mr Karzai had attempted to persuade him to abandon his campaign in exchange for the position of prime minister in a new Karzai administration.
Mr Ghani, who was Finance Minister in Mr Karzai’s first Cabinet, said that he was “listening” to the approaches from Mr Karzai’s intermediaries but was not giving up his campaign for the election on August 20. “An offer was made. It was for a position as ‘chief executive’ [in the Cabinet],” he said. “The details were not worked out. I am not discontinuing my election campaign.”
The proposed deal could seriously undermine the campaign of the other major contender in the election, Abdullah Abdullah, who is widely regarded as the main threat to Mr Karzai’s continued grip on power.
Wahid Omer, a spokesman for Mr Karzai, confirmed that there had been talks with Mr Ghani, but denied there had been an offer of a specific post. “Our talks are going towards Ashraf Ghani joining with Karzai. Ghani’s team has also contacted us ... It’s not just us contacting them.”
The alleged offer appears to suggest that the President is no longer confident of winning an outright majority in the first round, and may even fear losing in a second round run-off with Dr Abdullah.
It has also prompted speculation that the international community supports the idea as a way of stunting Mr Karzai’s power and bringing on board a skilled technocrat, while retaining an administration led by ethnic Pashtuns. Both Mr Karzai and Mr Ghani are Pashtuns, the country’s majority ethnicity and the one from which the Taleban draws it strength.
Dr Abdullah, a former Foreign Minister in Mr Karzai’s first Government, is of mixed Tajik and Pashtun ethnicity but has longstanding links to the Tajik north, which is his main support base. Some diplomats fear that if he won it would further exacerbate the sense of alienation among the Pashtun southern tribes and fuel greater violence.
Sources close to the Ghani campaign denied that the United States was driving the deal, but confirmed that US diplomats had offered assurances that the Karzai offer was “genuine”.
Dr Abdullah, however, said he doubted that the US supported the proposed power-sharing arrangement. “Afghanistan has not benefited from these deals,” he told The Times. “A dream team? Or a nightmare team? I don’t know. What I do know is that people want change.”
Public mood is notoriously difficult to judge in Afghanistan, but opinion polls do suggest a narrowing lead for the President and an increasing likelihood of a second round.
Mr Ghani said that President Karzai’s strategy of brokering deals with regional strongmen had failed. “Karzai’s support is weakening in every place you look,” he said.
“His strategy is to seek out ethnic entrepreneurs on the assumption that they have vote banks that can deliver blocs of votes. They can’t. I am peeling away a major portion of his support. Abdullah is succeeding in peeling another major portion of it.”
Zardari reviews ‘Malakand Pilot Project’
ISLAMABAD : President Asif ali Zardari Tuesday said that the Malakand Plan should result in increased security with improved system of governance in which the potential of the region is fully exploited for economic growth and the region is made a secure, prosperous and tolerant place free from the dangers of militancy.
He said this while presiding over a meeting to review the Malakand Pilot Project, aimed at rebuilding the region after the return of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their homes.
The plan will be presented to Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) partners for their consideration at the Ministerial meeting in Istanbul on August 25.
Briefing the journalists about the meeting, spokesperson to the President, former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that President Zardari has expressed the hope that the Malakand Pilot Project will ensure that militancy and extremism did not relapse in the area. It should serve as a model for replication in other areas too, he said.
The President said that narcotics and drug peddling was also an area of serious concern as it fed the war machine of the militants adding, "The Malakand project should ensure rooting out drug trafficking".
The President asked the meeting to convert the recent social and political disaster in Swat and Malakand into a great and new opportunity for creating viable models for containing extremism and violence anywhere in the world.
Farhatullah Babar said that there are six working groups of FoDP that were established after the April 17 meeting. The working groups deal exclusively with Security, Development, Energy, Institution capacity building, Trade, Terrorism and a working group on Swat and Malakand.
The Swat and Malakand Working Group was tasked to prepare a "Pilot Project" for rehabilitation of IDPs, rebuilding the infrastructure and fighting militancy on a long term basis.
The President said that the success of the plan depended upon a security environment that permitted to implement it and said that the government will ensure that the process of improvement in security environment now under way moved forward and not reversed in any way.
The President said that the objective of the plan was to provide adequate security to ensure speedy justice to proactively counter the threat of militancy.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Minister for SAFRON Najmuddin Khan, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Secretary General Salman Faruqi and senior officials of different ministries besides Ambassadors and senior diplomatic staff of Turkey, USA and UK in Islamabad.
He said this while presiding over a meeting to review the Malakand Pilot Project, aimed at rebuilding the region after the return of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their homes.
The plan will be presented to Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) partners for their consideration at the Ministerial meeting in Istanbul on August 25.
Briefing the journalists about the meeting, spokesperson to the President, former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that President Zardari has expressed the hope that the Malakand Pilot Project will ensure that militancy and extremism did not relapse in the area. It should serve as a model for replication in other areas too, he said.
The President said that narcotics and drug peddling was also an area of serious concern as it fed the war machine of the militants adding, "The Malakand project should ensure rooting out drug trafficking".
The President asked the meeting to convert the recent social and political disaster in Swat and Malakand into a great and new opportunity for creating viable models for containing extremism and violence anywhere in the world.
Farhatullah Babar said that there are six working groups of FoDP that were established after the April 17 meeting. The working groups deal exclusively with Security, Development, Energy, Institution capacity building, Trade, Terrorism and a working group on Swat and Malakand.
The Swat and Malakand Working Group was tasked to prepare a "Pilot Project" for rehabilitation of IDPs, rebuilding the infrastructure and fighting militancy on a long term basis.
The President said that the success of the plan depended upon a security environment that permitted to implement it and said that the government will ensure that the process of improvement in security environment now under way moved forward and not reversed in any way.
The President said that the objective of the plan was to provide adequate security to ensure speedy justice to proactively counter the threat of militancy.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Minister for SAFRON Najmuddin Khan, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Secretary General Salman Faruqi and senior officials of different ministries besides Ambassadors and senior diplomatic staff of Turkey, USA and UK in Islamabad.
Suspected US strike kills at least 10 in South Waziristan
PESHAWAR: A US drone fired missiles into a suspected militant camp in a Taliban stronghold of northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border, killing at least 10 people on Tuesday, security officials said.
The attack happened near the small mountain town of Kanniguram in South Waziristan — a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud.
Kanniguram is seven kilometres south of Ladha, the village where a suspected US drone fired two missiles into the house of Mehsud's father-in-law last Wednesday.
‘Two missiles were fired by a US drone. It was a militant compound,’ a Pakistani government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
‘We have reports that more than 10 people were killed in the attack. It was a drone attack,’ one Pakistani military official told AFP.
Another senior security official confirmed that 10 suspected militants were killed, but a local government official had no exact death toll.
Meanwhile, Hamdullah Mehsud, a resident, said three missiles hit the large high-walled house.
‘So far, eight bodies have been pulled out of the rubble,’ he told Reuters. Five people were wounded, he added.
It was the first suspected US attack since last Wednesday, in a strike that Pakistani and US officials believe killed Baitullah Mehsud and his wife in South Waziristan.
But confusion has reigned and both governments have stopped short of confirming that the warlord — Pakistan's public enemy number one — is dead.
The United States military does not, as a rule, confirm drone attacks, but its armed forces and the CIA operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy unmanned aircraft in the region.
Pakistan has in the past vociferously opposed drone attacks as a threat to its sovereignty, which risk whipping up a spiralling anti-American backlash that could destabilise the weak civilian government.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Taliban still a major threat 8 years later
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- It has been nearly eight years since U.S. forces overthrew the Taliban leaders of Afghanistan, but the war against the Taliban insurgency is bloodier than ever.
The number of Afghan civilians killed in the wake of the war has increased 24 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same time period last year, according to the United Nations. And NATO and American forces suffered record losses this summer, with 75 troops killed in the month of July, making it the deadliest month for Western troops in the country since American warplanes first began bombing the Taliban in October 2001.
The U.S. death toll will remain high for some time as the Taliban has gained the upper hand, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Monday.
"It's a very aggressive enemy right now," McChrystal told the newspaper in the interview Saturday at his office in Kabul, Afghanistan. "We've got to stop their momentum, stop their initiative. It's hard work."
The Taliban insurgency has blossomed in northern Afghan provinces such as Kunduz and Baghlan, long considered some of the safest territory in the country. And just 20 miles east of Kabul, Taliban "judges" operate openly in the back of pickup trucks, settling legal disputes between villagers in makeshift "mobile courts."
The insurgents are filling a vacuum left by Afghanistan's Western-backed government, which foreign diplomats and military commanders concede suffers from nepotism, corruption and predatory practices.
Challenge to the Afghan government
Afghans will go to the polls on August 20 to vote in the nation's second presidential election since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Opposition candidates have blamed the Taliban insurgency's continued growth on Hamid Karzai, the man who has occupied the presidential palace in Kabul for the past seven years.
"Because of the failure of the current administration, in losing the support of its own people, there is a vacuum, and that vacuum has led to a deterioration of security as well as in all parts of life," said Karzai's top challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
McChrystal, a former U.S. joint special operations commander who recently took command of the U.S.-NATO operation in Afghanistan, said the Taliban are challenging the very legitimacy of his partners in the Afghan government.
"The fundamental conflict in any insurgency is fighting for legitimacy with the people and the support of the population," he explained in a recent interview with CNN.
"Who do they look to as their legitimate government? Who do they pay taxes to? Who do they look to for rule of law? Who do they look to as protection? In the case of this insurgency, what we have is an Afghan government that is trying to establish itself around the country. It has problems with corruption. It has problems in some cases with predatory behavior."
Along the traffic-choked streets of Kabul, residents rarely complain about the Taliban. Instead, they often rail against the Western-backed Afghan state.
"What service has this government provided us?" asked Fawad, a young street vendor who sells watermelons for 20 cents apiece. He said that at least once a week, Afghan police show up and demand bribes of up to $100 from vendors, who must pay if they want to continue selling their goods.
"We don't want a tyrant who oppresses the people," Fawad said when asked who he would vote for in the elections. "What we want is security."
Earlier this month, an Afghan employee for CNN, who prefers not to be named for security reasons, witnessed how locals turn to the Taliban to resolve their disputes, in a village barely 20 miles east of the Afghan capital.
He said openly armed insurgents rolled up in a pickup truck, and a Taliban judge began mediating local disputes. In one case, the Taliban official resolved a disagreement between two shepherds whose flocks of sheep had gotten intermixed while grazing.
"I was shocked," said the Afghan eyewitness, who was visiting the village to attend a funeral. "The villagers were lining up asking for help from the Taliban."
NATO commanders say they have had reports of Taliban "mobile courts" operating in similar fashion just outside the southern city of Kandahar.
"There are cases of rule of law being taken care of by the Taliban instead of the Afghan government," said Col. Paul Kolken, a Dutch military spokesman at Kandahar Air Base. He said the Taliban are operating mobile courts as close as possible to the city of Kandahar.
Afghan corruption at the highest levels?
Human rights activists accuse the Karzai government of making deals with some of the country's most notorious warlords ahead of the August 20 presidential elections.
"A lot of Afghans are telling us they're quite disappointed that Karzai's not even running on a platform of promises or performance, but just an old fashioned Afghan cutting of deals," said Sam Zarifi of Amnesty International. He pointed to a recent article by Elizabeth Rubin, in the New York Times Magazine, that describes Karzai's choice of Mohammed Fahim, a former Northern Alliance militia commander, as vice presidential running mate. Fahim has long been accused of committing human rights abuses.
"Starting on the top and bringing Fahim back, this is horrific," Zarifi said. He lamented that Afghan politicians are rarely prosecuted for crimes, and if they are, they are often pardoned.
"Karzai has really regressed over the past seven or eight years," Zarifi said.
Many Afghan observers argue this culture of impunity runs directly to the presidential palace. For years, Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali, has been dogged by accusations that he is a major player in the booming drug trade in southern Afghanistan.
One high-ranking Western diplomat stationed in Kabul described discussing the allegations with Karzai in a one-on-one meeting. Karzai asked for advice on how best to address his brother's alleged illicit business dealings, the diplomat said. At one point, the diplomat said, Karzai looked up helplessly, asking, "He's my brother. What can I do?"
Both Karzai and his brother have repeatedly dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
This month, Karzai made a rare trip outside his presidential palace to woo voters in Baghlan province. He conceded that Afghanistan is still far from stable, but promised that if re-elected he would redouble his efforts to rebuild the country.
"Terrorism is still harassing us. It is still killing us. It is still destroying this land," he told a crowd of several thousand supporters. "The moment I become the president of Afghanistan -- again -- through your vote, through your able hands, my first attempt will be to ensure perpetual peace."
Several days later, at a press conference with Karzai, the newly appointed secretary general of the NATO military alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, called for NATO countries to contribute more troops to support the Afghan government.
"NATO-ISAF is here to protect your elections," the former Danish prime minister said at Kabul's presidential palace. "What we need are credible elections that reflect the will of the people."
ISAF -- the International Security Assistance Force -- is the United Nations-mandated U.S.-NATO presence in Afghanistan.
U.S. needs a strong Afghan partner
President Obama's administration has committed more resources and troops to battling the insurgency and training Afghan security forces, while also sending additional diplomats and civilian aid workers to focus on reconstruction and development.
When Obama took office, he vowed to redirect military resources from the war in Iraq to Afghanistan, which he described as being -- along with neighboring Pakistan -- the "central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism."
McChrystal told The Wall Street Journal that he is still considering a request to send 10,000 more troops to Afghanistan in addition to the planned 68,000 troops that are expected to be in place by the end of the year.
The information is a preview of a strategic assessment he plans to deliver to Washington later this month.
The military initiative is an effort to bolster Afghanistan's weak government, which many Afghan observers argue has been, more than anything, a source of frustration and popular disappointment.
"If the same trend continues, if the same failing of the administration continues, more troops, more resources, more civilian advisors will not be a substitute," argued presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah.
Security will be on the minds of most Afghan voters as they head to the polls, according to Jahid Mohseni, the Australian-Afghan head of Tolo TV, Afghanistan's most influential TV channel.
"People are frustrated with things not happening," Mohseni said. "In terms of day-to-day life, the development that they wanted in government has not been happening."
"They are looking at being able to walk down the street at night without ... risking getting attacked, et cetera. They want to make sure that their kids don't get kidnapped."
The number of Afghan civilians killed in the wake of the war has increased 24 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same time period last year, according to the United Nations. And NATO and American forces suffered record losses this summer, with 75 troops killed in the month of July, making it the deadliest month for Western troops in the country since American warplanes first began bombing the Taliban in October 2001.
The U.S. death toll will remain high for some time as the Taliban has gained the upper hand, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Monday.
"It's a very aggressive enemy right now," McChrystal told the newspaper in the interview Saturday at his office in Kabul, Afghanistan. "We've got to stop their momentum, stop their initiative. It's hard work."
The Taliban insurgency has blossomed in northern Afghan provinces such as Kunduz and Baghlan, long considered some of the safest territory in the country. And just 20 miles east of Kabul, Taliban "judges" operate openly in the back of pickup trucks, settling legal disputes between villagers in makeshift "mobile courts."
The insurgents are filling a vacuum left by Afghanistan's Western-backed government, which foreign diplomats and military commanders concede suffers from nepotism, corruption and predatory practices.
Challenge to the Afghan government
Afghans will go to the polls on August 20 to vote in the nation's second presidential election since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Opposition candidates have blamed the Taliban insurgency's continued growth on Hamid Karzai, the man who has occupied the presidential palace in Kabul for the past seven years.
"Because of the failure of the current administration, in losing the support of its own people, there is a vacuum, and that vacuum has led to a deterioration of security as well as in all parts of life," said Karzai's top challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
McChrystal, a former U.S. joint special operations commander who recently took command of the U.S.-NATO operation in Afghanistan, said the Taliban are challenging the very legitimacy of his partners in the Afghan government.
"The fundamental conflict in any insurgency is fighting for legitimacy with the people and the support of the population," he explained in a recent interview with CNN.
"Who do they look to as their legitimate government? Who do they pay taxes to? Who do they look to for rule of law? Who do they look to as protection? In the case of this insurgency, what we have is an Afghan government that is trying to establish itself around the country. It has problems with corruption. It has problems in some cases with predatory behavior."
Along the traffic-choked streets of Kabul, residents rarely complain about the Taliban. Instead, they often rail against the Western-backed Afghan state.
"What service has this government provided us?" asked Fawad, a young street vendor who sells watermelons for 20 cents apiece. He said that at least once a week, Afghan police show up and demand bribes of up to $100 from vendors, who must pay if they want to continue selling their goods.
"We don't want a tyrant who oppresses the people," Fawad said when asked who he would vote for in the elections. "What we want is security."
Earlier this month, an Afghan employee for CNN, who prefers not to be named for security reasons, witnessed how locals turn to the Taliban to resolve their disputes, in a village barely 20 miles east of the Afghan capital.
He said openly armed insurgents rolled up in a pickup truck, and a Taliban judge began mediating local disputes. In one case, the Taliban official resolved a disagreement between two shepherds whose flocks of sheep had gotten intermixed while grazing.
"I was shocked," said the Afghan eyewitness, who was visiting the village to attend a funeral. "The villagers were lining up asking for help from the Taliban."
NATO commanders say they have had reports of Taliban "mobile courts" operating in similar fashion just outside the southern city of Kandahar.
"There are cases of rule of law being taken care of by the Taliban instead of the Afghan government," said Col. Paul Kolken, a Dutch military spokesman at Kandahar Air Base. He said the Taliban are operating mobile courts as close as possible to the city of Kandahar.
Afghan corruption at the highest levels?
Human rights activists accuse the Karzai government of making deals with some of the country's most notorious warlords ahead of the August 20 presidential elections.
"A lot of Afghans are telling us they're quite disappointed that Karzai's not even running on a platform of promises or performance, but just an old fashioned Afghan cutting of deals," said Sam Zarifi of Amnesty International. He pointed to a recent article by Elizabeth Rubin, in the New York Times Magazine, that describes Karzai's choice of Mohammed Fahim, a former Northern Alliance militia commander, as vice presidential running mate. Fahim has long been accused of committing human rights abuses.
"Starting on the top and bringing Fahim back, this is horrific," Zarifi said. He lamented that Afghan politicians are rarely prosecuted for crimes, and if they are, they are often pardoned.
"Karzai has really regressed over the past seven or eight years," Zarifi said.
Many Afghan observers argue this culture of impunity runs directly to the presidential palace. For years, Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali, has been dogged by accusations that he is a major player in the booming drug trade in southern Afghanistan.
One high-ranking Western diplomat stationed in Kabul described discussing the allegations with Karzai in a one-on-one meeting. Karzai asked for advice on how best to address his brother's alleged illicit business dealings, the diplomat said. At one point, the diplomat said, Karzai looked up helplessly, asking, "He's my brother. What can I do?"
Both Karzai and his brother have repeatedly dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
This month, Karzai made a rare trip outside his presidential palace to woo voters in Baghlan province. He conceded that Afghanistan is still far from stable, but promised that if re-elected he would redouble his efforts to rebuild the country.
"Terrorism is still harassing us. It is still killing us. It is still destroying this land," he told a crowd of several thousand supporters. "The moment I become the president of Afghanistan -- again -- through your vote, through your able hands, my first attempt will be to ensure perpetual peace."
Several days later, at a press conference with Karzai, the newly appointed secretary general of the NATO military alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, called for NATO countries to contribute more troops to support the Afghan government.
"NATO-ISAF is here to protect your elections," the former Danish prime minister said at Kabul's presidential palace. "What we need are credible elections that reflect the will of the people."
ISAF -- the International Security Assistance Force -- is the United Nations-mandated U.S.-NATO presence in Afghanistan.
U.S. needs a strong Afghan partner
President Obama's administration has committed more resources and troops to battling the insurgency and training Afghan security forces, while also sending additional diplomats and civilian aid workers to focus on reconstruction and development.
When Obama took office, he vowed to redirect military resources from the war in Iraq to Afghanistan, which he described as being -- along with neighboring Pakistan -- the "central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism."
McChrystal told The Wall Street Journal that he is still considering a request to send 10,000 more troops to Afghanistan in addition to the planned 68,000 troops that are expected to be in place by the end of the year.
The information is a preview of a strategic assessment he plans to deliver to Washington later this month.
The military initiative is an effort to bolster Afghanistan's weak government, which many Afghan observers argue has been, more than anything, a source of frustration and popular disappointment.
"If the same trend continues, if the same failing of the administration continues, more troops, more resources, more civilian advisors will not be a substitute," argued presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah.
Security will be on the minds of most Afghan voters as they head to the polls, according to Jahid Mohseni, the Australian-Afghan head of Tolo TV, Afghanistan's most influential TV channel.
"People are frustrated with things not happening," Mohseni said. "In terms of day-to-day life, the development that they wanted in government has not been happening."
"They are looking at being able to walk down the street at night without ... risking getting attacked, et cetera. They want to make sure that their kids don't get kidnapped."
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