Thursday, October 16, 2014
Putin: If Ukraine siphons gas from pipeline, Russia will reduce Europe supplies
Pakistan: Asia Bibi - Pakistani Christian loses appeal against death sentence for blasphemy
A Pakistani court upheld the death penalty on Thursday against a Christian woman accused of blasphemy, her lawyer said, in a case that drew global headlines after two prominent politicians who tried to help her were assassinated.BY MUBASHER BUKHARI
Bilawal Bhutto visits Lal Qalandar’s Dargah
http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairperson, Pakistan Peoples Party today paid visit to Dargah of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and laid floral wreath at the grave of great Sufi Saint of Sindh in Sehwan. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari remained at the Dargah for some time and offered Fateha. It may be recalled that Chairperson PPP had also visited the Dargahs of Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Clifton, and Dulha Shah Sabzwari Bukhari in Kharadar, Karachi two days back.
After 13 Years, War in Afghanistan Grinds On
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/
Michael KugelmanFor U.S. combat troops, the end is in sight: By Dec. 31, most of them will have been withdrawn. Unfortunately for Afghans, and their neighbors affected by the withdrawal, the war all but promises to continue–indefinitely. The Taliban has no incentive to stop fighting the Afghan state. Why should it, when Taliban forces are in position to make battlefield gains? Foreign troops are headed for the exits, and Afghan security forces–despite improvements in capacity–remain a major work in progress. The Taliban, though weakened by coalition forces’ firepower, remains a potent enemy, as evidenced by offensives launched in recent months. The sanctuaries that the Taliban and its Haqqani network allies enjoyed in Pakistan remain intact, even after a recent Pakistani countermilitancy operation in North Waziristan, which appears to have targeted other militant groups. As for the bilateral security agreement signed Sept. 30, it means that nearly 10,000 U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan next year. That’s a huge psychological boost for Afghans, as it ensures continuous flows of much-needed training for Afghan forces and of overall civilian and military aid. But a modest residual troop presence–especially one with a non-combat mandate–won’t produce large-scale stabilization. The drawdown could also dangerously ratchet up tensions between South Asian countries that don’t get along. In recent weeks, Afghan accusations of Pakistani complicity in some attacks have reached a crescendo. Last weekend, the Afghan government issued an ominous invitation to the Taliban: With foreign troops leaving, insurgents should end their war on the Afghan state and unite with Kabul against more serious “external” (read: Pakistani) threats. And India-Pakistan relations could plunge into crisis. Pakistani anti-India militants fighting in Afghanistan–including Lashkar-e-Taiba–could respond to the departure of foreign troops by redirecting their attention, and attacks, to India. New Delhi’s new nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, would not sit nearly as quietly as his predecessor if a terror attack linked to Pakistan were perpetrated in India. Here’s the good news: While it has become fashionable to compare Afghanistan to Iraq and to predict that the former will go the way of the latter, it may not be that bad. They’re two very different cases. Afghanistan’s ethnic divides are not as stark or violent as Iraq’s sectarian divisions. The Taliban is too divided and degraded to seize large expanses of territory as Islamic State militants have done in Iraq. Perhaps most important, over the past 13 years, particularly recent ones, Afghanistan has been on an upward (albeit shaky) trajectory. Civil and human rights have deepened, as has democratization overall. By contrast, Iraq was in a downward spiral when the U.S. withdrew. Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government was systematically disenfranchising Sunnis, and sectarian bloodshed quickly followed. Meanwhile, despite their chilly ties, Kabul and Islamabad do engage in high-level diplomacy, including military-to-military talks. And tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad are less likely to escalate into conflict than in decades past, when the two countries fought three wars, because both countries now have nuclear weapons. Nonetheless, this much is clear: Even if the war in Afghanistan is ending for U.S. combat forces, it isn’t ending for Afghans anytime soon.
Over 200 Pakistani lawmakers suspended for not declaring assets
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Over 200 lawmakers of Pakistan's Parliament and provincial assemblies were on Wednesday temporarily suspended by the Election Commission for failing to submit the annual details of their assets. Under the Constitution, the lawmakers are bound to report every year the details of their wealth by September 30 which can be extended by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for 15 days. The ECP had set October 15 as the deadline for the submission of assets. A total of 210 lawmakers failed to submit their details of assets and liabilities. In a notification issued at the end of deadline, the ECP directed that those failing to comply cannot attend the session of their respective assemblies during the period of suspension. However, the members can get their membership restored anytime by fulfilling the legal obligation. Those suspended included 40 members of the National Assembly, two members of the Senate, 98 members of the Punjab assembly, 28 members of the Sindh assembly, 33 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly, and nine members of the Balochistan assembly. Among the prominent members suspended are chief of right wing Jammat-i-Islami Sirajul Haq and Chairman of National Assembly Committee of Foreign Affairs Awais Khan Leghari. The majority of those suspended belong to ruling PML-N of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Afghanistan’s Political Transition
Afghanistan’s new president, Ashraf Ghani, inherits a government that is running out of money and losing ground to the insurgency. As foreign troops withdraw, the new government must stay united and move quickly on reforms.
In its latest report, Afghanistan’s Political Transition, the International Crisis Group examines the politics surrounding the deeply contested 2014 presidential election, analysing threats and opportunities. Any election during an escalating civil war will never reflect the full breadth of popular opinion, and the polls were marred by substantial fraud. Still, the most peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan’s history creates opportunities to improve governance, reduce corruption and steer the country toward greater stability.
The report’s major findings and recommendations are:The formation of a national unity government including Ghani and his election rival Abdullah Abdullah presents opportunities to stabilise the transition, preventing further erosion of state cohesion – but it also poses risks, particularly of factionalism within Kabul. Afghanistan and its donors must focus on the stability of the government while implementing the reforms promised in Ghani’s manifesto. Ethnic tensions became more acute during the second round, in particular, as ethnic Pashtuns and Uzbeks rallied in large numbers around Ghani and his running mate Abdul Rashid Dostum; at the same time, Abdullah’s ticket became identified mainly with ethnic Tajiks and some Hazara factions. Reducing such mistrust will be crucial if this political transition is to survive. Some of the political fallout from such a divisive process could be addressed with a transparent review of lessons to be applied to strengthen the 2015 parliamentary and 2019 presidential elections. Such a review, with the potential for reconsidering laws, regulations and even the constitution, may allow for some dilution of the winner-takes-all presidential system. In the short term, Ghani and Abdullah must steer the government through urgent business, including satisfying the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF), to prevent Afghanistan from being blacklisted by financial institutions and ensure continued donor support. “Ghani and Abdullah will need to continue serving as voices of restraint as they strive to make the unity government function, and they deserve to receive international support in these efforts” says says Graeme Smith, Afghanistan Senior Analyst. “The Afghan government cannot afford to drift, and any disunity in Kabul will affect the country’s ability to fight its battles and pay its bills”. “While the two candidates’ power-sharing deals may be imperfect, they have also opened a conversation about revising the overly centralised presidential system”, says Samina Ahmed, South Asia Project Director and Senior Asia Adviser. “Afghanistan needs constitutional reforms to dilute some powers of the presidency and give more responsibilities to elected local officials. This would help mitigate factional tensions in the government and lower the stakes in future elections”.
Pakistan at risk of deadly Ebola virus: WHO spokesperson
World Health Organization has warned today that Ebola virus might spread to Pakistan sooner or later.
Speaking to British media, WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Michel Thieren said that since Ebola virus was spreading faster across the world, Pakistan was also at a high risk of it. He suggested Pakistan government to take speedy precautionary measures and steps against the deadly disease.
According to Dr Michel, international passengers can carry the virus anywhere they travel. Michel stated that no measures at the airport can be taken to prevent the virus from spreading in the country. Enhanced screening for Ebola can be introduced at airports though. Therefore, government can’t be held responsible for it.
However, raising awareness about the possible indications of the virus amongst the masses and the security officials at the airport can be the most effective way to defend against Ebola.
Earlier, the Ministry of National Health on Wednesday prepared an emergency plan to deal with the Ebola virus; as per which, the incoming passengers from African countries will be screened and medical personnel will be trained.
According to the details, a high level meeting to discuss how to deal with the deadly Ebola virus took place in Islamabad. The meeting approved creation of ‘Ebola counters’ at the airports, temporary clinics and special wards in the hospitals.
It was also decided that the Pakistan army personnel arriving from the peace keeping mission would be monitored for twenty one days. The provincial governments had also been directed to arrange screening and monitoring of passengers coming from African countries. World Health Organization’s (WHO) Dr Michel has already termed Ebola virus a big threat and recommended training of medical staff. As per WHO, there are no Ebola affected patients in Pakistan right now, however, if even a single affected patient entered in country without screening can cause the outbreak.
Pakistan - Air strikes kill 21 militants in Tirah Valley
Pakistan Army on Thursday said it had killed 21 militants in air strikes in a restive tribal district near the Afghan border, a region where it has been battling Islamist groups for more than a decade.
The attacks took place early morning in the Tirah valley of Khyber district, where the Taliban and another banned militant group, Lashkar-e-Islam, have taken refuge, the military said in a statement.
Pakistan has been battling Islamist groups in its semi-autonomous tribal belt since 2004 after its army entered the region to search for Al-Qaeda fighters that had fled across the border following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
In June, the army began an operation in the North Waziristan agency after a bloody raid on Karachi Airport ended faltering peace talks between the government and militants.
North Waziristan is a major base for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistani Taliban), which began its campaign against the state in 2007.
The United States has long called for action against militant groups in North Waziristan who have used the area as a staging post for attacks against NATO forces in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s army says it has killed more than a thousand militants and lost 86 soldiers since the start of the operation.
But the toll and identity of those killed is difficult to verify because journalists do not have regular access to the conflict zones.
Critics charge that many of the dead were non-combatants.
In July, an air strike in North Waziristan district that the military said killed 35 militants in fact claimed the lives of 37 civilians, according to multiple accounts by residents.
Pakistan - PPP to contest elections against PTI, PML-N, says Wattoo
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Punjab President Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo on Wednesday has said that the PPP was in competition with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) because both of the parties were the rightist parties representing the upper middle class.
Addressing a press conference, he said that the PPP predominantly represented the lower middle class with liberal and progressive orientations that harmonised with political philosophy of its founding leaders.
He said that the PPP was supporting democracy to attain political stability in the country that should not be treated as support to the present government. He further said that no country could develop on a sustainable basis without political stability and economic development as they are intimately linked.
Wattoo said that former president Asif Ali Zardari’s two-week tour of Punjab had infused new energy in the party rank and file as a result of extensive interaction with leaders and workers hailing from seven divisions of central Punjab. He said that Co-Chairman Zardari had conveyed his deep appreciations to the PPP Punjab leaders and others who made his tour a big success.
The PPP leader further said that Patron-in-Chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari would come to Punjab soon because the task of organisation of the party was focus of their attention. He added that his focus was also on the organisational aspects of the PPP Punjab chapter and that he intended to complete it within next two months. He claimed once the organisation of the party was complete at all tiers then no political force would be able to defeat the PPP.
He said that the PPP Punjab was confident to send as many as 25,000 people to Karachi to participate in the October 18 rally that would be addressed by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He also confirmed that he did not see the holding of local bodies elections in the province because the provincial government did not want to empower the people at grass-roots level.
He, however, observed that the PPP was ready to contest local bodies elections any time and would surprise many because the party was in a position to win the same. The PPP suffered the political setback in the May 2013 elections because the mandate was stolen through returning officers (ROs), he added.
PPP Punjab Secretary General Tanvir Ashraf Kaira and other party leaders were also present.
Malala: the epitome of courage and resistance
The assault on Malala left all of Pakistan with a heartrending grief to nurse along with her loved ones. This prize is an acknowledgement of her valour, courage and resistanceMalala Yousafzai has become the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner, rightly deserved for her heroic struggle for girls’ right to education. She is indeed an international icon of resistance, women’s empowerment and right to education. She is the prized daughter of the nation, who at such a young age has earned a name and fame worldwide. Malala Yousafzai is undoubtedly an epitome of exceptionally enviable courage and boldness, who stood by her beliefs unflinchingly and, despite her very young age, she did not budge an inch from her noble stance in the face of dire threats. Leaders belonging to the ruling and opposition parties have congratulated Malala on winning the prestigious award. Though she is being revered the world over, a few people from international and local opinion makers’ circles are whining about how the Nobel Peace Prize should have been given to someone who has contributed towards peace or for efforts to eliminate war. It was indeed the prerogative of the Nobel Prize Committee to believe that education makes people civilised, in turn reducing turmoil and war to create a climate conducive to peace. The five-member Nobel committee, while taking the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Malala, stated: “Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzai has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations.” The assault on Malala left all of Pakistan with a heartrending grief to nurse along with her loved ones. This prize is an acknowledgement of her valour, courage and resistance, and that she defied the accursed thugs who not only attacked her, they pierced the very heart of this nation. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility, and vowed to attack her again if she survived. With this dastardly attack, they demonstrated how bestial they innately are. Attacking a child is not bravery; it is outright cowardice. This savage attack should have at least served to pull our clerical orders out of their own conceit, making them declare in unambiguous words that Islam abhors the killing of innocents, old men, women and children under any circumstances. Malala had been receiving threats from the militants yet no security was provided to her whereas scores of police personnel are deputed for the security of hundreds of ministers, politicos and other government functionaries. Of course, the attackers had descended from the hills from across the border where Pakistani fugitive militants like Fazlullah and Faqir Mohammad are ensconced. They have found safe haven in the neighbouring Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nuristan. Unfortunately, the civil security apparatus in Pakistan, whose job it is essentially to fight urban terrorism, was found lacking. Secondly, some terror apologists were condoning the vile acts of the militants, who felt emboldened by the support. Apart from killings, the militants destroyed not only girls’ schools but boys’ schools also and the civil administration could not stop them. Extremists and terrorists who are raising the banner of Islam are in fact striking at the very foundation of the faith. In Pakistan, books and schools have been torched and destroyed, and human beings have been killed by suicide bombers. In Pakistan, militants have burned hundreds of schools to the ground, especially girls schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Maulana Fazlullah, now chief of the TTP, had been broadcasting through an illegal FM radio station in Imam Dheri village, discouraging girls from going to school. Keeping up their attacks on schools, the insurgents destroyed schools in Mingora as well; the official count was more than 135 schools. These thugs do not understand that the foremost feature of man’s characteristics is that God granted him knowledge of the names of things, which made him superior to the angels and, as such, the latter were commanded by the Lord Creator to prostrate to him. Religious scholars have not seriously tried to ignite the internal combustible spirit in us and convert the release into useful energy with the potential for change and to find a niche in the comity of nations. They did not reach the innermost recesses of the conscious and subconscious minds of the people to inculcate in them an urge or desire to search for truth and reality. More than 1,400 years ago, Islam gave the message of peace, justice, human dignity, reason and light. Its rejection of outdated customs and traditions is enough evidence that Islam is an active and radical religion. Those who misinterpret Islam as a dogmatic and conservative upholder of obscurantism in fact deviate from the simple, rational and humane spirit of Islam. Unfortunately, there was no coherent plan by the administration to take the militants head on. The armed forces and paramilitaries are rendering tremendous sacrifices in fighting this war. Operation Zarb-e-Azb is successfully progressing and, according to military sources, 80 percent of North Waziristan has been cleared of the terrorists and militants. The military is determined to cleanse FATA and other areas where militants are hiding. Unfortunately, a couple of political parties and religious groups, in pursuance of their political interests, appear to have lost sight of the collective national goals of fighting and eliminating the scourge of terrorism. They have been creating fear in the minds of the people and government functionaries that, in the event of an operation being launched against the militants in FATA, the blowback would be disastrous. But they have been proved wrong, and the terror apologists are now quiet for the moment. The government should maintain its resolve to eliminate terrorism using an assorted counter-terrorism strategy. It should take steps to expedite relief to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and look after them properly, as they are the ones who will prove to be a bulwark against terrorists and militants after they return to their cities and towns.
Pakistan: The IDPs deserve better
THE signs of unrest and despair among the people displaced from North Waziristan Agency, on account of the military operation there, must begin to be addressed before the situation takes an ugly turn. While a group of IDPs from Mohmand Agency have been protesting in Peshawar for two months and demanding relief on the scale allowed to the displaced peopled from North Waziristan Agency, the latter are not satisfied either with the treatment meted out to them. Several grand jirgas of prominent men from both Waziristan agencies have demanded immediate repatriation to their homes and implementation of adequate rehabilitation plans. Now some of them are reported to have arrived in Islamabad with plans to stage a dharna for the realisation of their demands, offering yet more proof of the government’s incapacity to address public grievances in the ‘normal’ course of things. Their plea for earliest possible return to their homes, at least in the 90pc of the North Waziristan territory that is said to have been cleared of terrorists, cannot easily be refuted. They are obviously anxious to avoid the fate of the IDPs from the South Waziristan Agency who were dislocated in 2009. Out of the 56,228 South Waziristan families displaced years ago only 7,500 or so have returned home and about 48,500 families are still bearing the hardships of dislocation. Despite the government’s claims regarding IDP rehabilitation, the road ahead is bumpy. So strong seems to be the North Waziristan IDPs’ desire for returning home before winter sets in that they are unlikely to heed retired Gen Hamid Gul’s advice for delaying the homeward trek for security reasons. Nor are they going to forgive the government for its tardiness in preparing for the none-too-easy task of rehabilitating them. Despite the government’s fairly tall claims regarding the IDPs’ rehabilitation, including the prime minister’s declarations during his recent visit to Miramshah, the road ahead looks quite bumpy. It was only over the past fortnight that the government launched an appeal for international aid for the rehabilitation of IDPs for which the finance minister said $2bn were needed. A formal donor conference is, however, yet to be held. One can only hope the IDPs will not be made to wait till foreign aid can be secured. Meanwhile, the tribal jirga has rejected assessment of the IDPs’ losses by a committee on which they are not represented. On the face of it, their demand that the committee should include a representative of the affected people, who could correctly estimate the value of the property destroyed during the conflict, is unexceptionable. Non-acceptance of this demand will create unnecessary bitterness that could further undermine the IDPs’ faith in the rehabilitation plan and delay their homeward journey. This means that while the government goes around asking for resources for the rehabilitation of IDPs, especially those from North Waziristan — for they left their homes following an official command — the problems faced by them must continue to be addressed efficiently and in a humane manner. Although Pakistan has been facing the problem of internal displacement for many years its tendency to treat the issue through ad hoc measures has created problems for both the administration and the affected communities. It is generally agreed that only 10pc of the one million plus North Waziristan IDPs have found their way into official camps and the rest have been obliged to take refuge in private lodgings. Two or three families, each comprising over a dozen members, are said to be living in a small room. The disastrous effects of this kind of shelter on the occupants’ health, hygiene, and social attitudes cannot be easily grasped. Besides, none of the problems reported by civil society organisations — who could get NOCs from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and clearance by the military authorities — have been solved. The registration figures do not sound correct. According to Nadra data, the 87,772 registered families include only 14,558 women (above 18 years) and 6,220 children. Both these estimates appear grossly below the actual figure. The problems faced by people having double addresses on their CNICs or women-headed households and the second or third wives of polygamous men remain largely unresolved. An HRCP lawyers group that briefly studied the North Waziristan IDP status in Bannu district took special notice of the non-Muslim affectees. The group found Christian and Hindu IDPs housed in a Christian-managed hospital. While they shared the plight of Muslim families they found an opportunity to voice their traditional grievances — they cannot buy land (even for places of worship) in North Waziristan, are allowed category B domicile, and the quota in services for minorities is not enforced in their agency. Disasters often push victims’ dormant grievances to the surface. The group endorsed the view expressed by observers earlier that the main hurdle to proper management of the IDPs’ affairs is lack of coordination among the various official actors. It is said the National Disaster Management Authority has no role in dealing with North Waziristan IDPs and the PDMA of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has only a token role. The different issues are dealt by different organisations — the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, the Fata Secretariat, the KP provincial government, the Fata Disaster Management Authority, the Bannu commissioner and the Displacement Management Unit of the army corps are all powerful agencies and almost all of them unused to coordinated teamwork. Finally, it is not too late to remind the government of the urgency of adhering to the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and making a law on the subject, a law that could guarantee the IDPs their basic rights to protection, relief, freedom of movement, repatriation and rehabilitation. Pakistan has earned considerable notoriety for hosting the largest number of refugees in the world without adopting a proper refugee law or recognising the UN Declaration on Refugees. It can ill-afford fresh strictures on its ad hoc disposal of the rights of displaced persons.By I.A. Rehman
Pakistani Terrorist Captured - Son of Jalaluddin Haqqani captured in Afghanistan
Afghan security forces said Thursday they have captured two senior leaders of the feared Haqqani network, a hardline group behind sophisticated attacks on Afghan and Nato forces.
Anas Haqqani, the son of the network's founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, was arrested late Tuesday along with Hafiz Rashid, another commander, by the National Directorate of Security (NDS), the Afghan intelligence agency, officials said.
“We hope that these two arrests will have direct consequences on the network and their centre of command,” NDS spokesman Haseeb Sediqi said.
Anas played an important role in the network's "strategic decision-making" and frequently travelled to Gulf states to get funding, Sediqi said.
The Haqqanis have been blamed for spectacular attacks on Afghan government and Nato targets across Afghanistan as well as for kidnappings and murders.
The Haqqani network was founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani — an Afghan guerrilla leader bankrolled by the United States to fight Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Now in his 70s and frail, he is believed to live with his family in Pakistan.
In the 1980s Jalaluddin was close to the CIA and Pakistani intelligence. He allied himself to the Taliban after they took power in Kabul in 1996, serving as a cabinet minister under the militia's supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
When American troops arrived after the 9/11 attacks, Haqqani sought refuge in Pakistan's tribal district of North Waziristan and became one of the first anti-US commanders based in the border areas.
He has training bases in eastern Afghanistan and is close to Al-Qaeda. His fighters are active across east and southeast Afghanistan and in the capital Kabul.
The network is militarily the most capable of the Afghan Taliban factions and operates independently but remains loyal to Mullah Omar.
Unidentified gunmen attacked and killed Nasiruddin Haqqani, the group's chief fundraiser and another son of its founder, on the edge of Islamabad last year.
A car bomb attack that killed more than 40 people in the Urgun district of Afghanistan's Paktika province in July was blamed on the Haqqani network.
Many key Haqqani members are thought to have fled back to Afghanistan in June, when the Pakistani army launched a major operation against militants in North Waziristan.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
President Obama cancels political trip to deal with Ebola threat
http://www.nydailynews.com/
President Obama abruptly canceled a political trip to New Jersey and Connecticut on Wednesday to remain in Washington to meet with members of his Cabinet about the Ebola threat. The change came as a second health worker in Dallas tested positive for the disease. Obama was supposed to headline an event in Union, N.J. to raise money for Senate Democrats, and campaign in Bridgeport, Conn., on behalf of Gov. Daniel Molloy. The cancellation of the trip follows criticism that the health care system in the U.S. is not adequately prepared to deal with Ebola patients. The change in plans also attempts to prevent the kind to criticism Obama endured over the summer for fund-raising activities amid heightened concerns over the threat posed by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria. Instead of traveling Wednesday, Obama "will convene a meeting at the White House of cabinet agencies coordinating the government's Ebola response" the White House said. The President was to address reporters following the afternoon meeting. Obama on Wednesday also participated in a video conference with British, French, German, and Italian counterparts to discuss the international response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and other matters, according to the White House.Instead of traveling to New Jersey and Connecticut, Obama summoned Cabinet officials to the White House to discuss the federal response to the deadly disease
Afghanistan first lady Rula Ghani moves into the limelight
Afghanistan's new first lady Rula Ghani looks set to challenge the tradition of leaders' wives staying out of the public eye.In an interview with the BBC just days after moving into her new office in the presidential palace, Mrs Ghani said she hopes to encourage greater respect for women.
Pakistan Flooding Hits Millions, Christians Severely Affected
By Michael Ireland
During the monsoon season this year, torrential rains have caused widespread destruction throughout Pakistan. This year's flooding has affected in excess of 11.4 million men, women and children.
According to a media update from the British Pakistani Christian Association - BPCA, many villages were simply washed away and people have been left without shelter simply seeking help and support. Rescue operations are still under-way, however, relief will take years to fully rehabilitate affected communities and infrastructure will need to start from the beginning.People need food, safe drinking water, shelter and healthcare to survive from the catastrophic effects of this flood," the association said in its news report . "On behalf of British Pakistani Christian Association - BPCA, I went to help directly affected Christians in Islamabad. With the small funds that were donated to us, we helped 15 families providing them providing them food packages with rice, cooking oil, sugar, tea packets, milk, biscuits, vermicelli, and pulses. We also provided medicines to those suffering from flu and dengue fever. There is a greater need for the restoration of homes and unless we obtain larger donations many families will soon be very prone to the adverse weather conditions that winter brings," said Wilson Chowdhry, Chair of the BPCA, speaking in the news release. Chowdhry said: "In this city alone there are at least another fifty families seeking assistance. They are in desperate need of clothing, home repairs and basic foods. We intend to reach them with any further aid as soon as donations make this possible. " Chowdhry continued: "Many Christian families live alongside the Korang Nala or Korang River. During the recent inundation, approximately one hundred and fifty families were affected and fifty houses have been destroyed. Many other homes have been seriously damaged." Chowdhry added: "It is disappointing that despite our email distribution of 19,000, we were only able to secure £200GBP for this year's flood relief. We hope that evidence of the need for more aid will trigger a greater response. We are aware that money going to Pakistani aid groups has gone amiss, however we have an unblemished record. Moreover, the suffering Christians of Pakistan are so often overlooked by Islamic aid groups unless they choose to convert, and the government rarely provides help. The cumulative effect is that Christians in Pakistan are the biggest losers in all of this. We pray that our regular readers choose to support these disenfranchised communities more wholeheartedly. Prayer provides an opening, active labor is an outreach." Chowdhry concluded: "With your support we hope to change the lives of millions of Christians in Pakistan." The BPCA is continuing its disaster recovery fund for victims of the flood. If you would like to contribute to their relief work, please send an immediate donation. Simply send a cheque made payable to the 'BPCA' to: 57 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex, United Kingdom, IG1 1XG.
http://www.crossmap.com/news/pakistan-flooding-hits-millions-christians-severely-affected-12757
In Pakistan, 'Blasphemers' Like Me Receive Militant ‘Justice’
By Raza Rumi
Like so many others, I was recently targeted in a cold-blooded assassination for speaking out against extremism.Pakistan has acquired a strong reputation of imprisoning a large number of men and women accused of “blasphemy.” Far from a fair trial, most of the accused are not even safe from mobs and vigilantes who assume the powers of both judge and jury. For a country that is ostensibly governed by a written constitution, this is extremely worrying. More so, when the state as an arbiter of human rights is silent, or even complicit in such human rights abuses. The latest victim of the zealots’ ire is Mohammed Asghar, a 70-year-old man who also happens to be mentally ill. It is not surprising that there are some in Pakistan who want to see him dead. Asghar has been sentenced to death for blasphemy for various acts which, given his mental condition, he may not be aware of. Asghar was formally sentenced to death in 2014. Despite his diagnosis in the U.K., of suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, the court chose to declare that he was competent to stand trial. However, late last month, a prison guard driven by self-styled zealotry burst into Asghar’s cell, and shot him in the back. The guard fired a second shot, narrowly missing. Restrained by others, the assailant nevertheless managed to get a good kick in as Asghar was taken to the hospital. Eyewitnesses have revealed that the guard chanted, “Death to the blasphemer!” as he swung his boot at the old man. Asghar, I am told, is on the road to physical recovery. Nonetheless, I would not rate very highly his chances of surviving. Prison officials briefed the media that Asghar would return this week to the same prison where he was lynched and almost died. Also being held in the same prison is Zaffar Bhatti, a Christian pastor who has been on trial for blasphemy since 2012, and whose life is also in danger. For me, all of this is rather personal. In March, I was targeted in a cold-blooded assassination attempt. My views on the persecution of minorities, and opposing the interpretations of Islam by extremists, were not acceptable to the armed militias; and they used violence to try and silence me. A few assassins shot at least a dozen bullets at my car. I was lucky enough to be able to duck under the car, where I lay motionless pretending I was dead. My driver, Mustafa, was not as lucky and was brutally killed in the attack. A human life was lost and another fellow traveler in the ambushed car was seriously injured. Asghar’s plight is mine too. Beyond the threat of violence, militants receive impunity for their crimes, and the state refuses to protect their victims. I was fortunate to survive but hundreds of Pakistanis have been targeted by ideologues, who think the world has to be purified of those who are “infidels,” “blasphemers” or their “sympathizers.” The only thing necessary for evil to succeed in the world – said a wiser person than me – is for us to remain silent. For this reason, even though I do not know Mohammed Asghar, and I may never meet him, it would be wrong for me to remain silent today. The government of Pakistan is running scared of extremists. There is good reason – I am just one of several people whose deaths were meant to promote a skewed interpretation of Islam. In 2011, the world witnessed how Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was shot by his own guard for opposing the misuse of the blasphemy law. Other victims have been burnt alive. A Christian minister was gunned down later and another politician was hounded in the courts for having the gall to question the very questionable blasphemy laws on television! Earlier this year, a lawyer was killed for taking up the case of a bright young man languishing in jail due to allegations of blasphemy. Deaths in prisons have occurred with no accountability or punishment. And yet, if politicians, policymakers, judges and lawyers tremble in fear, we may as well surrender our birthright to those who would deny us it. This culture of fear, orchestrated by powerful clerics and frenzied mobs, has paralyzed the criminal justice system. Those enjoying positions of power appear helpless. And there is no counter-narrative to oppose the spread of extremist ideology. At least three generations since the era of Pakistan’s Islamist dictator General Zia ul Haq’s rule (1977-1988) have been indoctrinated to accept violence in the name of religion as legitimate. It is the duty of Pakistan’s parliament to put a stop to this madness. It should begin by initiating a debate about the growing number of blasphemy cases in the country, and how the legal provisions are being abused to settle personal scores. It is ironic that witch-hunting is carried out in the name of a faith that promotes peace and equality among human beings. Pakistan is fighting an ideological battle against itself. It was created to safeguard the economic and political rights of the Muslim minority in 1947. In his first policy speech as the country’s founder, MA Jinnah assured Pakistanis that their state would not have a religious preference. But the course adopted by successive military and elected regimes betrayed Jinnah’s ideal. Over time the state has chosen to decide who is a Muslim and who is not; displayed an unequal acknowledgment of citizen rights, and enabled ungoverned spaces spelling chaos. Tackling the discriminatory laws may be the first step to restoring the kind of sane society we have a responsibility to bequeath to the next generation. Mohammad Asghar, wounded at the hands of a state official, represents all that has gone wrong in Pakistan. It must be corrected immediately. Releasing an old, infirm person would be the right way to start what will be a long journey to saving Pakistan’s failing legal and social systems.
How Pakistan Fails Its Children
By MOSHARRAF ZAIDI
Pakistan’s only instrument to measure education quality at the national level is a study called the Annual Status of Education Report. The most recent report paints a grim picture. Roughly half of 10-year-olds demonstrate the competence expected of 6-year-olds in their mother tongues, or in Urdu, the national language. The number is lower for English. Arithmetic scores for 10-year-olds, when tested for the competence level expected of 7-year-olds, also hover near 50 percent.
The children who do manage to go to school do so against incredible odds. The conditions at government schools, which account for about two-thirds of all enrollment, beggar belief. The government’s own annual survey of state school facilities has documented these conditions. Last year’s survey revealed that 51 percent of all government primary schools didn’t have working electricity; 36 percent didn’t have drinking water on the school premises; and 42 percent didn’t have working toilets.Public education is under incredible strain even in the world’s most educated and most powerful countries. But there are few places in the world where girls and boys have to take such huge risks merely to attend school.
Pakistan’s fitful cycle of military and civilian rule has produced a national discourse in which there are disagreements about many things, but there has been one constant throughout. Pakistan’s government and society deny a decent education to millions of children.Pakistani leaders are all too happy to celebrate young Ms. Yousafzai’s accomplishment, and they all recognize that the country faces an education crisis, but they don’t plan on doing anything about it. Ms. Yousafzai’s prize should ignite revolutionary change in the fate of Pakistan’s younger generation. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to change much. This means that educating Pakistan’s children will remain a low priority for this country’s leaders. And that, sadly, will represent nothing new for Pakistan.
Malala, Salam, Faiz and Dr Khan
Harris Khalique
Pakistan: Imran’s fifty one delusions
In a recently conducted TV programme the anchorperson asked a senior PTI leader about the probable outcome of his party’s ‘dharna’ and their future course of action. The dharna had already outlived its usefulness and indications were that the party’s leadership was looking for an exit strategy. The logic advanced for a prolonged dharna by the senior leader to the anchorperson’s question was that since about 27 percent public messages had demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation, hence the continuation of dharna until this demand was met. Were the 27 percent messages sufficient for prolonging the dharna? Obviously not, but more importantly one wonders about the veracity of this logic. Why a perceptible change in strategy by holding public meetings when the dharna seemed to have failed, asked the anchorperson. To this question the leader came out with a rather crisp response. Acceding to him the latest survey of the party had shown that now 51 percent respondents had demanded the PM’s resignation. Therefore, the party is changing its strategy and tactics by taking its protest in various cities to achieve its avowed objective. While mentioning the 51 percent figure, the PTI leader didn’t say a word about the methodology and the reliability of the survey results. This 51 percent figure, if not representative of the total population, will turn out to be a delusion. Any future tactics based on this unauthentic figure will not be of much help to the PTI. If anything it may turn out to be like sour grapes. PTI, therefore, needs to sit back and think seriously of a future course of action not dictated by data whose authenticity is questionable but based on an incisive analysis of ground reality. Perhaps the results of another survey recently conducted by PILDAT may be of some value for the PTI in charting its future course of action. According to PILDAT survey, the Federal Government’s performance leaves much to be desired doubtlessly. On almost every front it has been perceived to be negative. Therefore, it was high time that the government started to deliver as per its promises to the people. It has to move fast on different fronts, especially poverty reduction, inflation, and unemployment. The government doesn’t have the luxury of time and can ill-afford complacency. Province-wise, according to PILDAT survey data, Punjab Govt got 68 percent approval rate in comparison to KP’s 57 percent. Voting intention-wise, PML-N got 91 percent against PTI’s 56 percent. These statistics should bring home to the PTI leadership an important lesson: don’t waste your resources on an exercise which will again be futile and might in fact create more frustration amongst your supporters. Viewed from any angle, the PM’s resignation is not forthcoming since he still enjoys higher popular support. The PTI leadership ought to register this fact. This will help it to overcome its 51 percent delusion. Therefore, PTI should conserve its energy and resources for the next elections whenever these take place. Here PTI leaders’ rhetoric also needs a thorough dissection. Let us focus on the recently held meeting or shall we call it a rally and the kind of rhetoric that was employed by the speakers including IK. It was interesting to hear IK saying that they would learn to speak the truth. I wish he had learnt this in the speeches that he had made since the start of his dharna. It seems that he religiously believes that telling a lie again and again shall turn into a truth. Not always though! Here are a few examples of what was said in Lahore meeting by the leaders of the party. Mr Jehangir Tareen said in his speech, “I was a servant of the old system and now I have become free from it.” The proof is in eating the pudding. For Mr Tareen to free himself from the old system he shall have to do the following: Distribute his land among his tenants and give ownership rights of his factory to the workers. Above all, instead of travelling by a privately owned jet he needs to travel by public transport. Will he be able to do it? I doubt. One then wonders who he is trying to deceive. So much for Mr Tareen’s freeing himself from the old system. IK was quite vocal in pronouncing that if returned to power the Punjab Governor House would be turned into a library. Well, a pious idea but why cannot he do the same first in KP where his party is in power? Second, he also announced his intent to create a uniform system of education. Once again it is a noble idea, but what is stopping IK to implement this idea in KP where he doesn’t face any barriers. Respect for rule of law is better left untouched as far as its application to PTI was concerned. Literally, the party had violated every law in the rules book. A leader has to be the embodiment of what he preaches. This is the first step in building trust. The contradictions between what a leader preaches and his actions are not the characteristics of a champion of the change that IK proclaims himself to be. IK must now begin to match his words with his deeds to be perceived as the role model by the common citizens. Simply put a leader must walk the talk. It is a rather sad commentary on IK’s leadership that he has no regard for the PM office. His calls to his supporters in the US to raise slogans like ‘Go Nawaz Go’ in front of the UN building was unbecoming of a national leader. The PM had gone there to address the General Assembly representing Pakistan and not as NS. While IK can draw pleasure out of it, he will regret this if he ever came to occupy this office. Our national leaders need to learn not to wash their dirty linens in the outside world. Otherwise it will tarnish the image of Pakistan as an uncivil and unstable state. All of us must try to protect the identity of our motherland as a civilsed country, at least, in the outside world. Pakistan needs to move forward on the economic front which had been badly bruised by the protests of PTI and PAT. The elections, based on evidence flowing from different sources, were certainly impacted by irregularities. Yet there was no evidence to suggest that these were rigged as claimed by PTI leaders. If IK has any solid proof of rigging then he should appear before the Election Commission which has asked for it. Failure to do so will only further erode his credibility. IK needs to show the patience of a transformational leader. His impatience will hurt him more than help him. He should be delighted on having mobilised the public opinion but this public opinion now needs to be channelised to avoid any further cleavages in the society. His future course of action must be based on primary information collected through uncontaminated sources rather than on information provided by the likes of Sheikh of Pindi. Leaders who rely on unreliable single source of information such as the 51 percent delusion, are destined to stumble.Dr Zafar Iqbal Qureshi
Iran warns Pakistan over militant acts at border
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani in a meeting with Senate Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bokhari in Geneva warned against the spread of terrorism and extremism in the region. He said that militants’ hit-and-run operations at the two countries' border had raised concerns in Tehran. “The militant acts in the region pose great threats to all countries and Pakistan has also been affected,” Larijani said during a meeting held on the sidelines of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) here. Larijani reiterated that Pakistan plays an important role in confronting terrorism. “Iran and Pakistan are cooperating in the fight against terrorism, but some terrorist acts at (Iran's) eastern borders have caused concerns,” he said in Tehran. The senate chairman said that Tehran and Islamabad have many commonalities in regional and international arenas. He reiterated that terrorists were threatening the entire region and said that the Pakistan government was determined to combat terrorism and it has been relatively successful. He said that Pakistan had adopted measures to confront the terrorist acts along its western borders with Iran.
Pakistan: Nawaz's “kitchen cabinet” : Punjab governor may be shown the door
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/The Punjab governor is likely to be replaced soon as the incumbent has reportedly developed differences with the Sharifs. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar had quite a “debriefing” at the hands of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during the meeting of the two on Tuesday, it has been learnt. The meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s House and is a crucial development in the wake of reported differences of the governor with the Sharif brothers. According to sources, the “kitchen cabinet” of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has convinced the premier that incumbent Punjab Governor Muhammad Sarwar has close links with the protesting party Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and that he had been instrumental in setting the stage against the PML-N government. One of the top premier agencies of the country has also filed a secret report against the Punjab governor on his close links with some supporters of Tahirul-Qadri, it has been learnt. Sources said the premier however, asked the governor to clear his position on the allegations. The governor was considered one of the closest aides of Sharifs. He helped them greatly to win the PML-N in the general elections of 2013 in some districts of central Punjab. The PML-N government is all set to bring a new face in the Governor’s House, sources said, adding that Nawaz Sharif has finalised his choice for the new governor, but it has not been revealed as yet. “Only members of the kitchen cabinet know who the future Punjab governor would be,” a senior PML-N leader said. A senior Prime Minister’s House official said there is no decision as yet on having the incumbent governor Punjab changed. “He met the premier to discuss the official matters regarding Punjab,” the official claimed. Meanwhile, the prime minister also met MNAs Sajid Mehdi (Vehari), Muhammad Khan Daha (Khanewal) and Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk (Gujranwala), who separately called on him. Matters regarding infrastructure development and provision of clean drinking water in their constituencies came under discussion. Sarwar is a Pakistan-born British businessman/politician who surrendered his British citizenship after being nominated as the Punjab governor by PM Nawaz Sharif. Sarwar remained a British Labour Party politician who was elected Member of Parliament (MP) in Glasgow from 1997 to 2010, first for Glasgow Govan and then from 2005 for Glasgow Central. Sarwar has the distinction of being the first ever British Muslim MP. He made history in the British parliament when he became the first MP to swear the Oath of Allegiance on the holy Quran.
Pakistan - KP, Fata residents comprise 96pc of polio victims this year
DAWN.COM
By Zahir Shah SheraziAs Pakistan appears to head towards the highest number of polio cases in a single year, official data shows that an overwhelming 96 per cent of polio cases so far reported are among the Pashto-speaking population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata. Official epidemiological data recorded until October 1, 2014 reveals that the Wazir and Dawar tribes of North Waziristan have the highest ratio of the polio virus. The tribesmen on the other hand hold the government and Taliban equally responsible for the spread of polio virus in the region. They are of the view that the militants had banned the vaccination in parts of the tribal areas affected by the virus while the government and the administration never come up to their expectations and had left them at the mercy of the militants. According to data exclusively available with Dawn, out of these 96pc of cases, residents of North Waziristan Agency's Wazir tribe account for 34pc. The Dawar tribe trails behind with 27pc, while the Afridi tribe accounts for 26pc of the cases so far this year. The data further shows that out of those Pakhtuns who contracted the paralysing disease, 8pc were Banosi (Bannu residents), 4pc from Mohmand tribe and 1pc belonged to Sulemankhel tribe (one case each in Karachi and South Waziristan tribal region). Officials however also admit that, besides the given numbers, there exist a large number of cases which still need to be analysed. They also endorse the statistics saying the tribes living in North Waziristan, parts of South Waziristan as well as Khyber agency are among the most affected population of Fata and KP. Refusal ratio rises to 14pc The key social characteristics data reveals that the refusal ratio increased from last year’s 5.5pc to 14pc this year, while the percentage of insecure areas – which were 80pc last year – stands at 97pc in 2014. The epidemiological statistics of the so far reported cases shows that 82pc cases are among children below 2 years of age, which indicates that either the parents are not willing to vaccinate their children or the teams had no access to those children who were with their mothers and could not be vaccinated outside homes. Officials say the reason for this factor is that the health authorities are lacking female vaccinators who are more welcome to enter houses to administer polio drops. Out of the cases found positive for the virus, 53pc are male children and 47pc female. The data also reveals that 14pc cases are among the refusal families while 90pc have poor socio-economic background and the same percentage live in rural areas. Among the identified cases, parents of almost all polio victims have no formal education at all. The figures also endorsed by the officials confirms that 98pc cases among the reported did not receive routine oral polio vaccine (OPV) dose while 68pc did not even receive even a single OPV dose while 8pc children got the virus despite the fact that they had received 7 or more OPV doses. The total number of cases reported so far this year are 207 with 136 from Fata, 43 from KP, 19 from Sindh, 6 from Balochistan, and 3 from Punjab. The official data further reveals that among the affected districts, 23 cases are of wild polio virus cases (WPV) while 7 cases are of sewerage water. The wild polio cases according to the official figures are reported in Buner district of KP, Khyber Agency, Bhakar District of Punjab, Killa Abdullah district of Balochistan and Gadap area of Karachi. Last year, residents of KP and Fata represented 93 pc of the total number of polio cases. Polio team leader for UNICEF in Fata and KP, Dr Bilal Ahmed, speaking to Dawn confirmed that the most affected areas for polio virus cases is Fata, particularly North Waziristan and South Agency while Khyber Agency and FR Bannu are next in line. He added that in KP, the most high risk areas are Bannu and Peshawar where the number of reported cases are high. Dr Bilal remarked that natural disasters and the law and order situation has badly affected polio vaccination in the Fata and KP region in the last decade. To a query, he said that after 2012 the health teams had no access to North Waziristan Agency but after the launch of military operation in June, displaced people of the tribal region were being vaccinated. The tribesmen on the other hand have not started speaking up against the Taliban who had threatened them against getting their children vaccinating, but Bilal said that locals hold the authorities responsible for the virus spread as no arrangements were made to vaccinate the hostage population of North Waziristan Agency. Military operation proves as 'blessing in disguise' Muhammad Aziz Wazir, who hails from Mir Ali, says his nephew contracted polio as he could not get vaccination because of threats from militants. He said that his family could not give polio drops to their kids as the militants had banned polio vaccination at all the hospitals and health centers. “They have warned people not to take their kids to the hospitals for polio vaccination that’s why we cannot take our kids for polio vaccination but when we came here we sent our kids for the vaccine,” he said. "I had sometimes seen polio vaccinators in Miramshah and Madakhel but when the Taliban came, they (vaccinators) totally disappeared and did not return,” he added. To a query he added that polio drops were good for the health of the children and they should be administered the vaccine but the people had no choice when the Taliban enforced a ban. Ziaullah Dawar said that polio vaccinators seldom came to his neighbourhood. "We used to vaccinate our children only when they used to come once a year,” he said. “The polio vaccinators were afraid of Taliban and the people were not willing to vaccinate (their children) because of the threat...but now after coming to Bannu they are regularly vaccinating their kids,” he said. Ibrar Dawar says he never knew about the benefits of the polio vaccination due to Taliban threat and the lack of proper education. "After now getting awareness we have realised (vaccination) is a must for the lives of our children and saving them from getting crippled," he says. The militants had always used religion as a means to misguide people, he says, but the government is equally to blame as it had not made much efforts to educate the people. Samiullah Dawar says the militants both foreigners as well as locals were opposed to the vaccination and had always coerced locals not to vaccinate their children. "The local clerics and imams had also been calling upon the people not to go for the 'un-Islamic vaccines' as they were meant to make people sterile and it contains haram (prohibited) ingredients," he says. He says that several tribesmen feel that Operation Zarb-i-Azb has proved a blessing in disguise for North Waziristan as for the first time children are able to receive polio drops.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
What is real status of forces in Afghanistan and Iraq?
Taliban adopts Islamic State terror tactics as U.S. troops exit Afghanistan
The Islamic State army’s unleashing of terror bombings and assassinations in Iraq last year is being played out by insurgents in Afghanistan who want to intimidate and destroy local forces as American troops exit. In late 2012 the Islamic State, anchored in Syria and with cells in northern and western Iraq, launched a campaign of terror. Its brutal strategy centered on detonating vehicle-born improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) in crowded areas and killing local government and military leaders. Analysts see the same type of campaign from the Taliban and the allied Haqqani network viciously unfolding. Ten days ago, for example, a suicide bomber struck an army bus in Kabul, killing seven Afghan soldiers. “The parallel of what was going on in the end of 2012 to the middle of 2013 in western Iraq and northern Iraq that set the conditions for the collapse of Iraqi Security Forces — those patterns are starting to emerge in Afghanistan,” said retired ArmyLt. Gen. James Dubik, an analyst at Washington’s Institute for the Study of War. “The frequency, the lethality and the complexity of attacks in Kabul and in [the] east are disturbing,” he said. “These are attacks to either intimidate or kill leaders in the Afghan National Security Forces.” Are the Islamic extremist Taliban and Haqqani network, a family-led group of assassins who focus on bringing death and destruction to Kabul, copying the Islamic State? “The tactics are similar, but then again, terror and assassination and intimidation are common to almost all insurgencies,” Mr. Dubik said. “I would only make the minimum claim that ISIS, al Qaeda, Haqqanis, Taliban and their ilk all learn from each other.” Precise casualty figures for the Afghan army and police are somewhat elusive compared with the strict procedural count for U.S. and allied service members. But there is no doubt that the Taliban and Haqqanis have been killing more ANSF members over the past two years, attacking the police in particular. ArmyGen. John Campbell, the overall allied commander, said that of the 350,000-strong ANSF, 7,000 to 9,000 have been killed or wounded this year alone, an increase from 2013. Earlier this year, the Afghan government issued revised fatality figures that also showed a big jump for its troops. The increase is explained partly by the fact Afghans are taking the lead in military operations as U.S. troop strength, once at 100,000, will shrink to 9,800 by year’s end. By the end of 2016, all troops will be out, according to a schedule announced by President Obama, who said, “It’s time to turn the page.” Analysts see a concerted enemy effort to prepare for a planned takeover of Kabul by whittling down the ANSF day in and day out. “As we start departing from certain areas, the Taliban, Haqqani group, any insurgent groups, are going to start probing into real or perceived power vacuums — areas where we are departing — and they’re going to test the Afghan security forces to see how stout they are going to be,” said Jason Campbell, an analyst at the Rand Corp. “As a result of this the last couple of months,” said Mr. Campbell, who served as an adviser to the NATO command, “we’re seeing insurgent groups, instead of taking pot shots, in some cases two or three hundred fighters at a time attacking fixed positions, not just hitting and running.” This change was underscored in February, when the Taliban overran an army base in eastern Kunar province, bordering Pakistan, and killed 21 Afghan soldiers, some in their bunks. It was one of the Afghan army’s worst casualty days since its inception. Mr. Campbell said the ANSF has performed well in some attacks by hundreds of Taliban and not so well in others, as the Kunar invasion illustrated. Mr. Campbell said “there’s absolutely truth” to the analysis that the enemy in Afghanistan today is doing what the group then known as ISIL did in Iraq in 2012-2013. “They are indeed shaping the battlefield for a time when the coalition is completely out of Afghanistan,” he added. Gen. Campbell spoke to the Pentagon press corps on Oct. 2 and declared, “The last couple of weeks, there has been an uptick with the Taliban trying to make a statement as they close out the fighting season.” He reported a “big spike” in Afghan deaths the “last couple of weeks” due to heavy fighting in Helmand province, the Taliban’s birthplace, where they are trying to take back villages. “The Taliban may take over a district center or something, but only temporarily,” Gen. Campbell said. “Once the ANSF understands that piece of it [and] they go after that, they get the terrain back.” A year ago, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, Gen. Campbell’s predecessor, was less sanguine when talking about the ANSF’s burgeoning fatality rate, which had reached 100 deaths per month. “I’m not assuming that those casualties are sustainable,” he told The Guardian newspaper. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/12/taliban-adopts-islamic-state-terror-tactics-as-us-/?page=2#ixzz3G7pMCT9D Follow us: @washtimes on TwitterBy Rowan Scarborough
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