Afghanistan

US Raid in Afghanistan Coincides with Preemptive Strikes on Iraq

As the United States military launched preemptive strikes on Iraq last night, 1,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne began a two-and-a-half day attack on three villages east of Kandahar near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Operation Valiant Strike, the largest operation in Afghanistan since Operation Anaconda last year, involved assaults by Chinook, Blackhawk, and Apache helicopters […]

Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Dire Conditions, Urgent Needs Still

At a two-day conference this week in Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told international donors his country’s reconstruction may now cost as much as US$15 billion to US$20 billion, according to new estimates. Citing agricultural devastation, decrepit infrastructure, and widespread fighting throughout the region, Karzai told attendees, “The needs of Afghanistan as we know it […]

Afghanistan

Karzai Urges US to Remember Afghanistan

At a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai testified on post-conflict Afghanistan. Karzai stated, “Whatever the United States does in Iraq it should not reduce its attention to Afghanistan.” Karzai also listed his priorities, which include more funding for reconstruction, the Afghan National Army, and for Afghanistan’s budget. In […]

Afghanistan

Afghanistan: German Peacekeepers May Leave if US War with Iraq Erupts

German Defense Minister Peter Struck told reporters Friday that civilians and German peacekeeping troops serving in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) might evacuate Afghanistan should a US-led war with Iraq erupt. A German government report warned that Western security and aid groups will face increasing hostilities from Afghan forces harboring anti-Western sentiments that will […]

Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Command of Peacekeeping Troops Switches to Germans and Dutch

Command of international peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan transferred from Turkey to Germany and the Netherlands today, reported Reuters. Under the leadership of German Lt. Gen. Norbert van Heyst, the 22-nation, 4,800-member International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will include 2,500 German and 700 Dutch troops. On Saturday, German Defense Minister Peter Struck called for NATO to […]

Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Criticism Builds as Possible War with Iraq Looms

UN officials are growing increasingly concerned that a war with Iraq could have severe consequences on humanitarian efforts elsewhere, particularly in Afghanistan, Angola, and the Ivory Coast, reported the BBC. Reports last month indicated that Ruud Lubbers, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, received warnings to prepare for Iraqi refugees, but “There’s not one government […]

Afghanistan

Afghanistan Joins ICC, Stability Remains Key Concern

Afghanistan today announced its decision to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), signaling the government’s increased efforts to weaken the power of feuding warlords, reported the Reuters English News Service. Alluding to repeated human rights violations committed by opposing warlord factions, Presidential spokesman Sayed Fazi Akbar told Reuters English, “Based on the evidence delivered to […]

Afghanistan

War in Iraq Could Increase Violence in Afghanistan

The commander of the international peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan issued a warning today that a US-led war in Iraq could mean increased terrorism in Afghanistan, according to the Washington Post. Major General Hilmi Akin Zorlu of Turkey, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told the Post that “if there is a war in […]

Afghanistan

Security Remains Key Concern in Afghanistan

For the first time in seven months, a US soldier was killed Saturday by enemy fire in Afghanistan, once again demonstrating the urgent need for greater security in the region. This past weekend, a US Special Operations soldier was injured by an exploding grenade in Kunar province; on Saturday, gun fighting erupted in Kandahar and […]

Afghanistan

Bonn Summit Convenes Despite Unstable Conditions in Afghanistan

Amidst continued fighting between warring factions in western Afghanistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday underscored his nation’s struggle to achieve self-sufficiency and broader security, appealing for increased international assistance to strengthen security throughout the country. Karzai’s statements were made at a one-day conference in Bonn, just one year after the signing of the historic […]

Afghanistan

Congress Approves $3 Billion for Afghanistan

In a landmark victory for women in Afghanistan, both chambers of the US Congress passed legislation late last night that provides $3 billion in funding for humanitarian aid and expansion of international peacekeeping forces. If President Bush signs this bill into law, the women of Afghanistan could begin to emerge from the violence that has […]

Afghanistan

One Year After Taliban, Afghanistan Still Struggling

Despite some improvements in the quality of life in Afghanistan one year after the Taliban fell, especially for women, there are still many challenges facing the war-torn country. Dr. Sima Samar, head of the Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan, also emphasized that “security is the biggest problem,” according to the Associated Press. “Yes, things are […]

Afghanistan

US Military May Focus on Reconstruction in Afghanistan

Top-ranking Pentagon officials are talking about shifting the war on terrorism in Afghanistan toward reconstruction efforts. General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation’s top military officer, said that the military may need to shift its focus from military operations to more nation-building type activities, according to the Washington Post. […]

Afghanistan

Rights Group Urges Peace Troop Expansion in Afghanistan

A major human rights group released a report yesterday outlining the continued violence and instability in Afghanistan. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, entitled “All Our Hopes Are Crushed: Violence and Repression in Western Afghanistan,” urges the expansion of the international peacekeeping forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan beyond the capitol of Kabul and into regional centers […]

Afghanistan

Security in Afghanistan Increasingly Threatened

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday echoed statements by Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai and US Army General Tommy Franks, saying that the “most serious challenge facing Afghanistan and Afghans today remains the lack of security,” according to Inter Press Service News. Early this morning, six rockets were fired at US bases in southern Afghanistan, according […]