Three hundred Afghan demonstrators staged an anti-US, anti-British protest in Kabul today-the capital’s first since the Taliban fell in 2001. Shouting sentiments like, “We want Islam to rule. We want security. [The US and Britain] have failed to bring it to us and we want them out,” the protesters confirmed warnings that religious fundamentalism is […]
Afghanistan: Constitutional Commission Includes Seven Women
A 35-member commission appointed to review Afghanistan’s draft constitution includes seven women. A preliminary draft of the constitution was completed last November by an eight-member committee headed by Vice President Nayiamatullah Shahrani, according to the Associated Press. The new commission will spend a month refining the draft, and then they will solicit the views of […]
Afghanistan: “Climate of Fear” Growing
Religious fundamentalism is on the rise in Afghanistan, an international human rights group warned officials this week at the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Commission. Human Rights Watch (HRW) representative Loubna Freih addressed the Commission saying, “The international community has allowed warlords and local military commanders to take control of much of the […]
Afghanistan: Country Struggles as Reconstruction Efforts Begin in Iraq
While the United States Office for the Reconstruction of Iraq sent teams to Iraq to establish offices in various parts of the country this week, Afghanistan continues to struggle for resources and security to make possible the rebuilding of its government and its country. According to the Washington Post “the military is splintered by factionalism, […]
Afghanistan: US Bomb Kills Civilians, Rebuilding Efforts Continue
US bombs were responsible for the deaths of 11 civilians in Afghanistan earlier this week, according to the Agence France Presse. Considered the most serious mistake by the US military in Afghanistan since the accidental bombing of an Afghan wedding party last June, the 1,000-pound laser-guided bomb struck a civilian home, killing seven women and […]
Afghanistan: Constitution in the Works, Fighting Persists
An eight-member committee created last October to write a new constitution for Afghanistan submitted a draft last week to President Hamid Karzai, reported the Associated Press. While details have yet to be disclosed, the general framework is expected to be based on the 1964 Constitution, incorporate some elements of sharia (Islamic law), and resemble an […]
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: 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: Injustices Against Women and Girls Persist
Despite some measures of progress following the Taliban’s fall from power in late 2001, Afghan women and girls continue to suffer brutal acts of violence and inequality, according to a United Nations (UN) report released today. The 18-page document, entitled “The Situation of Women and Girls in Afghanistan” stated, “In the absence of an effective […]
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: 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: 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: 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: Women Learn to Drive, US to Help Fund Maternal and Child Health Programs
Twelve women in Kabul took driving tests Saturday, marking the first time since 1992 women have been permitted to drive in Afghanistan. The tests followed four months of preparation and training–offered by the German aid agency Medica Mondiale. One of the students, Giti Negbin told the BBC, “It’s so that we can solve our problems […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Donors Pledge $1.24 Billion to Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda Still Active
The United Nations (UN) issued a report yesterday stating that al-Qaeda has set up new training camps in eastern Afghanistan. The UN group that monitors financing links with al-Qaeda stated that new camps have been activated along the Pakistani border, and they called on the international community for stronger and more coordinated efforts to battle […]
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 […]
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 […]
