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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Four More Girls’ Schools Attacked in Afghanistan
Four girls’ schools in Afghanistan were attacked this weekendÑtwo were hit by rockets and two were set on fire, Reuters reports. Damage was sustained by the schools but there were no reported injuries. All of the schools were located near the Afghan capitol of Kabul in the Wardak province. These incidents mark an escalation of […]
Troubles Persist in Afghanistan
The United Nations’ (UN) World Food Program (WFP) stated Sunday that over the next year, roughly four million Afghans will suffer from the country’s ongoing food shortage, according to Reuters. With a harsh winter expected to begin by mid-November, food delivery will be thwarted to more than one-fourth of those individuals, who reside in rural […]
Eighth Attack on Girls’ School in Afghanistan
A school for girls in Kandahar, Afghanistan, was recently hit by an explosion that injured one teacher, the Associated Press reports. This most recent bombing marks the eighth in a series of known attacks against schools for girls in Afghanistan. Hand-written pamphlets were distributed in Kandahar, the former Taliban stronghold, in April warning of violence […]
Gunmen Close Girls’ School in Afghanistan
In the seventh incident in a series of attacks on girls’ schools in Afghanistan, gunmen recently forced a school in the Wardak province that served 1,300 girls to close. The government-run newspaper, the Arman-e-Millie Daily, reported that the gunmen threatened students at the school southwest of the Afghan capitol, Kabul, according to Reuters. This attack […]
Two Girls’ Schools Burned Down in Afghanistan
Following the distribution of pamphlets around mosques near the capital of Sar-i-Pul province in Afghanistan warning women against removing their burqas, two girls’ schools were burned down recently, including their supply of books and blackboards. The pamphlets that were distributed are reminiscent of similar leaflets handed out in Kandahar in April, which warned of violence […]
State Department Issues Report Questioning Expansion of Peacekeeping Troops in Afghanistan
The US State Department issued a new report on Afghanistan to Congress recently questioning the expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) beyond the capital of Kabul. The report suggests that establishing security in outlying areas will be up to the Afghan government. “Providing security to the rural hinterlands in Afghanistan would be almost […]
Bush Pledges Funds To Build 600-Mile Road in Afghanistan
In a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday at the United Nations, President Bush announced a pledge of $180 million in funds from the US, Japan and Saudi Arabia to build a 600-mile road connecting Kabul, Kandahar and Herat. The road is one of several major reconstruction projects needed to rebuild Afghanistan after 23 […]
Presidential Assassination Attempt And Car Bomb Explosion Mark Day of Violence in Afghanistan
In what is being called the most violent day in Afghanistan since the Taliban was ousted, a car bomb explosion in Kabul today that killed at least 15 was followed by an assassination attempt on President Hamid Karzai in Kandahar in which three were killed and the governor of Kandahar was injured. “This assassination attempt […]
Bush Admin. May Support International Peace Troop Expansion in Afghanistan
In a significant policy shift, the Bush administration indicated that it may now support expansion of international peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan, the New York Times reported today. One senior official described this change as a “mid course correction,” necessary because of “lingering difficulties in rebuilding the country and establishing law and order in a nation […]
Reconstruction in Afghanistan on Shaky Footing
Promises of reconstruction and humanitarian aid for Afghanistan have so far fallen short of the $1.8 billion pledged for this year by the international community at the Tokyo meeting in January. The newly established government, led by President Hamid Karzai, has only received approximately $600 million, and most of that funding has been for emergency […]
Bush Withdraws Funds for AfghanistanÕs Reconstruction
President Bush recently rejected $5.1 billion in Emergency Supplemental Appropriation funds approved by Congress, including $174 million for reconstruction and refugee assistance in Afghanistan, according to Interaction and Care organizations. Among the funding eliminated by this veto is $2.5 million for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, which is slated to build women’s centers in each […]
Reproductive Health Clinic Opens in Afghanistan
A clinic dedicated to providing reproductive health services to Afghan women opened its doors in Kabul this past weekend – one of the first to provide comprehensive services since the repressive Taliban regime took over in 1996. Marie Stopes International (MSI), a British-based global reproductive and women’s health partnership, opened the clinic that will provide […]
Bush Administration Criticized for Policy in Afghanistan
Policy experts and Bush administration officials have conceded privately that President Bush’s policy in Afghanistan is “high on the rhetoric of commitment and low on the level of engagement,” the Washington Post reported today. This policy includes a continued refusal to expand the role of international peacekeeping forces outside Kabul as well as limited US […]
High-level Power Struggle Intensifies in Afghanistan
A power struggle between Afghanistan’s newly elected president and the nation’s defense minister has raised concerns that the situation is growing increasingly unstable for the newly created national government. For the past six months, Hamid Karzai, the US-backed president, did little to challenge Mohammed Fahim, the defense minister who served as a military leader for […]
Afghanistan: School Funding Needed as Number of Students Increases
The number of students enrolled in Afghanistan’s schools has increased dramatically over the last eight months, according to an ongoing survey by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) back-to-school program. With a campaign target of 1.78 million child enrollees nationwide, the survey Ñ which started in May and will end in September Ñ shows that […]
