Afghanistan - News & Discussions

[IBSA]

Pakistan, Afghanistan Agree to Deeper Economic Ties

Constructive engagement b/w Afghanistan- Pakistan, good for both the countries: Sharif

Pakistan as a neighbor could expect good from Afghanistan: Karzai

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Monday sought an "early and full implementation" of the Transit Trade Agreement with Afghanistan and vowed to reinforce energy and communication links with its neighbor through trans-regional initiatives.

"We believe these initiatives offer rich dividends for Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region," Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in his remarks in a joint media statement with visiting Afghan President after holding delegation-level talks at the Prime Minister's House Islamabad.

The wide-ranging talks on issues of common interest also focused on the common challenges the two countries face and the huge opportunities they can exploit.

Sharif announced that the two sides, in the meeting of their finance ministers, had agreed on several projects on communications, power and railway.

These included early completion of Torkham-Jalalabad additional carriageway and initiation of other highway projects, besides early implementation of Central Asia-South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA 1000) and development of a joint hydel power project on Kunar river.

The two sides also agreed on establishment of rail links to connect Torkham and Jalalabad as well as Chaman to Spin Boldak.

Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Umer Daudzai also signed the "Agreed Minutes" of their meeting, that was witnessed both by Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif and President Karzai.

Sharif said, "Constructive engagement between Afghanistan and Pakistan was good for both the countries, good for the region and good for the world."

Karzai while stressing the need for fully exploiting the economic opportunities available for both the countries, said Pakistan as a neighbor could expect good from Afghanistan, just like Afghanistan expected the same from it. (Monitoring Desk)

 

[nrupatunga]

Afghanistan suicide attack kills Kunduz district governor

The district governor, Sheikh Sadruddin, had been in his position since 2002 and been active in the fight against the Taliban.

 

[MLRS]

U.S. Soldiers Find Surprise on Returning to Afghan Valley: Peace

It was their first return to the Pech Valley — a rugged swath of eastern Afghanistan so violent they nicknamed it the Valley of Death — since the American military abruptly ended an offensive against the Taliban here in 2011 after taking heavy casualties.

But the Americans, from the First Battalion of the 327th Infantry, had not come back to fight. Instead, their visit this summer was a chance to witness something unthinkable two years ago: the Afghan forces they had left in charge of the valley then, and who nobody believed could hold the ground even for weeks, have not just stood — they have had an effect.

 

[SamwiseTheBrave]

U.S. Soldiers Find Surprise on Returning to Afghan Valley: Peace

no offence meant, but is the above the norm or the exception ? NYT can very well be pushing a prop-story to show all is hunky-dory in afg. and that the US withdrawal is expected to have no side-effects of destabilization !

 

[MLRS]

no offence meant, but is the above the norm or the exception ? NYT can very well be pushing a prop-story to show all is hunky-dory in afg. and that the US withdrawal is expected to have no side-effects of destabilization !

This is the only good story in a steady stream of negative articles about Afghanistan coming from NYT.

 

[IBSA]

Indian Company to Execute Power Project in Afghanistan
By WADSAM - Mon Sep 09, 7:18 pm

Afghan Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) signed a contract with an Indian company, Gammon India, for a power project that would benefit over 7,000 families.

The project involves transferring of 20KW electricity from Mazar-e -Sharif to Balkh province through extension of two power lines and installation of thirty nine transformers in Khulm and Marmul districts, located in the central Balkh province.

Estimated to cost over 7 million dollars, the project would be funded by the German government.

The project is expected to be completed in next 15 months.

 

[MLRS]

Interesting article. It looks like America will slowly abandon Afghanistan, and place Pakistan at the steer. With strategic depth achieved in Afghanistan, Pakis can then fully focus on terrorizing India.

US subcontracting Afghanistan to Pakistan?/

 

[Bilal]

Will see what the future holds till now i say,and wish Afghanistan to be a happy propsperous country.It has already gone through a lot,and being land locked it has strategic importance to all its neighbours.

 

[nrupatunga]

Afghan election race kicks off as nominations open

Nominations opened on Monday for Afghanistan's presidential election, The election next April 5 will mark Afghanistan's first-ever democratic transfer of power as Karzai steps aside after leading the country since the hardline Taliban regime was ousted in 2001.

All potential runners must register before October 6, and a final list of verified candidates will be published on November 16.

Presidential hopefuls must be aged at least 40, have a clean criminal record, provide 100,000 voter cards to prove they have a network of supporters and lodge a deposit of one million Afghanis ($18,000).

Karzai recently said former warlord Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, 2009 runner-up Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani were possible candidates.

With political manoeuvring well under way in Kabul, attention has now focused on low-profile Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul as a technocrat candidate from within Karzai's camp.

Rassoul could put together a broad-based ticket by signing up strongman of the north Atta Mohammad Noor and Mohammad Mohaqiq, a leader of the ethnic Hazara minority, as his vice-presidential candidates.

Other potential runners include Qayum Karzai, the president's brother, and former interior minister Ali Ahmad Jalali.

@MLRS @datguy79 Any views?? Zalmai rassoul is good enough??

 

[datguy79]

Afghan election race kicks off as nominations open



@MLRS @datguy79 Any views?? Zalmai rassoul is good enough??

He is 70 and has the charisma of a rock. Also very weak politically, essentially a Karzai clone (which is very bad).

I think it is still too early to tell who is going to emerge as a serious candidate. One of the prerequisites is getting the signatures and voter ID numbers of 100k people, so that might be pretty tough to do till October 6th.

Technocrats generally do very poorly in elections; not having a power base will not help Rassoul. However, things will get a lot clearer by the time the candidates are introduced on October 16th.

 

[nrupatunga]

He is 70 and has the charisma of a rock. Also very weak politically, essentially a Karzai clone (which is very bad).

I think it is still too early to tell who is going to emerge as a serious candidate. One of the prerequisites is getting the signatures and voter ID numbers of 100k people, so that might be pretty tough to do till October 6th.

Technocrats generally do very poorly in elections; not having a power base will not help Rassoul. However, things will get a lot clearer by the time the candidates are introduced on October 16th.

One more Q, why are in such a hurry asking for nominations so early, elections is in next april, right??

 

[datguy79]

One more Q, why are in such a hurry asking for nominations so early, elections is in next april, right??

A few reasons:

- The West is funding most of the elections, so they have to be shown that progress has been made.
- It will take a few months for the ballots to be printed and distributed all over the country.
- Snowfall starts in November and lasts into March, making it impossible to reach many areas.

Aside from that, it gives the candidates some time to do all the behind-the-scenes jostling and backdoor meetings to form alliances around them and build support.

 

[MLRS]

Afghan mujahideen 'owe Kashmir a debt'

Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir - Formed in 1989, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen has been at the forefront of the fight against the Indian army in Indian-administered Kashmir. Led by Syed Salahuddin, who is currently resident in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, the group has carried out numerous attacks against Indian forces since the armed campaign calling for Kashmiri independence began in 1989.

In a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera, conducted in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, he also said that anti-US and anti-state fighters in Afghanistan owe Kashmiris "a debt", and that he expects that it will be paid "on [Kashmiris'] terms" after the planned US military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014.

 

[nrupatunga]

Afghan mujahideen 'owe Kashmir a debt'

I hope its not over confidence, but if all these mujahideen couldn't make any difference in 89/90 when india was more or less bankrupt, ussr no more there can they really make any difference now?? By difference i mean wresting control of JnK from india.

 

[MLRS]

I hope its not over confidence, but if all these mujahideen couldn't make any difference in 89/90 when india was more or less bankrupt, ussr no more there can they really make any difference now?? By difference i mean wresting control of JnK from india.

I agree that the contribution of foreign mercenaries will not be a decisive factor.

After the fall of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1992, Afghans travelled, not just to Kashmir, but also Chechnya, Bosnia and even Azerbaijan (against Armenia) for war. A Jihadi victory in Afghanistan means more violence across the world.

 

[nrupatunga]

A Jihadi victory in Afghanistan means more violence across the world.

But as far as india is concerned, it can't be much worse than what we have seen already here. Taliban couldn't do much vis-a-vis india.

 

[Tshering22]

Jihad has nothing new to offer to us; same old 'kaffir oppressing muslims, kaffirs must die' beheading, suicide bombs, AK-47s this and that.... But we have a lot of shit to offer back:

RR, Ghatak, RAF, NSG, 9th Para, MARCOs. Garud.. you name it.

Even that won't be needed by the end of this decade since USA will invade Pakistan before 2020 which would destroy it.

 

[datguy79]

But as far as india is concerned, it can't be much worse than what we have seen already here. Taliban couldn't do much vis-a-vis india.

Exactly why I don't comprehend the Indian members' doomsday attitude towards a potential Taliban invasion of Kashmir. You got multiple fences and detection systems as well as half a million soldiers, not to mention abundant airpower. If the ANA can kill 50+ Taliban every day using M16s while driving Ford Rangers, the IA will have a field day. Also, it might finally give the Indian Government the kick in the pants it needs to do something about Gilgit-Baltistan.

 

[nrupatunga]

Exactly why I don't comprehend the Indian members' doomsday attitude towards a potential Taliban invasion of Kashmir. You got multiple fences and detection systems as well as half a million soldiers, not to mention abundant airpower. If the ANA can kill 50+ Taliban every day using M16s while driving Ford Rangers, the IA will have a field day. Also, it might finally give the Indian Government the kick in the pants it needs to do something about Gilgit-Baltistan.

Taliban would be really foolish to think of a direct attack. Even pakistan will not do it. But the thing is about more asymmetric warfare. Though we may have big loses initially, we will overcome it and bring things to "normal".

 

[nrupatunga]

Afghan special forces commander defects with guns to taliban allied group

An Afghan army special forces commander has defected to an insurgent group allied with the Taliban in a Humvee truck packed with his team's guns and high-tech equipment, officials in the eastern Kunar province said on Sunday.

Monsif Khan, who raided the supplies of his 20-man team in Kunar's capital Asadabad over the Eid al-Adha religious holiday, is the first special forces commander to switch sides, joining the Hezb-e-Islami organisation.

Is this the begininng?? Will such things become common once western forces leave?? Can ANA really hold ground??