Afghanistan News & Discussion

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 17 Aug 2009 15:18

"200 Not Out".A tragic figure of fallen British troops in another meaningless campaign.Those who have learnt nothing from history are doomed to repeat it and the British should know better than the other nations participating there.In the aftermath of 9/11,going after Osama and co. was a legitimate exercise.Sadly Dubya had other ambitions in "Mespot" and made a mess of both wars.Trying to isolate the other northern neighbours of Afghanistan,not wanting to work with Russia and preventing India (because of Pak) from having any meaningful role to play in creating a workable political concept for the country,other than in the important role of helping build its infrastructure,will se the west depoart with its tail between its legs as in Vietnam.The US has made the massive mistake of allowing Pak to legitimise its desire of controlling Afghanistan for "strategic depth".It does not realsie that Pak and the Afghans outnumber its forces in the millions,who can be called upon to wage battle for a 100+ yrs.The talk of the war being "winnable" is sheer lunacy,when the west,especially the US, has not understood Islamic culture properly,let alone the Afghan tribal complexities.

Afghanistan death toll reaches 204 as three more British soldiers killed
Three more British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan on Sunday, bringing the number of dead to 204 less than 12 hours after the grim milestone of 200 deaths had been reached.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... illed.html

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 17 Aug 2009 18:32

Karzai's election trump card...the return of Dostum!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... arzai.html

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 18 Aug 2009 10:10

Rocket Hits Afghan Presidential Palace

KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) — A rocket struck the presidential palace in Kabul, the capital, and a second hit the city’s police headquarters early Tuesday, but there were no casualties, a police source said. The attacks came just two days before a presidential election.

The first rocket caused some damage inside the heavily fortified palace compound in the city center. Militants have vowed to disrupt the election, in which President Hamid Karzai is seeking re-election, and they have already fired rockets at the capital twice this month.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Aug 2009 11:42

Robert Fisk on why Britain should get out of Afghanistan immediately.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/co ... 73468.html

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Aug 2009 18:30

...and yet another deadly bomb attack in Kabul against a NATO convoy.heavy casualties reported.It's simply raining bombs there before the elections.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/au ... nato-pause

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Aug 2009 18:54

Superb piece!

"Remember Afghanistan, Comrade?"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... fghanistan

AjitK · Post by **AjitK** » 18 Aug 2009 19:22

Karzai will do everything he can to avoid a runoff against Abdullah.There are already allegations of voting cards on sale.Even though allegations of fraud are likely to be raised after the results,one thing we can be sure of is that the Western media will hail this election as a "Victory for Democracy" and an accomplishment for the US and UK.

joshvajohn · Post by **joshvajohn** » 18 Aug 2009 22:45

My suggestion at this stage to US and UK governments to withdraw from offenses on the Tribal areas and restrict any heavy vehicle movements from above. It will stop any further death of their soldier. It is also better to withdraw from Afganistan making sure that the local government get control over the millitants. It is also essential that Pakistan and China do not supply heavy arms for the millitants and so the US to Pakistan which are indirectly sent to Afgan millitants.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 19 Aug 2009 13:06

India Befriends Afghanistan, Irking Pakistan by Peter Wonacott: Wall Street Journal

From wells and toilets to power plants and satellite transmitters, India is seeding Afghanistan with a vast array of projects. The $1.2 billion in pledged assistance includes projects both vital to Afghanistan's economy, such as a completed road link to Iran's border, and symbolic of its democratic aspirations, such as the construction of a new parliament building in Kabul. The Indian government is also paying to bring scores of bureaucrats to India, as it cultivates a new generation of Afghan officialdom.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 19 Aug 2009 13:54

V.Impressive ...and what may we ask are the NATO nations and the US providing Afghanistan other than more ruined cities and towns for the future tourist industry?

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 19 Aug 2009 14:16

Apart from those mentioned in Rajesh's post above, India has provided buses, trained their administrative and armed forces personnel, sent doctors, lent an Airbus to Ariana, set up broadcasting/telecasting facilities etc. Truly a wide-spectrum help.

amit · Post by **amit** » 19 Aug 2009 14:46

Philip wrote:V.Impressive ...and what may we ask are the NATO nations and the US providing Afghanistan other than more ruined cities and towns for the future tourist industry?

Actually Philip ji, such a situation suits us well. Let NATO and the US do all the fighting while we do what is of long term benefit, that is win the hearts and minds of the Afghans, especially the next generation of potential leaders and bureaucrats. Of course all this hard work will get negated if the Taliban comes back to power. So from India's POV, the NATO and the US should stick in Afghanistan and keep up the good work.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 19 Aug 2009 14:50

Did'nt knoe Paki's were allowing land transit faciliies for Indian aid to Afghanistan. Mabe some high protein biscuits and stff, but i think the agreement was we have to rub the 'Made in India' tags on the cartons even for that. Baki's are a special breed..thorough inbreds.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 19 Aug 2009 15:45

harbans wrote:Did'nt knoe Paki's were allowing land transit faciliies for Indian aid to Afghanistan. Mabe some high protein biscuits and stff, but i think the agreement was we have to rub the 'Made in India' tags on the cartons even for that. Baki's are a special breed..thorough inbreds.

Well Indians can put those tags there again once the stuff reaches Afghanistan.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 19 Aug 2009 18:01

Yes Amit,as long as the ungodly-the Pakis and their Taliban children do not return to rule.While Baghdad was devastated earlier today by serial bombs killing 75+ and blasting Gen.Petraeus' strategy into smithereens,the ungodly made this daring raid on a Kabul bank,showing that in both countries the US's gameplan is literally getting "blown up"!

Three dead after Taliban suspects storm Kabul bankTaliban says bank attack was carried out by five of its fighters wearing suicide vests, a day before Afghanistan presidential election.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/au ... e-violence

PS:Abdullah Abdullah is the chosen one of the US,who've abandoned Karzai because he isn't playing ball with them and the Pakis,compromising with the "good" Taliban! Hence Karzai's gambit in a deal with Dostum,whose favourite sport is Taliban hunting.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 20 Aug 2009 00:12

Is there any active collaboration between Indian and Afghan armed forces? If not anything AAF(Afghan Air Force) should be handed over a couple of squadrons of tejas followed by other indigenous products like BMP, Arjun

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 20 Aug 2009 06:16

suryag wrote:Is there any active collaboration between Indian and Afghan armed forces? If not anything AAF(Afghan Air Force) should be handed over a couple of squadrons of tejas followed by other indigenous products like BMP, Arjun

Training of the ANP is the known involvement, so far.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 20 Aug 2009 08:10

The Fog in the Hindu Kush - M.K.Bhadra Kumar
Excerpts

. . .Mr. Karzai’s re-election will pose a major headache for Washington. . . Mr. Karzai faces an existential threat from none other than his erstwhile mentors in Washington. For the past several weeks, the U.S. has been fighting a rear-guard battle to ensure that he somehow fails to get an outright victory in Thursday’s first round, which will necessitate a run-off in October.

Mr. Karzai has built up a coalition involving the erstwhile mujahideen leaders Ismail Khan, Mohammed Fahim, Karim Khalili, Mohammed Mohaqiq and Rashid Dostum. Mr. Dostum’s return from Turkey — defying U.S. warnings — galvanises Jumbish just in time to boost Mr. Karzai’s electoral prospects in the Amu Darya region. The Uzbekis and Hazara Shias account for well over a quarter of the Afghan population. Besides, Ismail Khan, “amir” of western Afghanistan, who is close to Tehran and is allied to the former President, Burhanuddin Rabbani, has come out in support of Mr. Karazi. Mr. Khan’s support for Mr. Karzai at this juncture undermines the U.S.-Pakistani strategy, which was based on the premise that Tajik disunity (and incipient Uzbeki-Tajik rivalries) would hamper Mr. Fahim’s capacity to deliver Tajik votes to Mr. Karzai. Thus, all in all, Mr. Karzai’s prospects have improved. Washington’s strategem to prevent his first-round victory is in jeopardy. In an extraordinary public vent of dismay, the State Department said in Washington on Tuesday: “We have made clear to the government of Afghanistan our serious concern regarding the return of Mr. Dostum and any prospective role in today’s Afghanistan.”

A clear-cut victory for Mr. Karzai in the first round will bring into power a coalition that Washington will find hard to control what with multiple power centres. In this context, the “operational role of the Pakistani intelligence [ISI]” will assume critical importance. The ISI disfavours Mr. Karzai’s victory. It has scores to settle with almost all the Northern Alliance “warlords” who rally behind Mr. Karzai. These “warlords” may reject the U.S.-British-Saudi-Pakistani game plan to co-opt the Taliban into the Afghan power structure, as they know that Mullah Omar and Co. will go after them one day or the other. Equally, the Pakistani security establishment and the Obama administration cannot easily stomach a democratically elected government dominated by the Northern Alliance “warlords,” who used to enjoy the support of Russia, Iran and India, coming to power in Kabul. The agenda of introducing Islamism for the remaking of Central Asia, NATO’s expansion and long-term military presence in Afghanistan — all these are in the cross hairs. It is a moot point whether Russia or Iran actively promoted Mr. Karzai’s coalition with the Northern Alliance stalwarts.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 20 Aug 2009 13:31

M.K Bhadrakumar has written a thought-provoking article.

I was inclining favorably towards a win by Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. He was the close confidante of Ahmed Shah Mahsood. I have heard him speak. He is a very eloquent and a soft-spoken man. He has in the past shown that he is pro-India.

But lately we have seen that the American Ambassador has shown himself at the rallies of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. The other day, he was meeting with the Pakistani Ambassador. So there has been a rethinking on my part. I guess, I was carried away by my sentiments to his mutterings in the days gone by.

The Americans seem to have hitched their future to Dr. Abdullah Abdullah's Presidency. It would be a very sorry development if the memory of the Lion of Panjshir is besmirched this way by a betrayal to the ISI and the Islamists, exactly those people who got Ahmed Shah Mahsood killed.

Ismail Khan, Mohammed Fahim, Karim Khalili and Rashid Dostum are some of the most well-known warlords of the Northern Alliance. Ahmed Shah Mahsood was also a part of the alliance. They seem to have hitched their support to President Hamid Karzai. In the end, if anybody will be able to keep Taliban out of any power in Kabul, it is going to be these warlords. Iran also seems to favor this combination, as is apparent from Ismail Khan's support.

Theirs is also the first line of defense against the spreading of Islamism into Central Asia, a project which may be of interest to United States.

I see practically a convergence of interest here between Russia-Iran-India-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Northern Alliance-Afghan Government. On the hand there seems to be a convergence of interest between United States-Pakistan-Saudi Arabia. PRC I believe is wary of both combinations.

President Hamid Karzai has shown much friendship towards India during his tenure. He is in that sense a known commodity.

I hope there is no run off election, which would again be prone to machinations of ISI.

We have to be on the watch-out for a few things :

a) Criticism of Hamid Karzai in the Western press.
b) Accusations of a media blackout by the Afghan Government.
c) Accusations of vote-rigging against the Afghan Government, something on the lines of what happened in Iran.
d) Taliban attacks in areas which support Karzai.
e) A call by the Taliban/Pushtun to support Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.
f) Safe passage to Dr. Abdullah Abdullah during campaigning in the South, especially in the strongholds of the Taliban, where he is an easy target of the Taliban. Would point to ISI collusion.

I do not believe that there would be many accusations of vote-rigging, even though there can be vote-rigging by ISI's chamchas. US and Co. cannot afford if this election is delegitimized. I think they want Hamid Karzai not to win the first round. In the second round, all the losers will shift their alliance to Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. He will win the second round.

This is an eventuality we should all hope to avoid.

If Karzai wins, Americans would be forced to work with him again in the long-term. That would nullify ISI's plans for Afghanistan.

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 20 Aug 2009 13:55

RajeshA wrote:M.K Bhadrakumar has written a thought-provoking article.

I was inclining favorably towards a win by Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. He was the close confidante of Ahmed Shah Mahsood. I have heard him speak. He is a very eloquent and a soft-spoken man. He has in the past shown that he is pro-India.

But lately we have seen that the American Ambassador has shown himself at the rallies of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. The other day, he was meeting with the Pakistani Ambassador. So there has been a rethinking on my part. I guess, I was carried away by my sentiments to his mutterings in the days gone by.

During Taliban rule, India gave shelter to Dr. Abdullah Abdullah's family and he is frequent visitor to India.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 20 Aug 2009 14:03

kmkraoind wrote:During Taliban rule, India gave shelter to Dr. Abdullah Abdullah's family and he is frequent visitor to India.

Yes, but his road to power does not go through New Delhi, but rather through Washington D.C. and as is becoming somewhat apparent also through Rawalpindi.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 20 Aug 2009 14:39

The road to Kabul by Shobhan Saxena: Times of India

Ever since Tagore created the character and Balraj Sahni brought him to life on the silver screen over four decades ago, the Kabulliwallah has been part of the Indian imagination. The tough Afghan, who would die for honour and kill for pride, has been a folk hero: Sher Khan of Zanjeer who shed his blood for friendship; the rich Afghan who would lend money to the needy; and the brave Afghans who gave the colonial British a bloody nose, not once but thrice when they tried to invade their country in the 19th century.

Almost all of them agree that Afghanistan is too important for India to worry about a few thousand Afghan refugees. "Historically, we have enjoyed good relations with Afgha-nistan and in the present context of Obama's Af-Pak policy, the country is very important for us, not just to neutralize Pakistan's influence but also for stability in the region," says Professor Uma Singh, who teaches South Asian politics at JNU in Delhi.

Since everything in this part of the world boils down to the India-Pakistan rivalry, analysts like Fahmida Ashraf, a scholar at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad {Jalebi anyone}, see Indian foreign policy goals in Afghanistan as a way of "attaining a hegemonic position in the region and emerging as a global power".

"Indian efforts have been to infiltrate all sectors in Afghanistan, to make them dependent on Indian support, thus making Afghanistan a launching pad for its influence in the Central Asia," says Ashraf.

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 20 Aug 2009 14:49

RajeshA wrote: thus making Afghanistan a launching pad for its influence in the Central Asia," says Ashraf.

Pakis understood our evil plan....

.....

...

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 20 Aug 2009 18:27

Public support for Afghan war slips in US

Asked if the war has been worth fighting, 51 per cent said it was not, while 47 per cent endorsed the mission, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll.

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 21 Aug 2009 10:01

‘Pak funding for pre-poll Afghan violence’

New Delhi: In a startling claim, the head of Afghanistan's intelligence service has said that Pakistan had funded the violence that gripped the country prior to its crucial Presidential Elections on August 20.
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In the latest news report, chief of the National Security Directorate, Amrullah Saleh, claimed to have ‘massive proof’ that most of the attackers came mainly from Pakistan.

"These anti-government elements had planned to destroy the electoral process and they had received a large budget for this. The money was there,” Saleh told a newspaper.

"In Pakistan, the madrassas had called a holiday for the students and told them they should go to Afghanistan to do some symbolic activities that would destroy Afghan people psychologically,” he added.

"Almost 70 had been trained and sent here for destructive activities.''

According to Saleh, the documents found from three terrorists, who were slain on Wednesday in Maiwand, also ascertained that they were financed and controlled by "people outside our country,'' mainly from Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan.

"This is an old complaint that we have against Pakistan and I don't want to say anything more.''

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 21 Aug 2009 16:49

Pak wants nothing other than Afghanistan for itself.One remembers a famous Afghan mujahid quote,during the days of Soviet intervention in the country,that "the Pak military who never won a war are trying to teach us Afghans who never lost one.."! In this nefarious goal,it is being ably assisted by Uncle Sam,who thinks that an Afghan under Paki control is great because Paki is under its own control.The only stumbling block to achieving this goal is India,which is fighting Paki terroism tooth and nail.Therefore neutering India for the sake of rent-boy Pak is America's Great Game gambit.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/co ... 75229.html

Robert Fisk: Democracy will not bring freedom

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 21 Aug 2009 18:22

Yet another Afghan "War" in the offing,a-la-Iran!

Karzai and Abdullah both claim victory in Afghan electionsCandidates ignore Clinton's request to wait for official results, as officials investigate allegations

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/au ... ms-victory

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 21 Aug 2009 22:37

British general to befriend Taliban

A FORMER British special forces commander has been appointed to mastermind a programme of reconciliation with members of the Taliban, General David Petraeus, the US military chief, said overnight.

Lieutenant-General Sir Graeme Lamb, who retired recently from the British Army, was personally requested by General Stanley McChrystal, the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, to take on the role, which is considered crucial to reduce the impact of the insurgency.

General Lamb would work at "local level reconciliation and reintegration", General Petraeus said at a briefing at the US Embassy in London.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 22 Aug 2009 17:34

General Lamb to head the programme of reconciliation with the Taliban

A former British Special Forces commander has been appointed to mastermind a programme of reconciliation with members of the Taliban, General David Petraeus, the US military chief, said on Thursday. Lieutenant-General Sir Graeme Lamb, who retired recently from the British Army, was personally requested by General Stanley McChrystal, the US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, to take on the role. General Lamb would work at “local-level reconciliation and reintegration”, General Petraeus said at a briefing at the US embassy in London. Lamb has played a similar role in Baghdad, persuading Sunni insurgent leaders to give up fighting.

vishwakarmaa · Post by **vishwakarmaa** » 22 Aug 2009 18:08

That shows USA army and intelligence lacks expertise on the afghan ethnic groups and culture. They are banking on British help. British obviously being colonial looters have vast information and expertise on how to manipulate things in this region.

Its interesting to note that after 9/11, USA needed someone to break ice with Northern Alliance and Indians played a crucial role in this but as expected USA kept India out of the core operation.

Now the American fears has come true. Game has turned. Northern Alliance is getting cozier with India which discomforts USA because India(Russian friend) can break American monopoly in the region easily with Northern Alliance. So they need to create second power center in Afghanistan - Taliban.

Hiten · Post by **Hiten** » 23 Aug 2009 14:35

Margolis writes an article that is later retracted

Quitting time in Afghanistan

The gentleman has this to say among many others

The powers now stirring the Afghan pot -- the U.S., NATO, India, Iran, Russia, the Communist Central Asian states -- must cease meddling. They have become part of the Afghan problem.

but conveniently omits the Islamic Republic of pakistan - such an unmasked chamcha

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 24 Aug 2009 13:48

Karzai wins by a "landslide"! This is bound to upset the US and Pak,who were doing their best to get him defeated by rival Abdullah Abdullah.Despite Abdullah's howling about rigging,the scale of his defeat is unlikely to prevent Karzai from staying on as President.His masterstroke was to get the support of Gen.Dostum behind him,the alleged "butcher of the Taliban".With Dostum's support,Karzai's victory was certain and the machinations of the hated US and Pakis by the Afghans did the rest.It appears that most Afghans feared that Abdullah was a US puppet and preferred a corrupt Karzai,who knew the Afghan way of doing busines in true tribal fashion,rather than get an imported US "democratic" transplant,where the US would also engineer permanent squatting rights in the country.

Karzai reportedly wanted a "loha jirga",a gathering of tribal chiefs to sort out issues in the time honoured Afghan way instead of doing things Uncle Sam's way.This is what angered the US who have now failed to unseat him through the ballot.Will they now with the help of their Paki rent-boys try and unseat him through the bullet or bomb? Watch this space.

Hamid Karzai 're-elected' by landslide, poll data shows
Hamid Karzai has been re-elected president in a landslide victory, according to raw polling station data.

By Ben Farmer in Mazar-i-Sharif and Dean Nelson in Islamabad
Published: 8:00PM BST 23 Aug 2009

Afghan presidential candidate and current President Hamid Karzai holds his ballot before casting at a polling station in Kabul Photo: AP
Early figures from campaign team observers suggest Mr Karzai won 72 per cent of the vote with his closest rival Abdullah Abdullah gaining 23 per cent.

A further 2 million votes from southern Afghanistan have yet to be tallied, but they are in areas where Mr Karzai was predicted to have a strong showing.

The figures were obtained by the The Daily Telegraph from a campaign team which had observers at polling stations. An analyst confirmed: "That's in line with what we are hearing."

If confirmed, the scale of the win will provoke accusations of vote-rigging and electoral officials said yesterday they were already investigating dozens of complaints of fraud on a scale profound enough to sway the result.

The first provisional results are not expected until Tuesday, with final results following weeks later after complaint rulings. Early figures could change as suspect ballot boxes or polling stations are disallowed.

Mr Karzai had needed more than 50 per cent of the vote to avoid a second round run off against his former foreign minister.

One analyst said the scale of the apparent landslide raised the possibility Mr Karzai had legitimately swung large numbers of voters in the north after deals with strongmen including the militia leader General Abdul Rashid Dostum.

However it will be hotly contested after the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) said it had received 225 complaints since polls opened on Thursday for the presidential and provincial council elections.

Grant Kippen, head of the commission, said some allegations were of irregularities on a scale large enough to alter the outcome of the poll.

He said: "Thirty five have been assigned a high priority and these are ones that we had to deem to be material to the outcome of the election results."

He said the most common complaint among the high priority cases was ballot box tampering and the number was still rising as reports arrived from remote areas.

Mr Karzai and Dr Abdullah both said they were headed for an outright victory the day after polling.

Afghan electoral officials called on candidates and the media not to report on estimated results.

Dr Abdullah, the former foreign minister, said his campaign team had received alarming reports of irregularity.

He said: "There might have been thousands of violations throughout the country, no doubt about it.".

His allegations were dismissed by a spokesman for the Karzai campaign, who said it had also filed complaints about Dr Abdullah's supporters' activities.

Waheed Omer said unsuccessful campaigns would file complaints to "try to justify their loss".

The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan said on Saturday that it had recorded instances of multiple voting and underage voting.

But international observer missions including the European Union and International Republican Institute, said despite reports of irregularities, the vote had been "credible" and "generally fair".

Richard Holbrooke, United States envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said complaints of vote rigging were to be expected.

He said: "We have disputed elections in the United States. There may be some questions here.

"That wouldn't surprise me at all. I expect it. But let's not get out ahead of the situation."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... shows.html

AjitK · Post by **AjitK** » 24 Aug 2009 14:57

Hamid Karzai accused by rival candidate of rigging Afghanistan election

The Times discovered further discrepancies yesterday in figures being reported from Helmand province, where British Forces have been since 2006 and launched Operation Panther’s Claw in June to allow 80,000 more people to vote.

Engineer Abdul Hadee, the local head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), told The Times on Thursday evening that fewer than 50,000 people had voted in Helmand, but changed that figure yesterday to 110,000. He also said that turnout in the district of Garmsir was 20,000, compared with zero as he had claimed on Thursday. In Nawa district his estimate had risen from zero to 3,000.

Mr Hadee also said that 18,000 people had voted in Musa Qala district. He had not given an earlier estimate, but a Western official monitoring the election said that turnout in the district was only 9,000.

Mr Hadee said that his earlier estimates were based on incomplete information. Analysts said that was possible but it was more likely that the ballot boxes had been stuffed in the absence of local or international monitors, who could not be there because of poor security. “There was big fraud in the election here,” a local journalist told The Times. “I think only 10 or 15 per cent of people in Helmand voted.”

But Mr Abdullah backed away from his own claim of a first-round victory, saying that he would be happy to participate in a run-off scheduled for October 1, and ruled out protests, which could easily turn violent in a country awash with weapons.

“One thing which I will avoid is to ask for demonstrations because of the fragility of the situation,” he said.

“I’ll try to control emotions and avoid any violence. From the other side I’ll try to fight it legally in whatever way possible.”

And if his legal challenges fail?

“I’ll accept that, even though I know it won’t work and I’ll try in my position as the opposition to bring it on track as much as possible.”

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 24 Aug 2009 17:52

Some interesting excerpts on a critique of cyrrent British defence planning.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 807145.ece

Excerpts:

Mr Gray observes that the MoD has “a substantially overheated equipment programme, with too many types of equipment being ordered for too large a range of tasks at too high a specification”. He states that present projects are over budget by £35 billion and will arrive five years later than expected. He asks: “How can it be that it takes 20 years to buy a ship, or aircraft, or tank? Why does it always seem to cost at least twice what was thought? Even worse, at the end of the wait, why does it never quite seem to do what it is supposed to?”

The second collision is also financial. The Opposition accepts that defence will need more money, but, as Liam Fox, the Shadow Defence Secretary, has observed: “Labour has created a defence black hole which is not only impacting on current operations in Afghanistan but threatens to provide an ongoing defence crisis for years to come.”

This is jingoism in reverse: “We don’t want to fight but by jingo, if we do, we’re short of ships, and short of men, and short of money too.” An incoming opposition may well cope with the immediate funding crisis, or with the longer-term procurement costs; it will be very hard to cope with both at once.

The third collision is the traditional issue of inter-Service rivalry. We are at present fighting a tough infantry war of mobile patrolling against insurgents. In this war, more and better helicopters and armoured vehicles are the key to rapid response and reduction in casualties. Yet the MoD seems more concerned to find huge funds for two aircraft carriers and a replacement for Trident. This would give priority for expenditure on weapons systems we are unlikely to use rather than the weapon systems we are actually using in combat in Afghanistan

In 1838 the great Duke of Wellington opposed intervention in Afghanistan that was to lead to the first Afghan War and the appalling catastrophe of the 1842 retreat from Kabul. He warned that: “When the military successes end the political difficulties will begin.” More often than not Britain’s historic losses in Afghanistan have occurred when we were trying to withdraw, not when we were trying to intervene.

There does not seem to be any exit plan for Afghanistan, except that we may stay for 20-40 years. There can, therefore, be no strategic plan based on the Afghan commitment, since there is no coherent strategy for staying or leaving in the Afghan theatre of war. This is not a Government that knows what it wants to do in defence matters. Bob Ainsworth has no idea; Gordon Brown is in a fog of indecision.

This is less than fair to Britain’s brave soldiers and their families. It is also incompetent. We have had to wait far too long for the Government to get a grip on the strategy and supply of the Afghan War.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 24 Aug 2009 22:59

I thought the British speaking correspondents of NPR were laying te ground work for questioning poll verdict when they kept repeatedly reporting the low turnout in terrorist controlled areas.

Anyway who were the ~23% voting for Abdullah^2? Must be stooges.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 25 Aug 2009 18:55

More bomb fodder.

Blast makes 2009 the deadliest year for foreign troops in Afghan war
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 809344.ece

Four American soldiers died in a roadside bomb in Afghanistan today, making 2009 the deadliest year for foreign troops there since the 2001 invasion.

With four months of the year still to go, today's deaths in Helmand province bring the number of foreign forces killed in 2009 to 295, according to the website icasualties.org, which compiles official data. The previous deadliest year was 2008, when 294 foreign troops died.

Lieutenant Commander Christine Sidenstricker, a US military spokesman, refused to release further details about the four until family members are informed.

Casualty tolls have risen inexorably as British and US troops have mounted operations to move deeper into once Taleban-held territory in the south, driving back the insurgents before this month's presidential elections, in the hopes of allowing as many Afghans as possible the freedom to vote.

Related Links
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The Taleban have responded by planting more and more complex improvised explosive devices along patrol routes, burying the bombs in clusters so that rescuers who arrive to help after one explosion is triggered are caught in a second or third wave of blasts.

So far 41 American and 15 British soldiers have died this month, most of them in such roadside bombs. July's casualties were also extremely high. More Western troops have died since March than in the entire period from 2001-2004.

More than 30,000 extra US troops arrived in Afghanistan this year, most of them reinforcements ordered by Obama in May with an eye towards election security. There are now more than 100,000 Western troops in the country, 63,000 of them Americans and 9,000 British.

Afghanistan's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is due to give an early, partial indication of results and turnout in the presidential elections today. Certified results are due out on September 17.

With reports of low turnout at polling booths, some critics question whether the sacrifices by British and US troops in the strife-torn south have had much effect in persuading voters it was safe to exercise their democratic right.

And with multiple allegations of fraud also marring the ballot, there are fears that a delay in resolving the dispute over the election could stoke further instability, and put more lives at risk.

Afghan civilian casualties have also been high. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan recorded 1,013 Afghan deaths between January and the end of June this year, an increase of 24 per cent over the first six months of 2008 when 818 civilians were killed.

Meanwhile,supporters of defeated US puppet-pretender,Abdullah,Abdullah,are threaning to take up arms over 'rigged' election

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 76783.html

In northern Afghanistan, where opposition to Hamid Karzai is strong, the mood is darkening

By Kim Sengupta in Panjshir Valley

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 25 Aug 2009 22:16

Afghan bomb blast kills 36: police
August, 25

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The death toll from a massive explosion in Afghanistan's southern city of Kanadahar late Tuesday has risen to 36 with another 64 people wounded, a top police official said.

"So far we have 36 killed and 64 wounded and they are all civilians," said General Ghulam Ali Wahdad, police commander for southern Afghanistan.

enqyoob · Post by **enqyoob** » 26 Aug 2009 06:23

KABUL – President Hamid Karzai and his main rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, were running virtually even Tuesday in the first fragmented returns from last week's Afghan election, raising the possibility of a runoff that could drag the process out for months.

The figures came from 10 percent of the more than 27,000 polling sites nationwide — too small a sampling either to draw a conclusion about the outcome or silence criticism that the ballot was marred by fraud and Taliban violence

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 26 Aug 2009 20:38

shravan wrote:Afghan bomb blast kills 36: police
August, 25

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The death toll from a massive explosion in Afghanistan's southern city of Kanadahar late Tuesday has risen to 36 with another 64 people wounded, a top police official said.

"So far we have 36 killed and 64 wounded and they are all civilians," said General Ghulam Ali Wahdad, police commander for southern Afghanistan.

Nightwatch comments on above incident on 8/25/09

Afghanistan: A car bomb explosion in the southern city of Kandahar killed at least 40 people. More than 60 people were also hurt as buildings collapsed in the attack in the centre of the city, doctors said. The explosion took place shortly after the first results were announced in the presidential election – possibly a coincidence.

Earlier a bomb killed four US soldiers, making 2009 the deadliest year for foreign troops since the US-led invasion overthrew the Taliban.

The elections produced no pause in the insurgency. Reports of electoral fraud are so numerous that any results must be suspect. 20 August no longer looks like a good day. That implies that the NATO security surge supported an electoral fraud. If Abdullah, the Tajik, succeeds in forcing a run-off with Karzai, expect a spasm of anti-Tajik violence.

In any event, violence will worsen. There are too few Western soldiers to make much of a difference in the security situation, which is essentially in the control of the Pashtun and other anti-foreigner tribes. In one analysis, the entire US Army could be committed to Afghanistan, but could not secure the countryside unless it occupied it for a generation.

Karzai has to prevent the expected anti-Tajik violence. He is still the ruling President of Afghanistan.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 27 Aug 2009 15:41

Not A Good Time To Be A Pushy Pushtun: Strategy Page

A major defeat for the drug gangs is the Japanese crackdown on the export of acetic anhydride. This is the weak link of the heroin business. It's all a matter of upsetting the processing of the annual production of 10,000 tons of opium (worth about $45 a pound) to 1,300 tons of heroin (worth about $1,600 a pound). This requires 2,600 tons of acetic anhydride, an industrial chemical. This is a clear liquid that is flammable and poisonous if you inhale it. The key to crippling the Taliban money machine is intercepting the chemical needed to convert opium into heroin. Japan has been a major source of illegal exports of this chemical to Pakistan (where it is smuggled from Karachi to Afghanistan.) All industrial nations have problems with the growing flood of Afghan heroin, and thus have an incentive to help with the international crackdown on illegal acetic anhydride exports. While heroin is compact, and can be smuggled in a few kilograms ("keys") at a time, acetic anhydride is a bulk industrial product that is hazardous to handle and difficult to hide. There are dozens of smugglers active supplying over 200 tons of acetic anhydride a month to the Afghan drug lords. These entrepreneurs do not have their own private armies, and tend to operate in well policed areas. Despite the incentives drawing in many players, the acetic anhydride smugglers are a vulnerability for the Afghan drug lords, and their Taliban employees.