Kidnappers Target The Rich, Influential In Afghanistan
30 September 2008
'', AFP, 30 September 2008
EXCERPT: "Mohammed Hashim Wahaaj, a large Afghan doctor with a bushy beard, thought he was going to die. During more than 20 days of torture they came down from their original ransom of five million dollars and Wahaaj -- the wealthy owner of one of Afghanistan's best diagnostic centres -- was finally freed, for a sum he will not disclose. He says his abductors...
Read the post »
Karzai Seeks Saudi Help In Taliban Peace Talks
30 September 2008
'', The Associated Press, 30 September 2008
EXCERPT: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday he has asked the king of Saudi Arabia to help facilitate peace talks with the Taliban in order to bring an end to the Afghan conflict. Karzai said there has not yet been any negotiations, only requests for help. But he said that Afghan officials have traveled to both Saudi Arabia and to Pakistan...
Read the post »
2011 Pullout Not Cutting And Running: MacKay
30 September 2008
'2011 Pullout Not Cutting And Running: MacKay', CTV News, 30 September 2008
EXCERPT: "Defence Minister Peter MacKay dismissed the suggestion that the decision to pull out of Afghanistan by 2011 is akin to cutting and running. His comments followed a statement by military mom Connie Perchaluk who said Canada must not abandon its work in Afghanistan until the job is complete. MacKay said the decision respects the will of the Canadian Parliament...
Read the post »
Pakistan Cleans Up "Pro-Taliban" Spy Agency
30 September 2008
'Pakistan Cleans Up "Pro-Taliban" Spy Agency', The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 September 2008
EXCERPT: "Pakistan has replaced the head of its powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in an apparent effort to clean up the military spy agency amid western claims that it secretly backs the Taliban. The move came as the United Nations said fighting between the Pakistani military and pro-Taliban insurgents forced 20,000 people to...
Read the post »
Police Face Huge Training Challenges In Afghanistan
29 September 2008
'Police Face Huge Training Challenges In Afghanistan', Aftenposten, 29 September 2008
EXCERPT: "Norwegian police, who have been trying for the past five years to help Afghanistan build up its own police force, have issued a report that suggests they're dealing with chaotic conditions involving sex, drugs, corruption and defectors to the Taliban. Newspaper Aftenposten obtained a copy of the Norwegian police's own report on their efforts,...
Read the post »
US Troops To Stay In Iraq And Afghanistan For Years: Gates
29 September 2008
'US Troops To Stay In Iraq And Afghanistan For Years, Says Gates', RTT News, 29 September 2008
EXCERPT: "US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday American troops will remain in Iraq and Afghanistan for years to serve in advisory or counter-terrorism capacities. Speaking at the National Defense University in Washington, he ruled out the possibility of America launching another regime-changing war in the near future. Failure in Iraq...
Read the post »
UN: Thousands Flee Violent Pakistani Border Area
29 September 2008
'', The Associated Press, 29 September 2008
EXCERPT: "A spike in violence along Pakistan's border has driven tens of thousands of people to seek refuge in eastern Afghanistan, the U.N. reported Monday and new military data showed suicide attacks throughout the country killed nearly 1,200 people in the last 15 months. Pakistani troops are battling militants who are increasingly using the...
Read the post »
Pakistan Vows To Retake Tribal Region In 2 Months
26 September 2008
'', International Herald Tribune, 26 September 2008
EXCERPT: "Pakistan will bring stability to a restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan within two months, a top general said during an assessment of a major ongoing offensive there against al-Qaida and Taliban militants. Maj. Gen. Tariq Khan told reporters on an army-organized trip to the northwestern Bajur region that troops had killed...
Read the post »
Taliban Frees 118 Kidnapped Afghan Labourers
26 September 2008
'Taliban Frees 118 Kidnapped Afghan Labourers', AlertNet, 26 September 2008
EXCERPT: "Taliban insurgents have freed 118 labourers they kidnapped in western Afghanistan last week, Taliban commanders and Afghan officials said on Friday. The Taliban abducted more than 140 workers who were helping to construct an army base. Insurgents seized them in Bala Boluk district in Farah province last Sunday while they were travelling in a convoy...
Read the post »
Tajik Forces Kill Afghan Opium Smugglers
26 September 2008
'Tajik Forces Kill Afghan Opium Smugglers', Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 26 September 2008
EXCERPT: "Tajik border guards have shot dead a group of Afghan drug smugglers and seized more than 250 kilograms of opium and other drugs, a border-guard spokeswoman said. Tajikistan lies on the main trafficking route out of neighboring Afghanistan -- the world's top producer of opium and its refined form, heroin -- to Western Europe. Yelena...
Read the post »