Aid Workers Fight Secret War against HIV
31 May 2011
The checkpoints on Kabul's streets and concrete barricades around its key buildings are a reminder of the war Afghanistan has been in since 2001. But beneath some of its bridges are signs of another war - the battle against HIV. During a recent afternoon, aid workers weaved in and out among the hundreds of drug addicts who gather daily under a bridge in the Pul-e Sought-a neighbourhood of the city to smoke and inject heroin. Men of all ages huddle...
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Afghanistan No Longer a Geostrategic Risk to the World: Canada's PM
31 May 2011
[...] Harper's visit to Afghanistan comes as Canada is in the midst of a transition from its combat mission to a training one. Canada's combat activity is due to end in July, when 950 soldiers will remain in the country to train Afghan military members.Still, Harper said much has been accomplished in Afghanistan during the past decade. "This country does not represent a geostrategic risk to the world. It is no longer a source of global terrorism,"...
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Nato Risks Becoming "Occupying Force", Must End Airstrikes: Karzai
31 May 2011
Failure to stop would risk a national uprising, he warned, in a barely disguised reference to defeated British and Russian engagements in Afghanistan. The outspoken comments by the Afghan president immediately prompted a public standoff with the coalition as Nato headquarters in Brussels said air attacks "continue to be necessary". Analysts accused the Afghan president of political posturing and questioned his ability to dictate tactics. Mr Karzai...
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Afghan Bank Commission Absolves Karzai’s Brother in Fraud Case
31 May 2011
A commission appointed by President Hamid Karzai to assess responsibility for the massive fraud at Kabul Bank issued its report on Sunday, absolving the president’s brother of any blame. The brother, Mahmoud Karzai, was among the bank’s politically connected shareholders and insiders who took out a total of $925 million in loans, often with no collateral or even documentation, the commission’s chairman, Azizullah Ludin, announced...
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