45 civilians reported killed in air strikes in Afghanistan Australian troops to stay in Afghanistan for years: FM

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1 The Guardian, 2 July civilians reported killed in air strikes in Afghanistan Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, has called for an investigation into reports that 45 innocent Afghans were killed in a Nato-led air assault in the south of the country, the latest in a series of attacks which an incensed public is calling civilian massacres. Clashes began on Friday when Taliban fighters ambushed a joint US-Afghan military convoy, which was attempting to clear the Helmand river of Taliban positions.the international forces, including British troops who suffered fatalities on Saturday and yesterday, then called in air strikes on houses in the village of Hyderabad, in Helmand's Gereshk district where they said insurgents were sheltering. People's Daily, 2 July 2007 Australian troops to stay in Afghanistan for years: FM Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has said Australian troops will need to stay in Afghanistan for years to buttress international efforts to defeat the Taliban and establish a secure state. Downer made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan during the weekend and met with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai. After their meeting, Downer warned that Afghanistan is a struggle for the long haul. I believe Australian troops will be in Afghanistan for years, he told The Australian, one of the leading newspapers in Australia. This view is driven by the backwardness of the country, the scale of the threat, and the risk to Australia and other nations of allowing the Taliban to regain influence and export jihadist terror, said the newspaper Monday. Hindustan Times, 2 July 2007 Karzai orders probe into civilian killings President Hamid Karzai appointed on Sunday a commission to investigate claims of heavy civilian casualties in anti-taliban bombing raids by the US-led and NATO forces in southern Afghanistan this week. Elders reported to local authorities that they had recovered the bodies of 45 civilians killed in the air strikes on two villages in Helmand province on Friday, but the figures have not been independently verified. There are reports of civilian casualties during military operations, the president's spokesman, Karim Rahimi, said. The president has appointed a team and has ordered an investigation.?? The team of government officials and parliamentarians from the province had been sent to the area. There have been conflicting claims about the number of civilians killed. The US-led coalition said the bodies of eight were found among dead militants in the trenches, while locals claimed scores of ordinary villagers were dead or wounded. International Herald Tribune, 3 July 2007 Dutch defense minister proposes cutting number of tanks, F-16s THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The Dutch defense minister announced Monday the government plans to reduce the number of its tanks and F-16 fighter jets as part of a package of spending cuts. The cuts, which must be approved by lawmakers, come as Dutch armed forces are running up huge bills in Afghanistan, where 2,000 troops are involved in a reconstruction operation in the southern province of Uruzgan. The government will debate with lawmakers in coming months on whether to extend the twoyear mission, which is scheduled to end in August Defense Minister Eimert van

2 Middelkoop said last week the government is leaning towards extending the mission as part of the NATO security operation, but that drew sharp criticism from lawmakers who must approve any extension. Daily Times, 3 July 2007 Iran baring its teeth to US in Afghanistan KABUL: In public, Afghanistan has played down US and British allegations that Iran is feeding weapons to Taliban insurgents, but in private, officials here say the charges are true - and worrying. A serious debate is under way in President Hamid Karzai's administration about Iranian support to both the Taliban and emerging opposition political parties, several officials told AFP. The government is in a difficult position: it is unwilling to sour relations with another neighbour or become involved in the heated US- Iran dispute, but it is also afraid Afghanistan will again become a battleground for more powerful nations. Daily Times, 3 July 2007 Ban urges military to avoid Afghan civilian casualties GENEVA: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said he had delivered a strong appeal to military commanders in Afghanistan to avoid civilian casualties. I'm still very much concerned and saddened by this continuing violence and particuarly by the civilian casualties, Ban said ahead of a meeting in Rome with NATO and Afghan leaders on conditions in war-battered Afghanistan. The UN chief made a fleeting visit to Kabul on Friday for talks with President Hamid Karzai and with the commander of the NATOled International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). I have made a strong request to the Afghan leaders as well as military commanders to avoid civilian casualties during the course of their military operations, Ban said in a news conference in Geneva. Ban is due to meet Karzai and NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer in Rome on Tuesday for two days of talks, UN spokeswoman Marie Heuze said. People's Daily, 4 July 2007 Suicide bombing kills one, wounds 14 others in Afghanistan A suicide bomber targeting Afghan police killed one and wounded 14 others in the central Wardak province on Sunday, an official said. A suicide car bomber struck a police building in Maidan Shar, the provincial capital, killing one policeman and injuring 14 others including some civilians, spokesman of provincial government Hafizullah told Xinhua. It was the second suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan on Sunday. A suicide bombing targeted a NATO military convoy in the southern Helmand province and at least wounded two civilians. Due to rising Taliban insurgency, over 2,500 persons, most of whom were Taliban militants, have been killed in Afghanistan this year. Daily Times, 4 July 2007 Anti-smoking campaign in Afghanistan KABUL: Afghanistan may be the world's largest producer of heroin, but the government has taken the first step towards to a ban on smoking in public places. Local media said on Tuesday that the council of ministers had ordered a campaign through the media and mosques to inform the public that smoking in educational institutions, hospitals and

3 government offices has been outlawed. The ban will be widened later to cover hotels and restaurants. The reports did not say how the government would monitor the ban or what penalties there might be for violators. China View, 4 July Taliban militants killed in S Afghanistan KABUL, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Afghan forces killed 32 Taliban insurgents in the southern Kandahar province in an operation from Monday to Tuesday, provincial governor Asadullah Khalid said Tuesday. Afghan troops launched a clean-up operation in Jalai district on Monday afternoon after a roadside bombing killed seven policemen in the district, Khalid told a press conference. The troops killed 32 militants, injured three others and captured one in the operation, which lasted until early Tuesday, he added. Kandahar province has been a hotbed of Taliban rebels, who often clash with government and foreign forces. Due to rising Taliban insurgency, over 2,600 persons, most of whom Taliban militants, have been killed in Afghanistan this year. Reuters, 4 July 2007 U.S. casts doubt on Afghan civilian casualty counts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. general expressed doubt on Tuesday about reports U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan had killed more than 230 civilians this year, saying it was hard to get a good count as combat took place in remote areas. It's difficult for me to believe that you can actually capture an accurate number, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Perry Wiggins told a Pentagon news briefing. An umbrella group of Western and Afghan aid agencies said last month Afghanistan's NATO-led security force, Afghan troops and a U.S.-led coalition with a counterterrorism mandate had killed more than 230 civilians this year alone. Reuters, 5 July 2007 AFGHANISTAN: Hundreds of families displaced by floods, livelihoods lost PANJSHIR, 4 July 2007 (IRIN) - Almost a week after floods ravaged eight provinces in Afghanistan June, aid agencies have started releasing their assessments of casualties and damage incurred. According to a preliminary report by the UN Children's Agency (UNICEF), flash floods killed 113 people in six provinces, including six victims in Kabul. A total of 688 houses have been washed away and 212 others have suffered partial damage, UNICEF said. Panjshir and Kapisa provinces, in the north of the country, have been the worst affected areas, where floods killed more than 90 people on 28 June, the UN reported. Afghanistan's National Disasters Management Authority (ANDMA) has described the damage caused by the floods and torrential rain as disastrous. Thousands of hectares of farmland have been destroyed; dams and bridges have been damaged; hundreds of fruit trees have been washed away and many farm animals killed, an ANDMA report said. BBC News, 5 July 2007 Afghan bomb kills six Canadians Six Canadian Nato soldiers and their Afghan translator have been killed by a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan, military officials have said. The seven died when their vehicle

4 struck a roadside bomb in the southern province of Kandahar. The blast was the deadliest attack against Nato forces since six Canadian soldiers were killed on 8 April. A total of 66 Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have died since the country sent troops to Afghanistan in Clearly, they have managed to kill six great young Canadians today, which is an absolute tragedy, said Canadian Brig Gen Tim Grant. BBC News, 5 July 2007 German 'kidnapped' in Afghanistan A German citizen is believed to have been kidnapped in Afghanistan, the German foreign ministry has said. The man has been missing since 28 June and Berlin says they have to assume he has been kidnapped, based on the indications we have, a spokesman said. He did not give the man's name but said the man did not work for the German government, was not a German aid worker or a journalist. A number of foreign citizens have been abducted in Afghanistan since BBC News, 5 July 2007 Nato 'seeks to boost Afghan law' Delegates at a Nato-sponsored conference in Rome have been considering ways of strengthening Afghanistan's justice system. Despite progress in education, health care and the economy, the legal system still faces huge challenges. There are only 200 lawyers, violent crime goes unpunished and the police are poorly trained. The BBC correspondent in Rome says that success can only be achieved with the support of the Afghan people. This is undermined when civilians are killed in Nato or US-led operations. Voice of America, 6 July 2007 German Man, Translator Freed in Afghanistan Afghanistan's Interior Ministry says a German national and his Afghan translator who were abducted in southwestern Afghanistan have been freed. The two men disappeared last week. It is not clear why they were kidnapped. German officials say the man was not working for the German government, a relief agency or the media. Elsewhere, officials in southern Afghanistan say a suicide bomber killed at least nine people, including police officers, at a checkpoint in the town of Spin Boldak Thursday. In a separate incident, NATO says a roadside bomb hit a convoy, killing one soldier and wounding two others. The force has not released the nationalities of the victims. On Wednesday, six Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were killed by a roadside bomb, also in southern Afghanistan. BBC News, 9 July 2007 Afghan prison bodies discovered An underground prison containing hundreds of bodies has been discovered in Afghanistan. The prison, a former military barracks on the outskirts of the capital, Kabul, dates from the Soviet occupation of the 1980s, officials say. A senior police officer in Kabul says that many of the bodies were found blindfolded with arms tied. The find was revealed by a 70-year-old Afghan who worked for the Russians and only recently returned to the country.

5 Daily Times, 9 July 2007 Britain assures Afghanistan of support against terrorism KABUL: Britain's new Prime Minister Gordon Brown called President Hamid Karzai overnight to reiterate his countrys commitment to the fight against terror in Afghanistan, a statement said on Saturday. Mr Brown, assuring his country's continuous support to Afghanistan, said Afghanistans security is the world's security, Karzais office said in a statement. He said the struggle against terror will aggressively continue and more efforts will be made in reconstruction of Afghanistan, it said. Brown also invited Karzai to visit Britain in the near future. Britain has around 7,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, to rise to 7,700 in the coming months, which is the second-highest contribution to a NATO-led deployment fighting rebels after that of the United States. The Hindu, 10 July die in NATO raid in eastern Afghanistan Kabul: At least 35 Afghan civilians have been reported killed in that country's eastern province of Kunar in NATO-related aerial attacks. The village of Watapour is said to have faced the brunt of the raid, and according to the BBC, nine of the 35 killed in the bombardment were from one family. American forces have also confirmed the killing of 33 Taliban in Uruzgan in southern Afghanistan. Afghan defence officials confirmed some civilian casualties, but claimed they were fewer than what the locals claimed. Meanwhile, a roadside blast struck a NATO convoy in southern Afghanistan and wounded four alliance soldiers on Saturday, while fighting in three separate regions of the country left more than 100 militants dead, officials said. Daily Times, 10 July 2007 More foreign fighters in Afghanistan insurgency: US KABUL: Insurgents in Afghanistan are fighting harder and there are more foreign extremists in the battlefield, the top international commander in the country told AFP. But there is no evidence to link the inflow of foreign jihadists to elements in Iran and in Iraq that may want to stir things up here, said US General Dan McNeill, head of NATOs International Security Assistance Force. For some number of weeks now I have watched with interest the increased number of foreign fighters that we have seen on the battlefield opposing us but I can't connect that to Iraq yet, he said in an interview Sunday. BBC News, 10 July 2007 Afghans caught in the middle Just minutes before our helicopter swept into the dusty town of Miray, two rockets had struck just a few hundred metres away and wounded a villager. It was a sign that the American and provincial officials we had flown in with were going to face a tough audience. The town in Andar district in southern Ghazni province is like many places in the Afghan outback: teetering between government and Taleban control, and it's just 135km south east of Kabul. New York Times, 11 July 2007 Chertoff Warns of Higher Risk of Terrorism

6 WASHINGTON, July 10 (AP) United States counterterrorism officials are warning of an increased risk of an attack this summer, given Al Qaeda's apparent interest in summertime strikes and increased Qaeda training near the Afghan-Pakistani border. On Tuesday, Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, told the editorial board of The Chicago Tribune that he had a gut feeling about a new period of increased risk. He said he based his assessment on patterns of terrorists in Europe and intelligence he would not disclose. Summertime seems to be appealing to them, Mr. Chertoff said. We worry that they are rebuilding their activities.our edge is technology and the vigilance of the ordinary citizen, he added. International Herald Tribune, 11 July 2007 Suicide blast kills 19 in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: A suicide bomber went after a NATO patrol in a crowded marketplace filled with schoolchildren on Tuesday, killing 19 people, including 13 primary school students, the police said. The bombing - one of the deadliest of the year - wounded at least 35 Afghans and 8 Dutch soldiers patrolling on foot. Both the United Nations and NATO criticized the Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, over the civilian deaths - an issue that the United States and NATO have been criticized for this year as dozens, if not hundreds, of innocent Afghans have been killed by Western military action. Washington Post, 11 July 2007 Congressional Agency Predicts War Costs Will Climb The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade, no matter how quickly U.S. troops are reduced in those countries over the next few years, according to a report released this week by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The Bush administration and Congress have allocated $577 billion to the conflicts through the end of the current fiscal year, but that amount is only a small down payment, the report suggested in examining the impact of various deployment scenarios. Hindustan Times, 12 July killed, 30 wounded in a suicide blast A suicide car bomb targeted a NATO patrol in a crowded marketplace in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing 17 people and wounding 30, including seven Western soldiers, officials said. The attack - one of the deadliest of the year - targeted troops patrolling on foot through a bazaar, said General Qassim Khan, the provincial police chief who provided the casualty figures. He said school children were among the wounded. Major John Thomas, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said seven NATO troops were also wounded. Most soldiers in Uruzgan province are Dutch, though NATO couldn't immediately confirm their nationalities. BBC News, 12 July 2007 UN criticises Afghan insurgents The United Nations in Afghanistan has accused insurgents of acting with a staggering disregard for civilian lives and perpetrating mass murder. The statement comes a day

7 after a suicide bombing in the south of the country killed 17 people. The Afghan interior ministry said 12 of the dead were school children. The bomber blew himself up in a crowded marketplace in Uruzgan province near a convoy of Nato-led international force (Isaf) wounding eight soldiers. The UN secretary-general's special representative in Kabul, Tom Koenigs, said that such disregard for innocent lives was staggering. Associated Press of Pakistan, 13 July 2007 US says working with Pakistan to counter terrorism The United States on Thursday said it is working with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism and senior administration officials defended the South Asian allys counterterrorism efforts over the last several years. President George Bush said at a Press conference that he is working with President Pervez Musharraf and acknowledging the Pakistani leaders commitment to fight against terrorism added President Musharraf does not want al-qaeda and foreign fighters in the outposts of his country.bushs remarks came a day after intelligence experts renewed concerns about al-qaeda becoming stronger in region along Pakistan-Afghanistan border. And so were working to make sure that we continue to keep the pressure on al Qaeda, he said at the Press conference. The Economist, 13 July 2007 No rush for the exit, yet BRINGING peace and development to Afghanistan was always going to be, as Britain's ambassador has put it, a marathon not a sprint. The resurgent Taliban is betting that the countries sending troops to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) do not have the stamina for it. In some, the steady drip of depressing news of casualties among their own soldiers and Afghan civilians is wearing away whatever support the troop deployments ever had. Governments, even those whose caveats ensure their troops are kept out of the most serious fighting in the south, are finding Afghanistan a political millstone. The coalition is not crumbling; but there are worries about whether it can stay the course. NDTV, 13 July 2007 Afghan clashes kill 36 Taliban US-led coalition and Afghan troops clashed with militants and called in airstrikes in southern Afghanistan, killing 36 suspected Taliban rebels in separate battles. Roadside blasts left six police officers dead. Separately, a NATO soldier was killed and two others wounded during an operation in the south, the alliance said in a statement on Thursday. In southern Helmand province, US-led coalition and Afghan troops were attacked by militants holed up in a compound in Gereshk district, said Major General Muhiddin Ghori of the Afghan National Army. The joint forces called in an airstrike on the compound, leaving 20 suspected Taliban fighters dead. Times of India, 14 July 2007 Several Taliban insurgents killed in Afghanistan clash KABUL: Several Taliban-led insurgents were killed when they ambushed an Afghan and US-led coalition patrol in southern Afghanistan, the coalition said on Saturday. The coalition did not give a figure for the rebel casualties but said over 15 insurgents attacked

8 the patrol in Taliban-dominated Sangin district of southern Helmand province on Friday. They repelled the attack using effective small arms, machine gun and MK-19 fire, a coalition statement said, adding that several Taliban were killed and several more wounded in the brief exchange. Daily Times, 14 July 2007 Sixty percent of Afghan police ill-equipped: US KABUL: Afghanistans fledgling army has made tremendous progress in its training and in the fight against Taliban insurgents, but 60 percent of the countrys troubled police force is not properly equipped, a senior US officer said Thursday. Maj. Gen. Robert Durbin, who oversees the training of Afghan security forces, said only 40 percent of the 70,000-strong police force is properly equipped with weapons, communication equipment and vehicles, but the resources are now in place to fix the shortages. On the other hand, the 35,000-strong Afghan National Army is sufficiently equipped and trained and is taking the lead in the counterinsurgency fight throughout the country, Durbin said, speaking at the end of his 18-month tour in the country. People's Daily, 14 July 2007 Terrorists are enemies of both Afghanistan, Pakistan: Karzai Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday described Taliban militants and militancy as the enemies of both this country and Pakistan and called for joint fight against terrorism. Those who kill Afghan sons and destroy Afghanistan have created Lal Masjid crisis in Pakistan, he told a press conference while referring to the Lal Masjid or Red Mosque Taliban confrontation with Pakistani law enforcing agencies. A number of militants loyal to Taliban fanatic movement and religious extremists had occupied Lal Masjid in Pakistan's capital Islamabad for the last nearly two months wanting the government to impose Taliban-like strict Islamic law or Sharia. Times of India, 14 July 2007 Left protests Nimitz's return NEW DELHI: The gigantic nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which left the Left parties fuming when it anchored near Chennai early this month, will be headed towards Indian waters once again in September. This time around, USS Nimitz and another American aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk will be in the Bay of Bengal to participate in the five-nation naval-combat exercise, to be held in the first week of September, which evoked loud protests from the Left once again on Friday. This came even as US Ambassador David Mulford called on defence minister A K Antony on Friday to convey America's appreciation for allowing USS Nimitz to berth off Chennai port. International Herald Tribune, 16 July 2007 Taliban recruiting children for suicide attacks; 3 teen bombers trained in Pakistan KABUL, Afghanistan: Fourteen-year-old Rafiqullah said the men at the Pakistani madrassa showed him and two classmates videos of suicide attackers. They taught the boys to drive a car and let them ride motorcycles. Then the militants gave Rafiqullah his mission: kill an Afghan governor. The teenager walked eight hours over the porous

9 border from Pakistan to the eastern Afghan city of Khost, where a man named Abdul Aziz tried to pump up his courage, Rafiqullah said. Aziz gave him an explosives-laden vest, and the teenager confessed his fears. I said I was afraid to carry out the suicide attack, and Abdul Aziz pointed a gun at me and said 'I'll kill you if you don't,' Rafiqullah told The Associated Press while he was in the custody of Afghan authorities over the weekend. Taipei Times, 16 July 2007 UK Army faces `failure' in Afghanistan Britain's most senior generals have issued a blunt warning to Prime Minister Gordon Brown that the military campaign in Afghanistan is facing a catastrophic failure, a development that could lead to an Islamist government seizing power in neighboring Pakistan. Amid fears that London and Washington are taking their eye off Afghanistan as they grapple with Iraq, Britain's generals have told the prime minister's office that the collapse of the government in Afghanistan, headed by President Hamid Karzai, would present a grave threat to the security of Britain. Peter Inge, the UK's former chief of the defense staff, highlighted the generals' fears in public last week when he warned of a strategic failure in Afghanistan. It is understood that Inge was speaking with the direct authority of the general staff when he made an intervention in a debate in the House of Lords, the Westminster parliament's second chamber. The situation in Afghanistan is much worse than many people recognize, Inge told peers. We need to face up to that issue, the consequence of strategic failure in Afghanistan and what that would mean for NATO... We need to recognize that the situation -- in my view, and I have recently been in Afghanistan -- is much, much more serious than people want to recognize. BBC News, 16 July 2007 Afghan police 'under-equipped' A senior American army officer in Afghanistan says that only about 40% of the police force is properly equipped. But he said resources are now in place to solve the problem. Speaking at the end of his tour of duty, Maj-Gen Robert Durbin said much progress had been made in building the fledgling army and police force. There are currently around 35,000 operational troops in the Afghan army, with plans for those numbers to double by the end of The 70,000 strong police force is due to increase to 82,000 in the same period of time. The Afghan army and police have borne the brunt of attacks by Talebanled insurgents over recent years. But while the army is relatively well equipped and trained, Maj-Gen Durbin - the outgoing head of the section of the coalition which is training the army and police - said only around 40% of police force is properly equipped. He attributed this to the fact that until 18 months ago, the international community had provided almost $2bn for reforming Afghanistan's army, but less than a tenth of that had been invested in the police force. Maj-Gen Durbin said resources were now beginning to come in to properly equip the police. BBC News, 16 July 2007 Afghan police 'under-equipped' A senior American army officer in Afghanistan says that only about 40% of the police force is properly equipped. But he said resources are now in place to solve the problem.

10 Speaking at the end of his tour of duty, Maj-Gen Robert Durbin said much progress had been made in building the fledgling army and police force. There are currently around 35,000 operational troops in the Afghan army, with plans for those numbers to double by the end of The 70,000 strong police force is due to increase to 82,000 in the same period of time. The Afghan army and police have borne the brunt of attacks by Talebanled insurgents over recent years. But while the army is relatively well equipped and trained, Maj-Gen Durbin - the outgoing head of the section of the coalition which is training the army and police - said only around 40% of police force is properly equipped. He attributed this to the fact that until 18 months ago, the international community had provided almost $2bn for reforming Afghanistan's army, but less than a tenth of that had been invested in the police force. Maj-Gen Durbin said resources were now beginning to come in to properly equip the police. International Herald Tribune, 17 July 2007 Afghanistan fires governor after comments criticizing government's effectiveness KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan's government fired a provincial governor days after he said Afghans are distancing themselves from President Hamid Karzai and that a vacuum of authority is allowing the Taliban, al-qaida and other groups to gain power. Abdul Sattar Murad, the governor of Kapisa province, was fired because he sowed discord among the people and provided U.S.-led coalition troops with wrong information about the people of the province, said a statement from the Ministry of Interior, which appoints the country's 34 governors. The removal comes only days after Murad gave an interview to Newsweek magazine highly critical of the central government. In remote parts of the country there is practically a vacuum of authority, a vacuum of power. Somebody will have to fill that vacuum. Either the criminals fill that vacuum or the Taliban and al-qaida do, Murad said in the interview. Reuters, 17 July 2007 Bush, Afghan president to meet next month WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and the president of Afghanistan, where thousands of troops are engaged in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism, will meet next month to discuss the war's progress and cooperation between the two nations, the White House said on Monday. Afghan President Hamid Karzai will join Bush at the presidential retreat at Camp David on August 5 and 6, the White House said in a statement. The two leaders plan to discuss democracy, security and economic development in Afghanistan as well as the two nations' cooperation in the war, efforts against militant extremists and Afghanistan's fight against the illicit drug trade, the White House said. One issue of concern recently between the two nations has been the rising number of Afghan civilian casualties in fighting between the Taliban and U.S. and NATO forces. The Hindu, 17 July 2007 Taliban behind attack DUBAI: Iran has accused the Taliban of attacking its consulate in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar. After car bombing of the consulate general, it is the second terrorist attack of the group on Iranian representative offices in Afghanistan, an Iranian Foreign

11 Ministry official said. The official observed that contrary to accusations in the British and the American media about Iran's alleged support to the Taliban in Afghanistan, the bombing showed the group's animosity towards Iran. The Taliban has a history of targeting Iranian diplomatic interests in Afghanistan in the past. The Taliban had raided the Iranian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif on August 8, BBC, 18 July 2007 Afghanistan 'needs more Nato aid' Nato must commit more troops and aid to Afghanistan if it is to establish a stable democracy, MPs have said. The Commons defence committee said it was deeply concerned that some member countries were reluctant to contribute. It said the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) was still two battalions short of the requirement set by Nato commanders. The government agreed that challenges in Afghanistan were considerably greater than some admitted. International Herald Tribune, 18 July 2007 Afghanistan set to break record in opium poppy cultivation, U.S. ambassador says KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan's heroin-producing poppy crop set another record this season, despite intensified eradication efforts, the American ambassador said. Ambassador William Wood said preliminary data show that Afghan farmers harvested 185,000 hectares (457,135 acres) of poppies this year, continuing the upward trend of an industry fueling the Taliban, crime, drug addiction, and government corruption. Farmers last year grew 165,000 hectares (407,715 acres). NDTV, 18 July 2007 Pak seals border with Afghanistan Pakistan has sealed off its border with Afghanistan at Chaman point after security forces apprehended two suspected militants while trying to sneak into Kandahar in the neighbouring country. All transit passes issued to Pakistanis and Afghan nationals to cross over to Afghanistan have been cancelled, the Daily Times reported. However, there would be no bar on the United Nations staff to move across the border. Sensitive equipment and close-circuit cameras have also been installed at Chaman point to check the cross-border movement of militants, who might disrupt peace and stability in the Islamic nation, particularly in the North West Frontier Province by carrying out suicide and militant attacks. Daily Times, 20 July 2007 Germans kidnapped, suicide bomber strikes in Afghanistan KABUL: Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan have abducted two Germans and their five Afghan colleagues, provincial officials said on Thursday, in the latest kidnappings of foreigners in the war-torn country. The abductions were reported as more violence shook the country, with a suicide bomber killing at least one civilian and wounding 27 outside a police post in northern Badakhshan province. The Germans and Afghans were abducted on Wednesday from the highway linking Kabul with Kandahar in the insurgency-hit south, when militants stopped their car in central Wardak province, police said.

12 Daily Times, 20 July 2007 Taliban get stronger in Afghanistan LONDON: NATO countries are not giving the international force securing Afghanistan enough support and there are worrying signs that the Taliban are growing stronger, a detailed study by Britain's parliament has found. The report, by the House of Commons Defence Committee, highlighted a series of concerns, from a lack of training for Afghan police and armed forces to an unclear policy on eradicating the country's vast opium poppy fields. But the chief preoccupation was a lack of support from other NATO countries to provide more troops to the 36,000-strong ISAF mission and evidence that violence, including Iraq-style suicide bombings, was growing as Taliban and Al Qaedalinked insurgents expand their sphere of influence outwards from the south. The Australian, 20 July 2007 Aussies 'taking fight to Taliban' IN just over a month of operations in Afghanistan, Australian special forces have fought the Taliban, inflicting unknown casualties. No Australians have been hurt. In a rare interview, the commander of Australian special forces, Major-General Mike Hindmarsh, said the priority job of the 300-member task group was to create a secure environment for the Australian reconstruction task force to operate in Oruzgan province in south-central Afghanistan. Their job is also to take the fight directly to the Taliban. This is a region which formed the heartland of the former Taliban regime and the insurgents have long used the rugged and remote country as a sanctuary. Major General Hindmarsh confirmed that the Australian troops patrolling in the Oruzgan hinterland had been in contact with Taliban forces.there have been a number of smallish contacts which have been successful from our point of view, he said. International Herald Tribune, 21 July 2007 SKorea says Seoul plans to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by end of this year SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea plans to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, South Korea's Foreign Minister said Saturday.The government is in preparations to implement its plan to pull its troops out of the war-ravaged country by the end of this year as scheduled, Foreign Minister Song Min-soon told reporters at a briefing.his comments came as Taliban militants threatened to kill at least 18 kidnapped South Korean Christians, including 15 women, on Saturday unless Seoul pulls out its 200 troops from Afghanistan. The Independent, 21 July 2007 Troops for emergencies 'almost non-existent' says general Burdens in Iraq and Afghanistan have left the Army with almost no spare troops to deal with unexpected emergencies, Britain's senior soldier warned in a leaked memo published today. The head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said undermanning meant that almost all units were now committed to operations, training for war in Iraq or Afghanistan or on leave.only one battalion of 500 troops - the Spearhead Lead Element - was immediately available to deal with emergencies such as a terrorist attack,

13 suggested the document, obtained by the Daily Telegraph.Britain's second back-up unit, the Airborne Task Force, formed around the Parachute Regiment, was unable to deploy fully due to shortages in manpower, equipment and stocks. Reuters, 21 July 2007 FACTBOX-Foreign hostages in Afghanistan July 20 (Reuters) - Taliban insurgents stopped a bus in Afghanistan and kidnapped some of the passengers, including 18 Korean citizens, a local police chief said on Friday. Following are details of reported kidnappings of foreigners in Afghanistan. Nov Turkish engineer Hassan Onal is released by Taliban kidnappers after a month in captivity. Onal was seized from a U.S.-funded highway project on Oct. 30. Dec Two Indians, kidnapped while working on a U.S.-funded road project, are released unharmed. Al-Jazeera, 21 July 2007 Taliban abduct 18 South Koreans Taliban fighters have seized about 20 Koreans aboard a bus on the road from Kandahar in southern Afghanistan to capital Kabul. A Taliban spokesman said on Friday that 18 Koreans - 15 women and three men - were being held as guests. Said Yousuf Ahmadi, speaking by phone, said: They are safe with us, we are investigating them and our demands and reaction will be announced later. Reuters, 22 July 2007 Afghanistan asks elders to help in hostage release KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan government team went to an area on Sunday where 23 Koreans were kidnapped to ask tribal elders to mediate for their release while Afghan and foreign troops stood by ready for an operation to free them. Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said insurgents would start killing the hostages if South Korea did not agree to withdraw its 200 military engineers and medics by 1430 GMT on Sunday and the Afghan government did not free Taliban prisoners. Daily Times, 23 July 2007 REGION: Assessing reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan Despite efforts by the donor states to overhaul Afghanistan and making pledges through the Bonn Agreement and the London Compact, the Afghans have fared poorly. The donors point to the construction of infrastructure and improvements in economy as notable achievements. This is true, but only partially. The effects have not reached the poverty-stricken people. Add to this heightened violence, opium production and processing and the almost non-existent writ of the state and the failure to win hearts and minds may eventually be the undoing of the international effort to put Afghanistan right. BBC, 23 July 2007 New deadline for Korean hostages Taleban rebels threatening to kill a group of 23 South Korean hostages in Afghanistan say they have extended the deadline for their demands to be met. The rebels have given officials until 1900 local time (1430 GMT) on Monday to trade Taleban prisoners for

14 hostages. Intense negotiations have been taking place between the two sides since the group were abducted on Thursday. Hindustan Times, 23 July 2007 India rejects baseless reports on RAW-trained Afghan bombers Amid a spate of suicide bombings in Pakistan following the Lal Masjid operation, officials and an opposition leader have reportedly alleged that most of these attacks were carried out by Afghan bombers trained by Indian intelligence agencies, a charge rejected as baseless and mischievous by the Indian mission here. Pakistani intelligence agencies during a meeting chaired by Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Wednesday claimed that 25 Afghan terrorists had links with RAW agents in Indian consulates at Jalalabad and Kandahar, 'Daily Times' reported quoting officials. Financial Times, 23 July 2007 Former Afghan King Zahir Shah dies Former Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah died on Monday, aged 92, presidential palace sources said. He died today in bed, we have no further information, but he had been sick for a month, a palace official told Reuters. Zahir Shah ruled Afghanistan from 1933 until he was deposed by his cousin in He lived in exile Italy before returning home as an ordinary citizen in International Herald Tribune, 24 July 2007 Confusion pervades Afghanistan hostage ordeals KABUL, Afghanistan: In two continuing hostage situations, this much seems relatively sure: Last Wednesday, the Taliban kidnapped two German engineers and five of their Afghan colleagues. A day later, the insurgents seized 23 other captives, this time South Koreans on a church-sponsored relief mission, mostly women in their 20s and 30s. Daily Times, 24 July 2007 Zahir Shah, Afghanistan's progressive king KABUL: Afghanistan's last king Mohammed Zahir Shah, who died Monday aged 92, lived through a coup and an abdication, nearly three decades in exile and the birth pains of post-taliban Afghanistan. Voice of America, 25 July 2007 Taleban Deadline Passes for South Koreans Held in Afghanistan Negotiations to gain the freedom of 23 South Koreans being held by Taleban rebels in Afghanistan reached a crucial point Tuesday as a deadline to kill them passed. Talks between the Taleban and Afghan tribal elders, who are working with the Kabul government and South Korea, continued past the set deadline of 7 p.m. local time (1430 UTC). Reuters, 25 July 2007 Afghanistan, Pakistan need more help - U.N., Germany BERLIN (Reuters) - The international community must increase support to Afghanistan's neighbours, including Pakistan, if peace efforts in the region are to succeed, the top U.N.

15 envoy to Afghanistan said on Tuesday. Special U.N. representative for Afghanistan Tom Koenigs told reporters after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel that international efforts aimed at stabilising Afghanistan would have to be expanded to embrace Pakistan. The Guardian, 25 July 2007 Afghanistan's Last King Laid to Rest KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An honor guard lowered the body of Afghanistan's last king into a bullet-riddled hillside tomb Tuesday, as dignitaries, lawmakers and relatives said goodbye to the man they call the ``Father of the Nation.'' King Mohammad Zahir Shah's coffin - wrapped in Afghanistan's black, red and green flag - traveled from the presidential palace to one of Kabul's main mosques and then to the hillside tomb on a gun carriage pulled by an armored military vehicle. Voice of America, 27 July 2007 Afghan Report of 50 Insurgents Killed Is Disputed; Others Say Civilians Died The U.S. military in Afghanistan says coalition forces killed more than 50 insurgents in southern Afghanistan during a 12-hour battle that ended early Thursday, but there also are reports of civilian casualties. The battle took place in Helmand Province, near Musa Qala village, which has seen intense fighting and heavy casualties throughout this week. A U.S. military statement says coalition warplanes were called in during the Musa Qala fighting, but that there were no casualties among either coalition troops or civilians. Hindustan Times, 27 July 2007 Kabul conundrum The increasing insurgent attacks in Afghanistan have acquired an alarming new dimension, going by the spate of kidnappings of foreigners by the Taliban. The abduction of 22 South Koreans?? and the death of one of them?? is evidently part of the Taliban's strategy of kidnapping foreigners of any nationality and trading them for Taliban fighters in prison. This will put Afghan President Hamid Karzai under a lot of pressure as he has pledged not to swap prisoners for hostages. Reuters, 27 July 2007 South Korean envoy to step up efforts in Afghanistan GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - South Korea sent a senior envoy to Afghanistan on Thursday to step up efforts to free 22 Christian volunteers held hostage by the Taliban after rebels killed the leader of the church group. A Taliban spokesman said the remaining hostages were unharmed, despite the passing of a deadline overnight. They are safe and alive, Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location. The Afghan government, he said, has given us hope for a peaceful settlement of the issue. BBC News, 28 July 2007 Korean envoy's hostage mercy dash A Seoul envoy is due in Afghanistan to step up efforts to save 22 South Korean hostages held by Taleban captors. Baek Jong-chun is expected to meet Afghan government officials to discuss negotiations to free the aid workers, who were abducted a week ago.

16 The militants have already shot one of their captives and threatened to kill others unless the Afghan government released jailed insurgents. Daily Times, 28 July 2007 US should shift anti-terror focus to Afghanistan CONCORD: Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson says the US should shift its anti-terrorism focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, making the defeat of Al Qaida the top priority. Without such a shift, US allies will hold back support, Richardson said in remarks prepared for delivery on Friday. We urgently must redirect our military effort away from Iraq??where Al Qaida's leadership is not located?? and toward the Afghanistan-Pakistan border?? where they are located, Richardson said. Indian Express, 28 July 2007 Taliban Spokesman Says Some Hostages Ill KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A purported Taliban spokesman warned Friday that some of the 22 South Korean hostages were in bad health, saying hours after the kidnappers' latest deadline passed that the captives were crying and worried about their future. In eastern Afghanistan, two NATO soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in a major clash with militants in a high mountain area where American soldiers do most of the fighting. Reuters, 28 July 2007 Pope calls for release of hostages in Afghanistan CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Benedict appealed for the release of South Korean hostages held in Afghanistan on Sunday, condemning the exploitation of innocent people as a grave violation of human dignity. Taliban rebels abducted the Christian volunteers from a bus south of Kabul 10 days ago. They killed the leader of the group on Wednesday, and say the remaining 22 hostages will meet a similar fate unless militant prisoners are freed. Financial Times, 29 July 2007 Nato plans smaller bombs for Afghanistan Nato plans to use smaller bombs in Afghanistan as part of a change in tactics aimed at stemming a rise in civilian casualties that threatens to undermine support in the fight against the Taliban. The head of the alliance, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, acknowledged in an interview with the Financial Times that mounting civilian casualties had hurt Nato and alliance commanders had recently instructed troops to hold off attacking the Taliban in some situations where civilians were at risk. Pakistan Times, 30 July 2007 Taliban in Afghanistan: Set New Deadline for S Korean Hostages KANDAHAR (Afghanistan): Afghanistan's Taliban said Sunday they would kill some of their 22 South Korean hostages unless progress was made by noon Monday (0730 GMT) on their demand for the release of jailed militants. The Taliban leadership announced that if the Afghan and South Korean governments don't pay attention to this issue by tomorrow 12 o'clock, the Taliban will kill some Korean hostages, a militant spokesman

17 said. Daily Times, 30 July NATO soldiers, 24 Taliban killed in Afghanistan fighting KABUL: Taliban insurgents killed three NATO troops and an Afghan soldier in two separate clashes in Afghanistan, the alliance and an Afghan official said on Saturday, as two Afghan police officials were dismissed for negligence. Two US soldiers from the NATO force in Afghanistan and the Afghan soldier were killed on Friday in Nuristan province in a clash with Taliban rebels. Thirteen NATO soldiers were wounded in the fighting. The alliance said 24 insurgents were also killed in the clashes. Fighting was continuing on Saturday morning, provincial governor Tameem Nuristani said. Khaleej Times, 30 July 2007 Afghan authorities demand release of women hostages GHAZNI, Afghanistan - Afghan authorities demanded Sunday the release of 16 women among 22 South Korean Christian aid workers held by the Taleban, most of them said to be ill after 11 days in captivity. A special envoy dispatched from Seoul was meanwhile due to meet President Hamid Karzai amid growing concern over the group, whom the Islamic extremists have threatened to kill if eight of their men are not freed from Afghan jails. The group leader a 42-year-old pastor was shot dead Wednesday and his body dumped in a desert. International Herald Tribune, 31 July 2007 Body of 2nd slain South Korean hostage found in Afghanistan GHAZNI, Afghanistan: Police discovered the body of a second South Korean hostage Tuesday slain by the Taliban in central Afghanistan, officials said. The man's body, wearing Western clothing and glasses, was found on the side of the road at daybreak in the village of Arizo Kalley in Andar District, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Ghazni city, said Abdul Rahim Deciwal, the chief administrator in the area. Voice of America, 31 July 2007 Taleban Claims to Kill Second South Korean Hostage in Afghanistan A purported Taleban spokesman in Afghanistan claimed Monday the hardline militia killed a second South Korean hostage after the government failed to free Taleban prisoners. News reports quoted Yousuf Ahmadi as saying a South Korean man named Sung Sin was shot dead at 8:30 p.m. local time and his body was left in the Qarabagh district of southern Ghazni province. There was no independent confirmation of his claim. BBC News, 31 July 2007 Suicide attack on troops in Kabul A suicide car bomber has blown himself up near a convoy of US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan, wounding at least six people, officials said. The bomber attacked the convoy outside Camp Phoenix, a US base near the capital, Kabul, they said. The US-led coalition confirmed the attack and said three of the wounded were soldiers.