Photo: An Afghan man (L) mourns over the bodies of his sons killed in Tuesday's suicide bombing, in the city of Baghlan, north of Kabul, November 7, 2007. (Ahmad Masood/Reuters)

Security Incidents on November 7, 2007

A provincial councilor of Helmand, western Afghan province, was killed by insurgents on Tuesday evening, local official told Xinhua Wednesday. Haji Mohammad Anwar, governor of Helmand province, said that provincial councilor Haji Deen Mohammad was killed by some insurgents on his way home after praying in a mosque in Lashkar Gah city. "The insurgents escaped after attacked and no one has claimed responsibility for the incident," Anwar added.

Seven passengers were gunned down and three injured as militants attacked two buses in southern Afghan province of Zabul, Outlook quoted a statement released by the Defense Ministry as saying. The casualties came as the militants fired on a passenger coach in Pul-i-Amin area of Shah Joy district, the statement said, also on Tuesday, militants opened fire on another bus in Norak district of the province.

Meanwhile, in the Chaparhar district of eastern Nangarhar province, at least one policeman was killed and eight others injured as a remote-controlled bomb hit their vehicle, said Noor Agha Zwak, a government spokesman.

One civilian was killed by ISAF troops in Kabul when he did not heed warnings to stop advancing in his vehicle toward a foot patrol today.

Security Incidents on November 8, 2007

Meanwhile, Pushtun guerrillas fired two rockets at a Canadian base near Qandahar barely missing Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay and lightly injuring four Canadian troops.

One incident took place in Uruzgan province. Afghan and coalition troops were conducting a search in an area "where intelligence sources indicated Taliban and IED cells linked to several previous attacks on Afghan and coalition forces were operating." "Several armed militants" were killed in the operation and seven were detained. Military items such as ammunition vests and "a set of military-grade night vision goggles" were seized.

Another incident was in Zabul province, where troops were conducting an operation "to disrupt Taliban weapons and explosive material facilitators in the area." During the operation, a firefight occurred. Two militants were killed and 11 others were injured.

Thanks whisker for many of the links above.

REPORTS

How to Help Afghanistan people

Afghanistan to observe three days of mourning

Afghan President Hamid Karzai declared three days of mourning for victims of a suicide blast targeting a group of lawmakers and children, as the death toll on Wednesday rose to 60, making it the deadliest attack in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Hundreds of mourners gathered at a mosque near the site of the bombing in the town of New Baghlan, 150 kilometres north of Kabul, before moving to a simple hilltop graveyard to bury the dead. “My son was supposed to finish school this year, but yesterday I had to peel off his blood-soaked clothes, and today I buried him,” said an elderly man who broke down in tears at one grave site. He didn't give his name. The numbers of the dead rose steadily throughout the day as officials collected information from village elders and families who buried their loved ones.

AFGHANISTAN: NGOs vulnerable to criminal violence and insurgency

Civilians working for NGOs in Afghanistan say their work is being constrained by insecurity as criminal groups and Taliban insurgents target aid workers. Ahmad Shah Shierzai quit his job as a doctor with a local NGO as soon as he was released by Taliban insurgents on 20 October in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan. He and two others, who had been working at a district medical facility on 16 October, were abducted outside Kandahar city by armed men linked to Taliban rebels. "We implored the Taliban that we are only health workers and that we only wanted to help destitute patients," he said. "They wanted to kill us because they said anyone working for the government of Hamid Karzai and foreign organisations deserved death," Shierzai added. Only mediation by tribal elders and a hefty sum paid by Shierzai's family led to his safe release, he told IRIN. Before letting him go, the Taliban forced him take an oath. "I swore that I would no longer work for the government and foreign NGOs," he said.

Q&A: "When I Leave My House, I'm Not Sure I'll Make It Back"

Joya gained international attention in December 2003 when, as an elected delegate to the Loya Jirga convened to ratify the Afghan Constitution, she spoke out publicly against what she termed the domination of warlords. In response, Sibghatullah Mujadidi, chief of the Loya Jirga, called her an "infidel" and "communist". Since then, she has survived four assassination attempts, and travels in Afghanistan under a burqa and with armed guards. Joya is currently director of the Organisation of Promoting Afghan Women's Capabilities. She sat down with Am Johal at the Metropolitan Hotel in Vancouver.

IPS: What are your views of Canada's role in Kandahar and Afghanistan today? MJ: Canada has followed the U.S. and its so-called "war on terror". I'm here to talk about the reality. The main message of this for Canada, after the 9-11 tragedy, they followed the last six years in the footsteps of the U.S. position, which was a mockery of democracy, a mockery of the war on terror. They have replaced the fundamentalists of the Taliban with the fundamentalists of the Northern Alliance warlords and killers. We must fight against fundamentalists in our country. With the U.N., these countries must put pressure on Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia and those others who support the Taliban and Northern Alliance killers. This is my main message. The Canadian government should pressure the U.S. and other governments to support real democracy in Afghanistan rather than choose between these fundamentalists who make the situation worse.

IPS: What has changed since Canada's increased role in Afghanistan? MJ: It is shocking news, a catastrophic situation for women in our country. I moved back to Afghanistan to be a social activist on women's issues. Many women have been kidnapped, many are raped, according to official statements, there have been 250 cases of rape in the west of Afghanistan in the first six months of 2007. Every 28 minutes, an Afghani woman dies from childbirth. The conditions are worse than ever for women. Despite the billions of dollars that Afghanistan receives in aid, only 2 percent [of the people] have access to electricity. Today in Afghanistan, 60 percent are staying jobless. [But] the most pressing problem of our people is security.

AFGHANISTAN: Police Academy Duties Faze US Troops

Meeting police officers devoted to protecting their country has been a highlight of his tour, he conceded, adding that his team has had an impact on many Afghans it has come into contact with. But more than two-thirds into his deployment, Cheatham says the overall task differs from his initial expectations prior to departing his hometown of Greenville. Despite the progress U.S. forces have made in the country, particularly with the highly regarded Afghan army, the opinion of U.S. soldiers about the mission to train the police in Afghanistan varies -- as does troop morale. Following six years of war, some military personnel based here have grown cynical about the conflict, while others are too green to have witnessed anything stirring fear or pessimism. Cheatham, a 44-year-old postal worker hoping to pursue a career in information technology when he retires, believes troops charged to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban are soon disappointed to find a more humanitarian mission awaiting them. "I've always been combat arms, and I've trained to fight," he said. Mulling over the state of Afghan society, he added: "They need so much. They need too much." The U.S. is carrying out a counterinsurgency in Afghanistan that requires its forces gain the support of the local population through humanitarian assistance and building institutions like the security forces. Yet, these very police officers Cheatham is coaching spur some of his greatest frustration, he admitted. "Some of them are just basically useless and shouldn't be breathing the same air that we breathe," he said in an interview with IPS. "Some of these guys are uneducated. They don't care. They are corrupt" and enticed only by a monthly pay cheque, he said. His efforts to teach police trainees to "fight smart" sometimes prompts a complacent response from them, a reaction he admits may be due to the fact the country has been at war for nearly 30 years. He said he is merely trying to keep these fledgling forces alive. "I've seen more death in my three months here in Kandahar than I've seen in my whole life," he told IPS. "You just try not to take it home with you."

Death toll hits 60 in Afghan blast

The death toll from a suicide blast targeting a group of lawmakers and children rose to 60 on Wednesday, the deadliest attack in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Hundreds of mourners gathered at a mosque near the site of the bombing in the town of New Baghlan, 95 miles north of Kabul, before moving to a simple hilltop graveyard to bury the dead. The attack happened Tuesday as the lawmakers were being greeted by children on a visit to a sugar factory in Afghanistan's normally peaceful north. "My son was supposed to finish school this year, but yesterday I had to peel off his blood-soaked clothes, and today I buried him," said an elderly man who broke down in tears on top of a grave site. He didn't give his name. Fifty-four people were buried in Baghlan province, said Mawlawi Sarajuddin, the head of the provincial council, while the bodies of six lawmakers were flown to Kabul.

Struggle to rein in Taliban in Afghanistan's south

Afghans affected by an outbreak of Taliban fighting in a strategic district bordering the southern city of Kandahar have returned to their villages after a week of crisis sparked by the death of a tribal strongman. Local authorities said Sunday that life was returning to normal following successful operations by Afghan security forces and Canadian troops to dislodge Taliban fighters from the lush agricultural lands of Afghandab district. The insurgents were apparently intent on capitalizing on the death of Mullah Naqib, the former mujahideen warrior who led the Alokozai tribe of the district, north of Kandahar city. For years, Mullah Naqib had kept the Taliban out of a district that offers a perfect route for attacking Kandahar city, the spiritual home of the hardline Sunni movement from its emergence in 1996 through its removal from power by US-led forces in 2001.