Rumsfeld's Take: Karzai Snubs West, Backs Putin's Power Grab

Mar. 24, 2014 - 4:22 - Former defense secretary on Afghan President Karzai, joining Syria and Venezuela in backing Russia's annexation of Crimea

Obama Apologizes to Karzai for Quran Burning

USA TODAY – THE OVAL: President Obama has sent a letter to Afghanistan counterpart Hamid Karzai apologizing for a recent incident of Quran burning at a U.S. airbase there.

"I wish to express my deep regret for the reported incident," Obama wrote in the letter delivered to Karzai today, and released by the Afghanistan government. "I extend to you and the Afghan people my sincere apologies."

"The error was inadvertent," the letter added. "I assure you that we will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible."

The burning incident triggered anti-U.S. riots that have killed at least 14 people, including two American soldiers. » | David Jackson | USA TODAY | Thursday, February 23, 2012

Afghanistan: Karsai lässt sich von Iran sponsern
ZEIT ONLINE: Afghanistans Präsident Karsai hat zugegeben, Geld aus Teheran zu erhalten. Er spricht von "offiziellen Hilfen", Mitarbeiter berichten aber von Schmiergeld.

Laut Hamid Karsai leistet die iranische Regierung "ein oder zwei Mal pro Jahr" Zahlungen in Höhe von jeweils 500.000 bis 700.000 Euro an seine Regierung. Sein Stabschef Umar Daudsai habe das Geld seinen "Anordnungen entsprechend" entgegengenommen, sagte der afghanische Präsident in Kabul. Die Zahlungen seien transparent gewesen und als "offizielle Hilfe" eines Landes zu sehen. Der afghanische Präsident reagierte damit auf einen Bericht der New York Times vom Samstag.

Darin hieß es, mit den Zahlungen versuche Teheran, seinen Einfluss im Nachbarland auszuweiten. Die Summen in Höhe von mehreren Millionen US-Dollar seien in eine geheime Kasse geflossen. Aus dieser würden Karsai und Daudsai afghanische Abgeordnete, Stammesführer und Talibanvertreter bezahlen, um sich deren Loyalität zu sichern. Iran verfolge mit den Zahlungen auch das Ziel, einen Keil zwischen Afghanistan sowie die Nato und die USA zu treiben. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> AFP | Montag, 25. Oktober 2010

Taleban Fighters to Be 'Bought Off' with $500m
How ridiculous! How naïve! This is not, and never has been, about money. This is about the destruction of the West. What part of ‘destruction of Judeo-Christian civilization’ don’t these so-called experts understand? How much more taxpayers’ money are they going to squander before they eventually get it? Indeed, will they ever get it? – © Mark

TIMES ONLINE: Britain is ready to contribute millions of pounds to a fund to buy off Taleban gunmen who are fighting British troops in southern Afghanistan.

More than 60 delegations, from Colombia to Australia, will gather in Lancaster House this morning to draw up an exit strategy from Afghanistan. Much of it is based on reintegrating the Taleban rank and file, wooing the Taleban leadership and gradually handing security to the Afghan Army and police.

The conference is expected to agree a $500 million (£310 million), five-year fund for President Karzai to “buy off” insurgents who are not ideologically committed to destroying the West.

Downing Street confirmed that Britain will make a contribution of a “few million”. Germany has agreed to $70 million over five years and the bulk of the money will come from the Japanese aid budget to Afghanistan, diplomats suggested.

In return, the Afghan leader will have to agree to international monitors to strengthen an anti-corruption campaign in his Government.

President Karzai, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State and Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, flew in yesterday for the talks, which will be chaired by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary. >>> Sam Coates, Chief Political Correspondent, and James Bone in New York | Thursday, January 28, 2010

US Envoy 'In Angry Karzai Talks'
BBC: The US special envoy to Afghanistan has held an "explosive" meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai over the country's election, the BBC has learnt.

Richard Holbrooke raised concerns about ballot-stuffing and fraud, by a number of candidates' teams, sources say.

The US envoy also said a second-round run-off could make the election process more credible, the sources said.

Concerns have already been raised about Afghanistan's election, although final results are not due until September.

A number of senior sources have confirmed the details of a meeting between Mr Holbrooke and Mr Karzai held on 21 August, one day after the election.

The meeting was described as "explosive" and "a dramatic bust-up".

Mr Holbrooke is said to have twice raised the idea of holding a second round run-off because of concerns about the voting process.

He is believed to have complained about the use of fraud and ballot stuffing by some members of the president's campaign team, as well as other candidates.

Mr Karzai reacted very angrily and the meeting ended shortly afterwards, the sources said. >>> Ian Pannell, BBC News, Kabul | Thursday, August 27, 2009

BBC: Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai has been accused of failing to protect women's rights in the run-up to Thursday's presidential election.

A new law allowing a husband to starve his wife if she refuses to have sex with him has angered human rights activists.

Jane Corbin reports from Herat. Watch BBC video here

BBC: Row over Afghan wife-starving law >>> Sarah Rainsford, BBC News | Sunday, August 16, 2009

Abdullah's Supporters Threaten to Take Up Arms over 'Rigged' Election
THE INDEPENDENT: In northern Afghanistan, where opposition to Hamid Karzai is strong, the mood is darkening

With the results of Afghanistan's presidential election expected later today, supporters of the opposition leader, Abdullah Abdullah, delivered a grim message last night, threatening violence if their candidate loses.

Standing by the black marble grave of their fallen leader Ahmed Shah Masoud, two former mujahedin fighters said they still had their guns and warned that they had not forgotten how to use them.

Like most of Afghanistan's Tajik community, they had voted for Mr Abdullah, a former foreign minister of Tajik and Pashtun ancestry, who fought alongside their beloved Commander Masoud against the Soviet invaders and then the Taliban.

If the election is "stolen" by Hamid Karzai, the reaction would be violent, the former guerillas declared. Mohammed Amin, 51, said: "We have heard Karzai is saying he has already won. We have also heard there has been a lot of fraud in the south. The election cannot be decided like this. The international community should correct this and have these votes taken again. If they do not, people will resist. This is Afghanistan, and we have all got arms. If people are angry, we will use these arms." >>> Kim Sengupta in Panjshir Valley | Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Both Sides Claim Victory in Afghanistan Elections
TIMES ONLINE: President Hamid Karzai and his main rival, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, both claimed victory in the first round of Afghanistan's presidential election this morning, raising fears that the country could split along ethnic lines and erupt in violent protest.

Deen Mohammad, President Karzai’s campaign chief, told several media outlets that Mr Karzai had secured the outright majority needed to avoid a run-off in early October with Dr Abdullah, his closest rival.

"Initial results show that the president has got a majority," he said. "We will not got [sic] to a second round. We have got a majority."

A spokesman for Dr Abdullah immediately dismissed that as untrue, and said that early results from all but three provinces put Dr Abdullah on 63 per cent of the vote, and Mr Karzai on 31.

“We should say that Mr Abdullah has won in the first round,” Sayyid Agha Hussain Fazel Sancharaki told The Times. >>> Jeremy Page in Kabul | Friday, August 21, 2009

«Mit Demokratie haben diese Wahlen wenig zu tun» : Präsident Karzai setzt in Afghanistan alle Mittel ein, um an der Macht zu bleiben
NZZ ONLINE: Am Donnerstag wird in Afghanistan ein neuer Präsident gewählt. Die prekäre Sicherheitslage dürfte viele Afghanen im Süden vom Wählen abhalten. Die Tatsache, dass der Amtsinhaber Karzai Wahlbetrug im grossen Stil betreibt, sorgt ebenfalls für Unlust bei den Wahlberechtigten und wirft Fragen nach der Legitimität des Urnengangs auf.

In Afghanistan finden am Donnerstag zum zweiten Mal seit dem Sturz der Taliban im Jahr 2001 Präsidentenwahlen statt. Gleichzeitig werden auch die Räte der 34 Provinzen des Landes neu bestellt. Für das höchste Amt im Staat haben sich 37 Kandidaten beworben, für die Provinzwahlen über 3000. Die 17 Millionen registrierten Wähler können ihre Stimme in rund 8000 Wahlzentren abgeben. Im Gegensatz zur letzten Präsidentschaftswahl im Jahr 2004, die von der Uno organisiert wurde, ist diesmal eine afghanische Wahlkommission für die Durchführung verantwortlich.

Prekäre Sicherheitslage

Die Abhaltung des Urnengangs in einem Land, dessen Infrastruktur nach 30 Jahren Krieg weitgehend zerstört ist, stellt organisatorisch eine Herausforderung dar. Ein noch viel grösseres Problem ist jedoch die prekäre Sicherheitslage. Weite Teile des Landes befinden sich nicht unter Kontrolle der Regierung. Vor allem im umkämpften Süden und Osten Afghanistans, aber auch in gewissen Distrikten im Westen und Norden haben die Taliban das Sagen. Die islamistischen Extremisten haben zum Wahlboykott aufgerufen und angekündigt, den Urnengang mit Strassenblockaden und Anschlägen zu stören. Taliban-Gruppen haben auch gedroht, mit Tinte geschwärzte Finger abzuhacken. Mit der Tinten-Markierung soll sichergestellt werden, dass ein Wähler seine Stimme nicht mehrfach abgeben kann.

Die USA haben in den letzten Monaten ihre Truppen im Süden Afghanistans deutlich aufgestockt. Auch die von der Nato angeführte Isaf hat ihre Militäraktionen verstärkt, um den Wahlprozess zu sichern. Momentan sind rund 100 000 ausländische Militärangehörige am Hindukusch im Einsatz, zwei Drittel von ihnen sind Amerikaner. Da die Aufständischen auf die erhöhte Truppenpräsenz mit mehr Angriffen und Anschlägen reagierten, hat sich die Sicherheitslage in den letzten Monaten jedoch eher noch verschärft. Viele Wahlberechtigte in umkämpften Gebieten dürften aus Angst vor Gewalt den Urnen fernbleiben. Nach Angaben der Wahlkommission werden mindestens 700 Wahllokale im Süden und Osten aus Sicherheitsgründen erst gar nicht geöffnet. In vielen anderen Regionen wird mit einer sehr geringen Beteiligung gerechnet. Das stellt die Legitimität der Wahlen ernsthaft in Frage. Manipulation im grossen Stil >>> spl. Kabul | Dienstag, 18. August 2009

Afghanistan: Der Präsident zeigt im Wahlkampf keine Skrupel
Wahlkampfauftritt von Karzai: Der Präsident zieht alle Register. Photo: FAZ
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Noch stehen die grauen Holzbänke im Klassenzimmer, und an der Tafel sind die Mathe-Formeln der vergangenen Unterrichtsstunde zu erkennen. Wenig deutet daraufhin, dass in diesem Gymnasium im Herzen Kabuls am Donnerstag 15.000 Hauptstädter ihre Stimmen abgeben sollen. Aber der Schuldirektor ist sicher, dass alles rechtzeitig am Platz sein wird: „Wir werden hier für einen fairen und transparenten Ablauf sorgen“, versichert er - und wagt dann eine Einschränkung: „Was danach mit den Stimmen geschieht, darauf haben wir keinen Einfluss.“

Eine freie und faire Wahl wurde den Afghanen versprochen, aber genau daran wachsen die Zweifel. Seit Wochen häufen sich Vorwürfe und Verdachtsmomente gegen Amtsinhaber Hamid Karzai. Der Präsident ziehe alle Register, um als Sieger aus den Wahlen hervorzugehen, heißt es unter Beobachtern. Von „zu erwartenden Manipulationen“ ist die Rede. Manche gehen sogar soweit, die zweite Präsidentenwahl seit dem Sturz der Taliban als „Farce“ zu bezeichnen.

Ohne Betrug werde Karzai die Wahlen verlieren, sagte sein ernsthaftester Herausforderer, Abdullah Abdullah, Ende vergangener Woche in Kandahar. Am Montag wiederholte der frühere Außenminister seine Vorwürfe, als er in einem Kabuler Stadium seine letzte Wahlkampfrede hielt. „Wenn es keinen Wahlbetrug gibt, dann wird das Volk gewinnen“, „Wenn Eure Stimmen nicht gestohlen werden, werdet Ihr dieser korrupten Regierung ein Ende machen.“

Im Präsidentenpalast werden derartige Vorwürfe zurückgewiesen, und tatsächlich sind bislang nur unbewiesene Meldungen im Umlauf. Wie es heißt, werden derzeit Stimmzettel zu Tausenden verkauft. Im paschtunischen Süden sollen Männer festgenommen worden sein, die ganze Stapel von Stimmkarten im Gepäck hatten. Dorfältesten seien von den örtlichen Wahlbehörden Sammelkarten ohne Identitätsnachweise ausgehändigt worden, heißt es. >>> Von Jochen Buchsteiner, Kabul | Dienstag, 18. August 2009

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG:
Afghanistan: Wieder Tote bei Selbstmordanschlag in Kabul >>> | Dienstag, 18. August 2009

New Dark Age Alert! Row over Afghan Wife-starving Law
This is truly disgusting! Imagine treating women in this despicable way! – Mark

BBC: An Afghan bill allowing a husband to starve his wife if she refuses to have sex has been published in the official gazette and become law.

The original bill caused outrage earlier this year, forcing Afghan President Hamid Karzai to withdraw it.

But critics say the amended version of the law remains highly repressive.

They accuse Mr Karzai of selling out Afghan women for the sake of conservative Shia support at next week's presidential election.

The law governs family life for Afghanistan's Shia minority.

Sexual demands

The original version obliged Shia women to have sex with their husbands every four days at a minimum, and it effectively condoned rape by removing the need for consent to sex within marriage.

Western leaders and Afghan women's groups were united in condemning an apparent reversal of key freedoms won by women after the fall of the Taliban.

Now an amended version of the same bill has passed quietly into law with the apparent approval of President Karzai. >>> Sarah Rainsford, BBC News | Sunday, August 16, 2009

Afghanistan Passes 'Barbaric' Law Diminishing Women's Rights
THE GUARDIAN: Rehashed legislation allows husbands to deny wives food if they fail to obey sexual demands

Women wearing the burka in Baharak town, Afghanistan. Photo: The Guardian
Afghanistan has quietly passed a law permitting Shia men to deny their wives food and sustenance if they refuse to obey their husbands' sexual demands, despite international outrage over an earlier version of the legislation which President Hamid Karzai had promised to review.

The new final draft of the legislation also grants guardianship of children exclusively to their fathers and grandfathers, and requires women to get permission from their husbands to work.

"It also effectively allows a rapist to avoid prosecution by paying 'blood money' to a girl who was injured when he raped her," the US charity Human Rights Watch said.

In early April, Barack Obama and Gordon Brown joined an international chorus of condemnation when the Guardian revealed that the earlier version of the law legalised rape within marriage, according to the UN.

Although Karzai appeared to back down, activists say the revised version of the law still contains repressive measures and contradicts the Afghan constitution and international treaties signed by the country.

Islamic law experts and human rights activists say that although the language of the original law has been changed, many of the provisions that alarmed women's rights groups remain, including this one: "Tamkeen is the readiness of the wife to submit to her husband's reasonable sexual enjoyment, and her prohibition from going out of the house, except in extreme circumstances, without her husband's permission. If any of the above provisions are not followed by the wife she is considered disobedient."

The law has been backed by the hardline Shia cleric Ayatollah Mohseni, who is thought to have influence over the voting intentions of some of the country's Shias, which make up around 20% of the population. Karzai has assiduously courted such minority leaders in the run up to next Thursday's election, which is likely to be a close run thing, according to a poll released yesterday.

Human Rights Watch, which has obtained a copy of the final law, called on all candidates to pledge to repeal the law, which it says contradicts Afghanistan's own constitution.

The group said that Karzai had "made an unthinkable deal to sell Afghan women out in the support of fundamentalists in the August 20 election". >>> Jon Boone in Kandahar | Friday, August 14, 2009

The Warlords Casting a Shadow over Afghanistan
THE INDEPENDENT: They are brutal, bloodthirsty – and becoming increasingly influential in Afghan politics.

Gulbuddin Hekmetyar, Faryadi Zardad and Mohammad Qasim Fahim. Photo courtesy of The Independent
One of the most feared of the Afghan warlords, Faryadi Zardad, was notorious for robbing, raping, torturing and killing travellers on the road between Kabul and Jalalabad. He kept a savage assistant in a cave who would bite and rip the flesh of his victims; other captives were murdered or imprisoned until they died of their sufferings or bribes were paid for their release.

Uniquely among the warlords of Afghanistan, many guilty of actions similar to his own, Zardad is in prison for his crimes. In 1998, as the Taliban overran Afghanistan, he fled to Britain on a fake passport. He was running a pizza restaurant in south London in 2000 when he was unmasked by the BBC, and in 2005 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Britain.

Zardad must consider himself exceptionally unlucky. Other warlords, who were once his comrades in arms, are now part of the political elite in Kabul, prominent members of the government or multimillionaire owners of palatial houses in the capital.

At the time Zardad was torturing and killing at his much-feared checkpoint at Sarobi on the Kabul-Kandahar road in 1992-96, he was a valued military commander in the forces of Gulbuddin Hekmetyar, the leader of the fundamentalist Hizb-e-Islami party.

Rockets and shells fired into Kabul by Hekmetyar's soldiers devastated the city and killed thousands of people before it was captured by the Taliban. More recently, Hekmetyar's forces, who are particularly strong in Logar province just south of the capital, have been fighting as allies of the Taliban.

But in the latest twist in Afghan politics, in which leaders switch sides and betray each other as swiftly as any English duke in the Wars of the Roses, Hekmetyar is reportedly about to start negotiations to join the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai. Under a power-sharing deal, his party would supposedly fill several ministerial posts and governorships in return for abandoning the Taliban. He himself would go into exile in Saudi Arabia for three years at the end of which the US would remove him from its list of "most wanted" terrorists. >>> By Patrick Cockburn | Monday, May 11, 2009

Pakistan erklärt den Taliban den Krieg: Washington versucht den zaudernden Verbündeten in die Pflicht zu nehmen
NZZ am Sonntag: Präsident Obama macht Hilfe an Pakistan vom Vorgehen gegen die Taliban abhängig. Die Regierung Zardari scheint die Drohung verstanden zu haben und hat eine Offensive gegen die Islamisten gestartet.

Laut Barack Obama war das Treffen mit Asif Ali Zardari und Hamid Karzai diese Woche in Washington «ausserordentlich konstruktiv». Man sei sich einig in dem Ziel, die Taliban zu besiegen, stellte der amerikanische Präsident fest. Der Zweckoptimismus konnte nicht darüber hinwegtäuschen, dass der pakistanische wie auch der afghanische Präsident schwache politische Figuren sind und die islamistischen Extremisten in ihren Ländern stark an Einfluss gewonnen haben.

Nach seiner Amtsübernahme im Januar hatte Obama verkündet, künftig das Augenmerk mehr auf Pakistan zu richten, weil der Krieg in Afghanistan nur gewonnen werden könne, wenn die Taliban im Nachbarland keinen Unterschlupf mehr fänden. Unter Obamas Vorgänger Bush hat Pakistan seit 2001 jährlich über eine Milliarde Dollar Hilfe erhalten, ohne dass sich diese ausbezahlt hätte. Die Armee bekämpfte die Extremisten im Grenzgebiet nur halbherzig, die Regierung schloss umstrittene Friedensabkommen mit diesen. >>> Andrea Spalinger, Delhi | Sonntag, 10. Mai 2009

Barack Obama Demands Afghanistan and Pakistan Unite against Taliban
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has demanded that the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan intensify their campaigns against the Taliban amid fears the region could be overrun by extremism.

Pakistani paramilitary maintain a position on a high post in the troubled area of Pakistan's Lower Dir district, Sunday, April 26. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Both the US president and Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, held frank discussions with Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari, the countries' respective leaders, at the White House before a declaration was due to be issued underlining their commitment to co-operate in the battle against terrorism.

Dozens of other meetings were also held at ministerial level in a "tripartite summit" in Washington, as the Obama administration sought to build collaboration between neighbours who have a history of suspicion and mistrust, and to convince them of Washington's sincere interest in their plights.

With the war in Afganistan no nearer to an end, and Pakistan's civilian government in danger of collapse, Mrs Clinton told the two leaders: "We have made this common cause because we face a common threat. We have a common task, and a common challenge.

"We know that each of your countries is struggling with the extremists who would destabilise and undermine democracy."

Mr Zardari, the husband of the late Benazir Bhutto who has governed Pakistan for eight turbulent months, promised to "stand shoulder to shoulder against this cancer, this threat" of terrorism with his "dear brother" Mr Karzai and Washington. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Le Pakistan, "la guerre" d'Obama
leJDD.fr: Barack Obama reçoit mercredi les présidents afghan, Hamid Karzaï, et pakistanais, Asif Ali Zardari. Les trois hommes participeront à un sommet tripartite sur la situation régionale. Objectif pour le président américain: préciser sa stratégie de lutte contre Al-Qaïda dans un contexte de renforcement des taliban. Pour leJDD.fr, Karim Pakzad*, spécialiste de la région à l'Iris, explique les enjeux.

Le Pakistan et l'Afghanistan en sommet... à Washington. Sur deux jours, mercredi et jeudi, Barack Obama recevra séparément - et pour la première fois depuis son arrivée à la Maison blanche - l'Afghan Hamid Karzaï et le Pakistanais Asif Ali Zardari, avant de les réunir pour un sommet tripartite sur la situation régionale, rendez-vous institué par George W. Bush il y a trois ans. Le contexte est particulier: côté américain, la nouvelle administration a fait de l'Afghanistan une priorité ; côté afghan, le pays se prépare à l'élection présidentielle du 20 août ; côté pakistanais, les taliban paraissent plus fort que jamais et les combats se rapprochent de la capitale. Lors de ces tête-à-tête, Barack Obama espère convaincre Kaboul et Islamabad, dont les relations ne sont pas toujours évidentes, de l'utilité d'une démarche régionale pour vaincre Al-Qaïda. >>> Propos recueillis par Marianne ENAULT, leJDD.fr | Mardi 05 Mai 2009

Karzai Backs Down over ‘Abhorrent’ Marital Rape Law
TIMESONLINE: President Karzai bowed to international pressure yesterday by promising to amend a new law condoning marital rape and child marriage that provoked violent clashes in the Afghan capital.

The Shia Family Law, signed by the Afghan President last month, appeared to reintroduce the draconian policies of the Taleban era, such as a ban on married women leaving their homes without their husbands’ permission. The law applies to the 15 per cent of Afghans who are Shia Muslims.

At a press conference in Kabul yesterday Mr Karzai said: “The law is under review and amendments will take place. I assure you that the laws of Afghanistan will be in complete harmony with the constitution of Afghanistan, and the human rights that we have adhered to in international treaties.” >>> Tom Coghlan in Kabul | Tuesday, April 28, 2009

New Dark Age Alert! 'Worse than the Taliban' - New Law Rolls Back Rights for Afghan Women
A burqa-clad Afghan woman walks in an old bazaar in Kabul. Photograph courtesy of The Guardian.
THE GUARDIAN: Hamid Karzai has been accused of trying to win votes in Afghanistan's presidential election by backing a law the UN says legalises rape within marriage and bans wives from stepping outside their homes without their husbands' permission.

The Afghan president signed the law earlier this month, despite condemnation by human rights activists and some MPs that it flouts the constitution's equal rights provisions.

The final document has not been published, but the law is believed to contain articles that rule women cannot leave the house without their husbands' permission, that they can only seek work, education or visit the doctor with their husbands' permission, and that they cannot refuse their husband sex.

A briefing document prepared by the United Nations Development Fund for Women also warns that the law grants custody of children to fathers and grandfathers only.

Senator Humaira Namati, a member of the upper house of the Afghan parliament, said the law was "worse than during the Taliban". "Anyone who spoke out was accused of being against Islam," she said. >>> Jon Boone in Kabul | Tuesday, March 31, 2009

"Men and women have equal rights under Islam but there are differences in the way men and women are created. Men are stronger and women are a little bit weaker; even in the west you do not see women working as firefighters." – Ustad Mohammad Akbari, MP and leader of a Hazara political party, Afghanistan

Guardian audio: Afghan women: 'A wife will not be allowed to refuse sex': Jon Boone reveals Afghanistan's new law denying women's rights >>> | Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

L'Afghanistan salue la nouvelle stratégie américaine
Le président afghan Hamid Karzai, ce samedi à Kaboul. Crédits photo: REUTERS/Ahmad Masood
L’EXPRESS: Le président afghan Hamid Karzaï a applaudi ce samedi que la nouvelle stratégie américaine vis-à-vis de son pays. Il salue en particulier la volonté de Washington "de renforcer les institutions civiles et militaires afghanes" et la dimension régionale du plan d'Obama.

Le président afghan Hamid Karzaï a affirmé samedi que la nouvelle stratégie américaine dans la région correspondait exactement aux demandes de son peuple, au cours d'une conférence de presse.

"La révision de la stratégie correspond exactement à ce que le peuple afghan souhaitait et à ce que nous avions demandé. Nous lui apportons donc notre soutien entier", a déclaré le président afghan.

"Nous apprécions tout particulièrement la volonté de renforcer les institutions civiles et militaires afghanes. Nous confirmons sans réserves notre volonté de lutter contre la corruption", a-t-il ajouté.

"C'est encore mieux que ce que nous espérions. Nous allons travailler en très étroite coopération avec le gouvernement américain pour mettre en application tous les points énumérés dans cette nouvelle stratégie", a souligné Hamid Karzaï.

D'après lui, la nouvelle stratégie a parfaitement identifié les problèmes de l'Afghanistan, en particulier le danger des sanctuaires d'insurgés opérant au Pakistan voisin, ainsi que le besoin d'une coopération régionale et l'amélioration de l'efficacité de l'aide. Une stratégie qui inclut le Pakistan >>> Par LEXPRESS.fr | Samedi 28 Mars 2009

Bin Laden: Topple Somalia's Leader
AL JAZEERA: Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, has called on the people of Somalia to overthrow Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, their president.

Bin Laden made his comments in an audio recording that was posted on a website on Thursday.

He described Sheikh Ahmed as a person who disowns Islam.

As-Sahab, al-Qaeda's media company, released the tape entitled Fight on, champions of Somalia, in which Bin Laden said: "He [Sheikh Ahmed] must be dethroned and fought."

Bin Laden compared Sheikh Ahmed to Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former Afghan president, and Ahmed Shah Massoud, a prominent commander who fought during a 10-year war against Soviet occupation in Afghanistan.

"These sorts of presidents are the surrogates of our enemies and their authority is null and void," the Bin Laden said. >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Thursday, March 19, 2009

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Hamid Karzai Warns World Leaders Not to Interfere in Afghanistan Government
THE GUARDIAN: President tells foreign partners to respect his country's independence

The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, today warned the international community not to meddle in the government of his country as it prepares to go to the polls for presidential elections this summer.

Speaking alongside the Nato secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, at a news conference in Kabul, Karzai said the government's foreign partners should respect his country's independence.

"Afghanistan … will never be a puppet state," he said.

The president faces a battle for re-election in August, with Afghanistan embroiled in a Taliban-led insurgency and his government being criticised by the US and other nations as inefficient and corrupt.

As the new US administration shifts the focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, the US president, Barack Obama, has also ordered a review of strategy in the region.

The results of the review are expected to be revealed later this month.

In response to the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, Obama has sent thousands of extra troops to the country's south – the Taliban's heartland – and urged Nato allies to do more. >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA) >>>