Taliban claimed capturing a district

Taliban have claimed capturing Arghandab district of the southern Zabul province from government forces but provincial officials said they were still in control of the district.

Spokesman for the ousted militia Qari Yousaf Ahmadi told to Media on Tuesday they pushed back the government and foreign troops from headquarters of the district after fierce fighting on Monday.

He claimed several policemen and foreign soldiers were killed in the clash. Several armour vehicles belonging to the foreign troops were also destroyed by their men, said the purported spokesman.

A provincial security official, who did not want to be named, told this news agency the district headquarters had been shifted from its old site in Siagaz to another location in Bagh area as a strategic move.

He said the militants attacked the police convoy while shifting to the new district centre. No policeman was killed or injured in the attack, said the official.

Press office of the Interior Ministry in Kabul also rejected Taliban's claim regarding capturing the district. An official said a clash occurred between local police and Taliban which ended at the killing of one Taliban fighter.

The militia had captured the district some three months back. Later, they relinquished its control after immense pressure from the government forces. Arghandab is the third district in the southern region captured by Taliban. Earlier, they had occupied the Nawa Barakzai and Garmsir districts in Helmand.

ISAD soldier kill in Uruzgan...

One soldier of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed and eight more wounded in a landmine blast in the southern Uruzgan province, says a press release issued here late last night.

The ISAF convoy was caught in the blast of an improvised explosive device (IED), said the release. The attack also injured three civilians, who were rushed to an ISAF medical facility for treatment.

According to NATO policy, names of the dead and injured soldiers would be released by their relevant country.
A day earlier, 14 people were killed and three wounded when a passenger vehicle hit a landmine in Tirin Kot, capital of the same province.

Bombers killed three and wounded lots of others

Three people, including a policeman and two suicide bombers, were killed and 19 more wounded in two separate suicide attacks in the southeastern Khost province on Friday.

The first attack was carried out in Khost City, capital of Khost province. In Afghanistan, majority of the provincial capitals are known by the name of that province.
Provincial police chief Mohammad Ayub said the attacker was a nomadic Kuchi who detonated the explosives fastened to his body in front of the police headquarters in Khost City.
Ayub said the explosion took place around 9am this morning. He said the bomber wanted to go inside the police headquarters. However, he exploded himself as the policemen at the entrance of the building stopped him for body search.

The police chief said only two policemen were wounded in the attack. But witnesses and hospital sources described the number of injured at 19
Fazal Ghani, a shopkeeper, told Pajhwok Afghan News he had seen several injured civilians, including a woman. Hospital sources said they had admitted 19 injured.
Public health director in the province Amir Badshah Mangal said the injured included five policemen, six traffic police and eight civilians. Condition of two of the wounded is stated to be serious.

A second suicide attack was carried out on Khost - Ghulam Khan road in the Gardez district of the same province. Security officials said the bomber was killed and a driver injured in the blast.
Police chief Ayub said the explosion took place around noon. The bomber was traveling in a taxi cab. The vehicle was stopped by police for search. In the meantime, the man detonated the explosives fastened to his body, said the police chief.
He said the bomber was killed and driver of the taxi cab wounded. However, the policemen remained unhurt.

Operation Mountain Fury by Afghan & Coalition forces launched

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Afghan and Coalition forces Saturday started the maneuver phase of Operation Mountain Fury focusing on defeating Taliban resistance in provinces Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Paktia and Logar provinces.
A press statement stated Mountain Fury is just one part of a series of coordinated operations placing continuous pressure on Taliban across multiple regions of the country in order to provide security to the population, extend the government to the people and to increase reconstruction.

Approximately 4,000 Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and Afghan National Border Police, along with approximately 3,000 US coalition forces in support, are conducting Mountain Fury in east-central Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the ISAF-led Operation Medusa, employing more than 10,000 Afghan and NATO forces, continue to defeat Taliban attempts to establish themselves in the Panjwayee District, Kandahar Province.

In a smaller, but no less important operation, Big North Wind continues to prevent Taliban fighters from threatening Afghans in the Korangal Valley of Kunar Province.
Mountain Fury has been ongoing for several weeks in shaping operations designed to improve security for the Afghan people and separate fighters from the population they would otherwise coerce and intimidate.
The combined operations of Big North Wind, Mountain Fury and Operation Medusa will increase security to the Afghan people and prevent the intimidation that is the trademark of the Taliban, said Army Maj Gen Ben Freakley, commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force 76.

While we offer stability, governance and reconstruction, the Taliban offer oppression and violence in the form of killing innocent Afghans attending funerals, burning schools and murdering effective governors.
The combined efforts of Afghan and International forces will replace Taliban violence and threats with a future for the Afghan people, the Taliban offer nothing of value, the statement added.
The goal of Mountain Fury is to not only defeat Taliban extremists in this region, but to continue the process of economic growth and development.
Already, $43.5 million in reconstruction has been committed to building 26 new district centers providing the infrastructure for local governance; 77 road and bridge projects to promote commerce and connect villages that have traditionally been separated by arduous terrain; 34 health care programs; 23 electrical power projects; 85 schools; 30 agricultural programs and 120 civic projects.

The statement added the Taliban attacked the innocent Afghan people with improvised explosive devices and threatened and manipulated them. They burn schools in an attempt to deny Afghan children opportunities for education and a prosperous future.
The Government of Afghanistan and the coalition are committed to the Afghan people to in order to rid them of these fighters ensuring the next generation a brighter future.
In southern Afghanistan, approximately 2,500 US army ground personnel and helicopters, along with the US Air Force, have fought along side ISAF coalition forces in Operation Medusa, centered around the Panjwayee District, Kandahar. US forces will continue to support this operation through the successful defeat of Taliban resistance in Panjwayee.
Afghans understand that by working with, and being represented by, a fair and responsive government, they have the opportunity to earn a living, improve their lives and educate their children. The populace is the big winner and the Taliban will be forced to fade away.

The Taliban exert their will almost exclusively on defenseless Afghans where adequate security is not present, said Freakley. The counter to Taliban oppression is a representative local through national government supported by security for the people. The Afghan government, with the support of US Coalition and NATO ISAF forces, are extending the reach of the government to areas that never enjoyed that influence before. It takes time and resources, but collectively we are winning.
Mountain Fury will continue until the conditions of bringing security, construction and growth are met, added Freakley. Afghans welcome peace and security. The Afghan people are tired of war. They want what their government is capable of providing: security, employment, education and a better way of life

NATO envoy: Changes in Afghanistan Security Situation

NATO’s civilian envoy to Afghanistan Mark Laity said on Wednesday that positive change will be taken place in Afghanistan’s security situation in the future.

Addressing in a press conference he added that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in addition to military responsibility would also focus on reconstruction process of the post-war country.

He also mentioned that negotiation with part of the Taliban militias is on the way regarding to peace strengthening program.

NATO decide to increase the number of troops to 26,000 in Afghanistan

Secretary General of NATO announced that they are going to increase the number of troops to 26000 in Afghanistan. In an interview with Alps newspaper he mentioned that NATO mission in Afghanistan is very complex. He admitted that NATO has increased its troops from 3000 to 6000 in southern part of Afghanistan.

He also admitted that Taliban had intensified their activities over the past months. He hoped that NATO will be successful in its mission in Afghanistan

Six Tabliban killed in south Afghanistan

Six tabliban militants were killed and eight others were wounded, a statement of defense ministry said on Sunday.

A Tabliban group commander Mullah Nazar is also among the detainees, the statement added. Ravel checks worth 300,000 us dollar were also recovered from the possession of the arrested militants , commander, it added. These militants, it added were killed in Uruzgan and Laghman province.

A coalition force killed in southern Afghanistan

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Early on Sunday morning a coalition soldier was killed in Mountain thrust operation when the coalition forces confronted Taliban militants in Panjwayee district in southern Kandahar province.
Coalition spokesman confirmed the news and said that after the clash coalition air strikes killed ten in the same area.

The spokesman also stated that in the same air strike there have been no civilian casualties.
On Saturday a collation convoy came under attack in the same district in which two coalition soldiers were injured.

Indian foreign ministry deny Pakistani press allegations

Indian foreign ministry has denied claims of Pakistani press allegations that Indian troops will be sent to Afghanistan.
According to Indian foreign ministry all such allegations are “satanic claims”. Indian foreign ministry spokesman in a press conference said that “Pakistani press allegations regarding the dispatch of Indian troops to Afghanistan are all baseless and satanic reports”.There were reports published in Pakistani press that India is planning to send troops to Afghanistan

Freedom of_expression in Afghanistan

Freedom of _Expression in Afghanistan can be seen from two different points of view.If we consider the current realities of Afghanistan as a mega picture, freedom of _expression will have but only a niche in it. A closer look will prove that such a freedom is associated with a range of factors and parameters.

Authorities' vision is quite dissimilar to the opinion of those liberals who have the experience of media undertaking. The State has formulated the rules of mass media in which freedom of _expression has significantly been safeguarded.

But, the implementation of such rules would be highly difficult. The culture of tolerance of opponents has not become institutionalized. There have a number of instances in which the 'official' guardians of freedom of _expression have not tolerated criticism of their deeds.
The most important evidence, showing lack of freedom of _expression and its representation in Afghanistan, is apparently unknown groups that can be termed as warlords or sometimes terrorists.

As a matter of fact, this country is at the edge of falling into the mafia trap. Some even believe that the present state is in the grips of Drug Mafia.
The blocking factor of freedom of _expression over the centuries and years has only and merely been the "Sharia-oriented vision by some religious leaders, who consider themselves as "commissioners of religion. They do misuse religious orders in line with their own benefits.
This group has many times prevented the establishment of freedom, and betrayed the public.

Their opposition to Amanullah, a freedom-loving king, who freed his country from the British, made him to leave his country for good and curse it.I think in order to overcome this obstacle; one has to take careful but strong steps. Any rapidity could result in a fresh disaster. Gone are the era of revolutions and insurgencies. One has to think of reforms, and try one's bests towards achieving freedom of thoughts and _expression.

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