Oct 31, 2005

HIV increasing in Afghanistan

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Minister of Kabul public health minister Dr. sayed Mohammad Admin Fatemi has told to media that Health Ministry has joined the UN and the world mass mobilization on October 25th under the title of “be united in the cause of children” and “ be united for campaign against AIDS”.

Minister added in his speech; in the recent years, a large number of children and adolescent haves have fallen the victims of HIV.

Dr.Fatemi added that daily 14000 people have been affected by AIDS world-wide and from this 5000 are 15 to 24 year of age, already 2.2 million children under 15 are affected, 15 million children are orphaned because of this disease.

The minister continued that 45 cases of AIDS are registered in Afghanistan and from this number, 28 are males and the remains are 17 females. Three cases were observed among children while two of them have died.

Dr.Fatemi has announced that a department of AIDS has established in central poly clinic on 2003 within the framework of Public Health Ministry to check, diagnose and treat patients those who are affected by HIV.

Oct 26, 2005

Government performances report

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Afghanistan Government is going to release a report on performance of the past one year. This report would cover the performances of all ministries and independent departments which launched over the past one year.

Presidential spokesman Mohammad Karim Rahimi has said that the government which leads by Hamed Karzai has achieved a lot of various fields and rejected the critics of media that Karzai government performance had been satisfactory.

Afghanistan government has a lot of problems. From last year till now they had nothing changed but worst. Administration corruptions which hocked the wheel of development and progress inside the cabinet are still increasing. Karzai had gave promise to the nation that the government is able to make long and short term plan for the first two month after his elected starting date but still nothing heard and nothing placed in all those promises.

Oct 24, 2005

Two senior officials killed in Afghanistan

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Two days before, bombs planted by suspected Taliban rebels killed a top policeman and a senior intelligence officer in Afghanistan.
The police director of southwestern Nimrooz province and a guard were killed later Thursday when a remotely denoted car bomb tore through their vehicle as they were going to evening prayers, as interior ministry spokesman said.

Another person who called Haji Nafas khan was the second senior policeman in the province; four other civilians were wounded in the blast in the provincial capital of Zaranj.

In another incident blamed on the Taliban Thursday an employee of the Afghan Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance organization was killed and another was wounded after they were attacked in northerwestern Faryab province.

The Taliban has also been blamed for the murders of the three pro-government Islamic leaders in the pas two weeks; one of them while speaking for audience in Islamic believes in the mosque explosion happened.

The killing of these two Islamic leaders made people angery and thousands of people marched in the eastern city of Khost to condemn the killings and ask the government to protect religious leaders and to destroy terrorist hideouts.

Oct 20, 2005

French soldiers injured

Yesterday afternoon,two French soldiers were wounded while their vehicle hit the explosive device in the Shamali plains, northwest of the capital of Kabul.

Media says today morning the soldiers who wounded were part of the ISAF’s Kabul multinational brigade were patrolling in the French area of operation in the Shamali plain when their armored vehicle hit a roadside landmine. The injured soldiers taken for treatment by the French military.

Updated news link related to Afghanistan
The Army Criminal Investigation Division continues its investigation into alleged misconduct by U.S. service members, including the burning of two dead enemy combatant bodies under inappropriate circumstances. Read more here at CENTCOM

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - The Army Criminal Investigation Division has initiated an investigation into alleged misconduct by U.S. service members, including the burning of dead enemy combatant bodies under inappropriate circumstances. Read more here at CENTCOM

Oct 15, 2005

Afghan children

Oct 10, 2005

Five killed

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Based on reliable souce reporting five people, including a local commander, were killed and three others sustained injuries in an explosion in the southern Kandahar today morning.
The explosion happened in the Madad Khan square of this provincial capital. Source says all the dead and injured were either family members or security guards of the commander, Sha Agha.

Reporting add that some labourers were working in front of the commander's house when the blast happened. With the exception of an injured labourer, rest of victims were either family members or bodyguards of the commander, they added.

It seems was not a landmine blast but seemed a suicide attack.

Oct 6, 2005

2 killed, 3 Canadian injured

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On wednesday a suicide bomber blew himself up in his pick-up and killed a child while injuring three Canadian troops in the restive eastern Kandahar province.
Asadullah Khalied has pointed out thtat the bomber detonated the pick-up near a passing tractor, whose driver was wounded a minor boy killed.

three Canadian soldiers also suffered slight injuries in the explosion that took place near a base the troops on the road leading to the airport.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Canada-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the city has pointed that the blast occurred just when a convoy of Canadian armored jeeps was passing near the attacker.

A Canadian military jeep was damaged by the explosion, said Captain Francois Giroux, who added an old farmer was seriously injured. The two Canadian soldiers were slightly hurt, he continued.

The attack in Shoor Andam area is being investigated and forces have been sent to the area. On Tuesday, five people asl were killed in an explosion in the border town of Spin Boldak near the border with Pakistan.

Oct 5, 2005

threats against international workers

The Ministry of Interior has received a threat from the "Timur" gang,associated with the arrested Timur Shah, that the group has threatened tokidnap more aid workers to secure Timur Shah's release. Timur Shah wasinvolved in the kidnapping of CARE International worker Clementina Cantoniand was arrested on September 27th, 2005.

The U.S Embassy takes thisopportunity to remind U.S. citizens in Afghanistan to maintain a high levelof vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their securityawareness. The Embassy recommends that all Americans living and working inKabul continue to restrict their movements, observe the strictest ofsecurity measures, and defer any unnecessary travel around the city.

The U.S Embassy particularly recommends that U.S. citizens in all parts ofAfghanistan avoid traveling alone at any time. The Embassy remains concerned about threats involving areas where foreignersare known to congregate. From time to time, the Embassy places areasfrequented by foreigners off limits to its personnel depending on currentsecurity conditions. The Intercontinental Hotel remains off limits toEmbassy personnel. Additionally, all restaurants continue to remain offlimits; unofficial travel is limited during daylight hours and is forbiddenafter dark. Use of the Kabul-Jalalabad Road remains restricted due toongoing threats against Western vehicles and interests traveling in thatarea

Oct 4, 2005

Warning to forieng people

Today unconfirmed reports from a reliable source that the group affiliated with the abduction of Clementina Cantoni are planning to kidnap International people in Afghanistan to ensure the immediate release of Ms. Cantoni kidnappers (most prominent: Timor Shah) who were recently re-arrested by the Afghan law enforcement authorities in Kabul city.

According to the information, the group who was behind the kidnapping of Clementina Cantoni is established in Kabul, Mazari- Sharif and Herat provinces and is planning to kidnap Internationals for the release of their colleagues in custody and or ransom.

Sep 28, 2005

On vocation

Sep 24, 2005

Attack on U.S soldiers

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On Friday Two US soldiers were wounded in Kandahar
The US soldiers injured when a roadside bomb exploded on a military convoy near the Kandahar City. The explosion was followed by firing from suspected Taliban hidden in the area, announced in a press release issued from US Bagram airbase.
In the ensuing fight, the US forces captured three attackers. The statement further said the injured were shifted to a US military facility at Kandahar airport where their condition is stated to be out of danger.

On Friday, coalition forces claimed they had gunned down 10 Taliban in the Deh Rahod district of the southern Uruzgan province.
Meanwhile, four rockets landed in the Deh Sabz district of the central capital of Kabul last night while another two rockets hit a house in Jalalabad, capital of the eastern Nangarhar on Saturday morning.

Officials here confirmed the attack but said it was not directed at the ballot counting centre at Pul-i-Charkhi. The rockets landed in Deh Sabz which is far from the centre where vote counting is underway.

In a similar attack, two rockets landed in Jalalabad. One rocket hit a residential house while the other landed on a road.
Sources have announced the attackers wanted to target the counting centre to disrupt the counting. But the police chief rejected the possibility. Earlier, ballot count was delayed for a day when two rockets landed near the regional centre in Jalalabad on Tuesday morning.

Sep 18, 2005

Afghanistan Parliamentary in picture

U.S.A Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann at his visit in the ministry of women affairs today on 18th of September Parliamentary election day which held for the first time after three decades in Afghanistan. He called the parliamentary elections as success in Afghanistan future.About the attack on UNAMA's office in Kabul today morning, the ambassador mentioned “firing two rockets was nothing significant as the insurgents had a lot of weapons, it also pointed to the fact that they had failed in disrupting the polls”
He also said: his country had granted $40 million for the elections besides sending a large number of observers to monitor the landmark event in Afghanistan.

A large number of women in Zabul, Nangarhar, Khost and other provinces failed to vote in Afghanistan's first parliamentary elections in more than three decades.

In remote villages of the southeastern Khost province, eligible female voters were avoided to go in polling station to vote for their destiny. Thus no women voted. Not even a single woman could exercise her begging rights.As women candidates was very less comparing to men but presence of women in polling stations were not much. Many of them has disappointed with the last presence in the presidential election last year. Afghan woman still suffer from injustice and pains from their men. A day before the election, i met two young ladies which were coming out from Malalai Hospital in the city. I asked them “to whom you are going to vote, who is your favorite among 400 condidates in Kabul city?"

In my answer one of them said: " We have the voting card but we are not going to vote, because there is no an appropriate person among them to select and elect for him. I said:" you can vote for a woman and she knows your suffering and pains". She said woman to woman do injustice. I was working for three years in a hospital, while my boss changed and the new boss dismissed me from my work and employed her sister’s daughter. For six months i was jobless and we did not have money to buy food, i stopped sending my children to school and told them to go out and work to be alive…
She was telling the story very tragically while a person from inside the hospital called her and she left me.

In many polling station people arrived earlier than expected time. Many of the voters were complaining that they waited in line for two three hours until they got their turn. Local police treats to people was so bad. Many of the voters were threatened from police. There are number of reports from remote areas which are saying that the police avoid most of the voters to vote for their favorite candidates. One of them said: “While the police stopped us in the check point for checking they were telling us to vote for their candidate that they want, even they threatened us if we do not vote, they make problems.

In another reports from Takhar (northern of Afghanistan) were saying that because of bad behavior from police a large number of people men and women left the polling station. This was happened while a police beaten an old man. They were saying that police is for taking security not to beat or threat the people but while we faced this serious problem we peacefully left the polling station.

Karzai: The end of 30 years of pain and suffers

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Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai cast his vote at a polling station at the sprawling presidential palace today early morning after polling opened in landmark parliamentary and local elections.
While he threw his vote on the ballot box, he pointed out:

"I am very happy that the people of Afghanistan are able, after 30 years of pain and suffering, to elect their representatives," said the president, who viewed Afghans' participation in the first legislative vote in 30 years as a matter of pride.
In a brief chat with journalists, he voiced satisfaction at the quality of ink applied to his finger. "This time around, the ink is indelible," said the president while looking at his finger. Karzai assured the elections would be free, fair and transparent.

The US-backed leader hailed voting day as a day of self-determination for the Afghans, saying they were creating history after 30 years of wars, interventions, occupations and misery.
He went on to remark: "It is a matter of great happiness, thank God, that today the people of Afghanistan are electing their national assembly and provincial council delegates."
Late Saturday night, he described the vote as a "turning point" in the history of the post-conflict country. He appealed for a higher voter turnout in the elections, marking the culmination of the Bonn process.
In a brief televised message to the Afghan nation, he underscored the election of honest candidates committed to the reconstruction and prosperity of Afghanistan and imbued with a genuine desire for serving the war-weary nation, which is still struggling to chart its way to stability.

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Five killed/ two U.S solder wounded

Three suspected Taliban rebels and two Afghan policemen were killed last night in a conflict. Two US soldiers also wounded in this clash in the southeastern province of Khost.Local police chief has said that the firefight was start by a Taliban attack on a police checkpoint next to a coalition military base in Yaqubi district.

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UN office aimed in Kabul

As Tabliban warned already that they will attack in the polling stations. Today morning, two rockets landed in front of the UNAMA office soon after initiation of polling today morning.
Officials, confirming the daring attack in the high-security capital, said a guard was injured by one of the rockets, fired from Butkhak area around 7:00AM.
As a police official pointed out that the attack was launched from mountains south of Kabul. He said only one of the rockets exploded wounding the security guard. The rockets landed exactly in front of UNAMA office east of Kabul, close to Poll-e-Charkhi.

Sep 16, 2005

Afghanistan Parliamentary elections in Picture

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Afghanistan Parliamentary Elections in Picture: Please go to my photo blog in Flicker here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohrab_kabuli/

View as SlideShow here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohrab_kabuli/sets/956926/show/

Or View here one by one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohrab_kabuli/43717364/in/set-956926/


or here http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohrab_kabuli/

Sep 15, 2005

Afghanistan Parliamentary election

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Only a few days are left before the historic parliamentary and Provincial Councils in Afghanistan. This is a great national event in which the Afghans are paying a great hope and expect that this should lay the foundation for a democratic society in their land. It is true because for the first time in its volatile history the Afghanistan nation is going to the polls to elect their representatives to the Parliament and the Provincial Councils in a democratic, free and fair manner.

With holding of the parliamentary and the provincial councils elections we in fact are completing the mandate of the historic BONN agreement that demanded formation of a people’s elected the prevailing challenges lying before the nation.
With these lofty aims in mind, the representatives of the nation and the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in particular are facing the gravest challenge of the time that is to overcome and shoulder the heavy load of the people’s problems and the great task of reconstruction of the country and the same time unifying the ranks of the tribes and nationalities in Afghanistan to ensure their active participation in the political life and rebuilding of the country and in promotion of democracy.

The Afghanistan nation is passing through its most delicate period in history at a time that the sworn enemies of this country intensifying their intrigue and wild sabotage by embarking on terrorist attacks against the National Army, the coalition forces and NGO workers and the state officials. Thus in most cases they are taking the lives of the innocent souls to satisfy their wild wishes, in spite of the fact that the security forces are in fully awareness and are taking every precaution to prevent their assaults.

Meanwhile, the people are willing to vote for the best personalities who can represent them in the country’s parliament and the provincial councils. The future parliament of the country should be the house of people and a center to bring all Afghans together brotherly and try to solve their problems. The Parliament should ensure legality and justice and to enable the public enjoy their rights in the country’s constitution and other enforced laws.
It should be noted that the political developments in Afghanistan are also in the focus of attention of the international community and the friends and foes of the country and they are monitoring our movements and every step that we are taking towards consolidation of democracy and social justice in the country. They may ask whether this poverty-stricken nation can bid farewell to its past better period and promote democracy and legality in the wounded country.

Meanwhile, the lofty aspirations of the Afghanistan nation can be realized through the members of the new parliament to be elected on the 18th of September 2005. our parliament should be strong enough to address the ground realities of the country and lead the nation towards prosperity and well-being. Because the nation expect their representatives to the country’s to take note of these realities and show to the world that they are really a united nation and they can overcome their problems with unanimity of view and coexistence.
The Afghanistan nation should not forget the global community helps and should thank from the international especially those who sent troops to Afghanistan for taking the security land. God bless them we appreciate of different kids of helps from international. Hope to not forget Afghanistan again.