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News archives for the week ending 4th March 2010

Pushtans unmoved by US recruitment drive

Lieutenant-General William B. Caldwell, who is directing an effort to increase the size of the Afghan army and police to 300,000 by 2011, said drop-out rates for the police stood at 25 percent and at 18 percent for the army.

The rate for the best police unit, the paramilitary Afghan National Civil Order Police, was 60-70 percent, Caldwell told reporters. "This is absolutely unacceptable," he said.

Training Afghan soldiers and police to take over security is critical to the U.S. and NATO strategy in Afghanistan. The sooner Afghans are capable of securing the country, the sooner foreign troops can withdraw, commanders say. But the strategy hinges on finding enough recruits and training them rapidly.

While new pay scales had helped push recruitment rates since December to more than 7,000 a month, the number of recruits from among ethnic Pashtuns in southern provinces, where the Taliban insurgency is fiercest, remains only 2-3 percent of the total.

The Pashtuns, who make up about 40 percent of Afghanistan's population, are the predominant ethnic group in southern provinces bordering Pakistan. It is from there that the Taliban draws the vast majority of its support.

Caldwell said NATO planned to launch an advertising campaign to attract Pashtun recruits, and hoped the effort would be helped by a big military operation designed to reassert government control in Helmand province, in the south.

Reuters, 4/3/10

'A hard year' of war in Afghanistan

America is about to embark on the longest campaign in its longest war, the commander of the U.S. forces in the Middle East told a Charlotte audience Tuesday.

Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, told a crowd of more than 550 at the Westin Charlotte that a civil and military counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan, now revving up, will take about 12-18 months.

"This is going to be a hard year," he said.

Charlotte Observer, 3/3/10

'Mowing the grass' in Afghanistan

‘Mowing the grass’’ is the term frustrated soldiers use to describe the war in Afghanistan. America and its NATO allies sweep in and clear an area. But, once they leave, the Taliban creep back like weeds in the lawn and the allies have to mow it all over again.

Boston Globe, 2/3/10

Maliki election bid is based on oil development

Backed by armed bodyguards, international oil executives have flocked to Basra to survey their potentially lucrative prizes: the fields that they hope will one day be pumping out dramatically greater amounts of cheap, plentiful crude.

For their companies, the fields that they won the rights to develop in two biddings rounds last year are their first foray into Iraq's oil sector in over three decades.

For Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the executives and their investments are a vital part of his bid to win a second term in March 7 elections.

Al-Maliki has billed himself to voters as the leader that can ensure the development of Iraq's dilapidated oil sector and bring in billions of dollars to rebuild the country's struggling economy.

Associated Press, 3/3/10

Clinton on fence-mending trip to Latin America

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has embarked on six-nation trip to repair relations with Latin America. The tour is Clinton's first to Latin America since the Obama administration took office a year ago and comes with the promise of a more attentive and cooperative U.S. approach to the region.

But rebuilding bridges will not be easy. Many countries are enraged by the U.S.-Colombian military accord and discontent was fueled after the U.S. recognized the general elections organised by the coup leaders in Honduras.

Brazil, as one strongly opposed to the coup in Honduras and the subsequent election, criticized the U.S. acceptance of the election outcome. In turn, closer Brazil-Iran ties have worried the United States, in particular Brazil's insistance on dialogue rather than sanctions to solve the Iranian nuclear issue.

Argentina is also disappointed with the U.S. approach toward Honduras and was then further put out by what it regarded as a snub on the current tour. Argentina is also still upset about a senior U.S. State Department official's criticism of the country's judicial security.

Xinhua, China, 2/3/10

US keeping Israel 'on same page' about Iran

The United States is working to close ranks with Israel on how to tackle Iran's nuclear project, a senior U.S. senator said on Monday, playing down the prospect of the Israelis attacking their arch-foe unilaterally.

"One of the reasons so much dialogue is taking place ... is to make sure we are all on the same page that we are all clear what timeframes exist or do not exist, what threat levels may be real or unreal, what options may be on the table for us," John Kerry, a Democrat and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters during a visit to Israel.

Israel, which has hinted at preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites if it deems international diplomacy with Tehran a dead end, has in recent weeks hosted a slew of Obama administration officials and U.S. military top brass.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is due to visit next week in what one senior Israeli diplomat described as "a demonstration of the special relationship" between the allies.

Reuters, 1/3/10

British tout for security profits in UAE...

A Team from the United Kingdom Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation is visiting the International Security National Resilience exhibition in Abu Dhabi between 1-3 March 2010 to highlight the capability of the UK's security sector and identify opportunities for joint ventures between the UAE and UK in this important sector.

UK companies have a proven range of Homeland Security equipment and services in use with Ministries of Interior and Police Forces around the world. The UK has significant capability linked to crime and policing, counter terrorism, identity management, border security.

The UK also has strengths in the fields of surveillance and detection equipment; Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defence; forensic science, CCTV, and transport security.

Emirates News Agency, 1/3/10

...and defence deals in Qatar

In a major announcement from the organizers of the 2nd Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference (DIMDEX) 2010, the UK Royal Navy has confirmed plans for three ships to participate in the DIMDEX Warship Display being held at Doha Commercial Port from 29th March to 31st April 2010.

“DIMDEX 2010 is an opportunity to enhance Qatar’s historic bilateral relations with the United Kingdom. I look forward to welcoming my counterparts from the Royal Navy for a visit that allows the representatives of both countries to review the latest information sharing to support both navies during their joint operations," said Staff Brigadier Al- Mohannadi, DIMDEX 2010 Chairman.

Enhancing the UK presence at DIMDEX 2010 will be the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) stand within the UK pavilion. The UK Government's international business development organization, UKTI supports businesses seeking to establish in the UK and helps UK companies grow internationally.

Eye of Dubai, 3/3/10

US pressure to cover up Gaza war crimes

A bipartisan slate of U.S. Congress members urged the Obama administration to keep the Goldstone report from advancing to the International Court of Justice.

The U.N. General Assembly is poised to refer to the report, which accuses Israel and Hamas of war crimes in last winter’s Gaza war, to the United Nations Security Council. The council is the only body able to refer the report to the court.

“This is an extremely troubling development that threatens to undermine the renewal of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at a critical time, and is counterproductive to our foreign policy goals" said the letter signed by 95 members of the House of Representatives and sent Thursday to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“We believe that the correct venue for investigating issues related to Operation Cast Lead is not the Security Council or the International Court of Justice, but the world-class Israeli justice system itself.”

In testimony Thursday, Clinton said she also favored Israeli review of the allegations, and noted that Israel has done so—but avoided saying whether the United States would exercise its Security Council veto to impede such a referral.

“We have stood very staunchly on the side of those who reject the underlying premises of this report,” she told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Baltimore Jewish Times, 1/3/10

The West is quiet on Tajikistan election fraud

Tajikistan, a poor ex-Soviet nation north of Afghanistan, held a parliamentary election on Sunday certain to be won by President Imomali Rakhmon's party despite growing popular discontent and fraud complaints.

Any instability in the Muslim nation would worry the West, which relies on Tajikistan to transit supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan and harbor thousands of refugees from the conflict.

Tajikistan has never held a vote judged free and fair by Western observers and analysts expect Rakhmon's People's Democratic Party to keep the majority of seats in the 63-seat Majlisi Namoyandagon lower house of the parliament.

A western observer told Reuters he saw an opposition candidate from Rakhmon's home constituency of Dangara being prevented from voting by local election officials.

"The candidate showed up to vote only to find out that someone had voted for him already," the observer said, adding that he had also witnessed multiple voting and ballot stuffing.

Rakhmon made no mention of allegations of irregularities as he cast his ballot in Dushanbe, a city where neoclassical mansions of the newly rich stand alongside shabby wood-and-clay houses with plastic film instead of window glass.

Reuters, 28/2/10

Obama in bind over Armenian genocide vote

President Barack Obama is in a bind as a House committee prepares to vote on a resolution that would recognize the World War I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide.

While a White House candidate, then-Sen. Obama said he believed the killings were genocide. A congressional resolution to that effect could alienate Turkey, a NATO ally and traditional friend of the United States that is crucial to America's foreign policy goals.

The U.S. still wants Turkey's support for its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also is pressing Turkey, which holds a rotating seat in the U.N. Security Council, to support penalties against Iran, Turkey's neighbor.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee is strongly pro-Israel, and prospects for passage could be affected by rising tensions between Turkey and Israel, as well as Turkey's relatively warm relationship with Iran. In the past, Turkey and Israel had friendlier relations, and Israel had quietly lobbied against the resolution.

Associated Press, 28/2/10

Britain cuts compensation for killed Afghan civilians

Twenty compensation claims relating to the killing of innocent Afghan civilians during operations by the UK armed forces are being investigated by the Ministry of Defence.

In the past, Britain has paid an average of £7,300 for every civilian death in war, although the last figures available, for the year ending April 2009, show that figure had fallen to £2,900.

The figures reveal that, during the year to April 2008, the MoD paid £73,000 for the deaths of 10 Afghan civilians. The next year, however, it paid only £32,000 to compensate the families of 11 dead Afghans.

The trend was also mirrored in the size of payments to Afghan civilians who had been injured. The 22 injured Afghans received an average of £1,400 in the year until April 2008, but an average of £1,060 during the following year.

By contrast, injured British troops are entitled to a maximum tax-free lump sum of £570,000.

The Observer, 28/2/10

Troops will stay in Afghanistan 'for many years to come'

Britain will be "militarily engaged" in Afghanistan for a further five years, the head of the Army has said.

General Sir David Richards said in August that he believed the UK would be committed to Afghanistan "in some manner" for the next 30 or 40 years, possibly through roles in development, governance and security sector reform.

Yesterday Sir David said: "The combat role will start to decline in 2011, but we will remain military engaged in training and support roles for another five years, and we will remain in a support role for many years to come."

BBC News, 27/2/10

Taliban send message with attack in Kabul

A coordinated car bombing and suicide attack early Friday, which killed at least 16 people and targeted a hotel, shopping mall and guesthouse in central Kabul, underscores the shifting tactics of Taliban insurgents and their keen understanding of geopolitical implications.

Pulling off the attack in central Kabul - in one of the most secure neighborhoods in Afghanistan's most secure city - was designed to send a message that the Taliban are not intimidated by the stepped-up military offensive in the southern city of Marjah and can bring the battle to the doorstep of their adversaries.

"They're trying to up the pressure and send a message that you guys aren't defeating us," said John Harrison, a research manager at Singapore's International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research. "And they're showing they can penetrate the city and stand awhile."

San Francisco Chronicle, 27/2/10

Cuts hit morale of troops

British soldiers' morale is being damaged by spending cuts which could undermine the operation in Afghanistan in the long term, the head of the Army has warned in a leaked memo.

Chief of the General Staff General Sir David Richards said spending cuts were having a "cumulative and corrosive" effect on military personnel and their families.

In the memo, which reported on an internal poll of 5,000 soldiers and their families in Britain, Germany and Cyprus, he said tightening purse strings could damage the Army's ability to keep and recruit soldiers.

Their experience when they came back to the UK between tours was "deteriorating", he said, leaving troops and their loved ones feeling undervalued.

Press Association, 28/2/10

Top judge speaks out on MI5 torture

One of the country's leading judges today published strong criticism of the British Security Service over former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed, despite Government objections.

Lord Neuberger, the Master of the Rolls, said denials by the Security Service of knowing of any ill treatment of US terror suspect detainees "does not seem to have been true" in Mr Mohamed's case.

The judge ruled the evidence showed that "some Security Services officials appear to have a dubious record relating to actual involvement, and frankness about any such involvement, with the mistreatment of Mr Mohamed when he was held at the behest of US officials".

The summary showed MI5 was aware Mr Mohamed was being continuously deprived of sleep, threatened with rendition and being subjected to "significant mental stress and suffering".

Independent, 26/2/10

Holbrooke hails Tajikstan's strategic importance

Tajikistan, an impoverished nation in Central Asia that borders Afghanistan, votes for a new parliament Sunday as the country struggles to revive its economy and protect its borders from al-Qaida militants.

The vote will almost surely strengthen President Emomali Rakhmon's nearly two-decade grip on power. Rakhmon, in office since 1992, runs Tajikistan with a heavy hand and the government is frequently criticized abroad for human rights violations and media and opposition suppression.

In a report this week, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe election observation mission expressed concern over the lack of transparency and accountability of election officials, prompting concern the country will once again fail to conduct a vote endorsed by the international community.

Tajikistan's 2005 parliamentary elections were called undemocratic by Western observers.

Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, visited Tajikistan last week to hail the country's immense strategic importance..

Washington Post, 26/2/10

Iran Sunni rebel claims US backing

The leader of a Sunni Muslim rebel group has claimed that the United States promised to provide him with financial and military aid if he agreed to work with them, Iranian state television reported on Friday.

Abdolmalek Rigi was arrested on Tuesday in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan and Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi said he was at a U.S. military base before being taken into custody by the Islamic state.

The Pentagon on Thursday rejected as "propaganda" Iran's claims that Washington had links to Rigi's rebel group Jundollah and denied his presence at an American base.

In footage broadcast on Iranian television, Rigi said an American agent had promised "finances, military aid, arms and ammunitions as well as a military base in Afghanistan close to the Iranian borders" if he cooperated.

Predominantly Shi'ite Iran has linked Jundollah (God's soldiers) to the Sunni Islamist al Qaeda network and accuses Pakistan, Britain and the United States of backing the rebel group to destabilize the country, a charge the countries deny.

Reuters, 26/2/10