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AFGHANISTAN UPDATE14 September 2007 No. 18: 7 - 13 September 2007 If you would like to receive this update, please email basic-wash at basicint.org with the phrase "subscribe to Afghanistan Update" in the subject line. Feedback on format and content is also gladly received. In particular we are keen to hear feedback of how useful you find this update. Please contact Chris Lindborg by email at clindborg at basicint.org with comments or suggestions. Previous editions of BASIC's Afghanistan Update are available here. Summary:
A suicide bomber killed 28 people in the southern town of Gereshk on 10 September. A day earlier, the United Nations released a report that confirms suicide attacks in Afghanistan have been on the rise since 2001. The report points out that about 80 percent of casualties caused by suicide attacks have been civilian. Afghan President Hamid Karzai again reached out to Taliban fighters when he called for talks during a press conference on 9 September. The remarks came shortly after a security scare cut short a commemoration speech he was delivering when shots were fired outside the venue. Karzai was unharmed and escorted by body guards to a meeting with visiting Latvian President Valdis Zatlers. President Karzai thanked the Latvian leader for troop contributions in Afghanistan and assistance with the training of Afghan police. Despite pressure from the United Nations and the Afghan government to take a more active role, NATO reaffirmed on 12 September that the NATO/International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will not take part in the eradication of poppy fields in Afghanistan. ISAF Commander, General Dan McNeill, added that there will be more consultations if NATO decides to change its current mandate. A six member delegation of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Defense and Security Committee (DSC) visited Afghanistan from 2-7 September. According to a press release, the delegation was pleased to see increased economic activity, but reported that the NATO mission lacked a well-defined strategic vision for its presence there. In Canada, NATO's top generals concluded their conference focused on planning, preparing and conducting operations. The meeting came at a time when many countries have been reconsidering their military roles in Afghanistan. The Polish Defense Minister, Aleksander Szczyglo, asked his government to keep 1,200 Polish soldiers in Afghanistan deployed there into 2008. According to a June poll, 78 percent of Poles disapproved of Poland's continued military role in ISAF. Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Defense Minister Brendan Nelson fear that a drawdown of Dutch forces in Afghanistan could create a precarious situation for Australian troops. The Dutch government is under pressure to bring its military forces home. Nelson is asking for NATO protection of Australian troops should the Dutch withdraw and expressed the hope that another NATO-member country would be able to take their place. It is likely that German forces will extend their mission in Afghanistan, despite slipping public opinion. German Chancellor Angela Merkel noted that she was aware of concerns about German contributions to the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), but said in reference to ISAF, the deployment of Tornadoes, and OEF, "We need to prolong all three mandates." The controversy in Japan over continuing assistance to coalition efforts for Afghanistan has apparently played a role in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision to step down. His resignation comes at a time when the Japanese parliament in considering anti-terror legislation that allows the Japanese navy to continue operations in the Indian Ocean. Since 2001, the navy has been refueling U.S.-led coalition warships. The opposition has vowed to reverse this policy with or without Abe's presence. Also this past week, Brig. General Friedrich Eichele submitted his resignation as commander of the European Union's police training mission in Afghanistan. At his own request, Eichele will be returning to Germany reportedly because of hindrances within the EU training mission, and with NATO and the Afghan Interior Ministry. Media covered the sixth anniversary of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the United States and speculated on Osama bin Laden's whereabouts, while his recent video appearances reminded the world that he has still managed to elude capture. One assessment, U.S. Focus on Iraq Benefits bin Laden, considered how U.S. involvement in Iraq, the ineffectiveness of the Afghan forces, and strong political sympathy in Pakistan have enabled bin Laden to use the Pakistan/Afghan border as a safe harbor. ''He is a needle in a friendly haystack,'' said Jeffrey White, a former senior Defense Intelligence Agency analyst. Candice Boyer and Chris Lindborg, BASIC
Stories and Links: Afghanistan sliding ever further into war: ICRC, Khaleej
Times Online (UAE), 13/09 Armed Conflict Database, Afghanistan, International Institute
for Strategic Studies (IISS), updated in September, Author Khaled Hosseini calls for long-term commitment for Afghanistan,
Alert Net/Reuters, 13/09 EU's Afghan Training Mission Hampered by Fresh Troubles,
Deutsche-Welle, 13/09 75 killed in fighting around Afghanistan, Associated Press,
posted in USA Today, 13/09 9/11 Anniversary marked with hope for the future of Afghanistan,
Jason Straziuso, Associated Press, Afghanistan slipping backward, analysts say, James Rupert,
Newsday, 09/09 Troop Deaths Up in Afghanistan, Chuck Crumbo, The State
(South Carolina), 09/09 U.S. Focus on Iraq Benefits bin Laden, Tom Lassetter and
Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy News Service, The U.S. Army's Strategy in Afghanistan: Better Anthropology,
Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 07/09 Editorials, Transcripts and Reports: We're losing in Afghanistan too, John Kiriakou and Richard
Klein, Los Angeles Times, 13/09 The View from Afghanistan: Making Progress, but Rededication
and Additional Resources Required, Joint Press Conference, with General Dan McNeill, Commander
of the NATO-led International Suicide Attacks in Afghanistan (2001-2007), United Nations
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, 09/09
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