Afghanistan Update
2
July 2008
No.
36: 13 June - 2 July 2008
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Summary:
- International donors pledge over $20 billion in economic
aid
- NATO-Afghan joint offensive forces Taliban retreat after
Kandahar jailbreak
- Pakistan vows to prevent insurgent attacks launched from
within its borders
- Coalition death toll highest since 2001
- Germany, United Kingdom to send additional troops
- U.K. Special Forces find evidence of Iran supplying arms
to Taliban
- Holloway urges negotiations with Taliban
International donors pledge over $20 billion in economic
aid
On 13 June, countries at the Paris Conference pledged
over $20 billion in economic aid to Afghanistan over the
next five years. Major contributors included the United States
($10.2 billion), the United Kingdom ($1.2 billion), Germany
($600 million), and Japan ($550 million). Though the contributions
fell far short of the $50 billion goal set by President Karzai-to
fund his Afghan National Development Strategy, they exceeded
the expectations of many, including French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner. Kouchner stated that the amount of funding
pledged was 'beyond his dreams.' However, the donor countries
conditioned
the aid upon intensified efforts by the Karzai administration
to tackle the corruption and drug trafficking which present
obstacles to economic development in Afghanistan.
Karzai promised to battle corruption, but asked the international
community to empathize with farmers of the poppy, noting that
opium was their economic means of survival. He also asserted
that the opium trade was a global-rather than regional-problem,
as Western drug users consume the majority of the opium produced
in Afghanistan. Some skepticism
over Karzai's job performance has been growing among donors,
many of whom believe that the president is focused on building
political alliances for next year's election at the expense
of implementing reforms.
NATO-Afghan joint offensive forces Taliban retreat after
Kandahar jailbreak
A 19 June joint
operation between Afghan soldiers and Canadian ISAF troops
drove hundreds of Taliban fighters from Arghandab, a region
outside of Kandahar. An Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman
reported that 56 militants had been killed, but warned that
the Taliban laid hundreds of landmines in the area. The NATO
offensive follows a prison
break at Kandahar's largest detention facility on 13 June.
Taliban fighters used a truck bomb, suicide bombings, and
rocket strikes to infiltrate the prison compound, freeing
between 870-1,200 inmates, including 400 suspected militants.
In response to the attack on the prison, President Hamid Karzai
threatened
to send Afghan troops over the border into Pakistan to engage
the Taliban fighters involved in cross-border operations.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan's foreign minister, criticized
Karzai's statements, chastising potential Afghan incursions
into Pakistan as a violation of both international law and
his country's sovereignty.
Pakistan vows to prevent insurgent attacks launched from within its
borders
On 28 June, Pakistani forces launched a major offensive
against insurgents based around the Khyber Pass on the Pakistan-Afghanistan
border. The insurgents had been threatening to take over the
nearby provincial capital of Peshawar. As of 1 July, Pakistani
officials were reporting the arrest
of 18 insurgents, the destruction of several militant sites,
as well as the uncovering of alleged torture centers. NATO
and U.S. forces in the region also use the Khyber
Pass as a key supply route. The offensive marked the first
time that Pakistani security forces have conducted a major
operation against insurgents in the Khyber area since the
new government in Pakistan took power at the end of March.
After a top-level security meeting on 25 June, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza
Gilani forewarned that Pakistan would be willing to use more
force against militants. The Prime Minister had been under
pressure to take military action following a week of increased
violence in the region, including the deaths
of 37 people and the threat by Afghan President Karzai
to attack militants inside of Pakistan. Prime Minister Gilani's
response was also seen as part of an effort to ease the criticism
toward the new government that had been emphasizing the use
of peace
deals to reduce the insurgent threat. U.S. officials in
particular have been worried
about the new government's approach and have in general expressed
concerns about Pakistan's apparent reluctance to crack down
more forcefully against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants, who
have operated in Afghanistan but have used Pakistan as a home
base.
Coalition death toll highest since 2001
June became the deadliest
month for coalition forces (including for U.S. forces)
in Afghanistan since the country's invasion in late 2001.
The death
toll also exceeded the number of coalition deaths in Iraq
for the second consecutive month, as NATO lost 49 troops from
the ISAF. Of the 49 casualties, 23 were American soldiers
and 13 were British soldiers. Most of the deaths occurred
due to roadside bomb explosions during patrols or convoys.
The cause of the spike in deaths is the combination of the
recent ISAF troop increases and expanded areas of operation,
and the Taliban's increased focus on using road side bombs-influenced
by the success of this tactic in Iraq and Southern Afghanistan.
Additionally, the United Nations reports that civilian
deaths caused by IED detonations have increased dramatically.
Germany, United Kingdom to send additional troops
Germany pledged
to contribute up to 1,000 additional troops to NATO's mission
in Afghanistan. The soldiers will join the majority of Germany's
3,500 soldiers in the Northern part of the country. Their
duties will consist of projects aimed at reconstructing the
region's civil and military infrastructure. In addition to
the new German soldiers, U.K. Defence Secretary Des Browne
announced
that Britain would send 230 more troops. The United Kingdom
currently has 7,800 troops in Afghanistan. With anticipated
adjustments, Britain will have a force number around 8,030
by spring 2009, as reported in The Guardian. The fresh
soldiers are to increase security in Southern Afghanistan,
and also serve as trainers for the Afghan police and other
national security forces.
U.K. Special Forces find evidence of Iran supplying arms to Taliban
British officials reported that they had discovered evidence
that Iran is assisting
Taliban insurgents in their fight against NATO troops stationed
in Afghanistan. The documentation, obtained by British Special
Forces operating near the Iran-Afghan border, cited the transfer
of roadside bomb-making materials from Iran to Taliban fighters.
Some fear that Tehran's actions could potentially spark a
regional conflict. The news came days after British Prime
Minister Gordon Brown moved to freeze the international assets
of Bank Melli-Iran's largest bank-for Tehran's continuation
of their nuclear program. Echoing the British concerns, NATO
spokesman James Appathurai stated, "Weapons of Iranian origin
have turned up in Afghanistan in significant numbers." Iran
has denied
any involvement in arming the Taliban, contending that the
government supports all international efforts to combat terrorism.
Holloway urges negotiations with Taliban
At the 17 June Westminster Hall debate on Afghanistan, Adam
Holloway, a Conservative member of the United Kingdom's House
of Commons and a member of the Defence Select Committee, urged
negotiation with the Taliban. In advocating
this position, Holloway distanced himself from the leaders
of the Conservative Party, while also criticizing the Brown
administration. Holloway's statements came after the deaths
of four more British soldiers, including the country's
first female fatality.
Holloway argued that NATO lacks the capacity to stem Afghanistan's rampant
drug trafficking and the increasing number of asymmetric attacks
by the Taliban. He stressed that the members of the up-and-coming
Taliban leadership were more radical than their predecessors
and would be less willing to negotiate with NATO. In the past,
Holloway has suggested a process of reconciliation via the
incorporation of the Taliban back into the political system
to give the group a stake in the country's future and an incentive
not to engage in terroristic activities.
Stephen Herzog, Phil Maxon, Alessia Rinaldi, and Laura Spagnuolo, BASIC
Please note: BASIC does not necessarily endorse comments, editorials,
or reports listed in this update.
Stories and Links:
NATO commander: ISAF needs more equipment rather than more troops,
The Earth Times, 02/07
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/216365,nato-commander-isaf-
needs-more-equipment-rather-than-more-troops.html
US-led troops in Afghan battle, Al Jazeera, 01/07
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2008/07/2008718821141485.html
Nearly 700 civilians die in 2008 Afghan violence, says UN, AFP,
30/06
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5idqD6R2oLC5tEThkHIVKpgTLnzJg
Russia says Taliban influence in Afghanistan steadily growing,
RIA Novosti, 26/06
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080626/112224467.html
G-8 ministers urge neighbors to help Afghanistan, Cheragh Daily,
26/06
http://www.cheraghdaily.af/english/spip.php?article744
British soldier killed in Afghanistan, bringing death toll to 108,
Tom Peterkin, Telegraph, 25/06
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/frontline/2191369/British-soldier-
killed-in-Afghanistan,-bringing-death-toll-to-108.html
UK 'unable to fight two wars at once', Press TV, 25/06
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=61374§ionid=351020601
Afghanistan: up to 75 killed in weekend violence, Mark Tran, The
Guardian, 23/06
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/23/afghanistan.military
NATO says 6,000 troops urgently needed in Afghanistan, Reuters,
23/06
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL2270089120080623
First British female victim as bomb kills four in Afghanistan,
Richard Norton-Taylor and Declan Walsch, The Guardian,
19/06
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/19/military.afghanistan
Jihad in Afghanistan: Authorities Fear German Islamist About to Commit
Attack, Der Spiegel, 16/06
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,559707,00.html
Outgoing US commander blames Pakistan for spike in Afghan attacks,
Daily Times Monitor, 16/06
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C06%5C16%5Cstory_
16-6-2008_pg1_5
ISAF soldier killed, supply helicopter damaged in Afghanistan,
Xinhua, 14/06
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/14/content_8364068.htm
Billions pledged in fresh aid, but Karzai told to fight corruption,
Dawn, 13/06
http://www.dawn.com/2008/06/13/top8.htm
Commentary, Interviews, and Reports:
Afghanistan in top ten most corrupt nations, Quqnoos, 28/06
http://quqnoos.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1006&Itemid=48
Firing blanks in Afghanistan, David Isenberg, Asia Times,
27/06
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JF27Ak01.html
Afghanistan: A War That's Still Not Won, Aryn Baker and Kajaki
Olya, Time, 26/06
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1818181,00.html
Untangling Afghanistan, James Denselow, The Guardian, 19/06
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/19/afghanistan
Further Congressional Action May Be Needed to Ensure Completion of
a Detailed Plan to Develop and Sustain Capable Afghan National
Security Forces, GAO Highlights on Afghan Security,
18/06
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08661high.pdf
U.S. Efforts to Develop Capable Afghan Police Forces Face Challenges
and Need a Coordinated, Detailed Plan to Help Ensure Accountability,
GAO Highlights - Testimony on Afghan Security, 18/06
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08883thigh.pdf
US Loses 4 Helicopter Engines Worth $13 Million, Jason Straziuso,
The Huffington Post, 18/06
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/18/us-loses-4-helicopter-eng_n_107806.html
BASIC's work is made possible by the generous support of our donors: the
Ploughshares Fund,
the Ford Foundation,
the Joseph Rowntree Charitable
Trust, Polden
Puckham Charitable Foundation, and Rockefeller Family
& Associates.
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