Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

Afghan Health Team Abducted; Local Official Killed

Afghan Health Team Abducted; Local Official Killed, The Associated Press, 15 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Gunmen kidnapped five Health Ministry employees in Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province while insurgents killed a district official elsewhere, reportedly on the orders of the Taliban supreme leader, officials said Thursday. Insurgent bombings, gunbattles, assassinations and abductions have been increasing this year as thousands of American troops partnered with Afghan forces fan out in the militants' southern strongholds to try to wrest back control and establish effective local government. Members of a medical team were abducted Wednesday afternoon while returning to Kandahar city, the provincial capital, after visiting a project in Maiwand district, provincial spokesman Zulmi Ayubi said Thursday. The gunmen forced the car to stop about a mile (two kilometers) outside Maiwand and abducted two doctors, a pharmacist, a nurse and their driver, Ayubi said. The Health Ministry issued a statement calling for their release. The kidnappers were not identified, but Taliban insurgents have been on spree of assassinations and abductions of government workers. The campaign of fear is especially intense in Kandahar, where Afghan and international forces have been increasing their presence, with the apparent message that the militants can still operate in their traditional stronghold."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
First round of Afghan Child Health Week (18-24 July), ReliefWeb / UNAMA, 15 July 2010
Afghanistan: Kandahar’s first charity-backed hospital gives free healthcare to the poor, ReliefWeb / UNAMA, 15 July 2010
9 terrorists, kidnapper gang arrested in Afghanistan, CRI English, 15 July 2010
What Kandahar residents say about the Afghanistan war: It's complicated, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 July 2010

Related resource:
USAID/DCHA Afghanistan – Complex Emergency Situation Report #2, Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, ReliefWeb / USAID, 13 July 2010

Related posts:
Could foreign troop surge exacerbate vulnerability?, 19 January 2010
Overstretched health services in Kandahar, 17 September 2009
Over 600,000 Afghans lack basic healthcare, 7 April 2009
Lack of access may spread diseases: Health ministry, 4 November 2008
Insurgency, insecurity threaten health progress, 23 July 2008 

Taliban Release Video of Two French Hostages

Taliban Release Video of Two French Hostages, The Associated Press, 14 February 2010

EXCERPT: "The Taliban released a video Sunday of two French journalists kidnapped in Afghanistan in December pleading for their government to negotiate with their captors. The video was posted on a Web site and the link was provided by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. On it, the two journalists plead for their release and urge French President Nicolas Sarkozy to negotiate quickly with their captors. The pair disappeared Dec. 30 along with two or three Afghan employees while traveling in Kapisa province northeast of Kabul. French soldiers in the region are fighting the Taliban and other insurgents as part of NATO's mission in Afghanistan. In the video, one of the reporters said there was a third hostage, though only the two Frenchmen appeared on tape. They spoke sitting on the floor of a dark room, with a flowered sheet hung behind them. Both were unshaven and appeared tired, but the two reporters both said they were in good health and had been well treated. They said the days and weeks felt long and they were eager to go home."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
France to send more military instructors to Afghanistan, Radio France Internationale, 6 February 2010
Paris troop pledge falls short of goal, The Wall Street Journal, 5 February 2010
No more French combat troops for Afghanistan: Sarkozy, AFP, 25 January 2010

Related posts:
Taliban issue demands for release of French journalists, 7 February 2010
Taliban sowing fear along Afghanistan's highways, 29 September 2009
Al-Qaeda calls for foreign kidnappings, 16 September 2009
Increase In kidnapping cases worsen security situation, 3 November 2008

Taliban Issue Demands for Release of French Journalists

Taliban Issue Demands for Release of French Journalists, Reuters, 7 January 2010

EXCERPT: "Taliban kidnappers holding two French journalists have demanded the release of a militant commander held by the United States and a cash ransom in return for freeing the hostages, an Afghan security official said. Abdul Hamid Hakimi, head of the provincial security center for Kapisa province said on Wednesday that the militants had made contact and conveyed their demands. The journalists, from France 3 television, were captured in Kapisa last week along with an Afghan driver and a translator. Media have reported that the driver was freed."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
UNESCO deplores recent killing, abduction of journalists in Afghanistan, UN News Centre, 7 January 2010
France has rough idea of Afghan hostages' location, Reuters, 6 January 2010
Taliban deny abducting French reporters, AFP, 4 January 2010
Two French journalists kidnapped in Afghanistan, Deutsche Welle, 1 January 2010

Related posts:
Afghan roads "now more dangerous than under Taliban", 4 December 2009
Al-Qaeda calls for foreign kidnappings, 16 September 2009
Taliban present in 80% of Afghanistan, 10 September 2009
Increase In kidnapping cases worsen security situation, 3 November 2008
Kidnappers target the rich, influential in Afghanistan, 30 September 2008

Afghan Roads "Now More Dangerous Than Under Taliban"

Travelling by Road in Afghanistan "Now More Dangerous Than Under Taliban", The Telegraph, 4 December 2009

EXCERPT: "Major General Nick Carter said that, before the 2001 invasion, young women could travel alone between major cities without risk of harm. Now, there is a constant threat from sophisticated IEDs and criminal gangs who rob and kidnap passengers. The admission heaped further pressure on Gordon Brown's strategy in Afghanistan, suggesting that little had changed despite the long and bloody campaign. But a Ministry of Defence spokesman sought to play down the remark, saying that security under the Taliban was enforced brutally whereas coalition forces would enforce it with democracy and justice. Roadside bombs planted by the Taliban are a major part of the problem, accounting for around 70 per cent of casualties among coalition troops alone. But the criminal gangs that operate with seeming impunity are of equal concern to locals, who complain that even the country’s main ring road, Highway One, is now plagued by bandits."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
New Afghan push takes aim at militants, CNN, 4 December 2009
In Kandahar, the Taliban own the night, ABC News, 4 December 2009
High-tech, armored off-roader key to Afghan surge, Wired News, 2 December 2009
Afghans sceptical about fresh troops, BBC News, 1 December 2009

Related posts:
Taliban sowing fear along Afghanistan's highways, 29 September 2009
Taliban present in 80% of Afghanistan, 10 September 2009
Afghan highway symbol of mission in crisis, 9 September 2009
Kidnappers target the rich, influential in Afghanistan, 30 September 2008
Insurgent activities increase in Afghanistan: NATO, 30 July 2008

Taliban Sowing Fear Along Afghanistan's Highways

 'Taliban Roadway Attacks Spread Fear In Afghanistan', The Associated Press, 29 September 2009

EXCERPT: "Taliban militants are sowing fear along Afghanistan's highways with stepped-up checkpoints, hijackings and bombs — including one Tuesday that killed at least 30 bus passengers in the south. Afghan authorities say the attacks, often carried out by only a handful of militants, are part of a psychological campaign to convince civilians that Taliban control is spreading. 'It is quite possible for a group of three to five insurgents to come out on the highway and attack a convoy,' said the Interior Ministry spokesman, Zemarai Bashary. 'Maybe thousands of people will travel that day and they are watching that convoy burning.' Militants are planting more roadside bombs than ever, killing far more Afghan civilians than Afghan or coalition soldiers. The bombings — and ambushes with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades — are increasingly taking place on main roads against trucks and buses. Some attacks are in areas where Taliban have long held sway, such as Kandahar, the group's spiritual birthplace, but others are in regions where militant activity has risen only recently, such as in the north."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'30 killed when Afghan bus hits roadside bomb', Los Angeles Times, 29 September 2009
'Escalating insurgency, conflicts claim over 150 lives in Afghanistan in one week', China View, 29 September 2009
'Taliban insurgency', PRI, 29 September 2009

Related posts:
'Taliban present in 80% of Afghanistan', 10 September 2009
'Afghan highway symbol of mission in crisis', 9 September 2009
'The Taliban's winning strategy in Afghanistan', 7 July 2009
'Afghan security obstacles "interconnected": UNSG', 26 June 2009
'NATO figures show surge in violence', 31 January 2009

Afghan Officials Live In Fear Of Taliban Assassins

'Afghan Officials Live In Fear Of Taliban Assassins', The Associated Press, 22 September 2009

EXCERPT: "During his two years as a provincial governor in Afghanistan, Arsalah Jamal survived four suicide attacks. Once, a Taliban bomber dressed as a doctor struck as Jamal dedicated a hospital wing. Twice, car bombs slammed into his convoy. Another time, an attacker blew himself up at a funeral Jamal was attending for a fellow governor killed in another blast. Jamal, 45, escaped harm each time, but he resigned late last year as governor of the eastern province of Khost and moved his family to Canada — a victory for the Taliban and its campaign to intimidate and assassinate Afghan officials. Assassinations have intensified this year, with more than 100 officials and pro-government tribal elders attacked — half of them fatally. Echoing a strategy of insurgents in Iraq, such killings sow fear, undermine the already weak government and make it difficult to fill official posts with educated and competent Afghans."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Perils of a policewoman: "I know that danger is with me"', The Globe and Mail, 23 September 2009
'Maladies of interpreters', The New York Times, 21 September 2009

See also:
'Taliban present in 80% of Afghanistan', 10 September 2009
'Taliban "out-governing" the government', 31 August 2009
'The Taliban's winning strategy in Afghanistan', 7 July 2009
'Increase in kidnapping cases worsen security situation', 3 November 2008
'In the hands of the Taliban, life is cheap', 31 October 2008

Al-Qaeda Calls For Foreign Kidnappings

'Al-Qaeda Calls For Foreign Kidnappings In Afghanistan', The Australian, 16 September 2009

EXCERPT: "A leading al-Qa'ida strategist once married to a Sydney mother has sanctioned an orchestrated campaign to kidnap foreign civilians, including Australians in Afghanistan, in retaliation for the capture, detention and torture of al-Qa'ida and Taliban prisoners by the US and its allies. The directive has been issued by veteran al-Qa'ida adviser Mustafa Hamid, also known as Abu Walid al-Masri, who was married to Australian Rabiah Hutchinson in Afghanistan in 2001. Hamid has been detained in Iran since 2003 but remains an influential figure in the militant movement and has maintained contact with his followers through jihadist websites, despite his imprisonment. In an edict titled The US Soldier in Afghanistan - the first step for the release of all prisoners of the war on terror, Hamid argues that the capture of an American soldier by Taliban forces earlier this year should be used as a precedent in a campaign of abducting Western civilians to use as bargaining chips to negotiate the release of Taliban and al-Qa'ida detainees. In the document uncovered by former Australian Federal Police senior counter-terrorism intelligence analyst Leah Farrall, Hamid argues that the US has 'changed the rules of the game' on the treatment of prisoners of war by its detention and torture of inmates at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Terrorist groups becoming more linked in Af-Pak', Press Trust of India, 16 September 2009
'Report claims al-Qaeda greatly weakened', PRI, 15 September 2009
'Warning of further kidnappings issued in Afghanistan', VOA News, 10 September 2009

Related posts:
'Al-Qaida active on both sides of AfPak border', 9 June 2009
'Al-Qaeda spreads its tentacles', 29 May 2009
'Al Qaeda's shadow army outlines Afghan strategy', 14 April 2009
'Increase in kidnapping cases worsen security situation', 3 November 2008
'Al-Qaeda, Afghanistan and the good war', 28 February 2008

Record Number Of Security Incidents In June 12-18

'Security Sector Reform Monitor: Afghanistan - July 2009, Number 1', Center for International Governance Innovation, 28 July 2009

EXCERPT: "Security Environment: While Kabul has seen a decline in the number of security incidents in recent months – whether criminal in nature, such as kidnappings and thefts, or terrorist attacks, such as suicide and roadside bombings – this pattern has not been replicated outside the capital, even in neighboring provinces, where insecurity remains acute. The week of June 12-18 witnessed a record high number of security incidents, with the Taliban carrying out 126 attacks across the country, resulting in 78 deaths, including 30 policemen, and 170 wounded. Several Afghan Members of Parliament have expressed concern over the viability of the August 2009 presidential election if security conditions remain unchanged."

To continue reading the report, click here [pdf].

See also:
'Taliban peace deal was "bought" for £20,000', The Telegraph, 28 July 2009
'US push to put an Afghan face on Helmand offensive', The Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2009
'Capacity-building critical for Afghan security: US expert', China View, 18 July 2009

Related posts:
'Trends in local Afghan conflicts', 11 June 2009
'Afghanistan in 2009: The first quarter', 4 May 2009
'A strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan-Pakistan', 2 April 2009
'Progress toward security and stability in Afghanistan', 2 February 2009
'NATO figures show surge in violence', 31 January 2009

The Perils Of Mine Clearance

'Afghanistan: The Perils Of Mine Clearance', IRIN News, 22 July 2009

EXCERPT: "Mine clearance often requires working in very remote areas where de-miners are exposed to greater security risks and attacks by various armed and criminal groups. Mohammad Aman has defused hundreds of anti-personnel landmines in various parts of Afghanistan in more than 13 years as a de-miner with the Mine Detection Center (MDC), a local NGO. 'We not only face risks of hidden mines and ERWs [explosive remnants of war], but also those of abduction and death by criminal gangs and the armed opposition groups,' Aman said. Eleven de-miners were killed and 19 others wounded in non-mine security incidents in 2008, while nine deaths and 10 injuries were reported in 2007, the UN Mine Action Coordination Center of Afghanistan (UNMACCA) said. Despite two decades of mine clearance by several NGOs, Afghanistan is still replete with landmines and ERWs, and every month 55-60 people fall victim to them, according to UNMACCA."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Current mine action situation in Afghanistan', Journal of Mine Action, 23 July 2009
'Explosive remnants of war provide employment opportunities for Afghans', Huffington Post, 22 July 2009
'De-mining program in Afghanistan - Editorial', VOA News, 17 July 2009
'All your landmines are belong to us', Strategy Page, 1 July 2009
'Violence delays mine clearing in Afghanistan', The Associated Press, 28 June 2009

Related posts:
'Kidnappers free 16 demining workers', 6 July 2009
'More funds needed to rid Afghanistan of mines', 12 January 2009
'Afghanistan still copes with landmines', 4 April 2008
'Hundreds of Afghans killed or wounded by landmines in 2007, UN reports', 21 January 2008
'Landmine-related casualties in Afghanistan down 20 percent in 2006: Report', 15 November 2007

Kidnappers Free 16 Demining Workers

'Kidnappers Free 16 Demining Workers: Agency', Reuters, 6 July 2009

EXCERPT: "Sixteen Afghans working for a United Nations-sponsored demining agency who were kidnapped at the weekend have been freed unharmed, an agency official said on Monday. The Mine Detection and Dog Centre (MDC) personnel were seized by gunmen on a highway in eastern Paktia province on Saturday. The MDC is part of the overall U.N. mine clearing agency in Afghanistan known as UNMACA. Sherin Agha Ahmad Shah, head of the MDC in Paktia, said tribal chiefs in the province made contact with the kidnappers and were able to secure the release of the men late on Sunday. 'The kidnappers were thieves and the tribal chiefs negotiated the release of the workers without any ransom or any deal,' he told reporters, without giving further details. The Interior Ministry said in a statement police were also involved in securing their release."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Two aid workers abducted in eastern Afghanistan', China View, 6 July 2009
'Taliban claims capture of "drunk" soldier', The Australian, 6 July 2009
'US soldier snatched by same Afghan group who kidnapped reporters', Times Online, 3 July 2009

Related posts:
'Increase in kidnapping cases worsen security situation', 3 November 2008
'"Taliban" kidnap 14 road workers in Afghanistan: Ministry', 27 October 2008
'Labourers abducted in Afghanistan', 22 September 2008
'Insurgent activities increase in Afghanistan: NATO', 30 July 2008