Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

Afghan School Poisonings Linked to Toxic Chemicals

Afghan School Poisonings Linked to Toxic Chemicals, The Associated Press, 1 September 2010

EXCERPT: "Blood samples taken from Afghan schoolgirls who collapsed in apparent mass poisonings showed traces of toxic chemicals found in herbicides, pesticides and nerve gas, the Health Ministry said Wednesday. Suspicion has fallen on sympathizers of the Taliban, the hard-line Islamist militia that opposes education for women and prohibited girls from going to school when it was in power until it being ousted by a 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Poisonous levels of organophosphates were found in samples taken from girls sickened in incidents over the past two years, said ministry spokesman Dr. Ghulam Sakhi Kargar. Samples from more recent cases have been sent to Turkey for analysis and no results have been issued yet, Kargar said. Last month, 48 pupils and teachers at Kabul's Zabihullah Esmati High School and 60 students and teachers at the Totia Girls School were hospitalized after fainting or complaining of breathing problems, dizziness and nausea. Students say they began feeling unwell after being exposed to an unknown gas spreading through classrooms."

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Related articles:
US concerned over attacks on Afghan schoolchildren, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 31 August 2010
The Taliban mystery gas, Strategy Page, 31 August 2010

Related resources:
Osman Mirghani: The Scourge that has Afflicted Muslims, Asharq Alawsat, 1 September 2010
Nushin Arbabzadah: School "gassing" shows Afghanistan's theological chaos, The Guardian - Comment is Free, 27 August 2010

Related posts:
Afghan girls in suspected gas attack, 25 August 2010
Attacks on schools on the rise: Report, 23 November 2009
Insecurity harming child health, education: UNICEF, 20 May 2009
The high price of education in Afghanistan, 25 February 2009

Toll from Afghan Base Raids Rises

Toll from Afghan Base Raids Rises, Reuters, 29 August 2010

EXCERPT: "The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said on Sunday more than 30 insurgents, including at least 13 suicide bombers, were killed when foreign and Afghan troops repelled al Qaeda-linked fighters who attacked two bases. Despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001. Insurgents have launched increasingly brazen attacks around the country in a bid to topple the government and force foreign troops to leave. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Sunday four more of its troops had been killed, taking to seven the number killed in the last two days in the south and east. An ISAF spokesman said all seven were Americans. At least 2,040 foreign troops have been killed since the war began, more than 60 percent of them Americans, according to website www.iCasualties.org and figures compiled by Reuters. Of those, at least 252 have died in the last three months."

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Related articles:
Officials: 13 would-be suicide bombers killed, CNN, 30 August 2010
Factbox: Security developments in Afghanistan, Aug 30, Reuters, 30 August 2010
Nato repels daring assaults on Afghan bases by insurgents in US uniform, The Independent, 29 August 2010
Taliban fighters, some disguised as American soldiers, attack two U.S. bases, The Washington Post, 28 August 2010

Related posts:
20 Haqqani Network fighters killed in raids in eastern Afghanistan, 13 August 2010
Taliban attack Afghan air base, 3 August 2010
Afghan militants fail in attack on NATO air base, 30 June 2010
US: Insurgents "degraded" in eastern Afghanistan, not defeated, 4 June 2010
Pentagon issues downbeat assessment on Afghanistan, 29 April 2010

Afghan Girls in Suspected Gas Attack

Afghan Girls in Suspected Gas Attack, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 August 2010

EXCERPT: "Dozens of Kabul schoolgirls were admitted to hospital on Wednesday after a suspected poison gas attack on their school, officials said. 'Today at around 9.30am (0500 GMT, 1500 AEST) around 55 people, including nine teachers and 46 students at the Totya Girls' High School, following an apparent poisoning incident, were taken to hospital,' education ministry spokesman Mohammed Asef Nang said. 'They are in stable condition,' he said, adding that some had become dizzy and others lapsed into unconsciousness. The suspected attack is the fifth such incident this year in Kabul and the 11th nationwide, officials said, though they could not confirm the exact cause. Blood tests from girls affected in previous incidents had not yielded any conclusive results, they said. Some observers have speculated that they were cases of mass hysteria, though Nang said that Wednesday's incident was 'an act of cowardice by enemies of women and education,' a reference to the Taliban."

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Related articles:
Video: Poison gas hits Afghan schoolgirls, Al Jazeera, 25 August 2010
Taliban poison attack or mass hysteria? Chaos hits another Kabul girls' school, The Guardian, 25 August 2010

Related resources:
Current Events Report: Afghan School Girls Chemical Attacks, IB Consultancy, 25 June 2010
Mission Report: Visit of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict to Afghanistan, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, 26 February 2010
Education under Attack 2010, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 10 February 2010

Related posts:
Afghan schools: Safe havens?, 10 August 2010
Afghan school girls "poisoned", 26 April 2010
Attacks on schools on the rise: Report, 23 November 2009
Insecurity harming child health, education: UNICEF, 20 May 2009
Five million children not in school, 21 April 2009

Attack at Spanish Police Base Kills Three

Terrorist Attack at Spanish Police Base in Afghanistan Kills Three, The Guardian, 25 August 2010

EXCERPT: "A driver for the Spanish police in Afghanistan opened fire during a training exercise today, killing two Spanish officers and their translator. The incident appeared to be the latest in a series of attacks by infiltrators linked to the insurgency, officials said. The assailant was shot dead by Spanish officers who were conducting the course at their base in Badghis province, says Spanish interior minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba. 'I can't say if the Taliban were behind this or not,' said Pérez Rubalcaba. 'What is clear is that it was a premeditated attack. The person who opened fire knew exactly what he was doing. Therefore, this was a terrorist attack.' Pérez Rubalcaba said the gunman was the longtime driver of one of the victims and not actually a policeman himself. The man had worked with the Spanish police unit since it arrived in Afghanistan five months ago, he added."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Minister calls Afghan shooting of Spaniards a "terrorist attack", France24, 25 August 2010
Spanish soldiers die in Afghan shooting, The Wall Street Journal, 25 August 2010
Afghans protest against Spanish after deadly shooting, AFP, 25 August 2010

Related resources:
Edward Burke, Spain's War in Afghanistan, FRIDE, 12 January 2010
Nicolás de Pedro, Spain and Central Asia: Prospects for 2010, China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly Journal, 1 December 2009

Related posts:
Spain willing to increase Afghan force, 29 July 2009
Spain could double foreign troop deployments, 11 December 2008
Spain's secret role in the war on terror, 2 December 2008
Spanish troops will remain in Afghanistan as long "as necessary": Defence Minister, 3 January 2008

Taliban Kill 10 on Medical Aid Mission

Taliban Kill 10 on Medical Aid Mission, The New York Times, 7 August 2010

EXCERPT: "At least 10 medical personnel, including six Americans, were slain in northern Afghanistan, officials confirmed Saturday. The Taliban, through one of its spokesmen, claimed responsibility for the killings. The workers, who were on an expedition to bring eye care and other medical services to remote areas, were found shot to death in a mountainous area of Badakhshan Province, according to the provincial police chief, Aka Noor Kentoz. The International Assistance Mission said six of the dead were Americans, one was German and one was British. Dirk Frans, the executive director of the I.A.M., said the team was headed by Tom Little, an American opthamologist with four decades experience in Afghanistan and a fluent Dari speaker."

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Related articles:
Afghans tentatively identify foreign medical workers killed in northeast, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 7 August 2010
International Assistance Mission slayings: Part of Taliban war strategy, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 August 2010
Taliban claims responsibility for killing foreigners, The Hindu, 7 August 2010

Related posts:
Humanitarian space easing in Afghanistan?, 9 July 2010
Attacks make South Asia terrorism hot spot, 28 April 2010
War-zone medical aid doubly endangered, 26 April 2010
Afghanistan aid presence shrinks further, 10 November 2009
Afghanistan: High risk humanitarianism, 18 August 2009

Suicide Attack Kills Seven Afghan Police

Suicide Attack Kills Seven Afghan Police, AFP, 5 August 2010

EXCERPT: "A suicide attacker rammed a car bomb into a joint Afghan-NATO military convoy in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing seven police and injuring five civilians, officials said. The officers and soldiers were on a patrol in the insurgent-troubled Imamsaheb district of northeastern Kunduz province when they came under attack, district administrator Mohammad Ayoub told AFP. The interior ministry confirmed the toll of dead and wounded, while NATO said some coalition troops had been injured, without giving further details. Ayoub said the bomber was driving an explosives-laden car, which detonated on hitting the convoy."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Pakistani school seeks to turn boys from Taliban, AFP, 4 August 2010
Taliban kills 220 civilians in July despite new "code of conduct", WireUpdate, 4 August 2010
In Afghanistan, no shortage of suicide bombers, NPR, 28 July 2010
ISI runs, controls network of suicide bombers in Afghanistan, Sify, 26 July 2010

Related posts:
Afghan suicide bombing kills 40, 10 June 2010
Over 60 percent of suicide bombers are physically disabled, 22 October 2008
Teen describes madrasah effort to make him a suicide bomber, 6 June 2008
Suicide bombings in Afghanistan increasing; Attackers tend to be "young, poor and uneducated", 11 September 2007

Taliban Attack Afghan Air Base

Taliban Attack Afghan Air Base, Al Jazeera, 3 August 2010

EXCERPT: "A gun battle erupted outside the main Nato base in southern Afghanistan, after at least one suicide bomber blew himself up outside the gates and other fighters attacked with small arms. The fighting at Kandahar airfield on Tuesday lasted about an hour, officials said. Kandahar airfield, about 25km outside the city, is the largest foreign military base in the country and home to tens of thousands of troops and civilian workers. Katie Kendrick, a spokeswoman for Nato-led forces in Kabul, the Afghan capital, said that 'the suicide bomber failed to gain access and then detonated his explosives, killing himself. This appears to be an unsuccessful and unorganised attack'. Commander Amanda Peterseim, another spokeswoman for the Nato forces, later said that all of the 'approximately four" attackers were killed."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
In Kandahar, US tries the lessons of Baghdad, The Washington Post, 3 August 2010
US-led coalition finds "success" elusive in Kandahar, Tehran Times, 3 August 2010
Taliban flee to desert as Nato storms stronghold, The Independent, 3 August 2010
Afghanistan blast kills 6 children on their way to school, Los Angeles Times, 2 August 2010
Taliban allegedly threatens tribal elders in southern Afghanistan, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 30 July 2010

Related posts:
Why Kandahar locals turn to Taliban, 7 July 2010
Taliban commander in Kandahar dead: NATO, 4 June 2010
Taliban "terror" campaign steps up in Kandahar, 12 May 2010
The Taliban's campaign for Kandahar, 11 December 2009
Kandahar critical test for Afghanistan's future, 3 September 2009

17 Injured in Blast Targeting Afghan Candidate

17 Injured in Blast Targeting Afghan Candidate, The Associated Press, 23 July 2010

EXCERPT: "A bomb exploded Friday inside a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, seriously wounding a candidate in upcoming parliamentary elections and at least 16 other people, an official said. The candidate, Mawlvi Saydullah, was making a speech inside the mosque in Mando Zayi district when the blast went off, shattering windows. His bodyguard and at least 15 other civilians were also hurt, said Mubariz Zadran, spokesman for the provincial governor. 'He was the target,' Zadran said, referring to Saydullah. Afghanistan is due to hold national parliamentary elections in September despite fears that a surge in Taliban militant attacks and fighting with international forces could undermine security for the vote."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Afghan parliamentary candidate in coma after bomb attack, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 23 July 2010
Commentary: Afghans disillusioned by electoral politics, McClatchy Newspapers, 22 July 2010
Bombing plot foiled in west Afghanistan, PressTV, 19 July 2010
Afghanistan ready for September polls, says election body, Sify, 15 July 2010
Afghan election security plans "on track", top NATO diplomat says, The Earth Times, 14 July 2010

Related posts:
Hundreds of people are running for Afghan parliamentary election, 22 June 2010
Afghanistan begins registration for elections: Official, 20 April 2010
Afghan poll boss says vote won't be fraud-free, 13 April 2010
Elections and the crisis of governance, 25 November 2009
Toward an Afghan democracy?, 17 September 2009

Insurgents Behead Afghan Cops

Insurgents Behead Afghan Cops, AFP, 21 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Insurgents beheaded six Afghan policemen after overrunning their checkpost, NATO said Wednesday, as authorities claimed to have foiled suicide attacks on a landmark international conference in Kabul. The beheading took place Tuesday in the northern province of Baghlan, a region where insurgents have gained strong footholds in recent years, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. The military said police 'successfully repelled' an insurgent attack on a school, clinic and the district governor's building in Dahanah-ye Ghori, killing several insurgents. But added: 'During the attack, insurgents overran a police checkpoint and killed the police officers by cutting off their heads.' ISAF condemned the 'brutal' killings. Abdul Majeed, provincial governor confirmed that six Afghan policemen had been killed in their post but refused to give details."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Afghan gov't: Soldier shot Americans amid argument, The Associated Press, 21 July 2010
Two US civilians, 10 Afghans killed in attacks, Hindustan Times, 20 July 2010
Attacks mar Afghan handover target, The Press Association, 20 July 2010

Related posts:
Suicide bombers attack Afghan police compound, 7 June 2010
Corrupt Afghan police blamed for locals joining the Taliban, 4 June 2010
Suicide attack hits Afghan police in Paktika, 21 May 2010
Taliban attack American base outside Kabul, 19 May 2010
Taliban bombing kills 18, including 5 US troops, 18 May 2010

Pakistan Blames Militants from Afghanistan for Bombing

Pakistan Blames Militants from Afghanistan for Bombing, BBC News, 12 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Pakistan's interior minister says Nato and Afghanistan are not doing enough to stop Taliban militants crossing the border from Afghanistan into Pakistan. Rehman Malik told the BBC he blamed militants coming from Afghanistan for Friday's attack in Mohmand district. The attack, the deadliest in Pakistan this year, killed more than 100 people. Nato's Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said militants crossing the border was a 'matter of concern' and a major problem in Afghanistan too. Friday's devastating bombing happened in an area the Pakistani government had recently claimed had been cleared of militants and said was safe for civilians to return to. Mr Malik disputed the widely-held belief that Pakistani militants are freely heading in the other direction to fight coalition troops. He said he had intelligence information to prove that the attackers had crossed the border from Afghanistan."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Backgrounder: Major bomb attacks in the world in 2010, China View, 12 July 2010
Militancy refuses to go away, DAWN, 10 July 2010
Attack on tribal elders leaves 102 dead in Pakistan, The Independent, 10 July 2010
The missing dimension of Pakistan's counterinsurgency policy, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 10 July 2010

Related posts:
Afghanistan urges Pakistan to target terror groups, 6 July 2010
Pakistan is said to pursue foothold in Afghanistan, 28 June 2010
Pakistan alleges Afghans are releasing Taliban fighters, 1 April 2010
Engaging regional players in Afghanistan, 24 November 2009
Pakistan in the "AfPak" strategy, 9 April 2009