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Anand Gopal | May 21st, 2009 | The Christian Science Monitor
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With new technology and close monitoring of culverts and ditches, they have reduced the rudimentary bombs’ effectiveness by 20 percent since last year. Saydabad, Afghanistan - Capt. Matthew Burnett and his men were patrolling the dangerous Kabul-Kandahar highway when their vehicle hit the one thing every soldier dreads – an improvised explosive device (IED). “There was a big explosion, and we lost all visibility,” he recalls. “Some roadside debris even landed in the vehicle.” But the troops emerged unscathed, and kept on driving – something unthinkable a few years ago. Captain Burnett and his men survived thanks to the MRAP, a new armored vehicle capable of withstanding very large blasts. The vehicle is one of many innovations the United States military has developed to stay ahead of the insurgents, who readily adapt to American technology. New gadgets and techniques like the MRAP are also crucial to counter the soaring troop casualty rate in Afghanistan. |
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Anand Gopal | May 5th, 2009 | The Christian Science Monitor
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Though unpopular, the president has more national reach than the shrinking pool of contenders. Kabul, Afghanistan - Afghanistan’s unpopular President Hamid Karzai just registered Monday for his reelection bid. But already, he looks poised to easily win the August polls, as leading contenders drop out of the race and others fail to form viable opposition tickets. The shrinking pool of candidates highlights how fractured the opposition remains against a well-advantaged incumbent. Earlier this week Gul Agha Sherzai, a provincial governor popular among some Pashtuns – Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group – announced he would quit the race. Mr. Sherzai has also found favor in Washington for his success as a provincial governor, though his warlord past has drawn criticism. He was seen as the one challenger to Karzai who could have captured part of the key Pashtun tribal vote. |
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Anand Gopal | Apr 30th, 2009 | The Christian Science Monitor
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• A daily summary of global reports on security issues. The militants have vowed to launch a new offensive against the US and its allies, which are preparing to increase troop levels. The Taliban have vowed to launch a new offensive this summer in Afghanistan against the government and the foreign soldiers stationed there. The news comes as the United States and its allies plan to increase their troop presence to counter the growing Taliban threat. |
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Anand Gopal | Apr 27th, 2009 | The Christian Science Monitor
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Promises of cash and jobs–rather than ideological pledges–help prompt fighters to lay down their arms. But questions remain about the program’s efficiency. Alasay, Afghanistan - Deep in a mountain valley north of Kabul, Gulab Shah and his fellow insurgents were under siege. It was mid-March, and a French-led military offensive had been pounding their village night after night. A few of his comrades managed to escape into the surrounding mountains, but most were killed. In the midst of these battles, a progovernment tribal leader met with Mr. Shah’s men and made them an appealing offer: Stop fighting, and we will give you amnesty and a job. The men cautiously accepted. They joined a program aimed at reconciling rank-and-file insurgents with the government, an initiative that figures to be a central component in the Obama administration’s strategy to stabilize this country. Local tribal elders credit this reconciliation process, together with the French-led military offensive, for a stark turnaround in the security situation here. |
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Anand Gopal | Apr 16th, 2009 | The Christian Science Monitor
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Hundreds in Kabul staged a rare rally Wednesday, defying counterprotesters’ stones and insults. Kabul, Afghanistan - As Fatima Fedayee clutched a banner that read “Equality Is Our Right,” an angry man charged toward her and knocked her to the ground. As soon as she picked herself up, another man hurled stones at her. Then a group of men surrounded her, screaming unsavory epithets. But Ms. Fedayee kept holding the banner, chanting “Islam means equality!” She kept up the rallying cry for more than an hour Wednesday, alongside nearly 300 other women, protesting a law that they say would greatly restrict women’s freedoms.
These demonstrators belong to a women’s movement that has emerged with unusual boldness in recent weeks to fight the law. Unlike other campaigns around gender issues, this marks one of the few times women have openly confronted the conservative attitudes in this country – and the first time in years they have demanded their rights in a public demonstration. Like Fedayee, many have withstood hostile, even violent, opposition – sometimes from other women. |
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Anand Gopal | Apr 16th, 2009 | The Christian Science Monitor
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The umbrella organization includes many different groups fighting the Afghan government and Western forces. Kabul, Afghanistan - As the Obama administration ramps up focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan, insurgents from both countries have teamed up to confront the rising US troop presence. While the insurgents often get labeled as the “Taliban,” in reality there are several groups fighting the Afghan government and Western forces, and they often act independently of one another and have distinct command structures, ideologies, and strategies. Here, the Monitor maps out the diversity of the insurgency. Who are the Afghan insurgents? The most established group is the Taliban, led by Mullah Omar and others who held top positions in the Afghan government in the 1990s. The Taliban is strongest in Kandahar and Helmand provinces in the south, where it has deep roots. US officials believe that senior leaders are based in Pakistan, possibly Quetta. |
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Anand Gopal | Apr 16th, 2009 | The Christian Science Monitor
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The militants had struck a deal to relinquish their weapons in return for Islamic law in the region. • A daily summary of global reports on security issues. Militants in the Swat valley of northwestern Pakistan are refusing to abandon their weapons, despite having won concessions from Pakistan’s president, including the imposition of sharia, or Islamic law. The announcement deepens worries that the agreement with the militants will not bring peace to the region.
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Anand Gopal | Apr 15th, 2009 | Inter Press Service (IPS)
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KABUL, Apr 15 (IPS/IFEJ) - On any given day, a pall of smog and dust hangs over Kabul’s streets. It clings to the face, burns the eyes, and stains the hands. It bathes the cars, often stuck bumper-to-bumper in traffic, and occludes the view of the distant mountains. “My friends and I prefer to stay indoors whenever we meet,” says Kabul resident Habib Zahori, “because we can’t stand the air outside.” The biggest killer in Kabul may not be the Taliban, but air pollution. Experts consider Kabul to be one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the scale of the problem has prompted a widespread government campaign. |
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Anand Gopal | Apr 13th, 2009 | The Christian Science Monitor
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With echoes of the Anbar Awakening in Iraq, the US is arming, training and paying Afghans to set up village militias. Maydan Shahr, Afghanistan - At first sight, Muhammad Nasim Gul and his men – in drab, olive-colored fatigues and baseball caps to match – look like Cuban guerrillas. They slowly patrol the muddy streets of Wardak Province, weapons drawn in a constant state of alert. They stand sentry, night and day, on the watch for intruders and other enemies. At times they stop to talk to the townsfolk, to see if anyone has had any trouble recently.
Mr. Gul and his fellow tribesmen are part of an ambitious new American-backed program that started here two weeks ago to train, uniform, and arm locals against the Taliban. Officials turned to the idea following the success of a similar plan in Iraq, known as the Anbar Awakening, in which Sunni tribes were armed to fight Al Qaeda. They hope the program, dubbed the “Afghan Public Protection Force,” can help stem the worsening violence here. |
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