Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 302
Palash Biswas
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Just remember the Fatal day when Government of India witnessed US Missiles cross Indian Air Space and hit AFGANISTAN!
Just remember the Khalistan Insurgency days fed with Taliban Arms imported from United States of America to finish Soviet Intervention in Afganistan!
Afganistan has been key of Recent history in this divided geopolitics Bleeding. Pakistan was PREDESTINED to feel the heat of Taliban versus US Military Clash transforming peaceful Indian Ocean zone the Open Battlefield and India the target of Constant Terror attacks!
But the Ruling Brahaminical Hegemonies Military or so called Democrate do NEGLECT most AFGANISTAN in foreign affairs!
The Result is we IMMOLATE ourselves in Self destructing Fire Infinite to sustain zionist post Modern Triblis Manusmriti Apartheid global Order of Mass Destruction!
Indian Ruling Hegemony enjoys the Rocketing Defence Expanditure and the Fiscal defecit meant to bail out the India Incs and Induged in Flexing Nuclear Muscles with Indo Us Nuclear Deal, Defence sacms, Zunc Soviet Technology, Failed Moon Mission, Bleeding Rural Aboriginal Indigenous and Minority communities ENSLAVED in manusmriti rule, strategic realliance in Us Isarel lead and India Inc Governace assisted by MNCS, LPG Mafia, FDI, FII and foreign Borrowing!
Meanwhile, the West palys a different ball game other than CRICKET or Indian Parliamnetary Soap Opera or Reality shows! South Block has proved itself quite INCOMPETENT to appear as Saviour for the suffering, starving People in South Asia.
If Incompetence and Inefficiency may be the cause of DISINVESTMENT and Divestment, I am afraid to suggest that this Bastardised Government of India must be DISINVESTED Immediately!
On the other hand, DESPITE launching ARIHANT with Soviet Technology, the Regional Nuclear Super Power India stand quite STRANDED to counter the Chinese Diplomacy as China and the United States shoulder important responsibilities on a host of major issues concerning peace and development of mankind, Chinese President Hu Jintao said Monday in a message to the opening session of China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue. As two countries with significant influence in the world, China and the United States also enjoy extensive common interests and broad space for cooperation, Hu said.
Meanwhile it is clear that Washington is hoping for an response by September from Tehran to overtures on its controversial nuclear drive, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday.Thus, IRAN plays its Cards more EFFECTIVELY in Middle east than India poses quite HELPLESS in South Asia! However, Hillary Clinton sought to calm Israeli fears about a nuclear-armed Iran yesterday after she appeared to suggest last week that the Obama Administration was resigned to Tehran getting the bomb. While, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates moved to reassure Israel on Monday that Washington's bid to talk Iran into giving up sensitive nuclear work was worth pursuing, despite Tehran's reticence.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who VISITED India recently and Ruling Class as well as the Toilet Media had been quite GA GA with this Achievement, has opened talks with high-level Chinese officials, hailing an opportunity for better relations and saying the two countries share common interests and mutual threats.
On the other hand,Pakistan today termed the induction of an indigenously-built nuclear-powered submarine by India as a "destabilising step" and said it was capable of defending itself in the face of all such regional challenges.
"The government of Pakistan is fully aware of this issue and is prepared to counter it at all levels. Pakistan's defence is fully prepared to face this challenge," Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar told reporters in response to a question about India's launch of 'INS Arihant'.
"We don't want any wars but we know how to defend ourselves," he said adding, Pakistan is capable of defending itself against all such challenges.
A Pakistan Navy spokesman told reporters that India's launch of a nuclear submarine was "a destabilising step which would jeopardise the security paradigm of the entire Indian Ocean region".
China and the United States, in the face of the complex and changing international economic and political situation, should endeavor to expand common ground, reduce differences, enhance mutual trust and strengthen cooperation through the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, he said.
"This serves the common interests of the two sides and will help advance the positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship between our two countries," said the Chinese leader.
"It is also of great importance for peace, stability, development and prosperity of the whole world," he added.
Britain announced the end of a five-week offensive against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan on Monday, saying it had succeeded in driving militants out of population centres ahead of national elections next month.
Operation "Panther's Claw", which involved around 3,000 British troops backed by U.S., Danish and other NATO units, was the largest offensive by British forces since they took responsibility in mid-2006 for Helmand, a volatile desert-and-mountain province in Afghanistan's south.
The offensive is part of a series of operations that Western forces have launched ahead of Afghanistan's presidential and provincial elections on Aug. 20, designed to build security and allow as many people as possible to vote.
But 21 British deaths in six weeks of fighting have fuelled doubts at home about the overall war in Afghanistan and whether troops are receiving the support they need from the government.
"What we have achieved here is significant and I am absolutely certain that the operation has been a success," Brigadier Tim Radford, the commander of British forces in Helmand, told reporters in London via video link.
"We have inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents, both physically and psychologically, and we have seen a number of them give up and flee the area as a result."
He said around 500 Taliban had confronted British troops during the offensive, which focused on an area north of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, where the Taliban had infiltrated a string of towns along the Helmand river.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised the "heroic" efforts of British forces in Helmand province, where the troop death toll has surged since the assault was launched late last month.
"The first phase of Operation Panther's Claw has now ended," a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman told AFP. "There are three phases. The first was the most heavily military phase.
"The second is a holding phase, about holding the ground, and the third is a building phase."
Some 20 British troops have died in Afghanistan so far this month, taking the death toll since operations began in the country in late 2001 to 189, above the toll in the war in Iraq.
"The efforts of our troops in Helmand have been nothing short of heroic," Brown said. "There has been a tragic human cost. But this has not been in vain.
"What we have actually done is make land secure for about 100,000 people.
"What we've done is push back the Taliban -- and what we've done also is to start to break that chain of terror that links the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan to the streets of Britain."
Britain has around 9,150 troops in Afghanistan, the vast majority fighting the Taliban in Helmand.
The British military insisted that the first phase of Panther's Claw was a success, with three thousand British-led troops inflicting "significant" losses on Taliban extremists.
"What we have achieved here is significant and I am absolutely certain that the operation has been a success," said Brigadier Tim Radford, commander of Task Force Helmand.
The government of Afghanistan in a bid to enable Afghans to use their franchise in the coming election in troubled areas struck ceasefire deal with Taliban insurgents in northern Badghis province, a spokesman in Presidential Palace Siamak Herawi said Monday.
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| Afghan forces patrol on the outskirts of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, July 27, 2009. The government of Afghanistan in a bid to enable Afghans to use their franchise in the coming election in troubled areas struck ceasefire deal with Taliban insurgents in northern Badghis province, a spokesman in Presidential Palace Siamak Herawi said Monday. (Xinhua/Zabi Tamanna) |
"The truce reached on Saturday between government and local opposition commanders with the efforts of elders and influential figures in Badghis province," Herawi told Xinhua.
The spokesman added that the truce had three clauses which include opening the offices of election commission to facilitate people to vote, resuming the work for construction of ring road in Balamirghab district and allowing administration to take on the development projects in the district under the National Solidarity Program (NSP) run by government.
This is the first time since the collapse of Taliban regime in late 2001 and resuming militancy in 2003 that ceasefire is held between government and Taliban militants formally.
"This ceasefire is a people-motivated movement for strengthening peace and holding election and we hope it would prove as a model for other areas to enable people use their franchise on Election Day," Herawi further stressed.
However, military and police officials in southwest region have ruled out any peace deal with Taliban militants in the Balamirghab district.
"We have no ceasefire with Taliban, our troops are present in Balamirghab, implementing government rule and control the situation," commander of military Corps in the region General Jalandar Shah Behnam told Xinhua.
However, Behnam admitted that the troops have evacuated from some places captured last month on the directive of Defense Ministry. Police also gave similar expression and rejected any ceasefire with militants in Balamirghab district.
"No, there is no ceasefire as police are capable enough to ensure security for the coming election," police spokesman in the region Abdul Rauf Ahmadi told Xinhua.
Several districts are said to be in the control of Taliban militants particularly in the southern region as the government launched a massive operation against Taliban in parts of Helmand province on July 2 to ensure security for the election.
Defense Ministry has announced that the security forces would restore government control in all areas held by Taliban before theelections.
Afghanistan's second presidential and provincial council election were scheduled to be held on Aug 20 amid tight security.
The Afghan government must exploit the opportunity presented by the allied military surge to reconcile with moderate Taliban guerrillas willing to take part in the political process, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Monday.In a wide-ranging speech at NATO headquarters outlining the allied strategy in the war, Miliband also called for greater burden-sharing among nations contributing troops to the war effort.
Miliband said that while hard-line fundamentalist commanders committed to a global jihad must be pursued relentlessly, ordinary rank-and-file Taliban should be given the opportunity "to leave the path of confrontation with the government."
He said Afghanistan's government must develop "a political strategy for dealing with the insurgency through reintegration and reconciliation" and an "effective grass-roots initiatives to offer an alternative to fight or flight to the foot soldiers of the insurgency."
Meanwhile,the first phase of a bitterly fought British military operation in southern Afghanistan is over and has succeeded in driving the Taleban out of a former stronghold, senior officials said today.
Three thousand UK-led soldiers inflicted "significant" losses on insurgents in Helmand province during the five-week Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther's Claw.
But the gains came at a high cost, with nine British servicemen killed in action and several others still recovering in hospital from wounds sustained in the fighting. Twenty soldiers have died in operations in Afghanistan this month, taking the toll to 189 since British forces first landed eight years ago.
The Ministry of Defence today named the latest casualty as Bombardier Craig Hopson, from 40th Regiment Royal Artillery, who was killed by a roadside bomb on Saturday morning as he travelled in a lightly armoured Jackal combat vehicle.
The U.S. military in Afghanistan has stopped releasing body counts of insurgents believed killed in operations because the tolls distract from the U.S. objective of protecting Afghans, a spokesman said Monday.
The number of insurgents killed in Afghanistan has provided a bloody scorecard for the deteriorating conflict. Attacks by Taliban fighters have risen steadily the last three years, and militants now control wide swaths of countryside.
Nearly 3,800 insurgents were killed in 2008, based on figures collected by The Associated Press. Some of those numbers came from U.S. military statements; others came from Afghan authorities. So far in 2009, more than 2,310 insurgents have been killed, according to the AP count.
The U.S. military policy on releasing insurgent body counts has changed several times during the eight-year conflict, depending on the commander in charge.
The latest decision to stop releasing body counts was made in mid-June when Gen. Stanley McChrystal took command of all U.S. and NATO troops in the country, said spokesman Col. Greg Julian.
The militant death toll "distracts from the real objectives and isn't necessary to communicate what we're trying to achieve," Julian said. "We want to separate the people from the insurgency by improving their quality of life and opportunities."
Since taking command in Afghanistan, McChrystal has said repeatedly that the military needs to protect Afghan villagers instead of chasing and killing insurgents.
Civilian deaths caused by U.S. and NATO military operations have long been a source of friction between President Hamid Karzai and the international force. Such deaths alienate Afghan villagers, causing a loss of support for the international mission and the U.S.-backed Afghan government.
The U.S. military hopes to focus more on spreading the word about military efforts to help Afghans rebuild their lives by improving access to government and economic resources, Julian said.
In northwestern Afghanistan, meanwhile, the government and a local Taliban commander agreed to a cease-fire that will allow a road construction project to move forward and presidential candidates to open offices ahead of the country's Aug. 20 election, said Seyamak Herawi, a spokesman in Karzai's office.
The agreement covers the Bala Morghab district of northwestern Badghis province, an area where the Afghan government has little or no control. The cease-fire was agreed to on Saturday and was reached with the help of tribal elders, Herawi said.
However, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said no such agreement has been made.
"This is all propaganda by the Afghan government," he said. "We will continue our jihad and will not accept the request of the government for negotiations and cease-fire."
U.S. and NATO officials have said they expect negotiations to one day help bring about an end to the Afghan war, but that conditions are not yet right for talks to take place.
Miliband cited Taliban members who have returned to the fold.
"Former Taliban sit in parliament. And Mullah Salam left the Taliban in late 2007 to become district governor of Musa Qala," said Miliband. "So there is no reason why members of the current insurgency cannot follow — if they are prepared to be part of a peaceful future and accept the Afghan constitution."
Twenty British soldiers have died in Afghanistan in July, igniting a debate in Britain about its role in the war and the quality of its military equipment.
The Conservative opposition has lashed out at Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labor government for allegedly underfunding Britain's 9,000-strong contingent and not providing sufficient helicopters or armored vehicles. The government has dismissed those accusations, saying its forces are properly equipped.
Since the start of the war in 2001, 189 British service personnel have died in the conflict. Last week the head of the armed forces warned that British troops faced more combat and more casualties in coming days.
NATO has nearly 60,000 troops in Afghanistan, about half of them American. The United States maintains a separate command numbering about 10,000 soldiers, and nearly 20,000 more are on their way to the war.
The Afghan security forces, which number about 160,000 members, also are being expanded.
In contrast, Taliban guerrillas are said to number just 10,000 to 15,000 fighters.
Theo Farrell, professor of war studies at King's College, London, said Miliband is urging Afghan President Hamid Karzai to used the reconciliation model with former insurgents that worked for U.S. forces in some areas of Iraq.
But Farrell questioned Karzai's willingness to do that, saying he would probably demand former militants surrender unconditionally to be readmitted to "society" and bar them from his government.
"The major obstacle to any real reconciliation is Karzai himself," the analyst said in a telephone interview.
During this speech, Miliband reiterated a call for greater burden-sharing between the allies, some of whose contingents — including those from Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey — are based in the relatively safe north and west of the country. Their governments have refused to allow the troops to be deployed to the much more dangerous southern and eastern provinces.
"People in Britain ... want to know that all the members of our alliance are ready to give it the priority it deserves," Miliband said. "Burden sharing is a founding principal of NATO, and it needs to be honored in practice as well as in theory."
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British Foreign Secretary David Miliband gestures while speaking during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday July 27, 2009. Miliband said Monday that the Afghan government must use the opportunity created by the allied military surge to reconcile with moderate Taliban guerrillas willing to join the political process. Twenty British soldiers have died in Afghanistan in July, the deadliest month of the war, setting off a heated political debate about Britain's role in the war and raising doubts over whether the military has the proper equipment. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) | ||
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BRUSSELS — The Afghan government must exploit the opportunity presented by the allied military surge to reconcile with moderate Taliban guerrillas willing to take part in the political process, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Monday.
In a wide-ranging speech at NATO headquarters outlining the allied strategy in the war, Miliband also called for greater burden-sharing among nations contributing troops to the war effort.
Miliband said that while hard-line fundamentalist commanders committed to a global jihad must be pursued relentlessly, ordinary rank-and-file Taliban should be given the opportunity "to leave the path of confrontation with the government."
He said Afghanistan's government must develop "a political strategy for dealing with the insurgency through reintegration and reconciliation" and an "effective grass-roots initiatives to offer an alternative to fight or flight to the foot soldiers of the insurgency."
Miliband cited Taliban members who have returned to the fold.
"Former Taliban sit in parliament. And Mullah Salam left the Taliban in late 2007 to become district governor of Musa Qala," said Miliband. "So there is no reason why members of the current insurgency cannot follow — if they are prepared to be part of a peaceful future and accept the Afghan constitution."
Twenty British soldiers have died in Afghanistan in July, igniting a debate in Britain about its role in the war and the quality of its military equipment.
The Conservative opposition has lashed out at Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labor government for allegedly underfunding Britain's 9,000-strong contingent and not providing sufficient helicopters or armored vehicles. The government has dismissed those accusations, saying its forces are properly equipped.
Since the start of the war in 2001, 189 British service personnel have died in the conflict. Last week the head of the armed forces warned that British troops faced more combat and more casualties in coming days.
NATO has nearly 60,000 troops in Afghanistan, about half of them American. The United States maintains a separate command numbering about 10,000 soldiers, and nearly 20,000 more are on their way to the war.
The Afghan security forces, which number about 160,000 members, also are being expanded.
In contrast, Taliban guerrillas are said to number just 10,000 to 15,000 fighters.
Theo Farrell, professor of war studies at King's College, London, said Miliband is urging Afghan President Hamid Karzai to used the reconciliation model with former insurgents that worked for U.S. forces in some areas of Iraq.
But Farrell questioned Karzai's willingness to do that, saying he would probably demand former militants surrender unconditionally to be readmitted to "society" and bar them from his government.
"The major obstacle to any real reconciliation is Karzai himself," the analyst said in a telephone interview.
During this speech, Miliband reiterated a call for greater burden-sharing between the allies, some of whose contingents — including those from Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey — are based in the relatively safe north and west of the country. Their governments have refused to allow the troops to be deployed to the much more dangerous southern and eastern provinces.
"People in Britain ... want to know that all the members of our alliance are ready to give it the priority it deserves," Miliband said. "Burden sharing is a founding principal of NATO, and it needs to be honored in practice as well as in theory."
Talk to Taliban, Miliband urges | |||||||||
David Miliband has called for a change of emphasis in strategy in Afghanistan, urging the country's government to talk to moderate members of the Taliban. In a speech to Nato, the foreign secretary said a political coalition, including current insurgents, must be built to secure Afghanistan's future. Those now fighting UK and US troops who were willing to renounce violence should be reintegrated into society. He also urged other Nato members to contribute more to the military effort. July has been the deadliest month for the UK and Nato since operations began. 'Significant gains' Mr Miliband said the fight against the Taliban in the south of the country had caused a "heavy toll" in British deaths. However, he said Operation Panther's Claw had made "significant gains" in taking and securing land ahead of this month's presidential elections. Mr Miliband said the objectives of the UK's mission was clear but that the public "wanted to know whether and how we can succeed" in Afghanistan. He said a viable political solution, alongside the military offensive, was essential to securing Afghanistan's future. As part of this, Mr Miliband said current insurgents should be re-integrated into society and, in some cases, given a role in local and central government. He made a distinction between "hardline ideologues" and Jihaddists within the Taliban and other groups who must be fought and defeated from those who could be "drawn into a political process". Those who had either been coerced or bribed into joining the insurgency could be engaged with if they disowned violence and respected the Afghan constitution, he said. "These Afghans must have the option to choose a different course," he said. Public awareness Earlier, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander compared the move to the talks which brought an end to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Mr Alexander, who is in Afghanistan, conceded that it was a "challenging" message for politicians to suggest when British troops were being killed in action. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he had "confidence in the good judgment of the British people". Mr Alexander added: "I think people recognise from the experience of places like Northern Ireland that it is necessary to put military pressure on the Taliban while at the same time holding out the prospect that there can be a political process that can follow." On Sunday, the UK pledged £225m in aid to the Afghan government, to try to undermine the heroin trade. Announcing the package in Kabul, Mr Alexander said the UK was committed to securing a "stable and democratic future for the people of Afghanistan". He added that the military operation against the insurgency was "only part of the solution". Wave of attacks Mr Alexander is now visiting Helmand province, where UK soldiers have been engaged in Operation Panther's Claw to capture and hold land previously in Taliban hands. The operation has led to the deaths of 20 British soldiers in the past four weeks. US troops have also seen a rise in casualties, while parts of Afghanistan that have been mostly peaceful have seen an upsurge in violence. Other Nato forces such as German troops - mainly engaged in training and reconstruction - have been drawn into offensive action. But Mr Miliband has called for other countries to do more, saying the policy of burden-sharing must work in "practice" not just in theory. A wave of Taliban attacks over the weekend left 22 dead, including insurgents, a foreign soldier and two Afghan soldiers, authorities said. The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said a Nato soldier "died of wounds suffered in a hostile incident" on Saturday, but did not confirm his nationality. Meanwhile a roadside bomb in the Herat province wounded four Italian soldiers. There are about 90,000 foreign soldiers currently deployed in Afghanistan. Large numbers are being moved to the troubled south of the country ahead of the elections on 20 August. So far in July, 67 international troops have been killed, bringing the total number of coalition deaths in 2009 to 223. Print Sponsor Ads by Google International Development Latest World News From The Intl Development News Service IntlDevelopment.EINnews.com Development Agreements Download International Development Agreements. Subscribe for $99. ConsusGroup.com | Advertisement  LATEST NEWS FEATURES AND ANALYSIS  Difficult road Deaths mount in what was once 'forgotten campaign' BACKGROUND  Key facts Manpower and mobility: The forces fighting the Taliban FATALITIES  Full details of UK service personnel killed in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion  Interactive graphic: UK military deaths broken down by age, date, rank and cause VIDEO ON DEMAND  Malloch-Brown clarifies his position on helicopters   Soldier's mother criticises troop protection   Army 'busting a gut' for more helicopters  Mandelson on Afghan 'shopping list'  Cameron: 'Government must listen to military'  Dead soldier wrote of lack of food and water HAVE YOUR SAY RELATED INTERNET LINKS The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites  News feeds
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Israel, U.S. discuss Iran nuclear threat
- Story Highlights
- Mideast envoy George Mitchell to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres
- Mitchell will also meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
- Mideast peace, Iran nuclear question on agenda
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- A week of U.S. diplomatic maneuvering continued Monday with special envoy George Mitchell and Defense Secretary Robert Gates visiting Israel.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, shakes hands with his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak.
Mitchell will meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres and travel to Ramallah for a face-to-face with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
He will try to downplay tensions that have erupted publicly over U.S. President Barack Obama's demand that Israel freeze settlement in the occupied West Bank.
Some 300,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, a presence that Palestinian authorities say impedes peace talks.
"Our governments are friends and allies," Mitchell said Sunday after meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
"These are discussions among friends, both personal and public. These are not disputes among adversaries."
For his part, Gates will meet with Barak and Netanyahu. He is expected to talk about the American strategy in dealing with Iran's alleged nuclear program and the perceived threat it poses to Israel.
On Wednesday, U.S. National Security Adviser James Jones and Special Mideast Adviser Dennis Ross will also arrive in Israel for meetings.
The flurry of activity is intended to jump-start the stalled Israel-Palestinian peace process.
On Sunday, Mitchell met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad before heading to Israel and Egypt.
He told journalists the talks involved not only prospects for a comprehensive regional peace agreement, but also bolstering U.S. ties with Syria.
Next, he heads to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/07/27/gates.mideast/
Afghanistan 'agrees Taliban deal' | ||||||||||
The Afghan government has agreed a truce with Taliban insurgents in the north-western province of Badghis ahead of elections next month, officials say. The Taliban have pledged not to attack voting centres and to hand key areas to government forces, officials say. There has been no word from the militants. The government says it hopes to replicate the deal in other provinces. The moves comes as the UK is emphasising that more must be done to engage moderate members of the Taliban. Foreign Secretary David Miliband announced the shift of emphasis in the UK's Afghanistan strategy in a speech to Nato. He stressed the Afghan government must do more to talk to moderate members of the Taliban as part of a broader political process. Violence in Afghanistan has escalated in recent months as UK and US forces launched a full-scale offensive against Taliban militants in the south of the country. Taliban engagement But Badghis has seen comparatively little violence in recent months. The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says the province, which borders Turkmenistan, has been a launching point for attacks in the nearby provinces of Ghor and Herat.  Cannot play media.You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband: 'We need to deny insurgents the space to operate' In November 2008 about 200 militants attacked an Afghan army convoy in Badghis, killing at least 13 Afghan soldiers and policemen. Presidential spokesman Siamak Hirawi told the BBC the agreement in Badghis also stipulated that the Taliban would allow the reconstruction of the main highway. If the Taliban confirm they have agreed to the terms of the ceasefire and if the deal is repeated in other provinces, then it could mark a significant new stage in the conflict, correspondents say. But it would not be the first time the Afghan government has tried to engage the Taliban. In October 2008, President Hamid Karzai's brother confirmed a BBC report that he had met former members of the Taliban in Saudi Arabia as part of a first step towards peace talks. There are grave concerns about security across the country ahead of presidential and provincial council elections on 20 August. Mr Karzai faces about 40 challengers for the post of president. Print Sponsor Ads by Google Make your own Solar Panel For < $200 - Save $1000's 50% Off - $48.95 For A Limited Time www.freeenergyoptions.com Go Greener Go Solar Make your own Solar and Wind power Reduce Power Bills by 80% www.earth4energy.com How to do Energy Healing? Powerful Techniques for Healing Restores Your Energy in 15 mins! www.TheAmericanMonk.com | Advertisement  KEY STORIES AND ANALYSIS  Who are the Taliban? History of movement in Afghanistan and Pakistan AFGHANISTAN PAKISTAN
VIDEO  On front line in Helmand province  Pakistan displaced to return home  Inside the brutal Afghan war zone  Suicide bomber: 'They brainwash us'  Inside the Taliban's Afghan ranks News feeds
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Three convicted for Mumbai blasts
 The blasts caused devastation in Mumbai |
A court in India has convicted three people of carrying out bombings that killed more than 50 people in the city of Mumbai (Bombay) in 2003.
Haneef Sayyed, his wife Fahmeeda and Ashrat Ansari had pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy charges.
The explosions at the famous Gateway of India landmark and a busy market shocked the country and caused carnage.
They were said to be in retaliation for the deaths of Muslims during riots in Gujarat state the year before.
Hundreds have been killed in attacks in Mumbai in recent years.
'Links with militants'
The double car bombing in August 2003 left devastation at the Gateway of India and the Zaveri Bazaar market near the Mumba Devi temple in central Mumbai.
About 180 people were injured.
The three defendants, all of them from Mumbai, were charged under India's Prevention Of Terrorism Act, which has since been repealed.
Two others were accused - Mohammed Ansari and Mohammed Hasan. They were discharged after a review by the special court last year.
The three defendants were convicted of plotting the bombings in co-ordination with the Pakistan-based Islamic militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
LeT is also accused of carrying out other attacks in India in recent years, including the gun and bomb assault on Mumbai last November.
The judge said all three defendants were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which they denied.
Sentencing is due on 4 August and the prosecution is expected to demand the death penalty. The defence plan to appeal.
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Uproar in Indian Kashmir assembly
 The alleged rapes and murders have generated much anger |
Opposition MPs in Indian-administered Kashmir have been evicted from the state assembly after protesting at the rape and murder of two women in May.
There was uproar when People's Democratic Party (PDP) members demanded those responsible be held to account.
Four policemen have been arrested in connection with the murders, charged with destroying evidence in the case.
The discovery of the young women's bodies led to weeks of protests and strikes in the Kashmir valley.
Microphone snatched
The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says there were noisy scenes as the state assembly held the first day of a month-long budget session.
Without having received permission to speak, PDP members demanded the rapists and killers of the two women be brought to justice.
The presiding officer then ordered them and their leader Mehbooba Mufti to be thrown out of the chamber.
Ms Mufti snatched the Speaker's microphone and threw it to the ground before being evicted.
The women's bodies were found in a canal in the town of Shopian on 30 May.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said initial findings did not suggest either rape or murder.
But he later ordered a judicial inquiry following protests and police registered a case of both rape and murder.
The four policemen and a laboratory official remain suspended while investigations continue.
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- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8170424.stm
Afghanistan offensive 'a success'
 Around 3,000 forces personnel have taken part in Operation Panther's Claw |
The commander of UK forces in Afghanistan has hailed their latest operation a success, as its first stage draws to a close.
Brig Tim Radford was "cautiously optimistic" about the future but said there was "a long way to go" to improve security in time for elections.
Nine UK soldiers died during Operation Panther's Claw, which has involved 3,000 troops since its launch in June.
Troops will now focus on holding ground won from the Taliban in recent weeks.
The latest soldier to die has been named as Bombardier Craig Hopson, 24, from Castleford, west Yorkshire.
He was serving with 40th Regiment Royal Artillery, when he was killed in an explosion as the offensive neared completion on Saturday.
'Difficult summer'
It ended as UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband urged Afghanistan's leaders to build a political coalition which included some of the country's more moderate insurgents.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it had been "one of the most difficult summers" since UK forces entered Afghanistan in 2001.
He said the offensive had secured land for around 100,000 people and had started to break the "chain of terror" linking Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan to the UK.
|  Paul Reynolds, BBC world affairs correspondent The military view of the Miliband proposal to talk to moderate Taliban is that nobody in the Taliban will talk unless it is significantly beaten on the ground. The military priority right now is to clear ground, hold it and develop its civilian and governmental structures. This is why Operation Panther's Claw, to clear the Taliban from populated areas in north central Helmand (and a similar offensive conducted by US marines in the south), is seen as so important. Lt Gen Simon Mayall, British deputy chief of operations, said: "The Taliban is really worried about our policy of clear and hold. "It gives us the chance to get 'second-tier' Taliban to re-engage with the government and this is at the heart of our policy." So the success of the "Talk to the Taliban" approach much depends on there being military progress. But, equally, military success will not last unless political progress is made. |
"It's time to commemorate all those soldiers who have given their lives and to thank all our British forces for the determination and professionalism and courage that they've shown," he added.
The Ministry of Defence said the first stage of Operation Panther's Claw, which focused on an area the size of the Isle of Wight, was the most heavily-militarised of the offensive.
It ended with a final armoured thrust into former Taliban territory by The Black Watch and 2nd Battalion the Welsh Guards.
Nine soldiers have died during the operation, and another 11 were killed on unrelated missions during the last month.
Brig Radford said the casualties had not been in vain.
"I am absolutely certain that the operation has been a success," he said.
"We've had a significant impact on the Taliban in this area - both in terms of their capability and their morale."
British commanders estimate there were up to 500 Taliban in the area before the start of the operation and say most have now fled, given up arms or been killed.
Brig Radford said Afghan nationals had moved back into the cleared areas and had been warning them about roadside bombs and helping them plot safe routes.
These good relations meant some reintegration with current insurgents was "not beyond the realms of possibility", he said.
The operation's second and third stages will aim to hold ground taken by forces during the offensive and work towards the elections in late August.
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"We have started to break the chain of terror that links Afghanistan to the streets of Britain"
Brig Radford said morale was "extremely high" among British troops, adding that he did not feel his forces had been short of helicopters during his three months leading them.
The high casualty rate among British troops, with roadside bombs proving particularly deadly, had provoked debate over whether forces were properly equipped to deal with the threat.
Much of it had focused on a perceived lack of helicopters, with Conservative leader David Cameron attacking ministers over the "scandal" of shortages.
Military commanders said using more helicopters would save lives by keeping troops off the roads and making their movements less predictable.
However, Mr Brown has insisted troops had the resources "to do the job" and that lives had not been lost during the operation because of a lack of helicopters.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8170432.stm
Afghanistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| Anthem: Milli Tharana | ||||||
 | ||||||
| Capital (and largest city) | Kabul 34°31′N 69°08′E / 34.517°N 69.133°E / 34.517; 69.133 | |||||
| Official languages | Dari (Persian), Pashto[1] | |||||
| Demonym | Afghan
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