Afghan President Calls Protesters Enemies of Progress

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D779FD:2F72C9D

Country peaceful, after days of bloody protests over magazine report
that US interrogators in Guantanamo, Cuba allegedly desecrated Koran


Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks to the media in Kabul Afghanistan
is peaceful, after days of bloody protests over a magazine report that
U.S. interrogators in Guantanamo, Cuba allegedly desecrated the Koran.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has blamed "enemies" of Afghanistan's
progress and its ties with the international community for the
violence. The protest over the alleged desecration is not over.

The anti-U.S. demonstrations that broke out across Afghanistan have
claimed the lives of 16 Afghans while more than 100 have been injured.

The protests were triggered by a report in a U.S weekly magazine,
Newsweek, that accused American interrogators at the Guantanamo
detention facility of desecrating the Muslim holy book.

Senior U.S. officials investigating the incident say they have found
no evidence it took place.

The protesters in Afghanistan have also been venting their anger
against President Hamid Karzai and his close ties with the United
States. In some places, demonstrators attacked and set fire to
government offices and police stations, as well as U.N. facilities and
offices of aid groups.

Speaking at a news conference Saturday in Kabul, President Karzai said
those behind the violence are trying to tarnish Afghanistan's image as
it moves toward political and economic stability. He said foreign
hands are behind the disturbance, but he did not identify them.

He says the violence is an attack on Afghanistan and the government
will fight the threat as it fought Soviet occupiers in the 1980s. The
president says he has ordered his security agencies to arrest anyone
involved in fanning the unrest whether they are Afghans or foreigners.

But Mr. Karzai dismissed suggestions the protests are actually aimed
at the presence of U.S and other allied forces in Afghanistan, saying
the country would "go back immediately to chaos" if foreign forces
left.

"Without the strategic partnership with America, Afghanistan will not
make it as a sovereign, independent nation able to stand on its own
feet," he said. "We are seeking partnership with America, with Europe
because we cannot fight tricks, interference - hidden or otherwise -
in our country."

President Karzai urged the United States to prosecute and punish
anyone found guilty of desecrating the Koran, saying such an act is
unacceptable to every Muslim.

Afghanistan's new jihad targets poppy production
A US, European, and Afghan initiative has cleared 80 percent of the
opium plants from one province. Second of two parts. By Scott Baldauf
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0516/p07s01-wosc.html?s=hns

Afghanistan not ready to legalize opium production
Some analysts believe limited, monitored, farming of poppies for
morphine or coedine could help boost the economy. By Ben Arnoldy
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0516/p25s02-wosc.html?s=hns

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/s...sp?story=638633

Karzai warns heavy-handed US troops as riots spread

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/may2005-daily/1...main/main12.htm

Afghan group declares Jihad against US forces

http://www.kashar.net/complete.asp?id=1103

Karzai urges probe into Afghan unrest

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/stor...5007494,00.html

US Response Urged Amid Afghan Protests

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U.S. Commander: Afghan Insurgency Weaker
--------------------

By STEPHEN GRAHAM
Associated Press Writer

May 16 2005, 3:02 AM PDT

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan insurgents are "significantly weaker" than a year ago, a U.S. commander said Monday, despite stepped-up resistance from Taliban-led rebels in recent weeks and clashes that have left dozens dead.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...world-headlines

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Newsweek Apologizes; Afghans Want Action
--------------------

By STEPHEN GRAHAM
Associated Press Writer

May 16 2005, 5:37 AM PDT

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Muslims in Afghanistan gave Washington three days to offer a response to a Newsweek story that claimed the Islamic holy book was desecrated at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, but the magazine apologized Sunday for the report, which prompted deadly riots across Afghanistan last week.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...opinternational

Karzai warns heavy-handed US troops as riots spread:

President Hamid Karzai insisted the Kabul government will veto US military operations after a week of hugely destructive anti-American rioting left Afghan cities and towns in flames and hospitals overflowing with casualties.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/s...sp?story=638633

http://snipurl.com/ex9y

Newsweek may have erred in Koran article: report:

Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker apologized to victims of the violence triggered by the allegations of desecration.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...8_34/?hub=World

http://snipurl.com/exqj

Juan Cole : The Bible and the Koran :

This informed former officer has suggested the real reason for which some in the Pentagon are so angry about the Newsweek story. It may well so focus international outrage on Guantanamo that Rumsfeld will lose his little psych lab.
http://www.juancole.com/2005/05/guantanamo...-bible-and.html

http://snipurl.com/exqm

2 soldiers killed in blast in S. Afghanistan :

Two Afghan soldiers have been killed and five others injured as their vehicle ran over a mine in southern Zabul province, a statement of US-led coalition said Monday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-05/...ent_2963731.htm

http://snipurl.com/exqr

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/may2005-daily/1...main/main19.htm

Afghan militants attack from Pakistan

Five Afghans killed in ambush in troubled south: -

Five Afghans, three of them working on an opium crop substitution project, were killed on Wednesday in a Taliban ambush, a provincial official said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL239272.htm

http://snipurl.com/ezld

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?t...storyID=8527961

Afghan clerics defer jihad call against US

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7923756/

Army report details Afghan prisoner abuse
Tactics included kissing boots, fetching bottles in excrement

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4568031.stm

Karzai angry at US Afghan 'abuse'

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&...&category=World

Leaked US Documents Highlight Afghan Prisoners' Abuse

http://www.cuttingedge.org/news_updates/newsupdatemain.html

anti-US anger in Afghanistan overshadows Karzai trip to Washington

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/stor....html?gusrc=rss

Report implicates top brass in Bagram scandal

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/stor....html?gusrc=rss

US abuse of Afghan prisoners 'widespread'

http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-05-21-voa8.cfm

Afghan President Condemns US Over Alleged Abuse of Prisoners

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050521/ap_on_...TFjBHNlYwN0cw--

Karzai 'Shocked' Over US Abuse Report

Afghan President Condemns US Over Alleged Abuse of Prisoners

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D93A2E:2F72C9D

Hamid Karzai says he was shocked by report citing confidential US army
document detailing abuse, deaths of Afghan detainees

Hamid KarzaiAfghan President Hamid Karzai, expressing outrage over the
alleged abuse of Afghan detainees by U.S. military personnel, has
demanded that his government be consulted on all U.S. military
operations in the country.

President Karzai says he was shocked by the reported deaths at the
U.S.-run prison in Bagram of two Afghan detainees, and says he wants
all Afghan prisoners - whether in the country or under U.S. control
abroad - turned over to Afghan custody.

"We condemn it," Mr. Karzai said. " We want the [U.S.] government to
take very, very strong action to take away people like that who are
working with the forces in Afghanistan."

Mr. Karzai says he also wants his government consulted on all U.S.
military operations in the country. There are currently around 18,000
international troops in Afghanistan under U.S. command, most of them
involved in hunting remnants of al-Qaida and the former Taleban
government.

Mr. Karzai's comments, made Saturday just before he left on a visit to
the United States, were prompted by a story in the New York Times
newspaper, describing the deaths of two Afghan men held at the Bagram
military base north of Kabul.

The newspaper, quoting a confidential U.S. Army investigation into
prisoner abuse in 2002, said the two died from beatings at the hands
of U.S. personnel.

Mr. Karzai told reporters he would raise the issue with U.S. leaders
while in Washington.

U.S. officials have denounced the alleged misconduct, and promised
that those responsible would be held to account. The White House says
seven people have been charged in the case.

The U.S. military says the two deaths were isolated incidents that
violated U.S. policy.

The latest controversy comes as the U.S. military's treatment of
prisoners is under attack by Muslims around the world.

The U.S. magazine Newsweek reported last week that U.S. soldiers in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba desecrated the Koran during prisoner
interrogations.

That story, which Newsweek later retracted, sparked widespread
anti-American protests in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Demonstrations continued this week in several countries, including
Somalia, India and England.

Robert Fisk: Afghanistan is on the brink of another disaster:

"This is a secret war," the Special Forces man told me. "And this is a dirty war. You don't know what is happening." And of course,

we are not supposed to know. In a "war against terror", journalists are supposed to keep silent and rely on the good guys to sort out

the bad guys without worrying too much about human rights.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8913.htm

http://snipurl.com/f20n

Karzai wants more control of U.S. forces:

President Hamid Karzai called on Saturday for control of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and demanded the United States take strong action against soldiers who abuse prisoners
http://www.silive.com/newsflash/internatio...t=international

http://snipurl.com/f20r

Afghan prisoners were 'tortured to death' by American guards:

Shocking and detailed accounts have emerged of how two Afghan prisoners were tortured to death by American interrogators and prison guards at Bagram air base, outside Kabul.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8906.htm

http://snipurl.com/f20k

2 Afghan death certificates: A U.S. cover-up? :

Both classify Dilawar's death as a homicide. But in one death certificate, he is a Caucasian of unspecified age and religion. In the other, he is a Muslim of "approximately 35 years," who was "found unresponsive in his cell while in custody."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8912.htm

http://snipurl.com/f20l

Karzai Seeks More Control After Charges Of U.S. Abuse

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 21 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that he was shocked by allegations that U.S. soldiers had abused detainees in Afghanistan. He said his government wanted custody of all Afghan prisoners and greater control over U.S. military operations.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/22/internat...059&partner=AOL

US Memo Faults Afghan Leader on Heroin Fight

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/internat...ia/20abuse.html

In US Report, Brutal Details of 2 Afghan Inmates' Deaths

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/22/internat...a/22karzai.html

Karzai Demands Custody of All Afghan Prisoners

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KARZAI TAKES HARD LINE ON U.S. TROOPS
By Daniel Cooney
ASSOCIATED PRESS
-----------------------------------------------------------
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai, hours before flying to Washington for talks with President Bush, yesterday demanded greater control over U.S. military operations in his country and called for vigorous punishment of any U.S. troops who mistreat prisoners.

He also said he wants the United States to hand over all Afghan prisoners still in U.S. custody.

In a volatile southern province, meanwhile, a U.S. soldier was killed and three were wounded in the latest in a string of attacks launched by loyalists of the ousted Taliban regime.

Speaking to reporters before his first visit to the United States since he was installed in December as Afghanistan's first democratically elected president, Mr. Karzai demanded more say over operations by the 16,700 U.S. troops still in the country, including an end to raids on the homes of Afghans unless his government is notified beforehand.

"No operations inside Afghanistan should take place without the consultation of the Afghan government," he said.

Mr. Karzai -- seen by his critics as an American puppet -- issued the tough statement after fresh reports of prisoner abuse by American forces at Bagram, the main military prison north of Kabul, and anti-U.S. riots that broke out across the country earlier this month, leaving 16 persons dead.

The unrest was triggered by a Newsweek magazine report, later retracted, that the Koran, Islam's holy book, was defiled by interrogators at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

There were fears a report in Friday's New York Times, based on the Army's criminal investigation into the December 2002 deaths of two Afghans at Bagram, could re-ignite anti-American sentiments.

Mr. Karzai said he was "shocked" by charges of prisoner abuse by poorly trained U.S. soldiers at Bagram and vowed to raise the issue during his four-day U.S. visit, which begins today.

"We want the U.S. government to take very, very strong action to take away people like that [who] are working with their forces in Afghanistan," Mr. Karzai said. "Definitely ... I will see about that when I am in the United States."

Responding to the abuse charges, Col. James Yonts, the U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, said: "The command has made it very clear that any incidents of abuse will not be tolerated."

In Washington, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the president was "alarmed by the reports of prisoner abuse," and wants them thoroughly investigated. Mr. Duffy said seven persons were being investigated about abuse at Bagram.

In other developments yesterday, an Italian aid worker kidnapped in Kabul spent her sixth day in captivity, still with no clear word on her fate.

Taliban-led rebels kept up assaults in the south and east of the country. A roadside bomb killed one U.S. soldier and wounded three others as they patrolled in an armored vehicle in Zabul province, the U.S. military said. A purported spokesman for the Taliban took responsibility.

Brig. Gen. Greg Champion, a deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force 76, said in a telephone interview Friday from his headquarters at Bagram that the recent increase in insurgent violence was due mainly to a more aggressive approach by American and Afghan forces.

"We have not taken a posture of waiting" for the Taliban to begin their usual spring offensive, he said. Instead, U.S. and Afghan forces have been "going on our own offensive."

A mine explosion in southern Kandahar province wounded four Afghan soldiers, while a two-hour gunbattle between Taliban rebels and Afghan forces in Zabul left two insurgents dead, officials said.

In Ghazni province, four persons driving to a wedding were killed and four were wounded when an old land mine exploded under their vehicle, police said.

(http://insider.washtimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050522-120018-4992r)

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/internation...1489552,00.html

Afghan leader heads for Bush showdown

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=559732005

Afghanistan: The forgotten conflict

http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives...ers%20Abuse.htm

Leaked US Documents Highlight Afghan Prisoners' Abuse

http://news.scotsman.com/leaders.cfm?id=560092005

War on terror runs into Afghan sand

UN slams abuse of Afghan detainees at US detention centers Xinhua

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200505/s1374243.htm

Abuse claims overshadow Karzai's US visit

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U.S. Rockets Reportedly Kill 5 Pakistanis
--------------------

American military says troops were pursuing guerrillas who attacked in Afghanistan, but does not confirm fatalities across the border.

By Zulfiqar Ali and Paul Watson
Special to The Times

May 23 2005

PESHAWAR, Pakistan; A battle between U.S. forces and militants in eastern Afghanistan spilled across the border into Pakistan during the weekend, and witnesses said American rocket fire had killed five Pakistani tribesmen.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,3534648.story

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_afghanistan


Bush Rebuffs Karzai's Request on Troops By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 42 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - President Bush said Monday that U.S. troops in Afghanistan will remain under U.S. control despite Afghan President Hamid Karzai's request for more authority over them.

"Of course, our troops will respond to U.S. commanders," Bush said, with Karzai standing at his side at the White House. At the same time, Bush said the relationship between Washington and Kabul is "to cooperate and consult" on military operations.

There are about 20,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, costing about $1 billion a month. That is in addition to approximately 8,200 troops from NATO countries in Kabul and elsewhere.

Bush also said that Afghan prisoners under U.S. control in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere, would be slowly returned to their home countries.

"We will do this over time," he said. "We have to make sure the facilities are there."

Bush had high praise for Karzai as a valued anti-terror partner and credited the Afghan leader with "showing countries in the neighborhood what's possible."

Karzai thanked Bush for helping to put his country on the path to democracy. But he also came to their meeting with a long list of grievances.

Karzai wants more control over U.S. military operations in his country, custody of Afghan prisoners held by the United States and more assistance in fighting opium trade.

As for the opium-heroin trade, Bush said, "I made it very clear to the president that we have got to work together to eradicate the poppy crop."

Karzai commented on recent reports of abuse of Afghan prisoners by their American captors. "We are of course sad about that," he said, speaking in fluent English. But, he added, "It does not reflect on the American people."

Similarly, a report — later retracted — in Newsweek magazine earlier this month that alleged mistreatment of the Quran by American prison guards does not reflect American values, Karzai said.

While claiming the original report was not responsible journalism, Karzai said, "Newsweek's story is not America's story. That's what we understrand in Afghanistan."

Saying that he himself had been to a mosque in Washington, Karzai noted that many thousands of Muslims are going on a daily basis to mosques in America, without incident.

The two leaders addressed reporters in the East Room of the White House.

Bush welcomed his guest as the "first democratically elected leader in the 5,000- year history of Afghanistan."

"And your leadership has been strong," Bush added.

Bush and Karzai pledged to work more closely together amid continued instability and protests in Afghanistan.

"It's important for the Afghan people to understand that we have a strategic vision about our relationship with Afghanistan," Bush said.

He said the United States and Afghanistan had signed a "strategic partnership" that establishes "regular high-level exchanges on ... economic issues of mutual interest. "

"We will consult with Afghanistan if it perceives its territorial integrity, independence or security is at risk," Bush said.

Karzai said that he hoped Afghanistan would be free of opium poppy crops within five to six years and that Afghan farmers could find alternative crops like honeydew melons and pomegranates.

Opium poppies are the raw material for heroin. Their cultivation has rocketed since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Last year, cultivation reached a record 323,700 acres, yielding nearly 80 percent of world supply.

"Indeed, Afghanistan is suffering from the cultivation of poppies, which is undermining our economy," Karzai said. "It's giving us a bad name, worst of all."

Ahead of their meeting, Karzai said that he wanted more control of U.S. forces in his country and to take over custody of the hundreds of Afghans detained in military jails in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during and after the 2001 U.S. invasion that ousted the repressive Taliban regime.

Karzai began his U.S. stay by sharply denying a reported State Department cable that said he has not worked strongly enough to curtail production of opium, the raw material for heroin. The cable, from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said the U.S. crackdown there has not been very effective, in part because Karzai "has been unwilling to assert strong leadership," The New York Times reported Sunday.

Recent anti-American protests across Afghanistan killed at least 15 people and threatened a security crisis for Karzai's feeble central government.

The White House blamed the May 9 Newsweek report for igniting the violence.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4570941.stm

Q&A: US abuses in Afghan jails

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Bush Refuses Karzai on Troops, Captives
--------------------

Despite losing a bid for control of U.S. military operations, the Afghan leader downplays disagreements after a White House meeting.

By Paul Richter
Times Staff Writer

May 24 2005

WASHINGTON; President Bush promised Monday to continue U.S. military and economic aid to Afghanistan, but resisted pressure from Afghan President Hamid Karzai to yield control of Afghan prisoners and U.S. military operations in the country.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,4193510.story

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11719262.htm

Afghan President Defends US

Bush Calls for Closer Ties with Afghanistan

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D9CD47:2F72C9D

President Bush says 20,000 US troops in Afghanistan will remain under
American command, but they will take Afghan concerns into account

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, left, and President Bush, laugh
as they take questions from reporters during a joint news
conferencePresident Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have agreed
to seek stronger political, economic, and security ties.

They met at a time of tension between their two countries. But in
their public comments both men appeared to go out of their way to be
congenial and focus on the long term.

Before the meeting, President Karzai said he wanted more Afghan
control over U.S. military operations in his country. He also said all
Afghan detainees held by American forces should be turned over to his
government, and he called for more effective international help in
eradicating opium poppies.

During a session with reporters, President Bush said the approximately
20,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan will remain under American command.
But he added they will take Afghan concerns into account as they seek
out remaining al-Qaida terrorists

"Our relationship is one of cooperate and consult," said Mr. Bush. Of
course our troops will respond to U.S. commanders. But our U.S.
commanders and our diplomatic mission there has a consulting
relationship with the government."

Mr. Bush went on to say the United States would like to transfer
detainees held at the U.S. naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to
Afghan custody over time. But he added proper facilities need to be
available to hold them when they return to Afghanistan.

"Our policy is one where we want the people to be sent home. But too,
we have got to make sure there are facilities there, facilities where
they can be housed and fed and guarded," said Mr. Bush.

There have been reports recently of severe mistreatment of the
detainees at Guantanamo. President Karzai left no doubt he is very
concerned about the matter, but added if there is abuse, it is the
work of a few individuals and not a reflection on the American people.

He made the same point when asked about a recent item in Newsweek
Magazine that incited violence in Afghanistan. The story, later
retracted by Newsweek, spoke of desecration of the Koran.

"Newsweek's story is not America's story. That is what we understand
in Afghanistan," said Mr. Karzai.

Under questioning from reporters, the Afghan president also stressed
his determination to work with the United States to eradicate the
production of the poppies that provide the opium paste used to make
heroin. He said in parts of Afghanistan there has been a significant
decline in the past year.

"If this trend continues, we will have no poppies, hopefully, in
Afghanistan in another five or six years," he said.

President Karzai called the drug trade a curse that has given
Afghanistan a bad name. He said the key to eradicating poppy
cultivation is to provide farmers with alternative crops, while going
after those who distribute the raw opium.

Five Afghan soldiers killed in landmine blast in Spin Boldak:

At least five Afghan soldiers were killed when their vehicle went over a landmine in the Spin Boldak area of southern Afghanistan on Monday evening.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...4-5-2005_pg7_27

http://snipurl.com/f4f6

http://www.kashar.net/complete.asp?id=1211

Karzai says Osama not in Afghanistan

Top Cleric Killed in Southern Afghanistan :

Mullah Abdul Fayaz, a supporter of U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai, was shot while driving in the center of Kandahar city, said deputy police chief Gen Salim Khan.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/stor...5038928,00.html

http://snipurl.com/f824

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050529/ap_on_...TFjBHNlYwN0cw--

Blast Shakes NATO Headquarters in Kabul