AFPAK / Iraq Sweep

28 November 2011

Afghanistan

1) As recommended by the Transition Commission and approved by the President Hamid Karzai, the Afghan police and army will take full control of Balkh, Takhar, Daikundi, Samangan, Kabul and Nimroz provinces, said a statement released by Karzai office. According to the statement, security responsibility of seven Afghan provincial capitals and several districts in different provinces will also be handed over to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). There is not an exact date for the handover as of yet. Xinhua

2)The proposed Afghan-U.S. strategic partnership, will not be inked before the international conference on Afghanistan, planned to held in Bonn, Germany in December this year, a local newspaper reported Monday. "Afghan-U.S. strategic agreement will not be signed before the Bonn conference and no exact dates have been fixed for the agreement to be signed," Daily Outlook quoted Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman JananMusazai as saying. Xinhua

3)Russia may reconsider its cooperation with NATO in Afghanistan if the alliance continues to ignore Moscow's concerns with Western missile defense systems in Europe, government officials said Monday. "If our partners will not react to our predictable and expected statements regarding our national security risks, we will have to consider the issues of cooperation (with them) in the other areas," said Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian envoy to NATO. Xinhua

4)France will pull out a further 200 soldiers from Afghanistan by the end of the year, the president's office said on Monday, on top of the 200 that returned home at the end of October under a gradual handover by foreign troops. Reuters

5) The Afghan government has awarded the rights to develop three blocks of the huge Hajigak iron ore concession in central Afghanistan to a consortium led by the Steel Authority of India, an official at the Ministry of Mines said on Monday. Policy director Abdul JalilJumriany said rights to a fourth block at the deposit had been won by Canada's Kilo Goldmines Ltd, which is chiefly active in Africa and has previously worked in joint venture with Rio Tinto Mining and Exploration. Reuters

6) An Iranian Foreign Ministry official says the United States military bases in Afghanistan are a serious threat to security in the region. "In recent years, the security doctrine of the US has been focused on the establishment of permanent military bases across Afghanistan," Mohsen Paka'in, director of the Foreign Ministry department for Afghan affairs. BBC Translations

7) The Taleban will not take part in the Bonn Conference. Taleban spokesman, ZabihollahMojahedhas announced that the Talebanwill not participate in the forthcoming Bonn Conference because such conferences are a waste of time.BBC Translations

Pakistan

1)Fire from a Pakistani military outpost into Afghanistan prompted the Nato cross-border air strikes that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead, a report said Sunday, citing Afghan and Western officials. The Wall Street Journal, citing three unnamed Afghan officials and one Western official, said the attack —which has prompted fury in Islamabad —was called in to shield Nato and Afghan forces targeting Taliban fighters. AAJ

2) Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas while speaking to Geo News denied reports that Pakistan provoked the attack by firing first and said if this was the case then ISAF and NATO should provide proof of it. Abbas said initial reports indicate that two check posts were attacked by NATO. Geo

3) President Asif Ali Zardari has refused a request by the United Arab Emirates to review Pakistan's decision of telling the US to vacate the Shamsi airbase within 15 days, Geo News reported. According to sources, UAE's foreign minister met President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday and requested to review Pakistan's decision to vacate Shamsi airbase. Geo

4) Pak-Afghan Friendship gate on Pak-Afghan border in Chaman remained closed for NATO supplies on Monday. Police said that Pakistan border officials did not allow containers and tankers carrying supplies and fuel respectively for NATO forces to enter in Afghanistan. However, other vehicles were allowed to cross the border from both sides. Geo

5) Police in an action against the militants arrested their leading commander, Badshahzada in Matta area here, Geo News reported. Police said that Badshahzada was wanted in the murder of Lashkar chief PirSamullah besides other terror incidents. Badshahzada was arrested this morning in a raid on a house at Matta on a tip off and has been shifted to an unknown place for grilling. Geo

6) Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Sunday said that the supply of NATO has not been suspended rather it has been stopped permanently. Talking to reporters at National Crisis Management Cell of Ministry of Interior, he strongly condemned the NATO attack on Pakistani forces. Daily Times

7)The Obama administration on Saturday pledged a full investigation into a NATO attack that killed 24 Pakistani troops. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta in a joint statement offered their “deepest condolences” for the loss of life in the cross-border incident. Daily Times

8)Pakistan on Sunday buried 24 troops killed in a NATO cross-border air attack that has pushed a crisis in relations between the United States and an ally it needs to fight militancy towards rupture. Television stations showed the coffins of the soldiers draped in national flags in a prayer ceremony at the Corp Headquarters in Peshawar attended by Chief of Army Staff General AshfaqKayani. Daily Times

Iraq

1) A suicide car bombing rattled the Taj prison north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Monday, killing 11 people and injuring 22 others, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua. The attack took place at about 8:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) when a suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden car into the entrance of the prison, some 20 km north of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity. Xinhua

2 ) A source in theIraqiprime minister saidthatU.S Vice President Joe Bidenwill arrive to Iraqwithin thenextforty-eight hours in a two-day visit. According tothe source, during his visit Bidenwill meet PresidentJalalTalabaniand PM Nouri al-Maliki andOsamaNajafi,Chairman ofthe House of Representativesand a number ofleaders of political blocsto discussa number of issuesconcerningthe U.S. withdrawalfrom Iraq,andhow to providelegal protectionfor Americans trainersduringtheir work,and the relationshipbetween Baghdadand Washington. Translations

3)Iraq''s Foreign Minister HushyarZebari on Monday discussed with US Ambassador in Baghdad James Jeffrey bilateral relations after the withdrawal of the US troops by the end of the year, and activation of the strategic framework agreement. Translations

4) A suicide bomber attacked a military base in the Iraqi town of Taji on Monday, killing at least 19 people, in the latest assault by insurgents trying to undermine the government. In central Baghdad an explosion in a car park at Iraq's parliament killed at least one person and wounded several others, including a politician, security officials said. The Taji bombing was the third major attack in the last five days and underscored the fragile state of security as Washington prepares to pull out its remaining 14,500 troops by the end of the year. Reuters

5) The result of the three explosions in Kirkuk reached to one killing and 13 wounded, police sources said here today. General SarhadQadir told Aswat al-Iraq that the three bombs exploded near the residence of Turkmen Provincial Council member Ali Mehdi Sadiq. ASWAT

6) Al-Ahrar Bloc's spokesman announced that it will not neglect the demand of Muqtada al-Sadr to distribute portions of the oil revenues to Iraqi citizens. "This distribution will be positively reflected in the living standards of the people," MP MushriqNaji added.The prime minister should "fulfill his promises to implement these demands," he added. ASWAT

7) Again, alleged members of the forbidden Baath Party were arrested, this time in the district of l-Hindiyah in Karbala Province. A security force from Baghdad arrested the four suspects after their house was raided. It was the second arrest of Baath members in a week, after 22 suspects were detained last Wednesday, also in Karbala Province. AKNews

8) The Iraqi Interior Ministry will deploy 8,000 additional policemen at the borders to fill the gap after the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Ahmed al-Khafaij, undersecretary of the Interior Ministry, announced that decision today. The policemen are supposed to prevent terrorist groups from coming to Iraq, Khfaij said. AKNews

9) At least four people have been killed and six others have been injured in a car bomb attack on the Iraqi Council of Representatives this evening. The car bomb went off in front of the parliament's back door that leads into the conference hall - used by the member of the Council. Most of the victims are guards of the Council members. But among the six injured in the attack is Moayyedtayyib, chief spokesperson for the Kurdish Blocs Coalition (KBC) in the Council. AKNews

Full Articles

Afghanistan

1)Afghan gov't announces 2nd phase security transition, NATO welcomes

KABUL, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) welcomes the release of the Afghanistan government's list of areas intended for the second stage of security transition, an ISAF press release received by Xinhua on early Monday said.

As recommended by the Transition Commission and approved by the President Hamid Karzai, the Afghan police and army will take full control of Balkh, Takhar, Daikundi, Samangan, Kabul and Nimroz provinces, said a statement released by Karzai office.

According to the statement, security responsibility of seven Afghan provincial capitals and several districts in different provinces will also be handed over to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

"Transition is a reality, and it is a path for the future success of this country and the Afghan people," top U.S. and NATO commander General John R. Allen said in the ISAF statement.

"There is no doubt that Afghanistan is moving forward, and with the announcement by President Karzai of the second group of Transition areas, the Afghan National Security Forces, who have made dramatic improvements in their development and effectiveness, will assume responsibility for security for 50 percent of the Afghan population," Allen said.

In the first phase of the process, the ANSF took control of seven areas in different parts of the country in July this year.

2)Afghan-U.S. strategic partnership not to be inked before Bonn conference

KABUL, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The proposed Afghan-U.S. strategic partnership, will not be inked before the international conference on Afghanistan, planned to held in Bonn, Germany in December this year, a local newspaper reported Monday.

"Afghan-U.S. strategic agreement will not be signed before the Bonn conference and no exact dates have been fixed for the agreement to be signed," Daily Outlook quoted Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman JananMusazai as saying.

However, the spokesman, according to the newspaper, has confirmed that, "Talks between Afghanistan and the United States on the recommendations of the traditional Loya Jirga with regard to inking the strategic agreement were continuing."

The four-day traditional Loya Jirga or grand assembly of tribal elders, notables, lawmakers and government functionaries, concluded on November 19 described the proposed strategic partnership with Washington very necessary for maintaining peace and economic development in Afghanistan and recommended the government to sign it.

An Afghan delegation would soon leave for Germany to firm up the agenda for the Bonn conference scheduled for Dec. 5 this year, the Daily Outlook further said.

President Hamid Karzai, according to the foreign ministry spokesman, would lead the Afghan delegation at the conference attended by delegates from more than 90 countries.

Afghanistan's achievements over the past 10 years -- security transition from NATO-led troops to Afghan side, peace talks with Taliban and long-term support of international community to Afghanistan -- would top the agenda of the Bonn conference.

3)Russia says it may reconsider cooperation with West in Afghanistan

MOSCOW, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia may reconsider its cooperation with NATO in Afghanistan if the alliance continues to ignore Moscow's concerns with Western missile defense systems in Europe, government officials said Monday.

"If our partners will not react to our predictable and expected statements regarding our national security risks, we will have to consider the issues of cooperation (with them) in the other areas," said Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian envoy to NATO.

For instance, the review may be applied to cooperation in Afghanistan, he said.

The envoy told the State Duma that Russia would be respected internationally only when other countries saw it as a power "capable to combat any emerging threats."

Therefore, it was necessary for Moscow to broaden the notion of "substantial combat force," he said.

"Both land and sea-based forces, primarily the fleet carrying guided weapons, should be included in this category to make the control over conventional armed forces in Europe viable," Rogozin was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

President Dmitry Medvedev warned last week that Moscow might deploy tactical missiles on its western and southern borders with Europe and consider withdrawing from the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the United States unless NATO offers legal assurances that western anti-missile systems would not target Russia.

4) Another 200 French soldiers to leave Afghanistan

PARIS | Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:41pm IST

(Reuters) - France will pull out a further 200 soldiers from Afghanistan by the end of the year, the president's office said on Monday, on top of the 200 that returned home at the end of October under a gradual handover by foreign troops.

On Sunday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said two districts in southern Helmand province would be put under the control of Afghan forces in the coming months.

President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement that the handover to Afghan forces in Kabul and the region of Surobi, east of the capital, would allow the 200 further French troops to come home.

Bringing back French troops may prove a boost to Sarkozy in advance of a presidential election in April in which his Socialist rival, Francois Hollande, is favoured in polls to win.

Sarkozy also said France would shortly sign a treaty with Afghanistan to reinforce civil aid and reconstruction efforts.

He has said he wants to withdraw about 1,000 troops by the end of 2012 with a complete pullout of its 4,500 soldiers by end-2014, the deadline agreed by NATO-led forces and Karzai for handing over security responsibility to Afghan forces.

Seventy-six French soldiers have been killed since France joined the U.S. and NATO-led Afghanistan operations in 2001.

(Reporting By Alexandria Sage; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

5) Afghanistan awards 3 blocks at Hajigak to Indian group

By Jan Harvey and MirwaisHarooni

KABUL | Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:05pm IST

(Reuters) - The Afghan government has awarded the rights to develop three blocks of the huge Hajigak iron ore concession in central Afghanistan to a consortium led by the Steel Authority of India, an official at the Ministry of Mines said on Monday.

Policy director Abdul JalilJumriany said rights to a fourth block at the deposit had been won by Canada's Kilo Goldmines Ltd, which is chiefly active in Africa and has previously worked in joint venture with Rio Tinto Mining and Exploration.

"B, C and D blocks have been awarded to the Indian consortium, and block A has been awarded to the Canadians," Jumriany told Reuters.

The AFISCO consortium of Indian steel and mining firms led by SAIL announced in September it was bidding for the Hajigak concession, which has the potential to be Afghanistan's single biggest foreign investment project.

SAIL chairman C.S. Verma said he had heard from media reports the consortium had received three out of four blocks, but had no official confirmation of the news.

He said the estimated iron ore reserves in A, B and C blocks were about 484, 930 and 357 million tonnes, respectively, while D block had "small reserves."

The Ministry of Mines said it was still finalising contract details with the chosen bidders.

"The development of the Hajigak (project) by Kilo and AFISCO is expected to bring billions of dollars in mining investment and thousands of new jobs to Afghanistan," it said in a statement.

6) Iran official says US bases in Afghanistan pose "serious threat" to region

Excerpt of report in English by Iranian conservative news agency Mehr

Tehran, 28 November: An Iranian Foreign Ministry official says the United States military bases in Afghanistan are a serious threat to security in the region.

"In recent years, the security doctrine of the US has been focused on the establishment of permanent military bases across Afghanistan," Mohsen Paka'in, director of the Foreign Ministry department for Afghan affairs, told the Fars News Agency in an interview published on Monday [28 November].