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Ministry of defense
PAO
Media Analysis section
Media Analysis Executive Summary for
11- Feb – 2015
Suicide bombers launch coordinated attack on Kunduz police HQ
Khaama press
A group of suicide bombers have reportedly launched coordinated attack on provincial police headquarter in Kunduz.
Provincial police chief Abdul Saboor Nasrati confirmed the incident and said the attack was launched after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the police headquarter.
He said there are fears of casualties but did notdisclose further information.
NewAdvisory Council Formed to Address Security Issues in Wardak
Tolo news
Maidan Wardak Police Commander Khalil Andarabi, local tribal elders, Islamic scholars and members of the Wardak Provincial Council gathered on Monday to create a new Security Advisory Council for the province and discuss strategy in fighting insurgents.
Located near Kabul, and containing a major stretch of the Kabul-Kandahar highway, Maidan Wardak has traditionally been one of the most restive provinces in Afghanistan. However, security there has begun to improve, in part, according to Police Chief Andarabi, because of increased cooperation between local leaders, their communities and the Afghan security forces.
"There are people who cooperate with us day and night and it's because of them that the security is getting better every day and we can do our work better," Mr. Andarabi told TOLOnews.
According to Ministry of Interior (MoI) spokesman Sediq Sediqqi, insurgent groups have ramped up their propaganda efforts in hopes of winning over more local support. "You can see that the anti-government armed groups are continuing their propaganda, and as you have heard, they have even started radios," he said.
Wardak leaders gathered on Monday seemed to appreciate the importance of community support in their battle against the Taliban and other militant groups. "Maintaining security is not only the duty of the Afghan national security forces, but it is the duty of every Muslim," Maidan Wardak Provincial Council Chairman Aziz-ul-Rahman said.
Another member of the Provincial Council, Mustafa Udin, emphasized the importance of building public trust in the government. "If we can improve the relationships of people with the government in the districts, there will be better trust between people and government," he said.
The Security Advising Council will be charged with recruiting female police officers, addressing local grievances related to security, improve transparency among the security forces. The Wardak Security Advising Council gets its inspiration from similar bodies already formed in Kabul and Parwan provinces.
Cricket World Cup 2015, Afghanistan vs India in Warm-up match
Khaama press
After winning Australia in the 1stWarm-up match for the 2015 Cricket Word Cup, Afghanistan is now playing a 2ndWarm-up match with India.
India won the toss and decided to bat first. Warm-up match started at about 08:00 AM, Afghanistan time.
Afghanistan National Cricket team players say they are well prepared to play against India and then in the world cup.
This is 1sttime in history that Afghanistan is going to play in Cricket World Cup.
Obama readying request to use force against Islamic State
(Reuters) –
The White House will ask Congress by Wednesday for new authority to use force against Islamic State fighters, congressional aides said on Monday, paving the way for lawmakers' first vote on the scope of a campaign that is already six months old.
The United States is leading an international coalition against Islamic State, and President Barack Obama launched an air campaign in August against the militant fighters, who have killed thousands of people while seizing swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The administration's failure so far to seek a formal Authorization to Use Military Force for the campaign has caused some members of Congress to express concern that it overstepped the president's constitutional authority.
Others have said that lawmakers should weigh in on an issue as important as the use of military force.
The administration has said the campaign is legal, based on authorization passed under President George W. Bush in 2002 for the Iraq War and in 2001 for fighting al Qaeda and associated groups.
Nancy Pelosi, leader of the House of Representatives' Democrats, told reporters last week the White House would seek an authorization that would last three years. She said there had not yet been decisions about the geographic scope of an authorization or what limits would be placed on combat troops - "boots on the ground."
That issue is expected to be a major sticking point in debate. Many Democrats want to bar sending in U.S. combat forces, but several Republicans have insisted it would be inappropriate to limit military commanders.
Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said hearings on the administration's request would start quickly.
The Obama administration had been in close consultations with lawmakers before making its formal request, which could make the approval process move more quickly, he said.
"There have been serious consultations, and there will be more serious consultations," he told reporters at the Senate.
Obama is also expected to seek a repeal of the Iraq war authorization, but not the 2001 authorization, which passed days after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Congressional aides told Reuters on Monday that was still the expectation for Obama's request, given discussions between the administration, lawmakers and congressional staffers. They requested anonymity because they were speaking about private consultations.
The White House has declined to comment on the timing or details of the request.
India's ruling party heads for election rout in Delhi, first blow for Modi
(Reuters) –
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was heading for election defeat in New Delhi at the hands of an anti-corruption party, a TV projection showed on Tuesday, in the first blow for Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he swept to power last year.
Winning power in India's states is critical to control of the upper house of parliament, where Modi's party lacks a majority and has been thwarted in its effort to move reform legislation, including wider opening of the insurance sector.
But Delhi is a small, although high profile, state and the BJP, which has won a string of big states over the past several months is looking to capture power in second most populous Bihar, the next state set for an election later this year.
The Aam Admi, or Common Man Party, campaigning on pro-poor policies, was leading in 45 of the 70 seats at stake in the capital, well over the simple majority of 36 required to rule.
The BJP, seen as a party of traders and big business, was ahead in 15 seats while Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years, led in 3 seats.
News channel NDTV said its projection showed the AAP would finally win 42 seats, securing a comfortable majority.
"While Delhi is not very significant in electoral terms, a BJP loss there shatters the popular narrative around the BJP’s invincibility," said Milan Vaishnav, an associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"A loss in Delhi certainly signals an end to Modi’s honeymoon. Furthermore, because it is the capital city, an opposition government, especially one led by the confrontational AAP, would be a constant thorn in the Modi government’s side."
The BJP said the Delhi election was a local poll and in no way reflected its strength in the rest of the country. "This is not a referendum on the central government," said party spokesman G.V.L.Narasimha Rao.
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