Afghanistan Demilitarization Campaign Underway in Afghan Capital Kabul the Campaign to Demobilize Heavy Weapons from the Afghan Capital Kabul Is Currently Underway
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK (PDMIN) 1 Jarrett White Road MCPA-DM, Tripler AMC, HI 96859-5000 Telephone: 808.433.7035 · [email protected] · http://www.coe-dmha.org Asia-Pacific Daily Report January 15, 2004 Afghanistan Demilitarization campaign underway in Afghan capital Kabul The campaign to demobilize heavy weapons from the Afghan capital Kabul is currently underway. According to Deputy Defense Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak, authorities have collected some 64 heavy weapons systems and hundreds of rounds of 76mm and 200mm artillery. The heavy weapons collected from Kabul have largely come from local militias loyal to Defense Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim. Rahim said the collection of heavy weapons in Kabul was another step towards the implementation of the Bonn Agreement reached between various Afghan factions in 2001 after the collapse of the hardline Taliban regime. The Bonn Agreement calls for the complete demilitarization of Kabul and the withdrawal of all military units from the capital. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Afghan Ministry of Defense and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has organized the current demilitarization campaign underway in Kabul. The report said the campaign is separate from the UN-backed nationwide Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) campaign aimed at disarming some 100,000 former combatants. According to reports, Kabul residents have applauded the demobilization of weapons from the city. http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/6686f45896f15dbc852567ae00530132/2eb0b58863d8497ac1256e1c004267a5?OpenDocumen t Suspected Taliban fire rockets at a US-led coalition base in eastern Afghanistan, but no casualties Nearly a dozen rockets were fired at a US-led coalition base in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Khost, but there were no reports of casualties or damage from the attack. According to provincial governor Hayatullah Taniwal, several rockets were fired at the base last night (Wednesday, January 14) that landed in the fields near the Khost airport, some 90 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of the capital Kabul. Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Hilferty, spokesman for the US military in Kabul, confirmed yesterday’s attack, saying that it did not cause any damage. Khost airport is the third largest coalition base in Afghanistan with more than 500 US troops stationed there. Rocket attacks against foreign presence in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where US coalition forces are carrying out military operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda militants, are not uncommon. However, projectiles fired in the area rarely hit the intended targets. http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040115_526.html India Car bomb in Indian-controlled Kashmir (IcK) injures 7 as Kashmiri separatists gear for talks with New Delhi and violence continues A car bomb in Srinagar city in Indian-controlled Kashmir (IcK) injured 7 soldiers after it detonated when a military convoy passed by. Both the major Hizbul- Mujahideen and the little-known Al-Mansurian militant groups claimed responsibility for the attack. Another car bomb on a major highway near Srinagar also occurred today, injuring 1 soldier. The blasts occurred as Kashmiri separatist leaders of the moderate, political All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) alliance prepared for landmark talks with New Delhi scheduled for January 22, also before landmark India-Pakistan peace talks scheduled next month. A five-member APHC team has been reportedly formed for the talks, which would be the first between New Delhi and Kashmiri separatists, while Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani would be representing the government. The United Jihad Council (UJC), an alliance of pro-Pakistan militant groups, has denounced the talks. “The Kashmiri mujahideen (holy warriors) will not allow…any conspiracy against the freedom movement to succeed,” said Syed Sadaqat Hussain, a spokesperson for the Council. The radical militant outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen yesterday released a public statement threatening to kill APCH chairman Moulana Abbas Ansari and other alliance leaders. APHC senior leader Abdul Ghani Bhat said that the alliance remains unintimidated by the threats. “We would like our boys (militants) also to be associated with the (talks) process, but for that we will need to undertake a visit to Pakistan. We will take it up with the government of India,” he said. The APHC itself suffered a major split last year when a faction favoring a merger with Pakistan left the alliance. Ansari yesterday made an appeal for the split to be reconciled before the talks. An agenda for the talks is expected to be released this Saturday (January 17). This week, train, bus and air links were resumed as part of the continuing India- Pakistan peace process. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_534751,00050002.htm http://www.expressindia.com/print.php?newsid=27590 http://www.expressindia.com/print.php?newsid=27594 http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20040115-145.html http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040115_328.html http://hindustantimes.com/news/181_533987,001300430001.htm Myanmar Two thousand ethnic Karenni flee in Myanmar, as Karenni rebels arrive in Yangon to formalize landmark ceasefire According to Agence-France Presse today, about 2,000 ethnic Karennis have fled their homes in the border between the Karenni and Shan state after being attacked by the Myanmar military this month. Deputy Commander of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Major-General Aung Mya, said that 9 battalions of Myanmar soldiers were sent to the area northeast of Yangon and burned down 6 villages. In retaliation, Aung Mya said that troops have been sent to attack army bases about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of the Karenni capital of Loikaw. He said that there were no reports of casualties, but said that 6 soldiers and 2 Karenni soldiers were killed in a clash across from Thailand’s northern Mae Hong Son province last month. Government peace mediators reportedly held talks with KNPP last month to urge them to join Myanmar’s national reconciliation process. Last August, Myanmar announced a seven-point “road- map” to democracy plan, which several Myanmar ethnic leaders reportedly pledged to support. At the end of the 1990’s, ceasefires were signed with about 17 groups, leaving about a handful still fighting Yangon’s rule. Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU), General Bo Mya, will lead a 20-strong delegation to the capital of Yangon today to formalize a landmark ceasefire with Myanmar Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt. The KNU is Myanmar’s largest rebel group, and the visit to Yangon is the first in more than 50 years. The KNU has been fighting for autonomy for the Karenni ethnic group for five decades. Speaking from Bangkok, Thailand, where many exiled Myanmar leaders have lived, Bo Mya said that although rebels and Myanmar soldiers stopped fighting for the first time last month, he wants a “ceasefire agreement on paper.” Government offensives in 1995 and 1997 destroyed the KNU’s main headquarters and resulted in guerilla war since then. The KNU is the only major rebel group in Myanmar that has not signed a formal agreement to lay down arms. Bo Mya said that he would also like to discuss the possible demarcation of the eastern Karen state, and ask that the junta stop forced labor of ethnic groups. http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/6686f45896f15dbc852567ae00530132/13ac206e3b3f576fc1256e1b005ded24?OpenDocument http://news.findlaw.com/ap_stories/i/1104/1-15-2004/20010115050006_56.html Nepal Nepal army says more than 1,300 killed since ceasefire ended with Maoist rebels in August 2003 The Royal Nepalese Army reported today that more than 1,300 people have been killed since a ceasefire broke down between Maoist rebels and the Nepalese government in late August 2003. The government had been reporting that some 900 people had died since hostilities broke out again, while human rights groups said the number was closer to 1,200. Army spokesperson Colonel Deepak Gurung says that some 1,200 rebels were confirmed dead, while the army believes that another 200 Maoists may have also been killed in clashes with security forces but could not confirm it. Gurung says that 111 soldiers died while another 191 were wounded. He also added that over 90 rebels had surrendered to security forces during the same time period. More than 8,300 people have died since the Maoists began their insurgency in 1996 to topple the monarchy. In other news, the deputy leader of the rebels, Baburam Battarai said in an interview with the rebel newspaper Janadesh. “We don’t see any possibility of peace talks right now…We can’t imagine sitting down for peace talks and shaking hand with the murderers,” he said. Meanwhile, violence continued across the country, with Kantipur Online (KOL) reporting that at least 1 security person had died in a Maoist ambush. Additionally, the Mayor of Birgunj in southern Nepal (56 miles [90 kilometers] south of Kathmandu) was shot and killed by suspected rebels. According to CNN, the mayor’s family members noted that he had recently refused to give into rebel demands. If confirmed, it would be the first time that rebels have targeted a mayor of a major city, CNN says. Since violence erupted this past August, Maoists have targeted three senior army officials and succeeded in killing two of them. While Maoist-related violence continues, student groups continue their protests against “regression” across different parts of the country. KOL says