Eye on the News [email protected] Truthful, Factual and Unbiased Vol:XI Issue No:148 Price: Afs.20

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Pakistan-China-Russiasummiton TALIBAN CHANGES 60 insurgents IT’S WAR TACTIC IN killed in raids AT News Report Afghanistanunproductive:Kabul KABUL: At least 60 Taliban in- BADAKHSHAN surgents were killed in different AT Monitoring Desk Badakhshan local officials said tacks,” Wadoud said. joint clearance operations lunched Afghan army Tuesday the Taliban in the prov- Meanwhile a number of civil by security forces in the past 24 KABUL: Government officials ince has changed its war strategy society members in the provincial hours across the country, minis- have expressed strong reaction helicopter and are now bombing security capital Faizabad have raised con- try of interior said Tuesday.In a against a trilateral meeting involv- check posts opposed to storming cerns over the Taliban’s new tac- media statement, the ministry said ing Pakistan, China and Russia to crashed in Herat them. tics and said this will affect civil- the national army with the coop- discuss Afghan situation. They According to local officials, ians. eration of the national police and also expressed concerns over the province the Taliban has conducted two sui- Civil society members have the National Directorate of Secu- absence of Afghan officials in the A helicopter of the Afghan Nation- cide bombings against check posts criticized government forces for rity conducted clearance operations summit. al Army (ANA) forces has report- this month and have moved their delaying the launch of their winter against insurgents in different ar- Foreign Ministry Spokesman, edly crashed in western Herat focus from Wardoj district to Ba- operation. eas of Kabul, Nangarhar, Kanda- Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni, said province of Afghanistan. harak district. “Taliban techniques are very har, Zabul, Oruzgan, Helmand, Tuesday that Afghan government The security sources in Herat Baharak district police chief dangerous; with these techniques Sar-e-Pul, Faryab and Kunduz is not optimistic in the outcomes have confirmed that the helicopter Abdul Wodoud said both suicide more civilians will suffer,” said provinces. “In these operations, of the meeting. crashed due to technical issues in bombings have been carried out in Abdul Basir Wasiq a civil society 60 Taliban insurgents were killed and 18 others injured,” the state- “Such meetings without the Shindand airfield. Baharak district. activist. presence of Afghan officials will The sources speaking on the ment said. 10 insurgents were also In the first suicide attack two Meanwhile, security forces in arrested. The ministry also claimed not represent a real picture of the condition of anonymity further policemen were killed and three Badakhshan said they are waiting situation of Afghanistan in the added that the helicopter crashed that the security forces have seized others wounded, Wodoud said. for orders to launch winter opera- huge cache of weapons, but did not meeting,” Khaama Press quoted after completing an ordinary mis- According to Wodoud, insur- tions. (Tolonews) the spokesman of the diplomacy sion in Herat city. provide details. Elsewhere, a se- government should hold contacts press briefing said that peace and gents carried out their second sui- nior Taliban commander was ar- department, as saying. This comes as reports emerged cide bombing on Monday night in Moreover, he said, “Such with the regional countries regard- stability in Afghanistan is in the earlier suggesting that the helicop- Editorial: rested during an operation in Log- ing such meetings. interest of Pakistan and the entire the same district. As a result of ar province, ministry of interior meetings, even if have good mo- ter made a crash landing after a ensuing clashes, one insurgent was tive, will raise serious question A meeting between Pakistan, region. said. “The leader was identified as magnetic bomb was found inside. killed and two were wounded. The Shaista Mohammad was arrested among the Afghans regard its ob- Russia and China was slated Tues- Chinese, Pakistani and Rus- The pilot of the helicopter re- day in Moscow to discuss situa- sian officials say that they put joint rest fled the area. late Monday in Qala-e-Ghafar vil- jectives.” portedly posted a message in his There were no casualties among Russia in Prior to this, Wolesi Jirga tion in Afghanistan. action against the efforts of Daesh lage, Pul-e-Alam city, the provin- Facebook account to confirm no security forces. cial capital,” the ministry said in a Speaker, Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi According to Pakistani offi- affiliates to establish a foothold in casualties in the incident. cials, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ah- Afghanistan. “We have families in Baharak statement. termed such meeting as a clear sign In the meantime, the Taliban district that cooperate with the of interference in international af- mad Chaudhary will lead the Paki- However, the Afghan officials spotlight It added he was involved in militants claimed that the helicop- Taliban but we are trying to stop many terrorist and destructive ac- fairs of the country. stan delegation for the talks. termed such meetings a clear inter- ter was shot down by the group’s Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry ference in the internal affairs of the suicide attacks as we have al- tivities in Kharwar, Charkh and In the Monday session of the fighters in Shindand airfield. KP ready stopped their aggressive at- See P6 parliament, Ibrahimi said that the spokesman, Nafees Zakria, in a Afghanistan. Azra districts of Logar province.

65: 98 67: 39

72: 68 75: 48

From National Solidarity Programme to Citizen’s Charter The National Solidarity Programmeof the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD/NSP) thathadextensive activities in overall 34 provinces of Afghanistan has recently ended and will be replaced with another development program calledCitizen’s Charter.According to MRRD, the first phase of the new program will start in themonth of Dalwa of current solar year in three parts inthe villages and districts of Afghanistan.The Citizen’s Charter is the first national inter-ministerial programthat MRRD, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education,Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, irrigation and livestock and Independent Directorate of Local Governancethat will jointly proceedit in Afghanistan.The Citizen’s Charter increases the role of people in implementation of development projects across all urban and rural areas. The primary objective of this national program is to strengthen, expand and maintain Community Development Councils (CDCs) as effective entities for economic and social development as well as good governance in Afghanistan. NSP was created in mid-2003 within the framework of the MRRD tostrengthen local governance, ensure socio-economic development and establish CDCs. Indeed, this national program was a good dream and fortune for all villagers.By implementing development projects,villagers could largely rebuild and reconstruct their communities.NSP has made great achievements with support ofpeople, government and international community in various aspects including reconstruction, development and poverty reduction. In addition, NSPcovered almost all parts of the country by implementing development and capacity enhancement projects. The great effort of CDCs is always highly appreciable in implementing development projects. They proved their honesty only for the sake of community development and theirvillagers without any wages and privileges. Nowadays, we proudly admit that for the first time all community-related issues are being solved andmonitored by villagers. NSP facilitates grounds for democracy and strengthens linkages between people and government. NSP caused remarkable transformation in economic development of villagers andbroughtpositive changes in terms of unity and equality in rural areas. Moreover, one of the objectives of NSP was the poverty reduction and meeting villagers’needs which has largely beenachieved. The villagers are now able to make decisions to prioritize their needs and requirements and make an enjoyable and decentlife style for themselves. Creation of good local governance system and giving people the power to take decisions which is demonstrate the role of democracy is another primary achievement of NSP. The NSP has also paved the way forwomen’sparticipation in CDCs and decision making process on community issues andsocial affairs. We can say thatthe MRRD/NSPand villagers’overall activities and accomplishmentsare handled in a democratic process that have a remarkable role in prioritizing the communities’ needs and requirements. According to MRRD provided facts, NSP has so far disbursed AFN 81.4 milliard for implementation of89,389 uplift projects in various sections including agriculture, electricity, water and sanitation, transportation, education, health, etc. The NSP previously committed to reconstructing and developing Afghan rural communities has been replaced with the Citizen’s Charter Program that will cover the urban areas in addition to rural communities of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the focus will be on large projects and the CDCs will be convertedCDC clusters in Citizen’s Charter.It means several CDCs will get together and the projects will promote from one to several villages. The Citizen’s Charter designed to last until 2026 will be implemented in three phases. During coming ten years, 12,000villages will benefit from development projects in each phase. A sum of USD 910 million will be required for implementation of this national program. Currently, USD 543 million has been committed for the program as USD 400 million will be disbursed by the World Bank while USD 134 million will be disbursed by the Government of Afghanistan. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTAN TIMES Risking life and limb, miners

need safe work OSLO — At a corner table of the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan’s capi- tal, an emissary from the Taliban’s supreme leader arrived with a mes- environment sage of peace. It was 2007, as the Afghan Taliban insurgency was growing bolder. The United States-led in- ternational coalition was fixated on defeating the Taliban militarily, and that mission would only intensify when President Obama sent in tens of thousands more troops starting in 2009. But that evening at the Marri- ott in Islamabad, the talk was about diplomacy, and there were no Americans in the room. Alf Arne Ramslien, a senior Norwegian dip- lomat who had cultivated relation- ships and trust within the Taliban for years, was meeting with a con- fidant of Mullah Muhammad Omar, the movement’s reclusive founder, who was directing the in- surgency from exile in Pakistan. The Taliban emissary gave Mr. Ramslien a list of five names that Mullah Omar had tasked with ex- ploring the possibility of peace talks. They needed the help of a facilitator, he said, and Mr. Ramslien was it. That exchange would initiate an intense, secretive process that over three years involved two or JALALABAD: A rock-mine work- month. three meetings a month between er in the Kama district of eastern Dr. Mohammad Liaqat Adil, Norwegian diplomats and fugitive Nangarhar province grumbles he AAFTU head, acknowledges that Taliban representatives across cit- has to work hard in a highly peril- miners had been working under ies in Asia and Europe, including also on the Pakistani madrasas — said he firmly believed it was in- Publicly, the Taliban insisted clear to the Norwegians who the ous environment for a small extremely difficult circumstances. Karachi, Bangkok and Oslo. the religious schools that gave birth deed the Taliban founder he was that they would never negotiate real spoiler was. amount of wages. No safety mea- The government had paid no at- Astoundingly, the diplomats to the Taliban movement and to meeting, after having spoken with with the Afghan government while “It became difficult to contin- sures have been put in place, with tention to their plight, he alleged, said they even had one direct, late- this day fill its ranks with foot him twice on the phone — reaf- there was a single foreign soldier ue negotiations because of oppo- the government paying no atten- saying hundreds of miners had night audience with Mullah Omar soldiers. firmed a desire to seek talks. in the country. But Mr. Ramslien sition not only within the Taliban tion to workers’ security. been killed over the past few years. himself — years after even senior Many of those seminaries were “He was definitely very sick. believed that was never an immu- itself, but also from Al Qaeda and, Faced with deadly incidents, Adil said some disabled indi- Taliban leaders said they had last a legacy of American funding of He was sitting cross-legged. He table demand, and his view is borne even more important, from ISI,” he is paid 200 to 400 rupees in viduals had been working in the been in a room with him. the Islamic insurgency against the was thick, quite thick — I did not out by Taliban figures who were the Norwegian government report daily wages. All Afghanistan Fed- rock mine. If not helped by the The Norwegian peace track Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Af- expect that,” Mr. Ramslien said. also involved in the process. says. “The ISI’s position was eration of Trade Unions (AAFTU) government, they might lose their overlapped with efforts by other ter the Soviet withdrawal, and af- “We knew that he had severe dia- In Mr. Ramslien’s view, a far made clear by the arrest of Mullah says around 2,500 people are en- lives, the trade unionist warned. countries to bring the Taliban to ter the United States virtually betes problems. We knew that he bigger obstacle was continuous Baradar.” gaged in in rock excavation. A num- Eng. Abdul Hakeem Sherzad, the table, including the United abandoned the region in the 1990s, had kidney problems. And his talk obstruction by Pakistani officials Mr. Ramslien lost hope, mov- ber of works have lost their lives director of works and social affairs, States and Saudi Arabia, and for Mr. Ramslien made a priority of was slurred.” who viewed the Taliban as a bar- ing on to take his final posting as to quarry accidents. said they had discussed issue of years seemed to be making the continuing engagement with Paki- Later, President Obama’s gaining chip. ambassador to Nepal before retir- In Afghanistan, rocks are wide- labour safety with the mine own- most progress toward bringing the stani and Afghan religious leaders agreeing to a military surge of In February 2010, the highest- ing from the service. ly used in the construction of er. But unemployment forced the Taliban and Afghan officials to- — which he felt was necessary 30,000 more troops to Afghani- level conversation yet was sched- Years later, as others are steadi- homes, but the type of work these individuals to work in a difficult gether. because in isolation those figures stan, in Mr. Ramslien’s view, was uled to take place between the Af- ly working to revive the hope for a people do involves deadly risks. environment, he added. But it all eventually fell apart could become more dangerous. a significant setback to the pro- ghan government and six Taliban negotiated settlement, officials are Kashar Khan, a resident of the cap- But the governor’s spokes- under the weight of military and With those credentials, it was cess. His Taliban interlocutors said members, including the move- still stuck on the question of Paki- ital of eastern Kunar province, has man, Attaullah Khogyani, said no intelligence maneuvering and of Mr. Ramslien the Taliban ap- they were now forced to fight: “If ment’s deputy leader, Mullah Ab- stan’s involvement, with some arrived in Kama district, working complain had been lodged in this distrust among a host of countries proached in 2007 when they were they are bombing us from above, dul Ghani Baradar. Days before coming to believe that despite the in the rock mine. regard by workers. If they formal- that were taking a hand in Afghan looking for a go-between. we will bomb them from below,” the talks, Mullah Baradar was ar- risks of alienating Pakistan, it may Having failed to find another ly complained, he hoped, the de- affairs. Mr. Ramslien maintains The initial contacts with the was how Mr. Ramslien character- rested by Pakistan, effectively be time to approach the Taliban work, the 48-year-old told Pajh- partment concerned would come that Pakistan, in particular, has Taliban came with enormous risks ized the Taliban’s attitude then. ending that process and making it through other channels. (nytimes) wok Afghan News: “It is a hard to their help. been a central obstacle to any ne- for both sides. Norway was “deal- job, where one runs the risk of be- He admitted multiple prob- gotiated peace with the Taliban. ing with an illegal armed group that ing killed any moment.” He has to lems were encountered by work- Now, for the first time, Mr. was not only listed by the United toil to support nine children. Khan ers. However, he continued work- Ramslien is laying out some of the Nations as a terrorist group, but Gulwali Passarlay celebrates alleged the mine owner had not ers had agreed to the terms and behind-the-scenes moments of tri- was also in direct conflict with a provided them safety equipment conditions of their job and the gov- umph and setback in the three NATO force that included Norwe- and they faced multiple issues. ernment could not take action with- years that he helped lead Norway’s gian troops,” according to a recent graduation success after Ibrahim, 50, a resident of out a formal protection request efforts to broker peace in Afghan- report by a high-ranking commis- Khewa district, has been quarry- from miners. istan. sion on Norway’s 15-year involve- ing for the past 14 years. One of Under Afghanistan’s labour His account, in an interview ment in Afghanistan. his legs was wounded in a rock- law, an individual should work eight with The New York Times at his coming to Bolton as a refugee The Taliban risked arrest by slide incident six years ago. Yet to hours a day, with all safety mea- home outside Oslo, is essentially breaking United Nations travel re- AN inspirational refugee who difficulties he has faced, he has "I also received the Distin- fully recover, the man says a work- sures in place and minimum pos- an open plea to his successors as strictions, while holding meetings travelled through eight countries gone on to achieve remarkable suc- guished Achiever of the Year er is killed or wounded every sible workload. (Pajhwok) they try to pick up the pieces and inside Pakistan would bring fur- to escape war-torn Afghanistan cess and is now looking forward Award." start new peace talks: Stay patient, ther scrutiny from a potential spoil- when he was 12 years old has to the future. Gulwali now hopes to go on and understand that success often er: the country’s powerful military just graduated from one of the Gulwali finished his schooling to work with charities who are Annual Cochrane run starts with crazy ideas and comes Inter-Services Intelligence service country's top universities. at Essa Academy in Great Lever supporting and empowering ref- in unexpected bursts — and that — the ISI — which was protect- Gulwali Passarlay, who and it was when he was at Bolton ugees, and to work with UNH- failure can happen regardless of ing the Taliban in their Pakistani started a new life in the Bolton Sixth Form College his potential CR, using his experiences and aiming to fund volleyball your best efforts. havens. Al Qaeda, too, wasn’t hap- after fleeing is war-torn home- was spotted by the University’s studies to influence policy mak- Mr. Ramslien shared his story py about the Taliban projecting an land, has graduated in Philoso- Manchester Access Programme ers on their response to the refu- court for Afghan girls just as painstaking efforts to ne- image of independence. phy and Politics from the Uni- (MAP), which supports talented gee crisis. gotiate an end to another decades- “They knew they had to make versity of Manchester. year 12 students. Eventually, he would like to long conflict, in Colombia, seemed the ISI happy,” Mr. Ramslien said In 2006, at the age of 12 Gul- Thanks to MAP’s support, he return to Afghanistan, and to to be bringing results, despite a of the Taliban. “Then, at the same wali was facing the stark choice was able to achieve his required A- play a part in rebuilding his coun- last-minute derailment by a nation- time, play another game totally of becoming a child soldier for level grades to take a BA in Poli- try by working for peace and al referendum vote. independently.” the Taliban or the NATO-backed tics and Philosophy, and also re- prosperity. Since 2007, efforts to negoti- Early efforts by Mr. Ramslien army. ceived a scholarship funded by the He said: "It has been an ate an Afghan peace have had sev- and his Norwegian colleagues were Many members of his fami- Ross Warburton Charitable Trust. amazing yet challenging three eral Colombia moments — prom- focused on helping the Taliban, a ly, including his father, had been While he has been a student, years, but thanks to the help and ising developments that suddenly rural military group with little po- killed during the Afghan war, he has hosted his own TedX talk, support of university staff, I have fall apart because of bad timing, litical sophistication, come up which also made the young boy has spoken at many schools about managed to achieve my honour. bad faith or miscalculation — with a set of cohesive demands for a target. refugee rights, was on a Depart- "I have no doubt that the without enjoying anywhere near a meeting with the Afghan govern- His mother urged him to ment for Education panel which knowledge, connections and the degree of success. make his way to England, so he scrutinises how policy affects friendships I have made whilst Girls in a remote Afghan school will no longer have to play volleyball on ment. That is in part because of the And they made progress on fled for his life with just the young people, and was the first studying will stay with me for a a rubble-strewn court if a Cochrane charity run reaches its fundraising complex nature of a war that has clothes on his back. Afghan ever to take part in the long time. Thank you to goal on New Year’s Eve. that front, Mr. Ramslien said. In spun out over nearly four decades May 2008, the Taliban agreed to Gulwali endured an unimag- Olympic Torch Relay. Manchester for such a wonder- The event – the seventh annual run organized by Canada’s ‘Mara- in its various chapters, and has been inably difficult year of solitary Since completing his studies, ful time of fulfilment and thon Man’ Martin Parnell – hopes to raise $5,000 in order to haul away meet Afghan government represen- fought or aided by an ever-shifting tatives. After a brief delay, delega- hardship on the road, with hun- he has released a book called The achievements. debris, buy a new net and resurface the outdoor court at the Markaz and conflicting array of internation- ger, illness, a terrifying 50-hour Lightless Sky, charting his journey "After graduation, I will con- Girls’ School in the town of Bamyan. tions from both parties arrived in al interests. Oslo in November, staying in the sea crossing in darkness with 100 from refugee to graduate. tinue to speak up for the voice- Parnell, who became famous across Canada in running 250 mara- For instance, the early Norwe- other refugees and a motorway His commitments meant he less and gave a human face to the thons in a single year, played volleyball on the dilapidated court himself same area and, according to the gian efforts were so hushed that Norwegian report, even in the journey clinging to a hot engine could not attend his graduation statistics and numbers we hear in early November as he visited Bamyan as part of a group of interna- they were kept a secret even from inside a lorry. ceremony over the summer but was from the media about refugees. I tional runners taking part in the secretive but successful Afghanistan same hotel. the Americans for the first two But hours before the sides When he finally made it to back for the winter graduate cere- am determined to make sure jus- Marathon. years. The Europeans feared that the UK, his troubles were not monies, where he watched by his tice is done and we welcome peo- Now he wants to repay the hospitality shown by the town and its were to meet, there was a bomb- the United States, which had flat- shell. A delegation member’s house over. Penniless and speaking no foster family. ple who flee wars, conflicts and youngsters – many of whom took part in a 10 km race that was part of ly refused efforts by senior Tali- English, he endured months of Gulwali, aged 22, said: "I nev- injustice with dignity and re- the marathon festivities – by making the girls’ high school the focus of outside Quetta had been blown up, ban officials to surrender and rec- killing the Talib’s brother and racism, loneliness and poverty. er thought I would graduate and I spect." this year’s charity run in his hometown of Cochrane. oncile with the Afghan government However, despite the huge have my degree, I'm really pleased. (thisislancashire) “We’re looking at completely resurfacing the volleyball court – it’s wounding his wife, Mr. Ramslien in 2001 and 2002, would derail said. Everyone took it as a warn- an outside court and there’s rubble all around it. With $5,000 we can get their efforts by targeting any Tali- a few things done and make a facility the girls can use. Sports is new to ing against trying to pursue talks. ban emissaries for death or impris- “We had finished breakfast, them, so let's at least give them something useable rather than just onment. rubble,” said Parnell. and the next step was to meet,” Today, even as the United Mr. Ramslien recalled. “They col- This is the seventh such event Parnell has helped organize in Co- States has fully embraced the idea chrane and each year a different charity benefits. About 18 months ago lapsed, you know, they were cry- that political resolution offers the ing, they were shocked.” the 60-year-old racer wasn’t sure if he’d ever lace up another pair of only lasting way out of the war, running shoes after a blood clot was discovered in his brain. The meeting was called off, the Afghan peace process seems and Mr. Ramslien accompanied However after intensive medical treatment he is now symptom-free stalled, or at least confused. The and back running various challenges to raise money for charity. the Taliban delegation back to Afghan government held a round Dubai in a private jet. “Every year I wonder if it’s the last one then something comes up, of talks in Pakistan in the summer some cause. I think there will always be a cause. It’s good to focus on The efforts would soon re- of 2015, but it fell apart quickly sume again, and the secret discus- doing something specific, so people who donate can see there is a con- with questions still unanswered crete outcome,” he said. sions were aided in part, Mr. about the legitimacy of the repre- Ramslien said, by the election of During his time in Bamyan Parnell was amazed at the enthusiasm sentatives whom Pakistani officials the teenage girls had for sport – something new to many Afghan females President Obama. The Taliban felt had pressured the Taliban to send. optimistic about the president’s who have often been banned from taking part. The early Norwegian contacts “These young women are amazing. Many from the school took part policy of seeking a new opening were maintained around the per- with the Muslim world, as he laid in the 10K and enjoyed themselves. In some ways they are the face of a sonal relationships of Mr. new Afghanistan,” he added. it out in a speech in Cairo. Ramslien, an unconventional dip- In March 2009, the Taliban All money raised will be passed along to the Free to Run charity, lomat who had been a Christian which is heavily involved in bringing sport to youngsters in parts of the even arranged for the Norwegian missionary in Pakistan in the diplomats to meet their reclusive world lacking suitable facilities. 1960s. He understood that the In the Dec. 31 event the various race distances start at different leader, Mullah Omar, Mr. Ramslien Taliban’s worldview was rooted in said. Mr. Ramslien and two senior times, so most runners or walkers finish approximately together. The religion, and could communicate marathon starts at 9 a.m., the half marathon at noon, the 10 km at 1:30 diplomats who came from Oslo with them — and even interpret were picked up at night and driven p.m., the 5 km at 2:15 p.m. and a 2 km at 2:40 p.m. for them — in Urdu, which he All races begin and end at the Spray Lakes Sawmills sports centre in in circles before they pulled up to speaks fluently. a compound, which Mr. Ramslien the town. Anyone can register on the day starting at 8 a.m. with a During his years as a diplomat donation to the charitable cause. believes was probably outside the in Islamabad, stretching back to the city of Karachi. “There are no medals or T-shirts but everyone is guaranteed a great 1990s, Mr. Ramslien had made an time and a chance to do something to promote sport for girls in Afghan- During the two-hour meeting, impression not only on the Tali- Mullah Omar — and Mr. Ramslien istan,” said Parnell. (calgarysun) ban government in Afghanistan, but WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTAN TIMES

A week after removal, district police chief still in office KABUL : A district police chief in Akram, one of his bodyguards and northern Balkh province continues some other individuals linked to EMERGENCY discharging his duty a week after him, but their complain went un- the Ministry of Interior (MoI) or- addressed. CALLS dered regarding his arrest, an offi- According to information re- cial said on Tuesday. ceived by Pajhwok, the MoI had Police MoI ordered the arrest of the sent a delegation to Zari district Zari district police chief and one on November 21 to investigate al- of his bodyguards a week ago after legations against the police chief. 100 - 119 an investigation into allegations of In its report, the delegation kidnapping and sexual assaults says: “Despite direct complaints against them. shared with the Balkh police chief Hospitals MoI Spokesman Sedique about sexual assaults, death Sediqui told Pajhwok Afghan threats, kidnappings and a murder- FMIC Hospital News they had dismissed Moham- ing case against the officer and his Behind Kabul Medical mad Akram Zari and the provin- bodyguards, the police chief did University: cial authorities had been asked to not take proper action.” remove him from the post. The report says the delegation 0202500200-+93793275595 He called the reappointment consumed a long time initiating an of Zari as district police chief in inappropriate and non-profession- Rabia-i-Balkhi Hospital compliance with the provincial al investigation into the charges. government orders a matter of se- The MoI and judicial organs Pule Bagh-e- Umomi rious concern. The ministry is in- should have taken action much ear- 070263672 vestigating the issue. lier, it adds. The delegation said: Police spokesman Sherin Jan “The Balkh police chief must ar- Durrani confirmed Col. Moham- rest the Zari police head and oth- Khairkhana Hospital mad Akram Zari continued to work ers complicit in the cases and hand as acting police chief for the dis- them over to relevant organs to 0799-321007 trict. He said police had complet- address the issue.” Earlier, Balkh 2401352 ed paper work on the allegations police chief Col. Sayed Kamal Sa- against Zari. dat said: “Despite the Zari district FAIZABAD: Officials in north- the tax collection drive and the rev- keeper in Faizabad, said their in- collected taxes from 8,000 to Mohammad Zia, a resident of chief police head’s retirement and Indira Gandhi Children eastern Badakhshan province on enue department did not collect come was very limited and could 10,000 afghanis from each shop- the district, told Pajhwok Afghan replacement, he returned to duty Tuesday said the provincial reve- revenue from these ports. not even meet their daily needs. keeper each year without consid- News he along with two other peo- without coordination with us. We Hospital, Wazir Akbar nue department’s income in- However, Abdullah, a shop- He said the revenue department ering their situation. (Pajhwok) ple had complained to the Balkh don’t know why it happened. Khan, Kabul 2301372 creased by seven percent this year police headquarters against Akram, There might be some political despite no revenue collection from Taliban torch his bodyguard and some others. games behind the move.” But the gold and lapis lazuli mines’ extrac- Drinking water, road But their complaint went unad- governor’s spokesman, Munir Far- Ibn-e- Seena tion. mobile phone dressed. had, rejected accusations against Finance manager at the provin- tower in Mohammad Zia, a resident of Zari and said a rival of the police Pul-e-Artan, Kabul cial Revenue Department, Abdul projects completed in Zari district, told Pajhwok Afghan officer was trying to defame 2100359 Sattar Natiq, in an exclusive inter- Nangarhar News that he along with two oth- him.He said Zarihad rejoined duty view with Pajhwok Afghan News er people had complained to the after requestsfrom 500 elders and said the Ministry of Finance JALALABAD: Suspected Taliban Kherkot district Balkh police headquarters against people of the district. Wazir Akbar Khan (MoF) had estimated this year’s militants torched a a mobile phone SHARAN: Several development projects have been completed in the Zari police chief, Mohammad (Pajhwok) revenue of the department at 298 tower in the Batikot district of Kherkot district of southeastern Paktika province, benefitting thou- Hospital million afghanis, while more than eastern Nangarhar province, an sands of residents, an official said on Tuesday. 2301741, 2301743 329 million afghanis had already official said on Tuesday. Clean drinking water schemes, deep wells, and graveling of a road been collected. Attaullah Khogyani, the gov- were among the projects completed, said Rural Rehabilitation and De- TAJIKISTAN’S He said current year’s revenue ernor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok velopment Director Najibullah Jahid. Ali Abad increased by seven percent com- Afghan News the incident took Governor Mohammad Elyas Wahdat, addressing the inaugural cere- pared to last year’s 300.8 million place in Taki locality on Monday mony, said hundreds of families would benefit from the projects. BORDER GUARDS Shahrara, Kabul afs. Calling insecurity and presence night. According to the governor, residents of Segani locality previously 2100439 of militants in a number of areas as He said militants destroyed the faced problems due to non-availability of clean drinking water and grav- GUN DOWN 2 major challenge in revenue collec- tower belonging to the Mobile eled roads, an issue which has now been resolved. tion, he said they were unable to Telecommunication Network Naseebullah, a resident of the locality, told Pajhwok Afghan News Malalai Maternity collect revenue from border dis- (MTN) before making their escape the rural rehabilitation department had launched multiple development AFGHAN CITIZENS Hospital tricts and areas under high securi- good. projects in the area. “Earlier, we had no access to drinking water, but TALOQAN: Tajikistan’s border guards have shot dead two Afghans ty threats. Police had launched their in- now 15 well have been dug up.” (Pajhwok) who illegally crossed the frontier into the neighbouring country, an offi- 2201377/ 2301743 “Some big companies can- vestigation into the arson attack cial said on Tuesday. Col. Abdul Khalil Aseer, police spokesman in celled their plans to establish fac- to identify and arrest the perpe- northern Takhar province, told Pajhwok Afghan News Tajik guards tories in Badaskhshan due to inse- trators, the official said. gunned down on Tuesday the two Afghans who hailed from Darqad Banks curity negatively impacting the Meanwhile, police seized 30 district. “The Afghans crossed the Amu River, a de facto boarder be- provincial revenue,” he said. kilograms of opium from a vehicle 50 students graduate tween the two countries, and entered Tajikistan, where they were killed Da Afghanistan Bank Natiq said non-collection of in Behsud district and arrested a by the security personnel,” he said. He added bodies of the men, belong- 2100302, 2100303 revenue from two great mines -- suspect, Amanullah, in connection ing to Noorkhel and Basirkhel areas, were handed over to their families lapis lazuli and gold mines --- was with the seizure. from Pashto today. The cause of their entry into Tajikistan was is yet to be ascer- Bakhtar Bank another challenge facing the reve- Police spokesman, Lt. Col. tained. Laeq, a resident of Darqad district, identified the victims as nue department. “These mines are Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, said Rozuddin and Ahmad Jan. The two tried to smuggle drugs to Tajikistan, 0776777000 under Taliban control and they are Amanullah wanted to smuggle the he alleged, putting at 10 the number of smugglers, who responded to illegally extracting the minerals drugs to Jalalabad city from neigh- literature: Balkh Tajik police fire. He claimed a one Tajik security guard was also killed in Azizi Bank MAZAR-I-SHARIF: About 50 students on Tuesday celebrated their while giving no share to the gov- bouring Laghman province. return fire. (Pajhwok) 0799 700900 ernment.” (Pajhwok) graduation from Pashto literature at the university in northern Balkh If controlled and extracted by province. Pashtany Bank government, revenue from the This year; the graduation party on the campus in Mazar-i-Sharif, the mines would make up budget for 4 killed in trailer-car provincial capital, was different from the past years as students pre- 2102908, 2103868 the entire northern region includ- collision in sented cultural clothes exhibition, held roundtable discussions on devel- ing Badakhshan province, he said. opment of Pashto language and attended a music session. Air Services “We can collect 50 million af- Nangarhar Ustad Zamir, Pashto literature lecturer, told Pajhwok Afghan News ghanis each year from the lapis la- that the Pashto faculty was launched in the Balkh University ten years Safi Airways zuli mine, but unfortunately extrac- JALALABAD: Four people, all back. He said Pashto language was not part of school and university tion work at the mine has been men, were killed when the car they curriculum in the past. This year, 50 students graduated from Pashto 020 22 22 222 stopped in compliance with a pres- were travelling in crashed into a literature and they included non-Pashtuns as well. He said speakers of idential order. We no longer receive tailor in eastern Nangarhar prov- other languages could also study Pashto literature. Rahmatullah, 36, a Ariana revenue from it, while the mine is ince on Tuesday, an official said. Dari speaker, was among the graduates. currently illegally extracted and the Attaullah Khogyani, the gov- Culturists in Balkh believe the new batch of graduates could serve 020-2100270 minerals trafficked through Panjsh- ernor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Pashto language and rehabilitate losses the language suffered in the past. er province,” he said. Afghan News the incident took Baryalai Jalalzai, a member of the Balkh Art Movement, said they Kam Air Natiq added 692 shops built place in Surkh Dewal area of Ro- were working for Pashto language development over the past 10 years. Azizi Bank awarded the Best on the Faizabad-Baharak road had dat district at around 9pm on the He said a Pashto General Library was functional in the province, 0799974422 been closed due to bad road condi- Jalalabad-Torkham highway. from where Pashto print and radio media outlets broadcasted their pro- Bank – Customer Service at the tion and as a result, no revenue was He said the tailor crushed the grammes. In addition, Pashto writers held weekly meetings in the li- Hotels collected from the shops. car, killing four men inside. Securi- brary. He said closure of Ashkasham, ty forces had launched a manhunt He said post-graduate studies in Pashto literature would further International Finance Magazine Safi Landmark Sheghnan and Nasi ports due to for the trailer’s driver. strengthen educational and cultural activities in the province. insecurity was another problem in (Pajhwok) (Pajhwok) Awards, Singapore 020-2203131 and is read in over 185 countries SERENA worldwide. The audience for IFM is the financial community world- 0799654000 wide, and includes top decision makers and influencers in the fi- nancial industry.Every Year, IFM New Rumi Restaurant identifies the best in the industry 0776351347 on the following parameters across the globe. Internet Services ·Strong sustainable position in the national market UA Telecom · Modern management technolo- 0796701701 / 0796702702 gies · Business reputation On its continuous endeavor to im- ·Successful marketing strategy Exchange Rate prove upon the customer service ·Positive local image as per international standards, · Competitiveness Purchase: Azizi Bank have been awarded Mr Omaid, CEO Azizi Bank in his with the Best Bank in Afghanistan speech addressed the audience One US$ = – Customer Service at a prestigious about the bank’s 10 years of illus- awards function held at the Mari- trious journey in the Islamic Re- 66.89Afs na Bay Sands & Convention Cen- th public of Afghanistan and the One Pound Sterling= ter, Singapore on 16 December bank’s future growth plans. His 86.77Afs 2016 by the International Finance speech was highly applauded by Magazine, London. the audience seeing an Afghanistan One Euro = The Award was presented to Azizi Bank with such international stan- 74.18Afs Bank’s CEO by his Excellency - dards and future aspirations. 1000 Pak Rs = The Ambassador of Malaysia to The gathering witnessed banking Singapore. and financial industries CEOs from 621Afs Mr Mohammad Salem Omaid, about 20 countries which included Sale: CEO of Azizi Bank was also hon- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri One US$ = ored with the Best Banking CEO, Lanka, Malaysia, Philippines, Afghanistan by Her Excellency - Russia Indonesia & Singapore in 67.09 Afs The Ambassador of Mongolia to addition to the other countries. One Pound Sterling= Singapore. Azizi Bank is the largest commer- 87.57Afs International Finance Magazine cial banking group in Afghanistan One Euro= (IFM) provides analysis and in- and is aimed at creating a world sights to the global finance com- class service experience for its cus- 74.78 Afs munity headquartered in London tomers. (Press Release) 1000 Pak Rs= 629 WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTAN TIMES Bilawal and I will Indian police contest elections arrest four men on to be a part of charges of raping American tourist this Parliament: NEW DELHI, INDIA: Indian po- offered her water laced with seda- lice arrested four men, including a tives, and sexually assaulted her bell boy of a five-star hotel in the on two separate days, Pathak said. Zardari national capital, on Monday for She left India after the incident allegedly raping an American tour- and said it was only towards the Days after returning from a self- Parliament to topple your govern- ist in April, police said, highlight- end of July that she started to re- imposed exile, Pakistan People ment.” He said his only intention ing the dangers faced by women in member what had happened to her, Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali was to teach the government a few the country from violent sex at- he said. Pathak said the NGO and Zardari on Tuesday announced he lessons and to consult with the tacks. a law firm complained initially and Bilawal Bhutto will contest prime minister on national issues. The 25-year-old tourist, who about her harassment in October, elections and be a part of “this Later, while addressing the had made a complaint in October, but later the police found it was a Parliament”. gathering Bilawal said he had earli- returned to India recently to de- case of a rape and forwarded the Delving into details regarding er asked the government to fulfill pose before a magistrate and iden- case to the local police in Novem- his “surprise announcement”, Zar- his party’s four demands but the tify the accused, the Times of In- ber. dari said he will contest elections government did not pay heed to it. dia newspaper reported. “We ourselves approached her from his sister’s seat in Nawab- The PPP chairman slammed After receiving a complaint and requested her to mail her com- shah whereas Bilawal will contest Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar from a US -based NGO on behalf plaint,” he said while denying ac- from his mother’s seat in Larkana. Ali Khan for meeting with people of the victim, followed by her writ- cusations by the Delhi Commis- “We have given so many sac- from proscribed organisations. ten complaint earlier this month, sion for Women, an independent rifices for democracy and we will “The interior minister is threaten- the Delhi police have arrested four body, of delay in the arrest of the not spare this Mughal emperor ing people instead of resigning. men, Dependra Pathak, joint com- accused. [Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif],” Whole world wants to declare us a missioner of Delhi Police, told Indian rape survivor gang- the PPP co-chairman told a large terrorist state and people in your Reuters. raped by same men years later number of party workers who had cabinet facilitate terrorists,” he “We are interrogating four Sex crimes are common in In- gathered to commemorate the 9th said. people while the fifth accused still dia. The National Crime Record anniversary of Benazir Bhutto. The PPP’s four demands re- has to be identified and arrested,” Bureau says more than 34,000 Firing a broadside at Prime quired the federal government to he said, adding that in the next day rapes were reported across the Minister Nawaz Sharif, the former revive the national security com- or two the police could parade the country in 2015, including about president said he was not afraid of mittee of parliament; accept the bill accused for identification by the 2,000 cases in the national capital courts and his party will face all presented by the PPP on the Pan- victim, with the court’s permis- New Delhi. cases against them. “We have ama Papers controversy in the sion. Indian authorities are facing fought against the country’s dicta- National Assembly; implement the According to Pathak, in her sustained criticism for not doing tors but never raised voice against resolutions passed at the recent statement, the women said five enough to address a weak system the army,” Zardari said as he took multiparty conference on the Chi- persons drugged and sexually as- of law enforcement and policing a jibe at the prime minister. na-Pakistan Economic Corridor saulted her inside her hotel room that leaves women vulnerable to Addressing PM Nawaz, Zar- and appoint a full-time foreign after she checked in. She said they sex crimes. (Reuters) dari said: “I am not coming to the minister immediately. Tribesmen of North Waziristan protest against construction of Kurram Tangi Dam Shamim Shahid PESHAWAR: Amidst beating of drums and traditional dances called Athanar, dozens of tribal elders from Shewa Tehsil of North Waziristan continue protest against construction of proposed Kurram Multibillion-rupee Tangi Dam at Peshawar on Mon- day. scam: SBP given The tribesmen belong to Kab- ul Khel clan of Utmanzai Wazir tribe went on protest after signing three days to probe of agreement between Government and United States regarding con- latest NBP fraud struction of dam on December 14, ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Former Prime 2016 last. Ishaq Dar is learnt to have direct- According to December 14, ed the State Bank of Pakistan 2016 agreement the US government (SBP) to launch an investigation Minister of Sri for financing Kurram Tangi Dam, into a multibillion-rupee fraud in just on boundaries between North the National Bank of Pakistan Waziristan and Northern Bannu (NBP) and submit a report within District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. three days. Lanka passes away The US government agreed of pro- The NBP itself had filed a complaint with the FIA and nom- Veteran politician Ratnasiri Wick- viding 81 million US dollars for the remanayake who served twice as construction of dam, which besides inated a senior woman executive, who confessed her complicity in Prime Minister of Sri Lanka today irrigating over 16,000 acres barren passed away after a brief illness. lands of Bannu and Lakki Marwat facilitating fraudulent transactions. “The Federal Minister for Fi- Wickremanayake, 83, who also districts would generate 18 MW held many key ministerial posi- of electricity also. nance Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar has taken a serious notice of a tions since 1970, was ailing for Faqir Mohammad Sultan lead- sometime and breathed his last this ing the protest told VOA that this news item (appearing in a section of the press) regarding a (massive) morning, his family said. He was dam is going to affect around admitted to the Intensive Care Unit 400,000 population, therefore, fraud in the NBP,” according to a handout issued by the Finance of a leading private hospital on December 21. they opposing it. He recalled that Wickremanayake served twice as the Island nation's premier first tribesmen headed by his late fa- Ministry on Sunday. On Decem- ber 10, The Express Tribune had from 2000 to 2001 and then from 2005 to 2010. ther migrated in protest to Afghan- He was appointed prime minister by former Sri Lankan president istan when government started reported that NBP’s senior offi- cials committed a fraud in the Aban- Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 21, 2005. work Kurram Tangi Dam site in NEW DELHI, INDIA: India said dom. him,” Chinnayyan said. It was Wickremanayake who paved the way for Rajapaksa to late 60’s. But later the protesting on Tuesday it will “spare no ef- “My captors have made many The video was posted on so- doned Properties Organization (APO) in connivance with the or- emerge as the next leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He tribal elders returned on the assur- fort” to secure the release of a priest contacts with the government of cial media sites Youtube and Face- resigned from his position as the leader of the main opposition in 2002 ances of government. kidnapped in Yemen, after video India to get me released. I am very book on Monday but it is not clear ganization’s officials. After the appearance of the news story, a to make way for Rajapaksa to become the leader of the opposition. The tribal elder said they will footage showing him pleading for sad that nothing has been done se- when it was shot. That move cleared the way for Rajapaksa who went on to become not allow construction of dam at help was circulated on social me- riously in my regard,” Uzhunnalil In it the 56-year-old priest said private news channel also high- lighted this racket. Ishaq Dar tasked the President. cost of their displacement and dia. said. his nationality remained the main In his previous stint as prime minister, Wickremanayake succeed- urged the government to review the Indian priest Thomas Uzhun- In response, India’s foreign reason that world leaders remained the SBP governor to submit a re- port within three days to expedite ed prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike who had resigned at the age decision. nalil was abducted during a deadly minister Sushma Swaraj a three part unsympathetic. of 84. A host of political leaders cutting across party lines condoled the During the day long protest in attack by Islamist militants on a tweet without divulging details. “If I were a European priest, I legal proceedings in accordance with the rules, the ministry stated death of Wickremanayake. front of Peshawar Press Club, care home operated by the Mis- Joseph Chinnayyan, the dep- would have been taken more seri- "Veteran Politician Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was loved by his tribesmen including leading gray- sionaries of Charity group in the uty secretary general of Catholic ously by authorities and people on Sunday. The news item appear- ing in The Express Tribune quot- people for many decades. My condolences are with his loved ones and hair with traditional turbans on southern Yemeni port city of Aden Bishops’ Conference of India, said would have got me released,” he followers," President Maithripala Sirisena tweeted. heads demonstrating tradition in March. it was not possible to verify the said. ed finance ministry officials as say- ing that the fraud was committed Rajapaksa also tweeted his condolences. Athanar dance from time to time The five-minute video, the authenticity of the video. Yemen is in midst of a civil war "Deeply saddened by the death of former Sri Lankan PM & veter- amidst beating of drums. Such a provenance of which is unknown, “Even if it is authentic, what- and has seen a growing presence in connivance with senior bank of- ficials, most prominent among an politician Ratnasiri Wickremanayake. My condolences to his fami- protest also a source of recreation shows him appealing to Indian ever he is saying is under duress. of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State mil- ly," Rajapaksa said in a tweet. for Peshawarities and media Prime Minister Narendra Modi We are certain that he is still in itants. them was an assistant vice-presi- dent of the bank. (TRIBUNE) He entered politics in 1960 winning the Horana seat in the March squads as well. and Pope Francis to secure his free- captivity and efforts are on to free (AFP) General Election as a member of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna. Beside dozens of elders from In 1970, he was appointed Deputy Minister, Justice and went on Shewa Tehsil who are on protest to be the General Secretary of SLFP in 1977. against a proposed dam project, In the 1994 General Election, he won the Kalutara District seat and thousands of others from all over was appointed as the Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs North Waziristan are also demand- and Plantation Industries and the Leader of the House in President ing their early repatriation and re- Chandrika Kumaranatunge's Cabinet. His son Vidura Wickremanayake allocating of their properties and is also a member of the parliament. (deccanherald) shops. Almost tribesmen from North Waziristan have abandoned homes when armed forces em- Nepal witnesses new government, barked on military action Zarb-i- Azab against militants on June 15, Bangladesh garment manufacturers hiding. test had been arrested. Bangladesh's 4,500 garment 2014 last. So far from 37 to 40 per have sacked at least 1,500 work- "All the factories have resumed The protests were the latest factories have a woeful history of thaw in ties with India in 2016 cent of displaced tribesmen not yet ers, police said on Tuesday (Dec their operations. Some 90 per cent blow to the impoverished coun- poor pay and conditions for their KATHMANDU: Politically unstable Nepal saw a change in guard in repatriated. 27), after protests over pay led to of the workers have joined work," try's US$30 billion (S$43.4 billion) four million workers, and protests 2016 with 'Prachanda' becoming the Prime Minister of the Himalayan a week-long shutdown at dozens said Mr Nur Nabi, assistant su- garment industry, which has occur frequently. They gained in- nation, but the crisis persists over the new Constitution that sparked Sri Lanka asked to of factories supplying top West- perintendent of police. proved resilient to a series of at- tensity after the 2013 collapse of violence in Terai region bordering India with which Kathmandu's ties ern brands. "Around 1,500 workers have tacks on foreigners and religious the Rana Plaza factory complex in improved steadily paving way for President Pranab Mukherjee's maiden enter mines ban Tens of thousands of workers been sacked by the owners. The minorities in Bangladesh. which 1,130 people were killed. visit. walked out of factories in the man- owners have filed five cases against Garment manufacturing makes The tragedy triggered internation- The year began on a turbulent note as the unrest spilled over from the treaty ufacturing hub of Ashulia that make the unruly workers," he told AFP. up 80 per cent of Bangladesh's ex- al outrage, forcing US and Europe- previous year over the Madhesi demands for greater political control clothing for top Western brands The Bangladesh Garment ports and a prolonged interruption an clothing brands to improve de- It will take 15 more years to de- following promulgation of the new Constitution in September last mine Sri Lanka's war-battered like GAP, Zara and H&M earlier Manufacturers and Exporters As- would have a major impact on the plorable safety conditions at their year. North and East regions, a group this month, prompting concerns sociation has rejected the workers' economy. supplier factories. (straitstimes) Over 50 people were killed during the months long violent agitation by campaigning to ban anti-personal over supply during the holiday demand for their pay to be trebled Madhesis who blocked a key border trade points with India, resulting mines in the country said today season. from the current minimum month- in shortage of essential supplies in Nepal and causing hardships to its while criticising the government for Police branded the protests il- ly wage of 5,300 taka (S$97). people. not acceding to the Ottawa Con- legal and said they had arrested 30 Babul Akhter, head of the vention. "The de-mining work has The unofficial border blockade was finally lifted on the southern fron- workers including seven union Bangladesh Garment and Industrial tier with India on January 5 with a brief clash between Indian traders slowed down over the years. At leaders, as well as a television re- Workers Federation, accused the its current pace it will take around and agitating Madhesis. 15 years to complete the de-min- porter covering the unrest. authorities of using a controver- The amendment included provisions such as proportionate and inclu- ing in the remaining 44 square ki- On Tuesday, they said facto- sial military-era law to shut down sive representation of all marginalised communities including the Mad- lometers," Vidya Abhayagunawar- ry owners had sacked around the protests. hesis in all state mechanisms and allocation of seats in the Parliament dena, the national co-ordinator of 1,500 workers and resumed oper- "They used the Special Pow- on the basis of population. Sri Lanka Campaign to Ban Land- ations, a week after shutting down ers Act to detain union leaders and mines (SLCBL) said. After seven The first USD 1 billion line of credit assistance was announced during to try to contain the protests. workers," he told AFP. Modi's visit to Nepal and the second USD 1 billion assistance was years of end of war with the LTTE, The Bangladesh Garment and "Up to 3,500 workers have Sri Lanka remains the only coun- announced during Swaraj's visit to Nepal for rebuilding after the quake. try in the world to maintain that Industrial Workers Federation been sacked and 50 leaders have President Vidya Bhandari's proposed visit to India was cancelled in it's military installations should meanwhile put the number sacked gone into hiding." May as the cabinet did not endorse her travel plans and the govern- continue to be protected with land- at 3,500 and said dozens of pro- The Ashulia police chief said ment recalled its envoy to India Deep Kumar Upadhyaya, escalating mines, he said. test organisers had been forced into only those involved in violent pro- tensions in bilateral ties. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTAN TIMES News-in-Brief Syrian army seeks King Salman campaign for to retake capital's Syria aid water supply The Syrian army escalated aerial heavily involved in fighting along- begins bombing of a rebel-held valley side Syrian President Bashar al northwest of Damascus in an of- Assad's army. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has fensive begun last week to recap- A resident and rebels said the launched a humanitarian aid ture the strategic area where a ma- aerial bombing has put out of com- campaign to collect 100 mil- jor spring provides most of the mission the main Ein al Fija lion Saudi riyals ($27 million) capital's water supplies, rebels and spring's water pumping station to help those suffering in Syr- residents said on Tuesday. where a underground pipeline nor- ia. They said the army shelled and mally provides around 65 percent The campaign will begin bombarded several towns in Wadi of the water to the capital's neigh- on Tuesday and will enlist the Barada valley about 18 km (11 borhoods. help of the entire kingdom, ac- miles) northwest of the capital in A picture taken by a rebel and cording to a statement from a major offensive launched since seen by Reuters showed the pump- Saudi Arabia’s Royal Court. Friday. The roads leading to the ing station's ceiling has collapsed. “Given what is happening towns in the valley and the moun- Several videos uploaded on social to our brothers in Syria and tain cliffs surrounding the area are media show damage and fires with those who are suffering, espe- under the control of elite Republic plumes of smoke near the pump- cially those displaced from Guards and the Lebanese Shi'ite ing station. Others show damage Aleppo and other stranded Hezbollah group, they said. to houses. because of the difficult circum- Residents said fighting on Rebels and residents said the stances and painful events in Monday focused on Baseimeh vil- bombing has also killed 14 civil- which they live, the Custodi- lage at the edge of the valley where ians and hit a medical clinic and an of the Two Holy Mosques the army and its allies are pushing civil defense unit in the area that King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al to advance deeper in an enclave has been besieged with limited ac- Saud - supported by God – has where 10 villages are inhabited by cess for food and fuel. ordered the implementation of an estimated 100,000 people. The army said it was targeting a humanitarian aid campaign The rebels said the army was "terrorists." that will encompass all regions emboldened by gaining full control The Syrian army has blamed of the Kingdom from tomor- of Aleppo city and was seeking to rebels for polluting the springs with row,” the statement carried on force them to either leave or face diesel fuel in a move the water au- Saudi Press Agency an- all out war. thorities said had forced them to nounced. "They are seeking to push us cut supplies coming into the capi- Nayef had donated 10 mil- into a surrender deal to and we will tal and resort to reserves to tem- lion, and Deputy Crown not hand over our land," said Abu porarily cover the shortfall. Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Baraa, a commander in Ahrar al The rebels have allowed the had contributed 8 million. Sham, a rebel group present in the government's water authority en- The King Salman Human- area. gineers to maintain and operate the itarian and Relief Centre will Through a series of so-called station and supply the capital since be supporting the majority of settlement agreements and army they took control of the area in the work and has said it will offensives, the Syrian government, 2012. The rebels draw from both coordinate with other NGOs backed by Russian air power and Islamist and Free Syrian Army fac- in the kingdom to help with Iran-backed militias, has been tions. the campaign’s goals and ob- steadily suppressing armed oppo- Fighters from the area have cut jectives. The campaign, which sition around the capital. water supplies several times in the is active on Twitter, an- Alongside the main spring in past as a pressure card to prevent nounced that donations can be Wadi Barada, the area lies on the the army from overrunning the made via SMS from Saudi Ara- road from Damascus to the Leba- area. bia. 10, 20, or 30 Saudi riyals nese border that is used as a sup- But they deny poisoning the can be sent through a message ply line for the powerful Iranian- water as they say it would harm to 5565. Alternatively, money backed Hezbollah group which is them before anyone else. (AP) can be sent through bank trans- fer to Ahli Bank using the ac- Days after the United Nations Palestinian issues. But his tone Trump's criticism of the UN total 2016 holiday sales were ex- count number voted to condemn Israeli settle- became decidedly more pro-Israel is by no means unique. While the pected to exceed $1 trillion, repre- SA2310000020188888000100. ments in the West Bank and east as the presidential campaign pro- organization does engage in large- senting a 3.6 percent to 4.0 per- (AFP) Jerusalem, Donald Trump ques- gressed. He has spoken disparag- scale humanitarian and peacekeep- cent increase in holiday sales from tioned its effectiveness Monday, ingly of Palestinians, saying they ing efforts, its massive bureaucra- November through January. saying it's just a club for people to have been "taken over" by or are cy has long been a source of con- Finally, Trump took to Twit- Court: "have a good time." condoning militant groups. troversy. The organization has ter again late Monday to complain The president-elect wrote on Trump's tweet Monday about been accused by some Western about media coverage of his chari- Blasphemy trial Twitter that the UN has "such the UN ignores much of the work governments of being inefficient table foundation. great potential," but it has become that goes on in the 193-member and frivolous, while developing He wrote that of the "millions of Jakarta "just a club for people to get to- global organization. nations have said it is overly influ- of dollars" he has contributed to gether, talk and have a good time. This year the UN Security enced by wealthier nations. or raised for the Donald J. Trump governor will So sad!" Council has approved over 70 le- Trump tweeted later Monday, Foundation, all of it "is given to proceed On Friday, Trump warned, gally binding resolutions, includ- "The world was gloomy before I charity, and media won't report." "As to the UN, things will be dif- ing new sanctions on North Korea won - there was no hope. Now the Trump said Saturday he will dis- A court in Indonesia has ruled ferent after Jan. 20th," referring to and measures tackling conflicts and market is up nearly 10 percent and solve his charitable foundation be- that the trial of Jakarta’s gover- the day he takes office. authorizing the UN's far-flung Christmas spending is over a tril- fore taking office to avoid conflicts nor on blasphemy charges will The decision by the Obama peacekeeping operations around lion dollars!" of interest. The New York attor- proceed, rejecting a plea by his administration to abstain from Fri- the world. Markets are up since Trump ney general's office has been in- lawyers to drop the case. day's UN vote brushed aside The General Assembly has won the general election, although vestigating the foundation follow- On Tuesday, the court de- Trump's demands that the US ex- also approved dozens of resolu- not quite by that much. The Stan- ing media reports that foundation clared that Basuki Tjahaja Pur- ercise its veto and provided a cli- tions on issues, like the role of di- dard & Poor's 500 is up about 6 spending went to benefit Trump's nama, known by his nickname max to years of icy relations with amonds in fueling conflicts; con- percent since Election Day, while campaign. Ahok, will stand trial for com- Israel's leadership. demned human rights abuses in the Dow has risen more than 8 The president-elect is spend- ments made in September which Trump told The Associated Iran and North Korea; and autho- percent. As for holiday spending, ing the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago are deemed as insulting to Is- Press last December that he want- rized an investigation of alleged war auditing and accounting firm De- resort in Florida. He had no public lam’s holy book. ed to be "very neutral" on Israel- crimes in Syria. loitte projected in September that schedule Monday. (Alarabiya) His lawyer denied the charges brought against the pol- itician, arguing that the proceed- ings were being rushed and the Israel 'reducing' ties with judges were subject to public Iran must continue to strengthen self: Leader pressure. Leader of the Islamic Revolution bing the Iranian nation of its mate- “In the face of such enmities, ious means such as talking, joking, In an attempt to strike backers of anti- rial and spiritual power and con- the Islamic Republic should in- smiling, and rebuking and enter the down the case, the defense team Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran must continue to viction. In turn, we should preserve crease its strength; and that is the house.” had expressed concern that the and strengthen that power day by very reason for the insistence The Leader also strongly de- case would undermine the poli- settlement UN resolution strengthen itself in the face of en- Israel says it is "reducing" ties with World Economic Forum in Davos. mity from different parties. day.” [made] on the enhancement of do- nounced the possession and ap- tician’s rights. Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said, mestic power and the reinforce- plication of nuclear weapons, say- But the court rejected the the nations that voted for last Netanyahu, who also serves as Ayatollah Khamenei made the week's UN Security Council reso- foreign minister, has urged officials remark on Tuesday during an ad- enjoys ample natural, human, and ment of domestic structures,” the ing, “The prohibition of nuclear request. “The defendant's ex- economic resources, follows logic, Leader noted. weapons has very important ju- ception is not accepted," said lution demanding a halt to Tel to visit the UN resolution-backers dress on the eve of the anniversa- Aviv's settlement expansion in as little as possible for now, Israeli ry of large-scale pro-establishment and has political platforms and The Leader compared the ene- risprudential and intellectual foun- Judge Abdul Rosyad. competent military personnel and my to a thief who would seek to dations, but the government and The defense was told, how- Palestinian territory. media reported. demonstrations that took place Foreign Ministry spokesman On Friday, the UN Security throughout Iran on December 30, equipment. burglarize a house but pretends nation can endeavor to obtain oth- ever, that they could appeal to The Leader said the hostilities that the reason for its enmity is er types of power.” a higher court. (AP) Emmanuel Nahshon said on Tues- Council passed Resolution 2334, 2009. day that Israel was "temporarily which demands an immediate end The day witnessed massive and conspiracies directed against the defensive weapon held by the Ayatollah Khamanei has for- reducing" visits and work with to “all Israeli settlement activities” demonstrations in support of the Iran are a response to the resource- householder. “They, therefore, merly issued a fatwa (religious de- embassies, without elaborating. in the occupied Palestinian terri- ruling authorities in reaction to ful country’s opposition to the would attempt to disarm the cree) banning the possession and Russia "Until further notice, we'll lim- tories. unrest that had ensued the presi- hegemonic system in the world. householder through guile and var- use of atomic bombs. (Presstv) it our contacts with the embassies The resolution was adopted dential election in June of the same grounds all here in Israel and refrain from vis- after the administration of US Pres- year. its of Israeli officials to those ident Barack Obama refused to The Leader termed the dem- Tupolev-154s states, and of visits of officials from veto it, reversing Washington's onstrations as one of the examples those states here," he told the longstanding policy of shielding of the Islamic Republic’s might. after jet crash French news agency AFP. Israel from condemnatory mea- Ayatollah Khamenei said no Tel Aviv has has already called sures at the world body. one had orchestrated that “unique” Russia has grounded all Tu- back its ambassadors to New On Sunday, the Israeli prime incident, which had rather been polev-154 planes until further Zealand and Senegal for consulta- minister accused Obama of "col- propelled by the “intellectual notice after one of the aircraft tions, and cancelled "aid programs" luding" with the Palestinians and power” that constitutes the main crashed into the Black Sea on with the African state. Nahshon summoned the US ambassador to structure of the Islamic establish- Sunday, killing all 92 people on said Israel informed Angola on Israel. ment. board, the Interfax news agen- Tuesday that it would be freezing Israel has defied international Elsewhere in his remarks, the cy says. its "aid program" in Angola. calls to stop its illegal construc- Leader said, “Today, the geome- The report on Tuesday Israeli leaders have responded tion activities, with its settlement try defining the arrogant powers’ came shortly after Russian of- with especially harsh language and expansion being among the main confrontation with the Islamic ficials said they had found the fury to Friday's Security Council reasons behind the collapse of the Republic is directed toward rob- first black box from the Syria- resolution which passed after the last round of the so-called Middle bound military plane. United States did not veto it for East peace talks in 2014. Divers were scouring the the first time. Over half a million Israelis live sea on Tuesday after finding Anti-Park lawmakers defect from S. Korea ruling party the first wreckage underwater, There have been reports that in more than 230 illegal settlements with officials dismissing terror- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin built since the 1967 Israeli occu- Netanyahu was calling off a meet- pation of the Palestinian territo- South Korea's ruling party has of- fluence-peddling case. presidential contender, told TV ism as a cause of the crash. The ficially split after scores of sup- She allegedly colluded with station SBS. Tass news agency said the ing with British Prime Minister ries of the West Bank, including Theresa May at next month's East Jerusalem al-Quds. porters of the impeachment of long-time confidante Choi Soon- Ban suggested that he may run black box, which contains flight scandal-hit President Park Geun- sil to pressure major corporations for president of South Korea after information, would be sent to hye defected and formed their to contribute money to non-profit his 10-year-long tenure at the Moscow for analysis. own party. foundations that supported presi- world body ends early next year. The Tu-154 jet was head- A group of 29 lawmakers on dential initiatives. Park and Choi A poll conducted by Realme- ing to Syria when it went down Tuesday defected the ruling Sae- have denied any wrongdoing. ter showed on Monday that 23.3 off Russia's coastal resort of Sochi on Sunday. Its passen- nuri Party, accusing it of defend- This file photo taken on No- percent of respondents backed gers included 68 musicians. 8 ing Park, whom they described as The defections left the ruling vember 29, 2016 shows South Ban, just ahead of the liberal Dem- crew members and several jour- the "worst-ever" offender against party with only 99 seats in the Korean President Park Geun-hye ocratic Party's Moon Jae-in, at nalists were also on board. constitutional order. 300-seat National Assembly, mak- speaking during an address to the 23.1 percent. Investigators have yet to "Our departure will provide ing it the second largest party in nation at the presidential Blue The head of the People's Par- confirm the cause of the crash. momentum to turn the country's the chamber behind the liberal House in Seoul. (Photo by AFP) ty, which has 38 seats in parlia- They have so far said that pi- tragic incident -- the impeachment Democratic Party. The defectors also expressed ment, has also expressed its inter- lot error or a technical fault of its president -- into chances for The defected lawmakers are their hope that outgoing UN Sec- est in having Ban as a member. were likely to have caused the the development of democracy," among more than 60 Saenuri law- retary-General Ban Ki-moon, the The Constitutional Court has aircraft to come down. the lawmakers said. makers who supported a parlia- frontrunner in some presidential up to 180 days to rule on the va- "No signs or facts pointing They also slammed the par- mentary motion to impeach Park, polls, would join their new party. lidity of the impeachment vote. to a possible act of terror have ty’s leadership for refusing to em- which was passed overwhelming- "We are hoping Secretary- If impeachment is confirmed, been received at this time," brace reforms despite the political General Ban Ki-moon will join the presidential elections will be held Russia's Federal Security Ser- ly on December 9. crisis that hit South Korea after The first female president of New Conservative Party for Re- in 60 days. The ballot is currently vice said in a statement carried Park became embroiled in a cor- form," Yoo Seong-min, a member scheduled to be held in December by national news agencies. the East Asian country has been ruption scandal. accused of involvement in an in- of the new party and a possible 2017. (Presstv) WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTANTIMES

We a r e a n a t ion a l in st it u t ion a n d n ot t h e voice of a gov t or a p r iva t e or ga n iza t ion

AFGHANISTAN TIMES Editor: Mansoor Faizy Phone No: +93-797070563 E-mail: [email protected] By Rebecca Kheel President-elect Donald Trump’s cesses, the ANDSF have also dem- interview with CNN, Trump back- than just fighting battles.” Email: [email protected] pledges to end the nation-building onstrated the need for continued tracked on calling Afghanistan a O’Hanlon, the Brookings fel- missions of the military will be U.S. and coalition support to ad- mistake, saying he “never said low, said Mattis, having retired www.afghanistantimes.af tested in Afghanistan, where Pres- dress persistent capability gaps that.” from the military three years ago, ident Obama repeatedly came up and deficiencies,” the report says. He did reiterate that U.S. forc- will likely need to take a new look Photojournalist: M. Sadiq Yusufi against the reality of a country Nine U.S. soldiers were killed es need to stay. at Afghanistan when he assumes unready for U.S. forces to leave. in action in Afghanistan this year, More recently and more fre- the role of Defense secretary. Advisory editorial board Trump will inherit a military including three soldiers killed in the quently, Trump has spoken broad- “He’s probably going to go drawing down in Afghanistan to first suicide bombing inside the ly about the need to end nation- look at Afghanistan with fresh eyes, Saduddin Shpoon, Dr. Sharif Fayez, Dr. Sultana Parvanta, Dr. Sharifa Sharif, 8,400 troops, well above the 1,000 walls of the heavily guarded building. as he should,” O’Hanlon said. Obama originally wanted to leave Bagram Airfield since U.S. troops “Our current strategy of na- But, O’Hanlon added, his sense Dr. Omar Zakhilwal, Setara Delawari, Ahmad Takal, Saboor Sarir at just the U.S. embassy in Kabul. arrived in the country. tion-building and regime change is is Mattis’s experience makes him Obama formally ended the Trump spoke with Afghan a proven failure,” he said in an likely to see the value in maintain- Graphic-Designer: combat mission in 2014, but U.S. President Ashraf Ghani via tele- August speech on terrorism. “If I ing troop levels. troops remain on a dual mission. phone on Dec. 2. They discussed become president, the era of na- O’Hanlon also said he Edriss Akbari, Bilal Yusufi One is to conduct counterter- the “grave terrorism threats facing tion-building will be ended. Our wouldn’t classify Afghanistan as Marketing & Advertising: rorism strikes against groups such both countries and pledged to work new approach, which must be nation-building, particularly since as al Qaeda and the Islamic State more closely together in order to shared by both parties in America, it’s a term “full of baggage,” but Mohammad Parwiz Arian, 0708954626, 0778894038 in Iraq and Syria. The other is to meet these growing threats,” ac- by our allies overseas and by our that Trump could press the issue train, advise and assist Afghan forc- cording to a brief statement from friends in the Middle East, must if he so desires. Mailing address: P.O. Box: 371, Kabul, Afghanistan es in their fight against the Tali- Trump’s transition team. be to halt the spread of radical Is- “If President Trump wanted Our Bank Accounts: Azizi Bank: 000101100258091 / 000101200895656 ban, a mission critics have called Ghani also signaled his desire lam.” to make it into an issue, he could,” nation-building. for the U.S. to keep a strong pres- Any attempts to curtail the O’Hanlon said. “It still costs $15 Printed at Afghanistan Times Printing Press Facing a resilient Taliban and ence in Afghanistan, stressing “that mission in Afghanistan could be billion a year and there are still sev- recommendations from his military the joint war against terrorism has met by opposition from his choice eral Americans killed. But it’s a advisors not to withdraw, Obama made America a foundational part- for Defense secretary, retired Gen. central location where you can at- was twice forced to increase the ner to the people of Afghanistan.” James Mattis. tack al Qaeda and ISIL, operate The constitution says number of troops he planned to He said U.S. investments in his Mattis rose to national prom- drones, conduct surveillance, con- leave in country after this year, country “are bearing fruit,” accord- inence in 2001 as the then-one-star duct commando raids if need be. first to 5,500 then to 8,400. ing to a statement from the Afghan general who led an amphibious That’s pretty useful.” Article 48: Trump could likely face the embassy in D.C. task force of Marines that carried Sean McFate, a senior fellow same issue. Afghanistan was barely men- out the raid on Kandahar province at the Atlantic Council, said that Article Forty-Eight: Work is the right of every Afghan. Working hours, paid “Afghanistan is inherently and tioned in the presidential cam- in Afghanistan. based on Trump’s derision of na- profoundly mixed as a mission,” paign. It came up just once in the As commander of Central tion-building, he could foresee holidays, employment and employee rights and related matters shall be regulated by said Michael O’Hanlon, a senior debates when Hillary Clinton made Command, Mattis recommended Trump abandoning the mission of the law. Choice of occupation and craft shall be free within the bounds of law. fellow at the Brookings Institu- a passing reference to it while dis- Obama keep 13,600 troops in the training, advising and assisting tion. “I think in the end, his view, cussing NATO’s reaction to 9/11. country after the end of the com- conventional Afghan forces, given that it provides a countert- Trump appears to have last bat mission, thousands more than though he could envision Trump errorism platform, will probably talked publicly about Afghanistan the 9,800 troops Obama eventual- trying to build small, elite Afghan be that it’s worth keeping that lev- in October 2015 — and in his com- ly settled on. counterterrorism forces. el of investment.” ments he has contradicted himself. “I think we have to send a But, he added, Trump “sent In its latest biannual report on In an Oct. 6, 2015, interview message of commitment,” Mattis mix messages during his cam- the security situation in Afghani- with CNN, he called it a mistake said at the March 2013 Senate paign.” stan, the Pentagon said the Tali- to go into Afghanistan in the first Armed Services Committee hear- McFate also said he thinks the ban is in control of or has influ- place, but said the president would ing where he revealed his recom- public would back any Trump de- ence over 10 percent of the coun- have little choice but to keep troops mendation. cision to curtail the Afghanistan try and is contesting the govern- there. In August, Mattis spoke about mission. “I think the American ment for another 20 percent. U.S. “At some point, are they go- the need to stay engaged in the people are tired with perpetual officials have said the Taliban ing to be there for the next 200 Middle East beyond the battle- boots on the ground with nothing holds more ground than at any years?” Trump said. “We made a field, just as the United States did to show,” McFate said. “Fifteen Russia in spotlight point since it was ousted from terrible mistake getting involved in Europe after World War II. years have yielded precious little power in 2001. there in the first place. We had real “We created the Marshall Plan, results.” Still, drawing down re- Around two months ago, the Russian officials have planned to host The report, released earlier in brilliant thinkers that didn’t know three years after Nazis were burn- mains a balancing act, he said. December, also said the Afghan what the hell they were doing. And ing Jews,” Mattis said at a speech “The U.S. needs to get out,” trilateral talks on Afghanistan. The invitation was extended only to National Defense and Security it’s a mess. It’s a mess. And at this Washington State University, ac- he said. “What we’re all worried China and Pakistan. It is very strange that these three important Forces (ANDSF) continue to need point, you probably have to [stay] cording to local media. “We offered about is, is there a way to do that the help of U.S. and NATO forc- because that thing will collapse them locomotives, rail lines, any- to minimize risk to the U.S., and neighboring countries would discuss security situation in Afghani- es. about two seconds after they thing to help get their economies can you do that without it being a stan but the Afghan officials were not invited to attend the today’s “Although the ANDSF denied leave.” going again. That’s the greatest propaganda coup to the Tali- talks (Tuesday). This move of Russia has challenged sovereignty of the insurgency any strategic suc- Two weeks later, in another generation. The point is it’s more ban.”—(The Hill) Afghanistan. Very sadly, Kabul has been too slow to react. The Foreign Ministry has showed its reaction yesterday, though the event was planned several weeks ago. It seems that Beijing and Moscow HOW A BUDGET CHIEF CAN do not accept—like Islamabad—the democratic Afghan govern- ment as true representative of Afghan people. If this was not the WREAK HAVOC case, they would have not established secret contacts with the Tali- Credit Tyler Comrie ban and invited Afghan officials to attend the December 27 talks on Afghanistan in Moscow. China and Russia will soon realize their Mick Mulvaney, the Republican congressman and fiscal hawk nominated by Donald Trump to head the White House Office of Management and Budget, will, if confirmed, be in charge of creating and promoting Mr. Trump’s federal budgets, a position that would put him at the center of mistake and cover it with a comforting statement that Afghans would debates within the administration and with Congress over the president’s priorities. As the O.M.B. director, Mr. Mulvaney would also have power not believe. to advance or impede federal regulation, because many proposed rules have to pass muster at O.M.B. before they are issued. Establishment of contacts with Taliban and leaving Afghan offi- The traits Mr. Mulvaney brings to the job include a pronounced hostility to both federal spending and federal regulation — the basics of functional government. He rode the anti-deficit, anti-regulation Tea Party wave into Congress in 2010 and is a founder of the far-right House cials out of the talks prove on which side these two countries are. It Freedom Caucus. In recent years, he has advocated shutting down the government rather than passing legislation to keep the nation and the became visible during the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar that economy running, and he was one of several dozen House Republicans who refused to back a deal to avoid default on the national debt by raising Russia is sliding towards Pakistan as the Taliban could upset Daesh. the statutory debt limit. In 2013, he nearly torpedoed a $50.7 billion relief bill in the wake of Hurricane Sandy by pressing for draconian spending cuts to offset the emergency funds. He has voted many times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, calling it a “government takeover” of health care. Moscow is cashing in Afghan militant groups. Russian and Chinese Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, the Times editorial board and contributing writers from around leadership never welcomed the US presence in Afghanistan. There- the world. Because all policies affect the budget, all policies, directly or indirectly, fall into the O.M.B.’s purview at some point. Mr. Mulvaney fore, they see Afghan war as a golden opportunity to trap the US. would thus play an important role in decisions about how to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a Republican priority. He would also have a voice in discussions over Mr. Trump’s infrastructure plan. As a sworn enemy of government spending, it seems likely he would prefer to finance the plan Russia is particularly interested in keeping the US busy in Afghani- by giving tax cuts to private developers rather than sending federal money to the states — a move that would create windfall profits for a few private stan to win its strategic game in the Middle East. The events and businesses without adequately meeting public infrastructure needs. On regulatory actions over which the O.M.B. has a say, there is every reason to believe that Mr. Mulvaney, serving in a Trump administration, would water down or indefinitely delay proposed rules. During his time in decisions of these important neighboring countries suggest that they Congress, he has supported regulatory rollback efforts, including legislation to strip President Obama of executive rule-making authority. The rules are not interested in peace and stability of Afghanistan. They are over which the O.M.B. has influence include energy and environmental standards, labor protections and food safety. An unanswered question is chasing their own goals. It is evident from the yesterday meeting of how a deficit foe like Mr. Mulvaney could actually get behind the Trump economic agenda. Mr. Trump has proposed tax cuts that would cost $6.2 the CSTO Collective Security Council which is focusing on im- trillion over 10 years, according to estimates by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. proved security on border of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The CSTO is concerned about presence of the Islamic State, aka Daesh, in Afghanistan but the security organization has not provid- ed military and financial support to Kabul. Support of Russia does not matter to Afghans. What they really want is that Moscow should not interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs and learn from its humiliating defeat. The Wolesi Jirga—Lower House of the Parliament—has spoke against the growing interference of Russia in Afghan affairs. No country has the right to see Afghanistan as a ground for proxy wars. If they cannot help Afghans, it is better they leave Afghans alone so they could resolve their own problems without any foreign meddling and influence. Despite knowing importance of Afghanistan’s geo-strategic im- portance and the new great game, Afghan policymakers are acting too slow and learning from media. They shall use their own brains. The sense of fear is also preventing them from doing their job on professional lines. They condemn Pakistan and Iran for interference but rarely show reaction to Russia and China. They should react to these two countries the way they treat Islamabad or Tehran because whoever interferes in Afghanistan is not on our side. Afghan leaders Progress should bring adjustment in the foreign policy to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity. Subscription Rates Note:The following rates will apply from January 01, 2017. Categories Fee Afghanistan Times Capability Annual Afg: 5400 at your door step For fast delivery service Six Months Afg: 2700 Afghanistan Times seeks the names, addresses of your International Organization $240 per year organizations and the number of copies you want. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTANTIMES

By Manish Rai r e l l suggestion that the long-standing marked by efforts to forcibly for trade-offs. This approach has controversial "nine-dash line" in the

Good Governance of Roja- M i "one-China" policy should not be change the status quo in the East already led to weakening faith South China Sea. Similarly, in the e va-Rojava effectively exists under r considered as a given. and South China Seas. among Washington's allies in the East China Sea, Beijing may look h i

embargo, with even the most basic s But prognostics of a looming Despite barbs on the South US deterrence commitments in the to increase the presence of its mar- k

r US-China showdown under China Sea and promises to rebuild region, and that trend will only itime militia in the waters sur-

of supplies very difficult to im- e

B Trump may not be entirely accu- the US navy, most of Trump's continue if Trump proceeds to rounding the Senkaku islands and port into the region. Bread rations J rate. known doctrine promotes a myo- treat alliance relationships in Asia further push into "grey-zone" sit- are provided by the local adminis- y

B Trump will surely press hard pic "America First" worldview in a transactional manner. uations - sensing Washington's lack trations to each household, and on China economically and on that likely will complicate Wash- China's side of the game of appetite to jump to Japan's de- fuel is distributed by local com- The Asia-Pacific region is in for trade - a bread and butter issue for ington's established relationships China will push ahead accord- fence. China will also be keeping a munes. So far two oil refineries another challenging year, with a him. with allies in the region. ingly and look to expose areas of shrewd eye on US policies regard- have been constructed as well as a number of long-standing tripwires But, on the trade front, China Indeed, during his campaign, vulnerability. In the coming year, ing Taiwan and, depending on the number of publicly-run mills and ripening during a period of great will also look to take advantage of Trump accused allies, such as Ja- there will be a number of areas that direction that Trump goes, may dairy processing plants. Since 2011 geopolitical uncertainty. failed US leadership on delivering pan and South Korea, of freeriding Beijing can retaliate to Trump's look to press harder on Taipei the new administration has taken The stunning victory of Unit- the Trans-Pacific Partnership on US military support and prom- plans to turn the economic screws. through tightening the vice on trade over the land previously held by ed States president-elect Donald trade pact and press forward on ised a tougher approach to alliance First, China could continue to and tourism flows and being more Syrian government officials and Trump earlier this fall only magni- agreements that are either led or burden sharing. up the stakes in the East and South overt with its poaching of Taipei's The start of the Syrian civil war in distributed much of it to self-orga- fies a number of these areas of con- inclusive of Beijing – such as the In reality, it is highly unlikely China Seas and might look to be diplomatic allies. A more gloomy 2011 gave the historically margin- nised farmer cooperatives. The cern, ranging from China's desta- Regional Comprehensive Econom- that Trump will do away with US more overt and bold in its militari- and dangerous scenario might see alized Kurds their first real chance PYD took control of the federal bilising activities in the maritime ic Partnership and the China-Ja- alliances in the region, which have sation of reclaimed reefs in the lat- China ramp up military threats to domain to North Korea's relent- to assert their autonomy and to region of Rojava following the Syr- pan-Korea trilateral free trade and continue to serve US commer- ter. Taiwan through missile tests and become a political powerhouse. less march towards a more potent agreement. cial and security interests. Beijing may also look to use naval exercises in the Cross-Straits ian regimes retreat. PYD is an ef- nuclear weapons capability. It is less clear that Trump will But, while Trump may not its newly placed military assets in region. It is time to buckle up for a Syrian Kurdish society now fective provider of services and But, in addition to uncertain- strongly feels that they can reverse stand stout against China's grow- abandon allies, he will definitely the region to announce an Air De- bumpy road in Asia over the com- security in the areas under its con- ty about the incoming Trump ad- ing assertiveness in the region, take out the crude scalpel and look fense Identification Zone over the ing months. the last half-century of assimila- trol. ministration, there are a host of tionist pressures and revive their Sizeable territory in con- other wild cards in the region. cultural heritage and get their po- trol- Kurds controls large swaths Turmoil in the region litical rights. Before the conflict of territory in northern Syria di- In South Korea, scandal has led erupted, Kurds faced oppression vided in three cantons of Afrin, to the impeachment of President under the Baathist, Syrian regime, Jazira and Kobane which make Park Geun-hye and clouded the ever since it came to power in 1970. them an important player in any country's political future. Mean- But since the war broke out, this future road map for resolution of while, the regime of Kim Jong-un repression has been somewhat dis- Syrian conflict. in North Korea has been quickly appeared. In fact, certain strategic Control of Key Economic moving ahead with the develop- opportunities have emerged for Resources- Kurdish controlled ment of its nuclear and missile pro- grammes and soon may provide a Kurds in Syria’s northeast. They areas are some of the most fertile have, for instance, entered into a credible threat to the US continent. in Syria, and are blessed with re- While Trump may see China - tacit peace agreement with the Pres- serves of oil, gas and ample sup- as Pyongyang's only significant ident Assad regime. Hundreds of plies of water. Even the regime has backer - as both the problem and Kurdish political prisoners were established agreements with the potential solution, he would be released from prisons and the gov- Kurdish authorities on maintain- naive to think he can force Beijing's ernment troops were withdrawn ing its share of oil and agricultural hand on North Korea. It is a chal- from almost all areas with com- revenues. lenge that vexed all of his prede- pact Kurdish population. These As the other parties in the con- cessors. measures contributed to the fact flict are battling to eradicate each In addition to problems on the that the Syrian Kurds adopted a other, but the Kurds have become Korean peninsula, Russia contin- position of neutrality in the inter- the linchpin for mediating a solu- ues to push for a more active role Arab conflict in the country and tion for Syria’s bloodletting. But in the region and also develop its even created self-defence forces in still the Syrian Kurdish leaders strategic relationship with China. order to prevent Islamist militant says they do not want indepen- Meanwhile, in the Philippines. strongman leader Rodrigo Duterte groups from invading their territo- dence. They have declared a series ries. It is a ground reality that has charted a drastically different of so-called self-administered can- course than his predecessors and Kurds currently holds an effective tons that for all practical purpos- has broken the recent warming of veto power over the terms of any es are as autonomous as can be in ties with its ally in Washington. post war negotiated settlement. wartime. Kurdish aspirations in This has led to a volatile sce- Many factors contributed in this Syria are limited to getting a spe- nario where crumbling US credi- rise of Kurds in Syria. Let’s have a cial status with enhanced powers, bility is combined with corre- look at some of them. as part of asymmetric decentrali- sponding weakness among some Military capabilities-YPG sation with the status Rojava be of the US's most critical relation- the military wing of major Kurdi- of a constituent entity in the fu- ships in the region. sh party Democratic Union Party ture Syrian state. Kurds are de- Will Trump trump East Asia? (PYD) is the most militarily capa- manding a decentralized, democrat- Trump's rhetoric thus far on ble group confronting the Islamic ic Syria where all ethnic and reli- East Asia has largely been erratic State. That is why it has been pro- and contradictory. On one hand, By Marwan Bishara gious groups enjoy freedom and rather angry much of the time. year. Its goal was to establish a was so perfect and so wonderful vided with air support to fight the democratic rights. Kurdish aspira- he has levied threats against China and its unfair economic practices. Who could've imagined it, let "New Middle East Order" with that anything done in the name of Islamic State even after the objec- tions are not illegitimate they are alone predicted it? Israel at its centre, just like the capitalism had to be right, by na- tions of NATO ally Turkey. Its And this month, Trump an- demanding what they deserve. nounced the appointment of Peter In fact, many did. I heard it West was becoming the centre of ture, and make everyone happy. forces numbered some fifty thou- West and Russia should fully sup- Navarro, well-known for a hard- said in many different ways in the "New World Order". But the There was no need to restrain sand. Moreover its strong organi- port these legitimate demands of line approach towards Beijing, as Moscow and Beijing, Budapest, US wouldn't or couldn't get Israel greed, crony capitalism, misrepre- sational abilities and highly disci- Kurds as empowered Kurds will his choice to lead the newly creat- Cairo, Sao Paolo and Nairobi. The to end its occupation of Palestine sentation, or even fraud. The ever- plined cadres make it a formidable serve as a barrier to radical Islam- ed White House National Trade righteous self-congratulation in in return for peace. The violence increasing level of income inequal- fighting force. ists such as IS, hegemonic Shiite Council. Washington and London was seen continued as the conflict endured. ity had to be the fault of the less US and Russia backing- Iran, and Turkey’s neo-Ottoman Trump has similarly - but re- as arrogance elsewhere in the The bravado of the West's to- equal, for having less discipline, less Kurds simultaneously maintains strategy of supporting the radical actively - railed against Beijing's Twenty-five years ago, the world. tal supremacy was shattered on 9/ drive, and especially, less educa- cordial relations with both United Muslim Brotherhood. The Kurds security posture in the region, es- United States emerged victorious So why and where did the train 11. Osama bin Laden, who used tion, while the concentration of States and Russia. US stand to- are also notably less hostile to the pecially in the South China Sea, at end of the Cold War. The Soviet come off the tracks? the deployment of American wealth in the hands of the gross wards Syrian Kurds is very West than many others in the re- where he accused Beijing of build- Union imploded. European coun- It started happening right when troops in Saudi Arabia in 1991 as a and the greedy, had to be the just everything else happened. In 1991. rallying cry for al-Qaeda, hit the rewards of virtue; and moreover, strange. It keep the PKK in its gion. For the most part, their griev- ing a "massive military complex". tries eagerly signed up to join a terror list while insisting that the The president-elect subse- political union and common cur- And the root causes can be found "Great Satan" in the heart killing everyone would understand that ances are directed not against the and summarised in two main fac- many innocent people. Vulnerabil- and approve. That turned out to PYD and its military arm the Peo- US or Europe, but the local op- quently called out China, via Twit- rency. NATO turned its eyes to ter, for its seizure of a US navy the former Eastern Bloc countries tors. ity. Confusion. Humiliation. Pes- be wrong on all counts - correct on ple’s Protection Units (YPG) are pressors of the Kurds like Turkey. Iraqi POWs, taken by US simism. none. not associated with terror in spite unmanned underwater vehicle ear- to see which ones would join their One thing is clear at this point in lier this month, operating off the Marines, fanning out in desert, With Bin Laden still at large, Instead of re-investing in their of what the Turkish President Re- alliance. The US vision of free time that the Kurds will emerge coast of the Philippines. trade and liberal democracy has during Gulf War Desert Storm with the goal of regime change in national economies and empower- jebTayyib Erdogan might say or from this crisis stronger than be- It is highly unlikely that become the hallmark of globalisa- ground campaign in 1991 [Getty Afghanistan - not yet and never to ing their working classes to com- think. Likewise Russia also has fore. Trump will do away with US alli- tion. It was a happy ending to half Images] be fully achieved - the US and Brit- pete with the rising cheaper work- good relations with the PYD and The author is a columnist for ances in the region - which have a century of conflict. Or so it Strategic arrogance ain and "the coalition of the will- ing and middle classes of Asia and didn’t consider it a terrorist Middle-East and Af-Pak region and continue to serve US commer- seemed. Flush with the conviction that ing" launched a new war on Iraq. Latin America, Western conglom- organization.Syrian Kurds are the and Editor of geo-political news cial and security interests. Now, pretty much all of a sud- the US was the world's "sole" su- Unlike the previous war on Iraq, erates have shown to be anything only group that has common in- agency Views Around. He can be Finally, Trump has stirred den, it all seems to have stalled - or perpower, convinced that the end they didn't bother with a United but patriotic. Indeed as their title terests with both the United States reached at: concern in Beijing with his direct worse, appears to be going in re- of history had come, that democ- Nations Security Council resolu- underlines, these are multination- and Russia. [email protected] diplomacy with Taiwan and his verse. The Brexit referendum is racy and capitalism were finally tion to legalise it. als that are always on the look for clearly a turn away from a more recognised as the only viable and Instead of displaying Western cheaper labour and tax shelters. open and united world, back to- acceptable ideologies, victorious dominance, it demonstrated the Americans wanted "change!" wards nationalism. Primaries in over all others and never to be su- very severe limits of Western pow- They wanted it so much they were France and the vote in Italy and perseded, the leadership wanted er. It cost trillions, killed thou- willing, for the first time in their Austria imply similar nationalist some grand event to demonstrate sands, left chaos, and achieved history, to do the unimaginable and LETTER TO THE EDITOR sentiments. Donald Trump placed it, to show it off, to display the nothing. It morphed into the "war elect a black president. anti-immigration, anti-free trade, triumph to the rest of the world. on terror", which spread every- He promised "change". He and anti-globalisation rhetoric at Like the fall of the Berlin Wall, but where in the Islamic world. promised to change the mind-set the centre of his campaign, saying bigger and with more fanfare. that brought about the Iraq war and it all, and, of course, saying it loud- In addition, they'd been devel- The latest incarnation of the the financial crisis. Afghan agriculture er than the rest. oping, building, and stockpiling West's strategic limitations re- But the commander-in-speech All this, plus his adoration of unlimited military supplies for vealed itself through its military only achieved tweaks as the US Almost 70 percent of Afghan population is engaged in agriculture sector. However, farmers in Vladimir Putin, makes it look as if decades. They were right there. action in Libya, inaction in Syria, continued to move away from de- Afghanistan are faced with numerous challenges, including lack of modern missionary, lack of proper the grand ideals of the West have Ready to be used. But the Soviet and its total incompetence in deal- mocracy towards oligarchy. The irrigation system and most importantly lack of market for agricultural products. Due to these severely frayed and the fabric is Union imploded from within and ing with the Islamic State of Iraq too-big-to-fail banks became big- challenge Afghan farmers cannot make enough reward, as compared to the volume of efforts that they unravelling before our eyes. the weapons were becoming ob- and the Levant (ISIL) over the past ger and America is now back in What went wrong? Is this the solete. three years. All of which led to Iraq. exert. Enter Saddam Hussein, the hundreds of thousands of deaths The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) should devise a special strategy to beginning of the end of the Ameri- can century? pompous Iraqi leader, who, after and millions of refugees, many of Two scenarios resolve the challenges. The ministry should import modern machinery and should organize training My first impulse is to pause, an eight-year destructive war with whom ended up on the shores of The next cry for "change" was session for farmers to teach them new techniques of cultivation. It should also find market for and to say "don't jump to conclu- Iran, decided to invade and annex Europe. the turn to populism. The election agriculture products of Afghanistan. Another important point that I want to mention is that the sions". Even if they're the obvious Kuwait. His folly provided the Indeed, the world began to look of Trump and his admiration for government should not rely in Pakistan’s port in Karachi for export of their products to international conclusions. West with the perfect alibi. No one more and more like a microcosm Putin should show, on the face of markets, but should find alternative routes. The West has always fed on was allowed to mess with oil-rich of Israel's occupation of Palestine. it, what an unproductive choice SherzaiPathan, Khairkhana, Kabul crisis and competition. Europe has Gulf region under America's watch. On the one hand, a domineering that will be. Similar developments renewed itself and expanded Washington and London dis- and prosperous, yet increasingly are likely in France, come May elec- through incessant shock therapy. missed appeals for diplomacy. xenophobic and insecure, powers, tions. Britain never really wanted to be They organised an astonishing in- and on the other, war-ravaged, im- But, despite all the carping and "continental". An Italian govern- ternational coalition and in a mat- poverished and revolting periph- complaints, the West remains more ment fell, well, that's what Italian ter of weeks deployed over half-a- eries. Both moving towards polit- powerful, prosperous and better governments do - 65 governments million soldiers to the Gulf. After ical and theological extremes and synchronised than other areas of in 70 years. The distinctions be- two months of air strikes and skir- engaging in asymmetrical conflict. the world. Europe might be in cri- mishes, Saddam's forces were driv- Economic arrogance sis, and many of its peoples are Letter to editor will be edited for policy, content and clarity. All letters must tween French leaders are discern- ible primarily to the French. And en out in two days. It was a prof- Those were the political mis- changing their minds about their have the writer’s name and address. You may send your letters to: itable war, by all standards. adventures. Next, the faults of un- new European identities, but it's [email protected] the US reinvents itself as often as Hollywood. Despite all the carping and leashed capitalism decided to make premature to eulogise the EU. Yet, the unease does not dis- complaints, the West remains more a dramatic display of themselves. One of two things will hap- appear. It seems there really is a powerful, prosperous and better Just as the arms manufacturers and pen: Either there will be a reawak- deeper crisis. Witnessing the Brit- synchronised than other areas of oil companies deformed foreign ening and swing back of the pen- Disclaimer: ish, American and French vote first the world. policy in the Middle East, the dulum to a refreshed and reinvent- hand this year, I tell you, there's a But the war continued through banks and the financial industry ed set of Western ideals. The views and opinions expressed in the articles are deep feeling of anger, bitterness and other means, no-fly zones, sanc- screwed the economy. Or the new leaders will batter even betrayal. Like Westerners tions and containment; even "dual Eventually, the biggest banks the institutions that made their those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views or have come to the end of the road; containment" against both Iraq and in the West began to wobble. Then, nations great, weaken the allianc- like they're falling from the moun- Iran. they started to fall. The underly- es, and lead the decline of the West opinions of the Afghanistan Times. taintop. Even the winners seem The US convened an interna- ing problem was the same. Arro- and the post-Cold War world or- tional peace conference in the same gance. The belief that the "ideal" der. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTANTIMES

Boka Kanima, 56, made a living as other option but to join the ranks Nearly 15,000 civilian have bouring Niger ... 80 percent of food a farmer here in Nigeria's north- of 1.7 million Nigerian people in- been killed since 1999, when Boko production from Diffa goes to Ni- east until Boko Haram fighters cap- ternally displaced (IDP) by the Haram launched a campaign to es- geria ... What's the possibility for tured his village. insurgency and escape to Bama. tablish an Islamic state. [civilians] to survive?" says De The village, located near Banki, The government is now sug- Boko Haram still occupies Montclos. a district 128km from the state gesting that an end to the ordeal is large expanses of the countryside The loss of aid through cor- capital Maiduguri, continues to be in sight for IDPs like Kanima. and are prolific in the marshlands ruption in the local or state gov- under the control of the armed On Saturday, President Mu- around Lake Chad, according to a ernments is also a powerful factor. Only three out of every four trucks laden with food aid make it to their intended recipients, he says. Improvement in governance is crucial to solving the food crisis and ensuring a lasting peace in Borno. "You can't promote resilience if the governments are not resil- ient," says De Montclos. The conflict and gnawing hun- ger have also had the effect of push- ing 2.6 million out of their homes in the Lake Chad region to some of the poorest parts of Africa, and indeed, the world, dwarfing the refugee crisis in Europe. Bama, where Boka Kanima took refuge, is itself emblematic of many of the problems relating to the displacement including the de- struction of livelihoods and com- munities common to towns recap- tured from Boko Haram. Once home to just under group. hammadu Buhari made an an- security official from one aid agen- 300,000 people, it was seized from Five days after he fled the area nouncement after the army de- cy. Boko Haram in March 2015, but to seek shelter in a refugee camp in stroyed Boko Haram's only re- Fighters have also regrouped now the only signs of life are the Bama, a town controlled by the maining camp in the Sambisa For- in neighbouring Cameroon, Chad patrolling pick-up trucks of the Nigerian military, Kanima told Al est. and Niger. Nigerian army's 21st Brigade. Jazeera: "[Boko Haram] took all "Technically, we have won the Speaking to Al Jazeera, Kyari my belongings. They used to cane war against Boko Haram," he said. Mohammed, an academic at Mod- Continued displacement me every day for no reason. The news came just in time to ibbo Adama University and a Boko Displacement has reduced the Technically, we have won the meet the government's promise of Haram expert, said: "The possi- population to around 10,000 IDPs war against Boko Haram ending the rebellion before 2017. bility of resurgence exists, if the who live in a walled camp set up Muhammadu Buhari, the Ni- The government claims an end areas around the shores of Lake by the military. Many of the hous- gerian president to the ordeal is in sight for IDPs Chad are not liberated from [Boko es are destroyed and the only avail- On a morning in mid-November, erful guns like M16s and G3s, to noni and the surrounding villages "If you do not follow their [Henry Wilkins/Al Jazeera] Haram]. able food is from (WFP) handouts. 16-year-old Richard left his father's protect their families, their live- also burn wood to sell as charcoal teachings, they slaughter you." This is not the first time the "Should the Multinational Kashimm Shettima, Borno's cluster of huts with a loaded AK- stock and also to take back their - displacement has made it hard to Boko Haram had occupied vil- government has said that all known Joint Task Force up the ante, then governor, has earmarked 13bn 47. stolen animals. continue this practice. lages close to his own for about Boko Haram camps have been de- there is definitely the possibility naira ($4.1m) for the rebuilding of He drove a dozen cattle from In the mostly lawless Suguta Cattle raids have led to pro- two years, but the group routine- stroyed. of an end to the conflict." communities in the state and has their village of Sinoni, in the hilly Valley, an area which the local me- longed and bloody clashes between ly extracts tributes of grain and Since 2015, the Nigerian army The government, though, is set a goal for many of the inhabit- region of Mochongoi, along a foot- dia have dubbed the"Valley of communities as aggrieved villagers livestock from farmers in areas has been forcing Boko Haram out adamant the fighters are finished ants of Bama to return to the town path snaking west through shrubs. Death", the ethnic Turkana, Sam- often try to retake their livestock. they control. of Borno's urban centres as part of as an occupying force in Nigeria. by May next year. He was headed for grazing fields buru and Pokot are both victims "I have lost friends and neigh- Because of this Kanima was the ongoing and bloody Operation Deaths caused by Boko Kyari Mohammed, the aca- by a river which divides his Tugen and raiders, and cattle rustling has bours in battle when we go to re- left without any means to sustain Lafiya Dole, resulting in scores of Haram have indeed fallen from demic, said: "The post-Boko and the Pokot tribe. led to revenge attacks. The area capture our livestock," says 36- himself or his family and saw no military personnel being killed. about 6,000 last year to an esti- Haram rebuilding is even more Richard, like most herders goes unpoliced after one of the year-old Sinoni resident, Noah mated 1,000 this year, but suicide daunting than defeating the insur- from his village, takes a gun when- deadliest attacks on Kenyan po- Kibaron, who says he has fought attacks and ambushes persist gency." ever he drives cattle to the river. lice in 2012, in which 32 police- in 27 gunfights while defending his throughout the region. He believes disarmament, de- He keeps his gun cocked: one men pursuing stolen cattle were village or retrieving stolen animals. On December 11, two girls mobilisation and reintegration bullet in the chamber, eight more ambushed and killed. Three days after Elijah's funer- between the ages of seven and (DDR), and dignified return of in the magazine. He always runs Day-time raids al, Kibaron, and Tugen youth from eight walked into a market in Maid- IDPs to their communities is cru- into Pokot herders by the river, Sixty-year-old Arap Chebon Sinoni and other villages, went on uguri and blew themselves up. cial. and although they have never at- Lochumunyang', a cattle owner a mission to steal back the live- Both died along with another The military will also need to tacked him, he needs to be pre- from Richard's village, home to stock from the Pokot. victim and 12 civilians were in- adapt to a newly recaptured pared. Pokot raiders have stormed about 200 people, says that the They tracked the raiders and jured. There are reports of some Borno. Beyond the towns and cit- his village in the past. Endorois (a Tugen subtribe) did not took them by surprise while they more attacks since. ies, they will almost certainly en- "You never know when they own guns for a long time and were were out herding the stolen ani- Aside from the violence, Ni- counter problems sifting those still will turn on you, kill you and take frequently attacked by armed mals. A gunfight ensued and three geria's northeast suffers from a aligned with Boko Haram from ci- your livestock," says Richard, who Pokot bandits, who had earlier ac- Pokot men were killed. As the plethora of problems brought on vilians. only gave his first name out of fear cess to guns. Pokot ran for backup, Tugen men by the conflict. Psychological damage of being arrested for owning an il- In the past five years, the Tu- drove the livestock back to Sinoni. The area is going through a se- Another IDP in Bama who is legal firearm. gen started arming themselves. They managed to recapture Any activity in occupied vere food crisis with 4.4 million 66 years old, and declined to be In greater Baringo County, While raiders often come at night, dozens of cattle, but the Pokot people going hungry and 2 million named, said: "When the army where the land, arid and rocky, is they sometimes strike during the decided to pursue them later that in need of urgent food aid, accord- comes to the village the Boko non-arable, the majority Tugen day. day. Azerbaijani lands ing to the UN World Food Pro- Haram [fighters] run into the who live there have traditionally It was a sunny afternoon in That afternoon, Chebon's son gramme (WFP). crowd so you can't tell who they been livestock farmers. Once no- March 2015, when, just as Cheb- Nelson Nasorot hired a motorbike illegal: Deputy FM Marc-Antoine Perouse de are." madic, these days families usually on was just sitting down to a meal taxi to take him the town of Mari- Montclos, an associate fellow at The psychological damage en- live in one place, while herders, at home, he heard a burst of gun- gat, about 50km away, where he Any activity conducted in the occupied Azerbaijani territories is Chatham House, a London-based dured by Borno residents will also mostly men, move in search of fire. planned to buy household items illegal, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov told think-tank, says the problems remain. pasture and water. His eldest son, 35-year-old for his family. reporters in Baku. causing the food crisis are not lim- "Their teachings tell us we Kenya's pastoralist communi- Elijah Nasorot, also heard the He did not know that a group He was commenting on the reports about the restoration of a ited to the armed group. should kill our father or our moth- ties have long considered cattle shots. He ran with his AK-47 to of Pokot warriors was pursuing the mosque by Iranian specialists in the occupied territories. The deadly combination of a er," Boka Kanima said. rustling a cultural practice, accord- confront the gunmen while his par- recovered livestock and the herd- “Armenia by all means tries to carry out illegal activities in the lack of food imports to the north- "Even lions do not eat their ing to a 2011 Kenya Human Rights ents, children and two wives head- ers. occupied Azerbaijani territories and to settle there Armenians from east from neighbouring countries, own son … It's a madness, com- Commission report. In the past, ed in the opposite direction into They spotted the motorbike abroad. These actions contradict international law,” said Khalafov. combined with Boko Haram's ex- plete madness. [Boko Haram] are warriors would wield crude weap- the hills, driving their livestock, and its Tugan passenger and shot The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in tortion of food from locals, leaves devils, not human beings." ons like spears, swords and bows some 50 cattle and 100 sheep, as from behind, killing Nelson imme- 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a civilians with little hope of finding But he is optimistic about the and arrows to steal livestock, but fast as they could. diately. result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied enough food, he says. future. "Now I'm [in Bama], I am they rarely killed people. As the villagers fled, Elijah, his "It was more than painful. I 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region "The army has closed the bor- really excited," he said. Livestock is a symbol of brothers and about 20 young men can't even describe how it felt to and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was der with the Diffa region in neigh- (Aljazeera) wealth; stealing cattle was consid- from their village fought the Pokot lose two sons in such a short time. followed by peace negotiations. ered a means to elevate one's sta- attackers. There were more than I was devastated," says Chebon, Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council tus. 50 raiders; they often strike in large whose family once again came resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno- But in the last few decades, in numbers. down from the hills to hold a fu- Karabakh and the surrounding districts. (TREND) West Pokot, Baringo, Laikipia, Two hours later, the guns fell neral. Exploring Turkey’s unique Turkana and Samburu counties, in silent. According to Kibaron, the northwestern and central Kenya, The men from Sinoni, some guns are readily available, but are cattle raids have escalated, fuelled wounded, had lost and escaped expensive. * * * ‘underground’mosque by the proliferation of small arms from the village. The better-armed, "The AK-47 goes for 80,000 smuggled into the country. A 2015 battle-hardened cattle raiders stole shillings ($800) and are sold by Kazakhstan relies upon Kenya Police report indicates that hundreds of livestock. people we know. Some sell a bull cattle raiders' weapons originate After the fight had ended, a or sheep to buy one," he says. from neighbouring countries with young man who had fought along- Kibaron says he does not fruitful results of Syrian internal strife, particularly Soma- side Elijah came to Chebon with know who exactly sells the guns, lia and South Sudan. bad news. but alleges that they're brought into In recent years, the raids have "He told me that my son had the town of Rumuruti in bordering negotiations inAstana grown deadly, with a sharp rise in been shot and had died on the spot. Laikipia County by Somali trad- Astana is ready to host peacekeeping negotiations on the Syrian people killed during attacks. Gangs It was very painful to lose a son at ers who come to buy cattle at the issue as soon as the international partners create the climate and of gun-slinging raiders usually such a young age," says Chebon, a market. conditions for the meeting, said Yerlan Idrisov, Minister of Foreign storm villages at night, shooting tall man with stooped shoulders, "I think the guns come from Affairs. people on sight before driving whose son had five children all Somalia and South Sudan," he "As for Syria- there is general understanding that Astana will be away entire herds of cattle, sheep under the age of ten. says."That is what I have heard a convinient ground for the negotiations. Our international partners, and goats, leaving entire commu- With difficulty, Chebon ar- people saying." including Russia and Turkey are creating climate for the negotia- nities devastated. ranged his son's funeral from the Despite their high price, al- tions. As soon as the conditions are created and the situation is According to the most recent bush. When the time came to bury most every herder in Sinoni and "ripe" Kazakhstan will be ready to provide peacekeeping condi- Mosque architecture is changing over time and an example of a Kenya Police report from 2015, Elijah, the mourners emerged from the neighbouring villages own tions," he said. more modern approach is one dubbed Turkey’s first “underground” more than 24 people were killed in hiding to hurriedly conduct the guns. Their livelihood, supplying mosque, Sancaklar. cattle rustling violence in that year, funeral on a slope near his home. major towns with livestock for The mosque opened its doors to worshippers two years ago and while nearly 25,000 livestock were Afterwards, people from Si- slaughter, means they can often continues to impress visitors with its unique architecture. stolen in 56 raids. Yet local media noni and from neighbouring villag- afford to buy at least one gun per * * * Although the mosque is actually partly above ground, it gives reports suggest that the number of es, fearing more attacks, went to herder. Bullets are also expensive. Uzbekistan, the impression of being built into the surrounding slope, especially people killed could be far higher. stay with relatives in the hills of Richard, who at eight years of age when viewed from above. In May 2015, AFP reported that Mochongoi, while some men re- learnt how to use the family gun There are more than 86,000 mosques in Turkey with the most 75 people were killed over a peri- mained at Sinoni. bought by his father, says the bul- Kazakhstan to sim- famous being the Blue Mosque. But, the uniqueness of the Sancaklar od of just four days. That night, gunmen struck lets cost 100 shillings ($1) each. mosque is that it departs from standard mosque design in a bid to In November, Kenya's depu- again. They killed an elderly wom- He said he has to be careful not to break architectural taboos and encourage worshippers to focus on ty president, William Ruto, over- an who had stayed at home and waste the rounds. Kibaron and the essence of the religious space and on the Islamic faith. saw the destruction of at least took more livestock. Richard allege that the bullet sell- plify border crossing Sancaklar mosque stands in Istanbul’s suburban Buyukcekmece 5,250 guns recovered over the past Arap Chebon Lochumunyang', ers get some of their supply from district and is spread over an area of 1,200 square meters. The archi- nine years, a fraction of the esti- 60, and his wife sit outside their the police. Residents of Sinoni be- tecture combines Islamic and Ottoman designs with a modern touch, mated over 500,000 illegal firearms house in Sinoni village. Last year, lieve corrupt police officers sta- for their citizens seemingly free from mainstream architectural typology. in the country - most of which are two of Chebon's sons were killed tioned in camps in cattle-raiding The governments of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan agreed on simpli- In 2013, out of 704 projects from 50 countries, the building won owned by pastoralists. Disarma- in cattle rustling-related attacks hotspots sell ammunition to both fication of border crossing for citizens of two countries, said Am- first prize in the World Architecture Festival competition for reli- ment efforts have so far yielded [Anthony Langat/Al Jazeera] raiders and herders. They also bassador of Kazakhstan Erik Utembayev at the press conference in gious places. In 2015, the project was selected for the Design of the little progress. Cycle of violence believe that some of the Pokot Tashkent. Year award, organized by the London Design Museum and it was Mochongoi lies where much of The violence has affected the thieves are hired to raid by wealth- According to him, the sides are currently considering the works also shortlisted among the 40 nominees for the Mies Van der Rohe the violence is concentrated: along everyday lives of the people who ier livestock owners. "We once of border crossing points on the international highway, which con- Award. the borders between the districts live in Kenya's cattle-raiding areas. found a very new gun on a raider nects Almaty and Termez. The mosque was designed by Turkish architect Emre Arolat for of West Pokot, home mostly to People have been displaced, we killed. They have a lot of bul- The highway passes through the territory of Almaty, Zhambyl the Sancaklar Foundation. Surrounded by aligned walls, its upper the Pokot tribe, and Baringo in impoverished and children's lets and can fight for very long and South Kazakhstan regions of Kazakhstan, Chui region of Kyr- courtyard is home to a prairie that separates the mosque from the Kenya's Rift Valley. Herders there, schooling disrupted. A once busy unlike us who have very little bul- gyzstan, Tashkent and other regions of Uzbekistan, he noted. chaos of the outside world and the nearby highway. Strolling around tired of waiting for the govern- livestock market at Kapindasum lets because they are expensive. I "Authorities of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are now working the mosque’s outdoor area, you will notice a long canopy running ment's help, feel they have no op- village in Baringo County has been think there are rich people who on simplification of the procedure of crossing the border at two along one side where two olive trees and one linden tree are located. tion but to arm themselves. They deserted for the past year because provide them with guns and bul- border crossing points located on this highway," said the Ambassa- From this point, you have to descend natural stone stairs to reach the buy AK-47s, but also more pow- of the violence. The people of Si- lets," Kibaron says. (Aljazeera) dor. (akipress) building. (ALARABIYA) WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTANTIMES Tesla, Panasonic to begin solar panel production in New York Tesla Motor Inc. and Panasonic Corp. will begin production of so- lar cells and modules next year at a plant in Buffalo, New York. Production will begin in the summer, with the factory’s out- put capacity expanding to 1 giga- watt by 2019, the companies said in a statement Tuesday. Panason- ic will invest more than 30 billion yen ($256 million) on the installa- tion of production equipment, Yayoi Watanabe, a spokeswoman for the Osaka-based company, said by phone. The total investment was not disclosed in the statement. The most important business stories of the day. The announcement under- scores deepening ties between the two companies. They are jointly building a $5 billion lithium-ion gigafactory in Nevada to produce batteries for electric cars and ener- gy storage products for homes and utilities. In October, Tesla revealed plans to work with Panasonic to make solar cells and modules for solar-roof installer SolarCity Corp. -- a company Tesla acquired last month for $2 billion. “When production of the so- lar roof begins, Tesla will also in- corporate Panasonic’s cells into the many kinds of solar glass tile roofs that Tesla will be manufac- turing,” according to the statement. Tesla chairman Elon Musk revealed plans for solar roofs made of glass tiles in October. Solar components from the Buffalo plant will also work seam- lessly with Tesla’s energy storage devices such as Powerwall and Powerpack, the companies said. (bloomberg) Boeing's deal to sell $16.6 billion worth of aircraft to Iran may be Monte dei worth only half that. The company put that figure Oil prices edge up as Paschi rescue on the Iran Air deal for 50 737 air- Toshiba Corp (6502.T) said it may have to book several billion dollars planes and 30 777s when it was in losses related to a U.S. nuclear power acquisition, a shock warning finalized earlier this month. cost jumps as But Iran's deputy transport investors remain positive that sent its stock tumbling 12 percent and rekindled concerns about its Crude oil futures were up slightly Tuesday amid muted holiday trading in Europe as investors remain in a accounting acumen. minister said Sunday that the The Japanese group said cost overruns at U.S. power projects han- deposits fall amount it will pay Boeing will be wait-and-see mode ahead of a landmark effort by oil producers to reduce global supply. dled by a nuclear construction business newly acquired from Chicago nearer $8 billion. The February contract for global crude benchmark Brent was up 0.03% at $55.19 a barrel while its U.S. Bridge & Iron (CB&I) (CBI.N) would be much greater than initially "Given the type of orders and counterpart, West Texas Intermediate, gained 0.41% to $53.25. expected, potentially requiring a huge writedown. MILAN—Banca Monte dei Pas- the specifications we have chosen, Starting January, most members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and 11 Big losses would be another slap in the face for a sprawling con- chi di Siena SpA has a far bigger the value of the deal to buy 80 other non-cartel producers will glomerate hoping to recover from a $1.3 billion accounting scandal as hole in its balance sheet than pre- planes from Boeing is about 50% start scaling back their produc- well as a writedown of more than $2 billion for its nuclear business in viously calculated, according to the of that value," said Asghar Fa- tion as part of a deal they made the last financial year.Tom O'Sullivan, a former investment banker and European Central Bank, signifi- khreeyeh Kashan, according to of- in the end of November. The founder of energy consultancy Mathyos Japan, noted the acquisition cantly raising the amount the Ital- ficial news agency IRNA. ian government has to deploy to reduction goal of roughly 1.8 coincided with the finalizing of a record fine by Japanese regulators for Boeing spokesman Doug million barrels will be carried accounting irregularities at Toshiba. rescue the troubled lender. Adler said the company would not The ECB told Monte dei Pas- out in phases. "This indicates that corporate governance controls at one of Japan's "comment on or share details of Oil prices have risen largest and most consequential companies may have been extremely chi that its capital shortfall is €8.8 agreements with any customer." steadily throughout December weak," he said, adding the developments may further undermine confi- billion ($9.19 billion), above the Boeing's deal is part of Iran's dence in Toshiba and significantly weaken its international nuclear cre- €5 billion expected when the gov- effort to modernize its fleet of air- and analysts believe they will dentials. ernment organized a rescue last liners and is by far the biggest be- breach the $60-a-barrel thresh- Clashing over who should shoulder potential liabilities related to week of Italy’s No. 3 lender. tween U.S. and Iranian businesses old in the first half of 2017. cost overruns and over calculations for working capital for the unit, In a statement Monday since the 1979 revolution. “At this point, most mar- CB&I sued Toshiba's Westinghouse division after Westinghouse said it evening, Monte dei Paschi said the Iran's fleet is among the oldest ket watchers are optimistic was owed more than $2 billion. ECB warned of a “rapid deteriora- and most dangerous in the world. that participating nations will Shares in Toshiba, which remains on the Tokyo bourse's watchlist tion” over the past month of the Years of sanctions left its carriers comply [with] the production due to concerns about the firms' internal controls, finished 12 percent bank’s liquidity position. Monte with outdated and unsafe aircraft. quotas in the first few lower after the company flagged the announcement earlier in the day. dei Paschi has seen large outflows Those sanctions were lifted months,” said Gao Jian, a com- Toshiba, led by new CEO Satoshi Tsunakawa, has positioned its of deposits as it struggled in re- after Iran agreed to curtail its nu- modities analyst at SCI Inter- nuclear and semiconductors businesses as key pillars of growth while cent months to raise capital to meet seeking to scale down less profitable consumer electronics units such as clear program as part of an agree- national. an end-of-year deadline set by the ment with major global powers, However, it remains to be seen if the compliance will hold up once prices edge higher, he said, saying personal computers and TVs. ECB to shore up its balance sheet. It has forecast a full-year net profit of about 145 billion yen this including the U.S. an important indicator would be inventory levels in these countries. The need to raise €5 billion But Boeing's deal with Iran Air financial year, a turnaround from a loss of 460 billion yen, thanks to emerged from last summer’s Euro- Another factor that could thwart OPEC’s goal to tamp down global supply would be steady growth strong demand for flash memory chips from Chinese smartphone mak- will find itself in the political cross from the U.S. The number of U.S. rigs drilling for oil climbed by 13 to 523 in the week ended Dec. 23, pean stress-tests, which found that hairs as President-elect Trump ers. But any big losses are likely to force Toshiba to boost a capital base the bank’s capital position would marking the eighth straight week of growth and the most since December 2015. that has been weakened by range of restructuring steps taken in the weighs the future of that global “Given the uptrend in the rig count, supported by higher prices than a year ago, we wouldn’t rule out be severely compromised in case nuclear agreement. wake of the accounting scandal. a further upward revision in the Department of Energy forecast for December 2017 from this month’s 9.0 As of the end of September, Toshiba had shareholders' equity of of an economic downturn. The Boeing's main rival, European ECB ordered Monte dei Paschi to aviation giant Airbus, also has a million barrels a day rate,” said Tim Evans, a Citi Futures analyst, in a note last week. 363 billion yen, or just 7.5 percent of assets, which could fall close to Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has released its government budget for 2017 zero if the company is forced to log significant losses. raise that amount as part of a broad- major deal with Iran Air. The value Tsunakawa, who took the helm in June, has pledged to rebuild trust er operation aimed at unloading of that contract came in lower than and is planning to spend over $237 billion. The Riyadh-based Jadwa Research said in a note Sunday that in the firm and has said he would prioritize beefing up Toshiba's capital nearly €30 billion in bad loans. initially expected because Iran this equated to an average 2017 selling price for Saudi crude of $52 a barrel and an average 2017 price of $55 base. Masahiko Ishino, an analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Center, said Last week, the government chose not to buy any superjumbo for Brent. the focus may soon shift to whether Toshiba will divest some of its approved the creation of a new €20 A380s. -- Alireza Hajihosseini and Nymex reformulated gasoline blendstock for January—the benchmark gasoline contract—fell 0.30% businesses if the latest loss wipes out its shareholders' equity. billion fund to help support Ita- Jon Ostrower contributed report- to $1.64 a gallon, while January diesel traded at $1.68, 0.07% higher. (bloomberg) ly’s struggling banks, particularly ing. ICE gasoil for January changed hands at $489.50 a metric ton, up 1.08%. (AFP) Monte dei Paschi. (WSJ) (CNN)

A strengthening dollar is re-emerg- Many have started to dial back Trump’s plan to overhaul infra- ing as a threat to U.S. manufac- revenue forecasts and look for structure will spark economic turers by making their exports ways to cut costs. 3M Co. and growth, and that higher domes- more expensive and their foreign United Technologies Corp. have tic sales could make up for any earnings less valuable. signaled a strong dollar could make decline in exports. The U.S. currency, which has it harder to boost sales in 2017. “There’s bigger fish to fry,” strongly appreciated over the ‘Manufacturing here in the said Mike Haberman, president past two years, surged to a 14- U.S. has become a lot more chal- of Ohio-based construction- year high in the wake of Donald lenging than we’d anticipated.’ equipment maker Gradall Indus- Trump’s election and the Federal Kaman Corp., a Bloomfield, tries Inc., which exports about Reserve’s decision to raise inter- Conn.-based maker of airplane 20% of its products. “I’m not est rates, adding a wrinkle to the parts, has seen its European rivals’ panicked about the dollar.” president-elect’s pledge to boost prices drop as the euro declined Jerry Johnson, president of factory employment. against the dollar. To compete, the farm, ranch and agriculture Certainly, a strengthening dol- Kaman has invested in facilities in division of Blount International lar is a sign of rising optimism for Germany, and acquired a compa- Inc., a Portland, Ore., maker of the U.S. economy as the stock ny with operations in the Czech outdoor products, said the strong market also soars to new highs. Republic. “Manufacturing here in dollar may be offset by declining Prospects of higher inflation and the U.S. has become a lot more chal- import prices. About 50% of the rising interest rates encourage in- lenging than we’d anticipated,” said components used in Blount’s vestment in U.S. assets, reflect- Neal Keating, Kaman’s chief exec- products—they include mowers, ing growing hopes for better re- utive. Some dealers of Harley- log splitters and rotary cutters— turns. Davidson Inc. motorcycles and come from overseas, Mr. A strengthening dollar in- Caterpillar Inc.’s bulldozers and Johnson said. creases the currency’s purchas- excavators are bracing for the com- The dollar has been relative- ing power: If imports are cheap- panies’ Japanese rivals to capital- ly weak against most of the er, U.S. consumers would have ize on the yen’s weakness against world’s major currencies over the more money to spend. That in the dollar to undercut them on past decade. This helped U.S. turn could boost retail sales, a key price. Caterpillar has said the yen’s exports rebound swiftly follow- driver of economic growth, and weakness makes competition hard- ing the financial crisis. engender more confidence in the er. Harley declined to comment. By the end of 2010, exports U.S. overall. In interviews, several business reached record levels and contin- However, while good for U.S. leaders said Mr. Trump’s pledges ued to grow, hitting $598 billion consumers and companies that to promote business would more per quarter in 2014. Employ- purchase components abroad, the than counter the sting of a stron- ment in manufacturing began to dollar’s rise promises to hit U.S. ger dollar, especially if there are recover, and optimism grew the manufacturers reliant on sales in lower taxes and lighter regulatory U.S. could be entering a manu- overseas markets. burdens. They are hopeful Mr. facturing renaissance. (WSJ) WEDNESDAY.DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTANTIMES Do in life what is close to your heart, says Shah Rukh Khan

Actor Shah Rukh Khan has advised students to do what is close to their heart so that they do not have re- grets later. The actor was speak- ing at the Moulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad. Shah Rukh received an honor- ary doctorate for his contribution in the promotion of Urdu language and culture through his films. He told the graduates, post graduates and PhD students, who received their degrees at the sixth convocation, that there is nothing Singer Beyonce Knowles has cording to DoSomething.org in- greater than education in this world. knocked off pop star Taylor Swift clude Lin-Manuel Miranda, Swift Speaking in Urdu, Shah Rukh to win the title of 2016’s Most and Demi Lovato. told the students that they are at a Charitable Celebrity. Miranda had teamed up with threshold as they will be going out DoSomething.org has released singer-actress Jennifer Lopez for in the field to start their careers. their annual Celebs Gone Good a charity single called Love makes “Do for the whole life what list, which the singer tops, thanks the world go round after the mas- you think you should do and what to her efforts to support various sive shooting at a gay club in Or- is close to your heart because when important causes in the past year, lando last summer. The proceeds you come to my age or the age of reports aceshowbiz.com. of the song went to Proyecto So- your parents and teachers, there How Adele, Beyoncé and mos Orlando which helped the vic- may be regret that you couldn’t Bruno Mars fly high while lying tims and survivors in the incident. do a particular thing,” he said. low Beyonce gives sneak peek into Narrating instances from his During her performance at the family life in new music video own life and the lessons he learnt 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, Swift, meanwhile, lands at from his father, Shah Rukh urged Beyonce helped raise awareness number three thanks in large part students to do everything in life about Black Lives Matter move- to her $1 million donation to help with diligence. ment and anti-gun violence cam- those impacted by the flood in “Whatever you do, do with paigns by bringing out the moth- Louisiana. As for Lovato, she diligence. Do it as if this is your ers of young men killed in high- spoke out about mental health is- last chance,” shard the Dilwale star profile shooting. sues. All names featured on the list amid thunderous applause by the She also donated more than were chosen based on fan votes, students. $82,000 for Flint and played a Tidal expert opinion and IMDB Shah Rukh added that it rarely charity concert to support educa- StarMeter rankings. happens that a person’s hobby tion. Joining the four stars were eventually becomes their profes- Beyonce leads Grammy nom- Shailene Woodley, John Cena, sion. “I am one of the few fortu- inations in crowded field Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Zendaya nate ones. Acting which was my Other charitable A-listers ac- Coleman and Jesse Williams. hobby also became my profes- sion.” He told the students that their talents may not be recognised by unny Leone, who is being widely appreciated for her latest song Laila Main Laila, says she prefers not to put any limitations to her work as the world, but they should never an actor. let them go. “I don’t like to limit myself as an actor. Having said that, everything depends on the script. If I like the script and if my character is justified, “At one stage in life, when we S I don’t like to limit myself. The good thing about Bollywood is that there is a lot of work here,” she said. may feel lonely and sad, our cre- The item number, a remixed version of the old Qurbani track, is a part of Shah Rukh Khan’s film Raees. Speaking about the song, Sunny shared, ativity will be our best friend,” he “When you will see the film, you will notice that the track is completely different from the original song. It’s a tribute to the old version and I am said. so happy to be part of a song which is already so famous. I am super excited.” Shah Rukh admitted that he is Meanwhile, all her fans are anxious to see her in the upcoming song from the Shah Rukh, Mahira Khan-starrer. For the very hot and sizzling poor at writing poetry but when Sunny, Raees is the perfect opportunity to break into the big league. In a Facebook live session, she shared her excitement for Laila Main Laila, he feels sad, he does indulge in the which is slated to release on December 21. art and feels peaceful. When a fan asked Sunny about whether she was excited to work with Shah Rukh, she replied, “I liked shooting the most. It was a lifetime The actor shared his father opportunity for me, and I enjoyed it a lot. As far as the fun moment is concerned, everything was fun, but the best thing was when I was shooting was very educated but poor and with Shah Rukh.” did not get any job and whatever Set in the 1980s in Gujarat, Raees tells the story of a bootlegger whose business is thwarted by a tough policeman. The film is produced by Excel business he started failed. Entertainment and Red Chillies Entertainment. Directed by Rahul Dholakia, the film also features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and marks the Bollywood He recalled that his father used debut of Pakistani actor Mahira. to gift his personal belongings to him on his birthdays. Stating that the first thing his Salman Khan father gave was a chess set, Shah Shocking! Did KJo touch Anushka Rukh said that he also told him that one can learn multiple life les- fans learn not to sons from the game. inapropriately during ADHM shoot? “The first thing you can learn mess with is cooperation and how to work s has been the custom, Koffee with Karan has been the host of the juiciest of gossips and the dirtiest together. The second is sometimes Twinkle Khanna of secrets. Bollywood stars, who try to guard their personal lives and their real selves surreptitiously, you have to retreat to move ahead have often been foiled by the paps or Karan Johar himself. But, for a change, Karan Johar seems to be in life.” the hard way tAhe biggest victim of the latest episode of the show. The episode, which hosted Katrina Kaif, a major Stressing the importance of revelation, and Anushka Sharma, was inarguably amongst the season. However, the most scandalous bit was pawns in the game, the actor asked when Anushka Sharma casually revealed that she had been touched inappropriately by Karan Johar, during students to never consider any- the making of their recent film together, 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. When Karan shyly revealed that he had a crush body as inferior. on Anushka through the making of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,' the actress, who was taken aback at first, finally “Another important lesson is found her composure and said, "I am feeling really flattered, I must tell you. Because if I can do THAT..." But that sometimes to move ahead in what followed was the real deal breaker. Her demeanour changed and the conversation escalated drastically, life you have to sacrifice the thing as she went on to add, "I was going to put a sexual harassment case against him. He would sometimes touch which you develop affection with, me very inappropriately." Katrina tried to side KJo, though, remarking, "Maybe it was to spark a little fire like the queen,” he stated. inside you." Shah Rukh said the typewrit- er his father gifted him taught him that just as one can’t afford to make mistakes while typing, they have to be focused in whatever they Game of Thrones named most pirated series of 2016 do. The actor advised students to HBO series Game of Thrones has always maintain a good sense of been crowned the most illegally humour in life. “Always keep If presenting burning comebacks downloaded TV show on the in- smiling. There should be a child- was an art, erstwhile Bollywood ternet for the fifth consecutive like innocence,” he said. actor Twinkle Khanna has truly year, according to TorrentFreak. Shah Rukh shares his weird- mastered it. The American fantasy drama, est fan experience ever Some die-hard Salman Khan based on George R.R. Martin’s Shah Rukh also urged them to fans got a taste of Twinkle’s ra- best-selling book series A Song of be graceful with everybody in life zor-sharp wit when they attempt- Ice and Fire became an internation- whether they are good or bad. ed to troll her for making fun of al sensation when it premiered in “Life is the biggest gift. Good their idol’s love life. Mrs. Funny- April, 2011. At its peak, it had or bad, light or darkness, respect bones’s blog drew flak when some approximately 350,000 people everything,” he added. of the fans took her take on Khan’s actively sharing an episode across love life in bad taste. several torrents. “Dashing, non-vegetarian, Although there was no new successful and muscular Khandani swarm record, TorrentFreak stat- boy. Excellent in dance, drama and ed that, traffic-wise, the interest art. Girl must be pretty, slim and was roughly at par with last year, enjoy long drives off the beaten but added this could be due to the path. Bride must not be very talk- shift from torrents to streaming ative, as groom cannot tolerate any sites over the past months, which buck buck. Caste no bar. Contact likely had an impact on the num- [email protected],” the perti- bers. nent entry read. Are Joe Jonas and Sophie That is when the trolling com- Turner officially dating? menced. Zombie series The Walking However, Twinkle made for a Dead scored second place in the roaring comeback by quipping, “I pirate listing, with science-fiction write social, political satire-will western Westworld in third place, not examine an ant & spare an ele- despite having premiered just phant because I fear getting tram- months ago, on October 2, 2016. pled by the herd #TrollProof #Car- DC Comics series The Flash and ryOn“. Arrow round out the top five.

Tamannaah Bhatia has slammed in a sari. If we're paying money to Suraaj". She said: "I would defi- comments made by director watch a film, we should expect nitely want him to apologise not Suraaj about objectifying hero- Tamannaah to look glamorous. only to me but to the entire wom- ines in Tamil filmdom, and has Any commercial film should have en in the industry. We are actors asked him to apologise to all glamour," Suraaj said. and we are here to act and enter- women in the industry. In a pro- He went on to add that all those tain audiences and should not at motional interview during the heroines who made it big, chose any point be objectified as com- release of his latest Tamil direc- the glamorous path to stardom. modities. Having worked in south- torial "Kaththi Sandai", director "Whenever my costume designer ern filmdom for over a decade, she Suraaj was asked how he man- presents my heroine in knee-length added: "I have worn costumes aged to make Tamannaah look outfit, I'd ask him to cut it short. If which I'm comfortable with. It is glamorous in the film. my heroine gets angry, I'd tell her sad that women in our country are Suraaj's reply has created an audience haven't paid so much for spoken about so frivolously and I uproar in social media. He said: nothing," he added. When the clip would like to tell my audiences that "Audiences pay money to watch went viral, Tamannaah took to our industry should not be gener- the hero fight and heroines in full Twitter to share her views, and said alized due to comments made by glamour. As a director, I don't she was "hurt and angered by the one individual." Suraaj was un- like to see my heroines fully clad comments made by director available for comment. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28, 2016 AFGHANISTANTIMES Man City must sign centre-back to rival Chelsea in title race, says Ray Parlour Pep Guardiola needs to sign a new no doubt," Parlour told Premier centre-back in January to give League Daily. Manchester City the best chance "It's a big blow losing John of catching Premier League leaders Stones. He's a young player and Chelsea, according to Ray Parlour. he's going to have highs and lows City have looked fragile in in his career and, at the moment, Guardiola's preferred three at the he's not really been in the team and back formation since the Spaniard's now he's picked up an injury. arrival in the summer, but did claim Ask Jeff for Premier League only their second clean sheet in the info via Facebook Messenger, league this season on Boxing Day, Skype, Telegram or Slack... winning 3-0 at struggling Hull. "Kompany has been the big Victory at the KCOM Stadi- problem. He keeps coming back um ensured second-placed City and getting injured again and that's remained seven points behind been a real problem. He was the Chelsea, but the three points came skipper of the side, he was the lead- at a cost with defender John Stones er from the back and they've really hobbling off in the first half with a missed him. knee injury. "So, I am sure if Pep Guardio- City remain without captain la is going to target anybody, it will Vincent Kompany, who has been definitely be a centre-half. Who- plagued by injuries over the past ever is out there, at this time of the 18 months and is currently on the year, you're not really going to get sidelines recovering from a knee a top quality player because ev- ligament problem picked up in the erybody is involved in cup com- 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on petitions and their own league November 19. competition. "But, if there's some- "I think Pep would have body out there who is of good qual- looked at his back three and rea- ity, that would really help them lised it needs strengthening, there's chase Chelsea down."

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns ended 2016 with a bang - by lay- ing out Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho on Monday Night Raw in Tony Bellew says he could force David Haye to quit during Chicago. Reigns successfully defended his United States Title against next year's domestic clash Owens in the main event but only after Rollins had curbed interfer- Tony Bellew believes David Haye will "quit" if their grudge fight becomes too demanding at The O2 on March 4. ence from Chris Jericho by crack- The Merseysider is preparing for his eagerly-awaited domestic clash with Haye, live on Sky Sports Box Office, and has questioned the ing the veteran with a Pedigree. desire of his 36-year-old opponent. Haye made his comeback after a lengthy injury lay-off this year, but Bellew has suggested the former two- Reigns pounced amid the cha- weight world champion does not have the same mental toughness and plans to push him to breaking point. "What I will tell you is, if this fight os to down Owens - the man he goes past four rounds, he's going to quit," said the current WBC cruiserweight champion "At some stage, it will get too hard and he will quit. will challenge for the Universal He hasn't got the fight in him anymore. At some stage, it will get too hard and he will quit. He hasn't got the fight in him anymore. Tony Bellew Title at the Royal Rumble on Jan- "I love fighting. I am not 100 per cent in the head, I enjoy having a fight. We will see on March 4, where it happens, when it happens, but I must stress when I knock out David Haye on March 4 - I am then the best heavyweight in the world outside of them champions. "Just let that sink uary 29 - with a spear. in and think about where do I go from there." Bellew does concede that Haye is the "most dangerous" heavyweight in the world, although he expects to emerge the winner from either a gruelling battle, or a four round firefight. "He's the best heavyweight in the world outside of the Rollins and The Big Dog then champions," said Bellew. "There is no debating that whatsoever. "He's possibly the most dangerous heavyweight in the world, including the pained Owens and Jericho further, champions. What does he do very well? He has got a massive right hand. His technique's not the best but his fantastic athleticism allows him the former nailing Owens with a to make up for that. "If I can drag him to the second half of the fight and to the deep waters, I will drown him, I will win easy, but I don't think Pedigree and the latter blasting Jer- it will get that far. "I do believe this fight could be a four-round shootout and I am under no illusions if he catches me clean in the first four rounds icho with a spear. I am going to have to get off the floor to win, but make no mistake he's going to have to do the same thing. Rollins had chosen to attack "The big difference between me and him, he hasn't got it in him to get off the floor." Jericho during Reigns and Owens' title tussle after Y2J had clocked him with two Codebreakers earli- er in the night following his battle with Braun Strowman. The Aerialist's clash with Strowman had ended in a no con- test moments before, after Sami Zayn arrived to jump the monster, a man he will meet in a Last Man Standing Match next week. Strowman gave Zayn a taster Cowboys not worried about of what awaits him when he at- tacked Bo Dallas, Darren Young and The Shining Stars, the bearded potentially misusing trick play brawler even using a Christmas tree as a weapon! Dez Bryant finally got his wish. "A long, long, long time" coming, Mind that Christmas tree! Bryant, star receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, said of the chance to Braun Strowman ran amok on Raw flash his arm. During Cowboys practices, he’s constantly zipping after interrupting a tag-team match tight, left-handed spirals playing catch with quarterbacks. Sometimes between Bo Dallas and Darren before games, he’ll let a 60-yard heave rip through the stadium. Young and The Shining Stars. Well, in Monday night’s 42-21 victory against the Detroit Lions, Elsewhere, Sheamus and Ce- Bryant received a toss on a reverse from quarterback Dak Prescott saro remain Raw Tag Team Cham- before feigning to run up-field and lofting an uncontested touchdown pions after defeating former title pass to tight end Jason Witten. holders The New Day, Sheamus "When I got in the huddle, I called it like any other play and didn’t pinning Xavier Woods after admin- really give anyone the chance to think that coach just called the trick istering a Brogue Kick. play, just let’s go execute," Prescott said after the game. "It was simple Karl Anderson and Luke Gal- for me, just get Dez the ball. It was beautiful. The defense reacted and lows staked their claim to be the Dez made a great throw." Bryant said he "dropped a dime" the last Europeans' next challengers after time he threw a touchdown pass, which came in high school. "He can besting The Golden Truth, Ander- throw the football," coach Jason Garrett said. "He’s an astounding son rolling up Goldust to seal the athlete." Bryant caught four passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns. victory. He also became just the second player in the Super Bowl era to catch In the women's division, Nia two or more touchdown passes and throw for another in a single game. Jax crushed a local talent and Sasha But did the Cowboys blow their cover by using the play — which Bank fans named Scarlett, while worked without a hitch — in a game that was on its way to a blowout? The score put the game out of reach and gave Dallas a two-touchdown Charlotte beat Bayley after her lead. protégée - and special guest refer- "Oh no," team owner Jerry Jones said after the game when asked ee - Dana Brooke performed a if he thought Dallas should save its trick plays for the playoffs. quick three-count.

Former mixed martial artist she wishes to regain the title. Hull City 0-3 Manchester Dan Hardy has warned Ronda "If she comes in absolutely City: Premier League Boxing Day Rousey not to allow Amanda fierce and tries to bully Amanda - as it happened Nunes to find her rhythm, if she Nunes early on, then it may go her Hardy has also questioned has to beat the Brazilian fighter way again," Hardy explained, as Rousey's mindset for the upcom- to win the women's bantam- quoted by the MMA Fighting. ing fight as she has never been in weight championship at UFC Sam Allardyce blasts Watford this position before in her career. 207. mascot Harry the Hornet for It will be for the first time the UFC The two fighters will enter mocking Wilfried Zaha star will get into the cage follow- into the Octagon in Nevada's T- "She may be able to over- ing her defeat to Holm. Mobile Arena on 30 December, whelm Amanda Nunes. But if she "The interesting thing is Ron- which will be the last event of comes in timid and allows Aman- da's mindset. You've got to think, this calendar year. Rousey will da to find her rhythm and start let- she's been away for some time, and make return to the cage for the ting her hands go, then every time the last time she stepped onto that first time after more than a year she locks up, Amanda is going to canvas, it was a very traumatic following her first career defeat be prepared to defend that take- experience for her, which has been at the hands of Holly Hom at down. And that's when Ronda is relived over and over again," he UFC 193 in November 2015. going to start to struggle. said. Hardy has explained in de- "It's imperative that she comes "It was interesting, the early tail as to when he believes the in with confidence, and if she adverts for the fight also showed "Rowdy" will struggle against doesn't, that's when the tides are the knockout, which now they Nunes at the main event on Fri- going to turn for her. That's the don't. It raises a lot of questions as day. He has urged Rousey to come question. We just don't know to where Ronda is psychological- into this fight with confidence if where her confidence is at." ly." WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 28. 2016-Jadi 08, 1395 H.S Vol:XI Issue No: 148 Price: Afs.20

Afghan women demand visible The Envoy:From Kabul to action against sexual harassment the White House, My Journey By Farhad Naibkhel KABUL: Afghan women wel- ual harassment. against sexual harassment of wom- country. Through a Turbulent World comed the establishment of the law “Each citizen is responsible to en at workplace and increase sexu- According to reports, 92 per- So we relied on other meth- ship before raids. Also, ANA forc- al harassment against women. cent of Afghan women experience ods, such as signals intelligence, es would accompany coalition Head of Women Committee in at least one time a type of sexual which inevitably led to targeting forces, and the coalition would the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) of harassment. coordinate with Afghan authorities Parliament Fawzai Kofi said that As Afghanistan is mostly a mistakes. In this particular in- prison punishment and cash fine conservative society, sexual ha- stance, we had been tracking an to ensure that families knew about was considered for those who rassment at the workplace is one individual who we believed was a the detainees’ status. We also ac- break the law and harass women. of the main impediments to female high-value target. The individual celerated the review process and She said that although Afghan- participation in the workforce. In was in fact near the identified lo- released a large number of detain- istan prison is not at the level to governmental and nongovernmen- cation, but so were the children. ees after determining that they reform the criminal, but cash fine tal organs, there are several reports The problem was compound- were innocent. and imprisonment are the punish- of verbal and physical harassment ed by growing complaints about The 15 Point Agreement sig- ment included in the law in order and blackmailing. The use of au- “night raids” Coalition forces nificantly reduced fictions. Barno’s to reduce sexual harassment thority to coerce for sex was also would enter homes of suspected men implemented its terms, but we against women throughout the reported in some cases. insurgents or terrorists, isolate the faced greater challenges in ensur- men, tie their hands, and put hoods ing that Special Forces did so as over their heads before hauling well. After Barno and I left Afghan- against sexual harassment of wom- force government for implementa- them away to prisons. Afghan istan, our successors proved far en at workplace, urging the gov- tion of law against harassment families then had no way to can- less committed to the agreement. worked with Afghan leaders to ernment to strictly implement the throughout the country,” she add- tact their detained husbands, fa- Night raids, along with greater ci- shunt aside one draft that envi- law to overcome sexual harassment ed. thers and sons. vilian casualties from excessive sioned an Islamist government across the country. Minister of Women’s Affairs Karzai complained frequently U.S. firepower were among the structure similar ton Iran’s. Af- Afghan Women News Agency Dilbar Nazari said that great that these raids were poorly tar- principal reasons why Karzai be- (AWNA) has interviewed a num- achievement was gained in the past ghans would have to make critical geted and humiliating to Afghan came so bitter toward the United decisions on federalism and ber of women in different organs, two years to support women, but families. States in later years. who asked the government to prac- it was not enough and more work whether to adopt a presidential or I asked Barno to work with The closer understanding we parliamentary government. Emo- tice the law against sexual harass- should be done. Defense Minister Fahim and Ab- forged with the Afghans coincided ment of women at work place. She said that sexual harass- tional issues related to nation sym- “Law against sexual harass- ment of women at workplace is a dul Rahim Wardak, the deputy with positive trends in the Afghan bols and languages would not be ment of women at workplace serious challenge and the relevant minister of defense on an agreed military. After the reform of the easy to resolve. should not remain on the paper, organs are requested to establish approach to night raids. Short-term ministry of Defense, the number I developed and shared the serious intention in governmental stable legal framework to address gains in capturing one or another of young Afghans volunteers, but U.S. “red lines” with Afghan lead- organs is required to implement the the issue. terrorist in night raids, we knew, Barno told me that the new num- ers. I would work with them to law,” said Head of AWNA Humaira “Efforts are needed to empow- would be ephemeral if the opera- bers even exceeded what the ANA reach an agreement on the major Saqeb. er women economically as well as tions undermined Afghan support could handle. We planned a fur- constitutional questions, but then She said the government provide them with educational fa- ABUL: Former President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday met with for the United States. Barno and ther increase in ANA spending in stand aside so they could realize showed that it had intention to cilities to reach to the goal.” Kthe Royal Dutch Ambassador to Afghanistan, Geoffrey van his Afghan counterparts drew up our next funding request. the Loya Jirga process. Only if Leeuwen, in his office. Both discussed political and security situa- adjudicate women’s rights, but it Nazari stated that awareness a “15 Point Agreement,” to mini- ONE OF THE LOOMING they ran into obstacles-and re- is essential to step up efforts for campaign must be run to increase tion in Afghanistan and the region. Karzai appreciated Netherlands mize mistakes and respect Afghan deadlines on my agenda was the for supporting Afghanistan in healthcare and education sectors in the quested my aid-would I become implementation of law against sex- people’s information about the law sensibilities. It foresaw closer con- Constitutional Loya Jirga (CLJ), involved. past 13 years. sultation with the Afghan leader- set to convene in mid-December. I To be continued Pakistani troops shoot HIA neither supports Taliban, Afghan norAfghan govt: Baheer By Shamim Shahid PESHAWAR: The Gulbadin Hek- in September.” PESHAWAR: An Afghan nation- matyar-led Hezb-i-Islami Afghan- “It’s a fact that no one from al was injured whereas eight other istan (HIA) has pledged staying Pakistan has ever dissuaded us captured as a result of Pakistani neutral in the war between the Af- from peace negotiations with Kab- troops firing on the Durand Line ghan government and the Taliban. ul. Conversely, Islamabad fully at Khyber Agency on Tuesday. Dr. Ghairat Baheer, head of supported the peace process,” he Pakistani officials claimed that HIA’s political affairs committee, reiterated. all these Afghan nationals were was quoted as saying on Tuesday He stressed an end to testy making attempts of entering Paki- his party would not side with any- exchanges between Afghan and stan without visa, passport and one in the ongoing conflict. Pakistani leaders. “If there is war other valid travelling documents. He told The Express Tribune or instability in Afghanistan, it will According to officials the Af- that the HIA, which struck a peace naturally affect Pakistan. There- ghans were making attempt of en- deal with the Ashraf Ghani admin- fore, the two governments should tering Pakistan at Jamaat Gee area istrationin September, would take pursue a policy that can bring their near Torkham. part in the next parliamentary elec- peoples closer.” Personnel of Pakistani para- tions. Baheer asked the Afghan gov- military forces opened fire on the Islamabad did not oppose ernment and Taliban not to set pre- Afghan citizens, causing injuries to peace parleys between Kabul and conditions for dialogue. Both sides Janullah son of Qadeer. The injured HIA, he said, adding: “Pakistan had should put their conditions on the was admitted in Landi Kotal hos- supported the negotiations which table, he remarked. pital. led to the signing of the peace deal (Pajhwok) The detained Afghans were identified as Sabz Wali, Humayoon, Abid, Pir Mohammad, Ghuncha Guil, Zar Khan and Mohammad Waseem. All arrested persons were shifted to Landi Kotal for further interrogation. So far there are no reports re- garding reaction of Afghan border security forces over latest act of firing by Pakistani forces. 4 killed in Zabul airstrikes conducted Man spraying amid ISIS expansion concerns relatives with acid At least four militants were killed in airstrikes conducted in southern detained in Kunduz Zabul province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said KUNDUZ CITY: Local officials Tuesday. According to MoD, the airstrikes were conducted in Dai Chu- on Tuesday said a man who at- pan and Mizan districts of Zabul. tacked relatives with acid in north- The ministry further added that at least four militants were also eastern Kunduz province has been wounded in the airstrikes but did not elaborate further. arrested six years after his disap- It is yet not clear if the militants killed in the airstrikes belonged to pearance. Taliban insurgents group or any other militant group. Deputy police chief, Col. This comes as Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said Monday Mohammad Masoom Hashimi, that special military operations will kick off soon in southeastern Ghaz- told Pajhwok Afghan News the ni and southern Zabul provinces to suppress the loyalists of the Islamic man, aided by six brothers, attacked State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group and Taliban insurgents. four members of a family, includ- He made the remarks during a meeting with the elders of the two ing three girls and their mother. provinces which organized amid concerns that the fighters of the two He said four brothers of the group are attempting to expand foothold in some districts of the two convict had been arrested immedi- provinces. ately after the attack in Belkol area The elders of Zabul said the local residents in Khak-e-Afghan and of the provincial capital about six Nawbahar districts have noted movements of the two groups to estab- years ago.They are currently serv- lish and strengthen their presence. ing their jail terms in the Pul-i- The Ghazni representatives also said the ISIS loyalists and Taliban Charkhi prison. insurgents have started to expand their foothold in Nawa district. Two other brothers, who were According to the Office of the Chief Executive, the elders of Zabul complicit in the attack, are still at have said thousands of ISIS militants have arrived in Khak-e-Afghan large. “The main convict, who was district. trying to flee to Kabul, was arrest- The ISIS militants have reportedly arrived with their families and ed on Monday afternoon,” the are fully equipped with the area turning into an entry point for the police officer said. foreign insurgents. (KP) (Pajhwok)