THE FORGOTTEN WAR IN AFGHANISTAN

Afghan President Hamid Karzai told tribal leaders Thursday that he did not trust the United States

News

11/21/13 AP: Afghan peace delegation meets Taliban’s former No. 2 in Pakistan to try to jumpstart talks Members of an Afghan delegation tasked with holding peace talks with the Taliban met with the group’s former deputy leader in Pakistan in an attempt to jumpstart sputtering negotiations, Pakistani and Afghan officials said Thursday.

11/21/13 AGT: 15, 000 foreign troops to stay, says Afghan president Afghan President Hamid Karzai said up to 15,000 foreign soldiers could be authorised to stay in Afghanistan after the end of 2014, when the NATO contingent completes its withdrawal, if a draft bilateral agreement with U.S. is approved by the loya jirga, or grand assembly.

11/21/13 NBCNews: US, Afghanistan reach agreement on security pact Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said a final draft of key U.S.-Afghan bilateral agreement has been reached after a series of phone calls with President Hamid Karzai this morning. The agreement would govern relations between the U.S. military and the Afghan government for years to come.

11/21/13 NBCNews: Afghan President Hamid Karzai - "I don't trust the US" Afghan President Hamid Karzai told tribal leaders Thursday that he did not trust the United States, hours after Secretary of State John Kerry said a final draft deal on troop levels had been reached. "My trust with America is not good," Karzai said at a meeting of tribal elders and political leaders in Kabul. "I don't trust them and they don't trust me. During the past 10 years I have fought with them and they have made propaganda against me."

11/21/13 KP: 25 killed or injured in Kandahar suicide attack At least 25 people were killed or injured following a suicide attack in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan on Wednesday. The incident took place late Wednesday evening in a private restaurant in Kandahar city, leaving at least 3 people dead and 22 others injured.

11/21/13 LATimes: Drone attack kills 6 at Pakistan seminary A suspected U.S. drone attack early Thursday on a religious seminary believed to be linked to the ruthless Haqqani insurgent network killed at least six people and wounded eight, according to police and witnesses.

11/20/13 Reuters: Afghanistan-U.S. reach draft security agreement The United States and Afghanistan reached a draft agreement on Wednesday laying out the terms under which U.S. troops may stay beyond 2014, one day before Afghan elders are to debate the issue. A draft accord released by the Afghan government appears to meet U.S. demands on such controversial issues as whether U.S. troops would unilaterally conduct counterterrorism operations, enter Afghan homes or protect the country from outside attack.

11/20/13 WNA: Would-be suicide attacker shot dead in Kandahar Police in southern province of Kandahar said, a worker—disguised suicide bomber was gunned down, when he violated the police stop-order, the provincial governor office said in a statement Wednesday. The bomber was planning to enter the Mandigak palace, where a state-run hotel is built and the provincial authorities usually hold meetings, the statement said.

11/20/13 KP: Afghan security forces foil suicide attack in Ghazni A suicide attack was thwarted by Afghan security forces in eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan on Wednesday, local officials said. Provincial governor spokesman, Shafiullah Nang said, a suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives after he was recognized by Afghan security forces.

11/20/13 AP: Iran forcefully deporting Afghan refugees A new report says Iran is forcefully deporting Afghan refugees by the thousands — contrary to its international obligation to protect refugees. A Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday includes stories from dozens of refugees who tell of being forcibly deported. The report includes stories of fathers deported without being given a chance to tell the families they leave behind. Another is of a 12-year old boy left without money at the border, forced to beg for bus fare to Afghanistan.

11/20/13 AP: Deep flaws in Afghan voter rolls augur messy prelude to last poll before Western troops leave With Afghanistan's next presidential election just five months away, authorities say they are facing a possible repeat of the abuses that have discredited the country's efforts to build a democracy. They say they have no idea how many voters are really on the rolls because multiple registrations have resulted in nearly twice as many registered voters as eligible ones, said Noor Mohammed Noor, spokesman for the Independent Election Commission.

11/20/13 rferl: Conflicting Reports Continue Over U.S.-Afghan Security Pact It remains uncertain whether Washington and Kabul have agreed on a final version of a security pact covering the status of U.S. troops who remain after the drawdown of foreign forces at the end of 2014. Aimal Faizi, spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said on November 19 both sides had agreed to a deal giving U.S. troops immunity from Afghan law and allowing them to enter Afghan homes under exceptional circumstances only.

11/20/13 KP: District police chief killed in Taliban ambush in Helmand According to local authorities in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, district police chief for Marjah was killed during an ambush by Taliban militants in this province. A local security official in Helmand province said, the incident took place on Wednesday morning after a group of Taliban militants ambushed the vehicle of Marjah district police chief.

11/20/13 AFP: Afghan poll body announces final election list with 11 candidates Afghanistan's election commission on Wednesday announced the final list of candidates for next year's presidential and provincial council polls. The bulk of NATO's 75,000 remaining troops are due to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and a credible presidential election -- rather than a repeat of the fraud-plagued vote of 2009 -- is seen as vital to stability.

11/19/13 NPR: Afghan Elders Will Decide Future Of U.S. Troops After 2014 Some 3,000 Afghan elders will assemble on Thursday in Kabul to consider a new security agreement with the U.S. The document will spell out the rules for American forces in Afghanistan troops after their combat mission ends in December 2014. U.S. officials say between 6,000 and 9,000 US troops would remain to train Afghan security forces and conduct counter-terror missions against al-Qaeda and other anti-government forces. That counter-terror mission remains a sticking point, though most other issues — like potential criminal liability of Americans in Afghanistan — have been resolved.

11/19/13 Reuters: Afghans say agreed framework with Americans on military presence Afghanistan said on Tuesday it had agreed the framework of a security pact with the United States days ahead of a national gathering to debate the future of the U.S. military presence in the country.