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Coalition Forces
Five US soldiers died on Nov. 13 when their helicopter crashed near Bagram air base in Kabul. The victims were taking part in Operation Mountain Resolve. U.S. investigators have yet to determine whether the crash was caused by hostile forces or technical error/malfunction.
Reports surfaced the week of Nov. 17 regarding U.S. plans to relocate 37,000 troops currently stationed in South Korea to Afghanistan and Iraq. The relocation will likely take place in phases and will not begin until 2004.
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., went to Afghanistan on a fact-finding mission for the Senate Armed Services Committee and to spend Thanksgiving with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. On Nov. 27, following a meeting with President Hamid Karzai and Thanksgiving dinner with the troops, Clinton called for more additional international troop contributions to the country.
General Afghanistan Security Situation
On Nov. 18, The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) announced a call-back of 30 aid workers in the southern and eastern regions of Afghanistan. This recall resulted from security concerns highlighted by the murder of a French UN worker and three attacks on UN offices in the previous week. This decision will hamper attempts by Afghan refugees seeking to return home from neighboring Pakistan. It is possible that the areas will be re-staffed in two weeks when the UNHCR will review the security situation.
In further provincial violence, Taliban insurgents killed three militiamen at a road checkpoint in the southern province of Helmand on Nov. 18. About 30 attackers in four vehicles opened fire on the post.
South Korea withdrew three diplomats from Afghanistan on Nov. 19, following the receipt of warnings indicating that the representatives might be targeted. South Korea is leading several reconstruction projects in the country. The Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul was hit by a rocket on Nov. 20, causing no casualties but noticeable structural damage. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened continued attacks against foreigners.
Powerful Afghan warlord/commander Abdul Rashid Dostum announced the release of approximately 60 Taliban and Taliban sympathizers on Nov. 22. The men were released from a prison in Jawzjan province as an act of amnesty motivated by the holy month of Ramadan. The men were released from provincial imprisonment to representatives of the central government. It is unclear whether this transfer of oversight is merely a segue to a complete pardon.
Afghan soldiers fired on protesters who stormed the Ministry of Defense on Nov. 23, killing one. Several demonstrators were reportedly armed and may have initiated the gunfire. The protesters have been demanding back pay and the reinstatement of defense jobs. Also on Nov. 23, ousted Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar reportedly called on Afghans to oppose U.S.-led foreigners in Afghanistan, and to avoid participation in the impending Loya Jirga and other constitutional meetings.
Zalmay Khalilzad was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan on Nov. 24. In a Nov. 25 Op Ed published in the Wall Street Journal, Khalilzad outlined American priorities in Afghanistan. Khalilzad will focus efforts on security, quality of life improvements, the building of an economic infrastructure, building democracy and regional cooperation with India and Pakistan. The Los Angeles Times reported on Nov. 27 that Afghanistan was losing Army recruits in large numbers. One Afghan training official stated anonymously that out of the 6,000 men who had registered for military training, approximately 2,000 had quit. Reportedly, the risks of the job were not balanced by the $30 a month pay check for many who left the training program early. American officials have published a goal for the size of the new Afghan Army: 70,000. Karzai highlighted his areas of concern in terms of security in a meeting with the regional U.S. commander, Gen. John Abazaid, on Nov. 29. Karzai stated that the three largest security concerns were drug trafficking, provincial warlords and terrorists.
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
Algerian representative, Lakdhar Brahimi is scheduled to step down from his post as
United Nations special representative to Afghanistan upon the ratification of the country’s constitution in 2004. Senior aides to Karzai are reportedly supporting the candidacy of British Maj. Gen. John McColl to fill the position. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has refused to meet with McColl in the past and the final decision for the posting may be in the hands of the United States.
Pakistan
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Masood Khan, expressed his dissatisfaction with the Nov. 18 words of the now-U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan when Khalilzad called for Pakistan to do more to rid itself of Taliban and other insurgents. Khan noted on Nov. 19 that the U.S. State Dept. has been offering a different version of events by continuing to acknowledge Pakistan’s commitment to the war on terrorism. Khan noted Pakistan’s commitment of 70,000 troops to border areas as evidence of the country’s efforts.
Pakistan arrested 556 illegal Afghan immigrants during a week-long sweep of the city of Quetta, where many Taliban and al Qaeda are thought to be hiding. Over 100 were returned to Afghanistan and the rest remain under questioning. Authorities have admitted that many suspects were picked up simply because suspicions were aroused by their traditional dress and/or dialect – indicative of Taliban. Another tactic recently implemented by the Pakistan government in attempting to combat madrassa-incited violence is the requirement of ‘surety bonds’ from madrassas as a pledge of good conduct. Those religious schools found to have terrorist links or found to be espousing and promoting violence would not receive their money back. Banned militant organizations have been re-grouping under new names and identities within Pakistan.
Other News In Brief
- Nov. 19: Concerns about the drafted Afghan constitution were expressed by John Hanford, U.S. ambassador-at-large for religious freedom, and Lorne Craner, assistant U.S. secretary of state for democracy and human rights. Hanford is concerned about the missing protection of non-Muslims and Craner, while pleased with progress already made, seeks a more explicit mention of the illegality of sex discrimination.
- Nov. 22: Twenty prisoners were released from the Guantanamo Bay prison facility. The prisoners were no longer deemed a threat to U.S. security and were returned to their home countries. Twenty new prisoners were relocated to the high-security prison facility from an undisclosed location.
- Nov 23: Kabul hosted a World Cup qualifying match featuring Afghanistan vs. Turkmenistan. While Afghanistan lost 2-0, the game marked a return of sport to the stadium that had been used by the Taliban for executions. Afghanistan’s return to the international soccer arena has been celebrated after a 20 year absence. Some 2,500 Afghans attended the match.
- Nov. 24: Two Americans from Portland, Oregon who attempted to join the Taliban were sentenced to 18 years in prison. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to wage war against the United States.
- The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that Afghanistan is a world leader in maternal mortality rates.
- The U.S. Army plans to distribute 200,000 short-wave radios to Afghan civilians in 2004. The move is likely intended to provide access to U.S. reporting on events as an alternative to the views of Taliban members and other extremists. The radios will be powered by hand-cracks as many Afghans live without electricity.
Action Update Nov. 3- Nov. 16, 2003
Action Update Oct. 20-Nov. 2, 2003
Action Update Oct. 6-Oct. 19, 2003
Action Update Sept. 22-Oct. 5, 2003
Action Update Summer 2003
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