Such drugs do poison
As much as one third of
Afghanistan's lucrative poppy crops -- a source of funding for the
Taliban insurgency, but also the livelihood of many Afghan farmers --
has been destroyed by a mysterious disease, probably an aphid but
possibly also a fungus or virus (NYT, BBC, AFP). The drop in supply is likely to
have at least two positive effects for the insurgents: one, it will
probably fuel the Taliban's propaganda campaign claiming that
international forces will destroy Afghan farmers' poppy crops; and two,
prices of opium will rise at least 60 percent, according to U.N.
figures.
The Pentagon said yesterday
that in spite of coalition efforts to minimize the number of civilians
killed and injured in Afghanistan, U.S. and NATO forces killed 76
percent more civilians in the first four months of this year compared
with 2009 (Reuters). Many of the deaths appear to
be related to several high-profile incidents, like the February
airstrike that killed 23 civilians. The London Times has a must-read
profiling an 'explosive ordnance demolition' team searching for and
disabling roadside bombs in Kandahar province (Times).
After more schoolgirls
in Afghanistan complained of nausea and a strange smell in their
classroom in Kunduz, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said they had become
ill after having a "poisonous substance" sprayed in the school and
ordered more security around the country's educational institutions (WSJ). The U.N. is investigating the
claims of poison gas attacks (Times). Coalition forces reportedly
killed 31 Taliban fighters in Kunduz last night (AP, ISAF).
Come together, right now
U.S.
President Barack Obama and Karzai continued to put up a strong show of
unity yesterday at a tightly choreographed joint press conference, both
predicting that the conflict in Afghanistan will get worse before it
gets better and reaffirming their commitment to the war effort (AFP, AP, NYT, Reuters, Wash Post, Pajhwok, Tel, FT, WSJ). Obama, in a departure from his
earlier reluctance, hinted yesterday that he may support Karzai's plan
to reconcile with some Taliban leaders and footsoldiers who renounce
violence, and made comments supportive of Pakistani efforts to rout
militants from its tribal areas, while cautioning that "it is not going
to happen overnight" (LAT, AJE, Pajhwok, The News, Reuters). Karzai, on his part, made
similar comments about the timeline of the fight against corruption in
Afghanistan (AFP). Karzai and Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton will wrap up the Afghan leader's visit with a live
webcast at 2:30pm (AP, USIP).
Alissa Rubin considers the challenges
of governance in Afghanistan, writing that, "Even as American troops
clear areas of militants, they find either no
government to fill the vacuum, as in Marja, or entrenched power brokers,
like President Karzai's brother in Kandahar, who monopolize NATO
contracts and other development projects and are resented by large
portions of the population.
In still other places, government officials rarely show up at work and
do little to help local people, and in most places the Afghan police are
incapable of providing security. Corruption, big and small, remains an
overwhelming complaint" (NYT).
And McClatchy reports
that the Pentagon is shifting gears to "counterinsurgency light" in lieu
of large-scale counterinsurgency efforts which are long and costly (McClatchy).
Across Pakistan
Five people,
including two young girls, were killed yesterday in and around Peshawar
when a roadside bomb detonated at an Afghan refugee camp outside the
main city of Pakistan's Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa province and when suspected
militants tossed a hand grenade in a home in the city (Daily Times, BBC, Dawn, Geo,
CNN). Reuters looks at the
psychological effects of conflict on Pakistanis (Reuters).
A 28-year-old Pakistani man was
detained at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile with traces of
explosives reportedly in his bag, and on documents and a cell phone he
was carrying (AP, The News, ToI, AFP). Mohammad Saif ur Rehman was
reportedly in Chile for four months to study tourism, had a job at a
hotel, and had gone to the embassy to discuss a visa; he can be detained
until Saturday without charge under Chilean law.
Al-Qaeda in Iran
The AP reports
that al-Qaeda operatives who were detained for years in Iran have been
traveling in and out of the country, suggesting that the Iranian
government is loosening its hold on the terrorist group so it can
"replenish its ranks," diminished by drone strikes and military operations in Pakistan
and Afghanistan (AP). The relationship between the
Shiite regime in Iran and the Sunni al-Qaeda is "generally hostile" and
murky -- "one of the most difficult jobs in U.S. intelligence" -- but
they have a shared enemy, the U.S., and the recent increase in movement
is "worrisome."
Texting to rise
in southern Afghanistan
The U.S. military is planning to
erect mobile phone antennas in southern Afghanistan to make it more
difficult for Taliban militants to destroy or force the closure of most
cell phone towers (AFP). A U.S. official said the main effect will be
to "de-isolate people."
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