Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Afghanistan

Taliban to hold grand gathering on new government in Kabul

2021-08-23

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] It has been seven days since the Taliban
Taliban

...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
have taken control over Kabul and the country left in a sheer political vacuum but negotiations over forging the upcoming government are going on in Kabul.A grand gathering is purportedly planned to be held in Kabul by the Taliban leadership and Kabul-based officials and politicians.

All the members and the head of the Taliban’s political office based in Doha are currently in Kabul and are busy negotiating on the structure of upcoming governmental with different parties.

After the brother of former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, ex-president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. When Biden abandoned the country left with a helicopter, four cars, and part of the national treasury...
, Hashmat Ghani Ahamdzai pledged allegiance with the Taliban on Saturday, August 21, former governor of Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..

province and one of the prominent politicians of Afghanistan Gul Agha Sherzai
...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people against him...
also swore allegiance with Afghanistan Islamic Emirate.
It's not just cats that always land on their feet.
The Taliban members have appreciated his efforts in reconstruction during his tenure as minister of urban development and land during the presidency of Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai.
...A product, and probably the sole product, of the Southern Alliance...

Sherzai had also congratulated the victory of the Taliban a day after they took over Kabul.

Members of the Taliban have also met with parliament member, Haji Zahir Qadir, and both sides have discussed the structure of the upcoming all-inclusive government.

As part of efforts for shaping the cabinet, the Taliban appointed chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board and head of water and power on Sunday.

Link

Rashida Tlaib: ''...the horrible consequences of endless war and failed US policy going back to the 1980s when we backed the Taliban against the Soviets...''

2021-08-18

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

The Taliban did not exist during the Russian occupation. Please stop peddling ahistorical information. https://t.co/MIRv293Fku
— Fatima Ayub (@thecynicist) August 16, 2021

Quick history lesson here for the Congressgirl:

The main force of the mujahideen in the war against the Soviets was the Northern Alliance, headquartered in the Pandjir Valley

...also spelt Panjshir, Panjishir, and similar. The native population — primarily poor and illiterate — number about 173,000 earlier this year, though no doubt that is quickly changing. The capitol is Bazarak...

and led by Ahmed Shah Masood, basically the Tadjiks in the country. They were allied, usually, with Abderrashid Dostum, leading the Uzbek contingent, and Ismail Khan, leading the Dari speakers. There were others, and Dostum used to have the habit of changing sides when it suited his purpose. The Paks supported them, usually, acting as a funnel for American and Saudi dollars.

The south of Afghanistan is Pashtun, who speak the Pashto language. Pashtuns make up (guesstimating, since there hasn't been a census in years) about forty percent of the population. They're the largest population in Afghanistan, but not the majority.

The Pashtuns were supported against both the Soviets and the Northern Alliance by the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami, headed by the late lamented Qazi Hussain Ahmed, and Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami, headed by Fazlur Rehman (Mullah Diesel), and the also late lamented Samiul Haq (Mullah Sandwich). Mullah Diesel got his name for the large amounts of diesel fuel that he resold at a profit, and Mullah Sandwich got his name from his habit of taking two boys to bed at once. Sami ran a madrassah that churned out little Pashtun fighters by the hundreds. Our friend Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ran his own Hizb, and he was Qazi's favorite. He got lotsa money, as did others like Yunous Kalis, the duke of Jalalabad, whom I kinda liked from my safe distance. Hekmatyar was also a double/triple agent, funneling information -- usually about Masood's forces -- to the KGB and separately to the KhaD, which was the Kabul government's secret police. After getting kicked out of Sudan, Osama bin Laden moved there to fight as well. I recall seeing at least one interview with him, probably on CNN, which did news in those days instead of whatever it does now. There were other Arab muj as well, not all of them virulent.

Now, nowhere in that list of names is Mullah Omar mentioned, nor is the word Taliban.

To make a long story short, the Soviets left in February 1988, the Northern Alliance kept fighting against the Najibullah regime, the Paks kept trying to control them through their mullahs for that "strategic depth" nonsense. The Northern Alliance eventually took Kabul. Najibullah and his brother took refuge with the UN headquarters. Barnhanuddin Rabanni (Tadjik) became president. Hekmatyar (Pashtun) became PM. Masood became defense minister. Dostum and Ismail Khan got Mazar and Herat, respectively.

Hekmatyar wanted to be in charge, which started what was known as "dog eat dog," basically Pashtuns against Northeren Alliance. Rabbani was a nice man, and Hek overlooked his guardian Masood in the background. Hekmatyar rocketed Kabul before finally being run out of town to Iran and earning himself the title "Most Evil Man in the World." Most of Afghanistan came under the control of local warlords. Rabbani and his government remained the legal govt of Afghanistan and remained such until he stepped down in 2001.

The net result was a weak and unstable government in Kabul and a lot of Pak pot stirring, courtesy of the thankfully late Hamid Gul and his ISI successors in league with Fazl, Qazi, and especially Samiul Haq. Got all that?

Sami and his kindred were still stamping out little murderous Moslems, full of Koranic maxims about killing people and how to strip an AK-47, not so much about how to function in any but the most primitive kind of society. As soon as they were out of the pretty dancing boy stage they were off to Kandahar or someplace.

Mullah Omar was a graduate of Sami's and he was a minor warlord around Kandahar. He may have fought against the Soviets. I have no idea what led to his dispute with Gul Agha Sherzai, the governor of Nangarhar; I read that it was defending a maiden's honor, but that's probably Pak bull droppings. Maidens don't have any honor in Pashtunistan. Omar ran Gul Agha out of town, and the Taliban was founded in 1994. With Pak support, they took more and more territory, though they never did control quite the whole country.

Al-Qaeda assassinated Masood on September 9th, 2001, using two "journalists" from Belgium with exploding cameras. Probably twenty four hours later, not counting time zone shuffles, and the September 11th attacks were underway.

Now, why kill Masood? Perhaps if bin Laden knew, without doubt, that the U.S. was going to retaliate against Afghanistan, he wanted the most able -- and Pak-free -- commander in the country neutralized. There were a number of fumbles and bumbles that took place in that period. Rather than nuke Kabul, or land six combat divisions and shoot the place up and put it under occupation, we worked with the Northern Alliance to toss the Talibs -- they're called Taliban because they were Sami's students -- but also put together a stupid "Southern Alliance" made up of Pashtuns. The Talibs had made a show of wanting to hang Karzai, so we held a conference in Berlin, gave him a cape, and made him president.

That's how the decisions of December, 2001, led to this week's debacle. The moral of this story is: Never trust a Pak or a holy man and never put your full weight down on anything a politician tells you.

I can't attest to the absolute correctness in detail of the above. I'm an old man now. While my memory's not as bad as Joe Biden's, it's not infallible, and I've been writing off the cuff.

Link

Afghanistan

'Father of Taliban' Sami ul-Haq pledge allegiance to Mullah Mansoor

2015-08-07

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] An influential Pak religious scholar who was once labelled as the 'Father of Taliban' has pledged allegiance to the newly appointed Taliban supreme leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor.

Several other religious holy mans from Afghanistan and Pakistain pleged allegiance to Mullah Mansoor during a gathering presided over by Maulana Sami ul-Haq.

The holy mans were associated with Darul Uloom Haqqania
...an Islamic seminary located in Akora Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The seminary propagates the Deobandi trend of Sunni Islam and is headed by Maulana Samiul Haq, known as the Godfather of the Taliban. It has been dubbed The University of Jihad due to the methods and content of instruction along with the future occupations of its alumni....
in Akora Khattak in the Nowshera district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
province of Pakistain.

The former Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is said to have graduated from the 4,000-student religious seminary along with several top cadres of the Afghan Taliban.

According to the Pak media reports, Maulana Sami ul-Haq along with the other holy mans called upon Afghan Ulema and people to forge unity in their ranks and submit to the leadership of Mullah Mansoor in order to 'foil the designs of infidels'.

Mullah Omar
... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality...
was mysteriously killed in a hospital in Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
city of Pakistain in the month of April in 2013, according to the Afghan intelligence and top Taliban capo Mansoor Dadullah.

Taliban formally confirmed the death of Mullah Omar by issuing a statement last week and later announced the Mullah Mansoor was appointed as the group's new supreme leader.

Reports regarding the death of Mullah Omar emerged last week suggesting Pakistain have confirmed the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar to the Afghan government.

Mullah Omar's death was first confirmed by a splinter group of the Taliban -- Afghanistan Islamic Movement Fidai Mahaz, which claimed that he was assassinated Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansoor and Gull Agha.

Gul Agha Sherzai gave the Talibs their start, when they strung up some of his ruthless henchmen for raping young girls. He resumed his seat as governor of Kandahar under the early Karzai regime. Karzai appointed somebody else and Gul Agha chased him off. He later tried to establish himself in Herat and that didn't work, and I think he went from there to Khost. Anything they say against him I'm willing to believe. I'm sure he keeps a villain suit in his closet.
The group's front man Qari Hamza said Mullah Omar was killed two years ago in the same month of July.

Hamza claimed that the group has evidences to prove their claims that Mullah Omar was killed by Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansoor and Gull Agha.

Link

Afghanistan

Coalition Government Only Solution to Electoral Tensions

2014-07-11

[Tolo News] The United States' Special Representative to Afghanistan, James Dobbins, has suggested an option for settling the ongoing electoral stalemate could be to form a coalition government and save the country from division.

Mr. Dobbins said that a winner-take-all system in Afghanistan "is not a workable option" and stressed that an Afghan government needs to be inclusive if it is to be successful.

The comments came just days before U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
is expected to meet with the two presidential candidates in Kabul. Mr. Kerry hopes to help resolve the disputes between the two men, which have largely bore out over the issue of fraud in mid-June's runoff election.

One of Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
's running mates, Mohammad Mohaqeq, offered a response to Dobbins' comments by suggesting a series of other options to put an end to the election impasse. First, he offered the invalidation of fake votes from genuine votes in the presence of international observers and the United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
; second, the formation of a coalition government on the basis of the votes from the first round of the election; and third, the structuring of a transitional government on the basis of transparent elections with a new face as president and the electoral bodies reconstituted.

"The runoff election can't be the foundation for the formation of a coalition government, because nearly three million votes in this round are void and the world knows the disgrace, how can we take it as a foundation?" Mohaqeq asked. "Then it will be clear how many votes Reforms and Solidarity Team keeps, and how many votes go to Ashraf Ghani and other candidates including Dr. Zalmai Rassoul
... former foreign minister and a very close confidant of Hamid Karzai. Before serving as foreign minister Rassoul also spent seven years laboring as a national security adviser to the president. An ethnic Pashtun born in Kabul, Rassoul was the valedictorian of his class at the illustrious Franco-American school in Kabul, Lycee Istiqal. He has an MD from the Paris Medical School in France.....
, Ustad Sayyaf, Gul Agha Sherzai
...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people against him...
, so a coalition government must be formed on the basis of votes of these candidates," he added.

Mohaqeq also discussed the third option briefly, but he admitted to knowing little about its "legal interpretation".

Meanwhile,
...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Big Shirley was still trying to snatch Nunzio bald-headed. She was already halfway there...
Ashraf Ghani's camp has come out against the formation of a coalition government, but more recently left the door open for possible negotiations on the subject.

"Until now we do not believe in the formation of a coalition government, it was rejected according to our principles, now the situation is very critical, we must think, political options will be in the bargaining in discussions," Ghani camp member Assadullah Saadati said.

Link

Afghanistan

Kapisa Residents Endorse Abdullah

2014-06-08

[Tolo News] Front-runner candidate Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
was welcomed by thousands of supporters in Kapisa for his campaign rally.

During the event, Dr. Abdullah praised the residents of Kapisa for their huge turnout in the first round of elections and asked that they go to the polls for a second time with that same firm determination.

Dr. Abdullah proclaimed that with the endorsements of political figures to his team, their chance of winning continues to increase.

He asked Kapisa's residents to partake on June 14 and exercise their right to vote and elect their future president.

Former presidential candidate Gul Agha Sherzai
...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people against him...
accompanied Dr. Abdullah in Kapisa explaining that his endorsement for Dr. Abdullah's team was only to serve his country.

"We were not offered any position," Sherzai said. "I am a Mohammedan and an Afghan and I swear that I was not offered a provincial seat, directorate or ministry position."

Link

Afghanistan

Sherzai Endorses Abdullah

2014-05-04

[Tolo News] On Saturday, presidential candidate Gul Agha Sherzai
...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people from him...
announced at a joint presser with leading presidential candidate, Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
, that he has joined Abdullah's team.

"I have joined Abdullah and his team because we want to bring security to Afghanistan in order to build a better country," Sherzai said. "It is our hope for a better tomorrow."

He called onto the public to come together in a mission to build the future of Afghanistan.

"I ask the public to unify as one and put their differences aside for the sake of a better future for our country," he added.

He explained that the differences in ethnicity, language and religion must be buried away.

Sherzai had 106,673 votes in the preliminary results, making up 1.6 percent of votes nationally; he had the second most votes in Kandahar.

Few minutes later, Abdullah took the stage welcoming Sherzai to his team.

Abdullah explained to the media, that they have a long road ahead of them in rebuilding Afghanistan.

"If we all work together, we will solve our current issues, taking a step forward to a superior Afghanistan," Abdullah said.

Last week, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced preliminary results of the presidential election with Abdullah leading with 44.9 percent.

Presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was trailing with 31.5 percent and Zalmai Rassoul
... former foreign minister and a very close confidant of Hamid Karzai. Before serving as foreign minister Rassoul also spent seven years laboring as a national security adviser to the president. An ethnic Pashtun born in Kabul, Rassoul was the valedictorian of his class at the illustrious Franco-American school in Kabul, Lycee Istiqal. He has an MD from the Paris Medical School in France.....
behind with 11.5 percent.

The results were made up of 100 percent of votes casted across the country. Head of IEC Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani said the total number of voters announced was roughly seven million; exactly 6,892,816 votes.

Link

Afghanistan

Abdullah Leading Third Round of Partial Results

2014-04-25

[Tolo News] The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) announced Thursday evening the third round of partial results with Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
in the lead.

Head of IEC Ahmad Yousaf Nuristani revealed Abdullah leading with 43.8 percent, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai trailing behind with 32.9 percent and Zalmai Rassoul
... former foreign minister and a very close confidant of Hamid Karzai. Before serving as foreign minister Rassoul also spent seven years laboring as a national security adviser to the president. An ethnic Pashtun born in Kabul, Rassoul was the valedictorian of his class at the illustrious Franco-American school in Kabul, Lycee Istiqal. He has an MD from the Paris Medical School in France.....
still behind with 11.7 percent.

Today's partial result announcement consisted of 82.59 percent of votes nationwide.

Presidential candidate Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf
...Afghan Salafist warlord, owned by Saudi Arabia. He was the guy who invited al-Qaeda to come into Afghanistan and make themselves at home...
is in fourth with 7.0 percent, Qutbuddin Helal carrying 2.8 percent, Gul Agha Sherzai
...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people against him...
with 1.6 percent, Daoud Sultanzoy with 0.5 percent and Hedayat Amin Arsala in last with 0.2 percent.

Total votes for today's partial result was 5,857,442; roughly six million.

The breakdown of the votes is as follows: Abdullah with 2,564,284; Ghani with 1,928,153; Rassoul with 652,116; Sayyaf with 409,879; Helal with 165,567; Sherzai with 96,407; Sultanzoy with 27,312; and Arsala with 13,724 votes.

Nuristani said there are 1,719 polling sites that are still being investigated. He adds that it is too soon to determine whether a runoff will take place or not.

"We cannot comment whether the election will go into a runoff, but we are ready if it does," he said. "The delay with preliminary results will not affect the final outcome."

Nuristani also added, that more frauds were conducted by IEC staff and that they will be dealt with by the legal and judicial institutions.

Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan's Chairman, Nadir Nadiri, said that the audits of suspicious ballots should be performed before presidential candidates and observers.

Leading presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah said in an interview with TOLOnews that he is waiting for the announcement of preliminary results.

He criticized the IEC and their reasoning behind delaying preliminary results saying, "Their reason behind it is not satisfactory."

"The remaining 17 percent will have a great impact on the final outcome of elections," Abdullah said.

Link

Afghanistan

Karzai's BSA-Durand Line Comparison Rebuffed

2014-01-27

[Tolo News] In rsponse to the reason comparison made by President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai
... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use...
of the Kabul-Washington security pact with the much resented Durand Line Treaty made with Great Britannia in the 19th century, a number of international affairs experts looked to clarify the major differences between the two.

The experts principled objection to Karzai's statement, which added greater tension to a already tense situation over the delay in the Bilateral Security Agreement's (BSA) finalization, was that the pact had been judged to be in Afghanistan's interests and was overwhelmingly supported by the Afghan people.

Back in November, a 2,500-member Loya Jirga voted in approval of the BSA, and since Karzai has demanded the U.S. meet new preconditions before the deal is signed, a bevy of Afghan politicians and civil society activists have come out in public support of it.

In contrast, the experts said, the Durand Line Treaty was imposed by the British Empire and entailed the loss of territory.

"I think instead of comparing this agreement to the Durand Line Treaty, President Karzai should have compared it to the U.S. Security agreement with Germany, the U.S. Security Agreement with Japan, or U.S. Security Agreement with Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and South Korea," international affairs expert Malek Setiz said.

Political analyst Daud Moradian said Karzai should consider what kind of leader he wants to be, and how he wants to be remembered.

"Today, India has changed into a strategic partner with the U.S. and is an emerging power in the region, so we hope that Mr. Karzai will learn from Ahmadi Nejad's experiences and will act in accordance with the national interests of Afghanistan like Manmohan Singh," Moradian said, juxtaposing the anti-U.S. legacy of the former Iranian leader with the more engaged leadership of India's current Prime Minister.

Recent statements made by Karzai casting doubt over whether or not he will ever sign the BSA have received harsh criticism from Afghan leaders, including Presidential candidates.

"I think that if the Bilateral Security Agreement between Kabul and Washington is not signed, the elections will not be held as well," Presidential candidate Gul Agha Sherzai
...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people against him...
said.

"The Afghan people's hope is in the hands of a foreign country, but up to the efforts of the President of Afghanistan, the government of Afghanistan, the future government of Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan," Presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
said.

Link

Afghanistan

Presidential Priorities According to Sherzai

2013-11-10

[Tolo News] In an exclusive interview with TOLOnews, Presidential candidate Gul Agha Sherzai
...former governor of Kandahar province. The Taliban got their start protecting people against him...
spoke about what his priorities would be if he was elected to office in April, focusing on post-2014 security, corruption, rule of law and merit-based success.

The same week as leaders from across the country converge on the capital for President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai
... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use...
's Loya Jirga, Sherzai emphasized his belief that the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) under discussion at the gathering would be essential to the country's security in the coming years.

With nearly all NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
coalition troops departing as the alliance's combat mission comes to an end in December of 2014, Sherzai said a partnership with the U.S. extending past that date would be beneficial for both countries. He was particularly adamant about what the U.S. could do to prevent meddling from neighboring countries as Afghanistan continues to develop alongisde a persistent bully boy conflict.

"We face interference from abroad, and still the war continues in Afghanistan," Sherzai told TOLOnews. "We must defend our nation from external interferences and the global powers should help us."

Many in Afghanistan have expressed anxiety about what could happen if a security pact between the U.S. and Afghanistan is not signed, and Sherzai is not the first of the Presidential candidates to emphasize the importance of the accord.

NATO officials in Brussels recently indicated that the continued involvement of the alliance in Afghan security affairs post-2014 would be predicated on a pact first being settled between Washington and Kabul.

Sherzai also spoke about the Taliban grinding of the peace processor, which remains stalled despite positive signs seen lately with Afghan officials planning to meet with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban second-in-command released by Pakistain, and recent remarks made by Mutasem Agha Jan on the part of Taliban headman Mullah Omar
... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality...
suggesting talks were on the horizon.

The Presidential candidate said he thought the grinding of the peace processor was important, but that he would go about things a little differently than they are being done now. For starters, he said the High Peace Council should be composed of a greater diversity of Afghan intellectuals and leaders.

Sherzai spoke about other non-security related priorities as well, including plans to fight administrative corruption, improve the rule of law and develop a culture of meritocracy in Afghanistan.

He said he and his Vice Presidents, Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi and Mohammad Hashim Zarea, would make a strong team. But he stressed that work performance would matter above all else, and if they did not live up to his standards, replacements would be found.

"I would have a good team with the help of Almighty God, and I swear that my vice-presidents would not last even one month if they don't perform," Sherzai said.

Sherzai is the former Governor of Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
and Kandahar provinces. He was one of the 10 Presidential candidates who made the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) preliminary list two weeks ago.

TOLOnews will be conducting interviews with each one of the Presedential candidates in the coming weeks.

Link

Afghanistan

Initial Election Polling Reveals Three Favorites

2013-10-14

[TOLONEWS] ATR-Consulting and TOLOnews surveyed the residents of Afghanistan's 34 provinces about nominees registered for the spring Presidential election. The survey, after the Independent Election Commission's (IEC) official registration process concluded, revealed that the majority of respondents who had a preference listed Dr. Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
as their top choice.

More than 1,300 Afghan citizens responded to the random phone survey of the 34 provinces over the four day period of October 8 to October 12. Seventy-five percent of the participants were from urban areas and women formed 41 percent of the respondents.

All those who participated in the survey answered one simple question: "Who do you think is the best candidate, among all the candidates for the Presidency?"

Half of those interviewed claimed that there is no "best" candidate, or they did not know who it was if there was one. This half of the sample broke down as 38 percent not knowing, and 12 percent claiming there is no top candidate.

Of those who did provide a preference, 21 percent said Dr. Abdullah Abdullah is the "best" candidate. The survey results indicate that most of Abdullah's supporters are women and youth, especially those from urban areas.

Dr. Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002, Ahmadzai was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..
Ahmadzai came in second with support from 13.6 percent of preference respondents and Qayoom Karzai
...older brother of Afghan president Hamid Karzai. He makes his living as a 'businessman' and presidential advisor...
came in third with 5.7 percent.
I'm guessing he'll be the eventual winner.
Dr. Ghani saw most of his favor coming from men from urban areas, and a regional breakdown of the results suggests his alliance with Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum
...ethnic Uzbek warlord who distinguished himself fighting the Soviets and the Taliban. The story that he had a bad guy run over with a tank is an exaggeration. It was an armored personnel carrier...
, who is ethnically Uzbek, has served him well in the north and northeastern parts of Afghanistan. Twenty percent of Dr. Ghani's supporters were from north and north eastern provinces.

These results represent a shift from the last election in 2009 in which a survey pegged Dr. Ghani at fourth place with less than one percent of his supporters coming from northern parts of Afghanistan.

Qayoom Karzai, placed third, received most of his support from village youth, and predominantly men.

Meanwhile,
...back at the alley, Slats grabbed his rosco...
Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf
...Afghan Salafist warlord, owned by Saudi Arabia. He was the guy who invited al-Qaeda to come into Afghanistan and make themselves at home...
fell the forth position with 3.4 percent of respondents naming him as the "best" candidate. Sayyaf's supporters were largely from villages and he received the lowest amount of support from women amongst the top four candidates.

Gul Agha Sherzai
...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people against him...
was in fifth position, receiving 1.1 percent of respondent's preference. His supporters were mostly men.

Zalmai Rasool was next with 0.9 percent. His supporter came largely from urban areas with a large portion being women. He is the only popular nominee who has a female Vice Presidential nominee on his ticket.

Gen Abdul Rahim Wardak landed in seventh place in the survey with 0.8 percent of respondents' support. Those who preferred him were mostly men from both cities and villages.

Of Kabul respondents alone, 24 percent selected Dr. Abdullah, 16 percent Dr. Ghani, three percent Karzai, three percent Sayyaf, one percent Rasool and one percent Wardak. But 36 percent of Kabul residents who participated in the survey did not know and 16 percent said there is no good candidate.

In the central provinces, 30 percent selected Dr. Abdullah, nine percent Dr. Ghani, five percent Sayyaf, one percent Karzai, one percent Rasool, one percent Wardak and one percent Sherzai. Thirty-nine percent said they don't know and 13 percent said there is no good candidate.

In northern Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah received 26 percent of respondents' support, Dr. Ghani 23 percent, Karzai five percent, Sayyaf two percent, Sherzai two percent and Rasool and Wardak each one percent. Eight percent said there is no good candidate and thirty-two percent said they don't know.

In western Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah received 27 percent, Dr. Ghani eight percent, Karzai two percent, Sayyaf seven percent and then Sherzai, Wardak and Rasool with one percent each. Fourteen percent of respondents in the West said there was no good candidate and 39 percent said they don't know.

In southern Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah received 21 percent of supporters, Dr. Ghani five percent, Karzai 15 percent, Sayyaf one percent, Sherzai six percent, Rasool two percent and Wardak two percent. Thirty-five percent said they don't know and 13 percent said there was no good candidate.

In eastern Afghanistan, Dr. Ghani saw 29 percent, Karzai 22 percent, Dr. Abdullah seven percent, Wardak and Sayyaf with two percent each and Sherzai one percent. Twenty-eight percent said they don't know and nine percent no good candidate.

Link

Afghanistan

Nangarhar Governor Sherzai Resigns, Expected to Contest for Presidency

2013-10-03

[Tolo News] Tawab Ghorzang, the spokesman of the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), on Wednesday announced that Gul Agha Sherzai, the Governor of Nangarhar province, has resigned from the post, in order to file his candidacy for the next spring's Presidential election.
Gul Agha is a rapacious, dictatorial bastard. The Taliban got their start rescuing people from his clutches.
Can we drone zap him on general principles?
Mr. Sherzai is the current Governor of Nangarhar province. He had previously served as the Governor of Kandahar province in the early 90s and from 2001 until 2003.

The resignation comes in after Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf resigned from the Lower House on Wednesday to contest the 2014 Presidential election.

Link

Afghanistan

Teenage Girl Receives Threats to Marry Former Kidnapper

2013-02-08

[TOLONEWS] A teenage girl has fled with her family from their home in eastern Nangarhar province to live in Kabul after receiving ongoing threats from the man who kidnapped the girl more than a year ago.

Zamzama, who was kidnapped with her brother last year, told TOLOnews she has received threats to marry her former abductor Taj Mohammad or she will be kidnapped again and her intimidators will ensure her reputation is destroyed.

Zamzama said that when she and her and brother were kidnapped, Taj Mohammad took them to a mountainous area of the Noor Valley in Nangarhar, but her father received the help of some provincial council members and they were released three days later.

While Taj Mohammad was charged with the kidnapping, he was freed and is now threatening to repeat the act, Zamzama claimed Thursday.

Zamzama's father Abdul Matin believes those sending the threats have the support of Nangarhar province's former police chief Karim Gol.

Gol no longer works for any government structure but he holds much power in the area, Matin said, and the local officials "even the governor" seem afraid to further inspect Zamzana's case.

Matin added that although he alerted Nangarhar provincial governor Gul Agha Sherzai to the threats, nothing has changed and so he decided to move the family to Kabul to protect his daughter.

"The Nangarhar provincial governor lives in a palace and you have to wait a week to meet him. How could he solve the case?" Matin said.

Nangarhar provincial spokesman told TOLOnews that efforts are being made to arrest Taj Mohammad and that it is not yet clear who is supporting or protecting him.

Zamzama called on President Hamid Karzai to address her case.

"I want the president to help me. How would he react if it was his sister or daughter?" She said.

Civil society activist Mohammed Yusof Amin said the government needs to seriously address the problem of abductions if it is truly concerned about people's sense of security.

"The government has the responsibility to address this case. How long will the armed be allowed to go against the law?" He said.

Link

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