Special Report:
Afghanistan's Taliban Insurgency
2006: Five Years After the Fall of the Taliban
Five years after the ousting of the Taliban regime in the fall of 2006, Afghanistan was unstable. Indeed, violence attributed to remnants of the Taliban intensified in 2006 as compared with the previous few years, suggesting that the Islamic extremist faction that had once ruled Afghanistan was making a comeback.
On Jan. 8, 2006, President Hamid Karzai said he would welcome peace talks with the Mullah Mohammad Omar, the head of the ousted Taliban movement. Karzai acknowledged that it was unlikely that Mullah Omar would emerge from hiding; however, he also noted that the Taliban leader would have to eventually account for his actions during the time of the brutal Islamic regime. Mohammed Hanif, a self-appointed spokesperson for the Taliban, rejected the offer, saying that such overtures were intended to weaken morale. Another Taliban figure, the former Defense Minister Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, similarly dismissed Karzai's offer and also characterized the Afghan president as "an American puppet." Earlier, as noted above, the Taliban had rejected the notion of an amnesty. Such measures have been intended to bridge the divide in a country that has continued to be plagued by factional violence years after the ousting of the Taliban regime, and despite the establishment of a democratic government.
In mid-January 2006, a suicide bombing in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar killed Glyn Berry, a senior Canadian diplomat in charge of reconstruction efforts. Three Canadian soldiers participating in the peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan as well as several bystanders were injured in the attack. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin characterized the attack as "tragic." In the area of Spin Boldak, another suicide bombing left around 25 people dead and scores more injured. A man claiming to speak for the ousted Taliban regime said the group had carried out the attacks. A self-described spokesperson for the ousted Taliban regime, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, told the Associated Press that such attacks would continue for some time. He said, "We have many more suicide attackers ready to go." Meanwhile, NATO looked to expand its 19,000-strong deployment from peacekeeping duties in the capital Kabul to the area around the south of the country, which has been plagued by increasing violence in recent months. Much of that violence has been attributed to remnants of the ousted Taliban regime, members of al-Qaida, and other insurgent cohorts.
In mid-May 2006, fighting between international troops and militant Islamists intensified, leaving approximately 100 people dead as a result. The violence was not limited to fighting between these two sides, however, as a spate of suicide bombings were reported, including one at an army base.
Then on May 22, 2006, it was reported that air strikes by United States-led coalition forces in southern Afghanistan had killed scores of Taliban in Panjwayi in the province of Kandahar. Several civilians were also killed in the strikes.
In July 2006, a statement from the military in the Afghan state of Helmand asserted that British troops were enduring sustained attacks from Taliban militants. The statement explained that the British troops were coming under attack while defending a government compound in Nawzad. The attacks were supposedly originating from within a hospital. British forces were reportedly exercising restraint but warned that they could be forced to return fire. As such, they were trying to determine if there were patients in the hospital.
The area had been rife with violence. A week earlier, massive bombs were dropped on a market in Nawzad, resulting in the deaths of a significant number of people. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a suicide bombing at a checkpoint outside a government building left several people dead or injured in Gardez, the capital of the southern province of Paktia. Clashes between coalition forces and Taliban were ongoing in Helmand, Paktia and Uruzgan.
By the last week of July 2006, violence in Afghanistan left scores of people dead. One particular hot spot was the aforementioned southern Helmand province where around 20 Taliban fighters and three security forces were killed in clashes between resurgent Taliban and a mix of British and Afghan forces. The clashes were part of an offensive by British and government forces to reclaim dominance of the area, which has come under increasing Taliban influence. In Ghanzi province, Taliban fighters killed three policemen in an attack on the police post. In Kadahar -- a Taliban stronghold -- double suicide attacks left six civilians and two Canadian soldiers dead. In one case, the Canadians were killed when an explosives-laden car charged into their military convoy. In the other case, a suicide bombing exacted maximum damage on six Afghan civilians. A Taliban spokesperson said that his group claimed responsibility for the two suicide attacks and promised more would be forthcoming.
At the close of July 2006, NATO troops took over from coalition forces in Afghanistan. Their primary immediate objective was to push back resurgent Taliban elements, in the interest of keeping the peace and preventing the fall into lawlessness. Another objective involved preventing the production of certain substances for the purpose of narco-trafficking.
Fighting in Afghanistan in August 2006 left dozens of Taliban fighters dead following clashes with NATO troops and Afghan forces. The scenario ensued in a region southwest of Kandahar in an operation by coalition forces oriented toward securing the Kabul-Kandahar highway. While Afghan officials said up to 70 Taliban had been killed, a self-described Taliban spokesperson said only 12 of his group had died.
Afghanistan had been plagued by violence for much of 2006, and most particularly in the summer of that year. On Aug. 20, 2006, a British soldier was killed just north of the restive Helmand province. A day earlier on Aug. 19, 2006, five soldiers -- one local and four from the United States -- were killed in clashes in the south and east of the country.
A suicide bombing in the first part of September 2006 left the governor of eastern Afghanistan's Paktia province dead. The governor, Abdul Hakim Taniwal, was was in a car leaving his office in the provincial capital Gardez when the suicide bomber detonated the explosives wired to his body. A bodyguard and a driver were also killed in the attack. The Taliban was said to have been responsible. Taniwal, a Sociology professor with Australian citizenship, was the highest-ranking official to be killed since the emergence of the Taliban insurgency. He was viewed as an intellectual who aspired to end Afghanistan's "Kalashnikov" (gun) culture.
In response to news of Taniwal's assassination, Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed deep sadness saying, "Mr Taniwal was a patriot, a man of both action and academic achievements. He was also a personal friend of mine, who returned from abroad to serve his nation." Thomas Gregg, the head of the United Nations assistance operation in Gardez, said that the loss of Taniwal represented a setback for the country. To this end, he said, "In many ways, it was Governor Taniwal's positive attributes that made him a target. It's a very sad day for both Afghanistan and the international community. He was a fine leader."
Even Taniwal's funeral in his ancestral home of Khost was not spared from continuing violence. A suicide bombing at the funeral on September 11, 2001 left several Afghan policemen dead and scores of attendees wounded.
As these events in Gardez were unfolding, NATO and Afghan forces were carrying out a major offensive led by Canadian troops in the southern province of Kandahar. Operation Medusa, which began at the start of September 2006, was tasked with driving out insurgents from the area, which has been regarded as a Taliban stronghold. It was regarded as the most significant operation since International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) took control of southern Afghanistan from a United States-led coalition in mid-2006. Since the start of the operation, hundreds of Taliban were reported to have been killed. By mid-September 2006, the fighting was centered in Panjwayi and the district of Zhari.
While the violence in Afghanistan in 2006 was primarily blamed on the Taliban, it was believed that the insurgency might well be composed of more complex dynamics. Major Toby Jackson, a spokesperson for NATO, explained the complicated mix of actors saying, "There are elements involved from internal – other -- groups within Afghanistan, who are resisting the central government's extension. There are also a mixture of criminality and factional fighters as part of what we describe as insurgents."
On September 18, 2006, a suicide bombing in Kandahar left at least four Canadians dead along with several civilian casualties. The attack took place when a bomber on a bicycle wired with explosives detonated the explosive devie while amidst a crowd composed of both troops and civilians. Children were also in the crowd. In a separate attack in Herat, another apparent suicide bombing killed around a dozen people.
September 2006 was also marked by a suicide bombing just outside the compound of the United States embassy. The attack left at least 16 people, including two American soldiers, dead. Then at the close of the month, on September 30, 2006, a suicide bombing outside the Ministry of the Interior in the capital city of Kabul left over a dozen people dead and scores injured. As was the case for several attacks of this sort in 2006, the resurgent Taliban claimed responsibility.
Meanwhile, Pakistan-Afghan relations were at an all-time low with both sides blaming one another for the resurgent threat of Islamic militants in the region. United States President George W. Bush presided over a September 2006 dinner meeting between the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan, aimed at easing the tensions between the two South Asian neighbors.
As noted above, resurgent Taliban elements were gaining strength throughout the year. This shift was manifest most clearly by the increase in attacks attributed to the extremist Islamic faction. In 2006, over 75 suicide attacks had ensued in Afghanistan, leaving at least 200 hundred people dead and even more injured. In contrast, there had been 21 suicide attacks in 2005, six in 2004 and two in 2003. The Taliban claimed responsibility for almost all of these episodes of violence, which demonstrated quite clearly the exponential increase in 2006 and the concomitant level of increasing instability.
The clear threat to regional security notwithstanding, the Taliban's comeback augured other deleterious effects. Stated another way, in addition to intensified violence on the ground in Afghanistan that could spread elsewhere, the increasingly-active Taliban has been attracting greater membership into its fold. Some analysts have attributed the Taliban's renewed appeal to the decreased support in the Middle East and South Asia for United States-led policies of late. Souring sentiment about the United States-backed initiatives, thus, may be resulting in fresh appeal of the Taliban. But others have dismissed that abstract explanation and blamed the trend on poor conditions on the ground in Afghanistan, which are slowly eroding the popular support of the current government.
It is this latter explanation that has been reflected in the view of NATO's top commander in Afghanistan, General David Richards. The British-born Richards touted NATO's efforts in the southern part of the country to quell the violence. At the same time, he warned that if most Afghans continued to see little improvement in their lives, they were likely to ally themselves with the Taliban, who, for better or worse, now represent a change from the status quo. In this regard, the Associated Press reported that Richards said, "They will say, we do not want the Taliban but then we would rather have that austere and unpleasant life ... than another five years of fighting." Richards also called for an increase in the NATO troop levels in Afghanistan for the purpose of assisting with the security issues, as well as accelerating the process of much-needed development and reconstruction. Additionally, Richards urged cooperation with Pakistan, which has been blamed for allowing attackers to traverse its border with Afghanistan.
Richards' comments came a week after NATO extended its mission across the country, effectively taking control of operations, including the command of United States troops there. The mission in Afghanistan now has the distinction of being the most substantial ground combat operation undertaken by NATO.
Clashes between NATO forces and the Taliban left scores of militants dead in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan at the close of October 2006. The clashes were part of an offensive operation against Taliban elements across the country. In a separate incident, one NATO soldier died when his convoy hit a roadside bomb in the same area. Meanwhile, NATO's leadership in Afghanistan had to apologize for the deaths of 12 civilian nomads in the province of Kandahar as a result of a bombing raid. NATO nonetheless noted that the Taliban had strategically located themselves amongst civilians. Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed his dismay over the unfortunate deaths.
In the province of Helmand where British forces were based, a peace deal was forged between the tribal elders and the governor. In the agreement, security was given to the local elders to administer, and effectively prevented NATO forces from entering the town. There was strong external criticism about the deal because the area, which had seen a rash of fighting between British troops and resurgent Taliban, would now be outside the realm of NATO control.
The country continued to be plagued by violent clashes in the latter part of 2006. For example, an attack by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan in late November 2006 left more than 15 people dead and about 25 others injured. Among the casualties were provincial officials, an army officer, and several members of a security militia who had been working with United States troops. The attack took place at a restaurant in the Orgun district close to the border with Pakistan. Much like several other recent attacks of this kind, the blame was placed on resurgent elements of the Taliban. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, NATO troops were engaged in bloody clashes with Taliban fighters in battles in the southern part of the country.
Developments in 2007
On January 25, 2007, attention returned to Helmand when an air strike outside the town of Musa Qala devastated a Taliban command post and killed senior militants. NATO said that the strike was did not violate the prevailing peace agreement (discussed above), however, the provincial governor warned that the Taliban viewed it as an assault worthy of retaliation.
Whether or nor the strike was to blame for the ensuing events in Musa Qala was unknown, but by early February 2007, hundreds of Taliban had taken over the town, destroyed the government center, taken weapons from the police, and were temporarily holding tribal elders as hostages. The events were confirmed by a a NATO spokesperson. The situation indicated a possible end to the peace deal forged months earlier. Moreover, it augured negatively for the prospects of stability in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, in February 2007, control of NATO forces in Afghanistan was transferred from British General David Richards to American General Dan Mc Neil. The official transfer ensued at a formal ceremony in the Afghan capital of Kabul.
United States (U.S.) Vice President Dick Cheney traveled to Afghanistan in late February 2007 to meet with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai and to show support for U.S. troops in that country. An attack at a base in Bagram left over a dozen people dead but Cheney was not harmed. The resurgent Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and apparent attempted assassination.
April 2007 saw the death of an Afghan reporter, Ajmal Naqshbandi, at the hand of the resurgent Taliban. Naqshbandi worked as a guide to foreign journalists and had been abducted in March 2007in Helmand province, along with an Italian journalist, Daniele Mastrogiacomo. While Mastrogiacomo was freed in exchange for the release of five members of the Taliban, his driver, Sayed Agha, was reported to have been beheaded. Now, the Taliban announced that it made the decision to kill Naqshbandi because the government refused to release certain leading members of the Taliban from prison. A spokesman for Taliban said: "We killed Ajmal today because the government did not respond to our demands."
Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, as well as the United Nations Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Tom Koenigs, both responded to the news by condemning the killing of Naqshbandi. At home in Afghanistan, people expressed outrage that the government would forge a deal to ensure the freedom of a foreigner, while allowing an Afghan to die at the hands of the Taliban.
Meanwhile, April 2007 also saw the deaths of six Canadian troops serving with NATO-led forces in the southern part of the country. The Canadians were reported to have been killed when their vehicle hit an explosive device.
In early May 2007, fighting between United States-led troops and Taliban fighters took a tragic turn when 50 civilians were killed in the western part of Afghanistan. The scenario drew attention to ongoing concerns of Afghans about the methods employed by international forces in their fight against the Taliban. Afghans have complained that seemingly careless coordination by international forces have often resulted in the deaths of civilians. This particular case evoked sharp criticism from President Hamid Karzai, who despite his strong support for the global war on terror, was compelled to assert that his people would not tolerate such deaths. In response, NATO forces pledged to improve their tactical coordination, for the purpose of avoiding such incidences in the future.
On May 12, 2007, Mullah Dadullah -- the leading military commander of the Taliban in Afghanistan -- was reported to have been killed. NATO said that he had been killed during clashes in the restive province of Helmand. Dadullah gained notoriety for his brutal acts of terrorism, which included bombings, beheadings and abductions. He was the most senior Taliban militant to have been killed in recent times. His body was displayed in the city of Kandahar, where officials from the Taliban confirmed his death. Both NATO and Taliban suggested that he would soon be replaced by another leader.
Dadullah's body was handed over to the Taliban in the first week of June 2007. This act was soon followed by the Taliban's release of four hostages. The Taliban said that they allowed the release of the hostages in exchange for Dadullah's body. A spokesperson for the Taliban also noted that a fifth hostage had been killed because of the government's slowness in responding to their demand for Dadullah's body. The Afghan authorities confirmed the handing over of Dadullah's body, but gave no indication that this move was enacted to secure the hostages' release.
In mid-June 2007, a bomb exploded in the Afghan capital of Kabul, destroying a bus, killing 35 people, and injuring more than 30 others. Civilians and foreigners were among the scores of casualties. The resurgent Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place close to the police headquarters during rush hour. It was the fifth bombing within three days, but one of the deadliest attacks in Kabul since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Until this point, Kabul had been relatively immune from the violence plaguing other parts of the country. Now, with this spate of attacks, which appeared to mirror events in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, there was fresh anxiety about security in Afghanistan. As well, there were concerns about the effects on the country's stability.
Meanwhile, violence was ongoing elsewhere in Afghanistan during this period. In Kandahar, a roadside bomb killed three coalition soldiers and their Afghan interpreter, and in Mazar-e-Serif, a suicide bombing left a civilian dead and several injured.
June 29, 2007 saw air strikes by foreign forces in Afghanistan apparently kill scores of people. Among the dead in Helmand province were approximately 45 civilians and 62 Taliban fighters, according to a local inquiry. However, United States-led coalition forces and NATO disputed this claim. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has increasingly expressed criticism of the "reckless tactics" used by foreign forces fighting the Taliban in his country, ordered a formal investigation into the matter. Karzai in late June 2007 accused foreign forces of using an "extreme use of force," which often resulted in civilian deaths. He also complained that United States-led coalition forces and NATO did not properly coordinate their military efforts with his government. For its part, NATO welcomed the investigation and promised to cooperate.
In the second week of July 2007, Afghanistan was hit by twin bomb attacks. In eastern province of Khost, a roadside bomb exploded near a police vehicle on patrol with international forces. At least eight people, including six Afghan policemen and two civilians were killed in the attack, although the soldiers on patrol appeared to have been spared from the bloodshed. Meanwhile, in the province of Paktika, a vehicle was the target of a bombing that ultimately killed two civilians. Days earlier, a suicide bombing in the southern part of the country killed 17 people -- most of whom were children attending school. Resurgent Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The violence were fresh manifestations of the increase in bloodshed plaguing Afghanistan since 2006. Indeed, analysts warned that the country has been faced with the worst violence in six years.
In mid-July 2007, a video of Osama bin Laden was released in which the al-Qaida leader expressed support for Islamic martyrs. There was no verification about the actual time when the footage was produced.
Also in mid-July 2007, 23 South Koreans were taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan while traveling from Kandahar -- a Taliban stronghold -- to the Afghan capital of Kabul on a Christian mission. It was the most significant group abduction by the Taliban since the fall of its regime in 2001.
The Taliban said that the captives were in good health but would be killed if the Afghan government did not release several Islamic militants from prison. The Taliban also demanded the exit of the 200 South Korean forces operating in Afghanistan. South Korean forces were already scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan later in the year. South Korean envoys traveled to Kabul to work with the Afghan government on securing the release of the hostages. These efforts were grounded in serious diplomacy and were aimed at ensuring that the South Koreans were released safely. For its part, the Taliban extended its deadline for negotiations for the purpose of having their demands met. One South Korean hostage -- the group's leader, Bae Hyung-Kyu -- was reported to have killed on July 25, 2007.
By the close of July 2007, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that his government was expending its best efforts to free the surviving 22 South Korean hostages -- most of whom were females -- held by the Taliban. Karzai condemned their abductions as a "shameful" reflection of Islamic religion and Afghan culture. There were also reports that the Afghan government was not foreclosing the use of military action to free the South Korean missionary workers. However, the Afghan government noted that it would not participate in a prisoner exchange.
On the other side of the equation, a spokesperson for the Taliban said that a new deadline would be set for the killing of the hostages. To that end, in an interview with Agence France Presse, Yousuf Ahmadi said that if the Afghan government did not meet its demands for the release of several Islamic militants from prison, some of the South Koreans would be killed. Indeed, on July 30, 2007, one male South Korean hostage was shot to death because the Taliban said that the government was not responding appropriately to its demands.
Meanwhile, two Germans along with several local Afghans were also taken hostage during the same period. Both Germans had been working on an infrastructure development project. The body of one German man was subsequently discovered in Wardak and authorities surmised that the second German may have died while in captivity. There was no information available about the Afghans who had been captured. A spokesperson for the Taliban said that both men had been killed because Germany refused to meet their demands to withdraw its forces -- numbering about 3,000 -- from Afghanistan. Chancellor Angela Merkel made clear that Germany would not acquiesce to "blackmail" by the Taliban.
Pope Benedict XVI entered the political fray to excoriate the Taliban kidnappers whom he said were acting against "the most basic rules of civilization."
In the first week of August 2007, Afghan President Hamid Karzai was in the United States to meet with President George W. Bush. The meeting was regarded as a "strategy session" regarding the resurgent Taliban and al-Qaida in Aghanistan. To that end, the United States pledged $10 billion in funds aimed at strengthening Afghan security forces and also compelling positive results. But on the other side of the equation, the Afghan leader wanted to discuss the rising number of civilians dying as a result of military operations by coalition forces. As well, Karzai was expected to ask Bush to place pressure on Pakistan to intensify its efforts to curb cross-border extremist fighters. In the background of these two sets of objectives has been the issue of Iran. Whereas the United States has expressed anxiety about Iran possible involvement in the supply of weapons to the Taliban, Afghanistan has cast Iraq as an ally in its causes. To that end, Karzai was reported to have characterized Iran as "a supporter of Afghanistan, in the peace process that we have and the fight against terror."
On September 29, 2007, a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital of Kabul left 30 people dead. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb, which exploded on bus. In addition to the 30 people who died, a further 21 people were wounded. It was the bloodiest attack in the Afghan capital since 2001, however, in the last year, the overall violence in Afghanistan has seen a marked increase, with more than 3,000 people dying in 2007 alone as a result of fighting between joint Afghan and foreign forces and the resurgent Taliban.
Presumably in an effort to deal with the problem of increased attacks by resurgent Taliban, Afghan President Karzai said in late September 2007 that he would extend offers of government positions to members of that group, if such reconciliatory action would result in peace. President Karzai said he would ideally like to ask Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, and warlord, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, about their actions, which were destructive to Afghanistan.
A spokesman for the Taliban militants rejected this offer for talks with President Hamid Karzai, and rebuffed the notion of joining the government. Qari Yusuf Ahmadi said that the Taliban would not negotiate with the Afghan government at a time when foreign troops remained in the country. He also noted that the Taliban was not interested in cabinet posts. Instead, Qari Yusuf Ahmad asserted the following: "We want the withdrawal of foreign forces and we stand by our position. As long as they have not withdrawn, we'll never talk with the Kabul administration." His statement appeared to foreclose peace talks with Karzai since the Afghan president had said that he would not agree to the withdrawal of foreign troops.
Late September 2007 saw the Taliban in Afghanistan release four Red Cross workers a few days after they were kidnapped in the province of Wardak, to the west of the capital city of Kabul. The international Red Cross said that the workers, two of whom were Afghans and two of whom were foreigners, were unconditionally released. A leading member of the Taliban said that the workers had been mistakenly abducted.
Late October 2007 saw clashes between United States-led coalition troops and Taliban in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. Reports suggested that dozens of Taliban -- as many as 80 -- had been killed as a result. The clashes ensued after a patrol made up of joint coalition and Afghan troops was barraged by rocket attacks and gunfire. The patrol then called in air strikes to respond, which hit a trench housing Taliban. However, there was also a battle that ensued in the Taliban-dominated town of Musa Qala. There were also unconfirmed reports that close to 20 local villagers also died as a result of the fighting.
November 2007 saw two Canadian soldiers belonging to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) force in Afghanistan killed by a roadside bomb in the southern part of the country. The attack took place north of a Canadian base in the province of Kandahar. In addition one interpreter was died and three other soldiers were wounded. As 2007 drew to a close, more than 200 Isaf soldiers had been killed over the course of the year. In the central province of Ghor, militants attacked policemen, killing four. However, in other developments, the United States military said that 23 insurgents were killed in a weapons search, with some reports indicating that a truck filled with weaponry exploded in the province of Helmand. As well, ten militants were said to have been killed in Kandahar.
The close of 2007 in Afghanistan was marked by ongoing violence. In one incident in the southern part of the country in the province of Kandahar, an attack by Taliban at a checkpoint left at least 16 policemen dead. Afghan authorities said that police were being targeted because they were not as well equipped or as well trained as either local military forces or NATO forces.
Developments in 2008
On January 14, 2008, an attack by the resurgent Taliban on the luxury Serena hotel in the capital city of Kabul resulted in at least six deaths, although the actual number of casualties was unknown at the time of writing. The hotel was popular among foreigner and guest at the time of the attack included the Norwegian foreign minister. The attack, according to a Taliban spokesperson, was carried out by four armed Taliban fighters, and included gunfire, grenades and suicide bombings. A month earlier, a rocket attack close to the residence of the governor of Kabul left five people dead. These attacks were continuing illustrations of the fact that the security situation in Afghanistan was deteriorating.
A suicide bombing just outside the Afghan city of Kandahar in mid-February 2008 left more than 100 people dead and authorities warning that the death toll would surely rise. It was the deadliest attack since 2001. Many of the victims included people watching a dog fighting contest, however, the apparent target of the attack was the now-deceased local police chief, Abdul Hakim. Governor Assadullah Khalid, who escaped an assassination attempt a week before, blamed the bloodshed on the resurgent Taliban. Indeed, the area of the attack in southern Afghanistan has been a Taliban stronghold for many years, and Hakim was known to have been strongly opposed to the extremist group.
On March 13, 2008, a suicide car bombing on a coalition convoy near the airport in the Afghan capital city of Kabul left six people dead and more than 15 others injured. Resurgent Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. That attack occurred a month after a suicide bombing just outside Kandahar killed more than 100 people, as noted just above. In other developments, the governor of the province of Nimroz said that 41 Taliban died in clashes with coalition forces around the same period. As well, United States forces said that 12 Taliban were killed as a result of an offensive operation in the province of Helmand.
In late April 2008, a military parade attended by President Hamid Karzai was attacked. A week later in early May 2008, Afghan authorities arrested two men in connection with the attack, which killed three people, but spared the Afghan leader who was whisked away from the scene after gunshots were fired. Among the dead were a child and a parliamentarian. The two detained men were identified as a defense ministry employee and an interior ministry employee respectively. As with other such attacks in Afghanistan, resurgent Taliban were ultimately deemed responsible for orchestrating the violence. Intelligence chief Amrulleh Saleh said, "Al-Qaeda's role and involvement in the attack is very clear." Indeed, following the incident, a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility saying that while Karzai not directly targeted, the extremist Islamic enclave wanted to demonstrate its access abilities.
In June 2008, Taliban fighters in Afghanistan attacked a prison in Kandahar and released hundreds of prisoners. A manhunt by joint Afghan and international troops resulted in 20 inmates being recaptured, however, the rest were reported to have escaped. NATO announced that 17 insurgents were dead but did not state whether any of the escapees were among the dead.
Two days after that incident, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that in the interests of national self-defense, he would send troops over the border into Pakistan to hunt down militants operating across the border. Karzai said: "Afghanistan has the right of self-defense. When they cross the territory from Pakistan to come and kill Afghans and to kill coalition troops it exactly gives us the right to go back and do the same." Karzai also warned that he would actively search for Taliban fighters, including Baitullah Mehsud, who was believed to be based in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan. To that end, the Afghan leader said, "Baitullah Mehsud should know that we will go after him now and hit him in his house." Karzai promised a similar fate to Taliban leader, Mullah Omar.
While Afghanistan and Pakistan share ethnic and cultural ties, relations between the two countries have become increasingly strained as extremist Islamic militants have traversed the cross-border region with impunity, often carrying out attacks on either side. Karzai has often called on Pakistan and the wider international community to deal with this problem. However, until the aforementioned prison attack, he had never before threatened to pursue militants across the border.
In response, Pakistan lashed back by stating that it while it wanted regional stability, it would not stand for interference in its affairs. Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said, "We want a stable Afghanistan. It is in our interest." He went on to state, "Neither do we interfere in anyone else's matters, nor will we allow anyone to interfere in our territorial limits and our affairs."
Soon after the Afghan leader publicly threatened to seek out Taliban across the border into Pakistan, the threat presented by that militant Islamic enclave was brought into sharp relief. About 500 Taliban fighters took control of a number of several villages to the south of Kandahar in Afghanistan. Joint Afghan and NATO forces were expected to confront the threat posed by the Taliban's advance.
On July 7, 2008, a suicide bombing at the gates of the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul left more than 40 people dead and close to 150 injured. Embassy personnel, including a senior diplomat, India's defense attache, and two security guards, were among the dead. The death toll also affected the surrounding diplomatic area with five Afghans dying at the Indonesian embassy. The attack appeared to have taken place as people were queued in visa lines.
While Afghanistan has experienced a sharp decline in its security situation over the course of the previous year as a result of resurgent Taliban, most terror attacks have been concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the country where the Taliban have had a stronghold. Attacks in the capital of Kabul have been something of a rarity by comparison. This latest suicide bombing held the dubious distinction of being the deadliest terror attack in Kabul since the ousting of the Taliban government in 2001. The location of the attack -- in one of the more secure parts of the capital city -- was expected to cause great consternation among Afghan authorities.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai suggested that the attack was aimed at the Indian embassy for geopolitical reasons. He said that those responsible may have wanted to negatively influence good Indo-Afghan relations. India responded by condemning the "cowardly terrorists' attack" and promising to continue its commitment to Afghanistan in the realm of humanitarian aid, relief and reconstruction.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the Interior Ministry of Afghanistan intimated that the attack could not have been carried out without assistance from "an active intelligence service in the region. The Afghan authorities did not detail the specific intelligence service that might be involved, however, they have in the past accused Pakistani agents of operating in Afghanistan.
July 2008 saw United States troops abandon an outpost located in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan, located on the border of Nuristan and Kunar. The action was taken soon after 100-200 Islamic militants stormed the military outpost, killing nine United States soldiers and leaving more than a dozen injured. The attack was the most significant loss of American life in Afghanistan since military operations commenced in that country in 2001. Officials said that "regular patrols" in the area would continue although the outpost would no longer be maintained. A formal statement by NATO's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) noted that although the outpost was "disestablished," there would be a "continued presence" in the area.
More than a dozen Afghan police and civilians were killed in two incidents involving international forces in mid-July 2008. A seemingly accidental air strike by coalition forces in the province of Farah left four Afghan police and five civilians dead as a result. In Pakitika province, at least four civilians were also accidentally killed by coalition forces firing mortar rounds that did not hit exactly on target. The two incidents occurred after more dozens died in Herat. Local tribal leaders blamed that case on NATO. Earlier in the month, close to 50 people died at an Afghan wedding after being bombed by United States forces.
On August 18, 2008, suicide bombers drove a car into the gates of a United States military base in the Khost province of eastern Afghanistan. The attack came as Afghanistan was set to celebrate its Independence Day and left about 10 Afghans dead and more than a dozen others wounded. Police subsequently shot to death two more suicide bombers before they could detonate a second explosives-laden car. The governor of Khost,Arsala Jamal, said that most of the victims of the attack were "poor laborers and civilians."
Since militants, presumably allied with resurgent Taliban appeared intent upon disturbing the Independence Day festivities, an anticipated national address by President Hamid Karzai was cancelled and many international workers in Afghanistan were told to remain at home. As well, soldiers were deployed in the capital city of Kabul while security checkpoints were established across the city.
An ambush by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in the latter half of August 2008 left 10 French troops dead and more than 20 others wounded The attack took place to the east of the Afghan capital, Kabul, and reportedly resulted in fighting that went on for as many as 24 hours. It was one of the bloodiest attacks suffered by coalition troops in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 and certainly the heaviest death toll suffered by the French military since 1983 when 58 paratroopers died in Beirut. For his part, French President Nicolas Sarkozy was expected to travel to Kabul to express solidarity with the French troops.
In addition to the aforementioned ambush, two rockets were reported to have been fired on Kabul in the same time period. As well, a NATO patrol unit was struck by a roadside bomb in the province of Kandahar in the south of the country. In the south-eastern province of Khost, an attempted attack on a NATO military base left around six suicide bombers dead. That same base, called Camp Salerno, was also the site of a separate suicide bombing a day later that left nine people dead.
Then, on August 22, 2008, six NATO troops died at the hands of the Taliban. Among the six were three Canadians who died as a result of a roadside bomb in the southern part of Afghanistan. Their deaths marked the bloodiest day for Canadian troops fighting in Afghanistan since 2007 when six Canadians died in an explosion. The overall Canadian death toll in Afghanistan thus stood at 93. The other three soldiers killed were from Poland; they died in a separate attack using an improvised explosive device in Ghazni in the central part of the country.
The attacks were the latest manifestations of an ever-devolving security situation in Afghanistan whereby resurgent Taliban were reported to be moving closer toward Kabul. Brigadier General Denis Thompson noted that the Taliban was intensifying its attacks saying, "I don't know that the Taliban are getting stronger. What I'd say is they're much more aggressive this fighting season than they've been in the past."
September 7, 2008 saw the southern Afghan city of Kandahar hit by two suicide bombings. The attacks ensued one after the other and were targeted at a police station. At least two policemen were among the six people who died, and more than 30 people were wounded as a result, according to reports from the ground. Included in the casualties was a senior police commander, General Abdul Razaaq, who may well have been the main target of the attacks. Elsewhere in the country, a suicide bomber attacked a NATO convoy in the western city of Herat. There were no deaths of injuries in that incident.
Meanwhile, at the start of September 2008, the United States said it would support an investigation into the deaths of civilians in Afghanistan. At issue was an air raid in the western region of Herat. The United States said that one of its joint Afghan-coalition patrols was trying to arrest a Taliban commander named Mulla Sadiq when it came under fire. The United States insisted that the air raid that followed left mostly militants and five civilians dead. However, Afghan officials disputed this estimate saying that scores of civilians had been killed while the United Nations said that it had "convincing evidence" from eyewitnesses on the ground that up to 90 people -- including 90 children -- had been killed. The investigation was to be carried out jointly by the United States, Afghanistan and the United Nations.
In another development at the start of September 2008, a NATO raid in south eastern Afghanistan left three children dead. The incident occurred when troops were returning fire after coming under attack from resurgent Taliban in the Paktika province and they decided to return fire. One artillery round hit a house, thus killing the children and injuring several others. NATO released a statement expressing regret for the accident and noting that an investigation into the matter was under way.
In late September, 2008, a high profile Afghan policewoman, Malalai Kakar, was assassinated in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. Authorities said that Malalai Kakar, who led Kandahar's department of crimes against women, was shot to death in her car as she prepared to leave for work. Also seriously injured in the attack was her son. The resurgent Taliban, who prohibited women from being in the police force while in power, claimed responsibility for her assassination. A spokesperson for the Taliban said to Agence France Presse, "We killed Malalai Kakar. She was our target, and we successfully eliminated our target." Malalai Kakar was well-known in Afghanistan, partially because of a gun-fight in which she prevailed after killing three attempted assassins. This time, however, she was the victim of assassins.
By October 2008, the larger war against the Taliban in Afghanistan was ongoing and with no imminent victory in sight. In fact, the British commander in Helmand province warned that a "decisive military victory" was not likely to be seen in Afghanistan. Instead, Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said that his objective was to ensure the Afghan army's ability to secure the country independently. He said, "We're not going to win this war... It's about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that's not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army." The British commander did not foreclose the possibility of negotiations with the Taliban on the security of Afghanistan, perhaps even veering toward a political settlement. He said: "If the Taliban were prepared to sit on the other side of the table and talk about a political settlement, then that's precisely the sort of progress that concludes insurgencies like this."
In the third week of October 2008, three bus attacks by the Taliban in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar left close to 30 people dead. The Taliban said that it had targeted soldiers, however, Afghan authorities said that the victims were civilians, including women and children. Regardless of their status, some of the male victims were reported to have been beheaded and the bodies were dumped across a wide area around the Maiwand district.
With killings and kidnappings of foreigners on the rise in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Westerners in Afghanistan were worrying in November 2008 that they were actual targets of attacks by the Taliban. Some analysts surmised that the increase in killings and kidnappings of foreigners were simply a by-product of the overall devolving security situation in Kabul.
Meanwhile, the problem of civilian casualties, as a result of United States-led military operations, was also continuing to present a challenge for the Western-backed government. The United States acknowledged in the first week of November 2008 that 37 civilians had been killed and another 35 had been injured as a result of fighting in Kandahar province between insurgents and coalition forces. The acknowledgment came days after the office of Afghan President Hamid Karzai placed the blame for the accidental deaths of three dozen people at a wedding party on a United States airstrike.
Editor's Note: The issue of civilian casualties has been a highly contentious one in Afghanistan where President Hamid Karzai has to craft a delicate balance between playing host to security forces while protecting his own people from harm. Mirwais Yasini, a deputy speaker for the lower house of parliament, explained the sensitive nature of the situation saying, "These operations widen the gap between the people and the government." That said, the vast majority of civilian deaths in Afghanistan in recent times have been caused by resurgent Taliban, who in the same period, had been behind a host of attacks that left a long list of civilian casualties. To date, the Taliban has expressed the objective of overthrowing the Western-backed government of Afghanistan.
In mid-November 2008, Afghan President Hamid Karzai offered a safety deal to the Taliban’s leader, Mullah Omar, in the interests of advancing communications. Karzai said that the Taliban leader would be granted safe passage it he agreed to participate in peace talks with the Afghan government.
Karzai’s proposal was at odds with the United States’ multi-million dollar bounty being offered for the capture of Mullah Omar. However, Karzai has been dealing with a devolving security situation in a country with resurgent Taliban and a population increasingly disenchanted with being the victims of crossfire violence. As such, he was clearly prepared to take drastic action. To that end, Karzai actively challenged the United States and other Western powers to either leave his country if they could not accept his overtures to make a deal with the Taliban, or, to themselves engage in “regime change” in Afghanistan. At a news conference in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Karzai said: "If I say I want protection for Mullah Omar, then the international community has two choices: remove me, or leave if they disagree. And both are good.”
Indications of Post-Bush Era Foreign Policy
Benefiting from apparent support from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for United States presidential nominee Barack Obama's 16-month phased withdrawal timetable from Iraq, the Democratic contender for the American presidency urged greater focus on Afghanistan.
The Obama campaign quickly responded to Maliki's favorable stance on their proposed withdrawal timetable by directing attention to Afghanistan. Obama's top foreign policy adviser, Dr. Susan Rice, said: "Senator Obama welcomes Prime Minister Maliki's support for a 16 month timeline for the redeployment of US combat brigades. This presents an important opportunity to transition to Iraqi responsibility, while restoring our military and increasing our commitment to finish the fight in Afghanistan."
These developments came at a time when Obama was launching an international tour, intended to shore up his foreign policy credentials. Not surprisingly, the Democratic contender commenced his trip in the country he has consistently said requires priority attention: Afghanistan.
During a visit to Kabul, Obama characterized the increasingly volatile landscape in Afghanistan as "precarious and urgent." As such, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said that Afghanistan should be the main focus of the "war on terror." In his meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, he promised to continue the fight against terrorism "with vigor." Additionally, Obama discussed the illicit narcotics trade and bilateral ties with Karzai.
Obama was interviewed for the CBS program "Face the Nation." In that interview he noted that the Bush administration had been distracted by a "war of choice" in Iraq rather than fighting those who were responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001 in the United States. He asserted that the time had come to correct to correct the mistakes made by the Bush administration. Obama also called for more troops to be deployed to Afghanistan to fight resurgent Taliban, al-Qaida, and other extremist Islamic elements.
Obama's priority on Afghanistan was backed by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who expressed concurrence with the Democratic presidential contender on this matter.
Obama's rival for the American presidency, Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, criticized him for espousing policies before traveling to the Middle East and South Asia to assess the situation. Nevertheless, Obama's policies were receiving unexpected sanction from key global players, as noted above.
Note: Obama's victory in November 2008 set the stage for potential shifts in policy yet to be seen.
Recent Developments
In early February 2009, a suicide bomber detonated the explosives strapped to his body inside a police station in Afghanistan, killing at least 21 police officers and injuring several more. The attack, which took place in Tirin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province, also damaged surrounding buildings. The area, while not as volatile as Kandahar or Helmand, was believed to be the home province of Taliban leader, Mullah Omar. A spokesperson for the resurgent Taliban said that his group claimed responsibility for the attack.
In recent times, resurgent Taliban have eschewed open clashes with NATO troops, increasingly adopting tactics used by extremists and insurgents in Iraq instead. Indde, suicide bombings, roadside bombings and ambushes have become increasingly prevalent in Afghanistan.
In mid-March 2009, a suicide attack at the police compound in Lashkar Gah in Helmand province left nine police and two civilians dead. The attack, which also wounded around 30 others, occurred when a suicide bomber posing as a policeman detonated the explosives strapped to his body. In the province of Farah, one policeman died in a separate attack.
In addition to those two attacks, a roadside bombing in eastern Afghanistan left four United States troops dead. Taliban fighters claimed responsibility for the explosion that targeted the military convoy as it was passing by in the province of Nangarhar.
Around the same period, an attack on a NATO patrol unit in Kabul killed two bystanders and injured 14 other civilians. Meanwhile, the mayor of Kandahar survived at attack on his convoy although a bystander was killed and six others were wounded.
Earlier, three soldiers from the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan were killed in separate incidents. A French soldier and five Afghan soldiers died during battle with Taliban militants in Kapisa. An explosion in the southern part of the country left on British soldier dead. A traffic accident in northern Afghanistan claimed the third Isaf soldier.
Human casualties aside, militants operated from across the border in Pakistan to launch an attack on a transport terminal used to supply NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Note: The spate of incidents were the latest evidence of a deeply devolving security situation in Afghanistan, which spurred the new Obama administration in the United States to send 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan to stabilize the country's security situation.
By late March 2009, United States foreign policy in Afghanistan was on the agenda. On March 27, 2009, United States President Barack Obama unveiled a “stronger, smarter and more comprehensive strategy” for dealing with Afghanistan. At issue was a new foreign policy approach toward dealing with the threat posed by al-Qaida terrorists operating in the area from Afghanistan to Pakistan. President Obama explained that this new course emerged from a "careful policy review" that involved consultations with military commanders, diplomats, regional governments, strategic partners, NATO allies, as well as non governmental organizations.
Making it clear that the United States would not be involved in an open-ended war, President Obama said that the new strategy would be carefully circumscribed with clear objectives. He said that the United States effort in Afghanistan was only to confront our common enemy” and did not seek to "control that country or dictate its future.",
Giving a glimpse of the new policy, President Obama had said during an interview on CBS television show 60 Minutes on March 22, 2009 that there must be an "exit strategy" with regard to the United States policy in Afghanistan. He said, "There's got to be a sense that this is not a perpetual drift" and emphasized that the central mission was to ensure that al-Qaida was not able to carry attacks against the United States.
Now, less than a week later, President Obama again emphasized these themes saying, “ So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan.” As before, the United States president again emphasized the threat of al-Qaida in discussing the new strategy, noting that intensified efforts in the Afghan-Pak region was needed to deal with that "increasingly perilous" terrain.
Flanked by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates, President Obama depicted a grim situation in which the resurgent extremists were consolidating control of the Afghan-Pak border zone. Indeed, he characterized that area as "the most dangerous place in the world." President Obama noted that the United States’ strategy should be directly related to the threat posed by al-Qaida to America and its allies. He also warned that credible intelligence warned that fresh attacks were being planned by the terrorists.
President Obama emphasized that the terrorist threat was not directed solely at the United States but also to Afghans at home, as well as the entire global community. To this end, President Obama said, "This is not simply an American problem. Far from it.” He continued, "It is instead an international security challenge of the highest order." Accordingly, the United States leader called on NATO and other allies to assist in this effort.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signaled Russian support for the strategy during an interview with the BBC. He indicated that Moscow would be "ready to participate in the efforts directed at putting things in order" in Afghanistan. He also appeared to echo Obama’s view that Afghanistan establish its own political system saying, "It is impossible to rule Afghanistan with the aid of the alliance; it is impossible to rule Afghanistan from abroad. Afghanistan should find its own path to democracy."
The Obama administration had already made good on an election promise to intensify its efforts in Afghanistan by deploying 17,000 more troops to that country to deal with the resurgence of the Taliban and the devolving security situation. But now President Obama was saying that there was a need for increased non-combat personnel of 4,000 in Afghanistan to train and strengthen Afghan security forces, and also to support civilian development.
Richard Holbrooke, the United States special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has said that the United States could no longer treat the two countries separately. He said, "In the past, the United States government stove-piped it, they had an Afghan policy and a Pakistan policy. We have to integrate the two and I hope the rest of the world will join us in that effort." Holbrooke has also indicated there would be no further neglect of the region, suggesting more attention not just in terms of military strength, but also in terms of aid and resources aimed at rebuilding infrastructure, would be in the works.
Afghanistan was not the only country on the agenda, as suggested above. President Obama said that the United States’ efforts against al-Qaida would also extend to Pakistan. He said that the United States Congress would be asked to pass legislation authorizing an increase in expenditures to Pakistan for the purpose of rebuilding schools, roads and hospitals. But President Obama noted that he would not be granting a “blank check” to Pakistan, which would have to demonstrate a commitment to crushing al-Qaida and aligned extremists in that country.
According to Reuters News, the government of Afghanistan welcomed the new strategy by the United States, and particularly endorsed the regional approach. A presidential spokesman, Humayun Hamidzada, said that Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed “the recognition of the regional aspect of the problem in Afghanistan and specifically recognition that the al-Qaida threat is mainly emanating from Pakistan."
In May 2009, United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced the replacement of General David McKiernan --the commander of United States-led forces in the field in Afghanistan. Secretary Gates explained the decision had been made because the fight against the Taliban required "new thinking." To that apparent end, Secretary Gates said the new commander would be General Stanley McChrystal, whose background as a specialist in counter-insurgency would apparently yield necessary insight and leadership in the fight against the Taliban.
The move was part of a strategic shift by the Obama administration to not only strengthen armed forces on the ground, but also to use non-military methods to fight the Taliban. In fact, Secretary Gates' announcement came at a time when the United States was set to increase its military combat presence by 21,000 in Afghanistan (the existing force numbered 38,000). That move, however, was sure to be met with resistance in Afghanistan where Afghan President Hamid Karzai was under pressure to decrease combat operations in his country in the aftermath of a United States airstrike that left 150 people dead.
In June 2009, a rocket attack on the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan killed two United States troops and six other Americans. Authorities said that three rounds of rocket fire landed inside Bagram while one round landed outside. Bagram -- the main American military base in Afghanistan -- is located to the northeast of Kabul and has rarely been the target of such attacks. Indeed, another rare attack on Bagram occurred in 2007 when then-Vice President Dick Cheney was visiting the base; the Taliban claimed responsibility in that case for the attack that killed 23 Afghan workers just outside the compound.
In other developments in Afghanistan, clashes between Taliban and United States forces ensued in the southern part of the country. While United State fighter jets were able to destroy a Taliban compound, two advancing marines came under attack from Taliban as the pressed further into enemy territory. Thanks to fellow marines who hurled grenades at the Taliban, the marines were able to escape to armored vehicles. The scenario was an illustration of the types of operations and challenges that were in the offing for the increased United States troops in Afghanistan, charged with reversing gains made by resurgent Taliban in recent years when the United States military was bogged down in Iraq.
In late June 2009, a roadside bomb has killed three Afghan employees of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in Afghanistan's northern Jowzjan province in late June 2009. The provincial governor, Hashim Zari, placed the blame on the Taliban. It was yet another instance of rising violence by the resurgent Taliban. That said, the attack took place in the northern part of the country, which has been regarded as somewhat safer than the more volatile southern and eastern portions of Afghanistan. Accordingly, there was some concern about the potential spread of violence by the Taliban across the country.
Meanwhile, it was reported that New York Times reporter, David Rohde, escaped from the clutches of the Taliban after seven months in captivity. Rohde and local reporter, Tahir Ludin, escaped by climbing over the wall of the compound where they were being held in the North Waziristan area of Pakistan. Rohde -- a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, was researching a book on American involvement in Afghanistan, when he, Ludin, and their driver, Asadullah Mangal, were abducted in the Afghan capital of Kabul in November 2008. In the interests of their safety, news organizations across the world agreed to keep their abductions secret. While both Rohde and Ludin were able to escape, Mangal remained in Taliban captivity.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood-Coleman, Editor in Chief and Executive Vice President, CountryWatch.com
Research source: CountryWatch News Wire.