The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NATO

  • NATO hands over security to Afghans

    NATO hands over security to Afghans

    NATO has handed over security for the whole of Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, BBC reports.

    At a ceremony in Kabul, President Hamid Karzai said that from Wednesday “our own security and military forces will lead all the security activities.”

    Observers say the best soldiers in the Afghan army are up to the task but there are lingering doubts about some.

    International troops will remain in Afghanistan until the end of 2014, providing military back-up when needed.

    The ceremony came shortly after a suicide bomb attack in western Kabul killed three employees of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and wounded more than 20.

    The attacker was believed to be targeting the convoy of prominent politician and Hazara leader Haji Mohammad Mohaqeq, who escaped with light injuries.

    Meanwhile, sources close to Taliban representatives have confirmed to the BBC that they are opening an office in the Qatari capital Doha, possibly as early as Tuesday.

    This has been seen as an important stage in establishing a political face for the Taliban, and President Karzai said he would be sending representatives to Qatar to discuss peace talks with the movement.

    Tuesday’s ceremony saw the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) hand over control of the last 95 districts in a transition process that began in 2011.

     

     

  • Suicide bomber ‘kills nine Afghan children’

    Suicide bomber ‘kills nine Afghan children’

    A suicide bomber has killed at least nine children and policemen in eastern Afghanistan, police told the BBC.

    The attacker, who was on a motorcycle, struck at a market in Samkani district near the Pakistan border. At least 15 other people were injured.

    Local officials said a passing military patrol was the target and coalition soldiers were among casualties.

    The NATO-led ISAF force had no word on casualties, but said it is investigating the attack.

    The police chief in in Paktia province, where the attack happened, said the bomber detonated his explosives at midday just as a local school was letting pupils out for lunch.

    In recent weeks there has been a spate of attacks in Afghanistan, where NATO and Afghan forces are battling the Taliban and other militants.

    In a separate attack on Monday, seven people were killed by a roadside bomb in the eastern province of Laghman, officials said.

     

  • Six killed in Afghan convoy blast

    Six killed in Afghan convoy blast

    At least six Afghan civilians have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the capital, Kabul, officials told the BBC.

    The bomber blew up his vehicle next to a convoy of foreign armoured cars in the east of the city, police said.

    Two children were among those killed and at least 30 more people were injured.

    The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan has confirmed that one of its convoys was hit.

    Government officials said those who died were bystanders.

    Smoke rose above the industrial district of Karta-e Naw, in the east of the city, after the powerful explosion.

    An explosives-filled Toyota Corolla was blown up beside two foreign military vehicles at around 08:00 (03:30 GMT), Kabul Police Chief Gen. Salangi said.

    The force of the blast destroyed several houses and a wide area of the city has been cordoned off. Sirens could be heard afterwards as ambulances headed to the scene.

     

  • 7 confirmed dead in U.S. plane crash in Afghanistan

    7 confirmed dead in U.S. plane crash in Afghanistan

    Not less than seven civilians aboard a cargo plane were killed when a U.S. airbase crashed in Afghanistan, the military said on Tuesday.

    The crash occurred on Monday at the Bagram airbase, 60 km north of the capital Kabul.

    “The cause of the crash has not been determined and we are currently investigating,” NATO spokesman Sgt. Bryan Gatewood said.

    Taliban militants claimed that their fighters shot the plane down, saying the attack was part of their spring offensive.

  • Five die in Afghan’s chopper crash

    Five Americans from NATO-led foreign forces in Afghanistan have died in a helicopter crash, a United States official says.

    The BBC reports that the crash took place in Daman district of Kandahar province on Monday,

    “Initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the incident,” said the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in a statement.

    The U.S later confirmed all the dead were Americans, adding that a rainstorm had caused the crash.

    Helicopter crashes have occurred fairly regularly in Afghanistan – either due to accidents or enemy fire.

    11 people – including seven U.S soldiers – died last August when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed, also in southern Afghanistan.

     

  • UK to host Afghan-Pakistani talks

    UK to host Afghan-Pakistani talks

    British Prime Minister David Cameron will hold key talks with the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan to discuss the Afghan peace process, BBC reports.

    The trilateral summit – the third since last summer – is aimed at improving co-operation between both countries to promote regional stability.

    For the first time Afghan and Pakistani army and intelligence chiefs will also take part in the discussions.

    NATO troops are scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

    In a process initiated by Mr. Cameron last year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari have agreed to work together on a framework of co-operation following the international troops’ departure next year.

    The steadily approaching deadline for the military exit will inevitably be a key factor in the talks, not least for Pakistan with its concerns about security across the region from then on, the report adds.

    Mr. Cameron will host a dinner with Mr. Karzai and Mr. Zardari at his official country residence Chequers north of London on Sunday evening.

    He will then hold the in-depth talks with both presidents and their key officials on Monday.

    “This trilateral process sends a very clear message to the Taliban: now is the time for everyone to participate in a peaceful political process in Afghanistan,” Downing Street said in a statement.

     

  • NATO ‘to approve Turkey’s missiles request’

    NATO is set to approve the deployment of Patriot missile interceptors to defend Turkey’s border with Syria.

    BBC says a meeting of the 28-member alliance’s foreign ministers in Brussels follows a request from Turkey to boost its defences along the border.

    NATO officials have made clear such a move would be purely defensive.

    Earlier, United States President Barack Obama warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he would face “consequences” if he uses chemical weapons against his people.

    “The world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable,” said Mr. Obama in a speech at the National Defense University in Washington.

    “If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable.”

    A Syrian official has insisted it would “never, under any circumstances” use such weapons, “if such weapons exist.”

    A NATO team has already visited a number of sites in Turkey in preparation for the deployment of Patriot batteries, which could be used to shoot down any Syrian missiles or warplanes that stray over the border, BBC says.