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By Abdurahman Warsame in Asia on November 20th, 2009

I visited Afghanistan in September for two weeks, spending many days walking the streets of Kabul. I also visited the north and the Western city of Herat.

Only an hour after I landed in Kabul I went to the street, walking for more two hours in one of the busiest areas of Kabul. The street of Kabul are bustling with activity and life, that's until "Iftar" or sunset when Muslims break fast.

These are some of the photos I took from Kabul, Panjshir, Istalif and Herat

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I met this trader in Ka Faroshi market

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By James Bays in Asia on November 18th, 2009
Photo by AFP
When the second round of Afghanistan’s controversial presidential election was called off and Hamid Karzai, the incumbent, was declared the winner, he promised “an inclusive government.”
 
But it seems that none of his main electoral opponents want to be included.
 
Ramazan Basherdost, an independent member of parliament, told me that the US ambassador has been trying to persuade him to join the Karzai camp.
 
But said he would not do so, because Karzai was not “a legitimate president, but a King, who has been appointed".
 
Dr Abdullah Abdullah, who was Karzai's rival in the runoff election before he pulled out, has also ruled out any involvement.
 
Here is a full transcript of my interview with Abdullah: 
 
By Kamal Hyder in Asia on November 17th, 2009

Cutoff from the outside world Sararogha, is a town built on the edge of dry wadis that swell to roaring torrents after the winter rains. For now the land is parched dry.

It's home to the Mehsud tribesmen and was the main headquarters of the Pakistani Taliban.

The mud-built homes amongst wild olive trees were eerily quiet.

Before the military moved in they told local residents to get out.

Now they hope they can return as soon as the local civilian administration is back to work.

As we flew back to Islamabad the military was battling for control of Makeen and beyond. Despite the military gains, there is more fighting to come.

By James Bays in Asia on November 17th, 2009
I need to update and correct my recent posting "Military by numbers". Major General Richard Formica is about to finish his tour of duty as Commander of CSTC-A. When he leaves in a few days time, CSTC-A will become part of the new overall NATO command, “NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan”.
 
The new commander of both NTM-A and CSTC-A, in charge of efforts to train the Afghan police and army, is better known outside the military than most three-star US Generals. That's because Lieutenant General William Caldwell was chief US military spokesman in Baghdad, at a time when the war in Iraq was the global lead story.

Here is an appearance at the time on “Talk to Al Jazeera”:

By James Bays in Asia on November 16th, 2009
Photo by AFP

For the first time, reporters have been taken to the controversial Bagram prison, north of Kabul. I joined the press tour.

It soon became clear this was part of a concerted drive to show Bagram’s new face. In fact, the new prison block, built at a cost of $60 million has been renamed Parwan Detention Facility. (Parwan is the province, north of Kabul, where Bagram is located.)

This is the report I filed on what we were shown:

A few footnotes to the report: 

By Kamal Hyder in Asia on November 12th, 2009

Despite cold weather, people turned out to vote in the first-ever election of the brand new province Gilgit Baltistan, formerly called Pakistan's Northern areas.

This is a land where three of the worlds mighty mountain ranges meet, on the banks of the River Indus. Now the people of this mountain abode are casting their votes in the first ever elections to choose their representatives for the new legislative body.

All mainstream political parties are hosting their candidates, but it is expected that many independents may also win seats in the poll.

Critics of the government, however, say the election is too little too late and major opposition parties are already accusing the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party of manipulating the polls and vote rigging.

By James Bays in Asia on November 12th, 2009
Photo by Reuters

As President Obama decides how many more troops to send to Afghanistan, it is perhaps useful to check the current figures, and also to explain the complicated organisational structure of the military forces.

By Kamal Hyder in Asia on November 11th, 2009

DSC04468.JPGA few years back, Hakimullah just listened attentively as a back bencher, but years on and he is the new commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan  once headed by Baitullah Mehsud.

Today he and his men have a hefty price on their heads. After the Pakistani military launched a three-pronged attack on South Waziristan, his loyalists - said to be numbering in their thousands - have vanished into the rough terrain and are waiting for winter.

By Teymoor Nabili in Asia on November 8th, 2009
Photo by Reuters

The Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, APEC, is one of those important-sounding annual gatherings where the great and the good, our leaders, apparently make important decisions that will determine all our futures.

Barack Obama, Hu Jintao and Dimitry Medvedev will arrive in Singapore this week, and the presence of the most powerful men in the world will guarantee enormous attention and reams of somber and meaningful headlines, like

"Obama to meet Myanmar, other ASEAN leaders"

and

"APEC leaders to push for new global economic plan"

By James Bays in Asia on November 6th, 2009
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

I watched the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s speech from my office in Kabul. Much of it was predictable, although the language was strong, keeping up the pressure on President Karzai, which has come in recent days from President Obama, and UN Representative Kai Eide.

I think his suggestion that a figure “of international stature” should lead a new anti-corruption agency is likely to ruffle feathers in Kabul. He proposes that the new supremo be given the title of “adviser”, but this will be portrayed by some people here as foreigners again meddling in Afghan internal affairs.

It was no surprise that Mr Brown also talked once again about handing over more security responsibilities to the Afghan authorities.  I am surprised however that he used the phrase “Afghanisation”, echoing Nixon’s “Vietnamisation”.

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