March 2008
4 posts
2 tags
Fears over stability as militia chiefs in talks... →
The Scotsman
By Jerome Starkey in Kabul
POWERFUL Afghan warlords are negotiating with the Taleban, in an unlikely alliance which is threatening to undermine the country’s fragile government.
Militia commanders from Afghanistan’s main opposition party are in talks with Taleban envoys in Kabul.
The former Northern Alliance leaders, who helped topple the Taleban regime in 2001,...
1 tag
'Prowlers' detonate roadside bombs →
The Scotsman
By Jerome Starkey in Kabul
WITH the US military death toll rising remorselessly in Iraq and Afghanistan, American military commanders are increasingly desperate for new ways to beat the threat of roadside bombs.
Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are the single biggest killer of international troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The United States hit the grim milestone of...
Missing: The £5bn aid needed to rebuild lives →
The Scotsman
By Jerome Starkey and Ross Lydall
BILLIONS of pounds earmarked for rebuilding Afghanistan have been wasted on overpaid consultants and corporate profits, a damning report claims.
Total foreign aid to Afghanistan amounts to £3.5 million a day – a fraction of the £50 million the United States government spends each day maintaining its military presence.
It says £5 billion of...
1 tag
Young Afghans defy extremists to crown an 'Idol'... →
The Independent
By Jerome Starkey in Kabul
More than 300,000 people voted in the final of Afghanistan’s version of Pop Idol and hundreds more crowded into a hotel in Kabul yesterday, shrugging off angry religious protests.
Music fans from across the country voted by text message as two male finalists battled it out on stage, just a few hundred yards from a massive demonstration by...