Tribal leaders say Karzai’s team forged 23,900 votes (01.09.2009)

(Quelle: New York Times / USA)

Just a week before this country’s presidential election, the leaders of a southern Afghan tribe called Bariz gathered to make a bold decision: they would abandon the incumbent and local favorite, Hamid Karzai, and endorse his challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. … The leaders of the tribe, who live in a district called Shorabak, prepared to deliver a local landslide. But it never happened, the tribal leaders said. … At the end of the day, 23,900 ballots were shipped to Kabul, Mr. Bariz said, with every one marked for President Karzai.

Afghanistan: what now for refugees?- new ICG report (31.08.2009)

(Quelle: International Crisis Group (ICG) / USA)

If the Afghan government wants to prevent further internal violence and regional instability, it must urgently address the needs of the returning refugees and those in neighbouring countries. “Afghanistan: What Now for Refugees?”, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the renewed population displacement and the consequences of the government’s inability to ensure security and basic services for the returnees.

Taliban ready if Afghan government fails: adviser (31.08.2009)

Afghanistan's government must fight corruption and quickly deliver services to Afghans, because Taliban militants are filling gaps and winning support to their cause, a top counterinsurgency expert has said. The Taliban were already running courts, hospitals, and even an ombudsman in parallel to the government, making a real difference to local people, said David Kilcullen, a senior adviser to U.S. commander General Stanley McChrystal.

U.S. sets metrics to assess war success (30.08.2009)

(Quelle: Washington Post / USA)

The White House has assembled a list of about 50 measurements to gauge progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan as it tries to calm rising public and congressional anxiety about its war strategy. Administration officials are conducting what one called a "test run" of the metrics, comparing current numbers in a range of categories -- including newly trained Afghan army recruits, Pakistani counterinsurgency missions and on-time delivery of promised U.S. resources -- with baselines set earlier in the year.

USA wollen mehr deutsche Truppen für Afghanistan (USA want more german troops in Afghanistan) (29.08.2009)

(Quelle: Die Welt / Deutschland)

US-Präsident Barack Obama wird die Bundesregierung nach der Bundestagswahl laut einem Bericht des „Spiegel“ zur Entsendung weiterer Truppen nach Afghanistan auffordern. US-Diplomaten hätten dies führenden CDU-Politikern bereits angekündigt, hieß es in einer Meldung des Magazins.

NATO wants troops to boost Afghan forces training (28.08.2009)

(Quelle: RFE, RL / International)

NATO's secretary-general has urged member countries to increase the training of Afghan security forces and said the alliance would stay in Afghanistan "as long as it takes."

Alleged drug ties of top Afghan official worry U.S. (26.08.2009)

(Quelle: New York Times / USA)

It was a heated debate during the Bush administration: What to do about evidence that Afghanistan’s powerful defense minister was involved in drug trafficking? … Today that debate will be even more fraught for a new administration, for the former defense minister, Marshal Muhammad Qasim Fahim, stands a strong chance of becoming the next vice president of Afghanistan.

Early results give Karzai slim lead (26.08.2009)

(Quelle: Al Jazeera / Qatar)

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has a slim lead over his nearest contender for the country's top job, early results have shown. The Independent Election Commission in Afghanistan said on Tuesday that Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, his strongest challenger, both have roughly 40 per cent of the nationwide vote for president with 10 per cent of ballots tallied.

Afghan lessons from Iraq “success” (25.08.2009)

(Quelle: BBC / UK)

The rising deaths among US, British and other foreign troops in Afghanistan is the unavoidable result, commanders and politicians say, of the renewed effort to turn things round in what was the original post 9/11 war. … There has been lots of talk of new policies and tactics, and learning from "successes" in Iraq.

Top UN envoy urges calm as Afghanistan awaits election results (24.08.2009)

(Quelle: UN News / International)

The top United Nations envoy for Afghanistan today urged patience and calm as the country’s Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) responds to the complaints that have been received following last week’s historic presidential and provincial council polls. … The Commission said it has so far received 790 complaints from across the country following the 20 August polls, including 54 classified as “Priority-A,” which, if proved, could have an impact on the result.

One in five Afghan ballots may be illegal, UN warns (24.08.2009)

(Quelle: The Guardian / UK)

Afghanistan's election commission sought to play down fears that vote-rigging in the country's presidential election would decide the outcome of the contest. But concerns were mounting that electoral fraud in the south and east of the country, where few election monitors dared to tread, could help push the number of votes cast for the president, Hamid Karzai, over 50%, handing him victory without the need for a second-round contest.

More than 200 claims of irregularities in Afghan vote (24.08.2009)

(Quelle: Asharq Al-Awsat / UK)

The charges include tampering with ballot boxes for Thursday's presidential and provincial council elections, as well as intimidation of voters, Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) chairman Grant Kippen told reporters. Others related to violence, failures of supposedly indelible ink meant to prevent people from voting twice and interference in polling, he said.

Internationals claim victory while Afghans cry fraud (24.08.2009)

(Quelle: EurasiaNet / USA)

Diplomats have rushed to declare Afghanistan’s August 20 presidential and provincial council elections a success, while downplaying credible reports of disenfranchisement and widespread electoral irregularities. The apparent reluctance to acknowledge circumstantial evidence of substantial vote-rigging could have damaging, even irreparable consequences for Afghanistan’s democratization process, some experts contend.

NATO commanders press for more resources in Afghanistan (24.08.2009)

(Quelle: RFE/RL / International)

NATO military commanders have told U.S. President Barack Obama's envoy that they needed more troops and other resources to beat back a resurgent Taliban, particularly in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. The Taliban has made inroads in recent months in many areas that U.S. forces thought they had stabilized.

EU: Afghan vote “fair but not free” (23.08.2009)

(Quelle: Al Jazeera / Qatar)

Philippe Morillon, the EU's chief election observer, said from Kabul, the capital, on Saturday: "... what we have observed was considered by our observers, with their methodology, good and fair". But he added: "Free was not the case in some parts of the territory due to the terror installed."

Afghan challenger alleges fraud (23.08.2009)

(Quelle: BBC / UK)

The main challenger in presidential elections held in Afghanistan last week, Abdullah Abdullah, has alleged widespread fraud. Mr Abdullah said he had evidence that voting had been widely rigged in favour of incumbent President Hamid Karzai. … The campaign teams for Mr Karzai and Mr Abdullah - a former foreign minister - each claim their candidate won an outright majority.

Intimidation and fraud observed in Afghan election (22.08.2009)

(Quelle: New York Times / USA)

Reports of fraud and intimidation in Afghanistan’s presidential election continued to mount Saturday, with anecdotal but widespread accounts of ballot-box stuffing, a lack of impartiality among election workers and voters casting ballots for others. A particular concern was the notably low turnout of women, who election observer organizations said were disproportionately affected by the violence and intimidation.

Top candidates both claim first-round victory in Afghan poll (21.08.2009)

(Quelle: RFE/RL / International)

The top two candidates in Afghanistan's presidential poll, incumbent President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, have both claimed outright victory, casting a shadow on an election that has been warmly greeted by the West.

US „deadline“ for Afghan results (21.08.2009)

(Quelle: BBC / UK)

The head of US Central Command, Gen David Petraeus, has said international forces have about a year to prove their strategy in Afghanistan can succeed. In an interview with the BBC, Petraeus acknowledged there was a need to show progress before the 2010 US Congressional elections. He also warned that conditions might get worse before they got any better.

UN asks Afghanistan to lift election media ban (19.08.2009)

(Quelle: RFE/RL / International)

The United Nations has asked Afghanistan to lift a last-minute ban on media reporting of violence during the August 20 presidential election, saying the Afghan Constitution guaranteed a free press. … The United Nations said Afghans had a right to information, and restricting the media could undermine confidence in the poll.

Web tool oversees Afghan election (19.08.2009)

(Quelle: BBC / UK)

Any attempt to rig or interfere with Afghanistan's election could be caught out by a system that allows anyone to record incidents via text message. The Alive in Afghanistan project plots the SMS reports on an online map. Citizens can report disturbances, defamation and vote tampering, or incidents where everything "went well".

Afghanistan calls for media blackout ahead of election (19.08.2009)

(Quelle: The Guardian / UK)

Afghanistan has ordered all journalists not to report incidents of violence during tomorrow's presidential election amid fears that such coverage will deter people from voting. Two decrees were issued, one from the foreign ministry banning all broadcasts of information about violence while polls were open, and the other from the interior ministry requiring reporters to keep away from the scene of any attacks.

High risk humanitarianism (18.08.2009)

(Quelle: Irinnews / International)

Safe humanitarian space is contested terrain in Afghanistan, where the independence and impartiality of aid work comes under daily challenge in the country’s ongoing conflict.

Two UN staff among dead in Kabul bombing (18.08.2009)

(Quelle: UN News / International)

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his deep distress at the news that two United Nations staff members were among those killed in today’s suicide bombing in Kabul, which reportedly killed at least seven people, just two days ahead of Afghanistan’s presidential and provincial council elections. The two staffers killed in the attack, the second incident of its kind in three days, were Afghan nationals, as is a third colleague who was wounded and is currently being treated for his injuries.

Peace talks with Taliban are a top issue in Afghan vote (17.08.2009)

(Quelle: New York Times / USA)

Although Mr. Karzai has often talked about negotiating with the Taliban, little concrete has happened. The government’s reconciliation program for Taliban fighters is barely functioning. A Saudi mediation effort has stalled. Last-minute efforts to engage the Taliban in order to allow elections to take place remain untested. Meanwhile the Obama administration has just sent thousands more troops here in an attempt to push back Taliban gains.

Obama defends strategy in Afghanistan (17.08.2009)

(Quelle: New York Times / USA)

President Obama on Monday defended his decision to increase American involvement in Afghanistan, calling it a “a war of necessity” and warning an audience of military veterans that Al Qaeda was still plotting to attack the United States and would not easily be defeated.

With the Pentagon assessing strategy and troop deployments in Afghanistan, Mr. Obama made no specific policy announcements. But he did address the criticism that he would get bogged down in Afghanistan, allowing that war to turn into a second Vietnam.

Threats by Taliban may sway vote in Afghanistan (16.08.2009)

(Quelle: New York Times / USA)

Across the Pashtun heartland in eastern and southern Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents hold sway in many villages, people are being warned against going to the polls. In many of those places, conditions have been so chaotic that many Afghans have been unable to register to vote. In many areas, there will not be any polling places to go to.

Karzai's warlord links challenged (16.08.2009)

(Quelle: BBC / UK)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been challenged about his alliances with warlords in a live TV election debate. Ahead of Thursday's presidential poll, Mr Karzai was taken to task by two rival candidates, ex-ministers Ramazan Bashardost and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. But Mr Karzai defended his alliances in the 90-minute debate, saying they served the interests of national unity.

NATO, Afghan troops focus on election security amid Taliban threats (15.08.2009)

(Quelle: EurasiaNet.org / USA)

With a Taliban suicide attack claiming seven lives in Kabul on August 15, there are renewed fears about security ahead of Afghanistan's presidential election next week. While security has been a key focus of NATO and Afghan government troops during the past year, Taliban militants have waged their own campaign of threats and intimidation ahead of the August 20 ballot. Taliban militants hope to undermine the legitimacy of the election by reducing voter turnout.

U.S. plans a mission against Taliban’s propaganda (15.08.2009)

(Quelle: New York Times / USA)

The Obama administration is establishing a new unit within the State Department for countering militant propaganda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, engaging more fully than ever in a war of words and ideas that it acknowledges the United States has been losing. Proposals are being considered to give the team up to $150 million a year to spend on local FM radio stations, to counter illegal militant broadcasting, and on expanded cellphone service across Afghanistan and Pakistan.