Word: kabul
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...Kabul...
...boldest attacks on the Afghan capital since Hamid Karzai became President, insurgents laid siege to several areas of Kabul on Jan. 18. Suicide bombers blew themselves up near Karzai's palace and the Education Ministry, while another three of the seven perpetrators took over a shopping complex across from the Justice Ministry. All the attackers were killed, as were two civilians and three members of the Afghan security forces. At least 70 people were wounded. The incident--a reminder of the Taliban's ability to strike at the shaky Afghan government--came as Kabul mulled a program aimed at persuading...
...conference created a bounce of energy, not real momentum, but enough to buoy hopes of progress, with Karzai reaching out to some of those currently outside the government camp at the tribal jirga assembly he plans to convene within weeks. He also plans to convene an international conference in Kabul in the spring, although recent Taliban attacks in the heart of the capital have raised security fears over that event...
...language from U.S. officials in recent weeks suggests that some version of Pakistan's perspective may prevail. The Karzai government has also been discreetly reaching out to the Taliban leadership for some time, and U.N. officials in Kabul are openly calling for such talks, urging the Afghan government to enable them by having the names of a number of senior Taliban leaders taken off a U.N. terrorist-watch list so they can travel. Turkey is even offering to broker regional peace talks involving the Taliban and Afghanistan's neighbors. (See pictures of the presidential election in Afghanistan...
...Afghan National Army is one of the most widely respected institutions in the country, perceived to be free of the corruption and nepotism that plague the central government in Kabul. Yet it would be a mistake to focus on the military to the detriment of developing the civil and governance sectors, even if a robust army suits the U.S.'s immediate goals in Afghanistan. One need only look across the border to Pakistan, where 60 years of weak civilian governance interspersed with frequent military coups have created a nation perpetually in crisis and a haven for global terrorism...