Lawmakers: Afghan leader threatens to join Taliban
By AMIR SHAH and CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

KABUL – Afghan President Hamid Karzai threatened over the weekend to quit the political process and join the Taliban if he continued to come under outside pressure to reform, several members of parliament said Monday.

Karzai made the unusual statement at a closed-door meeting Saturday with selected lawmakers — just days after kicking up a diplomatic controversy with remarks alleging foreigners were behind fraud in last year’s disputed elections.

Lawmakers dismissed the latest comment as hyperbole, but it will add to the impression the president — who relies on tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO forces to fight the insurgency and prop up his government — is growing increasingly erratic and unable to exert authority without attacking his foreign backers.

“He said that ‘if I come under foreign pressure, I might join the Taliban’,” said Farooq Marenai, who represents the eastern province of Nangarhar.

“He said rebelling would change to resistance,” Marenai said — apparently suggesting that the militant movement would then be redefined as one of resistance against a foreign occupation rather than a rebellion against an elected government.

Marenai said Karzai appeared nervous and repeatedly demanded to know why parliament last week had rejected legal reforms that would have strengthened the president’s authority over the country’s electoral institutions.

Two other lawmakers said Karzai twice raised the threat to join the insurgency.

The lawmakers, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of political repercussions, said Karzai also dismissed concerns over possible damage his comments had caused to relations with the United States. He told them he had already explained himself in a telephone conversation Saturday with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that came after the White House described his comments last week as troubling.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said reports Karzai threatened to abandon the political process and join the Taliban insurgency if he continued to receive pressure from Western backers to reform his government are troubling.

“On behalf of the American people, we’re frustrated with the remarks,” Gibbs told reporters.

The lawmakers said they felt Karzai was pandering to hard-line or pro-Taliban members of parliament and had no real intention of joining the insurgency.

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“As a soldier, my personal feeling is that there’s been enough fighting,” said McChrystal.

“I believe that a political solution to all conflicts is the inevitable outcome. And it’s the right outcome,” he added.

Asked is he would be content to see Taliban leaders in a future government in the country, the general said: “I think any Afghans can play a role if they focus on the future, and not the past.”

Apparently our “ally” Karzai has no problem with kissing up to the Taliban either. The Taliban will use any talks just as Hamas and Hezbollah does with Israel. They will use them to stall, and regroup. A few questions that come to mind here are, do US ”leaders” have the will to win?  The other question is, does Karzai support the Islamist group over America? I think that the answers are clear. No more nation building please.

Afghan held peace talks with captured Taliban boss
By DEB RIECHMANN and KATHY GANNON

KABUL – Afghan officials say the Afghan government was holding secret talks with the Taliban’s No. 2 when he was captured last month in Pakistan.

A close aide to President Hamid Karzai says the arrest infuriated the Afghan leader. It also raised the question of whether the United States is willing to back peace discussions with top Taliban leaders who harbored the al-Qaida terrorists behind the Sept. 11 attacks.

Karzai’s aide says the president “was very angry” when he heard that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was picked up by the Pakistanis with an assist from U.S. intelligence.

The confidante, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of their sensitive nature, says Baradar had also “given a green light” to participating in a three-day peace assembly that Karzai is hosting next month.

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NATO details its Afghan night raids policy
By TINI TRAN

KABUL – A new directive from NATO’s top commander in Afghanistan orders coalition forces to avoid night raids when possible, but to bring Afghan troops with them if they must enter homes after dark.

The coalition released details of Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s new policy Friday — changes that are meant to cut down on the storm of complaints from Afghan people.

Though McChrystal’s order falls short of the complete ban on night raids sought by President Hamid Karzai, it does reflect new sensitivities by NATO at a time when the coalition is pursuing a strategy of gaining Afghan public trust in a bid to rout Taliban extremists.

McChrystal had issued the order in late January — as reported by The Associated Press last week — and portions of the classified directive were made public Friday by his headquarters. It follows the NATO commander’s move to limit the use of airstrikes last year that were responsible for the bulk of civilian deaths.

“Despite their effectiveness and operational value, night raids come at a steep cost in terms of the perceptions of the Afghan people,” according to excerpts of his directive.

“In the Afghan culture, a man’s home is more than just his residence. … Even when there is no damage or injuries, Afghans can feel deeply violated and dishonored, making winning their support that much more difficult,” it said.

The directive tells troops “to explore all other feasible options before effecting a night raid.”

However, if night raids are conducted, Afghan security forces “should be the first force seen and the first voices heard by the occupants of any compound entered.”

The order requires that Afghan troops must be included in the planning and execution of all night raids, and that Afghan government representatives must be notified in advance. When possible, community elders also need to be consulted.

It also said that all searches during the raid must be led and accomplished primarily by Afghan forces, including the search of women by women. Compensation for property seized or damaged must also be made — reiterating a practice already in place.

Tensions have risen over civilian deaths and injuries caused during NATO operations as additional coalition troops have poured into Afghanistan as part of a bid to try and turn the tide against the resurgent Taliban.

But even as NATO mounts a massive ongoing offensive against militants in southern Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents continued to mount their attacks in the rest of the country.

In the capital, Karzai met with India’s Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and expressed his regret and condolences for the Feb. 26 attacks in Kabul, claimed by the Taliban, that killed 16 people, including six Indians, Karzai’s office said Friday. Menon invited the Afghan leader to India and reaffirmed India’s commitment to rebuilding Afghanistan.

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Forces in Afghanistan told to limit nighttime raids
By Barbara Starr

Washington (CNN) –

A new classified directive to coalition forces in Afghanistan puts restrictions on nighttime raids of Afghan homes and compounds, according to a senior U.S. official who has seen the document.

The official declined to be identified because a declassified version of the document has not been made public. The directive is signed by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, the official said.

The directive comes as the coalition seeks to reduce tension between its military forces and Afghan civilians in an effort to maintain Afghan public support.

Nighttime raids in which troops enter private homes have sparked problems for U.S. and NATO forces. The raids are viewed as overly invasive — a violation of the privacy of the home in Afghan culture — and they can turn violent.

The document orders forces to use Afghan troops at night “whenever possible” to knock on doors of residences and compounds, and to use them if forcible action is required for entry, the official said.

But the directive also orders troops to “conduct an analysis” of whether it is militarily essential to conduct a raid at night or whether it can be put off until daylight, the official said. If troops can keep a target under surveillance but wait for daylight, they then can enlist the aid of village elders, perhaps, in determining if a home or compound poses a threat, the official said.

The official emphasized that troops always have the right to defend themselves and are given leeway to use their best judgment on the battlefield.

McChrystal also is updating another directive, first issued last year, on conducting operations to minimize civilian casualties, the official said.

The updated version, which is yet to be published, will include “more clarity” for troops on how to operate in “escalation of force” incidents, such as when a vehicle approaches a checkpoint in a potentially threatening manner and troops must decide whether, and when, to fire at it. The official declined to offer further details but said the aim is to make sure even the most junior troops have full understanding of rules and procedures.

Some troops and local commanders have expressed concerns that recent rules can inhibit their ability to take action under fire.

These directives come as the coalition has been involved in several recent incidents in which civilians were inadvertently killed, and as the coalition conducts major operations in southern Afghanistan.

McChrystal released a video message to the Afghan populace apologizing for an incident this week in which 27 Afghan civilians were killed.

“I have made it clear to our forces that we are here to protect the Afghan people. I pledge to strengthen our efforts to regain your trust to build a brighter future for all Afghans,” he said in the message.

The official said the documents may be made public in the coming weeks, after current operations ease.

That includes the Taliban, right General?

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Pakistan Army Snubs US on Militants
By Aamir Latif, IOL Correspondent

ISLAMABAD – Angry with the Obama administration’s position on arch-rival India, Pakistan’s Army has rejected a US request to launch a new offensive against Taliban in the northern tribal belt.

“Our resources and situation on ground do not allow us to open a new battlefront against militants in North Waziristan or any other area,” Major General Ather Abbas, director general of inter services public relations (ISPR), told IslamOnline.net.

Visiting US Defense Secretary Robert Gates reportedly asked Islamabad to launch a new offensive against Taliban in North Waziristan.

“I will not comment on that,” Major General Abbas said.

“But certainly this has been frequently reported in the media, and their (US) desire in this regard is very obvious. One does not has to do much to understand this.

“We do not want to attain something which we cannot retain.”

The spokesman said that the Army has no plans to open a new front against militants for at least one year.“Launching an offensive and capture some area is one thing, but to maintain that is totally different,” he said.

The Pakistani Army launched in October a deadly offensive in South Waziristan to uproot militants of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of various local groups in the region.

The Army is also engaged in fighting with Taliban militants in Orakzai, Bajur, Mohmind, and Swat.

“We have captured South Waziristan, but it is not end of the game,” General Abbas said.

“Now we are facing the challenges of return of affectees, their rehabilitation and rebuilding the area, which need huge resources and commitment.

“It will take between six months and a year to consolidate our achievements in areas taken back from militants. Only after that, we will be in a position to think about a new offensive.

“If we launch a new offensive, that will totally be in line with our national interest, rather than any other country’s interest.”

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