Afghanistan — Security

• Military Strategy: Gen. Petraeus has completed broad guidelines for the transfer of security to Afghan forces and the repositioning of ISAF troops within the country, the NYT reports, although it gives little sense as to what the conditions for transfer may be. A senior Pentagon official tells the paper that about two-thirds of Afghanistan’s more than 300 districts could be transferred over to local security forces without significant risk. Pres. Karzai issued another statement criticizing the international military strategy, saying "the counter-insurgency strategy should be re-assessed because the experience from the last eight years shows that fighting in Afghan villages is not effective as it only causes civilian casualties, nothing else". Wired’s Danger Room notes that despite a decline in the number of bombs dropped in Afghanistan, the number of reconnaissance sorties by drones and spy planes has nearly tripled since last year. [NYT] [BBC] [Danger Room]
• Attacks: Seven U.S. military soldiers were killed Monday in two separate bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan, following weekend losses in which seven other troops were also killed. A bomb planted in the car of a Nangahar district governor exploded as it was entering provincial governor Gul Agha Sherzai’s compound, killing the district governor; the Taliban claimed responsibility. The governor of Wardak province said Taliban fighters attacked a NATO supply convoy and destroyed two fuel tankers. [AP] [BBC] [BBC] [TOLO] [Reuters] [TOLO]

Afghanistan — Remainders

• Taliban Source Claims Recruiting Boom Thanks to NYC Mosque Controversy [Newsweek]
• Extraction to Begin at Ainak Copper Mine in Three Years [TOLO]
• Interview: Ramazan Bashardost Warns Against Karzai, Corruption, and Parliamentary Election Fraud [Reuters]
• Interview: Quetta Shura Taliban IED Unit Commander on IEDs in Afghanistan [Views from the Occident]
• Commentary: The Young Candidates’ Challenges – “Most young candidates do not strongly define themselves as proponents of any political group or trend, but emphasise that a change from the failed elites to fresh personalities is required in the longer term.” [Gran Hewad, AAN]

Afghanistan — Elections

• Campaign Report: The GlobalPost reports on candidate campaigns in Ashraf Khel village outside Kabul, where the main rivals are Janan Mosazai, a first-time candidate, and a former mujahadeen commander named Anwar Khan. [GlobalPost]

Afghanistan — Security

• Taliban Attack Khost Base: A group of at least 30 fighters attacked Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost province on Saturday morning; the base was the site of a December 2009 suicide attack on a CIA station there that killed eight. Taliban spokesmen claimed responsibility for the attack and said suicide bombers were among the fighters. As of press time Saturday, ISAF spokesmen said the attack was ongoing and could not give details on casualties. [Reuters] [BBC]
• Other Attacks: Three U.S. soldiers were killed in separate bombing attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan Friday. Police in Kunar province say six Afghan children collecting scrap metal were killed in an ISAF airstrike yesterday; ISAF said it was investigating the claim. [Dawn] [AFP]

Afghanistan — Remainders

• Marines in Helmand Prepare for “A Long Haul” [LAT]
• Concerns Over Security for UK PM Cameron During Recent Visit [BBC] [Guardian]
• Commentary: Quit Whining About Corruption - “Corruption can in fact help us in our battle to achieve a stable Afghanistan.” [Barry Gewen, TNR]
• Commentary: The CIA Paymaster in Kabul – “The policy of making systematic payments for small favors creates the widespread impression that the United States is prepared to pay generously for anything it wants.” [Scott Horton, Harpers]
• Commentary: Kabul’s Wedding Cake Architecture – “The emphasis evident in these buildings, like much of what goes on in Afghanistan today, is on the show and not the substance … as most Afghans are unsure of just how long the current period of peace will last, spending money fast and ‘cheap’ may appear to many the best option.” [Anne Feenstra, AAN]

Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission Chairman Fazil Ahmad Manawi speaking at a press conference August 26 2010 Kabul (photo by Colin Cookman)

Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission Chairman Fazil Ahmad Manawi held a press conference August 26 in Kabul to discuss preparations for the upcoming vote. Democracy International attended along with a number of local Afghan press outlets. Our notes are based on unofficial translations of Chairman Manawi’s remarks and an official press statement provided by the IEC.

Polling Center Closings: Manawi spent the bulk of his remarks on last week’s announcement of polling center closures, which we took a closer look at here. Criticizing unspecified media outlets who he said reported on the closures without providing full context on the process, Manawi stressed that any closures had been made on the recommendation of the security services and were within a range similar to last year’s. According to Manawi, in 2009 the IEC planned to open 6,969 polling centers, but was only able to open 6,200; this year the initial plan to open 6,835 centers was revised to 5,897 (at this point).

Manawi said that polling centers had been closed in 25 provinces; of those, the minimum number of centers closed was six and the maximum 107, in Ghazni province. A full list of closed polling centers has yet to be provided. Manawi acknowledged that the number of polling stations would be reduced in some areas of the country but said the number of stations would be increased in safer areas where possible.

Ballot Preparations: Manawi said that the process of packing ballots has been completed for 31 out of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces already; those ballots have already been flown out to fourteen provinces, another ten provinces’ worth are waiting to go at the Kabul airport, and seven are in storage at the IEC warehouse awaiting shipment. He said that the last three provinces’ ballots will be packed by August 31. (According to the election timetable, this is on or ahead of schedule—DI)

In order to curtail the potential for fraud, individual polling stations within a larger polling center are limited to 600 ballots; however Manawi said the provinces would receive a specific allocation of extra ballots that could, in the event of heavy voter turnout, be used to give each polling center up to 40% more ballots than their starting allocation in order to open new polling stations. No new polling centers will be opened before the vote; the developing security situation means additional centers may yet be closed.

Further to this morning’s digest, here’s a more detailed summary of the local language items.

Afghanistan’s Senate has also expressed concerns about the election process
8 am, Dari daily. Wednesday August 25, 2010.

Afghanistan’s senate has expressed its serious concerns about the possibility of irregularities in upcoming parliamentary elections. The senate has identified reducing polling centers, buying of voter registration cards, and discrimination against women as majors areas of concern.

Senate’s second deputy M. Alam Izadyar has stated that some candidates are buying voter registration cards belonging to the supporters of their rivals in order to deprive them of the votes of their core supporters.

Female senators have voiced concerns on how the security situation negatively impacts women candidates in this election. They believe due to lack of law and order, and growing insurgency women candidates cannot campaign freely. Moreover, the senate has also highlighted on systematic defacing of women candidate’s posters as a sign of prevalent misogynistic politics.

The senate has demanded from election officials and security authorities to pay attention to their concerns. 

Peoples concerns about the one third of the polling centers being closed in Ghazni
8 am, Dari daily. Wednesday August 25, 2010.

As the Election Day is getting closer the people in Ghazni are becoming more anxious about the transparency and fairness of the upcoming election. One of their major concerns is that 107 polling centers will remain closed in the province. The residents of the province believe if the mentioned polling centers will stay closed, as announced; the people of the province will be deprived of their political rights and of their fair share in the next parliament.

It should be noted that about one third of the polling centers in Ghazni will remain closed. Thus, Ghazni has the highest number affected polling centers in the country.

Divisions over the parliamentary elections
Mandegar, Dari daily. Wednesday August 25, 2010.

Mandegar Daily in its editorial discusses the divisions between the international community and the Afghan government on how to conduct the elections. The paper states that the Afghan government t prefers to hold the elections on time under any circumstances. However, the international community is trying to prevent the elections from taking place on its scheduled date of 18 September.

If the elections did not take place, it is going have a negative impact on the process of democracy in this country. It should be noted that, if the elections were postponed this time, due to any reason, international community will lose its interest in supporting the democratic process in this country. There are circles in the international community who are not very enthusiastic about strengthening democracy in this country. If the elections were postponed this time anti-democratic forces will be encouraged everywhere; and it is dangerous for democracy in Afghanistan. 

Disqualified candidates asked to remove posters
Afghanistan Times, English daily. Wednesday August 25, 2010.

Officials of the ECC have asked for the removal of posters of disqualified candidates. ECC spokesperson told Pazhwok News on Tuesday the candidates struck off the list should remove their posters and other campaign material.

Reuters offers a couple of useful pieces: An analysis by veteran correspondent Sayed Salahuddin, and a Q&A on the election itself. Salahuddin writes:

How many Afghans actually do vote is one of the most important questions in the lead-up to an election in which at least three candidates have been killed already.

..

The vote will be a litmus test for stability in Afghanistan, where military and civilian deaths have hit record levels as a Taliban-led insurgency continues to grow despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops.

It will also be a test for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has sought to assert his independence from his Western backers with a series of populist measures, not least of them a decree to disband security firms who have long been an irritant to Afghans.

Not much election-related news in local media, but for a cluster of commentary pieces:

Political and Security Reasons for closing polling centers (Column by Hashim Qayam)
8 am, Dari daily. Tuesday August 24, 2010.

It has been reported that due to insecurity more than 900 polling centers will remain closed across the country. Therefore, tens of thousands of people will be deprived of their political right to vote. What is even more dangerous than that is that these tens of thousands of people are being pushed out of the territory under the authority of Kabul government and into the realm of the armed insurgency. 

Therefore, people who are being denied participation in the political and democratic process will view the government in Kabul as alien to their communities and would identify with the Taliban even more. They would start viewing the Taliban as the only legitimate authority in their communities. Thus, the political environment would become even conducive to the growth and spread of Taliban insurgency.

From the first parliament to the second, what should be done? (Column by Shakir Mehryar)
8 am, Dari daily. Tuesday August 24, 2010.

The previous parliament had many shortcomings. It was fragmented along ethnic, lingual, and regional lines. Many forces at the center of previous decades of interethnic warfare had a massive presence in the parliament. Therefore, for the most part verbal and physical bickering was dominating the parliamentary discussions rather than a logical and rational exchange of ideas.

For constructing a culture of parliamentary democracy Afghanistan needs many more years of democratic practice.

One of the problems in the previous parliament was that many of the representatives were illiterate. It is also a danger fror the next parliament. This time voters should vote for candidates with necessary qualifications.

Cancelling polling centers in peaceful regions of the country. 8 am, Dari daily. Tuesday August 24, 2010.

After the IEC’s announcement that 938 polling centers would remain closed due to insecurity, some candidates are complaining that IEC’s decision is going to also deprive the citizens of peaceful regions of their political rights. Shah Gul Razaie, a member of parliament from Ghazni province, is quoted as saying: “Reducing polling centers in peaceful districts has only one meaning–that of depriving citizens of their right to vote.” According to Ms. Razaie there were 175 polling stations in Jaghori district of Ghazni province; now the IEC has decided to open only 108 polling stations, despite the fact that Jaghori is one of the most peaceful districts in the province.  

- Local content collated by Hamayon Rastgar