# The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread April 2013



## The Bread Guy (30 Mar 2013)

*The Sandbox and Areas Reports Thread April 2013 *               

*News only - commentary elsewhere, please.
Thanks for helping this "news only" thread system work!*


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## GAP (4 Apr 2013)

*Articles found April 4, 2013*

  Taliban attack courthouse, 53 dead
by The Canadian Press Apr 3, 2013 / 6:27 pm
Article Link

Insurgents wearing Afghan army uniforms launched a suicide attack and stormed a courthouse Wednesday in a failed bid to free Taliban inmates, killing at least 44 people, half of them shot in the basement. Nine attackers were killed.

The attack, one of the deadliest in the more than 11-year-old war, began about 8:30 a.m. when nine men wearing suicide vests drove into the capital of Farah province in western Afghanistan, evading checkpoints by using army vehicles, according to the provincial police chief. The standoff ended some eight hours later when the last gunman was killed.
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## GAP (10 Apr 2013)

*Articles found April 10, 2013*

Afghanistan, the drug addiction capital
By Tahir Qadiry BBC News, Kabul   10 April 2013
Article Link

Afghanistan produces 90% of all opiate drugs in the world, but until recently was not a major consumer. Now, out of a population of 35 million, more than a million are addicted to drugs - proportionately the highest figure in the world.

Right in the heart of Kabul, on the stony banks of the Kabul River, drug addicts gather to buy and use heroin. It's a place of misery and degradation.

In broad daylight about a dozen men and teenage boys sit huddled in pairs smoking and injecting. Among them are some educated people - a doctor, an engineer and an interpreter.

Tariq Sulaiman, from Najat, a local addiction charity, comes here regularly to try to persuade addicts to get treatment.

"We are already losing our children to suicide attacks, rocket and bomb attacks," he says. "But now addiction is another sort of terrorism which is killing our countrymen."
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Pakistan police officer guarding polio workers killed
Article Link
  10 April 2013

A police officer who was escorting a polio vaccination team in Pakistan has been shot dead, officials say.

Another officer was wounded in the attack in Mardan district, the latest in a series of attempts on the lives of polio workers and their escort teams.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killing, but the Pakistan Taliban has threatened health workers before.

Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan are the only three countries in the world where polio is still endemic.

There were 35 cases of polio in Pakistan in 2012, according to the Polio Eradication Initiative.

The police officer was shot dead as he guarded a vaccination team which was inside a house giving polio drops. None of the health team were harmed.

BBC Pakistan correspondent Orla Guerin says that in the past the Pakistan Taliban has accused the vaccination teams of being American spies and of sterilising children with the vaccine.

In December, at least eight people engaged in polio vaccinations were shot dead in Karachi and the north-west, and in January and February two police officers were killed in similar attacks.

The UN said last month that some 240,000 children have missed vaccinations since July in parts of Pakistan's tribal region, the main sanctuary for Islamic militants, because of security concerns.
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Afghan roadside bomb 'kills nine' in Wardak
Article Link
  8 April 2013

At least nine people have been killed and 22 injured after a roadside bomb hit a bus in the Afghan province of Wardak, officials say.

A woman was among the dead and children were also wounded in the blast, which took place in the Saydabad district.

One report says the bus was a daily service between the capital Kabul and Ghazni province.

Wardak is a volatile region used as staging post for a number of large-scale militant attacks on Kabul.

"I helped evacuate several dead and wounded. There were lots of people in the bus. Only a few survived unhurt, others were killed and wounded," one witness, Mohammad Sarwar, told the AFP news agency by telephone.

Wardak has been the focus of recent tension between Nato and the Afghan government. Last month, US special forces withdrew from one district in Wardak after the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, accused them of harassing civilians. 
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## GAP (14 Apr 2013)

*Articles found April 14, 2013*


 Canadian troops leaving Afghanistan in 2014: PM 
Article Link
 Published on Apr 13, 2013

Mon, May 21: Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canadian soldiers will be pulled out of Afghanistan in 2014, and any future contributions will be in the form of cash. Eric Sorensen explains.

Video


  Deadly Taliban attack targets elite unit in Afghanistan
Article Link
The 13 soldiers killed were members of Afghanistan's Third Battalion, one of only a small number of Afghan Army units rated as fully self-sufficient by the US military.

By Ryan Lenora Brown, Correspondent / April 12, 2013 

A Taliban attack killed 13 Afghan soldiers Friday at a remote Army outpost in the eastern province of Kunar, underscoring the rising challenges that face the country’s Army as foreign troops withdraw over the coming year.

Some 200 Taliban fighters ambushed the soldiers around 5 a.m., attacking the outpost before setting it on fire, The New York Times reports. Every soldier present at the base was killed, making the attack was the deadliest in the region in six months, according to local officials.

The soldiers killed were members of the Army’s Third Battalion, one of only a small number of Afghan Army units rated as fully self-sufficient by the US military. They patrolled a mountainous district on the Pakistani border that serves as a major gateway for insurgents from that country. 

The attack is part of a rising tide of violence in the region as winter thaws, easing passage across the mountainous terrain.

“We know the enemy’s going to come out hard this summer, so the [casualty] numbers are going to go up,” Col. Thomas Collins, a spokesman for the NATO-led military coalition, told the Times.

There has been a steady uptick in the number of Afghan soldiers and police officers killed in recent years as they have grown their ranks and gradually assumed greater responsibility from NATO forces.

In 2012, the Afghan government estimated that some 1,000 soldiers and 1,400 police officers were killed. By the end of the year, a military spokesman estimated that 110 soldiers and 200 policemen were dying every month, the Times reports.
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  Neither heat nor gloom ... Afghan post office delivers
Article Link
As the Afghan government struggles to develop, the post office has quietly managed to become one of the nation's most efficient institutions - and with extremely limited international assistance.

By Tom A. Peter, Correspondent / October 30, 2012 Kabul, Afghanistan

Ten years ago, the Afghan postal service lay in near total ruin, undone by the nation's civil war. Sending a letter usually meant having to find someone traveling in the direction of the recipient willing to carry a note and hoping for the best.

Then, about four years ago, Ahmad Sher, a Jalalabad shopkeeper, noticed his city had a post office. On a whim, Mr. Sher, who loves listening to the radio, decided to send letters to several talk radio programs using the Afghan government postal service.

Like most Afghan 20-somethings who have grown up only knowing broken government institutions like the post office, he wasn't surprised at his friends' skepticism when he told them he planned to send the letters. "My friends made fun of me and said my letters wouldn't be read on the radio for a year," Sher says.

Sher and his friends were surprised, however, when the letters started making it through – regularly and in less than a week.
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Afghan schoolgirl Roya Shams has bittersweet reunion with brother
The scar on Dr. Sayed Shams’ face showed the truth — the Taliban had almost succeeded in its threat to kill members of Roya’s family.
Article Link
 By: Paul Watson Star Columnist, Published on Fri Apr 12 2013 

 In 2012, Kandahar schoolgirl Roya Shams, whose father was killed by the Taliban, was allowed to leave Afghanistan - escorted by Star journalists. In the months since, the Star and its readers have helped her adjust to a new life in Canada as a student at Ottawa's Ashbury College. In this latest chapter in Roya's journey, her brother, Sayed, now the family patriarch, visits Canada with more chilling news.

OTTAWA—Safe in Canada, Roya Shams can’t escape Afghanistan’s war. She’s tormented by the fear that her family may not survive it.

The Taliban killed her father, an Afghan police commander cut down in Kandahar during a raid against the city’s most notorious Taliban insurgent in July 2011.

Almost two years later, the militants are still bent on revenge. They pin threatening letters to her family’s door, call their cellphones to repeat the same, ruthless warning:

The Taliban want to kill every member of Roya’s family.
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## GAP (22 Apr 2013)

*Articles found April 22, 2013*

 Taliban take 11 hostages after helicopter makes emergency landing in Afghanistan
Published April 22, 2013 Associated Press
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan –  A Turkish transport helicopter with at least 11 civilians was forced to make an emergency landing in a Taliban-controlled area in eastern Afghanistan, and the insurgents took all the people on board hostage, including eight Turks and a Russian, officials said Monday.

The civilian aircraft landed in strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday in a village named Dahra Mangal in the Azra district of Logar province, southeast of Kabul, District Governor Hamidullah Hamid told The Associated Press.

He said the helicopter came down in a gorge in the densely forested region, known for narrow gorges and rugged mountains, about 12.5 miles from the Pakistani border.

The Taliban fighters then captured everyone aboard the helicopter and took them away, Hamid said.

In a telephone interview, Arsala Jamal, Logar's provincial governor, identified the hostages as eight Turks, one Afghan translator and two foreign pilots of unknown nationality.

In Ankara, a spokesman at Turkey's Foreign Ministry confirmed that eight Turks were aboard the helicopter but had no information on their condition or what had happened to them after the emergency landing. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry regulations.
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  Construction Begins on Canadian-funded Hospital in Afghanistan
Article Link

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 21, 2013) - On Thursday, April 18, a foundation-laying ceremony was held for the new Bamyan Provincial Hospital in Afghanistan. This hospital is an important component of Canada's efforts to improve maternal, newborn and child health in Afghanistan.

"We are pleased that we have reached this milestone and look forward to seeing the new hospital up and running, providing the best possible quality care for mothers and children of Bamyan Province," said the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation. "Canada is proud to be delivering on our largest initiative for Afghanistan under the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health."

The ceremony marked the beginning of the next stage of this project, implemented through the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC). The project also includes the establishment of a maternal, newborn and child health centre in the new hospital, support to a centre of excellence on maternal and child health in Badakhshan Province, the training of midwives and nurses, a community nutrition program, and health promotion activities.

Canada and the AKFC have been trusted partners for close to 30 years. Our productive collaboration has resulted in a wide range of international development projects including, in Afghanistan, in the areas of health, education, rural and economic development, and the creation of new opportunities for women.

As announced in Economic Action Plan 2013, the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development will continue to deliver on Canada's development assistance commitments such as the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. The amalgamation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) will make international assistance focused, effective, and aligned with Canada's foreign policy objectives
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## GAP (24 Apr 2013)

*Articles found April 24, 2013*

 Construction Begins on Canadian-funded Hospital in Afghanistan
Article Link
Canadian International Development Agency - CIDA – Sun, Apr 21, 2013

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Apr 21, 2013) - On Thursday, April 18, a foundation-laying ceremony was held for the new Bamyan Provincial Hospital in Afghanistan. This hospital is an important component of Canada's efforts to improve maternal, newborn and child health in Afghanistan.

"We are pleased that we have reached this milestone and look forward to seeing the new hospital up and running, providing the best possible quality care for mothers and children of Bamyan Province," said the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation. "Canada is proud to be delivering on our largest initiative for Afghanistan under the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health."

The ceremony marked the beginning of the next stage of this project, implemented through the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC). The project also includes the establishment of a maternal, newborn and child health centre in the new hospital, support to a centre of excellence on maternal and child health in Badakhshan Province, the training of midwives and nurses, a community nutrition program, and health promotion activities.

Canada and the AKFC have been trusted partners for close to 30 years. Our productive collaboration has resulted in a wide range of international development projects including, in Afghanistan, in the areas of health, education, rural and economic development, and the creation of new opportunities for women.

As announced in Economic Action Plan 2013, the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development will continue to deliver on Canada's development assistance commitments such as the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. The amalgamation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) will make international assistance focused, effective, and aligned with Canada's foreign policy objectives. 
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Taliban captives 'well looked after' in Afghanistan's Logar
Article Link
  23 April 2013

A group of foreigners abducted on Monday by militants in eastern Afghanistan are being "well looked after", officials and the Taliban say.

Up to 11 people, thought to include eight Turks, two Russians and an Afghan were taken in Logar province after their helicopter landed in bad weather.

Tribal elders who saw the captives said that they were being fed and looked after, local officials told the BBC.

The Taliban also told the BBC the captives were in good condition.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the group were very tired and that "we could not talk to them a lot".

"If they need any doctors for check up or other health related issues, we have good doctors and medical workers," he said.

He added that Taliban leaders had yet to make a decision about their fate and denied reports that local officials or tribal elders had made contact in an effort to negotiate their release.

But officials in Logar earlier told the BBC that elders had seen the hostages. They added that the Taliban had made no demands so far, adding that they were concerned that the insurgents' might want to take the group across the border into Pakistan. 
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Floods and earthquake kill at least 24 in Afghanistan
Article Link
  24 April 2013 

At least 24 people have been killed after flash floods and an earthquake hit Afghanistan.

Torrential rain brought down buildings and left at least 14 dead in the northern province of Balkh.

The provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar, on the country's eastern border with Pakistan, were worst affected by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake.

At least 10 people were killed and many more were injured in the tremors.

Nine people, including a child, died in Nangarhar, according to officials and doctors. Another person is thought to have died in neighbouring Kunar.
'Nowhere to go'

Hundreds of homes collapsed during the quake, which struck at about 14:00 local time (09:23 GMT).
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Afghan talks: Nato urges Pakistan to fight militants
Article Link
  23 April 2013 

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on Pakistan to combat militants who use the country as a launch-pad for attacks on neighbouring Afghanistan.

He was speaking alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the eve of US-led talks aimed at soothing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Nato is set to end its decade-long combat mission in Afghanistan before the end of next year.

Mr Karzai said he was looking forward to Nato's continued support.

    Nato report excerpts

Speaking at Nato's Brussels headquarters, Mr Rasmussen said: "We need a positive engagement of Pakistan if we are to ensure long-term peace and stability not only in Afghanistan, but in the region.

"Pakistan and Afghanistan have a mutual interest in fighting extremism and terrorism and cross-border activities."
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## GAP (27 Apr 2013)

*Articles found April 27, 2013*

 Pakistan plans to seal Afghan border, restrict movement of Afghan refugees May 11 for election
Article Link
 April 26, 2013 Associated Press

ISLAMABAD –  Pakistani officials say they'll seal their border with Afghanistan and restrict the movement of Afghan refugees on May 11 during parliamentary elections.

Officials at the Interior Ministry and the election commission said Friday the measure is aimed at preventing terrorist attacks during the vote.

Officials did not say how they would restrict the movement of hundreds of thousands of people spread out across the country or close the porous border.

Pakistan announced similar measures in the past but failed to take action.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

About 1.6 million registered Afghan refugees and 1 million other Afghans live in Pakistan.
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 Fiery bus crash blamed on Taliban insurgents kills 45 in Afghanistan
Article Link
 April 26, 2013 Associated Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan –  A bus collided on Friday with the wreckage of a truck that had been attacked by Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan, killing 45 people aboard the bus in a fiery crash, officials said.

The battered oil tanker had been left in the middle of a narrow road near the border of Kandahar and Helmand provinces for several days after insurgents attacked it. Police considered the area too dangerous to enter, the officials said.

Before sunrise Friday, the bus smashed into the truck and burst into flames, said Abdul Razaq, the provincial police chief of Kandahar.

As police, soldiers and ambulances rushed to the desolate area, where many of the victims were burned beyond recognition, one survivor, Mohammad Habib, cried as he searched for his brother.

"I don't care about my belongings and money that were burned inside the bus, but please help me find my brother, dead or alive," he told AP Television News. "How will I face my mother without him?"

Forty-five people were killed and 10 injured, said Javeed Faisal, the spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province. He spoke to The Associated Press at Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar city, where many of the victims, including men, women and children, were being taken.
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Afghans pay in blood, losing an estimated 300 a month to take lead in fight against Taliban
Article Link
 April 27, 2013 Associated Press

FORWARD OPERATING BASE CONNOLLY, Afghanistan –  Afghan forces are taking over more territory and leading more operations with less U.S. help, but they are paying the price in blood.

Casualties doubled last year and are rising again to roughly 300 troops and police killed each month, according to an Afghan security official who spoke anonymously because the figure has not been publicly undisclosed.

The Americans are trying to teach them after every tactical error, while there are still enough foreign forces to serve as a safety net ahead of the December 2014 NATO troop drawdown.

U.S. and Afghan officials say their most realistic goal is for Afghan forces to maintain a bloody equilibrium with the Taliban, holding urban areas and trade routes, buying time for the economy to improve while persuading the Taliban to stop fighting.
end

 Plane crashes in Afghanistan, killing 4 foreign troops; Taliban announces spring offensive
Article Link
 April 27, 2013 Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan –  A plane crashed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing four international service members on the same day the Taliban said they were gearing up to launch their spring offensive with attacks on military and diplomatic targets.

Initial reporting indicated there was no enemy activity in the area where the plane went down, the NATO-led coalition said in a statement confirming the crash. Coalition personnel secured the site and were investigating the cause of the crash, NATO said.

The brief statement did not identify the nationalities of the victims, or say exactly where the crash occurred.

However, Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar, deputy governor of the southern province of Zabul, said an aircraft belonging to foreign forces crashed Saturday afternoon in Shah Joy district. He confirmed the site had been surrounded by international forces.

The spring Taliban offensive, which is to begin on Sunday, comes as U.S.-backed efforts to try to reconcile the Islamic militant movement with the Afghan government have so far failed.

Insurgents already have stepped up attacks this spring as they try to position themselves for power ahead of national elections and the planned withdrawal of most U.S. and other foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.
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 Taliban promises more insider attacks on foreign troops in annual Spring offensive
Article Link
 April 27, 2013 Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan –  The Taliban on Saturday announced the start of their spring offensive, signaling plans to step up attacks as the weather warms across Afghanistan, making both travel and fighting easier.

The statement comes toward the end of a month that already has been the deadliest of the year.

The militant group's leadership vowed that "every possible tactic will be utilized in order to detain or inflict heavy casualties on the foreign transgressors."

It said that will include more so-called insider attacks by members of the Afghan security forces against their colleagues or foreign troops.

Such attacks threaten the strength of the Afghan forces as they work to take over responsibility from international forces.  The latest one occurred in March, when a member of Afghanistan's government-backed militia program shot and killed five of his colleagues in Badghis province in northwest Afghanistan.
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