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Daily Afghan Report


		[ 19 March 2008 ] U.S. Marines Start Deploying In Southern Afghanistan Following a call from Canada for more troops, some of the 3,200 U.S. Marines scheduled for a seven-month deployment in the south of Afghanistan began arriving at the largest base in the region, AP reported on March 18. The Marines will conduct a "full spectrum of operations" to take advantage of the recent gains by NATO and Afghan forces, said Brigadier General Carlos Branco, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). "I believe that the arrival of the Marines simply reinforces what is proving to be a successful strategy. It also demonstrates the commitment of the United States to Afghanistan over the long-term," U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan William Wood said on March 18. AT NATO Denies Civilians Killed In Air Strikes In Southern Afghanistan NATO air raids against Taliban insurgents in the southern Helmand Province killed 50 people, including 18 rebels, a parliamentarian from Helmand said on March 18, news agencies reported. However, provincial police chief General Mohammad Hussein Andiwal told AFP that he has no such information. ISAF spokesman Branco also rejected the claim by legislator Amir Dad Mohammad as groundless. However, he added that ISAF did conduct an operation close to the Malmandcina area in Ghorak district of Kandahar Province on March 17, destroying a vehicle driven by insurgents and killing 12 armed militants. He added that the operation was 2 kilometers away from residential areas and there were no civilians among the dead. AT Japan To Give $29 Million To Afghanistan Under an agreement signed on March 17 in Kabul, the Japanese government agreed to provide a fresh grant of 3 billion yen ($29 million) to the war-torn country, Xinhua news agency reported the same day. The Japanese ambassador to Afghanistan, Hideo Sato, and Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Kabir Farahi signed the agreement on behalf of their governments. The grant, according to a statement by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, will be used to improve economic-structure and poverty-alleviation projects. Japan, with contributions more than $1 billion, is the second-largest aid contributor to Afghanistan after the United States. AT Inmates Riot In Afghan Prison After several days of disturbances, Afghan security forces have sealed off the country's main high-security prison outside Kabul, Reuters reported on March 19. Gunfire was heard from Pul-e Charkhi prison, and at least nine prisoners have been wounded. According to the BBC, the standoff between prisoners and security forces started on March 16. Inmates took control of parts of the building, and prisoners contacted by mobile phone said that two National Army soldiers have been captured and will be killed unless mediators are sent to resolve the dispute. Although there has been no official response from the government, a Defense Ministry official told parliament an operation is being planned to take control of the prison. AT archive homepage