Karzai worried over Shariah law; U.S. officials mull June deadline in Iraq

Karzai lashes out over Pakistani Shariah law

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned a deal signed by his Pakistani counterpart that imposes Islamic law in northwest Pakistan.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari signed a measure Tuesday that establishes Shariah, or Islamic, law in the North-West Frontier province as part of an agreement with the Taliban leadership there.

The agreement calls for the Pakistani military to withdraw from the area and award sweeping amnesty to the Taliban in exchange for an end to the insurgency in the region.

The Taliban have violated cease-fire agreements in the past, however, and attacks in the region are common. The region is also subjected to frequent U.S. missile attacks from unmanned aerial vehicles.

Humayun Hamidzada, a spokesman for the Afghan president, warned Pakistan that the deal would have a "negative impact" on Afghanistan, the BBC reports.

"Since any deal with terrorist groups can affect our people and our country's security, we request Pakistan, before any such deals, take into consideration its negative impacts on relations between the two countries," he said.

HRW calls for 'rape law' repeal

Human Rights Watch called on the Afghan government to yield to the will of the people and repeal the controversial Shiite Personal Status Law.

The law, often referred to as the "rape law," imposes harsh restrictions on women in the Shiite minority, requiring them to seek spousal permission to leave the home and to accept any sexual advances from their husbands as a marital obligation.

Female lawmakers in Afghanistan complained the law was pushed through with pressure from conservative Shiite leaders in Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai had signed the measure but made recent statements saying the legislation was under review.

Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, criticized Karzai for placating certain members of the Afghan community, however.

"President Karzai should not sacrifice women for short-term political deal-making," Adams said. "He is playing with fire. How will he be able to refuse demands for similar discriminatory laws from other communities?"

Human Rights Watch said the law is in direct violation of Article 22 of the Afghan Constitution, which states men and women "have equal rights and duties before the law."

Adams said that despite calls for a review of the measure, he worries internal pressure from conservative Shiites at the Ministry of Justice would taint the process.

"The Afghan government has made commitments to protect women's rights," he said. "The government needs to act on that commitment and repeal or amend a law that so disastrously infringes on their basic freedoms."

Panjshir district weapons-free

A disarmament group with the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan declared a district in Panjshir province militant-free following a major weapons turnover.

A UNAMA-backed campaign called the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups received more than 60 heavy and light weapons recently from three armed groups operating in the Rukha district of the eastern Panjshir province, earning it a peace-district designation.

Afghan Gen. Abdul Hafeez, who oversees the DIAG program for the Ministry of Defense, said disarmament operations in the region netted more than 8,000 weapons, with more than 150 coming from Panjshir alone.

Militia leaders expressed their gratification that efforts to coordinate security in the country meant their forces could hand in their weapons.

"The era of jihad is over, and we have handed over our weapons to the central government," said Mohammad Rafi, a militia commander.

Rukha district Gov. Abdul Raziq Akrami said his region does not seek financial compensation for the returns but wants pledges from the donor community to help with local development projects.

U.S. reviews June deadline

American military forces operating in Mosul may stay active in the region beyond a June 30 deadline if requested to do so by the Iraqi government, officials said.

U.S. Army Col. Gary Volesky with the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, gave an assessment of the security situation in the northern province of Ninawa to Pentagon reporters.

The provincial capital, Mosul, has seen some of the worst violence in Iraq. A suicide operation killed five American soldiers during Mosul operations last week.

Volesky said Sunni and al-Qaida militants have been able to operate in northern Iraq due to an underdeveloped Iraqi security force in the north and American attention in Baghdad.

Under the terms of a bilateral Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government, U.S. military forces are required to pull back to their major military bases by June 30.

Volesky said, however, that if the Iraqi government requests additional U.S. military assistance, that deadline is available for review.

"If the Iraqi government believes we should stay in Mosul to continue the security progress, we'll support our Iraqi counterparts past June 30 and continue to build on the momentum that we've got here," he said.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq, made similar statements in March, saying he expects Baghdad to ask for a sustained military engagement in the volatile Diyala province and in Mosul.

Amnesty concerned over Kurdish forces

Amnesty International raised concerns that the Asayish security force in the Kurdish region of Iraq operates with impunity and continually abuses its authority.

In September, Kurdish officials acknowledged there was no formal jurisdiction over the Asayish from the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq but noted that Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani actively participated in all aspects of regional security.

The Asayish participates in counter-narcotics, anti-terrorism and general intelligence operations.

Amnesty said information gleaned from a 2008 fact-finding mission suggests the Asayish regularly detained several people without charge, in some cases torturing detainees or causing forced disappearances.

The Amnesty report said many detainees have been released from custody, though the Asayish continues to conduct operations unchecked. Kurdish authorities also failed to control the Parastin and Dezgay Zanyari armed divisions of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

In 2008, the central government in Baghdad outlawed politically-backed militias, including the Mehdi Army of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr and the Badr Brigade. Amnesty called on the KRG to exact a measure of control over its security forces.

"The KRG must take concrete steps to rein in these forces and make them fully accountable under the law if recent human rights gains are to prove effective," Amnesty regional program director Malcolm Smart said.

Religious minorities anxious in Iraq

Minority religious groups in Iraq expressed mixed sentiments regarding the continuity of ethnic and sectarian diversity in the country.

The religious-minority community in Iraq has faced persecution since 2003. European leaders and others have expressed their willingness to receive thousands of Iraqi refugees from Syria and Jordan who fled targeted violence.

Meanwhile, church leaders continue to call on the Iraqi government to offer security guarantees to religious minorities in order to preserve national diversity, while still others complain the Christian community receives preferential treatment.

The United Nations estimates the Christian community in Iraq approached 1.5 million prior to the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, but most current surveys suggest those numbers have dwindled to around 500,000, the Iraqi political Web site Niqash.org reports.

Daniel Bolus, a priest at the Virgin Mary Church in Baghdad, told the Web site that the "decision to host Iraqi Christians stems from (a) concern for their suffering, but it will encourage Christians to leave the country, and this will change the demographic nature of Iraq."

Members of the Christian community, however, remained resolute in the face of increased persecution, calling it a national obligation to stay in the country.

"I will never think of migrating because I love my family, my people and my country," said one Baghdad Christian, Fadi Rita.

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(dgraeber@upi.com)