Kurds address critics; Karzai announces presidential bid

Democracy thrives in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iraqi Kurdistan has a thriving democratic system that is open to scores of interested parties despite the claims of American scholars, Kurdish officials said.

J. Scott Carpenter with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Michael Rubin with the American Enterprise Institute wrote a sweeping condemnation of the Kurdish political system in The Washington Post.

The authors said the Kurdish provinces in Iraq were falling behind in democratic reforms and called on Washington to intervene amid claims the Kurdish political system was all but closed.

Qubad Talabani, the Kurdish envoy to the United States, countered that criticism in a letter to the editor published Monday in the Post. He wrote that provinces under the administration of the Kurdistan Regional Government have democratically elected representatives and several active political entities.

The envoy noted that, contrary to allegations raised by Carpenter and Rubin, the May provincial elections in Iraqi Kurdistan will be supervised by the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq.

IHEC, meanwhile, said Tuesday it started preparations for the provincial elections in the Kurdish provinces -- Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaimaniya – and Kirkuk, the Voices of Iraq news agency reports.

The registration process for the May elections closed Tuesday, with 42 political slates registering for the election.

Iraqi Christians resilient despite threats

Christian leaders in Iraq remained resilient despite renewed attacks on the minority religious community in the northern parts of the country.

Armed men allegedly entered the home of a Christian family in Kirkuk, killing a newlywed couple. Other incidents followed Sunday, killing one and injuring two others.

The attacks follow a period of relative calm in the wake of a spate of targeted attacks on the Christian community in Iraq in late 2008. Estimates from the United Nations suggest about half of the Christian population has fled the violence in Iraq to neighboring Syria.

Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk Louis Sako said he felt the recent upsurge in violence may be linked to the sectarian disputes that complicate Arab and Kurdish tensions over the so-called disputed territories in northern Iraq, the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need reports.

Sako, however, noted he had received pledges from Kirkuk security officials that those responsible for the attacks would be brought to justice.

The renewed attacks were a premeditated effort to drive Christians out of the country, the archbishop said, but the Christian community remained determined to stand as a representative of the diverse religious culture in Iraq.

"We will not leave Iraq. We have a mission to stay here," he said. "Even if they try to kill us, we will stay."

Iraqi violence points to sectarian split

The arrest of several members of a Shiite insurgent group linked to the Mehdi Army points to the renewed activity of armed militants in Iraq.

U.S.-led forces killed one suspect and arrested six others tied to the Brigade of the Promised Day in weekend raids in the Wasit provincial capital of Kut.

Facing increasing military and political pressure, firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr said last year his Mehdi Army would transform into a social service organization, though the special brigade would continue its armed opposition to coalition forces.

Iraq officials raised their objections to the Kut raid, saying the U.S. military operated without the direct consent of Baghdad. U.S. military officials, however, said the operation was supported by the Iraqi Defense Ministry, The Long War Journal reports.

The special brigade has not claimed responsibility for any attacks since 2008, but the arrests suggest militant activity is on the rise amid a noted anti-Iranian climate.

Analysts speculated on whether the recent attacks in Iraq targeting Iranian pilgrims are an attempt by al-Qaida to stoke sectarian divisions as its leader, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, was reportedly captured by Iraqi forces.

U.S. military officials, for their part, said that Iranian-backed groups like the Mehdi Army and its offshoots have mimicked al-Qaida attacks in an effort to drive a wedge between Sunni and Shiite Iraqis.

The Iraqi government, meanwhile, denounced the Kut raid as a criminal action by the U.S. military as two civilians were killed in the crossfire.

Karzai announces presidential bid

Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced his intention to run for a second term in office in the national elections scheduled for August.

Karzai told reporters during a meeting with visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown he would register his name as a candidate, the BBC reports.

"In a few days I too will go to register, with my vice presidents," he said.

Karzai, a Pashtun, became the interim president of Afghanistan in 2002 and won the presidential election in 2004.

He had called for elections in May to coincide with the expiration of his term, but officials moved the date back to allay security concerns. The Afghan Supreme Court has extended his term to coincide with the new election date.

Karzai seeks his second term amid Western criticism that his government is neglecting rampant corruption and turning a blind eye to the Taliban insurgency. That opposition grew as he claimed ignorance over provisions in a controversial law for the Shiite minority that obligates a wife to have sex with her husband whenever he wishes.

Karzai, meanwhile, has lashed out at his Western allies for mounting civilian casualties and increasing outside influence over the Kabul government.

A few leaders have come forward with their intent to run against Karzai, including former warlord and Nangarhar provincial Gov. Gul Agha Shirzai and fellow Pashtun Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi, a former finance minister who holds a doctorate in political science from Northwestern University.

Canada clears MPs in Afghan abuse case

A Canadian commission has found no evidence that its military police had abused Afghan detainees while in Canadian custody in Kandahar in 2006.

The University of Ottawa's Amir Attaran said a review of government documents described three detainees held by Canadian military police at the Kandahar airfield showing signs of abuse and mistreatment.

Peter Tinsley, head of the Military Police Complaints Commission, in his report on the allegations said a review of some 5,500 documents and interviews with 34 people uncovered no support for the claims.

"The commission found that the MPs treated the detainees humanely," the report said. "There was no evidence of anything inappropriate toward the detainees during their time in the custody of MPs at (Kandahar airfield)."

While the report said there was no evidence the military police attempted to conceal evidence of abuse, the commission found Canadian military police did not fully understand their duties and responsibilities in Afghanistan.

The report also noted that Canadian forces did not follow up on the cause of the head injuries of one of the detainees, though that was a primary obligation.

The Military Police Complaints Commission dealt exclusively with the Attaran allegations. The Canadian branch of Amnesty International and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association are conducting separate investigations into the abuse claims.

ADB grant funds Afghan rail system

The Asian Development Bank approved a $1.2 million grant to finance preliminary studies for a rail system in the north of Afghanistan.

A rail system in Afghanistan presents a safer and more cost-effective option for transporting goods and people across the country, the bank said in a news release.

Barely half of all roads in Afghanistan are linked across the 24 provinces, and most suffer from neglect and spates of militant attacks.

A rail system would position Afghanistan as a vital gateway in the region, linking markets and cultures in Central and South Asia, as well as the Middle East, the bank said.

A feasibility study will focus on a rail system linking Hairatan on the Uzbek border to Herat in western Afghanistan and another from Shirkhan Bendar on the border with Tajikistan to Herat.

The project is expected to cost around $1.26 million.

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(dgraeber@upi.com)