Taliban warn of new operations; Iraqi Kurdistan tense ahead of elections

Taliban warn of new operations

A Taliban spokesman warned Wednesday of a new insurgent operation targeting the expected increase in American and international forces in Afghanistan.

There are around 70,000 troops in Afghanistan operating under NATO and U.S. command.

U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan earlier this year, calling for an increase in military troops and trainers to tackle al-Qaida and Taliban militants. NATO pledged additional forces to help provide security as Afghanistan prepares for presidential elections in August.

A Taliban spokesman told media officials Wednesday they would launch Operation Nasrat on Tuesday in an effort to target Western-backed Afghan leaders and coordinate suicide bombings and other attacks, the Pakistani daily Dawn reports.

The spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghans needed Taliban support to defend themselves and their country from foreign occupation.

The statement warned that fighters loyal to the Taliban would target diplomatic missions and officials with the "puppet government" as well as official buildings and vulnerable supply routes.

Taliban leaders have made similar statements in the past, though most military officials have discounted their claims. The latest warning, however, comes as violence in Afghanistan is expected to increase as the weather improves.

Obama meets opposition to Afghan strategy

U.S. President Barack Obama was forced to defend his multibillion-dollar strategy for Afghanistan to lawmakers on Capitol Hill worried over a lack of metrics.

Obama unveiled a sweeping agenda for the war effort in Afghanistan that includes a modest troop surge, renewed focus on al-Qaida and non-military aid to Pakistan. Critics of the Obama strategy say the plan lacks a variety of benchmarks, including a timeline for troop withdrawal.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., the co-chair of liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus, expressed criticism over the lack of an exit strategy, The Washington Post reports.

"We said, 'We need timelines,'" Woolsey said.

Lawmakers in the caucus also raised objections to the $83 billion price tag for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, slated for a May vote. Caucus members complained the war funding focused too much on military solutions and not enough on diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan.

Obama, however, urged patience, saying the strategy needs time to unfold. Despite modest public support for Obama's strategy in Afghanistan, however, several of the lawmakers said they would vote against the supplemental spending request.

Unity needed in Afghan reform strategy

The European Union needs to boost its commitment and improve multilateral coordination to reform the justice system in Afghanistan effectively, a study showed.

Limited resources in the sector of police reform coupled with a lack of coordination are inhibiting the effectiveness of the EU Police Mission in Afghanistan, a study by the EU Institute for Security Studies found.

The report noted that internal constraints have translated to a bilateral effort toward police and justice reform in Afghanistan, notably in the German and Italian efforts, where a multilateral approach would prove more efficient.

Several government and international agencies have expressed concern that the coordinated mission in Afghanistan is lacking transparency and joint cooperation.

The report noted that only through increasing available resources and coordinating joint strategies can the EU make an effective contribution to reform in Afghanistan.

It went on to say that the EU police mission is "far below" its necessary mission strength and suffers from insufficient expertise in its existing staff.

By acting in unison, the report said, the EU can develop a coordinated strategy with the international community working in Afghanistan to carry out justice and police reform.

Campaigning under way in Iraqi Kurdistan

Campaigning for the Kurdish provincial elections began Wednesday with 42 parties, including minority groups, contesting for 111 seats available in the region.

Iraq held elections in January for 14 of its 18 provinces. The Kurdish provinces -- Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaimaniya -- and Kirkuk delayed their elections because of territorial and administrative disputes.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and Massoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and president of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, announced in early April they would compete on a unified ticket.

Three parties are vying for five Turkmen seats in the Kurdish elections while four candidates are competing for the sole Armenian seat, the Iraqi bureau of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

Five seats are available for the Chaldean and Assyrian sects of Christianity as well.

Talabani, meanwhile, has renominated himself as the head of the PUK, saying all leaders in the party support his continued leadership.

The date for the elections in Iraqi Kurdistan was tentatively set for May 19, though the official date remains uncertain. Officials with the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq said they expected an announcement on the official date from Kurdish officials within days, though the Voices of Iraq news agency mentions a July election.

Arabs, Turkmens outraged at Kirkuk petition

A petition circulated by pro-Kurdish groups to annex Kirkuk into Iraqi Kurdistan was met with outrage by members of rival ethnic communities in northern Iraq.

Kirkuk falls within the so-called disputed territories of Iraq, where the administrative authority lies at the center of disputes between the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq and the central government in Baghdad.

Petition organizers said they received support from around 80,000 residents in Kirkuk, notably from members of the Arab, Assyrian Christian, Kurdish and Turkmen groups.

The United Nations and Iraqi authorities are reviewing whether Kirkuk should be divided along ethnic lines or obtain special status. The latest report from the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq calls for a unified Kirkuk, however.

Arab and Turkmen provincial leaders, meanwhile, reacted to the petition with outrage, blaming its support on the "terror and intimidation" tactics employed by the Kurdish paramilitary force, the Asayish, the Iraqi analytical Web site Niqash.org reports.

Opponents added that the status of Kirkuk is not a matter for non-governmental organizations to decide.

Turkmen provincial council leader Ali Mahdi lashed out at the measure, saying if the petition drive continues, "we will defend ourselves with all possible means."

Journalist murder-plot trial to begin in Iraq

The Committee to Protect Journalists called on prosecutors to hold a transparent trial for the first-ever case involving a plot to kill an Iraqi journalist.

CPJ said it is following a pending case involving two suspects charged with plotting to kill Ahmed Mira, the editor in chief of Iraqi magazine Livin, based in Sulaimaniya.

"We call on the authorities to ensure that this trial is fair and public," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, a CPJ program coordinator. "It is vital that the trial is conducted properly and transparently so that it can set a precedent for future legal proceedings against others who have murdered journalists in Iraq."

The trial was expected to begin Wednesday for two suspects charged with the plot. A third person is under investigation.

CPJ said members of the Kurdish paramilitary force, Asayish, informed Livin officials of the plot in September. The two suspects facing trial were arrested in October.

A Livin reporter, Soran Mama Hama, was killed in July by unidentified gunmen in Kirkuk following a series of published reports critical of the local government. Kirkuk officials said they are investigating the murder but have not filed any charges.

CPJ said 88 of the 138 journalists killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 were murdered.

The Mira case is the first examining a plot to kill an Iraqi journalist.

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(dgraeber@upi.com)