Apart from Pakistan, Afghan conflict different; Baghdad political scene in turmoil

This is not the 1980s Afghan war

Apart from the role played by Pakistan, comparing the Afghan conflict in the 1980s with the current effort there is misguided policy, a scholar said.

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to prop up a communist regime in Kabul that faced collapse from internal threats. Moscow had hoped to establish a satellite state under the Soviet empire in Central Asia as the Cold War dragged on.

With the onset of the Afghan conflict in 2001, however, Washington expressed no desire to establish a client state in the region, moving instead to counter the threat from al-Qaida and the Taliban insurgency.

U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated that position in a March 27 speech, putting the emphasis on defeating regional terrorism ahead of Western democracy in Kabul.

On the issue of sentiments, the Brookings Institution's Bruce Riedel wrote in an article for the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., the Soviet invasion provoked international condemnation, while international forces pushed forward in Afghanistan as the U.S. military was focused on Iraq.

A common theme, Riedel said, is the role of Pakistan. During both conflicts, Pakistan served as a safe haven for insurgents, stoking regional instability by focusing on threats from India.

Riedel said that until the Pakistani government and military forces come to terms with the threat posed by the insurgency, instability in the region will continue.

Apart from that similarity, however, the conflict in Afghanistan is different from the Soviet-era battle.

"While pundits may find the cliche that Afghanistan is the graveyard of empire simplistically attractive," Riedel said, "there is every reason to believe that smart policies can avoid such an outcome."

Aid needed in Farah, U.N. says

Humanitarian assistance is needed in the Afghan province of Farah as international teams examine accounts of civilian casualties, the United Nations said.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan issued an appeal for the safe passage of humanitarian convoys into Farah province while tensions simmer in the wake of a May 4 attack by the U.S. military, which by some accounts claimed more than 100 civilian lives.

Eyewitnesses said U.S. soldiers on the ground in Bala Boluk in Farah called in airstrikes on area targets well after militants loyal to the Taliban had fled the area.

UNAMA officials said tensions in the area remain high as a convoy into the region remains stalled because of ongoing security concerns, the U.N. news agency reports.

"UNAMA calls on all parties to ensure safe passage for the convoy," said UNAMA representative Nilab Mubarez, who noted "local difficulties" were slowing delivery of humanitarian aid.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. officials are investigating the Farah allegations as accounts of civilian casualties vary. Kabul said around 140 civilians, mostly children, were killed in the attack. The Afghanistan Rights Monitor, a Kabul-based watchdog group, however, puts the number at 117.

Khalilzad tapped for Kabul post

Afghan and U.S. leaders tapped a former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, for an unelected position alongside President Hamid Karzai, officials said.

Senior officials close to U.S. President Barack Obama said Khalilzad could serve with the rank of prime minister in the Afghan government, giving the White House a key ally in Kabul as concerns over Karzai mount, The New York Times reports.

Khalilzad, who led early efforts in Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S.-led campaign in 2001, was mentioned as a possible challenger to Karzai in the August presidential contest, but the Times said he had missed the May 8 deadline for registration.

The appointment would bring a strong U.S. ally to Kabul while bolstering government efficiency and allaying concerns over rampant corruption. Washington said it is not behind the Khalilzad appointment, though the position figured large in talks with Afghan and U.S. officials during high-level meetings in early May.

Apart from Afghanistan, Khalilzad served as the U.S. envoy to Iraq from 2005 to 2007, where he helped negotiations on provisions for the Iraqi Constitution.

It is uncertain if lawmakers, however, will sanction such a partnership, and the Times reports Karzai may balk on the alliance as both officials have a tense relationship.

Lawsuit threatened over Baghdadi claims

The Iraqi Islamic Party announced Tuesday it would file lawsuits with the Baghdad Operations Command over claims the Sunni party was linked to al-Qaida in Iraq.

Several media outlets published accounts of statements offered by Ahmed Abed Ahmed Khamees al-Mujamaie, known as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the alleged emir of the Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaida affiliate.

The man told an off-camera interrogator that the goal of al-Qaida in Iraq was to stoke sectarian conflict between Sunnites and Shiites, saying he played a key role in those plans.

Financing, he said, came from extortion and other means in Iraq, as well as from Syrian, Egyptian and Saudi charities. His orders came from outside of the country, he said, though he added the Islamic State of Iraq was connected to the Iraqi Islamic Party.

IIP member Salim al-Jabouri said lawmakers on the security and defense committee in the Iraqi Parliament would summon Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Qassim Atta to elaborate on the Baghdadi confessions, stressing his party had no links to al-Qaida, the Voices of Iraq news agency reports.

Baghdad maintains the man it has in custody is Baghdadi, though critics counter the emir of the Islamic State of Iraq was a fictitious character.

Baghdad summons oil minister

Iraqi lawmakers on an energy committee summoned Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani to answer questions regarding perceived failures during his tenure.

Iraqi lawmakers on the Oil and Gas Committee issued a request to Parliament Speaker Iyad al-Samarrai to bring Shahristani in for questioning, the Platts news service reports.

Jaber Khalifa Jaber, a member of the eristic Shiite Fadhila Party, told Iraqi media outlets lawmakers would "cover all important aspects where the ministry under Shahristani has failed."

Jaber said the Oil Ministry under Shahristani fell short of export and production expectations, causing a budget crisis for the Iraqi government. Meanwhile, Iraq still struggles on the terms of a national hydrocarbon law, which undermines any hope of resolving lingering disputes between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

The summoning comes as the KRG prepares for major developments in its oil and gas sector. The KRG announced earlier this month it was set for oil exports June 1, and earlier this week several regional energy companies announced Kurdish gas was set for the heralded Nabucco pipeline to Europe.

Though Baghdad has seemingly acquiesced to the oil contracts amid budget shortfalls, government officials have raised objections to the gas deals.

Meanwhile, Shahristani's office has come under fire from several ministers who connected failures in the Oil Ministry with a variety of revenue-related issues in Iraq.

The Fadhila Party, for its part, has maintained its opposition to Shahristani since it lost the Oil Ministry in 2006.

Iraqi Interior Ministry scrutinized

Claims that the Iraqi Interior Ministry was infiltrated by criminal elements involved in thefts and raids raised concerns over national abilities.

Five members of the Iraqi police force were linked to a high-profile theft of a Baghdad jeweler in April as Iraqi officials investigate corruption within the Interior Ministry ranks.

Lawmakers in the defense and security committee in the Iraqi Parliament are investigating the claims as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki lays blame on the initial post-Saddam government structure, the Iraqi analytical Web site Niqash reports.

"The foundations on which the (Interior) Ministry has been built were not clear at the outset," the premier said.

Allegations mounted that the ministry was using death squads and supplying militants with official documents to escape scrutiny since the influential Shiite Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council took control over of the Interior Ministry in 2005.

Documents from the Interior Ministry blame second- and third-tier officers with the criminal activity, noting many were dismissed based on their affiliation with outlawed militias.

Adnan al-Asadi, the deputy interior minister, admitted that the activity occurred but backed Maliki's claims that proper vetting procedures were not implemented from the onset, according to Niqash.

"In 2003 and 2004, U.S. forces tried to attract the largest possible number of volunteers, and the majority did not undergo any security check," he said.

He noted, however, that new recruits must be approved by senior officials in his ministry before employment is awarded.

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(dgraeber@upi.com)