Eikenberry addresses civilian casualties; Kurds threaten secession in Ninawa province

U.S. pledges to curb civilian casualties

Washington will work with the Kabul government and national military to reduce the occurrence of civilian casualties, the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan said.

U.S. military forces face increasing backlash over the growing number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan. A U.S. airstrike in the Bala Buluk district of the Afghan province of Farah killed as many as 100 civilians May 4, though Washington disputes the number.

In an interview with National Public Radio, his first since taking office in early May, Karl Eikenberry relayed his pledge to tribal elders in Farah.

"The United States will work tirelessly with your government, with your army and with your police to find ways to reduce the price paid by civilians and to avoid tragedies like has occurred recently at Bala Buluk," he said.

Eikenberry dismissed calls from Afghan President Hamid Karzai to end some of the practices that led to the Farah incident, including nighttime raids, saying they are a necessary part of war.

Meanwhile, he acknowledged the challenges in Afghanistan extend beyond military matters to establishing a transparent and effective government in Kabul, which many observers say is mired in corruption.

"The government of Afghanistan owes to its people and, frankly, to the international community which is making enormous sacrifices here, a very serious effort to attack known problems of corruption," he said.

AFPAK threat inseparable

Afghanistan and Pakistan are inseparable threats to U.S. national security, but the lessons from Iraq give U.S. forces an edge, Adm. Mike Mullen said.

Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the regional challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"Our national interests are tied to that region, perhaps more than to any other right now," he said. "And, there's no corner of the world -- none -- that concerns me more."

U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan earlier this year, coupling non-military aid to Pakistan with the counterinsurgency battle in Afghanistan against Taliban militants and al-Qaida.

Mullen said more U.S. financial assistance is needed to support Pakistanis as they struggle to cope with a growing Taliban insurgency, noting that as the American military effort in Afghanistan ramps up, Taliban fighters may push "deeper into Pakistan."

The Joint Chiefs chairman backed the plans for Afghanistan, saying success depends on transparent governance and an able Afghan security force.

He also linked success to Afghanistan moving away from an economy dependent on opium and to the development of sustainable civil institutions.

Military strategists have modeled the Afghan strategy after counterinsurgency doctrines employed in Iraq, which Mullen said gave the U.S. military a distinct advantage.

"We will be smarter now in Afghanistan and more successful, in my view, not in spite of Iraq, but because of it," he said.

Karzai's strength growing

Political observers note Afghan President Hamid Karzai has displayed a large degree of political savvy in an answer to critics questioning his re-election bid.

Afghanistan holds presidential elections Aug. 20, with more than 40 candidates moving in one way or the other in the nascent democratic environment in Kabul.

Karzai had faced a tough election battle as lagging development and rampant corruption cast him in a negative light among top officials in Washington.

Meanwhile, his nomination of former Defense Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim Khan as his running mate raised hackles as the former warlord has a reputation for heavy-handed tactics.

That decision, however, dismantled the opposition United National Front that posed the greatest challenge to Karzai's bid for a second term. Furthermore, a decision by Nangarhar Provincial Gov. Gul Agha Shirzai to drop out of the race left Karzai in a leading position in the elections.

Afghan political analyst Rostar Tarakai told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that Karzai must still tackle a government emerging from decades of civil conflict.

"The current government has been unable to effectively administer all the international aid coming into the country," he said.

But Humayun Hamidzad, the spokesman for president, said Karzai is moving in a unified way to bring recovery to the war-stricken nation.

"And the president's strategy is a national one, a welcoming one, and ensures the unity of Afghanistan. And that is also a recipe for success for his re-election," he said.

Kurds in Ninawa threaten secession

Kurdish lawmakers in the northern Iraqi province of Ninawa threaten to join the Kurdistan Regional Government as conflicts with Sunni officials intensify.

The Sunni-led Hadbaa list won a surprising victory in Ninawa in the January provincial elections, trouncing their Kurdish counterparts by taking 19 of the 37 council seats and effective control over the government.

The Hadbaa victory provoked a Kurdish boycott of the provincial government when it refused to allow Kurds to take any of the Cabinet positions.

The Kurdish Ninawa Brotherhood list, which came in second with 12 council seats, has threatened to annex parts of the province to the Kurdistan Regional Government unless Hadbaa allows Kurds into the government, the Iraqi analytical Web site Niqash reports.

"The Brotherhood list represents one million people in the province, but Hadbaa decided not to respect the voice of one million people," said Barzan Sa'eed Kaka, the mayor of the predominately Kurdish district of Makhmour.

Many of the Kurds in Makhmour say they do not consider themselves citizens of Ninawa province, instead looking to the KRG as their government.

The sentiments follow skirmishes between Hadbaa leaders and members of the Kurdish paramilitary force, Asayish, prompting concerns over provincial stability.

More than 500 candidates for Kurdish vote

A total of 509 candidates from 42 parties are vying for the 111 seats open for the July 25 elections for the Kurdish Parliament, Iraqi elections officials said.

Elections for the Kurdish provincial councils are expected to coincide with parliamentary elections for the Iraqi central government in January 2010. The Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq vetted scores of candidates and political slates for the July 25 parliamentary contest, but rejected some coalitions for unspecified reasons, the Voices of Iraq news agency reports.

"IHEC approved 42 political blocs, including 20 political blocs and 15 within alliances and withdrew seven blocs from the competition," IHEC's Hamdiya al-Husseini said at a news conference in Erbil.

IHEC officials added there will be five polling stations opened in Baghdad and 84 in the three Kurdish provinces -- Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaimaniya.

The Kurdish political system faces criticism as the two main parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, announced there were competing on a unified ticket for the parliamentary election.

Modest opposition, however, is expected to emerge given the high number of candidates seeking parliamentary seats.

The vote is delayed indefinitely in Kirkuk province while national and international teams consider power-sharing arrangements there.

Lawmakers vet five-year goals

Iraqi and U.S. officials gathered representatives from various ministries in the Baghdad government to discuss investment and economic strategies.

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Rafie al-Issawi and Planning Minister Ali Baban gathered lawmakers and provincial council leaders to discuss sustained development under a five-year plan overseen by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The conference was the first of its kind, bringing national leaders together to discuss policy strategies and program initiatives through 2014, USAID reports.

The USAID program trained more than 70,000 Iraqi officials in effective governance and financial and project management. Baban lauded the strategic effort, saying effective management of the economy was the foundation for national reconstruction.

"Investment and productivity are the cornerstones of the plan," he said. "These two words represent our call to build a new Iraq, and we can overcome our economic problems only through patience, sacrifice, and hard decisions."

Delegates at the developmental meeting laid out their objective in several areas, from agriculture to housing.

The developmental strategy comes as several officials, from the trade minister to the oil minister, face questioning from lawmakers in Baghdad over a variety of corruption charges and concerns over neglect.

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(dgraeber@upi.com)