Latest Articles about South Asia

Pakistan under pressure following the London attacks

Pressure continues to pile on Pakistan over the visit to Pakistan by the London bombers months before the attacks on July 7. Immigration officials have established that two of the four suspected bombers (both of Pakistani origin) — Shahzad Tanweer and Mohammed Siddiq Khan —... MORE

AFGHANISTAN MOVES TO COMPLETE DISARMAMENT AHEAD OF ELECTIONS

On June 30, 2005, Afghanistan concluded the Disarmament Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) process. During the closing ceremony, President Hamid Karzai called the experience a success and symbolically accepted the last weapon from a commander (Afghan Tolo TV, July 9). Ariane Quentier, a spokesperson for the... MORE

TALIBAN ATTACKS GROW BOLDER

In the biggest operation since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, last week the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces backed by U.S. helicopters and British jet fighters killed more than 170 insurgents and arrested another 56 men, some of whom wounded. Afghan and... MORE

AFGHAN GOVERNMENT BLAMES TERRORISTS FOR RECENT ATTACKS

Afghanistan is facing a bloody summer, after the June 1 bombing of a mosque in Kandahar and an attack in southern Afghanistan on June 8 that killed two American soldiers. Such incidents have raised many questions about the Taliban's current activities (see EDM, June 2).... MORE

TALIBAN FORCES NOW ATTACKING SUNNI LEADERS IN AFGHANISTAN

Yesterday, June 1, a suicide bomber struck the grand mosque in Kandahar City, southern Afghanistan, killing at least 27 people and injuring scores of others. Among the dead was the Kabul police commander, General Akram Khakraizwall. The attack was carried out during a ceremony held... MORE

CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR AFGHAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

Monday, May 23, was the last day to register as a candidate for Afghanistan's new parliament. The Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) extended the deadline by six days in Nangarhar province and three days in the other 33 provinces to accommodate more candidates. The eastern... MORE

Pakistan’s Hunt for Al-Qaeda in South Waziristan

Pakistan’s month long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorists, believed to be sheltered by a sub-clan of the powerful Wazir tribe that inhabits the area along Afghanistan’s border in South Waziristan, has reached a stalemate, and there has still been no public announcement indicating the capture of... MORE

Arrest of al-Libby in Pakistan May Give Contrary Results

Opinions on the importance of the arrest of Abu Faraj al-Libby, announced by the Pakistani authorities on May 4, are mixed. Touted as the "al-Qaeda number 3" — after Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri — and with a $10 million bounty on... MORE

Radicals and Reformers in Pakistani Politics

The outbreak of sectarian violence in Karachi in May 2004 is a testimony to the volatile conditions still prevailing in Pakistan. And while Pakistani forces cooperate with coalition troops to subdue a stubborn resistance in South Waziristan, the country struggles to strike a balance between... MORE