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Sunday, August 8, 2010

Afghan war 'kills 1,325 civilians this year'

More than 1,300 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year, mostly by Taliban insurgents, a leading Afghan rights group said Sunday. Taliban militants were responsible for about 68 percent of the 1,325 deaths while Afghan and NATO troops were to blame for 23 percent, Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission said. Violent but "unknown factors" killed the rest, it said. The new toll shows a five percent increase over the same period last year, the group said, citing a nationwide count of civilian casualties by its regional offices, senior commissioner Nader Nadery told reporters. Most of the casualties caused by the insurgents were killed by improvised explosive devices, the Taliban's weapon of choice which is also responsible for most military deaths in Afghanistan. Nadery said fewer people had died in NATO-led airstrikes but more had been killed in rocket attacks targeting insurgents, but he did not give figures. Civilian casualties have become a critical issue in the nearly nine-year Afghan war and reducing the number of such incidents is seen as crucial to a US-led counter-insurgency strategy designed to end the conflict.

Rains add to Pakistan flood woes


An estimated 13 million Pakistanis affected by the worst floods in the country's history are bracing for more misery as heavy rains further bloat rivers and streams. Experts have warned that the situation in the northwest of the country, already devastated by the disaster, is set to worsen over the next 24 hours as fresh rains further swelled the Kabul River. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people in the southern Sindh province were being evacuated from areas around the Indus river in anticipation of more flooding. The flooding has left more than 1,600 people dead and is the worst in Pakistan since 1929. The United Nations said that disaster is "on a par" with the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which killed about 73,000 people, in terms of the number of people needing assistance and damage to infrastructure. Swollen rivers are carrying a huge volume of water south, raising fears that further destruction lies ahead. One million people are in the process of evacuating from Sindh province.  

Al-Qaeda's most active affiliates in Africa: US State Dept


The United States said that despite major setbacks, Al-Qaeda's core in Pakistan is the "most formidable" terrorist group threatening the United States. In an annual report, the State Department said that Al-Qaeda reeled under a Pakistani military onslaught, has lost many of its leaders, and has found it "tougher to raise money, train recruits and plan attacks" outside Pakistan and Afghanistan. The report further stated that Al-Qaeda was actively engaged in operational planning against the United States and continued recruiting, training and deploying operatives, including individuals from Western Europe and North America. The report further alleged that Iran as promoter of terror activities.

Shoes thrown at Zardari in Birmingham


One protester on Saturday threw shoes at President Zardari in protest at his decision to visit UK despite PM Cameron’s insulting comments and the floods crisis in Pakistan. However, the shoes missed the president but the shoe-thrower was captured and taken away by security men. President Zardqari said that said that they fought 12 years to end the rule of a dictator and shouted the slogan of 'Giye Bhutto.' He said that the present democratic government will succeed in pulling the country out of its present problems and challenges. Addressing a big community meeting here at International Convention Centre, he said it was a dream of both Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed to see Pakistan as a progressive and democratic country and the government was working hard to achieve those objectives. Earlier, scores of people staged protest demonstrations outside the Convention Centre on the occasion of President Asif Ali Zardari’s address to the PPP meeting in Birmingham. Hundreds of people belonging to PML-N and other opposition parties and the civil society participated in the demonstrations. Protesters voiced slogans against the president, when he along with Bilawal Bhutto and Pakistani High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan reached the Convention Center. The protesters said that the president should not visit the United Kingdom leaving the hapless people of Pakistan at the mercy of raging floods. The president should share the miseries of Pakistani nation in such worst condition, they added. Heavy contingent of police stopped the protesters from entering into the Convention Center, however they continued their protest Zardari outside the center. Federal Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said that British newspapers have declared President's visit as successful. He denied that any shoes were thrown on the President.