Madrid El Pais: Taliban Attack Largest Spanish Military Base in Afghanistan

October 5, 2007

[Report by Miguel Gonzalez: "Taliban Fire Shells at Largest Spanish Military Base in Afghanistan"]

On Wednesday evening, four projectiles struck near Camp Arena (Herat), the main Spanish base in Afghanistan, which houses more than 400 Spanish troops. According to Defense Ministry sources, the explosions, which did not cause any casualties or material damage, could be heard from the base, which also houses Italian troops. Bomb disposal teams yesterday found four craters between 500 and 1,000 metres from the base. The first investigations suggested that the explosions were caused by 107mm artillery shells.

This is not the first attack of this type on the Herat base, which is equipped with refuges for the soldiers. However, it is the most serious incident known since the attack on 24 September, which killed Spanish soldiers German Perez Burgos and Stanley Mera Vera and Afghan interpreter Rohula Mousavi, and injured six soldiers.

According to the report by the Defense General Staff, the device was loaded with between three and 10 kg of explosive, had a motorcycle battery as a fuse, and was activated by a 62 meter cable that was found at the scene. The explosion, which destroyed the BMR [wheeled armored vehicle] in which the victims were traveling, left a crater two meters wide and 50 centimeters deep.

[Passage omitted]

Departure of the 52
On the other hand, the 52 soldiers who will train a military logistics group and a service unit of the Afghan Army at Camp Stone military base (15 kilometers from Herat), left yesterday from Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid) in an aircraft of the Spanish Air Force.

The deployment of these troops, who mainly belong to the Mountaineering Brigade and will form two Operational Mentor and Liasion Teams (OMLT), was approved on 25 September by the Defense Commission of the Congress. The mission will last one year and cost 2.6 million euros.

[Description of Source: Madrid El Pais (Internet Version-WWW) in Spanish -- center-left national daily. OSC EUP20071005178005 Madrid El Pais (Internet Version-WWW) in Spanish 05 Oct 07]

AIP: Herat Police kill drug smuggler near Turkmenistan border

Herat, 6 October: One [drug] smuggler has been killed and four others arrested along with 100 kg of opium in [western] Afghanistan.

Speaking to Afghan Islamic Press, the commander of 4th border brigade of Herat police, Gen Rahmatollah Sapi, said that one [drug] smuggler was killed and four others were arrested along with around 100 kg of opium in three different incidents in Koshk-e Kohna and Ghowrian districts yesterday.

He added: “The first incident took place in Koshk-e Kohna district during which one person was arrested along with a weapon while smuggling opium to Turkmenistan.”

“The two other incidents took place in Ghowrian district at a time when the police encountered the drug smugglers and clashed with them,” Sapi added.

“One drug smuggler was killed in the clash and three others were arrested,” he said.

It is worth pointing out that clashes mostly take place between the police and drug smugglers in these border districts.

[Description of Source: Peshawar Afghan Islamic Press in Pashto -- Peshawar-based agency, staffed by Afghans. The agency used to have good contacts with Taliban leadership; however, since the fall of the Taliban regime, it now describes itself as independent and self-financing. OSC IAP20071006950019 Peshawar Afghan Islamic Press in Pashto 1916 GMT 06 Oct 07]

Kabul’s Rah-e Nejat newspaper: Insecurity, crime threatens Herat, country’s economic hub

3 October 2007

The western province of Herat is mainly attractive for its security, employment and other opportunities. However, the province has witnessed a deteriorating situation recently as the level of crime, abduction and robbery has increased.

Herat is an important economic hub and an important place to attract Afghan and foreign investment. But these factors can put Herat to the list of insecure and unsafe provinces.

Herat borders the provinces of Farah, Ghowr and Badghis and where similar crimes used to take place in Farah a few months ago. The [deteriorating] situation has surprised the people of the province who believe the crimes have been exported to Herat from neighbouring province of Farah.

Speaking about the recent insecurity in Herat Province, Mohammad Rafiq Shahir, head of Herat council of experts, says: The south-western zone, especially Herat, is immune from the insecurity of the south, but some exceptional incidents every now and then take place here because Herat borders the Farah Province. These incidents cannot be considered a serious security threat to Herat.

Insecurity on the rise

Shahir confirms the presence of crimes in Herat, adding that crimes could be worrying. He believes crimes have been imported from the neighbouring provinces of Herat. He said: Such crimes i.e. abduction, levying and murder were happening in Farah Province in the past but have now come under control in that province.

According to Rafiq Shahir, the presence of such crimes in important provinces like Herat could be worrying. A number of people previously working with the government are involved in insecurity incidents in Herat Province. These people have now turned against the government and create problems. This has created doubt among the people of the city.

Rafiq Shahir confirms the report, saying that some people, who have kept their weapons from the past, and those who did not, and do not, enjoy a good reputation in the society, are involved in the insecurity.

On the other hand, according to analysts, provincial authorities have identified those trying to disrupt the security situation in Herat province, but there is no one to take serious measures in this regard, because officials reportedly have their interests involved in all this too.

Opportunist elements

Meanwhile, sometime ago, Sayed Hosayn Anwari, the governor of Herat Province, spoke about the presence of a list of opportunist elements and those trying to disrupt the security situation, but, due to specific observations, did not disclose their names.

Some analysts, including the head of Herat council of experts, says the governor of Herat, in the first hand, should not have spoken about the presence of such a list and when he spoke about it, he should have disclosed the names.

On the other hand, Mr Shahir claims that all incidents that have so far happened [in Herat] somehow have had, and still have, roots within security organizations in the province.

According to Shahir, some people, who have been trusted and considered to protect the public interests, have themselves prepared the ground for insecurity.

There are contradictory remarks about causes of insecurity in a province like Herat which once regarded a symbol of peace. Everyone blames the other side for the insecurity. Everyone tries to take the burden of responsibility off their own shoulders. This would not be desirable for the people.

Not enough police, resources

The governor of Herat has reportedly told a meeting that the lack of a strong police force and necessary resources are the causes of insecurity in the province.

Anwari has added that insecurity has increased in the province and that the police force is also not able to address the problem because the police are in small in number in Herat.

One should ask why is the police structure weak in a province like Herat, and why is this issue raised after rise in insecurity?

This reminds us of the proverb (Prevention is better than cure). The officials make such comments to please the people.

Analysts like Mr Rafiq Shahir say personal relations and the fact that the governor of Herat is under pressure has made it possible for some people to work in government departments [in the province].

Shahir says: As Herat is a good city, Mr Anwari wants to remain as the person in charge here. But there are some people that continue to work in government positions [in the province] as a result of pressure on Anwari from senior government authorities. This forces the governor to take steps with compromise.

According to the head of Herat council of experts, Mr Anwari is moving towards a crisis in the current situation and this might destroy him.

But the governor of Herat, in some cases, has shown serious reaction towards security officials of the province and the police

He has described the police as unsuccessful in ensuring security and also questioned the head of national security and head of criminal investigations department of that province. He has also claimed that unprofessional and unaware people have been recruited into the police.

Sometime after Mr Anwari’s comments, the security commander, head of criminal investigations and the head of intelligence departments of Herat were sacked and were replaced by new officials.

The change of security officials in Herat can be based on different reasons. It is either because the dismissed officials did not have the competence to enforce the law and to work properly or they had lost their positions under the new police reforms.

We can also look at situation in Herat from the economic point of view. As security is an important requirement for trade and investment in the commercial province of Herat, insecurity can prevent traders from investing. If this – lack of investment – happens, it will create unemployment and the unemployment can be a factor for the increasing insecurity.

Herat economy under threat

Khoshal Rasi, head of Herat customs office, claims that insecurity in Herat and on Kabul-Herat highway has remarkably decreased investment.

According to Rasi, a trader makes an investment when he is sure of the productivity and efficiency of his investment, and if there is no security, no trader will agree to invest.

Mohammad Rafiq Shahir also claims that one of the causes of insecurity is the prevention of investment and trade. If there is no investment, people will lose their jobs and resort to different crimes, like abduction, levying, and other crimes. According to Shahir, this has highly concerned the authorities in Herat.

In regard with the abduction of investors and traders, the head of Herat industrial park was recently kidnapped by unknown armed men. One of Herat money exchangers was killed on daylight a few weeks ago.

Herat Province needs internal and external security more than anything else. The provincial authorities should make further and more serious efforts to bring back security that this part of the country once enjoyed.

In addition to safety and security, they should prepare the ground for investment of Afghan and foreign traders.

Insecurity undermines ECO summit in Herat

It should meanwhile it should be mentioned that insecurity in Herat can overshadow the meeting of foreign ministers of ECO [Economic Cooperation Organization] member countries, which will be held at the end of the current month [16-20 October] in Herat city. This will also have a negative impact on the reputation of Herat.

Good security in Herat was one of the reasons why the ECO meeting was planned to be held in the province. This has now been overshadowed by insecurity. We hope Herat gets back its security before the meeting is held.

[Description of Source: Kabul Rah-e Nejat in Dari --An eight-page independent daily in hardcopy and internet versions. The Kabul-based paper was launched after the fall of the Taliban by MP Alemi Balkhi. Often publishes editorials and articles on corruption, foreign relations, politics, security, drugs, religion and reconstruction. Generally supportive of the government and the presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan, but can be critical of government policies. Languages: Dari (mainly), Pashto. Circulation: unknown. URL: www.rahenenatdaily.com OSC IAP20071006950072 Kabul Rah-e Nejat in Dari 0000 GMT 03 Oct 07]

AFP: 4 Tons of Liquid Heroin, 1 Ton of Hashish Seized in Western Afghanistan

KABUL, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) – Afghan authorities said Sunday they had seized four tonnes of liquid heroin, one of their biggest hauls yet, as well as one tonne of hashish packed to look like a brand of instant yeast.

The finds were made separately near the border with Iran — one of the main smuggling routes for drugs from Afghanistan, which produces 93 percent of the world’s opium used to make heroin.

The heroin was discovered in the southwestern province of Farah when a drugs laboratory was raided on Saturday, Deputy Interior Minister General Daud Daud told reporters in Kabul. Four men were arrested.

“They used to export the drugs in liquid form as animal medicine to Iran,” Daud said, adding the find was one of the government’s biggest.

“In total 4,030 kilogrammes (8,866 pounds) of heroin was seized and the lab has been destroyed.” A tonne of chemicals used to make the heroin was also discovered, he said.

In the western province of Herat, officials showed journalists a shipping container holding hundreds of 500 gramme packets of a brand of instant yeast called Hollandia.

Inside the wrapping, which included the colours of the Dutch flag, was a second covering around dark hashish that read “Black Gold” and “Pak delight.”

The drugs were found at a customs office at the main border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran, Herat province governor Sayed Hussain Anwari said.

Afghanistan’s opium production this year jumped by around a third to 8,200 tonnes annually, according to the United Nations.

Most of the opium is converted to heroin within the country, it said in its annual drugs survey released in August. The main markets for Afghanistan’s opium include Europe and Central Asia.

The cultivation of cannabis, used to make hashish, increased from 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) in 2006 to 70,000 hectares this year, the survey said.

[Description of Source: Hong Kong AFP in English -- Hong Kong service of the independent French press agency Agence France-Presse. OSC JPP20071007969026 Hong Kong AFP in English 1337 GMT 07 Oct 07]