Daily brief: suicide attack wounds at least six near U.S. base in Kabul

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The buildup

Ahead of this Thursday’s international conference on Afghanistan in London, leaders from the region are meeting for a second day of talks in Istanbul with an eye toward finding a "single voice" to take to Britain, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai reportedly plans to ask the United Nations to remove some Taliban names from its ‘blacklist,’ a first step toward negotiations between the government and militants (AFP, BBC, AFP, Reuters, Dawn). Tom Coghlan reports that U.S. and British support for the idea is "lukewarm," but outgoing chief U.N. envoy in Afghanistan Kai Eide also endorses the removal of some names (Times of London).

And in spite of domestic opposition, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that her country will send 500 more troops to Afghanistan, with 350 more in "flexible reserve," both of which require the consent of the German parliament (BBC, NYT, AFP, Reuters, DW, Bloomberg). NATO and its allies have been putting pressure on Germany and other nations to up their commitments to Afghanistan, and the alliance is reportedly set to officially name its new top civilian representative in the country sometime today (AP, BBC, Reuters, AFP). Britain’s ambassador to Afghanistan Mark Sedwill has reportedly been appointed to the position, which will be on par with top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

Militant reconciliation will be at the top of the agenda at the London conference, and Britain and Japan have signed on to head an international fund of up to $500 million over five years designed to lure Taliban fighters to lay down their arms by offering jobs, protection, and de-blacklisting (Wash Post). Pakistan appears to be on board to play a role in mediating talks (Daily Times, Pajhwok, McClatchy, FT).

Guns and money

Just moments ago, a suicide car bomb wounded at least six civilians near a convoy of military vehicles close to a U.S. military base in Afghanistan’s capital, and it is unclear if anyone was killed (AP, Reuters). Pajhwok reports that a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack, saying 600 kilos of explosives destroyed three vehicles (Pajhwok).

The read of the day is Eric Schmitt’s accounting of two cables sent by U.S. ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry in November, prior to the Obama administration’s announcement regarding increased troop levels in Afghanistan, now published by the New York Times (NYT). The cables, which detail Eikenberry’s deep concerns about Karzai’s responsibility, the cost of a troop increase, and militant sanctuary in Pakistan, are available in full here (NYT). And Peter Bergen reports on a December 22, 2009 intelligence briefing prepared by Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn outlining the strategy, strength, and increasing effectiveness of the Taliban and their allies in Afghanistan (CNN).

The Obama administration reportedly plans to ask Congress for an additional $14.2 billion in funding to train Afghanistan’s army and police force over the next two years, a sum needed to boost the country’s security forces from 190,820 last November to 305,600 by October 2011 (Reuters). And British and other NATO troops are preparing to launch a large offensive in the Taliban-dominated southern Afghan province of Helmand (Guardian, BBC).

And even as the Afghan government put on a ceremony to honor police who fought in last Monday’s attacks on Kabul, chatter continues about which militant group was responsible for the strikes, which paralyzed the capital for hours: Afghan intelligence officials say the assault was linked to the Haqqani network (NYT, AJE, Reuters, CNN).

The legal side

The Chicago businessman accused of providing material support for terrorism for the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that left more than 160 dead pled not guilty in federal court yesterday morning (AFP, WSJ, BBC, Reuters). Prosecutors allege that Tahawwur Rana allowed his friend David Coleman Headley, a suspect in plotting the Mumbai attacks, to use his immigration company as a front to conduct surveillance in several Indian cities and also in Denmark, where the two men allegedly planned to attack the offices of a newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005.

Aafia Siddiqui, the U.S.-educated Pakistani neuroscientist accused of attempting to shoot U.S. Army officers while in detention in Afghanistan in 2008, was again twice ejected from her trial proceedings in New York following outbursts in the courtroom yesterday (NYT, AP). Yesterday also included tearful testimony from the soldier whose rifle was allegedly used in the attack and who shot Siddiqui during the subsequent struggle. 

Pakistani security forces have reportedly killed around 30 militants in airstrikes in Bajaur and a gunfight in Kurram (AFP, Dawn). And the Taliban in North Waziristan led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur have reportedly rewarded one of their fighters with a new car for allegedly shooting down a suspected U.S. drone near the village of Hamzoni over the weekend (The News).

Not cutting a rug

Afghanistan’s rug exports are down 44 percent over the past nine months, affected by violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the economic recession (Pajhwok). More than six million Afghans are involved in the rug trade, which is one of Afghanistan’s leading export industries.

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