Daily brief: partial Afghan poll results to be released

The countdown continues

Afghan election authorities plan to release partial preliminary results of last weekend’s parliamentary contests, as complaints about fraud continue to pour in; the Electoral Complaints Commission has received some 5,500, most from Kandahar, Kabul, Balkh, Nangarhar, and Badakhshan (AP, Pajhwok, Tolo). The Christian Science Monitor looks closely at the ECC’s provincial bodies, whose members face threats and bribes (CSM).

A group of insurgents staged an attack on a NATO and Afghan army outpost in the eastern province of Khost yesterday, and at least 30 militants were killed in the resulting fight (AP, AP). Military doctors in southern Afghanistan say insurgents are creating more destructive roadside bombs by packing them with things that can get embedded in the bodies of the victims: coils, screws, bolts, ball bearings, and household objects like parts of shoes (USAT). Twenty-nine Afghan women graduated earlier today in a class of new Afghan Army recruits, the country’s first female officers in decades (Reuters). They will be doing mostly administrative work.

At least three Afghan journalists have now been arrested in the last few days, two by international forces on suspicion of collaborating with the Taliban and the third by Afghanistan’s spy agency on unknown charges (NYT, Post). Al Jazeera has called on the coalition to release its two cameramen immediately, and Reporters San Frontieres called the arrests "disturbing" (AJE, Pajhwok). Bonus read: Afghanistan’s not-so-free press (FP).

A bad crash

The Pentagon has disclosed that all nine troops who were killed when a helicopter crashed in Zabul earlier this week were American: three Navy SEALS, one Navy special warfare technician, and five soldiers from the 101st Airborne (AP, LAT, CNN). The military has not released any more information about the crash, which was the worst for the coalition since 2006.

The White House is playing down the divisions within the Obama administration over its Afghanistan strategy described in the new Bob Woodward book, due out Monday, and many of the president’s senior advisers reportedly approve of how he comes across in last fall’s review process (Post, WSJ). The book also reportedly describes how three generals — retired Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, retired Gen. James Jones, and Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute — were the military’s toughest critics during the deliberations (Post). And U.S. officials have reportedly confirmed the existence of a 3,000-man paramilitary army of Afghans run by the CIA that allegedly conducts anti-militant operations in the border areas, sometimes in Pakistan (Post, ABC).

Gen. David Petraeus, the top NATO and U.S. commander in Afghanistan, tells the Times of London that "We are conducting the highest level of targeted, intelligence-driven operations that we have ever conducted in our history," and is impressed at the number of "jackpots" — that is, the number of those targeted who are actually captured or killed — in special forces operations (Times). He also reiterated that July 2011 will be the start of a process of withdrawal, "not a date when we rush for the exit and reach for the light switch to turn it out before leaving the room" (Times).

Troop in the throngs of military men

Pakistani military operations are continuing in the semi-tribal area of Frontier Region Peshawar, where an estimated 50 percent of the residents have left for safer ground (Daily Times, Geo). Dozens of militants were reportedly killed in a four-day military operation in Khyber (Pajhwok). At least 26 people have been killed in Karachi over the last three days, and Karachi officials say they have arrested the "mastermind" allegedly behind several targeted killings, a former police constable from the special branch of the Sindh police (Geo, Dawn, Dawn).

Flood watch: The U.N. assessed that more than 10,000 public and private schools in Pakistan have been damaged by flooding in the country, affecting around two million students (AFP). China has pledged an addition $200 million in flood aid, on top of its initial $47 million, which was criticized for insufficiency (AFP).

Flashpoint

The government of Indian-administered Kashmir is reportedly considering the release of 300 people who have been detained for throwing stones at Indian security forces in the last three months, as a gesture of goodwill (HT, ToI). Indian authorities have also relaxed a 12-day curfew in parts of the valley (Indian Express).

A little friendly competition

To mark World Peace Day today and raise awareness, disabled footballers in Kabul played a friendly match against a local club, tying 1-1 (Pajhwok). The four year old Paralympics Federation has also set up teams for sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, table tennis, bowling, karate, and more.

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