Daily brief: bomb kills four Afghan cops

Event: After last week’s U.S.-Pakistan strategic dialogue, what’s next for the troubled relationship? Peter Bergen and Imtiaz Gul discuss tomorrow at 12:15pm in DC (NAF).

Deadly remote controls

A remote-controlled roadside bomb killed four Afghan police, including a district police chief, earlier today in the western province of Herat (AP, Pajhwok, Reuters). In northern Takhar, a Dutch aid worker and his driver were kidnapped, and coalition forces reportedly killed a leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (AP, AP, Pajhwok, ISAF).

The Washington Post has previously undisclosed audio files of members of the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, who are charged with murdering three Afghan civilians in Kandahar earlier this year, discussing one of the alleged attacks with villagers (Post). Army investigators allege that the platoon members randomly shot a local cleric, and the platoon leader insisted in the recordings, made by an embedded photojournalist, that the mullah had attacked them with a Russian hand grenade. The Post also reports that military progress is being made in several districts in Kandahar, with the help of the Afghan border police commander Col. Abdul Razziq, who has reportedly led clearing operations and captured "hundreds of Taliban fighters" (Post). 

Afghan President Hamid Karzai claimed that any criticism over his financial relationship with the Iranian government, recently disclosed in the media though American officials say they have long been aware of Iran’s assistance to Kabul, is motivated by Western anger at his decree calling for the closure of private security firms operating in Afghanistan by the end of the year (NYT, WSJ, CNN). Karzai reportedly "stormed out" of a meeting about the issue on Sunday with Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Afghanistan, saying he "did not need the West’s help" (NYT).

And Afghanistan’s minister of mines is trying to drum up investor interest in the country’s mining potential, which could top some $3 trillion (Reuters).

Regional corruption

Pakistan is ranked 143rd on Transparency International’s annual corruption perceptions index, and Afghanistan 176th, out of 178 countries (ET, Dawn, The News). Read the TI report here (TI).

Clashes between militants and Pakistani security forces in the northwest tribal agency of Orakzai are ongoing, and Pakistani officials say 90 percent of the agency has been cleared, although violence has continued since the military declared victory there in June (The News, ET, Dawn/AP). Gunship helicopters and ground troops also killed nine alleged militants in Safi, an area of Mohmand, late last night.

Flashpoint

Two Indian policemen and a girl were reportedly injured yesterday in Indian-administered Kashmir when a separatist protest turned violent in Sopore (PTI, Hindu). A hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference called for a strike, and some towns in the valley were shut down yesterday. 

Not enough almonds

Afghan officials have warned that the northern Afghan province of Balkh may produce fewer almonds than last year because of cold weather (Tolo). Almonds are one of Balkh’s major exports.

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