Ron Synovitz is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL.
Presidents Karzai (left) and Musharraf (file photo) (CTK) PRAGUE, March 6, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf has lashed out at Afghan President Hamid Karzai -- accusing elements within the Afghan Defense Ministry and intelligence community of conspiring to malign Pakistan. In an interview late on March 5, Musharraf derided as "nonsense" the accusation from Karzai that Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is sheltering in Pakistan.
Scene from the movie "The Road To Guantanamo" (Courtesy Photo) A sometimes-harrowing film about the Guantanamo Bay detention center garners plaudits just as a UN report puts a critical spotlight on the detention of terror suspects by the United States.
Afghan President Karzai and Pakistani President Musharraf today in Islamabad (epa) Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in Islamabad today on a two-day visit that includes talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. The Afghan president says he wants Islamabad to work harder to stop cross-border terrorist attacks -- including the growing number of suicide bombings in Afghanistan that Kabul has blamed on "elements within Pakistan." But Pakistan has concerns of its own.
Sectarian violence erupted in the western Afghan city of Herat today at a gathering for the Shi'ite Muslim holiday of Ashura.
At least 11 people have been killed in Afghanistan during violent protests over newspaper cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, but some observers say the tide of anger is being exploited for other means.
The new rules for the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force were quickly put to the test amid violent protests.
ISAF troops in Zabul Province last year (Courtesy Photo) The Dutch parliament today is debating whether to send more than 1,100 extra troops to Afghanistan's volatile south as part of a NATO-led security force. NATO plans this year to deploy about 7,000 soldiers to southern provinces formerly patrolled by U.S. combat forces. Many NATO troops will be based in isolated mountain areas where fighting continues against the remnants of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. That has raised concerns in Holland that Dutch forces may be lured into a combat role in Afghanistan. With more than half of Holland's voters opposed to the deployment, the Dutch government wants lawmakers at The Hague to make the final decision.
Afghan officials say they have arrested nine suspected terrorists in the southern province of Kandahar in recent days, including a "high-ranking Taliban commander with links to Al-Qaeda."
Delegates from 70 countries are gathering in London for a two-day conference on Afghanistan's future. Afghan and foreign officials will work to map out development, aid, and other priorities.
As fears grow about the purpose of Iran's nuclear program, some analysts believe the only way to prevent Tehran from building an atomic bomb is through preemptive military strikes. In the second of a two-part series on the possible responses to the Iranian nuclear crisis, RFE/RL speaks with experts about the military options available (see <a href="http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/01/36423915-cffa-4c02-817f-59c491c90b73.html"><strong>Part 1</strong></a><span id="TitleLabel"><a href="http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/01/36423915-cffa-4c02-817f-59c491c90b73.html"><strong>: Diplomatic Efforts On Possible Sanctions Intensify</strong></a>)</span>.
An increase in suicide attacks has raised concerns about whether Taliban militants are adopting the tactics of Iraqi insurgents.
(RFE/RL) Muslim survivors of South Asia's devastating earthquake are observing the Islamic holiday Eid Al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) today. Many are marking the three-day holiday with prayers for the 87,000 people who died as a result of the October disaster. Sheep, cows, lambs, and camels, some donated by aid organizations, have been sacrificed today as part of the festival. But conditions remain dismal for more than 2 million homeless quake survivors in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
Pascal Lamy in Hong Kong (epa) Ministers from 149 member countries in the World Trade Organization (WTO) opened a six-day meeting in Hong Kong today. The trade talks are aimed at reaching agreements on further moves to break down global trade barriers.
Deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein refused today to enter a Baghdad courtroom where he and seven of his former deputies are on trial for crimes against humanity.
Witnesses continue to testify in the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven of his deputies for the massacre of almost 150 people in the Shi'ite village of Al-Dujayl in 1982.
Defense attorneys for deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein briefly walked out of the courtroom during an unruly session on 5 December.
Scientists preparing for a climate-change conference in Canada next week are already arguing about the need for tougher international action to slow global warming.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to build a pipeline that links the oil-rich area of Siberia to the Pacific coast. Meanwhile, Tokyo announced support for Moscow's WTO bid, but there was no progress on the dispute over the Kuriles.
Reporters Without Borders has created a list of countries it considers "enemies of the Internet." Heading that list are China and Iran. Regimes in Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan also are singled out as repressive governments who are trying to control the Internet in order to silence the political opposition.
Sajida al-Rishawi and her defused explosive belt as seen on television (AFP) An Iraqi woman has confessed on Jordanian television to being part of last week's suicide bomb plot that killed 57 people at three international hotels in Amman. Sajida al-Rishawi says she and her husband went to one of the hotels together to carry out part of the attack. Her husband died when he detonated a belt of explosives. But al-Rishawi says her bomb failed to go off.
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