Afghan troops to take over by end-2004: US

 

They will take over even though only a small number of them now operate independently from NATO-led troops, a top US general said Wednesday.

 

Lieutenant General Curtis Scaparrotti, deputy commander of US forces and the head of the NATO-led force s joint command, acknowledged that Afghan army and police still had a way to go before overseeing security without major assistance from foreign troops.

 

But he rejected a more pessimistic view voiced by some in and outside the US military, including US Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, who accused his superiors of glossing over the failings of Afghan forces in an article published this week.

 

Some US soldiers in the field have been critical of their Afghan partners, Scaparrotti told a news conference, but the Afghan forces have been built up over a short period and could not be compared to a US standard.

 

“At times, a (US) private will tell me they re not that good. But a private s looking at it from the perspective of how he s trained, or the Marine s trained, and the standards are very different,” the general said.

 

“I can tell you personally from experience and from feedback from others, these soldiers will fight, particularly at the company level. There s no question about that,” he said.

 

“And they re going to be good enough, as we build them, to secure their country and to counter the insurgency that they re dealing with now,” he said.

 

The state of Afghanistan s security forces has taken on growing importance as the United States and its allies pursue a troop drawdown and after Washington announced last week it would shift from a combat to a training role as early as mid-2013.

 

President Barack Obama was briefed on efforts to build “capable” Afghan security forces at a meeting on Wednesday that focused on Afghanistan, including efforts to broker a possible peace settlement with the insurgency, the White House said in a statement.–AFP

 

US Congress hearing of Balochistan annoys Pakistan

 

Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said that Pakistani embassy in Washington has taken strong notice of the meeting of the US congress committee on foreign affairs to deliberate the issue of Balochistan on Wednesday

 

The official website of US Congress displayed the notification and topic of the meeting.

 

A Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher will chair the hearing.

 

Rohrabacher recently in an article expressed support for an independent Balochistan.

 

“Perhaps we should even consider support for a Balochistan carved out of Pakistan to diminish radical power there (in Pakistan),” Rohrabacher wrote in his article.

 

“Our embassy in Washington is already in touch with the organizers of the hearing of the committee. They know how we feel about it. Our concerns have been forcefully conveyed in Washington,” Basit told a news agency when he was asked about US legislator’s planned deliberation over the most sensitive issue of Pakistan.

 

The powerful House of Representatives committee, that would hold deliberations on the hot issue of restive Balochistan, also oversees America’s foreign assistance programs. And the touching a sensitive issue by US legislators is deemed very important when the deteriorating Pak-US relations are in process of repairing.

 

When contacted for his official version over the meeting of the US congress Committee, Advisor on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that a foreign country’s parliament is involved in it, “We cannot comment on it. The Pakistani foreign office comments would be our stance”.

 

The US State Department involved itself in the issue of Balochistan when its spokesperson Victoria Nuland last month urged Pakistan to “really lead and conduct a dialogue that takes the Balochistan issue forward”.

 

“The United States is deeply concerned about the ongoing violence in Balochistan, especially targeted killings, disappearances and other human rights abuses,” she said.

 

Interestingly, Nuland addressed the issue in a “twitter-briefing” that the department holds every Friday.

 

Pakistani officials say that some foreign hands are involved in fanning the violence in the province along Afghan border. –Online
 

Kabul: US soldier kills Afghan guard

 

A US soldier shot dead an Afghan guard outside a military base in northern Afghanistan, apparently believing he was about to attack him, a local official said Sunday.

 

The incident on Thursday in Sari Pul province came less than a fortnight after an Afghan soldier shot dead four unarmed French troops at a base in the east of the country.

 

“A US soldier has shot dead an Afghan guard three days ago”, Sari Pul provincial security chief Sayed Jahangir said on Sunday.

 

“The American shot dead his Afghan colleague due to a misunderstanding. Apparently he thought the guard was trying to attack him.”

 

The victim was named as 22-year-old Abdul Rahim. He had been newly appointed as a guard by a private security company, Jahangir said.

 

A spokesperson from NATO s International Security Assistance Force refused to comment when contacted by AFP, saying the investigation was ongoing.

 

The January 20 incident prompted French President Nicolas Sarkozy to say his country would end its combat role in Afghanistan by the end of 2013 — instead of the planned NATO deadline of the end of 2014.

 

Violence between foreign and Afghan soldiers has been growing more frequent, and is increasingly linked to “cultural incompatibility” and arguments, rather than Taliban influence, according to a NATO report.

 

NATO ministers discuss Afghan withdrawal

 

NATO s top official joined the U.S. and France on Thursday in calling for Afghan forces to take the lead in all combat operations by mid-2013, a year earlier than the original timeline, while Western troops would shift to back up roles in the fight against the Taliban.

 

Both U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have suggested in recent days that the coalition should gradually transition out of combat in 2013.

 

In 2010, NATO leaders agreed that Afghan forces would take control province by province until they have full responsibility for security in all of Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Until now, it was widely assumed that coalition troops would retain the lead role in military operations until that final handover.

 

But under the arrangement being discussed by NATO defense ministers in Brussels this week, coalition troops would no longer lead combat missions after mid- to late-2013, although they would still provide assistance to the Afghans.

 

Speaking to reporters before the two-day meeting, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Afghanistan remains the alliance s top operational priority, and that the coalition has been making progress in the war.

 

He said transition to Afghan security control, which started last year, will continue through mid-2013 with the Afghan army and police gradually taking the lead in all regions of the country.

 

“From that time the Afghan security forces are in the lead all over Afghanistan, and from that time the role of our troops will gradually change from combat to support,” he said.

 

This process will conclude at the end of 2014, when government forces are scheduled to assume full responsibility for security in the entire country and most Western forces would withdraw, Fogh Rasmussen said. The allies are working on the details of a longterm partnership with Afghanistan, he said.

 

“But Afghans will not be left alone at the end of the transition process. We are committed to providing support to Afghanistan through transition and beyond,” Fogh Rasmussen said.

 

British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said the allies were united on transition.

 

“We are actually all in the same place. We all recognized that in 2013 there will be an evolution of the mission, the Afghans will be having the lead responsibility for the security throughout the whole country,” he said. “But we will remain there in the combat support role and we will continue to do so, in our case, until the end of 2014, and the USA has indicated that it may go longer than that.”

 

Speaking to reporters on the flight to Brussels, Panetta said: “Hopefully by the mid to latter part of 2013 we ll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise and assist role.”

 

He added that this “doesn t mean we re not going to be combat-ready,” but rather that the U.S. and other international forces will no longer be in “the formal combat role we re in now.”

 

The ministerial meeting comes a day after a secret NATO report was leaked to the media suggesting that insurgent morale remains extremely high after more than a decade of war and that the Taliban remain confident they will defeat the coalition.
It also follows a series of attacks by members of Afghan forces on NATO troops or advisers. The repeated attacks have prompted worries about the degree of Taliban infiltration in the ranks of the national army and police, as they rapidly expand to meet the 2014 target for Afghan forces to take over security and most international troops to leave.

 

There have been at least 35 attacks on international troops since 2007 by Afghan soldiers, police or insurgents wearing their uniforms, according to a tally by The Associated Press. The number rose sharply last year to 17, up from six in 2010.

 

The ministerial meeting is intended to pave the way for the alliance s summit in Chicago in May. Ministers are also scheduled to discuss plans to deploy a ballistic missile defense system in Europe and maintaining the alliance s capabilities at a time of austerity and defense cuts in both the United States and Europe.

 

A NATO diplomat said the allies had decided to locate the headquarters for the missile shield at a U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany.
 

Abbottabad mine disaster: 6 more bodies recovered

 

A phosphate mine collapsed in Kalubandi area near Abbottabad, killing 11 labourers and injuring seven others. Police with the help of Rescue 1122 teams from Punjab have recovered six more bodies from the debris while search for remaining two bodies is underway. Three bodies were recovered yesterday.

 

A large number of heirs of miners are also present at the site of disaster. They strongly criticized provincial government and local administration for not providing assistance to the victims.
 

Oscars: “Bridesmaids” cast will present at the 84th Academy Awards

TrendPK.com: Six actresses – Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig – from the hit comedy “Bridesmaids” will be presenters at the 84th Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today. McCarthy received her first Oscar® nomination this year for her supporting role in the film, and Wiig also became a first-time nominee for the film’s original screenplay. All six will be making their first Oscar show appearances.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Snow White revamp “Mirror Mirror” moves its date

By Sean O’Connell
TrendPK.com: We have two Snow White stories in the pipeline for 2012, and for a while, they were trying to create as much space between them as physically possible. Now they’re moving just a little closer, from a release-date perspective.

Relativity announced in a release that Tarsem Singh’s “Mirror Mirror,” a comedic take on the classic fairy tale, has moved its release back two weeks, from March 16 to March 30. While the move might give Singh some time to tighten up his finished film, it also puts its in direct competition with the anticipated 3D sequel “Wrath of the Titans.”

It also moves it a bit closer to its Snow White rival, Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White and the Huntsman,” which reaches theaters on June 1.

Does it matter? Not likely. Based on existing trailers, the two Snow White projects couldn’t be more different in tone. And both will attract their respective audiences. “Mirror” fans just will have to wait a tad bit longer until they can see Lily Collins, Julia Roberts and Armie Hammer on screen.

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Oscars: Best Actor nominee Gary Oldman on the subtleties of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” – AWARDS ALLEY

By Sean O’Connell
TrendPK.com: After more than three decades spent crafting some of the most memorable characters in film history, Gary Oldman earned his first Oscar nomination on Tuesday.

Stop for a minute and say that out loud. Gary Oldman’s first Oscar nomination. I mean, really, Academy. What took you so long.

On the nationally syndicated Sirius/XM program “The Opie and Anthony Show,” Oldman contemplated a question he likely has been asked before: “What was your favorite character?” Yet how does one choose from a body of work that spans includes iconic characters that range from Sid Vicious to Lee Harvey Oswald, from Dracula to Sirius Black.

Oldman, being a good sport, talked about staying in character as Oswald or wanting to make a splash in the brief amount of screen time allotted for “True Romance.” But he confessed that his most recent turn as heady spy George Smiley in Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of John le Carre’s “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” ranks as one of his all-time favorites.

And why not? It’s a stirring, forceful performance that’s showy in its restraint, and the less Oldman does with the chameleonic character, the more we’re impressed.

And, it earned him his first Oscar nomination. The first of many, we can only hope. Here’s our conversation with Best Actor nominee Gary Oldman:

TrendPK.com: This struck me as an exercise in listening, as an actor. Do you appreciate that?

Gary Oldman: Oh, absolutely. And Smily is a great watcher, and a great listener. He listens with his whole body. He’s like a spider. I’ve always thought that. Not physically like a spider. But George is one of those people who is over here on the web, and then he gets a little twitch on the thread, and he acknowledges it, but he doesn’t have to run to get his dinner. He’ll take his time.

TrendPK.com: I love that analogy. Was there ever a fear in the moment that you weren’t given enough.

Oh, yes. Yeah, yeah. There were a few times on the set where we’d do a scene and I had to maybe look in a certain direction and glance to a window, and Tomas would say to me, “Let’s, on this one, if you can maybe look to the window.” And I’d go, “I did!” Laughs It was small, you know? But you’ve got this wonderful camera that’s here points at face, and it enables you to try and put across the smallest little flickers.

TrendPK.com: Your co-star, Colin Firth, was speaking about “Tinker” affording him the opportunity to work alongside some legends he’d anticipated acting alongside. After your illustrious career, are there still actors you’d like to work with?

Well, it was great to work with these boys. And of course, John Hurt was an ambition. I mean, really, I had admired him for many, many, many years.

But I think I’d have to say that I’d like to work with Al Pacino.

TrendPK.com: Very funny. Mr. Firth said Pacino also.

Did he say Pacino? Well, for my money, he’s the greatest living actor. I just think he’s amazing.

Awards Alley brings you the best Oscar coverage. Click below to read our exclusive interviews with:
– Harvey Weinstein
– The cast of “The Artist.”
– Kenneth Branagh for “My Week With Marilyn.”
– Bennett Miller talks “Moneyball.”
– Producer Jim Burke for “The Descendants.”
– Sir Ben Kingsley and Chloe Grace Moretz for “Hugo.”
– Tilda Swinton for “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”
– David Fincher, Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara on “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
– Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer for “The Help.”
– Tate Taylor for “The Help.”
– Woody Harrelson for “Rampart.”
– Gavin O’Connor for “Warrior.”
– Gary Oldman and Colin Firth for “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”
– Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody for “Young Adult.”
– Steve McQueen for “Shame.”
– Glenn Close for “Albert Nobbs.”
– Seth Rogen and Will Reiser for “50/50.”
– Producer Grant Heslov for “The Ides of March.”

For complete Oscar and Film Festival coverage, visit our Awards Alley for the latest news items, reviews and interviews all season long.

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Has Oprah been chosen as godmother for Beyonce’s daughter?

TrendPK.com: Beyonce’s daughter, Blue Ivy, with Jay-Z already has it made, but it seems that her life might just keep getting better.

It is now being rumored that Oprah has been chosen as the godmother for their daughter as they decided to not choose family members for the role, states RadarOnline.com. On the other side, Jay-Z’s friend, Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith, has reportedly been chosen as the godfather.

It has not been confirmed, but the two have allegedly grown close to Oprah over the years.

Do you think she is the godmother?

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Pakistan to re-open NATO supply after tariff hike

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expects to re-open supply routes to NATO forces in Afghanistan, halted after a NATO cross-border air attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November, but will impose tariffs, a senior security official told Reuters on Thursday.

The official said the fees were designed to both express continued anger over the November 26 attack and raise funds for the state to fight homegrown Taliban militants.

No date was given for reopening the supply routes.

The NATO attack plunged relations between troubled allies Pakistan and the United States to their lowest point in years.

Ties had already been severely strained by a secret raid by U.S. special forces that killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil in May last year, embarrassing the military, which has ruled the country for over half of its 64-year history and sets security and foreign policy.

Asked if the re-opening was a sign that the crisis in relations had eased, the official said there was still some way to go before normalcy was possible.

The two land routes to Afghanistan through Pakistan account for just under a third of all cargo that the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) ships into Afghanistan. AGENCIES

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