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Afghanistan's new government fails to deliver stability

Afghan security forces inspect the British embassy vehicle targeted in the suicide attack. Photo: AP

The suicide bombing of a UK embassy vehicle in Kabul came just four days after an attack at a volleyball match in the south-eastern province of Paktika, which killed more than 45 people.

Neither of these suicide bombings came as a surprise. It was inevitable that the scaling down of the Western military presence would lead to more violence: the Taliban's intention to play a bigger political role in Afghanistan and its ability to undertake violent action were well known.

Yet, contrary to expectations, Afghanistan somehow managed to hold elections this year and find itself a president. What Afghans did not get was the promised transition to stability.

There are two primary reasons why the security situation is worsening. The first is politico-economic in nature. Having promised government jobs, money and power to supporters before the elections, President Ashraf Ghani and chief executive Abdullah Abdullah are struggling to deliver them.

With about 850,000 employees on its payroll, but a desperate shortage of funds, the Afghan state has become a hub of disguised unemployment.

No wonder corruption is endemic. Those who don't get their share of funds are happy to part ways and seek revenge. All the Taliban needs to do is capitalise on this burgeoning discontent.

The other problem is the incapability of the Afghan National Security Forces to contain the violence. From a military tactical perspective, the Taliban, which controls the Afghan countryside, has a freedom of movement that the ANSF does not.

Restricted to securing the cities and key trade arteries of Afghanistan, Afghan soldiers often become sitting ducks. The Kabul government, for all its political imagination, has also proved inept in managing finances and distributing salaries to its soldiers. Trained to kill, disgruntled soldiers may have no qualms offering their services to the opposition in the future.

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Afghanistan's new government fails to deliver stability

November 29th, 2014

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It's been a week of mayhem in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan It was almost a traditional holiday. There were two Butterball turkeys, complete with pop-up thermometers, procured from friends of friends. There was a vat of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, bought at the Bush Bazaar, a market in the city where goods that seem to have fallen off US military trucks find their way into the local economy.

Many of the guests were hyphenated Americans, and the toast at the onset of the feast brought a tear to even the most cynical eye.

This is a very special holiday for me, said a woman born in Iran, her voice trembling. We will always be grateful to the United States for giving us safety from the war and destruction in our home countries.

But it had been a difficult day for Kabul residents. The morning started off with a massive suicide attack against a British convoy that killed six and injured some 35 more.

Two of the dead were employees of the British Embassy, and all of the guests at the Thanksgiving celebration, who included Afghan dignitaries, UN officials, aid workers, and the occasional journalist could feel the war drawing uncomfortably close.

Barely had the first golden, crispy bird been cut when reports came that another attack was underway in central Kabul, in one of the most heavily guarded parts of the city.

A suicide bomber had breached the defenses of a guesthouse belonging to the International Relief & Development (IRD) organization. Gunmen were apparently still in the compound, resisting Afghan police.

The party talk grew a bit nervous, the television was turned on, but instead of football the screen alternated between CNN and Tolo, one of Afghanistans premier news outlets.

Several guests were stuck in place, since their respective security advisers said it was too dangerous to move around the city. So the festivities continued, with a bit of a Masque of the Red Death air about them.

Finally, at about 11:30 p.m., most everyone was home, safe, and ready to put the day away. But then the bombs started again. For more than an hour, blasts rocked the city, punctuated by gunfire. Helicopters circled overhead, and only the bravest or most foolhardy were able to sleep.

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It's been a week of mayhem in Afghanistan

November 29th, 2014

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India provides soil research service to Afghanistan and Nepal

Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), in collaboration with agricultural universities in Afghanistan and Nepal, is providing soil research and training to improve agriculture produce in those countries.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), the country's premier national institute for agricultural research, education and extension is providing advanced training and research to Afghanistan and Nepal.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARA) had recently launched a soil testing device which is a digital meter that checks the fertility of the soil for better fertilizer recommendations.

The soil testing device is programmed to provide fertilizer recommendation for the crops. This equipment is cost effective and user friendly.

India will be offering the soil testing device to Nepal and Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, 75 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture for earning their livelihood. Agriculture accounts for 25 percent in Gross domestic product of the country.

IARI is giving special emphasis to Afghanistan and is helping the war-torn country by setting up an Agricultural Institute in Kandahar Province.

The motive is to help Afghanistan for better productivity of crops.

"Afghanistan has arid climate; they have more plantations, food crops and dry fruits. Afghanistan is agro-based country, but due to past disturbances agriculture has been badly affected. There is lot of scope for agricultural growth in Afghanistan and when we talk about agriculture soil science and providing soil testing service and we talk about providing soil testing service for Afghanistan", said Dr. B.S. Bedi Head, Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry.

IARI also enrolls students from Afghanistan in various disciplines. It includes pathology, seed science and technology, agronomy, horticulture and bio technology.

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India provides soil research service to Afghanistan and Nepal

November 29th, 2014

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