Soldier In Afghanistan

Pace also noted that the first 250 soldiers of the Afghan National Army were to begin training today. Another 160 soldiers will begin training shortly, he said. Training is expected to last about 10 weeks, with an initial emphasis on "basic soldier skills," he said. ...

In separate actions over the previous week, Pace said U.S. forces discovered two weapons caches: one near Orgun and the other near Herat. He said the caches contained a total of: more than 800,000 rounds of .55-caliber ammunition; nearly one million rounds of machine-gun ammunition; more than 600 rounds of rocket-propelled grenades; more than 2,200 mortar rounds; more than 600 rounds of howitzer ammunition; and five T-54 tanks. Depending upon the condition of the ammunition, Pace said, the unusable rounds will be destroyed in place, while any usable rounds will be turned over to the Afghan National Army. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transcript: Armitage Thanks Australia for Contributions in Afghanistan, Iraq

DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE: No, Australia has -- was in on the beginning of this. You've still got, I think, around 400 soldiers in Iraq, you've got several hundred more throughout the Middle East. As I understand it, Australia has agreed to train and equip the Fijian -- 158 Fijian soldiers who will be part of the UN protection. No further than closer to home, Australia is taking part in activities with PNG, with the Solomons, et cetera. So they're pretty extended and I think there's a great appreciation of that here. We're grateful for everything Australia has done. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Transcript: Armitage Stresses Need for Civil-Military Collaboration

And while coalitions have been around as long as warfare, the amorphous quality of this multifaceted struggle, as well as the scope of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, means we need international cooperation on a scale we've not seen before. And there is certainly a compelling international interest in cooperation: Americans are not the only victims of terrorism. Citizens of more than 90 nations died in the World Trade Center alone. Terrorist attacks have killed and wounded thousands of people from nearly every nation represented here today, and also represented by your international fellows. So it is fitting that well over 100 nations have made some contributions to combating terrorism since 9/11. Most countries also have an interest in seeing that Iraq and Afghanistan cease to threaten and destabilize their neighbors and become members in good standing of the community of nations. Indeed, 68 different nations are making some contribution in Afghanistan and in Iraq. ... [Read More]

2002
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Department of State Washington File: Transcript: Defense Department Briefing, May 20

Clarke: Good morning, everybody. The first thing I'd like to do this morning is to offer our sincere condolences to the family of a West Virginia National Guard soldier who was killed in action in Afghanistan yesterday when his unit came under attack from hostile forces. There have been some reports that have named the individual. Once we are absolutely sure the next-of-kin notifications have been completed, we will put out a piece of paper from here. But -- and we expect that to happen shortly -- his death reminds us that Afghanistan is a very, very dangerous place. It also reminds us of the sacrifices that are being made every day from the men and women in the military, and I'd say it strengthens our resolve in the pursuit of the terrorists, the terrorist networks, and those who are harboring and fostering and supporting them. ... [Read More]

Afghanistan

UNESCO reported in 2000 that as few as 3 percent of Afghan girls were receiving primary education as opposed to up to 39 percent of boys. However, the Taliban's increasingly anti-education policies further reduced educational opportunities, even for males. Credible sources reported that during the year Taliban elements pressured a Turkish NGO, which had long been present in the country, to close its six secondary schools for boys, most of which operated in Turkic speaking areas. The Taliban reportedly also barred Afghan students from traveling abroad, even to Islamic countries, to complete their education, although this restriction reportedly was not always enforced in practice, and a number of children, including many females related to the Taliban leadership, were able to obtain a foreign education. Prior to the Taliban takeover in 1996, more than 100,000 girls reportedly attended public school in Kabul in grades kindergarten through 12, according to a U.N. survey. During 1999 approx ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Defense Department Report, January 24: Afghanistan, Iraq

Air Force General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the operation at a January 24 Pentagon briefing as a raid, and said Taliban fighters were killed, one U.S. Special Forces soldier was wounded, and 27 Taliban were captured. Those captured are now among the 455 detainees in U.S. custody -- 297 in Afghanistan and 158 at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The 27 new detainees were being assessed to determine possible leadership elements among them, Myers said. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Defense Department Report, Monday, May 20: Afghanistan, Iraq

Marine Corps Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold, who briefed with Clarke, said that in the most recent incident the West Virginia National Guardsman died of a gunshot wound after his mounted patrol came under hostile fire in eastern Afghanistan. The engagement, which also wounded an Afghan soldier, involved "a quick exchange of fire," the director of operations for the Joint Staff said. Although their precise identity is unclear, he said the attackers are being pursued. ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

Cyprus is a destination country for women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Traffickers who forced women into prostitution continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas. There was increasing evidence of Chinese women being trafficked for sexual exploitation in Cyprus. The Government of Cyprus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Cyprus made some progress in its anti-trafficking efforts over the past year. The new police anti-trafficking unit produced successful results and showed vigilance in combating the problem. Government recognition of the problem improve ... [Read More]

USINFO Photo Gallery

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