. MONDAY DECEMBER 29, 2014 AFGHANISTAN TIMES 2 killed, 5 injured in Wardak rocket attack AT News Report KABUL: At least two persons were killed and five others wounded when rockets hit a volleyball ground in Maidan Wardak province, said official sources. Spokesman to the provincial governor, Attaullah Khogyani, said the incident took place in Amarkhil area of Narkh district on late Saturday, when the rockets fired from unknown location hit a volleyball ground. He said that as a result two spectators were killed and five others wounded. The injured were rushed to the nearby hospital. Condition of one of the injured persons was reported critical . Scores of people were gathered to watch the friendly match between two teams. The provincial government condemned the attack and termed it an act of anti-state elements. Security forces all set to maintain security: MoD AT Monitoring Desk KABUL: As the NATO-led combat mission formally ends in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Sunday that security forces were capable to maintain law-and-order in the country and ensure citizens safety. According to MoD officials, proper and concert security plans were o hand to be adopted in 2015 for defending militants and foiling their evil designs. Radio Azadi quoted the head of MoD operation, Gen. Afzal Aman, as saying that Afghan forces proved that they were capable enough to shoulder security responsibility independently in past years. According to Radio Azadi, he hoped that considering this capability and capacity the Afghan forces would be able to subdue militants in the upcoming year. The national army is committed to adopt proper plans in defending the country independently. This hope will come true with the support of the people of Afghanistan. They will change the dream of militants and terrorists to hopelessness in the 2015, he said. The US and NATO combat mission formally ended in the country and the new NATO mission would kicked off titled the Resolute Support that include training and advising Afghan security forces. The MoD has assured that the Afghan forces would shoulder the responsibility very well. The remarks come as a number of senators said that the international community should remain committed to its commitments for supporting security force in Afghanistan. People of Afghanistan want the international community to continue its support in coming years based on the security deal signed with Kabul. Afghan security forces will shoulder security responsibility better if the international community continues its cooperation in training, equipping and financially supporting security troops, Senator Ali Akbar Jamshidi told senators on Sunday session. The Afghan security forces will take security responsibility independently within three days. A number of analysts say that it would be difficult to gain success in defending militants if Afghan security forces were not equipped and no attention was paid to the improving air forces. Female suicide bomber arrested in Helmand AT News Report KABUL: Police in southern Helmand province on Sunday said it had arrested a would-be female suicide bomber. Spokesman for Helmand police, Farid Ahmad Obaid, confirmed the arrest of the 20-year old girl, who wanted to launch a suicide attack on a police checkpoint in Nawzad district of the province. Before carrying out attack, police identified the girl and arrested her, he said. Obaid added that police were currently interrogating the girl. According to another report, Kandahar police thwarted terror bids by recovering two explosivesladen rickshaws and a motorcycle. A media statement from media center of Kandahar governor office said five insurgents were apprehended in connection with the explosives. The militants wanted to use the explosives in launching terror attacks in different parts of Kandahar province. Japan donates medical equipment to Indira Gandhi Children s Hospital By Akhtar M. Nikzad KABUL: The Japanese government on Sunday donated a wide range of medical equipment including digital X-ray to the Indira Gandhi Children s Hospital aimed at to boost health services further. Meanwhile, a burn unit in the hospital was also inaugurated. The new unit has been reconstructed by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) in Afghanistan. Installation of the medical equipment cost around $120,000, provided by Japan. The SDC paid $28,000 for reconstruction of the burn unit. Acting Minister of Public Health, Ahmad Jan Naim, on the occasion said the burn unit of the hospital was rehabilitated to accommodate more patients and use the unit for trainings to build capacity of the doctors. Chief of the hospital, Dr. Noorul Haq Yusufzai, said that lack of modern equipment was a major issue as 40 percent of the patients tests were referred to other places. But installation of the digital X-ray, laboratories and other medical equipments enabled the doctors to provide all required services to patients. 22 insurgents killed in operations AT News Report KABUL: At least 22 armed Taliban were killed and seven others wounded in different crackdowns within past 48 hours. In a press release issued here, Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that Afghan National Police (ANP) in collaboration with Afghan National Army (ANA) and National Directorate of Security (NDS) conducted clearance operations against insurgents in different areas of Kundunz, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Ghazni, Khost and Kapisa provinces. In these operations 22 rebels killed and seven others injured. Three other insurgent were also arrested and handed over to concerned authorities for further inquiry. The ANP also discovered huge cache of weapons and explosives in the operations. He said the burn unit has limited space for the patients while around 700 patients with burn injuries were referred to the hospital last year. Yusufzai said the figures show that number of burn cases is on the rise in the country. The Japanese ambassador in Kabul, Hiroshi Takashi, in his mes- As per estimates worth $5.4 billion uplift schemes have been launched by Japan since to 2001. Indira Gandhi Children s Hospital has capacity of 250 beds. It was constructed by the Indian government in 1966. The hospital provided different health services to children and trainings for doctors. AT News Report HERAT: After growing complaints about sharp increase in kidnapping cases and serial killing incidents in western Herat province, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in his recent trip to the province sacked nearly 30 civil and military officials in the province and referred a number of them to judiciaries. President Ghani traveled to Herat earlier on Saturday to assess security challenges and other related issues to governance in the province. He met with local officials, elders, provincial council and civil society members. Officials fired by the president included the Attorney General, heads of custom, education, electricity, fuel, and 15 district police chiefs following complaints by locals about their inefficiency. Ghani told reporters the other night that locals had serious reservations about the officials who have made on the go. He said the officials would be punished if they found guilty by the court otherwise they would be released. The president was accompanied by a number of acting ministers and members of the National Security Council. His trip comes three days after he dismissed governor Sayid Fazlullah Wahidi. The president also said that new officials would be appointed after certain interviews and exams. All officials inducing mayor will be evaluated in every three months, he pledged. He said the government is planning to transform Herat into international trade and transit center. Civil society activists in Herat staged protests against rising insecurity in the province during past week and urged the government to address the issue as soon as possible. NATO should fulfill continued aid pledge: MPs KABUL: Welcoming the end to NATO s 13-year combat mission in Afghanistan, senators on Sunday urged the western military alliance to fulfill its promises of continued assistance to Afghan forces. The NATO formally ended its longest combat mission in Afghanistan on Sunday when top officials of the US-led coalition pledged to remain long-term partners in Afghanistan s war against the Taliban and international terrorism. Several hundred Afghan and foreign officials gathered to witness the formal shift to a new, much smaller NATO assistance and training mission, inside NATO headquarters in Kabul. Our commitment to Afghanistan endures. .?.?. We are not walking away, promised Gen. John F. Campbell, the US commander of the outgoing International Security Assistance Forces mission, who will remain in command of the new NATO support role that technically begins at midnight Wednesday. Meshrano Jirga chairman Fazl Hadi Muslimyar told the upper house: It is a proud moment for us that our security and economic sectors now themselves serve their own people. Senator Nisar Ahmad Haris said he was happy to see foreign flags lowering in Afghanistan and that of Afghanistan s flags hoisting nationwide. He said NATO in line with its promise should leave behind its military gear in Afghanistan instead of other countries so that they could use the equipment for the country s defence. Afghanistan is no Iraq. If a war begins here and Afghan forces are not properly equipped, it will be hard to control the war. Senator Ali Akbar Jamshidi from central Daikundi province said NATO should support Afghan forces in terms of equipment and funding under agreements between Afghanistan and the alliance. The people of Afghanistan are thankful to NATO-led forces that they come here and fought terrorism and rendered sacrifices. It is a separate subject whether or not the people of Afghanistan and NATO reach their goals. Jamshidi said if NATO countries provided Afghan forces with essential military gear and other assistance, they would be able to effectively fight against the armed opposition. But MP Khaliqdad Balaghi said NATO should acknowledge its defeat in the Afghanistan war because they were leaving Afghanistan halfway. He said the NATO combat mission ended at a time when Afghan forces lacked equipment to defend the country alone. However, he said Afghan forces should assure the people they could strongly defend the country in the absence of foreign forces. (Pajhwok) Some Nangarhar Civil Hospital wards blamed for inefficiency JALALABAD: Tens of people observed protest against what they complained about the inefficiency of a number of wards in the Nangarhar Civil Hospital in this eastern province. Prior to their protest, tens of people came forward to launch a cleanliness drive in the hospital. They complained that some health officials were unwilling to discharge their duties at the hospital and provide the patients with best medical care. Gul Saeed, a demonstrator, told Pajhwok Afghan News that tens of people visited hospital on Saturday to launch cleanliness campaign in the hospital and donate blood to the needy patients. He alleged that head of the blood bank at the hospital told them that the blood donation drive had been completed and he was unable to collect their blood. Ali Khan who brought his patient from Kapisa said the blood bank refused to give his patient blood for his second surgery. He said that he did not know anyone in Jalalabad and doctors were demanding blood before surgery. Senate seeks control over fuel prices AT News Report KABUL: Following sharp decrease in international fuel prices, a number of senators on Sunday criticized prices hike in the country and urged the government to control the prices and drop it in line with international market trends. Oil prices have drastically tumbled in world markets but the prices are still high in national markets which need serious attention by the government, said Hidayatullah Rihaee, a senator from Bamiyan province. He also said that no change has been made in fares of transport vehicles and airlines. Another senator, Bismillah Afghanmal, said that fuel products are sold for high prices in the country while the prices have fallen in the international market. Seeking government s control over prices, he said oil prices have fallen down in the world, but despite its low quality, it is sold for a high price in the country. However, senator Mohammaduddin Hamdard who chairs the sage said the equipment had been provided by the Japan s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects for vulnerable people. He said that Tokyo has initiated several development projects in Afghanistan in different fields, especially in security, health, capacity building and agriculture sectors. Biggest official clean-up: Ghani sacks tens of officials in Herat Though they are doctors by profession but they have hard hearts like stones, Khan remarked. Muhammad Laiq Ghamsharik, head of Afghanistan United Front in eastern zone, said that tens of volunteers of his group approached the blood bank to donate their blood but the officials on duty flatly refused to collect their blood. He said there were a number of patients on beds in hospital who direly needed blood. Dr. Humayun Zaheer, head of local hospital in Nangarhar, said that the blood bank department had the capacity to keep 500 packets of blood in reserve. He said the officials at the blood bank department were bound to discharge their duties from 8: 00 am till 2:30 pm and then one official was tasked to discharge his duty till late night who could not collect blood from tens of people. He suggested those who were willing to donate blood should contact the officials concerned in advance so that measures should be taken to collect their blood on time. (Pajhwok) EMERGENCY CALLS Police 100 - 119 Hospitals FMIC Hospital Behind Kabul Medical University: 0202500200-+93793275595 Rabia-i-Balkhi Hospital Pule Bagh-e- Umomi 070263672 Khairkhana Hospital 0799-321007 2401352 Indira Gandhi Children Hospital, Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul 2301372 Ibn-e- Seena Pul-e-Artan, Kabul 2100359 Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital 2301741, 2301743 Ali Abad Shahrara, Kabul 2100439 Malalai Maternity Hospital 2201377/ 2301743 Banks Da Afghanistan Bank 2100302, 2100303 Kabul Bank 222666, 070285285 Azizi Bank 0799 700900 Pashtany Bank 2102908, 2103868 Air Services Safi Airways 020 22 22 222 Ariana 020-2100270 Kam Air 0799974422 Hotels Safi Landmark 020-2203131 SERENA 0799654000 New Rumi Restaurant 0776351347 Internet Services senate economic committee said fuel prices cannot be decreased in the country as some mafia groups are involved in hoarding crude oil and this results in rising prices of these products. He requested the government to support and enable state-owned firms aimed at maintaining continued fuel supply to national markets and preventing prices hike. The senate chairman, Fazl Hadi Muslimyar, said complaints have increased over the rising prices of oil products because the prices have stumbled in world markets, but they stil remain high in Afghanistan. He directed the economic committee to discuss the issue with the Ministry of Commerce and Industries and other related organizations and report back its activities to the senate. It comes as a liter of petrol is sold for Afs56 and a liter of diesel for Afs53 while it was sold for Afs62 and Afs60 respectively about one month from now. Per barrel crude was priced on Sunday at $58 in Europe and Asia and $54 per barrel in the US. UA Telecom 0796701701 / 0796702702 Exchange Rate Purchase: One US$ = 58.01Afs One Pound Sterling= 89.52Afs One Euro = 71.43Afs 1000 Pak Rs = 570Afs Sale: One US$ = 58.21Afs One Pound Sterling= 90.32Afs One Euro= 72.03 Afs 1000 Pak Rs= 578Afs This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.win2pdf.com. The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only. This page will not be added after purchasing Win2PDF.