AFGHAN PRINT MEDIA

Outlook Afghanistan
The UN Security Council on Friday removed five Taliban members from its sanctions blacklist, a move sought by the Afghan Government to promote reconciliation.

The head of Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Thursday vowed to ensure transparent parliamentary polls, slated for September 18, saying the IEC would not accept pressure from anyone.

President Hamid Karzai on Thursday reiterated his call for international action against terrorist sanctuaries and training centres beyond Afghanistan's borders.

More than a dozen people were killed in overnight flash floods in the central province of Parwan, officials said on Thursday.

Only two out of 13 female candidates standing for the upcoming parliamentary polls in Ghazni province have launched their election campaigns due to security concerns. The southern province of Ghazni has 11 seats in the Wolesi Jirga with three reserved for women.

Residents brought the body of an elderly man, who was allegedly killed by foreign troops, to Helmand’s provincial capital on Thursday and laid the corpse in front of the governor's office as a mark of protest.

Rioting erupted in Kabul Friday when two US embassy vehicles were set ablaze after one car collided with a civilian vehicle, killing a number of occupants, officials and witnesses said.

A local court on Thursday jailed three education officials, including a senior official, in an embezzlement case in western Ghor province, a judge said. Muhammad Naeem Farogh, the provincial education director, was jailed for three years for stealing 440 bags of wheat in connivance with a local shop owner. The bags were provided to the province by the World Food Programme (WFP).

A 12-year-old girl was killed and three others women were injured in a remote-controlled blast targeting an election candidate in southern Kandahar province on Friday, officials said.

The Government of Saudi Arabia on Thursday provided the Afghan Ministry of Education with US$ 24 million to help improve educational infrastructure.

The recent suicide bombing involving a female recruit against US troops in eastern Afghanistan indicates that the Haqqani network has now become desperate, US Major General, John Campbell, the Commanding General of the Eastern Regional Command, has said.

Dutch troops deployed in Afghanistan will leave as scheduled, starting 1 August, after concluding a four-year mission in the country, the Dutch military chief said Thursday.

Afghanistan Times
During his meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Public Health and the participants of the National Health Coordination workshop at the Presidential Palace, President Hamid Karzai emphasized on standardizing health services.

Afghanistan’s Regional Studies Centre on Thursday displayed strong reaction to the remarks of a former US ambassador to India’s suggestions that the Afghan partition is the only solution to the ongoing conflict in the country.

Two influential US senators have told US President Obama that long-term open-ended presence of US forces in Afghanistan is not in America’s national interest.

The Afghan National Army (ANA) will maintain security in 11 provinces during the 18 September parliamentary elections, officials said on Thursday.

A girl was killed during an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation in southern Ghazni province, NATO said on Thursday.

Weesa Daily
According to a Dutch newspaper, the Taliban have congratulated the Netherlands for pulling its troops out from the country.

Hasht-e-Subh Daily
A number of MPs who are candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections accuse the Independent Election Commission (IEC) of discrimination in locating voting centres in Kabul.

The United Nations declared access to clean water and sanitation as a human right.

Mahaaz Weekly
UNAMA has urged for a joint investigation by Afghan and NATO forces to probe alleged civilian casualties in Helmand province.

Rah-e-Nejat Daily
President Karzai has said that those media outlets who undermine the national unity are betraying the nation.

Daily Afghanistan
Afghan and British forces began the assault of Tor Shehzada (Black Prince) in southern Helmand’s Nad Ali district on Friday.

State Media Editorials

Kabul Times Daily
Referring to the closure of Emroz TV, while emphasizing on national unity, the Daily says that in the current transition stage our society is in urgent need of a healthy media, adding that everyone should try to be the voice of the nation, the guardian of national unity and in favour of balanced progress.

Hewad Daily
Referring to the new counter-insurgency guidelines issued by David Petraeus, the Daily hopes that these rules will be implemented thoroughly and no more civilian casualties will take place during the military operations of international forces in the country.

Eslah Daily
Ensuring security and peace in the country relies on preventing the cross-border movements of terrorists, so that the international forces can focus their operations on the places where the terrorists infiltrate into the country.

Private Media Editorials

Arman-e-Milli Daily
Referring to the ongoing conflicting views between Kabul and US military officials who insist on including the Quetta Shura and Haqqani network into the UN terror list, the Daily urges the Afghan Government to avoid its resistance, as the terrorists will benefit from the situation and will bolster their activities against the Afghan and international forces.

Madad Weekly
Urging the people to use their votes wisely for a better and different new Parliament, the Daily adds that the nation has two options: Moving forward to democracy and strengthening the democratic process or returning back to the bitter experiences of the 1990s.

Daily Afghanistan
If the Tor Shehzada (Black Prince) operation aims to simply drive the militants from one place to another, no security improvements will be made. Do the international forces that will start pulling out next year have any plans for security improvement or do they want to leave Afghanistan in a worse security situation?