Deadly suicide attack in Kandahar claims nearly 80 lives; Australia calls on ‘under-performing’ NATO countries to share more of the burden
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    • US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee admitted to ‘mistakes’ and ‘incoherence of efforts’ in carrying out reconstruction activities in Afghanistan and Iraq1.

    A deadly suicide attack in Kandahar city at the venue of a dog-fighting competition on February 17 killed nearly 80 people. Reports noted that it was the worst single attack since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. Security forces meanwhile launched a military operation in the western Farah province against the Taliban even as 3 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb blast on February 13 in southern Afghanistan’s Musa Qula district. The district was recaptured by the Afghan forces in December 2007.

    Debates continued over NATO troop involvement in the country. Australia, the largest non-NATO contributor to the Afghan effort with nearly 1,000 troops called on ‘underperforming’ NATO countries to share more of the burden2. Secretary Gates at the Munich security conference asserted that NATO’s success in stabilizing Afghanistan was crucial for protecting Europe from terrorist attacks3.

    In other developments, reports indicated that over 900 people across the country have been killed since December 2007 due to the severe cold weather.

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