KABUL: General Joseph Dunford, Commander of the US-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, said the signing of a security agreement between the US and Afghanistan is a priority. Both countries have been negotiating the deal to allow the presence of foreign troops beyond 2014. It is believed they would be about 9,000 troops from the US and 6,000 from its allies. There are about 100,000 troops from 48 countries in Afghanistan, including 66,000 Americans.
Ban to visit Pakistan
Islamabad: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will arrive in Islamabad on a two-day visit tomorrow state media said yesterday. He will discuss steps for polio eradication and promotion of education, especially women’s education, with the leadership, Radio Pakistan reported. Ban will met President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his foreign affairs and national security adviser, the speaker of National Assembly, women parliamentarians and other officials. Ban will also take part in Independence Day celebrations on August 14.
Tribal leader dies in blast
Islamabad: A roadside bomb blast killed Baluchistan’s tribal leader Zra Khan and injured his two guards in the Dera Bugti district, Dawn News reported yesterday. Khan was going to Sawai from Patokh when the bomb exploded. It was a remote-controlled blast which also destroyed his car. Security officials cordoned off the area.
Four Afghan cops killed
KABUL: Four Afghan policemen were killed when a roadside bomb ripped through their patrol vehicle in Afghanistan’s northern province of Faryab. Officials said the blast happened in the Dawlat Abad district of the province, about 450km northwest of the capital Kabul. They said the remote-controlled bomb was detonated as the policemen were travelling on the Faryab-Jawzjan highway. They were carrying logistics for police checkpoints in the area. Syed Abdul Salam Nizhat, Governor of Dawlat Abad district, said police commander Khalid Mohammad was among the dead. AGENCIES
