The Washington Independent » Mohammad Hanif Atmar

And By May 5-7, I Mean May 6-8

Spencer Ackerman — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:14:02 +0000

Remember how I wrote yesterday that the next round of Afghanistan/Pakistan/U.S. trilateral talks would be held in Washington on May 5 to 7? According to a release from the Afghanistan embassy, I was off by a day. Here’s a list of some Afghan officials coming to town:

* Second Vice President Mohammad Karim Khalili (April 20-22)
* Minister of Finance Dr. Omar Zakhilwal (April 21-26)
* Governor of the Central Bank Mr. Abdul Qadeer Fitrat (April 21-26)
* Minister of Commerce and Industry Mr. Wahidullah Shahrani (May 7-8)
* Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Rangin D. Spanta (May 6-8)
* Minister of Defense General Abdul Rahim Wardak (May 6-8)
* Minister of Interior Mohammad Hanif Atmar (May 6-8)
* Minister of Mines and Energy Mr. Mohammad Ibrahim Adel (May 12)

And then the embassy says that Spanta, Wardak and Atmar will “join their Pakistani counterparts and U.S. officials for a second round of trilateral discussions on the new U.S. strategy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan.” So, off by a day. I’ll just be over in the corner picking up the pieces of my career.

Afghan Interior Ministry Defends Auxiliary Security Force

Spencer Ackerman — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:42:19 +0000

Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak might have been wary of it, but Interior Minister Mohammed Hanif Atmar gave a forceful defense of the Afghan Public Protection Force — an auxiliary security force that some worry amounts to a remobilization of private militias.

“This is not a militia, not an Arbakai,” Atmar said, referring to a traditional tribal volunteer security force, at a breakfast meeting for the press with the Afghan ministerial delegation that’s in town this week to advise the Obama Af-Pak strategy review. “This is not arming people outside the formal government structure.” Instead, he vowed, the APPF would be “part of the police force, but without the mandate of the police” to perform law enforcement functions, though the APPF would wear police uniforms and guard installations likes schools, roads and public buildings. “This frees assets from the police for community policing,” Atmar said. He also claimed that the APPF would amount to “accelerating” the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of militias. Atmar’s ministry runs the program.

Atmar acknowledged that the upper house of the Afghan parliament has passed a resolution condemning the program — which is proceeding in pilot form in Wardak Province — but urged patience. Some of his countrymen “are behaving against the [counsel] of our famous proverb, ‘Don’t take your boots off before you see the water,’” Atmar said. “Don’t pass resolutions before you see the water. Don’t pass resolutions that will have no relevance whatsoever.”

The Afghan Government Meets the White House Strategy Review

Spencer Ackerman — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:03:11 +0000

Interesting luncheon at the White House today. A host of Afghan cabinet officials dropped by to brief the Obama administration’s Af-Pak strategy review.

For the Afghans: Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Interior Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar, Ambassador to the United States Said Jawad, and U.N. Ambasssador Zahir Tanin. I think intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh might have been there, but I’m not sure.

For the Obama administration: National security adviser Jim Jones; Former CIA official Bruce Reidel, chairman of the strategy review; Special Envoy to Af-Pak Richard Holbrooke and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy, the co-chairs of the review; and representives from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Bob Gates and Vice President Biden.

What did the Afghans tell the Americans? More on that later.