Full Coverage: South West Asia

29.11.2007 SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 29 (OneWorld) - U.S. war veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have announced they're planning to descend on Washington, DC this March to testify about war crimes they committed or personally witnessed in Iraq.

27.11.2007 Domestic violence in the Russian Federation; sex slavery in India; self-immolation in Central Asian republics; gender-based violence and HIV; and 'compensation' marriages are the five underreported stories used by the UN Population Fund to launch a campaign against gender-based violence.
From: UNFPA

27.11.2007 Although faced with low wages, a short supply of equipment, and an ever present threat of suicide bombings, law enforcement officials in one of Kabul's busiest precincts are managing to control and reduce crime.

22.11.2007 The security situation in Afghanistan has reached crisis proportions, the Taliban's ability to establish a presence throughout the country is now proven beyond doubt, and the insurgency is gaining more and more political legitimacy in the minds of the Afghan people, says a think-tank report.
From The Senlis Council

21.11.2007 A suicide bombing that killed 79 people in Baghlan province has sparked fears that militancy may be returning to Afghanistan's northern provinces, which have remained peaceful since the country's 2001 invasion.

21.11.2007 Opium accounts for more than half of Afghanistan’s GDP (at 53%) in 2007, says UNODC’s recent Afghan Opium Survey. The total export value of opiates produced and trafficked from the country hit $4 billion this year, of which three-quarters have been made by drug traffickers and insurgents, says Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of UNODC.

16.11.2007 The United States has repeated the same mistake it committed in Iran with the Shah by placing all of its time, money, and energy into General Pervez Musharraf, writes anthropologist William Beeman.
From: New America Media

13.11.2007 In response to the mass social and political strife over the last week, the Georgian government declared a state of emergency, blacking out most news channels and the voice of the opposition.

12.11.2007 What has possessed the Bush administration to pursue its grievances against Iran when it can’t cope with the wars it is failing to wage, let alone win, in neighbouring Iraq and Afghanistan, asks Alain Gresh.

09.11.2007 The solution to the volatile mess that is Afghanistan is not the military one foreign forces have been trying these past six years, but a strong ruling government, a crackdown on the drug market, and a better economy with more jobs, writes Terry Friel.

08.11.2007 Malalai Joya has marked her time in the Afghan Parliament by condemning warlords' hold over certain regions and advocating for women's rights. In May, she was unjustly suspended for her open criticism of the government, say activists.
From: EqualityNow

08.11.2007 The UN and World Food Programme (WFP) have warned of humanitarian crises in central-west, central and northeastern Afghanistan if food does not reach people before winter. About 400,000 people are in urgent need of food aid before heavy snow blocks up the mountainous regions.

07.11.2007 The editor-in-chief of a pro-government daily paper in Azerbaijan has been sentenced to prison on criminal defamation and insult charges - propelling Azerbaijan to the top of the list of countries jailing journalists in Europe and Central Asia.
From Committee to Protect Journalists

06.11.2007 A proposal to grow opium poppy for medical use by the Afghan Senlis Council and the European Parliament has led to outrage among narcotics experts and officials working to end the opium trade. Legalizing poppy production, they fear, will lead to further insecurity among people.

05.11.2007 Jesuit presence in Afghanistan is helping speed up this war-ravaged country’s development process while also building understanding and faith between Indians and Afghans.