WASHINGTON: The commander of US Marines in southern Afghanistan said on Wednesday there was an urgent need for more Afghan security forces as well as civilian experts to back up a major offensive against Taliban insurgents. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. The fact of the matter is we don’t have enough Afghan forces, and I’d like more,” Brigadier General Larry Nicholson told reporters in a teleconference. Helmand operation: A week after the launch of the US-led campaign against insurgents in the southern Helmand River valley, Nicholson said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the operation – one of the biggest since US-led forces toppled the Taliban regime in 2001. But he said the 4,000 Marines were accompanied by only about 650 Afghan security forces. “Imagine if I had 4,000 Marines with 4,000 Afghan forces. I mean, it would not even be comparable to even the relative success that we’ve had over these first seven days,” the general said from Camp Leatherneck, a Marine base in Helmand province. He said that the US military and Kabul government were working to deploy more Afghan forces to the south while expanding the country’s army and police forces. “But the bottom line answer is, I’d like more, I need more,” he said. The general said he was satisfied he had enough US troops for the moment in the south, where about 10,000 Marines are deployed. But he said more Afghan security forces would make the Marines more effective, as the goal of the coalition mission was to win the trust and confidence of the population. The Afghan troops “see things we’ll never see”, Nicholson said. “They understand politically what’s going on in an area that we’ll just never get, no matter how much cultural training our guys get.” It was also crucial to increase the number of US civilian experts in the south to bring economic development to Afghan villages and towns, he said. “I’d like to get more, and I know more are coming,” Nicholson said. There were five civilians from the US government serving in the south and five more were due to arrive by September, said Kael Weston, a State Department official who also spoke at the briefing from Helmand. The American civilian development experts were working with a British-led reconstruction team of about 100, he said. The numbers appeared to fall far short of the civilian “surge” promised by President Barack Obama’s administration when it rolled out its new strategy for the Afghan war. Weston said the numbers might seem low relative to the size of the military contingent but that the civilians on the ground had extensive knowledge and budget resources at their disposal. In an upbeat assessment of the southern offensive after one week, Nicholson said the Marines were holding key insurgent centres after relatively little resistance with about 10 incidents of combat so far. “We’ve taken a hell of a large swath of Taliban heartland away from them,” he said.

TOKYO: Japan on Thursday urged China to protect the human rights of ethnic minority Uighurs after days of bloody unrest in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, a Japanese official said. Japanese diplomats told their Chinese counterparts at a bi-lateral human rights meeting in Tokyo that Uighurs and China’s other minorities should have their human rights guaranteed, the official told reporters. “We told the Chinese side that human rights are a common value and that it is natural that the international community expects that Uighurs will be guaranteed such rights,” said the official, who asked not to be named.

BERLIN: Between 600 and 800 people died in violence between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese in the Chinese city of Urumqi, the vice-president of the Uighur World Congress told AFP on Wednesday. Asgar Can, who lives in exile in Germany where the organisation is based, said: “Some have told us 600, others have said 800. We estimate that it is between 600 and 800.” He said the estimates were based on eyewitness accounts of the violence. China has said that 156 people were killed in clashes in Urumqi on Sunday. Over a thousand people were injured.

L’AQUILA: Group of Eight leaders meeting at their summit in Italy issued a strong condemnation of North Korea’s May 25 nuclear test, calling it a “flagrant violation” of UN resolutions. “We condemn in the strongest terms the nuclear test ... which constitutes a flagrant violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the world’s most powerful nations said in a declaration released on Thursday. “Such a test undermines peace and stability in the region and beyond,” said the text, which added condemnation of a North Korean missile launch in April. “The G8 leadership wanted to send out a single strong message to Pyongyang: you should not continue these provocative actions that pose a threat to regional security,” said Kazuo Kodoma, spokesman of Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso. “It is time for us to put more pressure on North Korea to appreciate the message,” he told reporters. The world leaders urged Pyongyang to return to “full compliance” with its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Atomic Energy Agency. North Korea also test-fired seven ballistic missiles on Saturday in an act of defiance amid US efforts to try to tighten financial sanctions on the country. Ahead of the statement, US President Barack Obama said it was important to pursue dialogue with Iran and North Korea to dissuade them from acquiring nuclear weapons. Japan: In a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev early Thursday, Japan’s Aso agreed to “continue close cooperation in order to realise the very viable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula through negotiations”, Kodoma said. North Korea was also the “number one topic” in bilateral talks with US President Barack Obama on Wednesday, Kodoma said.

BIRMINGHAM 9 July: Amir of Jamaat Islami (JI) Azad Jammu and Kashmir Abdur Rashid Turrabi has said his party striving for the establishment of modern welfare Islamic state based on concept of social equality and economic justice. Addressing a reception hosted by prominent business community leader Ghulam Mustafa Rama, he said Jamaat Islami is truly a democratic political party believing in non-violent constitutional politics. The jamaat, he said has Islamic agenda being pursued through democratic means, he added. Referring to the relief and welfare efforts of the Jamaat, Turrabi said the party had done a marvelous job in mitigating the sufferings of the victims in 2005 earthquake, providing shelter, food and health needs of the victims of Indian shelling and all other occasion when natural or man made disaster or calamity struck the country. The humanitarian services of the party rendered in clean and transparent manners were acknowledged equally by both friends and foe of the party, he added. Criticizing the major political parties who ruled Azad Kashmir most of the time for doing nothing for the freedom movement of Kashmir and welfare of common people in Azad Kashmir, he said they had disappointed the people on both counts. Paying tributes to the freedom loving people of occupied Kashmir for their valiant struggle, JI leader assured that they will not be left alone in their struggle. Jamaat Islami will continue extending every possible help to brothers and sisters in occupied Kashmir. Describing Kashmir as irreplaceable part of Pakistan, he said without Kashmir Pakistan can not achieve progress and prosperity. And this was the very logic that father of the nation Quaid Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had declared Kashmir as jugular vein of Pakistan. He regretted that present lot of rulers was talking about the trade and cultural relations with India putting Kashmir in the back burner. The convener of Pakistan Rabita Council UK, Dr Khuram Bashir said Jammat Islami is ray of hope for the people and Pakistani expatriate feel proud over its role on issues of national importance.

BIRMINGHAM, July 1st: The Chief of Jammat-e-Islam Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Abdur Rashid Turrabi on Wednesday said instability and chaotic situation created by military operation in parts of Pakistan’s North West Frontier province and FATA has adversely affected the Kashmiri peoples struggle to self determination. Talking to workers and Kashmiri and Pakistani community leaders at Birmingham Airport, he said people of Pakistan and Pakistani expatriate in abroad need to be told that who is responsible of the situation the country was facing today and that who is big beneficiary of the instability prevail in the country. Tuurabi, who arrived here on the invitation of UK, based Tehreek-e-Kashmir to address Right to Self Determination Conferences being organized in major cities and towns of United Kingdom was warmly received by President All Parties Kashmir international Coordination Committee, Mohammad Ghalib, activist of Tehreek-e-Kashmir and representatives of Kashmiri and Pakistani community. The JI leader will address first community gathering at Glasgow Community Centre on Thursday (today) as part of series of conferences. He said over one million Kashmiris settled in UK are deeply concerned over the present situation in Pakistan and future of Kashmir freedom movement, which is prime target of the enemies of Pakistan. He said hearts of Pakistani people throb with the hearts of oppressed people of Kashmir but unfortunately short sighted and shallow witted ruling leadership of the country has failed to figure out the conspiracies against Kashmir issue, which he said is matter of life and death for Pakistan. Turrabi urged international community including Britain and United States to play their role in peaceful in settlement of Kashmir issue. Saying that there is no peace in the region without just solution of Kashmir problem, he emphasized that resolving this longstanding issue keeping in view the aspirations of Kashmiri people is collective responsibility of the world nations. President APKICC, Mohammad Ghalib eulogizing the sincere and consistent efforts of Jammat-e- Islami said that the party has played a vanguard role in Kashmir’s struggle for right to self determination. He said Jammat-e- Islami is only party that provided clean and honest leadership in both parts of divided Kashmir.

LONDON, July 2: Chief of Jammat-e-Islami Azad Kashmir Abdur Rashid Turrabi has said neighboring countries including Pakistan has threat from Indian hegemonic and aggressive designs. “People of Pakistan and Kashmiris have genuine apprehensions about India’s sincerity to resolve dispute with Pakistan with negotiations. India’s history is replete with broken promises and violation of bilateral and international agreements and it simply can not be trusted”, Turrabi told a news conference held here on Thursday. He said it was India which had militarily occupied Kashmir, sent its troops in erstwhile East Pakistan and dismembered Pakistan, provided material support to LTTE guerillas with the aim to destabilize Sri Lanka and now fuelling terrorist activities in Pakistan’s FATA and Baluchistan region. Terming Kashmir as core issue between India and Pakistan, he said India intend to discuss petty issues of non significance to buy time and ward off the pressure by engraining Pakistan in dialogues. He said dialogue process continued between India and Pakistan for last five years has produced nothing there are least chances of any productive outcome in future, he added. He said dialogues process started by military dictator Pervaiz Mushrraf and the so-called confidence building measures taken by India and Pakistan so far benefited only India. Disclosing that Jammat Islami has got signature from one million people during last four months and organized three hundreds small and big conferences and public gathering across Azad Kashmir, Turrabi said people pledged to extend whole hearted support to Kashmiris people right to self determination by signing a petition. He said he is visiting United Kingdom to address right of self determination Conferences being organized by Tehreek-e- Kashmir and urged the Kashmiri and Pakistani community in UK to expose grave violation of human rights by India in Kashmir excesses being committed against innocent people there. Showering all praises on Senior Kashmir leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani for his courageous stand on Kashmir issue, Turrabi said Geelani remain sole strong voice to foil conspiracies against Kashmiri peoples struggle for right to self determination- a fact corroborated by recent statement Ex- Foreign Minister of Pakistan Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri who admitted that only Syed Geelani opposed a secret deal between India and Pakistan on Kashmir. Director Kashmir Centre London Professor Nazeer Ahmed Shawl, President Tehreek-e- Kashmir UK, Mohammad Ghalib, Ch Mohammad Sharif, Raja Arif Kiani were also present in the press conference.