[…] Director of the Narcotics Affairs Section of U.S. Embassy Kabul James Vanlaningham signed the documents transferring the award to the Ministry of Counter Narcotics Minister General Khodaidad in recognition of the achievements made in these provinces. The Ministry of Counter Narcotics will use the awards to fund development projects in these provinces, which earned Good Performers Initiative awards for successfully reducing poppy cultivation.

[…] Even though Afghanistan still faces many challenges in rebuilding its judicial system, Abdul Saboor Hashimi, chief judge of the Sangcharak district of Sari Pul province, remains optimistic about the current progress and future prospects of legal reform throughout the country. “I am optimistic about the future of the Afghanistan judicial system,” he said.

[…] I have a Bachelor of Law and Jurisprudence from the Sharia Law Faculty of Balkh University (1997). I have been a judge for nearly 7 years in the Balkh province of Afghanistan. I worked as Chief Judge of the Sangchurak district of Saripul province. I am currently the Visiting Foreign Judicial Fellow at the Federal Judicial Center (Washington, DC USA).

[…] An equitable justice system is the cornerstone of any stable democracy. For Afghanistan, overcoming years of war and institutional abuse to introduce legal reform is an important step in raising the accountability of government agencies to Afghans. On July 21 at 7:30 EDT (11:30 GMT), join Judge Abdul Hashimi in an Ask America webchat for a discussion of the justice system in Afghanistan and where it is headed in the future.

[…] The Missouri National Guard arrived in Afghanistan in February with a big mission: modernize agriculture practices and increase food production in a war-torn country. The task is not an easy one, but the 50-member Army Agri-Business Development Team has been working long hours with farmers and community officials in Nangarhar Province. The province is in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. The team’s goals include improving irrigation systems and providing effective methods for fertilizing, planting, harvesting, marketing and storage of agricultural crops.

[…] Baz Mohammad's arrest and conviction illustrate the significant relationship that has emerged between the United States and the Afghan government since the Taliban regime was toppled in late 2001. Under the Taliban, Afghanistan had become a safe haven for the transnational terrorist organization al-Qaida, and the Taliban regime claimed about 40 percent of Afghan drug profits. The majority of the drugs produced ended up in Europe and the United States.

[…] Well, thank you, those of you who are here this afternoon. I’d like to present Henrietta Fore, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance; and U.S. Ambassador William Wood, who is Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. They are going to be discussing the recent International Conference in Support of Afghanistan.

[…] When first lady Laura Bush touched down in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province June 8, she was greeted by a flock of Kiwis -- troops from New Zealand serving in one of 26 Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) helping to reconnect the Afghan people to the central government with improved infrastructure, education and economic opportunity. “Even though New Zealand's national defense force is not large, its PRT has been providing security and promoting development in Bamiyan since 2003,” Mrs. Bush said June 12.

[…] A new $60 million voucher program will allow Afghan farmers to purchase bags of seed, fertilizer and other supplies from private-sector agricultural suppliers, enabling them to quickly increase food growth, a senior U.S. official says. Between 70 percent and 80 percent of Afghans earn their livelihood in agriculture. “So to increase incomes, to reduce poverty, to allow for livelihoods to be encouraged in Afghanistan, focusing on agriculture is an immediate, clear step,” says Henrietta Fore, director of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

[…] The Afghan people have shown their determination to rebuild their country, and the international community has responded by pledging more than $20 billion in new aid to help Afghanistan continue along the road to recovery. “We all know that success will not be easy, but Afghanistan has reached a decisive moment for its future,” first lady Laura Bush told delegates from more than 80 countries and institutions at the International Conference in Support of Afghanistan in Paris.