News Summary, Oct 4 am

In this update: IEC says three of its workers were killed and another 22 kidnapped during the electoral process. The Torkham standoff continues, with 20 oil tankers attacked by suspect militants in Pakistan. Eight private security firms have been disbanded in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan – Election

• IEC deaths Three Independent Election Commission (IEC) workers have been killed and five others wounded in different parts of the country since the start of the electoral process. Another 22 were kidnapped by armed men, Noor said, without giving the locations of the incidents or other details. He did not say how many of them had been freed so far. [Pajhwok]

Afghanistan — Security

• Pakistan border Suspected militants attacked and set fire to at least 20 oil tankers in Pakistan en route to NATO forces in Afghanistan. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Sunday that he had not yet seen any major impact on the US-led forces in Afghanistan from the closing of the border. The Gulf Times speculates on a post-midterm expansion of the war: “If polls are right and Republicans achieve a major win, it’s likely there will be more and deeper US air and land attacks into Pakistan. In Vietnam, the frustrated US expanded the war into Cambodia and Laos. Are we seeing déjà vu?” [Guardian] [WSJ] [Dawn] [Gulf Times]
• US apologies the American military apologized to Afghan officials for one episode in which a child was killed and two other children wounded and said it was investigating the deaths of several civilians in the other episode. [NYT]
• Peace council The High Council of Peace set up recently to accelerate the government-backed national reconciliation program to end the protracted war would formally convene its first meeting in the coming days. "The first meeting of council would formally open by President Karzai in the coming days," presidential spokesman Waheed Omar told a press briefing Sunday. [Xinhua]
• Private security firms The US embassy said it was studying the latest statement by a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai on the closure of foreign security companies.Eight private security firms have so far been dissolved in compliance with Karzai's decree, a presidential spokesman said on Sunday. [NYT] [VOA] [Pajhwok]
• Rights Afghanistan has denied that it asked the United Nations not to publish a report into rights violations in the country between 1978 and 2001. A Swiss newspaper, Le Temps, reported that the UN had buried a report that accused Soviets, Islamists and US forces of "atrocities". But Waheed Omer, spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said: "The United Nations has not contacted the Afghan government regarding any such report." [AFP]