- Timeline of Afghanistan (January 2004)
__NOTOC__This is a
timeline of the history of Afghanistan in January 2004. The list is not complete and you are welcome to expand it."Thursday,
January 1 , 2004"Close to half of the loya jirga boycotted a vote on five disputed articles concerning the Proposed Afghan Constitution, promoting Chairman
Subghatullah Mujadidi to call for a two-day adjournment to for negotiations. Advisors from theUnited Nations and theUnited States were present to help mediate between the two sides. The primary controversy concerned whether to have a strongpresident or a strongparliament ."Friday,
January 2 , 2004"In
Kabul , Afghan leaders met privately with U.S. andU.N. officials, including U.N. envoyLakhdar Brahimi and U.S. ambassadorZalmay Khalilzad , to try to end the impasse over the Proposed Afghan Constitution.Canadian governor general
Adrienne Clarkson leftKabul , ending a four-day visit with aid workers and soldiers atCamp Julien andCamp Warehouse .About convert|60|mi|km northeast of
Kunduz ,Afghanistan , several people were detained by U.S. and Afghan troops during a raid of a drug facility, which contained about two tons of drugs and equipment. Once the people were removed a U.S.A-10 Thunderbolt II was called in to destroy the laboratory."Saturday,
January 3 , 2004"A rocket exploded in
Kabul . There were no casualties.Near
Deh Rawood ,Uruzgan province ,Afghanistan , men attacked a U.S. military convoy that had arrested three relatives ofHaji Ghulam Nabi . Two U.S. soldiers were injured."Sunday,
January 4 , 2004"The loya jirga adopted the proposed Afghan Constitution by way of
consensus ."Monday,
January 5 , 2004"North of
Qalat ,Zabul province ,Afghanistan , menkidnap ped an Afghan aid worker who was part of a caravan forShelter for Life . Two local people were shot and injured when they tried to stop the militants.Taliban spokesman MullahAbdul Hakim Latifi claimed responsibility.Gunmen threw grenades and opened fire on the
United Nations High Commission for Refugees officeKandahar ,Afghanistan .Lakhdar Brahimi , theUnited Nations envoy toAfghanistan stepped down as promised to do once theConstitution of Afghanistan was approved. Brahimi's position was filled on an interim-basis by his deputy for political affairs,Jean Arnault .Three soldiers of the
Afghan National Army died and two were wounded in a clashed with forces under the control of theZabul province governor. Among the dead was the commander of the army division inZabul ,Shah Alam .In
Teheran ,India ,Iran andAfghanistan signed an agreement to give Indian goods heading for centralAsia and Afghanistan similar preferential treatment and tariff reductions atChabahar ."Tuesday,
January 6 , 2004"In
Kandahar ,Afghanistan , at least sixteen people were killed (six of which were children) and 58 people were wounded when a time bomb hidden in an apple cart exploded convert|100|yd away from an Afghan military base. The crowd had gathered to investigate another bomb that had gone off 15 minutes earlier and injured a small child. A suspect was caught trying to hide in a nearby home. The blasts occurred moments before a motorcade was about to pass.In
Afghanistan , aminibus on its way fromUruzgan to Helmand was ambushed by gunmen, leaving twelve Hazara passengers dead.In a report issued to the
United Nations Security Council ,United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that violence inAfghanistan could disrupt the timing of elections scheduled for June and noted that south and south-east Afghanistan was mostly off-limits to theUnited Nations , NGOs and Afghan officials. He called for another political and donor conference to address these concerns.A grenade was thrown at the Core office in
Kandahar ,Afghanistan ."Wednesday,
January 7 , 2004"Speaking to the media via satellite telephone, senior
Taliban commander MullahSabir Momin apologized for the bomb attack inKandahar ,Afghanistan the previous day that killed fifteen, including many children. Momin said the intended target was the U.S.Provincial Reconstruction Team office in Kandahar.U.S. and
Afghan National Army forces launched an operation inSpin Boldak ,Afghanistan with the goal of arrestingTaliban leaders, particularly fugitive commander MullahAkhter Mohammad .Fourteen tons of aid from Canadian donors was distributed by Canadian soldiers to
widow s andorphan s inKabul . The donations included winter clothing, blankets, toys, chewing gum, school supplies and diapers.Care Canada also distributed to each family, through funding from theCanadian International Development Agency , enough to help feed seven people for up to a month.In
Afghanistan , a bomb found hidden under straw near a downtownKandahar bus station was defused.Gunfire was exchanged on the streets of
Kandahar ,Afghanistan , prompting U.S. soldiers to move in."Thursday,
January 8 ,2004 "In
Kandahar ,Afghanistan , twoAfghan National Army soldiers were wounded (one losing a leg) by a bomb that exploded on the roof of a building less than an eighth of a mile from theJanuary 6 incident that killed over a dozen people.In
Afghanistan ,Kandahar police arrested six people in possession of documents that linked them to theTaliban . A confession also linked the men to the bomb planted the day before in the bus station.In
Jalalabad , Afghan and U.S. officials held a ceremony opening a new U.S.Provincial Reconstruction Team .United Nations spokesmanManuel de Almeida de Silva stated that, to date, only 274,000 (2.7%) of the 10 million Afghans eligible to vote have been registered.Pakistan launched a military operation utilizing helicopter gunships and ground troops against suspectedal-Qaeda cells in the area ofSouth Waziristan , which bordersAfghanistan .Afghan authorities in
Kabul arrested eleven people suspected of involvement with aDecember 28 ,2003 suicide bombing near the airport.Protesting against the decision by the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to reject theirrefugee claims, seven Afghan asylum-seekers (including three women) onIndonesia 'sLombok island began ahunger strike by sewing up their mouths.In
Mazari Sharif ,Afghanistan , local police removed a bomb from a ditch near aUnited Nations office."Friday,
January 9 , 2004"A rocket hit an army camp in
Wana (Pakistan) ,South Waziristan ,Pakistan , killing four Pakistani soldiers."Saturday,
January 10 , 2004"Interim Afghan president
Hamid Karzai announced that he would be a candidate for the election to be held in June.A U.S. soldier died from complications caused by a vehicle accident southwest of
Kabul a day earlier."Sunday,
January 11 , 2004"Five
Afghan National Army soldiers died and three others were injured when they came under attack inKandahar province ,Afghanistan .In
Helmand province , four men were killed as they planted aland mine on a road regularly used by military patrols.A rocket was fired at the
Khost airport inAfghanistan , which was used by U.S. troops, but it failed to explode.In
Mazari Sharif ,Afghanistan , a guard and an employee were injured when a bomb exploded in front of the office of theAgency for Technical Cooperation and Development .Pakistan freed about 150 Afghan prisoners being held for violating immigration laws."Monday,
January 12 , 2004"The
Afghan National Field Hockey Team arrived inPeshawar ,Pakistan to play six matches over ten days.In
Nimroz province ,Afghanistan , dozens of men armed with assault rifles attacked a police checkpoint, killing four policemen.An agreement was signed by
ISAF and the Afghan the Ministry of Defense to begin the demobilization of heavy weapons fromKabul .Pakistan prime ministerZafarullah Jamali met with interim Afghan PresidentHamid Karzai inKabul to discuss economic links andterrorism .Three videos featuring women were shown on
Kabul TV . On of the clips included old footage ofSalma singing a ballad; another was a religious song inUrdu to honor the visit ofPakistan i Prime MinisterZafarullah Khan Jamali ."Tuesday,
January 13 , 2004"Afghanistan released 100Pakistan i prisoners to reciprocate a similar gesture by Pakistan only days earlier. The prisoners had been suspected of fighting for theTaliban .Tribal elders in
South Waziristan ,Pakistan handed over to authorities three men wanted for shelteringAl Qaida andTaliban fugitives."Wednesday,
January 14 , 2004"About a dozen rockets were fired at the U.S. base near the
Khost airport inAfghanistan . There were no casualties.A ban on women singing or dancing on television in
Afghanistan was re-established only days after the ban had been lifted. TheSupreme Court of Afghanistan wrote to the Information and Culture Minister,Sayyid Makhdum Rahin , to protestJanuary 12 airing. The court stated that women singing or dancing was in defiance of Islamic law.In
Khost ,Afghanistan , U.S. forces uncovered a cache of weapons that included grenades, mortar rounds, mines and rifles.U.S. troops near
Ghazni ,Afghanistan discovered two tanks, two anti-aircraft guns."Thursday,
January 15 , 2004"Outgoing
U.N. envoy toAfghanistan ,Lakhdar Brahimi , told theUnited Nations Security Council that elections scheduled for June were unrealistic because factions and extremists continued to threaten the peace process. Brahimi also criticized theBonn Agreement s on the grounds that theTaliban had not been present there. He also criticized westernfeminist s protesting theburqa . He said women would go further in Afghanistan through education, not changes in dress."Friday,
January 16 , 2004"At the request of the
United Nations , Chinese police officerZhang Ming was sent toAfghanistan to help fightdrug trafficking .In
Canada , tenAfghan National Army military officers started 16-weeks of English language training. The program was to develop the officers into English instructors. Sixty-five more officers were slated for training in the program over the next three years.An estimated seven rockets were fired at the U.S. air base in
Khost ,Afghanistan , but none hit their target."Saturday,
January 17 , 2004"Forty rebels ambushed an Afghan convoy in
Kandahar province , provoking a gun fight that left three rebels and twoAfghan National Army soldiers dead.In spite of objections by the
Afghan Supreme Court ,Kabul TV aired footage of 1960s female starUstad Mahwash singing.German
ISAF soldiers removed fromKabul International Airport wreckage of an Antonov cargo plane left over from theSoviet invasion of Afghanistan .Interim Afghan president
Hamid Karzai argued that the issue of women singing on television should be left to his government."Monday,
January 19 , 2004"In a raid on a compound in
Kabul , Canadian soldiers arrested 16 men and seized drugs, cash and weapons.In
Afghanistan ,Uruzgan province governorJan Mohammad Khan andCharcheno district chiefAbdur Rahman claimed that four children and seven adults were killedJanuary 18 by a U.S. air strike on the village ofSaghatho . The U.S. military refuted the claims (even as late asFebruary 3 ) and said that the attack killed five armed men who near aTaliban compound.Three U.S. soldiers were wounded in an attack on the U.S. base in
Deh Rawood inUruzgan province ,Afghanistan . One attacker was killed in the gunfight.U.S.
Playwright William Mastrosimone presented a play ("The Afghan Women ") to a group of actors at the headquarters of the Afghan television company inKabul .Ismail Khan , the governor ofHerat province ,Afghanistan stated at a session of theAfghan Islamic Unification Council his harsh protest against the Afghan women's songs broadcast byAfghan TV . He and other lecturers stated they wanted the government to stop the broadcasting of such songs by the TV. Khan ordered the collection of music tapes and video tapes in Herat."Tuesday,
January 20 , 2004"Pakistan announced there no longer any bans on goods exported toAfghanistan , with the exception ofghee andcooking oil .ISAF and Afghan police arrested several top suspects in theGulbuddin Hekmatyar -network."Thursday,
January 22 , 2004"100 Canadian soldiers arrived in
Kabul to start a six-month tour of duty."Friday,
January 23 , 2004"Iran announced that it would place a dozen jailedal Qaeda suspects on trial.Afghan National Army General Bismillah Khan arrived inNew Delhi, India for a three-day official visit with planned meetings with chief of theIndia n army staff general NC Vij, air chief S Krishnaswamy and AdmiralMadhvendera Singh , Chairman Chiefs of Staff committee."Saturday,
January 24 , 2004"In
Nangarhar province , at least four children were wounded by a landmine.In
Nangarhar province , rockets hit a governmental building, causing some damages but no injuries.The
Faroe Islands ,Hope for Humanity ,HELP International , and theAdventist Development and Relief Agency completed an education project inJowzjan province ,Afghanistan that rehabilitated the Oramast Elementary School, the Mirwaismina School and the Jowzjan Orphanage. The six-month effort provided the schools with wooden desks and chairs, glass for windows, sports equipment kit, playground equipment and a water wells.Hygiene andsanitation curriculum was also introduced."Sunday,
January 25 , 2004"Responding to rocket attacks on its air base in the region, U.S. planes bombed several areas in the
Narang district ,Kunar province ,Afghanistan .Near the Afghan border town of
Chaman ,Pakistan i forces arrested MaulviAbdul Mannan Khawajazai , who ran theTaliban finances and was once the governor of the westernBadghis Province ."Monday,
January 26 , 2004"With assistance from
UNICEF and theWorld Health Organization , theAfghan Ministry of Health began a three-day vaccination program intended to reach about five million children aged five and under inAfghanistan .In a ceremony in
Kabul , interim presidentHamid Karzai officially signed theConstitution of Afghanistan ."Tuesday,
January 27 , 2004"A Canadian soldier, Jamie Brendan Murphy, and one Afghan civilian were killed by a
suicide bomber inKabul . Three others soldiers and nine bystanders were injured.Afghan higher education minister
Mohammed Sharif Fayez announced that more than 6,000 people who passed a matriculation examJanuary 26 had to retake their exams after it was discovered that questions had been sold around the country."Wednesday,
January 28 , 2004"A British soldier was killed and another four were wounded by a
car bomb inKabul . MullahHakim Latifi of theTaliban claimed responsibility.Near the German base outside
Kabul , five foreigners were injured by asuicide bomber . MullahHakim Latifi of theTaliban claimed responsibility.In
Kabul , a group of Loya jirga delegates led byAbdul Hafiz Mansoor made claims that the version of theConstitution of Afghanistan signed byHamid Karzai onJanuary 26 contained more that fifteen changes from the document approved of onJanuary 4 . The group sent a copy of their complaints to the U.S. embassy, theUnited Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan , theEuropean Union and former kingMohammad Zahir Shah ."Thursday,
January 29 , 2004"Eight U.S. soldiers were killed and at least three were wounded when an explosion occurred at a weapons storage area near
Ghazni ,Afghanistan . The explosion may have been caused by abooby-trap .Pakistan i authorities seized 1600 kg ofheroin at the border town ofKili Ali Akbar , but made no arrests.Asadullah Abdul Rahman ,Muhammad Ismail Agha and a third child (ages 13 to 15) were released by U.S. officials fromCamp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay,Cuba and returned toAfghanistan .A bipartisan delegation from the
United States House of Representatives visited with interim Afghan presidentHamid Karzai inKabul . Delegates includedCurt Weldon ,Rodney Alexander , andMark Souder ."Saturday,
January 31 , 2004"In
Deh Rawood ,Afghanistan , a remote-controlled bomb destroyed a vehicle, killing MayorKhalif Sadaht and seven of his relatives."See also"
Timeline of the War in Afghanistan:
<< December 2003 | January 2004 | February 2004 >>
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.