News of the Day for Sunday, July 8, 2012

Series of bombings in southern Kandahar province kills 18. Provincial police chief General Abdul Raziq tells AFP a bomb struck a minivan with about 20 passengers. When a tractor arrived to pick up the injured, a second bomb exploded. In all, 14 people died in this incident, with 9 wounded. Another attack a few hours later killed 4 people.

A NATO service member is killed by a bomb in souther Afghanistan. As usual, no further information at this time.

A second NATO soldier is killed on Sunday. Again, no further information as yet.

Five police are killed when their vehicle hits a bomb as they respond to a Taliban attack on a police checkpoint in Musa Qala, Helmand province. Three police are injured in the battle at the checkpoint. Bodies of twenty insurgents are said to have been recovered.

Pledges of $16 billion over the next 4 years raised  for Afghanistan at an international donors' conference in Tokyo. $4 billion a year is actually a decline from the current level of about $5 billion. The pledges come with mechanisms intended to assure accountability. According to the world bank, international aid is equal to Afghanistan's entire GDP.

Before a cheering crowd, Taliban execute a woman accused of adultery in Parwan province. "When the unnamed woman, most of her body tightly wrapped in a shawl, fell sideways after being shot several times in the head, the spectators chanted: “Long live the Afghan mujahideen". The incident occurred about 1 hour's drive from Kabul.

Afghanistan is now the world's 6th leading exporter of raisins. Nevertheless the current output, 24,000 tons, is little more than a tenth what it was before the civil war began.

A couple of afternoon updates:  Yet another rocket barrage into Kunar province from Pakistan kills a child, also kills livestock and destroys houses.

ISAF announces six service members killed in a bomb attack. As usual, no further information as of now.