Militants hang 8-year-old boy in southern Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- An 8 year-old boy was hanged by militants in Afghanistan's Helmand province after the boy's father -- a police officer in the southern city of Gereshk -- refused to comply with militants' demands to provide them with a police vehicle, officials said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the hanging, saying "this action is not permitted in any culture or any religions," according to a statement Sunday, which provided details of the incident.

Karzai said he has ordered local authorities to root out the militants and arrest them "as soon as possible."

The boy was kidnapped Friday. It was unclear when he was killed.

The incident comes amid a recent wave of attacks on local officials who are considered anti-Taliban. Less than two weeks ago, Ahmed Wali Karzai, Karzai's half-brother and a provincial council chief in neighboring Kandahar, was killed in his home by a longtime bodyguard.

Elsewhere on Sunday, formal ceremonies marking the handover of security to Afghan forces took place in Kabul and Panjshir province.

They are the fifth and sixth areas to be transferred to national forces.

Last week, the capital of Helmand province -- Lashkar Gah -- was transferred to local control as NATO begins a drawdown of troops.

The area was a scene of heavy fighting and stiff resistance last year as a coalition "surge" swept southward in an effort to drive Taliban forces from their traditional heartland.

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http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/24/afghanistan.militants.hang.boy/

Terrorists safe havens in Pak a challenge: Pentagon

WASHINGTON: Continued presence of terrorist safe havens and role of certain "actors" in Pakistan remains a challenge in the war against terror, a US defence official has said.

"The concern about the role of safe havens in Pakistan and the role of actors in Pakistan, including the Haqqani Network, the Afghan Taliban who are located primarily, the leadership is located either in the south or in the north around Peshawar, that remains a significant challenge," a senior defense official said at a Pentagon briefing.

Pentagon has sent its six-monthly report to the Congress on progress made in Afghanistan, the official said, adding that the United States is looking for continued and increased cooperation with the Pakistanis on the border.

"As we've seen it some areas; other areas we've seen it doing very well in some areas; other areas it's gotten better; other areas we're seeking much more improvement. That's something that we continue to look at very closely. It's certainly an area of strategic risk," the official said.

"At the same time, given the progress that we've made in areas that we've put our effort into over the last 18 months ... are we through that success on the ground able to mitigate that?"

One of the keys is the fact that some of the people who are coming in to reintegrate were in Pakistan before, the official said adding that there was a recent ceremony in Kandahar where a group of about 40 or 50 Taliban fighters appear to have come in and reintegrated.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Terrorists-safe-havens-in-Pak-a-challenge-Pentagon/articleshow/8123993.cms

Euro laws make UK a 'haven for terrorists'

The United Kingdom has become a "safe haven" for foreign terrorism suspects because European human rights legislation is making it difficult to deport dangerous people, Britain's anti-terror watchdog has warned.

In a sharp criticism of rulings handed down from the European Court of Human Rights, Lord Carlile said such laws hampered Britain's security and meant that terrorist suspects were able to stay in the UK.

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that some foreign terror suspects cannot be sent home if there is a risk they may be mistreated or tortured.

In May, European law prevented the alleged ringleader of an al-Qaeda bomb plot and another man regarded by authorities as a serious threat to national security from being sent by Britain to their native Pakistan.

"The effect is to make the UK a safe haven for some individuals whose determination is to damage the UK and its citizens, hardly a satisfactory situation," said Lord Carlile in his annual review of counter-terrorist legislation.

But his analysis was disputed by human rights campaigners, with Amnesty International claiming it was "outrageous" to suggest that the UK had become a safe house for terrorists.

Unlike many other countries in Europe, Britain does not permit telephone tapping to be used in evidence - meaning several suspected terrorists have escaped prosecution. The European rulings also mean the UK has been prevented from deporting some suspected terrorists.

To circumvent the European law, Britain has asked countries to sign agreements pledging not to mistreat suspects deported there, including Algeria, Jordan and Ethiopia.

A pact struck with Libya is currently on hold after it was challenged by Britain's courts.

Lord Carlile, who is stepping down shortly from his position as the independent reviewer of anti-terrorism laws, backed that approach, saying: "I support the proposals in the counter-terrorism review that the government should pursue deportation arrangements with more countries.

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http://news.scotsman.com/news/Euro-laws-make-UK-a.6710774.jp