Afghanistan .... what's happening there while we focus on Syria?

From Reuters:
Four soldiers belonging to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan were killed by insurgents during an operation on Sunday, while a fifth was shot dead by a security guard over the weekend in the country's south.
The Taliban have been recovering ground in the south as forward operating bases have shut as part of the plan to withdraw most foreign troops by the end of 2014.
"Four... were killed by enemy forces during a partnered operation," the release by the joint command said.
The nationalities of the dead soldiers was not released.
Also in southern Afghanistan, a contracted security guard shot one soldier dead in a separate incident on Saturday. A spokesman for the NATO-led force said the nationality of the security guard was under investigation.
So-called"insider attacks" on foreign soldiers by their Afghan allies escalated last  year prompting coalition troops to heighten security measures and reduce interaction between foreign and Afghan forces...........

Hamid Shalizi writing at Reuter:
...Three men considered front runners in Afghanistan's presidential election staged dramatic last-minute nominations on Sunday, the start of what is expected to be a chaotic but critical race for the palace in the first democratic transfer of power.
The April election is considered the most crucial since the U.S.-led overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001, with more than a decade of Western-led reforms resting on its outcome amid increasing Taliban violence.
It comes during the same year as the end of the NATO-led combat mission and will be modern Afghanistan's first democratic handover to a new leader, with President Hamid Karzai barred by the constitution from running for a third term.

Frud Bezhann writing at WomenNewsNetwork: 
When Wave of Change, a female-led  political movement, was unveiled last week in Afghanistan, it was greeted with applause by women’s rights activists.
The movement, led by influential female lawmaker and outspoken rights campaigner Fawzia Koofi, was hailed as an important step in consolidating the fragile gains made by Afghan women and inspiring them to take part in public life.
But skeptics say the movement, which was launched as candidates registered for next year’s crucial presidential election, could be used as an electoral tool by the movement’s male backers to gain wider support both at home and abroad.
Wave of Change, or Mawj-e Tahawal in Dari, was launched in a ceremony in Kabul on September 26. During a passionate speech in front of hundreds of supporters, Koofi promised to take Afghanistan “out of the days of darkness and bring about change.”

“We will not let those who have stayed in power and still want to rule us to contest the elections,” said Koofi, a 38-year-old mother of two. “We will fight against gender discrimination and increase women’s participation in the elections.”
Amina Zia Massoud is a human rights activist and daughter of Ahmad Zia Massoud, a potential presidential candidate who is a former vice president and brother of legendary Tajik commander Ahmad Shah Massoud.
According to her, the creation of the female-led political movement has the potential to inspire future generations of women to run for leadership positions in the country. ”I think because Koofi has created such a movement and she’s willing to become a [presidential] candidate, it paves the way for a lot of other girls and women in the future who do have political ambitions,” she says. “It’s a very important step.”
Under Afghan election law, presidential candidates must be at least 40 years of age, which would apparently prevent Koofi from running in the upcoming election slated for April 5.........

Kawoon Khamoosh writing at BBC:
Taliban tactics: Stealing the enemy's uniform  At a Kabul market a row of shiny new Afghan military uniforms are on sale.
It could have been uniforms such as these that were used in a string of brazen attacks this year, including one near the presidential palace in June, when militants dressed as soldiers penetrated the securest part of the city centre.
Such violence has intensified pressure on the authorities to clamp down on the trade in illicit uniforms.
June's attack was a sign that they may be losing this battle.
For years insurgents have had access to and used the uniforms of Afghan army and police as well as Western forces to evade security checks or to get bombers close to their targets. In the June attack, they even had fake ID cards.
This tactic appears to be on the increase as the Taliban focus their attacks on fellow Afghans serving in the security forces and high-profile targets in the capital. 

Beth Buczynski writing at Care2:
Donkey Ambulance Delivers for Expecting Moms in Afghanistan. Most of us take it for granted that when the time comes to give birth, we’ll simply drive to the hospital, where doctors and nurses will ensure that both mother and child get the best care possible.

Sadly, this scenario isn’t a reality for many pregnant women around the world. In Afghanistan, many women live in villages that are many miles away from the nearest hospital. In the most remote areas, there are no roads or cars that can be enlisted if there’s an emergency. As a result, complications during home births often result in death for the child or mother, or both.
One clever health charity has devised a solution that’s perfectly customized to the resources and terrain in Afghanistan: a donkey ambulance.
“The British charity HealthProm and designer Peter Muckle developed the inflatable donkey saddle,” reports the Atlantic. The invention is a lightweight and comfortable solution that encourages women to make the trek to a medical facility before the labor begins, thus helping to lower Afghanistan’s high infant mortality rates.

Ishtiaq Mahsud writing at AP:
....The Afghan Taliban are financially supporting Pakistani militants  at war with Islamabad and providing sanctuary for them in neighboring Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban's spokesman said, highlighting the risk both groups pose to the Pakistani government.
The disclosure, which the spokesman made Saturday in an interview with a small group of reporters, is meaningful because Pakistan has long been accused of pursuing a policy of differentiating between the Afghan and Pakistan Taliban as so-called "good" and "bad" militants - even though Islamabad denies this.
Pakistan has waged war against the Pakistani Taliban, which seeks to replace the country's democratic system with one based on Islamic law. But it has held off on targeting the Afghan Taliban, which has focused its attacks on U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan has historical ties with the Afghan Taliban, and many analysts believe Islamabad views the group as a useful ally in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw........