Neil Armstrong, the first man to land on the moon, jetted into Afghanistan this week with two other lunar greats to give a much-needed morale boost to the country's struggling air force.

The 81-year-old American, who became a global sensation in 1969 when he became the first man to set foot on the lunar landscape, met Afghan officers in training at Camp Eggers in Kabul, the headquarters of the NATO-led training mission in Afghanistan.

"Passion is important in every occupation," the bespectacled Armstrong was quoted by a NATO statement as telling a small group of Afghan Air Force trainees, who were shown in coalition pictures wearing camouflage.

"It's encouraging to see this young group's enthusiasm and excitement," Armstrong told the small, eager crowd, with women clad in black hijabs and men wearing green berets.

Winning the support of new recruits and ordinary Afghans alike is becoming increasingly difficult in the face of a resurgent Taliban and a costly war that has dragged on for 10 years.

Celebrities often greet U.S. servicemen abroad, but such meetings with Afghans are rare.

Armstrong was joined by 83-year-old Jim Lovell, who famously commanded and rescued the botched Apollo 13 mission in 1970, and Gene Cernan, 77, who was the last man to set foot on the moon.

More information on reuters.com

 

Other links: Ing. Mhd. Hashem Taufiqui , Ahmad Zia Massoud , Massouda Jalal , Islamic Dawah Organisation , Dr. Abdullah Abdullah , Burhanuddin Rabbani , Ismail Khan , Anwar ul-Haq Ahady , Ashraf Ghani , Mohammed Fahim , Yunus Qanuni , New Afghanistan Party , United National Front (Afghanistan) , National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan

Hamid Karzai became the first popularly elected president of Afghanistan in 2004 - nearly three years after being appointed the country's interim leader. He was declared president for a second term on 2 November 2009 following elections dogged by controversy over vote fraud.

After taking up power in December 2001, Mr Karzai survived an early assassination attempt and infighting among ethnic groups to carve out a reputation as a shrewd statesman.

But he faced a storm of criticism during the 2009 election. Initial results suggesting he had won outright were overturned by a UN-backed panel.

A second round run-off was cancelled after his main rival Abdullah Abdullah pulled out - leaving some people to question Mr Karzai's legitimacy and ability to govern effectively.

Although relations between Mr Karzai and his Western allies continue to be close, tensions have crept in over recent years.

His critics say he has had little control of events much beyond the capital, Kabul, where an insurgency by the Taliban and their allies is growing in strength. Ethnic warlords still hold sway in many parts of the country.

More information on BBC

Other links:
Afghan political parties Jamiat-e-Islami, Jamiati Islami
The best candidate for the Afghan president Current President of Afghanistan. Президент Афганистана.
Afghan presidential election 2009 Afghan politician who was the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan from 2001-2006.

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