February 2003 in Afghanistan " See also " : 2002 in Afghanistan , 2004 in Afghanistan and Timeline of the War in Afghanistan ( 2001 - present ) . 2003 in Afghanistan . A list of notable incidents in Afghanistan during 2003 February 1 : The Afghan Presidential Protective Service began assisting U . S . agents to protect President Karzai . February 2 : As part of a global U . N . campaign to cut deaths among mothers and new - born children , UNICEF began a week long project to vaccinate 740 , 000 women in four major [ Afghan cities . February 3 : A private memo from Canadian deputy chief , Vice - Admiral Greg Maddison to the chief of the Canadian defense staff , Gen . Ray Henault , said that command of the United Nations forces in Afghanistan was " not viable with Canada as the lead nation " without multinational support . Canada was scheduled to take over command in August 2003 . February 4 : Afghan government forces clashed with suspected Taliban and al - Qaeda fighters in the mountainous area of Shawali Kot north of the city of Kandahar . Two Dutch F - 16 aircraft bombed the cave complex as part of a follow - up to the attack . February 5 : Helge Boes , a CIA counter terrorism officer , was killed and two wounded in a grenade accident during a live fire exercise in eastern Afghanistan . February 6 : The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers and the head of the U . S . Permanent Mission , Ambassador Kevin Moley , signed agreements for U . S . contributions for humanitarian needs of $ 15 million for Afghanistan and $ 12 . 1 million for Iraq . February 7 : U . S . troops were fired upon while they were searching a compound south - west of Gardez , Afghanistan in an early morning operation following an intelligence report . There were no casualties on either side . February 8 : German Defence Minister Peter Struck said that US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had assured Struck that he would support the German proposal for NATO to take over . February 9 : On the orders of President Karzai , 138 people , including 72 members of the Taliban , were freed from Afghan jails in a goodwill gesture before the Muslim festival of Eid al - Adha . Freed were prisoners who were critically ill , older than 60 , serving minor offences or women who had finished half their sentence . February 10 : Afghanistan became the 89th nation to join the International Criminal Court . The ratification took effect May 1 , 2003 . The court will prosecute those accused of genocide , crimes against humanity and war crimes . It will intervene only when a country is unable or lacks the political will to carry out the trial . February 11 : U . S . bombers fired laser - guided bombs at 25 armed Taliban suspects near the village of Lejay in the Baghran valley . Afghan authorities said that the raids had killed 17 civilians . February 12 : Canada said it would send up to 2 , 000 troops ( consisting of a battle group and a brigade headquarters ) to Afghanistan later in the year to bolster the United Nations peacekeeping mission . To date , Canada had two warships , two maritime patrol aircraft , three transport plans , and about 850 military personnel in the region searching for al Qaeda or Taliban operatives from Afghanistan . February 13 : In Operation Eagle Fury , coalition warplanes dropped four 500 pound bombs and fired several hundred rounds of ammunition at the caves . Special forces patrols had collected abandoned ammunition casings and rocket - launchers . 15 fighters were captured by more than 100 US troops , while an estimated 30 rebels were believed to have suffered heavy injuries . February 14 : In Kabul , four armed robbers stormed into the office of a French charity ( Solidarity , working to help farmers ) , tied up two Afghan employees and stole cash . Police chief General Basir Falangi said authorities were investigating and vowed to find the robbers . February 15 : U . S . Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that the Bush administration continued to hold the belief that Afghanistan still belonged to the Afghans . He said US forces were in Afghanistan to promote the goal of long - term stability and independence through the development of local institutions . In response to concerns over the U . S . shifting its focus onto Iraq , he said that whatever else happens in the world , the US would not abandon Afghanistan . February 16 : In Balochistan , Pakistan , strong winds and heavy rains caused a wall to collapse in a Latifabad refugee camp , killing a nine - year - old girl and injuring three of her family members . Some 50 Afghan families in a Mohammad Kheil camp also lost their homes and tents in the storms . Later in the week , UNHCR distributed tents , food , coal and blankets to the affected refugees , along with 150 tents and 900 quilts to storm - hit refugees in Chaghi refugee village in Baluchistan ' s Dalbandin area . February 17 : Afghan officials , workers , and citizens gathered at the Kabul museum for the opening of two newly renovated rooms . The purpose of the rooms was to begin repairing the collection of thousands of statues that were smashed in the Spring of 2001 . The British Government , with the advice of the British Museum , paid for the renovation , and British soldiers partook in the work . Japan promised photographic equipment , Greece was to rebuild one wing , the Asian Foundation was to develop an inventory , and the U . S . pledged more money for a restoration department . UNESCO was to work on the windows and water supply . February 18 : A fire swept through an observation post outside the U . S . headquarters outside the U . S . military Bagram Air Base , forcing a quick evacuation . The cause of the fire was not known . No one was injured . February 19 : Operation Viper began as U . S . CH - 47 Chinook helicopters carrying US troops touched down in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan . Their mission was to hunt down Taliban leaders believed hiding there . February 20 : President Karzai left Kabul for a four - nation tour ( Japan , Malaysia , the U . S . , and India ) . Karzai is accompanied by Foreign Minister Dr . Abdullah and a high - level official delegation . February 21 : President Karzai arrived in Tokyo , Japan to attend a conference of nations involved in pledging donations toAfghanistan . In a press conference , Karzai expressed confidence that his government would succeed in creating a unified Afghan fighting force , and in stabilizing areas beyond Kabul . But he also acknowledged that fighting has continued between rival warlords and that terrorist pockets continue to plague areas along the Afghan - Pakistani border . He estimated that about 100 , 000 irregular troops still need to disarm . Japan is the second largest donor nation of Afghanistan after the U . S . February 22 : A one - day international donors ' conference to help President Karzai tighten control over Afghanistan took place in Tokyo , Japan . There were about 45 donor nations and international organizations in attendance . The meeting , called by Japan , sought to raise money for efforts to disarm warlords and extend President Karzai ' s authority outside Kabul , Afghanistan . February 23 : An International Committee of the Red Cross project started in Bamyan that provided women with vegetable seeds and training to tend family plots more productively . February 24 : Afghan Minister for Mines and Industries Juma Mohammad Mohammadi and Pakistan foreign ministry official Mohammad Farhad Ahmed were among eight people on board a Cessna plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea shortly after takeoff . The aircraft was headed for Balochistan , Pakistan near the Iranian border . Also on board the aircraft were three other Afghan officials , two crew members and Sun Changsheng , CEO of MCC Resource Development . They had been traveling to a copper and gold mining project being run by a Chinese firm in Balochistan . Weather officials say it was clear and sunny in Karachi at the time of the crash . The plane had crossed into a Pakistan military " no - fly zone " before it crashed into the sea . February 25 : Habibullah Jan , a district administrator in Nimroz Province in Dilaram , 135 miles northwest of Kandahar , Afghanistan , was assassinated . Jan ' s body guard was wounded in the attack . February 26 : President Karzai visited the U . S . Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington , D . C . . What was to be a private panel discussion instead turned into a hearing with television cameras and reporters present . The Bush administration later apologized to Karzai for the way he was treated by the senate . In the hearing , Karzai gave an optimistic view of the state of Afghanistan , to the dismay of some senators . Karzai disputed beliefs that 100 , 000 militiamen living in the provinces are beyond the influence of his government . He also turned down offers from senators that they lobby for an expansion of the international force , saying he would prefer to expand the new national Afghan army , which to date had about 3 , 000 trained troops . February 27 : During a meeting at the White House , President Karzai asked President George W . Bush " to do more for us in making the life of the Afghan people better , more stable , more peaceful . " Bush said the U . S . had " a desire for human life to improve " in Afghanistan , but offered no public assurances that a war with Iraq would not hinder the Afghan recovery . February 28 : Using a pistol and then a sub - machinegun , an Afghan man killed two policemen guarding the U . S . consulate in Karachi , Pakistan . Five other officers and a passerby were injured .