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Afghanistan: the Next Vietnam?

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 1, 2009 5:49 PM CST

(Newser) – Afghanistan may not be Barack Obama's Vietnam—it may be worse, John Barry and Evan Thomas write in Newsweek. The president plans to double US troops there to 60,000, hoping Gen. David Patraeus can recreate "surge" success and train an Afghan army... Read full story »

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Taliban Shows Fresh Fangs in US Base Attack

Secure in Pakistan, insurgents gain next door in Afghanistan

(NEWSER) - The Taliban demonstrated complex tactics and a renewed taste for conventional warfare in the attack on a remote outpost that claimed the lives of nine US soldiers yesterday, Reuters reports. The militants drove the residents from a nearby village and used it as a base of operations from which to launch their offensive, which briefly breached the outpost’s defenses. More»

Afghan Army to Soldiers: Cut Ties to Pakistan, or Quit

Afghan National Security Force desperate to root out infiltrators

(NEWSER) - Afghan military officials have begun ordering soldiers to move any family they have in Pakistan out of the country, or else leave the military, in a desperate attempt to rid their ranks of Taliban infiltrators. While those orders haven't yet been translated into an official nationwide policy, they represent just how serious the problem of Taliban sleepers has become, the Washington Post reports. Officials have also created a "special reconnaissance group" to investigate what soldiers do on leave—particularly if they head to Pakistan. More»

US, Afghanistan, Taliban: Secret Talks Under Way

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(NEWSER) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in Pakistan today, one day after telling the Wall Street Journal that his country has entered into three-way peace talks with the Taliban and the US. Karzai is in Pakistan to discuss the negotiations and request that country's help; Islamabad's cooperation is necessary, since Taliban fighters have reportedly been receiving support from Pakistan, the New York Times notes. The recent talks signal a breakthrough, considering the Taliban has up until now insisted it would not negotiate with Karzai's "puppet regime." More»

Backed By Pakistan, Taliban Set to Retake Afghanistan

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(NEWSER) - Big news from the BBC this morning: It says it has viewed a secret NATO report that suggests the Taliban will retake Afghanistan as soon as NATO exits the country, thanks in part to assistance it is receiving from Pakistan's ISI. The report was compiled following 27,000 interrogations of civilians and Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, and the BBC describes it as "painful reading." Among its claims: That Pakistan is aware of the whereabouts of a number of high-ranking Taliban leaders; that some of these Taliban members live near ISI's Islamabad headquarters; and that Pakistan is actually manipulating and controlling the Taliban. "The Taliban are not Islam. The Taliban are Islamabad," said an al-Qaeda detainee, according to the report. More»

US, Afghan Forces Mass at Pakistan Border

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(NEWSER) - Large numbers of American and Afghan troops have gathered near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan and a crackdown on the Taliban-allied Haqqani militant network is widely expected. The group—which operates on both sides of the border—has been responsible for many attacks on coalition forces, and while military sources say the plan is to force Haqqani fighters over the border into Afghanistan where they can be "encircled, arrested, or killed," it's not clear whether Pakistan's military is supporting the operation, the Telegraph reports. More»

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Afghanistan: the Next Vietnam?

Afghanistan • Taliban • Pakistan • US Army

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More Newser Stories

Taliban Shows Fresh Fangs in US Base Attack

Secure in Pakistan, insurgents gain next door in Afghanistan

Afghan Army to Soldiers: Cut Ties to Pakistan, or Quit

Afghan National Security Force desperate to root out infiltrators

US, Afghanistan, Taliban: Secret Talks Under Way

Hamid Karzai is in Pakistan today to discuss negotiations

Backed By Pakistan, Taliban Set to Retake Afghanistan

ISI providing direct assistance, says secret NATO report viewed by the BBC

US, Afghan Forces Mass at Pakistan Border

Attack on Haqqani network expected

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