Afghanistan Attacks at Record High

But progress is 'fragile and reversible,' says Petraeus

(NEWSER) - Rare good news from Afghanistan: The Taliban is losing ground in the south, meaning that “we start this year in a very different place from last year,” Gen. David Petraeus says. For the first time since the beginning of the war, the Taliban’s summer fighting season begins with less control in the south than they enjoyed the year prior. In a lengthy piece, the Washington Post looks at three insurgent-ridden regions where progress has been made: Sangin, Zhari, and Arghandab. More»

Participants at a recent meeting say comments offended Karzai

(NEWSER) - US officials were already skeptical of claims that a military operation last week killed 65 Afghan civilians , but now Gen. David Petraeus has apparently taken things a step further: During a Sunday meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Petraeus reportedly suggested Afghans burned their own children in an effort to exaggerate the casualty claims. Two participants at the meeting tell the Washington Post that Karzai and others at the meeting were shocked and offended at the remarks. Seven civilians, including five children, were found with minor injuries on an initial fact-finding mission arranged by the provincial governor. More»

Wayward strike further strains Afghan relations

(NEWSER) - A family of eight was killed in a coalition airstrike in eastern Afghanistan late last night, in the latest strain on US-Afghanistan relations, reports al-Jazeera . Local government officials said the man, his wife, and their six children were not affiliated with any anti-government group. "This man had no connection to the Taliban or any other terrorist group," said an official. A coalition spokesman said they were looking into the incident. More»

Details surface about staff sergeant, but identity not revealed

(NEWSER) - Details are beginning to emerge about the still-unnamed soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians yesterday. An official who spoke to the New York Times says the Army staff sergeant was part of a village stabilization operation in the rural Panjwai district of Kandahar, in which Green Berets forge close ties with communities in an attempt to track down Taliban leaders. Other soldiers support the Green Berets in such operations, and an official says the suspect himself was not a Green Beret. Another official tells the Times the suspect has been in the Army 11 years; a third says he is 38, married with two children, and served three tours in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan for the first time in December. More»

Reports vary, but murders could push US-Afghan relations to the brink

(NEWSER) - US and Afghan officials alike are scrambling in the wake of today's rampage that claimed the lives of 16 Afghan civilians , as relations between the two nations threaten to boil over. The latest reactions, along with emerging details:

• Reuters has the most incendiary report, alleging that more than one US servicemember was involved in the shooting spree, and that the Americans were "laughing and appeared drunk." "They were all drunk and shooting all over the place. Their bodies were riddled with bullets," a neighbor says. Adds a father who lost his children, "They (Americans) poured chemicals over their dead bodies and burned them."