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NEWS ABOUT: Afghanistan army

17 Afghan Soldiers Have Gone AWOL in Texas

Some have security access badges

(Newser) - A nationwide alert has gone out warning that 17 Afghan military members have gone AWOL while training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The men were training to be pilots, know some English, and have security badges granting access to any Defense Department installation, according to a bulletin entitled... More »

1,000th US Military Death in Afghan War

Major Taliban leader reported dead

(AP) - The US military suffered its 1,000th death in the nearly 9-year-old Afghan war today, according to an AP count, as fighting continued in a remote Eastern region near the Pakistan border for a sixth day. Hundreds of militants have been trying since Sunday to seize control of the Barg-e-Matal... More »

McChrystal Reins In Special Ops to Cut Casualties

Some units weren't making saving Afghan lives high priority

(Newser) - Worried about civilian casualties in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal has decided to bring Special Operations forces under his direct control. The top American commander is said to have been concerned that some units weren't following his orders to make cutting civilian casualties top priority. “These special forces were not... More »

Marjah a Blueprint for Obama Afghan Strategy

Afghan troops outnumber NATO and US for first time

(Newser) - The current offensive in Marjah is not only the largest in the 8 years the US has been engaged in in Afghanistan, but the White House hopes it will serve as a strategic blueprint for the rest of the war. The administration has been stressing the differences between the Marjah... More »

Taliban: We Still Control Marjah

Insurgents deny NATO's claims of early success

(AP) - A Taliban spokesman says Afghan insurgents are still in control of the southern town of Marjah amid ongoing fighting with NATO and Afghan forces. Spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said by phone today that Taliban fighters are holding their ground, and that Afghan government claims of 20 dead Taliban fighters were... More »

Major Afghan Assault Begins

US, Afghan forces attack Taliban-held Marjah

(Newser) - The largest US-led offensive in Afghanistan since the 2001 charge that unseated the Taliban is now under way, with Marines and Afghan troops attacking the southern Taliban stronghold of Marjah, which they surrounded yesterday. Operation Moshtarak—meaning “together” in the native Dari tongue—could involve as many as 15,... More »

US, Afghan Troops Ring Taliban Stronghold

Battle for Marjah to be the biggest in 9-year war

(AP) - US and Afghan forces ringed the Taliban stronghold of Marjah yesterday, sealing off escape routes and setting the stage for what is being described as the biggest offensive of the 9-year war. Taliban defenders repeatedly fired rockets and mortars at units poised in foxholes along the edge of the town,... More »

NATO Strike Kills Afghan Troops

4 soldiers are victims of 'friendly fire' incident

(Newser) - 'Friendly fire' from NATO air strikes killed 4 Afghan soldiers this morning, as their newly established outpost in an area southwest of Kabul was mistakenly targeted. The Afghan Defense Ministry immediately expressed outrage and called for a court martial for the troops responsible. The Canadian spokesman for the NATO forces... More »

Afghan Tribe to Fight Taliban in Deal for US Aid

US hopes for similar deals throughout Afghanistan

(Newser) - In a groundbreaking pact, an entire Afghan tribe has pledged to join with the US-backed government to fight the Taliban. The 400,000-strong Shinwari tribe, which controls key areas on the Pakistan border, will battle insurgents, burn down homes harboring Taliban fighters, and contribute one military-aged male from each family... More »

Afghan Soldier Shoots GI Dead

2 Italians injured after Afghan opens fire on troops

(Newser) - An American soldier has been killed and two Italian servicemen injured by a rogue Afghan soldier who opened fire on foreign troops at a base in Herat. The soldier, who was wounded when troops returned fire, suffers from mental health problems, according to Afghan officials. Italian officials said the shooting,... More »

NATO Will Send 5,000* More Troops to Afghanistan

*But only if you use creative counting

(Newser) - NATO's chief said today that the alliance will be more than happy to fulfill President Obama's request to send another 5,000 troops to Afghanistan. "And probably a few thousand on top of that," asserted Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "This is our fight together." The problem, says... More »

Obama Gambles on Dubious Afghan Allies

Surge relies on corrupt Karzai government, poorly-trained military

(Newser) - By announcing an 18-month timetable, Barack Obama has thrown down the gauntlet for an Afghan government and military that have so far proven unreliable. Hamid Karzai’s government is considered among the world’s most corrupt, but Obama seems to be betting that the withdrawal timetable will encourage it to... More »

Speech, Afghan Reality Don't Quite Match

Allies may not help; Afghan troops ineffective even if trained

(Newser) - President Obama’s speech tonight “raised expectations that may be hard to meet,” AP analysts Calvin Woodward and Robert Burns write, citing conditions in Afghanistan that don’t match Obama’s rhetoric:
  • US allies will add troops: In fact, this has always been a tough sell, and even
... More »

Troop Surge Number? 34K

With NATO troops, total close to McChrystal request

(Newser) - The Washington Post has—or thinks it has—the much anticipated number of troops President Obama will deploy to Afghanistan, and it's 34,000. That, combined with 5,000 he's said to be seeking from NATO allies, brings the total within shooting distance of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for 40,... More »

NATO Airstrike Kills 7 Afghan Soldiers

Mistaken assault on joint NATO, Afghan base

(AP) - A NATO airstrike in the western province of Badghis mistakenly hit a joint base housing coalition troops and Afghan security forces, killing four Afghan soldiers and three policemen, Afghan officials said today. An Afghan army commando unit, district police members and foreign forces were in the base in the Bala... More »

Afghanistan Push Meets Resistance —From Democrats

Levin, Pelosi object to troop buildup; Obama weighs options

(Newser) - Support for the war in Afghanistan is dwindling among Democrats as President Obama mulls increasing US involvement in the region, the New York Times reports. Ahead of an expected request for more troops from the US commander in the country, the chair of the Senate armed services committee says he’... More »

Marines Launch New Afghan Assault

(AP) - US Marines battled Taliban fighters today for control of a strategic southern town in a new operation to cut militant supply lines and allow Afghan residents to vote in next week's presidential election. Insurgents appeared to dig in for a fight, firing rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds, and even missiles from... More »

US to Pressure Brits for More Troops in Afghanistan

(Newser) - The US is expected to push for more British troops to help fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, a move certain to be unpopular with the British public, reports the Guardian. NATO Gen. Stanley McChrystal will likely recommend to President Obama that the current total of 150,000 Afghan troops should... More »

A Baptist and a Mullah Team Up to Fight Taliban

US captain urges Afghan colonel to show faith to locals

(Newser) - A Baptist Army officer has teamed up with an Afghan mullah to fight Taliban propaganda that calls the Afghan army godless. “The only way we can keep people from becoming Taliban is by promoting the Muslim nature of the Afghan National Army,” says the mullah, Lt. Col. Abdul... More »

Military Seeks Much Bigger Boost for Afghan Forces

(Newser) - America's new top commander in Afghanistan believes the country's security forces will need a much bigger upgrade than planned if President Obama's strategy is going to work, officials tell the Washington Post. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, still doing a 60-day assessment, is said to have concluded that the expansion of Afghan... More »

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