Afghanistan

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June 2009
- With US Help, India-Pakistan Tension Eases
  
  New York Times | Jun 16, 09 4:12 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Revamped leadership in India and Pakistan and some behind-the-scenes encouragement from the US could lead to negotiations over the disputed Kashmir region, the New York Times reports. But while there are shimmers of hope, the relationship is still strained. “I am happy to meet you,” India’s PM told Pakistan’s president today, “but my mandate is to tell you that the territory of Pakistan must not be used for terrorism.” More »
- Economic Crisis Hits Al Qaeda, Too
  
  New York Post | Jun 12, 09 2:29 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Al Qaeda operations are struggling due to a lack of capital brought on in part by the global economic downturn, the New York Post reports. “In Afghanistan, we have a severe supply deficit,” the group said in a plea for donations. “Mujahideen sit and wait and cannot fight for lack of supplies.” The cash crunch is so bad that terror leaders are saying donations are an acceptable alternative to actual fighting. More »
- New US Afghanistan Chief: Convince, Don't Kill
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jun 12, 09 9:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The new US commander in Afghanistan says his experiences there and in Iraq have changed his perspective on an effective counterinsurgency: “You're going to have to convince people, not kill them,” Gen. Stanley McChrystal tells the Wall Street Journal . “Since 9/11, I have watched as America tried to first put out this fire with a hammer, and it doesn't work," he said. "Decapitation strategies don't work.” More »
- Afghanistan Attacks at Record High
  
  BBC | Jun 11, 09 10:06 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Violence in Afghanistan is the worst it’s been since 2001, the US commander of forces in the region announced today. Insurgents staged more than 400 attacks during the past week, compared to less than 50 per week in January 2004, the BBC reports. Gen David Petraeus said allied forces are targeting the militants’ safe havens, which partly explains the spike. More »
- Military's New Afghanistan Chief Gets Free Rein
  
  New York Times | Jun 11, 09 7:47 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With Afghanistan a priority for the administration, officials have given the new US commander there free rein to select his team, the New York Times reports. Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s job “is that important. Afghanistan is the main effort right now,” said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. McChrystal has already tapped an experienced longtime friend as his deputy and the Joint Chiefs’ intelligence head as his intelligence boss. More »
- Brits Grab $105M in Drugs From Afghan Taliban
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jun 9, 09 3:38 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - British troops have seized a huge stash of Taliban drugs after fierce fighting in Afghanistan, the Telegraph reports. Soldiers from the elite Black Watch squad discovered opium, heroin, and cannabis with a street value of some $105 million after attacking a Taliban drug factory in Helmand province. A number of militants were killed during the operation, which British commanders believe has dealt a heavy blow to the Taliban. More »
- Pentagon Prefers Blimps to $35M Spy Planes
  
  Economist | Jun 5, 09 7:34 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Financially grounded by the recession, the Pentagon and governments around the world are launching blimps to spy on their enemies, the Economist reports. Such balloons cost far less than Predator and Global Hawk drones—which can sell for $35 million each—and stay airborne for more than a week, while drones last about 30 hours. Blimps are also hard to shoot down, even when they are hit. More »
- Bin Laden Short on Hiding Spots: Officials
  
  NPR | Jun 5, 09 9:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Osama bin Laden has fewer and fewer places to hide these days, officials tell NPR. And “the administration smells blood,” says a former counterterror official who cites three reasons for the shrinking space: Pakistan’s Swat Valley offensive against the Taliban, "along with US activities from the Afghan side," could be putting “pressure” on al-Qaeda; 21,000 new US troops have entered Afghanistan; and there's been an increase in drone attacks. More »
- Iran: Obama's 'Sweet' Words Won't Score With Muslims
  
  Reuters | Jun 4, 09 2:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama’s speeches may be “beautiful,” but it’s not enough to win over the Muslim world, Iran’s supreme leader said in his own speech today, Reuters reports. “The nations of this part of the world...deeply hate America because during many years they have seen violence, military interference, rights violations, discrimination" from it, said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. More »
- New Osama Tape Blasts Obama
  
  CBS News | Jun 3, 09 8:40 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A new tape believed to be a recording of Osama bin Laden attacking President Obama for his actions in Pakistan surfaced today, CBS reports. In the audio message, which aired on al-Jazeera, bin Laden says that by encouraging Pakistan’s raids in the Swat valley, Obama has forced a million Muslims to flee their homes and “planted new seeds of hatred and vengeance towards America.” More »
- US Committed Serious Errors in Afghan Strikes: Report
  
  New York Times | Jun 3, 09 2:40 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The American military could have reduced the number of civilian causalities during its controversial Afghanistan air strikes last month if it had followed proper procedures, a military investigation has found. Personnel made serious errors in the bloody May 4 raids, including the failure of one plane to reconfirm a target after being required to circle back, the New York Times reports. More »
- US, Pakistani Attacks Have Rattled Al-Qaeda: Analysts
  
  Washington Post | Jun 1, 09 3:27 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Recent US and Pakistani efforts have rattled al-Qaeda, intelligence officials tell the Washington Post , with unmanned drones having killed about half of the US’ 20 “high-value” al-Qaeda targets since last fall. Combined with Pakistan’s offensive against its Taliban allies in the Swat region, the terror group’s position in Pakistan’s mountains looks much more vulnerable. But the strikes have also killed civilians, stoking anti-American sentiment. More »
May 2009
- Pakistan Retakes Key Swat City
  
  Reuters | May 30, 09 9:50 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Pakistan's military has regained control of the main town in the Swat Valley, raising hopes that at least some of the 2 million refugees from the region may be able to return home, reports Reuters. Battles on the outskirts remain, but the military said today it has ousted the Taliban from the central part of the city after a week of intense fighting. More »
- US Plans Giant New Embassy in Pakistan
  
  McClatchy Newspapers | May 28, 09 10:30 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The US is planning to invest $1 billion in building a bigger diplomatic presence in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including a huge new embassy in Islamabad, McClatchy reports. The Obama administration is seeking $736 million from Congress for the embassy and permanent housing for American officials in Pakistan’s capital—further evidence of a long-term commitment to the area. More »
- Afghan Taliban Have Momentum: Gates
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 26, 09 8:17 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Taliban have the momentum in the war in Afghanistan and the US is rapidly losing time to turn it around before public support runs out, Robert Gates tells the Wall Street Journal. The defense secretary said in an interview that American support for the war will recede unless the Obama administration can beat back the insurgency within the coming months. "If they think we're stalemated," Gates said, "then patience is going to run out pretty fast." More »
- Town's Stalemate Offers Snapshot of Afghan War
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 23, 09 12:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A stalemate between US Marines and Taliban fighters in a small, abandoned town in southern Afghanistan could be seen as a microcosm of the war there, Michael M. Phillips writes in the Wall Street Journal . In Now Zad, a 300-strong company of Marines has traded fire with a Taliban force it cannot overcome since last year. But neither can the Americans cede ground. “It’s a prize too valuable to lose, not valuable enough to win," writes Phillips. More »
- Generals Puzzle Through Surge in Army Suicides
  
  Washington Post | May 23, 09 11:13 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Top Army brass are meeting monthly to figure out the disturbing rise in soldier suicides, the Washington Post reports. The generals pore through case studies and examine factors such as solitude, multiple tours of duty, and interactions between anti-depressants and high-caffeine drinks like Rip It popular among soldiers. “It's the most gut-wrenching meeting I go to,” said Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli. The number of Army suicides rose to 140 last year, up 60% since 2003. More »
- Gates Praises Soldier in Pink Boxers
  
  Reuters | May 22, 09 1:23 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A US soldier who took up the fight against the Taliban sans pants and clad in “I Love NY” pink boxers got a vote of his support from the nation’s defense chief last night, reports Reuters. “Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a New York speech. More »
- Fraud Colleges Admit Terror Suspects to UK
  
  Times (UK) | May 21, 09 8:47 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thousands of young Pakistanis have entered Britain by applying for visas to study at sham colleges that issue fake diplomas and attendance records, the Times of London reports. Ten of the 12 men arrested last month when police busted an alleged al-Qaeda plot were enrolled at a bogus college; other terror suspects have been registered at a school with nearly 2,000 students but only three instructors. More »
- Afghan Peace Talks Hinge on US Pullout
  
  New York Times | May 21, 09 8:17 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Peace talks are under way in Afghanistan between militant leaders and intermediaries, but the insurgent groups—which include the Taliban—continue to insist on US withdrawal as a condition for peace, the New York Times reports. The Afghan government is backing the talks and optimistic about American backing, even as the US mounts a larger force in the country and maintains its demand that the Taliban disarm. More »