Afghanistan

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Afghan Cops Blow Up Huge Hashish Stash

260 tons of narcotics destroyed after history's biggest drugs bust

(Newser) - Afghanistan police have made what is believed to be the biggest narcotics bust in history, the Guardian reports. Some 260 tons of hashish—worth $400 million—was found buried in trenches near the Pakistan border. The narcotics haul, which would have made as much as $14 million in profits for...

US Releases Pakistan Border Clash Video

Coalition says footage proves troops were returning militants' fire

(Newser) - US-led coalition forces have released a video shot from a surveillance drone showing a controversial clash on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Pakistan claims the engagement led to an airstrike that killed 11 of its troops, but the coalition says the footage proves that US and Afghan forces were simply returning fire...

McCain: Bringing Troops Home 'Not Too Important'

Harry Reid slams GOP nominee for comment

(Newser) - John McCain said this morning on the "Today" show not only that can’t he provide an estimated date for US troops’ homecoming from Iraq, but that it’s “not too important. What’s important is the casualties.” The statement provoked an instantaneous response from Harry Reid,...

Pakistan Condemns US Air Strike That Killed 11 Troops

...which were reportedly working with the Taliban

(Newser) - At least 11 Pakistani soldiers and 10 other people were killed today in an ugly border incident that could strain US/Pakistani ties. US fighters reportedly launched an air strike inside Pakistan’s mountainous tribal area, backing up Afghan troops fighting Taliban forces. The matter was complicated, however, because Pakistani troops...

Bush Rues Gun-Slinger Image
 Bush Rues Gun-Slinger Image 
Jun 11, 2008 8:22 AM CDT

Bush Rues Gun-Slinger Image

'I could have used different rhetoric' prez says on farewell swing

(Newser) - Looking back on his years in office, President Bush admitted yesterday he regrets using phrases like "bring 'em on,” and “dead or alive,” which “indicated to people that I was, you know, not a man of peace." In "retrospect I could have used...

German Sues Again to Nab CIA Agents

Berlin dropped extradition try last year when US refused

(Newser) - A German man is suing his country to have 13 CIA agents extradited in a case of "extraordinary rendition," the BBC reports. Khaled al-Masri says they grabbed him by mistake in 2003 and dropped him in an Afghan prison, where he was tortured for 5 months. But Germany...

Destroying Key Records Was Standard at Gitmo

US interrogators told to 'minimize certain legal issues' in questioning detainees

(Newser) - Guantanamo Bay interrogators were urged to destroy notes from interviews with detainees, including Canadian Omar Khadr, documents suggest. Minimizing interrogation records “can minimize certain legal issues,” reads a Guantanamo operational manual for intelligence teams shown to Khadr’s lawyers. The case against Khadr is thought to be based...

In Afghanistan, Laura Bush Urges Support

Int'l community dare not pull out during 'crucial' Taliban uprising

(Newser) - During an unannounced visit to Kabul today, Laura Bush urged the international community not to pull support from Afghanistan, highlighting successes in reconstruction and improved women’s rights, Reuters reports. The first lady's visit came even as Afghan, US, and NATO forces fight to contain a Taliban guerilla war in...

Afghan Appeals Death Sentence Over Women's Rights Charge

Argues he was tortured into false confession

(Newser) - An Afghan journalism student who has been sentenced to death claims he was tortured into falsely confessing that he had written an article championing women's rights. "I would never let myself write such an article," said the student, 24, in court today in a desperate bid to overturn...

Pentagon to Build Giant Prison in Afghanistan

New Bagram complex marks intention to hold prisoners abroad for years to come

(Newser) - The Pentagon is planning to build a huge new detention complex in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times, acknowledging that the US expects to hold prisoners there for many years to come. The 40-acre, $60-million facility at Bagram Air Force Base will replace the existing makeshift prison in a converted...

18 Afghans Killed by Bomber in a Burka

Taliban claims responsibility for blast

(Newser) - A suicide bomber wearing a burka killed 18 people today in a western Afghanistan bazaar, Reuters reports. A spokesman for the Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said the bomber was a man. The past two years have been Afghanistan’s bloodiest since 2001, and some Western officials fear...

US Sent 43,000 'Unfit' Troops to War

Soldiers deemed medically unfit deployed anyway

(Newser) - The US has sent more than 43,000 troops deemed medically unfit for combat to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, USA Today reports. Since 2003 soldiers deemed non-deployable by medical officers have shipped anyway, according to Pentagon documents, with unit commanders overruling doctors. “It is a consequence of the...

Marines Tread Lightly in Opium Poppy Fields

Fighters ignore Afghan crop to avoid alienating locals

(Newser) - The US Marines have been battling the Taliban in the world's largest opium-growing region—and they're taking care not to damage the crop, the AP reports. Troops in Afghanistan are aware that the Taliban makes millions from the poppy harvest, but they also realize that destroying the locals' only source...

Pentagon May Boost US Troops in Afghanistan

Number would be highest since war began

(Newser) - The Pentagon may send 7,000 more troops to Afghanistan to make up for a NATO shortfall, administration officials say.The move would bring US troop levels there to 40,000 and require relocating American forces from Iraq, the New York Times reports. While NATO countries have promised to send...

Hit-and-Run Tactics Keeping Taliban Afloat
Hit-and-Run Tactics Keeping Taliban Afloat
ANALYSIS
May 2, 2008 8:29 PM CDT

Hit-and-Run Tactics Keeping Taliban Afloat

'Asymmetrical' warfare has casualties down, hopes of prevailing up

(Newser) - The Taliban might hope Sunday's brazen attack on Afghan president Hamid Karzai signaled a new age of potency for the rebels. But although deaths from Taliban violence are on the rise, the Economist argues, the organization has not grown substantially—it has shifted its strategy away from conventional firefights to...

Al-Qaeda Involved in Karzai Shooting Plot: Kabul

Taliban, Pakistani militants gain strength

(Newser) - The Afghan government today implicated al-Qaeda in the botched Sunday shooting attempt on President Hamid Karzai, the New York Times reports. Security forces captured or killed several suspects linked to the assassination plot. Among them was a man with links to militant commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, who is based in Pakistan’...

Taliban Bombs Afghan Opium Task Force, Killing 18

41 wounded in attack as authorities target skyrocketing drug production

(Newser) - A suicide bomber struck a meeting today of an Afghan poppy-eradication team, CNN reports, killing at least 18, including 11 police officers and seven civilians. Another 41 were injured in the attack in the eastern Nangarhar province; authorities said the incident was further proof of the rebel Taliban's involvement with...

Afghan Prez Escapes Assassination Attempt

Taliban boasts attack proves group's power

(Newser) - One person was killed and 11 wounded in a Taliban attack this morning in Kabul aimed at assassinating Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The president escaped the rockets and gunfire unhurt. The attack occurred as Karzai, government ministers, foreign diplomats, and military top brass gathered for the 16th anniversary of the...

Pakistan Near Ceasefire Deal With Militants

Leader linked to Bhutto murder calls off attacks amid peace talks

(Newser) - Pakistan’s new government is near a ceasefire deal with militants, the New York Times reports, as a top rebel commander has ordered his forces to stop attacks. Baitullah Mehsud, thought to have organized the December assassination of Benazir Bhutto, ordered a ban on “provocative activities for the sake...

Petraeus to Head Centcom
 Petraeus to Head Centcom 
Apr 23, 2008 10:49 AM CDT

Petraeus to Head Centcom

Predecessor had been at odds with Bush; Odierno will take over in Iraq

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus was tapped today to be the next commander of US Central Command, in charge of military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. If confirmed, Petraeus would replace Adm. William Fallon, who stepped down over disagreements with President Bush over Iran policy, the AP reports. "I don't know...

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