Afghanistan

Stories 1341 - 1360 | << Prev   Next >>

Snipers Pin Troops in Marjah
 Snipers Pin Troops in Marjah 
Feb 15, 2010 9:09 AM CST

Snipers Pin Troops in Marjah

Firefights erupt across town

(Newser) - Sniper teams attacked US Marines and Afghan troops across the Taliban haven of Marjah today, the third day of a major offensive to seize the extremists' southern heartland. Multiple firefights broke out in different neighborhoods as American and Afghan forces worked to clear out pockets of insurgents and push slowly...

NATO Strike Kills 12 Afghan Civilians
 NATO Strike Kills 
 12 Afghan Civilians  
MARJAH OFFENSIVE
Feb 14, 2010 11:40 AM CST

NATO Strike Kills 12 Afghan Civilians

Rocket misses target by 1000 yards; McChrystal apologizes to Karzai

(Newser) - Twelve Afghans died today when two rockets fired at insurgents missed their target by 1,000 feet and struck a house during the second day of NATO's ambitious effort to break the Taliban's grip on the country's dangerous south. Thousands of US and Afghan forces encountered pockets of resistance, fighting...

Allies Storm Marjah, Begin Treacherous Sweeps

Fighting sporadic but fierce as US wonders how many Taliban remain

(Newser) - US, British, and Afghan troops encountered little initial resistance as they swept into Marjah yesterday and took up "all the strategic points in the area" in the biggest offensive since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. It was as they began individually searching houses, reports Dexter Filkins in the New ...

Marjah Offensive Ends 'Mowing the Grass' Strategy
Marjah Offensive Ends 'Mowing the Grass' Strategy
analysis
Feb 13, 2010 10:54 AM CST

Marjah Offensive Ends 'Mowing the Grass' Strategy

When fighting ends, an Afghan government will move in

(Newser) - The massive new assault under way in Afghanistan represents the new military strategy of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, writes Dexter Filkins. When the fighting is over and coalition forces have taken control of the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, the Afghan government will quickly set up government offices along with a police...

Taliban: We Still Control Marjah

Insurgents deny NATO's claims of early success

(Newser) - 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...

US, Afghan Troops Ring Taliban Stronghold

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

(Newser) - 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,...

Afghan Bomber Wounds 5 Americans at US Base

Bomber infiltrates US base near Pakistani border

(Newser) - A suicide bomber wearing an Afghan border policeman's uniform blew himself up today at a US base near the Pakistani frontier, wounding five Americans, an Afghan official said. The attack occurred after sundown in a barracks at a US facility in the Dand aw Patan district in eastern Afghanistan, about...

'Hurt Locker' Brit Dies Disarming Afghan Bomb

NATO preparing massive assault on Taliban stronghold

(Newser) - A British soldier with the kind of chillingly dangerous job featured in the movie Hurt Locker has been killed disarming a roadside bomb to clear a route for a new Afghan offensive. Warrant Officer David Markland, 36, had survived 8 stints in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Times of London...

Pakistan Wants In on Afghan Peace Talks With Taliban

Could offer reconciliation with lethal branch of militants

(Newser) - As the US and Afghanistan mull reconciliation with the Taliban as a way to wind down the war, Pakistan wants a role in potential peace talks. The Pakistanis would bring to the table their influence over the Haqqanis, a particularly lethal Taliban branch that is fighting against allied soldiers in...

Afghan Avalanche Death Toll Hits 157

Rescue crews work to free the hundreds still trapped

(Newser) - The death toll from massive avalanches that blocked a mountain pass north of Kabul soared to 157, as hundreds more remained trapped in their snowbound vehicles, Afghan officials said today. Rescuers have recovered 157 bodies from the Salang Pass, a key road that connects the Afghan capital with the north,...

Afghan Avalanches Kill 28, Strand 1,500

Heavy snow complicates rescue effort north of Kabul

(Newser) - Avalanches on a mountain pass north of Kabul killed at least 28 people yesterday, with another 1,500 stranded in their vehicles on snow-blocked roads. Some 70 people have been injured and transported to hospitals. Rescuers worked through the night to save more than 200 people, but heavy snow and...

Karzai Seeks Saudi Help in Taliban Talks

Afghan president arrives in Riyadh

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai arrived in Riyadh today, hoping to secure Saudi Arabia’s help in peace negotiations with the Taliban. Karzai and his entourage will first make a pilgrimage to Mecca, then meet with King Abdullah tomorrow to discuss the reconciliation process. Abdullah has said his government won’t participate as...

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...

France: No More Combat Troops for Afghanistan

Minister says France will consider sending extra trainers

(Newser) - The 7,000 reinforcements NATO has promised to send to Afghanistan along with the American surge won't be coming from France. French officials have ruled out sending more combat troops to the country but will consider sending more trainers for Afghanistan's army and police, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told CNN...

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...

World Powers Mull Afghan Exit
 World Powers Mull Afghan Exit 
Jan 28, 2010 6:30 AM CST

World Powers Mull Afghan Exit

But Hamid Karzai thinks it'll be a while before his country's ready

(Newser) - Delegates from about 70 nations met in London today to draft an exit strategy for the Afghanistan conflict, which, consensus has it, would involve handing security responsibilities over to local forces and seducing Taliban fighters with jobs and homes. In attendance were everyone from Hillary Clinton to Ban Ki-Moon to...

McChrystal: There's Been Enough Fighting

General foresees settlement with weakened Taliban

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal says he’s pushing towards a negotiated peace with the Taliban, using his newly-expanded forces to weaken their bargaining position. “As a soldier, my personal feeling is that there’s been enough fighting,” the NATO commander in Afghanistan tells the Financial Times . “What I...

Afghanistan Postpones May Elections
Afghanistan Postpones
May Elections
Jan 24, 2010 7:05 AM CST

Afghanistan Postpones May Elections

Panel pushes vote to Sept., cites need for reform, lack of funds

(Newser) - Afghanistan's independent election commission has confirmed it is postponing parliamentary elections until the fall due to a lack of funding, security concerns, and logistical challenges. Commissioner Fazel Ahmed Manawi also told reporters today the delay will allow time for electoral reforms—a move likely to please Western countries pressing for...

Stunning Kabul Attack Shows Taliban Moving Into Cities

'Nobody is ready to make any kind of deal'

(Newser) - Yesterday's militant assault in the heart of Kabul succeeded not only in paralyzing the city for hours—it also exposed the vulnerability of the US-backed Afghan government, demonstrated the resilience of the Taliban, and left the usually quiet city with a lingering sense of fear. The morning rush-hour attack offered...

'Jesus Rifles' Draw Fire
 'Jesus Rifles' Draw Fire 
Jan 18, 2010 6:20 PM CST

'Jesus Rifles' Draw Fire

US military firearms with coded messages raise issue of 'crusade'

(Newser) - A rifle scope commonly used by the US military is inscribed with references to the Bible. The scopes, made by Trijicon of Michigan, bear codes that refer to verses glorifying God and Jesus—even though the military, leery of being accused of waging a Crusade, bans proselytizing in Iraq and...

Stories 1341 - 1360 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser