Afghanistan

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Obama Is the Anti-Cowboy
 Obama Is the Anti-Cowboy 
Analysis
Nov 25, 2009 9:26 AM CST

Obama Is the Anti-Cowboy

Slow decision on Afghanistan a contrast from Bush's gut checks

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s prolonged Afghanistan strategy review has if nothing else distinguished him from his predecessor—Obama is anything but the “gut player” Dubya claimed to be. In fact, he’s put on “a spectacle of deliberation unlike anything seen in the White House in recent memory,”...

Fresh Troops to Target Afghanistan's Troubled South

Kandahar key in coming Afghan surge

(Newser) - Though President Obama has yet to announce his plan for finishing the job in Afghanistan, military commanders say the bulk of the fresh troops—regardless of their number—will be sent to the country's volatile south to reverse Taliban gains, specifically targeting the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. The coming surge...

Obama: I'll 'Finish the Job' in Afghanistan

President's troop decision expected this week

(Newser) - He didn't tip his hand on many troops it would take, but President Obama said today that he intends to "finish the job" in Afghanistan. He promised to unveil a strategy after Thanksgiving that will "dismantle and degrade” the enemy while making sure that "al Qaeda and...

Report: Obama Will Send 34K Troops to Afghanistan

Prez finalized decision last night, will address nation next week

(Newser) - President Obama has made his choice on Afghan strategy after months of deliberations and will announce it next week, administration sources tell McClatchy . The president finalized his decision to send another 34,000 troops in meetings last night, and plans to address the nation on the choice next Tuesday, prior...

US, Afghans Recruit Taliban With Jobs

Drive will be similar to the 'Sons of Iraq' program

(Newser) - Afghanistan has launched an initiative to convert Taliban foot soldiers with the promise of jobs and protection. Backed by the US military, the plan is modeled on its “Sons of Iraq” program; Stanley McChrystal even lured a key architect of that program out of retirement to help with it....

Backing Afghan Militias Makes NATO Allies Queasy

Experts worry $1.3B from US won't buy loyalty of local fighters

(Newser) - The US hasn’t given its Western allies the details of its plan to recruit and fund tribal militias to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, fearing, correctly, that they won’t like it, the Guardian reports. The strategy is already under way in 14 areas, with a budget of some...

4 US Troops Killed in Afghan Attacks

Death toll for month up to 15

(Newser) - Four US troops have been killed in southern and eastern Afghanistan in the last 24 hours. Three were killed by bombs yesterday and today, while a fourth was killed in a firefight. The casualties bring the death toll for the month to 15. October, when 58 US fighters were killed,...

US Backs Afghan Militias Against Taliban

Supporting local resistance, as in Iraq, is a delicate equation

(Newser) - The US is actively supporting local militia groups against the Taliban as American and Afghan officials move to encourage a demoralized Afghan population to re-engage in the war, reports Dexter Filkins of the New York Times . Tapping into the militias’ resources could fill the manpower gap as a vacillating White...

US Recruits Allies for Afghan Surge

White House is quietly looking for 3K to 7K NATO troops

(Newser) - President Obama isn't planning to go it alone: The administration has hopes that from 3,000 to 7,000 NATO troops will be committed to joining the US troop surge in Afghanistan by the time he rolls out his new strategy after Thanksgiving. Advanced talks are underway, the Wall Street ...

Pakistani Intelligence Sheltering Taliban Leader

Mullah Omar hiding in Karachi: US sources

(Newser) - Pakistan’s intelligence service is secretly sheltering the Taliban’s top leader, US intelligence sources tell the Washington Times —helping Mullah Omar escape from the town of Quetta, along the Afghanistan border, to the port city of Karachi, deep within Pakistan. The sources say Mullah Omar is leading a...

Suicide Bomber Kills 16 in Afghanistan

Two children among the dead in latest attack

(Newser) - A suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 16 people, including two children and a policeman, and wounded at least 23 others today in a busy city square in western Afghanistan. The violence comes a day after President Hamid Karzai, in his second inaugural address, said he has placed national reconciliation...

Karzai Sworn In, Vows to Fight Corruption

Afghan prez promises to take over country's security in 5 years

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai vowed to fight corruption today after he was sworn in to a second 5-year term as president of Afghanistan. Karzai, whose election victory was tainted by widespread allegations of vote-rigging, said his government would learn from "our mistakes and shortcomings of the last eight years." The...

Afghans Revive Goat-Carcass Sport
 Afghans Revive 
 Goat-Carcass Sport 
Olympics, anyone?
Nov 18, 2009 11:49 AM CST

Afghans Revive Goat-Carcass Sport

Buzkashi draws sponsors in post-Taliban economy

(Newser) - Not even the Taliban managed to kill it, and now buzkashi, the national sport of Afghanistan, is thriving again, attracting corporate sponsors and emboldening its boosters to contact Olympics officials, with the ambition of building an international following. Did we mention it’s a virtually rule-less polo-like game played by...

US Fears Insurgents Are Eluding Pakistan Crackdown

Dubious success of campaign could affect Afghan troop decision

(Newser) - Pakistan's drive to oust militants from South Waziristan has been suspiciously successful, prompting US fears that the enemy is simply eluding Pakistani forces. The military, for example, recently captured Sararogha, the Taliban’s de facto capital. “It all started here,” a commander boasts to the New York Times....

Clinton Makes Surprise Afghan Visit
 Clinton Makes 
 Surprise Afghan Visit 
KARZAI INAUGURAL
Nov 18, 2009 7:40 AM CST

Clinton Makes Surprise Afghan Visit

Secretary arrives amid heightened security, meets with McChrystal

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton made an unexpected appearance in Afghanistan today to attend the inauguration of President Hamid Karzai and meet with Gen. Stanley McChrystal. It's Clinton's first trip to Afghanistan since becoming secretary of state. Clinton called the visit "a specific opportunity for everyone to take stock of where we...

In Afghanistan Debate, Obama Focuses on Exit
In Afghanistan Debate, Obama Focuses on Exit
Analysis
Nov 17, 2009 8:15 AM CST

In Afghanistan Debate, Obama Focuses on Exit

White House wants to make sure surge will enable handover

(Newser) - The Obama administration’s extended ruminations on an Afghan surge aren’t really over how many troops to send in—they’re about how they’ll get those troops out. Obama’s main problem with the initial military plan was that it seemed too open ended, administration sources tell Gerald...

Afghan Rocket Misses French General, Kills 3 Kids

Insurgents target marketplace meeting

(Newser) - A rocket attack intended for a French general instead killed three children and wounded 20 others in a busy market northeast of Kabul today. Insurgents fired into the marketplace hoping to hit a meeting between Brig. Gen. Marcel Druart and tribal elders from Tagab Valley, where France is in the...

Clinton: Karzai on the Hot Seat
 Clinton: Karzai on the Hot Seat 
TALK SHOW ROUNDUP
Nov 15, 2009 10:51 AM CST

Clinton: Karzai on the Hot Seat

White House 'will expect more,' focused on defeating 'those who attacked us'

(Newser) - It's time for Afghan President Hamid Karzai to put up or shut up, Hillary Clinton said today, underscoring the White House's heightened expectations of Kabul. "We are expecting there to be a major crimes tribunal, an anti-corruption commission," she told This Week, adding that the original Afghan mission...

Afghan Calculus: 40K Troops Equals $40B

High long-term costs a big factor in debate

(Newser) - When President Obama rejected advisers' recommendations on Afghan troops and insisted they be retooled with exit strategies, he had the war's long-term financial costs in mind, an insider tells the New York Times . While military strategy gets the headlines, the financial constraints also are weighing heavily. Some specfics:
  • Gen. McChyrstal's
...

Morale Down in Afghanistan: Army

One in six soldiers suffers from a psychological disorder

(Newser) - Morale is down and psychological problems rampant among troops in Afghanistan, who face a shortage of mental health professionals to help them deal with the stress of war. Only 5.7% of soldiers described their unit's moral as high or very high, down from 10.2% in 2007 and 10....

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