Afghanistan

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Afghan Polls Close; Taliban Attacks Dampen Turnout

(Newser) - With polls now closed, Taliban threats appeared to have dampened voter turnout in the militant south in today's Afghanistan election. Insurgents launched scattered rocket, suicide, and bomb attacks that closed some polling sites. After 10 hours of voting, including a last-minute, one-hour extension, election workers began to count the millions...

'Indelible' Ink Washes Off, Afghan Candidates Charge

(Newser) - The supposedly indelible ink used to mark voters' fingers in today's Afghanistan election rubs off easily with household detergent, raising fears of widespread ballot fraud. Campaigners for Abdullah Abdullah, the main opposition candidate, found they could remove the ink with minimal effort, and a Guardian journalist scrubbed his finger clean...

Poll: Most in US Say Afghan War Not Worth It

(Newser) - On the eve of Afghanistan's elections, a major new poll finds sinking support for the US war effort there. A poll by the Washington Post and ABC finds that 51% of Americans don't think the war is worth fighting, up 6 points from last month. Only 24% think President Obama...

Your Guide to the Afghan Election

Profiles of the top 4 candidates in a turbulent country

(Newser) - Torn by war and insurgency, Afghanistan votes for its next president tomorrow, choosing from among 37 candidates. NPR profiles the frontrunners:
  • Hamid Karzai. The incumbent, a member of Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group, was elected in 2005 amid a swell of international backing. But lately the former activist’s popularity
...

Taliban Battle Police in Kabul on Election Eve

(Newser) - Taliban fighters wearing explosive-laced vests stormed a government-run bank in central Kabul today, precipitating an hours-long shootout with Afghan forces 24 hours before the presidential election. A Taliban source said that 20 militants had entered Kabul, a day after a suicide bomb and a rocket attack rocked the capital. Afghan...

Afghanistan Forbids Reports on Election Violence

Karzai government says gag will 'control the negative impact of the media'

(Newser) - The Afghan government ordered journalists to stay silent on any insurgent attacks that may happen during the presidential election Thursday, the Guardian reports. The gag order is necessary in order “to encourage people and raise their morale to come out and vote,” said a spokesman for President Karzai....

Taliban Peace Talks Dominate Afghan Race

(Newser) - As Afghans prepare to vote on Thursday, the top issue for all the leading presidential candidates remains whether and how to negotiate with the Taliban. Hamid Karzai, still predicted to win, has made vocal calls for negotiations but has done little so far in office, and Taliban insurgents are imperiling...

Taliban Threaten to Mutilate Afghan Voters

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai's battle for reelection on Thursday is facing a significant hurdle: threats by the Taliban to mutilate anyone who shows up at the polls. Insurgents are strongest in Pashtun regions, normally a Karzai stronghold, and in one town a group of Taliban fighters told citizens anyone who votes will...

Afghanistan Legalizes Starving Wives Who Refuse Sex

(Newser) - Afghan lawmakers have passed a new law requiring women to submit to their husbands' sexual demands or be starved, reports the BBC. The new law is an amended version of a bill that forced women to have sex with their husbands at least every four days, and completely removed a...

7 Dead, 91 Hurt in Blast Near Kabul NATO HQ

(Newser) - A suicide car bomb exploded early today outside the main gate of NATO's headquarters, killing seven and wounding 91 in the biggest attack in the Afghan capital in six months.  The bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police and detonated his explosives on the doorstep of the international military...

Marines Launch New Afghan Assault

(Newser) - 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...

Prez Hopefuls Offer Change Afghanistan Can Believe In

Candidates mimic Obama campaign

(Newser) - Which presidential candidate has a lock on the words "hope" and "change"? These days, it's Afghan challenger Abdullah Abdullah, whose Obamaesque website—complete with scrolling news feeds, photo and video galleries, and social networking links—exhorts voters to "join the campaign to change Afghanistan." As...

August Is a Snooze— Unless These Crises Hit

Iran, Afghanistan won't spend summer snoozing

(Newser) - August is a snooze—except when it isn't, writes Anne Applebaum for the Washington Post, who points out that World War I and Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait began in the eighth month. For the benefit of "the interns who are manning the shop while everyone is out of...

US Commander: Taliban Winning Afghan War

McChrystal makes protecting civilians his first priority

(Newser) - The Taliban are winning the war in Afghanistan and the US must quickly change course, warns Stanley McChrystal, the general now commanding American forces in the country. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, McChrystal says he wants more troops in big, dangerous cities like Kandahar as part of...

Opium Addiction Hooks Afghan Families

(Newser) - Afghanistan’s booming opium industry has hooked entire families on drugs, forcing them to sell land, livestock, and daughters to pay for their addiction, the AP reports. Some 200,000 Afghans are strung out on heroin or opium—50,000 more than in the US—as addiction moves from granddads...

Obama Sharpens Plan to Gauge Afghan Progress

(Newser) - Hoping to allay fears over Afghanistan, President Obama plans to show Congress a new system for measuring US progress there—and holding people accountable when goals fall short, Politico reports. The complex set of indicators will measure nine objectives in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including "the proportion of the Afghan...

Afghan War Could Last 40 Years: UK General

(Newser) - The Afghan war could last three to four decades, the new head of the British Army predicted today. “It will take time. This is nation building,” Sir David Richards said, “not the starry-eyed type, but nation-building nonetheless.” He allowed, however, that “the Army’s role...

Opium Addiction On Rise for Afghan Moms, Kids

(Newser) - Opium is taking a heavy toll on the women and children of Afghanistan, but it's addiction, not production, that's entering the spotlight. Opium is cheaper than a meal, staves off hunger, and brings the family some happiness, one addicted mother tells CBS News as she prepares opium tea for her...

Mehsud Is Alive, Says Fellow Commander

(Newser) - US and Pakistani officials say they're all but certain they killed Baitullah Mehsud, yet one of his fellow Taliban commanders says that's just a bunch of "ridiculous" propaganda. Mehsud, he insists to the BBC, is alive and will stay underground for a few days before issuing a public statement....

US Said to Press Secret Afghan Election Deal

Holbrooke allegedly talked to candidate about dropping out

(Newser) - With two weeks to go before the Afghanistan election, President Hamid Karzai is trying to cut a deal with a fellow Pashtun to help knock his main challenger out of the race. The Independent reports that American envoy Richard Holbrooke and the US ambassador have pushed for the deal, which...

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