Afghanistan

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Obama Buying Time With Afghan Surge

Measure more geared to buying time to revamp strategy on conflict

(Newser) - Barack Obama intends to sign off on a Pentagon plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports, but not because anyone believes this new “surge” will turn around the failing war effort. Obama’s team expects the move, which will nearly double US presence...

Afghans Infuriated by Gaping Wealth Divide

Corruption fuels scattered elite class

(Newser) - Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world—but while many are forced to beg for change, scattered neighbors are living in mansions, having mysteriously accumulated vast wealth, the Washington Post reports. Stories of drug trafficking, smuggling, and abuse of international aid abound. “All the jobs and...

In Afghanistan, Biden Meets Troops, General, Prez

VP-elect thanks soldiers for 'big, big' work

(Newser) - Joe Biden got word today in Afghanistan that thousands of new American troops expected in the country's south will need more helicopters and other support to beat back surging Taliban violence, the AP reports. Biden and Sen. Lindsey Graham met with the head of the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, Gen....

5 US Troops Killed in Wave of Afghan Attacks

Including 5 American soldiers

(Newser) - Three American soldiers were killed today when their Humvee hit a roadside bomb in Southern Afghanistan, and two were killed yesterday, as a string of attacks took 18 lives in the country over the past two days. Earlier today a suicide bomber blew himself up in a fruit shop in...

Pentagon Nixes Purple Heart for Mental Wounds

Post-traumatic stress is not a wound, officials declare

(Newser) - US troops who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder from their tours in Iraq and Afghanistan will not receive the purple heart given to soldiers wounded in combat, reports CNN. The Pentagon announcement came after weeks of review. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 11% of Iraq veterans and 20% of those...

Marines Improving Vests After Complaints

Troops complained 30 lbs. vest too heavy, restrictive

(Newser) - The Marine Corps is planning major improvements to its body armor after troops complained the $100 million vests were too heavy and restrictive, the AP reports. “I've worn the vest on my travels into Iraq and Afghanistan, and I can tell you those Marines have raised some valid points,...

Pakistan Cracks Open Afghan Supply Route

Crucial Khyber Pass has been shut for anti-Taliban campaign

(Newser) - Pakistan allowed traffic to cross the Khyber Pass today for 6 hours after closing it to help fight the Taliban, the New York Times reports. But analysts say that once the offensive is over, guerrillas who fled the area will simply return to the pass, a crucial supply route for...

Outrageous Corruption, Bribery Rule Afghanistan

Obama may have to save government from itself

(Newser) - Before he can defend Afghanistan’s government from the Taliban, Barack Obama may need to save it from itself. Bribery and corruption are astonishingly pervasive in Afghanistan, Dexter Filkins reports in the New York Times. Everything from settling a lawsuit to getting electricity to entering an airport requires a bribe,...

US to Expand Routes Into Afghanistan

Safer roads will depend on cooperation of Central Asian nations

(Newser) - More than four-fifths of the supplies for allied troops in Afghanistan travel via Pakistan along a treacherous route, prompting the US to plan new supply lines in the embattled region. The fragility of the current setup was laid bare after a Pakistani counter-militant offensive shut down the Khyber Pass yesterday,...

US Troop Deaths at New Low
 US Troop Deaths at New Low 
Dec 31, 2008 2:09 AM CST

US Troop Deaths at New Low

Fewest troops killed since Iraq war began

(Newser) - The US military lost 467 service members in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, the lowest annual death toll since the Iraq war began in 2003, reports USA Today. But the coming year could be more challenging. Up to 30,000 extra troops are being sent to Afghanistan and upcoming elections...

Pakistani Offensive Shuts US Supply Line to Afghanistan

Crackdown targets Khyber Pass militants

(Newser) - Pakistan closed the main route used to ferry supplies to US and allied troops in Afghanistan today after launching a fresh offensive against militants in the area. The road through the Khyber Pass in the northwest of Pakistan has faced increasing attacks by militants seeking to squeeze Western forces fighting...

TV Networks Scale Back Iraq War Coverage

Afghanistan becomes focus as US deaths fall, budgets drop

(Newser) - Violence is down drastically in Iraq, but so is coverage of the conflict by ABC, NBC, and CBS, who no longer have full-time correspondents in the country, the New York Times reports. Instead, the networks are shifting their focus to Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Afghanistan was the forgotten war,”...

Kid Toll Hits 14 in Afghan Bombing

Kid toll rises as Pakistan bomb kills 30 people

(Newser) - The toll of child victims in an Afghanistan suicide bombing yesterday has risen to 14, reports the Guardian. An exploding truck in eastern Afghanistan killed the children as they walked home from the last day of school for the year. There's no doubt the driver spotted the kids before detonating...

Children Killed in Afghan Suicide Bombing

Car exploded as children walked to school nearby

(Newser) - Five young children and three other people were killed early today when a suicide bomber attacked a voter registration site in southeastern Afghanistan, reports CNN. Some 15 of the 50 people wounded were children walking to school when the bomber's car exploded. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Afghan Dogfighting Resurges
 Afghan Dogfighting 
 Resurges 
Dec 28, 2008 6:06 AM CST

Afghan Dogfighting Resurges

Thousands flock to weekly events

(Newser) - Dogfighting in Afghanistan is experiencing a major resurgence since the fall of the Taliban, with weekly fights in many communities and purses as high as $50,000, reports the New York Times. The Taliban banned the practice as un-Islamic, but the fights are now as popular as ever. Twice weekly...

Pakistan Moves Troops Toward Indian Border

Shift comes amid tensions after Mumbai crisis

(Newser) - Pakistan began moving thousands of troops away from the Afghan border toward India today amid tensions following the Mumbai attacks, intelligence officials said. The move represents a sharp escalation in the standoff between the nuclear-armed neighbors and will hurt Pakistan's US-backed campaign against al-Qaeda and the Taliban taking place near...

Viagra Helps CIA Win Over Afghan Chiefs

Sexual performance drugs make aging warlords true-blue pals against Taliban

(Newser) - Little blue pills are proving to be a potent weapon in the CIA's efforts to win support from Afghan chieftains in the battle against the Taliban, the Washington Post reports. The notoriously fickle warlords—often aging men with up to four wives to satisfy—usually expect to be paid for...

The Army Wants You. 30,000 More of You.

Pentagon says Army is overstretched

(Newser) - The US Army wants you, and about 30,000 of your friends, if it's going to fight effectively in Afghanistan and Iraq and complete other missions around the world, reports the Washington Post. Increased demands are being made on troops in places like Africa, Korea, and cyberspace, and while the...

Afghans Uneasy With US Plan to Fund Militias

Strategy imported from Iraq prompts local fears of civil war

(Newser) - As the US military and Afghan government prepare to arm local militias against the resurgent Taliban, many Afghans are uneasy, fearing that militias formed along ethnic lines could spiral out of control and turn on citizens, reports the New York Times. The plan, which steals a page from the Awakening...

US Will Finance Afghan Militias
 US Will Finance Afghan Militias 
Dec 23, 2008 11:51 AM CST

US Will Finance Afghan Militias

Local security strategy echoes Iraq counterinsurgency strategy

(Newser) - The US will begin funding local militias throughout Afghanistan, an effort to re-create the successful counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq, the Wall Street Journal reports. “Afghanistan historically has been known as a country where local communities took care of themselves,” explained the US ambassador. “The way to counter...

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