Norwegian Foreign Ministry Says Kabul Embassy Closed Due to Threats
12 February 2008
'', The Canadian Press, 12 February 2008
EXCERPT: "Norway's embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan was closed on Sunday due to "terror threats," a Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. Ministry spokeswoman Kristin Melsom said the embassy had been closed until further notice, but did not elaborate on the nature of the threats or how long the embassy would remain...
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Canada Parties Show Signs of Afghan Compromise
12 February 2008
'Canada Parties Show Signs of Afghan Compromise', Reuters, 12 February 2008
EXCERPT: "Canada's minority government and the main opposition party signaled on Tuesday that they might find a compromise position on the country's military mission in Afghanistan and avoid an election over what to do with the 2,500 troops. The mission in the southern city of Kandahar is due to end in February 2009. The ruling Conservatives plan to...
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Australia Criticizes NATO Over Afghanistan Strategy
12 February 2008
'', International Herald Tribune, 12 February 2008
EXCERPT: "Australia wants a major reconsideration of Western strategy in Afghanistan and will not increase troop levels in the country until "underperforming" NATO countries shoulder their fair share of the burden, the Australian defense minister said Tuesday. "I have to say the West isn't pursuing a coherent strategy...
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Afghan Opium Fields Show Failure of U.S. Economic-Aid Efforts
12 February 2008
'Afghan Opium Fields Show Failure of U.S. Economic-Aid Efforts', Bloomberg, 11 February 2008
EXCERPT: "The strategy combined economic development, drug control and security: two Afghan-American brothers with a factory in Kandahar and a plan to give opium farmers an incentive to grow cotton instead. For two years, Yosuf and Abdul Mir pleaded with U.S. officials for a $1.5 million grant for their project, arguing that it meshes perfectly...
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