07 April 2008

'US General Reflects on Improved Afghan Government, Security Forces', United States Department of Defense', 7 April 2008

EXCERPT: "Afghanistan's government and national security forces have improved consistently over the past year, the outgoing commander of Regional Command East, part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said today [7 April 2008]. In the 13 months since Army Maj. Gen. David M. Rodriguez assumed command,...

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07 April 2008

'The Battle for Musa Qala', Jane's Terrorism and Security Monitor, 3 April 2008

EXCERPT: "The recapture of Musa Qala has been presented as a great success. However, local and foreign sources have voiced frustration with the victory claims, citing the lack of security beyond Musa Qala's district centre. Local residents tell Jane's that Taliban fighters move freely on the outskirts of town and have carried out executions and other acts...

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07 April 2008

'Targeting the Khyber Pass: The Taliban's Spring Offensive', The Jamestown Foundation, 3 April 2008

EXCERPT: "Taliban Deputy Leader Mullah Bradar Muhammad Akhand announced 'a new series of operations' under the code name 'Operation Ebrat' (Lesson) on March 27. The Taliban's spring offensive is 'aimed at giving the enemy a lesson through directing powerful strikes at it, which it can never expect, until it is forced to end the occupation...

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07 April 2008

'', Canada's Council for International Cooperation / Canada's Coalition to End Global Poverty, 10 March 2008

EXCERPT: "Is a peace process in Afghanistan possible? Findings from 58 interviews carried out in January and February 2008 in Afghanistan indicate that nascent peace efforts are already under way. Peace initiatives are currently being carried out by the government of Afghanistan...

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07 April 2008

'Gauging The Public Mood On Afghanistan', The Globe and Mail, 7 April 2008

EXCERPT: "Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper returned home from his big NATO summit trip to Europe this weekend having secured the main condition that both Parliament and experts said was crucial for keeping Canadian troops in Afghanistan... More troops and resources should mean fewer casualties, and fewer casualties should, in theory, lead to more favourable...

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07 April 2008

'Afghanistan: Graphing The Violence', The Long War Journal, 5 April 2008

EXCERPT: "NATO has made a renewed push to secure Afghanistan after attacks rose to their highest levels since the Taliban regime of Mullah Omar was ousted in early 2002. At this week's annual NATO summit in Bucharest, Bulgaria, members committed additional troops to Afghanistan. France will send a battalion of infantry ? more than 700 troops. Georgia will send 500...

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07 April 2008

'', Associated Press, 7 April 2008

EXCERPT: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai hinted Sunday [6 April 2008] that he plans to run for a second term, saying he has goals left to accomplish. The comments were his first public indication that he will stand for re-election in 2009 despite discontent over his government, which is widely seen as weak. Karzai, who was elected in 2004 to a five-year term in...

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07 April 2008

'Afghanistan Arms Fuel Further Abuse', Amnesty International, 3 April 2008

EXCERPT: "The US and other NATO states are supplying arms to Afghanistan that could be used for serious human rights violations, warns Amnesty International. At NATO Summit in Bucharest (2-4 April), the organization is expressing its concern about excessive quantities of small arms, light weapons and munitions being supplied by member states of NATO and allied...

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07 April 2008

'Afghan National Army Forging Ahead To Autonomy', The Globe and Mail, 7 April 2008

EXCERPT: "In the mountains and fields southwest of the provincial capital, far from the high-level NATO deliberations last week, are the men on whom the alliance is pinning its hopes for an exit strategy from Afghanistan. Here in Zhari district, where the poppies are beginning to bloom and patrols regularly come face to face with Taliban fighters, a battalion...

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07 April 2008

'Extra Troops To Be Sent To Fight Taliban', The Telegraph, 7 April 2008

EXCERPT: "Britain is poised to send another 450 troops to Afghanistan and take control of its most war-torn region for at least the next two years following pressure from the United States, The Daily Telegraph has learned. Despite concerns that British forces are already overstretched, Cabinet ministers are seriously considering a US request for Britain to take...

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