11 April 2008

'Fixing Afghanistan's Aid Problem', Quqnoos.com, 10 April 2008

EXCERPT: "There are too many conferences on Afghanistan. Donor countries owe it to their tax-payers to stop wasting money and to start channeling aid through Afghan groups. The international community needs to use and improve the existing Afghan strategy, while delivering the requisite resources to help the Afghan government implement urgent priorities and long-term projects....

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11 April 2008

'', The Independent, 11 April 2008

EXCERPT: "Zalmay Khalilzad, the American envoy to the United Nations and an influential figure in the Bush administration, may run against Hamid Karzai for the Afghan presidency after resigning from his post. Mr Khalilzad, who is Afghan-born, fuelled recurring reports of his political ambitions by appearing on television in Kabul to announce...

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11 April 2008

'NATO Considering Azerbaijan's Territory to Deliver Overland Cargos to Afghanistan: NATO Special Representative', Trendaz News, 11 April 2008

EXCERPT: "NATO held talks with Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with regards to overland delivery of cargos to Afghanistan according to Line Communication program, NATO Secretary General's Special Representative, Robert Simmons, said on 11 April in Astana. 'We have gained positive response from...

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11 April 2008

'US Requests South Korea For PRT, Police Team', Yonhap News Agency, 10 April 2008

EXCERPT: "The United States has asked South Korea to send a provincial reconstruction team (PRT) to Afghanistan and also to dispatch a small police force to train local police, multiple diplomatic sources here said Thursday [10 April 2008]. South Korea has only a small group of civilians involved in PRT-related work remaining in the Central Asian country,...

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11 April 2008

'Kouchner Sees 3,000 French Troops In Afghanistan', Reuters, 11 April 2008

EXCERPT: "French troops operating in Afghanistan will number about 3,000, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Friday [11 April 2008]. French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced last week that Paris would send an extra 700 troops to Afghanistan, which would bring France's contribution to NATO's fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda there to roughly 2,300...

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11 April 2008

Dominic Moran, 'Afghanistan: Spring Stalemate', 11 April 2008

EXCERPT: "With NATO states pledging small-scale troop increments for the NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) Afghan mission at the alliance's Bucharest summit earlier this month, attention is turning to the limited gains of the ongoing reconstruction process. Meanwhile, insurgent violence is set to build in coming weeks as the poppy harvest draws to...

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11 April 2008

'', The Press Association, 11 April 2008

EXCERPT: "The foreign ministers of France and Canada will visit Afghanistan this weekend as Nato prepares to bolster its forces there. Bernard Kouchner and Maxime Bernier will go to the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the south-eastern city of Kandahar on Saturday [12 April 2008] and Sunday [13 April 2008]. Mr Kouchner, who was visiting Tajikistan and Turkmenistan...

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11 April 2008

'', The Canadian Press, 11 April 2008

EXCERPT: "The first step in Canada's exit strategy from Afghanistan will be for Canadians to shed the rose-coloured glasses about what can be accomplished over the next three years, says a senior Conservative minister. The best Canada can hope for in Afghanistan in the short-term is that it will become a 'viable state', Trade Minister...

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11 April 2008

'Faulty Army Gear May Breach Human Rights, Court Rules', The Guardian, 11 April 2008

EXCERPT: "Sending British soldiers out on duty with defective equipment may breach their human rights, the high court ruled today [11 April 2008]. In a potentially significant verdict for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr Justice Collins ruled that a soldier 'does not lose all protection simply because he is in hostile territory carrying out dangerous...

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11 April 2008

'Pakistan Not Doing Enough: Australian PM', The Australian, 11 April 2008

EXCERPT: "[Australian Prime Minister] Kevin Rudd has accused Pakistan of not doing enough in recent months to stem the flow of arms and support to the Taliban and al-Qa'ida across its borders into Afghanistan where more than 1000 Australian soldiers are based. Pakistan is the West's key Islamic ally in the fight against the Taliban and terrorists in Afghanistan,...

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