Iran May Press Charges Against US, Britain Over Blast
12 May 2008
'', Agence France Presse, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "Iran's judiciary said on Monday [12 May 2008] it may take legal action against the United States and Britain over a mosque explosion last month that killed 13 people in the southern tourist city of Shiraz. Iran has blamed US and British agents based in neighbouring Iraq and Afghanistan for launching deadly attacks in recent years in...
Read the post »
A Critical Battle In The Country's Culture War Looms
12 May 2008
Deirdre Tynan, 'A Critical Battle In The Country's Culture War Looms', Eurasianet.org, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "On the battlefields of southern and eastern Afghanistan, Islamic insurgents are struggling to persevere in the face of the formidable firepower of NATO and American forces. In the country's culture war, however, religious radicals are poised to achieve a spectacular victory, according to two self-styled free speech advocates. 'What...
Read the post »
Thousands Flee Fearing NATO Strikes
12 May 2008
'Afghanistan Official Says Thousands Flee Fearing NATO Strikes', ABC News, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "Up to 6,000 people have fled their homes in a southern Afghanistan district fearing NATO strikes amid a large-scale operation against Taliban militants, an official said. The mass exodus from Garmser, a remote district in troubled Helmand province, comes as NATO-led troops hunt Taliban militants and their allies in an operation that kicked...
Read the post »
A Counterinsurgency Grows In Khost
12 May 2008
Ann Marlowe, 'A Counterinsurgency Grows in Khost: An unheralded US success in Afghanistan', The Weekly Standard, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "While news reports like to speak of a 'resurgent Taliban' in Afghanistan, in the 14 provinces that make up Regional Command East in Afghanistan they are a defeated military force. Not only do the Taliban refuse to engage American forces directly, they have not won an engagement with the Afghan National...
Read the post »
Taliban Deliver Silent Death Threats After Midnight
12 May 2008
'Taliban Deliver Silent Death Threats After Midnight', Reuters India, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "Afghans call them 'night letters' -- notes scattered or pushed under doorways by Taliban militants in the dead of night, threatening villagers' lives if they cooperate with foreign forces and the government. The threats have picked up in recent weeks in areas across southeastern Afghanistan, U.S. officers and Afghans say, as the Taliban intensify...
Read the post »
UN Closes Afghan Refugee Centre
12 May 2008
'UN Closes Afghan Refugee Centre', BBC News, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "The UN has closed its repatriation centre in eastern Afghanistan because of unrest in the city of Jalalabad. The temporary closure comes as aid agencies say it is becoming more difficult to operate in parts of the country as security worsens. More than 60,000 Afghan refugees from neighbouring Pakistan have passed through the UN centre this year. The UN says it decided...
Read the post »
Afghan Reports Depict Australian Troops' Daily Struggles
12 May 2008
'Afghan Reports Depict Australian Troops' Daily Struggles', The Age, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "The fighting inside the Taliban-controlled compound was at its most intense, with one Australian soldier lying dead and some of his comrades exposed to automatic weapons fire, when the toddler walked into the open. In what has been officially described as a remarkable display of skill and judgement, the Australian commandos ceased fire, allowing...
Read the post »
Afghan Security Chiefs Suspended After Karzai Attack
12 May 2008
'Afghan Security Chiefs Suspended After Karzai Attack', The Guardian, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "Afghanistan's top civilian counterterrorism official and the chief of police in Kabul are among eight security officials who have been suspended from their posts after an assassination attempt on the country's president, Hamid Karzai, officials said today [12 May 2008]. The attorney general's office will question the officials, who were considered...
Read the post »
Germany To Build 600-Bed Hospital In Afghan North
12 May 2008
'', Red Orbit, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "The agreement of constructing a hospital in Balkh Province has been signed between the Afghan and German governments. The new hospital will be one of the modern hospitals that will serve patients from nine northern provinces. My colleague has more details. Germany is to provide the Afghan health Ministry with 14m dollars for the construction of a 600-bed...
Read the post »
Afghan Envoy Lauds Iran's Role in Establishment Of Regional Peace
12 May 2008
'Afghan Envoy Lauds Iran's Role in Establishment Of Regional Peace', Mathaba.Net, 12 May 2008
EXCERPT: "Afghan Ambassador to Tehran, Mohammad Yahya Maroufi, here on Monday lauded Iran's key role in establishment of peace and security in his country. Talking to IRNA, he appreciated the Islamic Republic of Iran's participation in the Afghanistan's reconstruction operation. Referring to Tehran-Kabul amicable ties, he called for further expansion...
Read the post »