Improving U.S. Counterinsurgency Operations: Lessons Learned from Afghanistan
09 June 2008
Seth G. Jones, 'Improving U.S. Counterinsurgency Operations: Lessons Learned from Afghanistan', 9 June 2008
EXCERPT: "In 2001, the United States engineered a rapid overthrow of the Taliban regime in response to the September 11 attacks. But this victory was quickly followed by the emergence of a violent insurgency, with the Taliban, Hezb-i-Islami, the Haqqani network, foreign fighters, local tribes, and criminal organizations seeking...
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Afghan Census Postponed For Two Years: UN
09 June 2008
'Afghan Census Postponed For Two Years: UN', Relief Web / Reuters, 8 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Afghanistan's first population census, due to start this month, has been postponed for two years due to worries about confusion with voter registration and poor security, the United Nations said on Sunday [8 June 2008]. The last attempt at a census in 1979 was never completed due to the outbreak of conflict which has ravaged the country almost continually...
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Pakistani Govt Scraps Controversial Peace Deal With Taliban
09 June 2008
'Pakistani Govt Scraps Controversial Peace Deal With Taliban', Press Trust of India, 9 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Provoked by a spate of suicide attacks, Pakistan government today scrapped a controversial peace deal signed last month with the Taliban that had been bitterly opposed by the US but the militia said it was still holding truce. 'The Swat agreement is scrapped as the militants have (continued) their attacks on security forces,' Rahman...
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US Policies Behind Iraq, Afghanistan Problems
09 June 2008
'US Policies Behind Iraq, Afghanistan Problems', MEHR News, 9 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Problems of Iraq and Afghanistan stem from 'the U.S. irrational policies,' [Iranian] Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Monday in Wellington. Hosseini expressed regret that the two war-weary states are still grappling with problems like insecurity and terrorism. He blamed the problems on 'irrational policies' of the U.S. He made the...
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Russia May Resume Arms Sales To Afghanistan
09 June 2008
'Russia May Resume Arms Sales To Afghanistan', RIAN Novosti, 9 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Moscow is considering resuming deliveries of Russian arms to Afghanistan, Russia's first deputy foreign minister said on Monday [9 June 2008]. 'We are working out parameters for resuming bilateral cooperation in this field with our Afghan colleagues, and we expect Afghanistan's defense minister to visit Moscow,' Andrei Denisov said. Faced with an increase...
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Poppy Crackdown Gives Rise To "Opium Brides"
09 June 2008
'Poppy Crackdown Gives Rise To "Opium Brides"', MSNBC, 9 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Ali Gul is one of many Afghans who lost his entire poppy crop to a police crackdown trying to stop the supply of heroin streaming out of Afghanistan and on to the world market. Unable to pay off a $2,000 debt to a drug trafficker, Ali was forced to sell his daughter to the person he borrowed money from ? making her one of many young women in Afghinastan...
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As Ills Persist, Afghan Leader Is Losing Luster
09 June 2008
'', New York Times, 7 June 2008
EXCERPT: "After six years in which Hamid Karzai has been the darling of the United States and its allies, his luster may be fading. Next week, Mr. Karzai, the Afghan president, is to arrive in Paris for a donors conference with attendees from 80 countries and organizations. He will ask for $50 billion to finance a five-year development plan intended to revive...
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Japan Plans An SDF Mission To Afghanistan
09 June 2008
'Japan Plans An SDF Mission To Afghanistan', United Press International, 9 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Japan may send troops to Afghanistan to help in infrastructure development in that country. Quoting government sources, the Kyodo news service reported Monday that a team of Japanese Foreign and Defense ministries officials as well as Self-Defense Force officers left for Afghanistan to look into the possibility of using the SDF troops to help...
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Afghanistan: Bringing Accountability Back In
09 June 2008
'', Integrity Watch Afghanistan, 9 June 2008
EXCERPT: "The question posed to President Hamid Karzai at a Spiegel interview in June 2008 reflects most of what is documented in this report. Although democratic institutions are currently well under construction and sound governance is a priority for the administration, in contrast to the Taliban...
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Portugal To Send Second Military Training Team
09 June 2008
'', China View, 7 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Portugal's Supreme National Defense Council approved Friday [6 June 2008] to send another military training team to Afghanistan to help train the Afghan National Army. In a communique released after the meeting, the Defense Council said Portuguese peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan will accomplish their mission and return to Portugal in...
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