Iraq Overshadows US Efforts In Afghanistan - Report
18 June 2008
'US Lacks Detailed Plan For Afghan Forces - Report', Government Accountability Office, 18 June 2008
EXCERPT: "The United States has no comprehensive plan to build Afghanistan's army and police, which remain poorly equipped and significantly unprepared to operate without help, U.S. investigators said on Wednesday [18 June 2008]. The Government Accountability Office said Congress should not approve any more funding for those forces until...
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Return with Dignity, Return to What?
18 June 2008
Arne Strand et al, 'Return with Dignity, Return to What? Review of the Voluntary Return Programme to Afghanistan', Chr. Michelsen Institute, 16 June 2008
EXCERPT: "This report was commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, Utlendingsdirektoratet (UDI), to assess the programme for voluntary return to Afghanistan. The programme is open to Afghan nationals whose asylum applications in Norway are pending or have been rejected,...
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Pakistan Military Refuses To Fight Taliban In The Afghan Border
18 June 2008
'Pakistan Military Refuses To Fight Taliban In The Afghan Border Defying Orders Of The Elected Pakistani Government', India Daily, 18 June 2008
EXCERPT: "It took a lot of frustration on the part of Afghan President to threaten a military intervention against the Taliban inside the Pakistani territory. The fact is that Pakistan military has withdrawn its forces against the Taliban defying orders of the elected Pakistani Government. That...
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US Marines Open Complaint Shop
18 June 2008
'After Battle in Afghanistan Villages, Marines Open Complaint Shop', Wall Street Journal, 18 June 2008
EXCERPT: "During a month of house-to-house combat, First Lt. Steven Bechtel's men fired about 500 mortar rounds at Taliban insurgents. Now, he's paying the price. Just two days after the main Taliban force was routed, Lt. Bechtel put aside his weapons and opened what amounts to a wartime complaints desk in a mud-brick hut. The lieutenant...
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US Senate: The Origins Of Aggressive Interrogation Techniques
18 June 2008
'US Senate: The Origins Of Aggressive Interrogation Techniques - Part I of the Committee's Inquiry into the Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody', Carl Levin - US Senator, 17 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Today's hearing will focus on the origins of aggressive interrogation techniques used against detainees in U.S. custody. We have three panels of witnesses today and I want to thank them for their willingness to voluntarily appear before the...
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Pakistan To Monitor NATO Activities
18 June 2008
'Pakistan To Monitor NATO Activities', Press TV News, 17 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Pakistan has installed a monitoring system on its Afghanistan border, enabling officials to watch NATO activities while sitting in Islamabad. Interior Ministry Chief Rehman Malik told the National Assembly that the satellite system would not only check illegal cross-border movements but also get information of border and space violation by the US-led NATO forces...
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US Defends Karzai For His Statement To Send Troops Inside Pakistan
18 June 2008
'US Defends Karzai For His Statement To Send Troops Inside Pakistan', AHN News, 17 June 2008
EXCERPT: "The US has virtually defended Hamid Karzai for his 'threat' to send troops after Taliban militants inside Pakistan, saying the Afghan president had simply the security of his people in mind and the comment was not directed against Islamabad. 'I don't think Karzai's comment was a threat. He is dealing with a very difficult situation...
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Old-Line Taliban Commander Is Face of Rising Afghan Threat
18 June 2008
'', The New York Times, 17 June 2008
EXCERPT: "The attack was little reported at the time. A suicide bombing on March 3 killed two NATO soldiers and two Afghan civilians and wounded 19 others in an American military base. It was only weeks later, when Taliban militants put out a propaganda DVD, that the implications of the attack became clear. The DVD shows an enormous explosion,...
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Equipment Offers Poor Protection For British Soldiers
18 June 2008
'Equipment Offers Poor Protection For British Soldiers', The Telegraph, 18 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Snatch Landrovers used by British forces have been repeatedly criticised for the poor protection they offer against roadside bombs. A shortage of helicopters means much of the military's movement in Afghanistan is by road, making them sitting targets for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) triggered by remote control. British military intelligence...
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Afghanistan Battles Taliban Insurgency in Kandahar
18 June 2008
'Afghanistan Battles Taliban Insurgency in Kandahar', NPR, 18 June 2008
EXCERPT: "Officials in Afghanistan on Wednesday said it launched an operation to drive Taliban insurgents from villages on the outskirts of Kandahar. Afghan government troops have been joined by Canadian forces in the operation. Apache helicopters and warplanes circled overhead, and sporadic explosions echoed in the distance as NATO and Afghan soldiers mounted an...
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