US Says Rebels Killed, Afghan Official Reports Civilians Dead
04 July 2008
'US Says Rebels Killed, Afghan Official Reports Civilians Dead', Turkish Press, 4 July 2008
EXCERPT: "US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan said they used air power Friday [4 July 2008] to destroy two vehicles carrying militants, but a district governor said 22 civilians were killed in the strike. The coalition said troops called in air support after a base in rugged Nuristan province came under attack, and denied any civilians had...
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Afghanistan's Struggling Security Services
04 July 2008
Greg Bruno, 'Afghanistan's struggling security services', Council on Foreign Relations, 2 July 2008
EXCERPT: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai threatened to invade Pakistan last month if militants continue to cross the border into his country, and Islamabad responded with indignation. 'Under no circumstances will foreign troops be allowed to operate inside Pakistan,' the Pakistani government declared in a statement (Reuters). Few expect...
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Bush To Meet New Pakistani PM Gilani Amid Tensions
04 July 2008
'Bush To Meet New Pakistani PM Gilani Amid Tensions', Reuters, 3 July 2008
EXCERPT: "U.S. President George W. Bush will meet new Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on July 28 in Washington, the White House said on Thursday [3 July 2008], amid tensions about battling Taliban and al Qaeda militants in Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan. Pakistan has been a key ally as U.S. forces try to hunt down al Qaeda and Taliban militants...
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Lack Of Fighting In Khyber Operation Puzzles Residents
04 July 2008
'Lack Of Fighting In Khyber Operation Puzzles Residents', Daily Times, 4 July 2008
EXCERPT: "Armoured vehicles trundle through the streets in Khyber Agency, but residents say they are baffled by the lack of fighting in an anti-militant operation here. Facing US pressure over recent deals with Taliban militants, the government sent troops into the region on Saturday but there have only been half a dozen deaths since, a handful of arrests...
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US Arms Dealer Tests Legal Bounds in Arms Bazaar
04 July 2008
'US Arms Dealer Tests Legal Bounds in Middle East Arms Bazaar', Wired, 3 July 2008
EXCERPT: "Former congressman Curt Weldon is helping broker deals between Russian and Ukranian weapons suppliers and the Iraqi and Libyan governments as part of his new job with a private American defense consulting firm, Wired.com has learned. Weldon, who is currently being investigated by the FBI over alleged corruption during his time in office, visited...
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Fired Kandahar Police Chief Says Canadians Let Him Down
04 July 2008
'Fired Kandahar Police Chief Says Canadians Let Him Down', The Globe and Mail, 3 July 2008
EXCERPT: "Stripped of his uniform and placed under investigation after last month's spectacular jailbreak, Kandahar's former police chief lashed out Thursday [3 July 2008] at what he described as Canada's failure to help capture the hundreds of prisoners who escaped the shattered prison. Sayed Agha Saqib, dining on a lavish meal of lamb and chicken...
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South Korean Police Bust 'Taliban-linked' Drug Ring
04 July 2008
'', Agence France Presse, 3 July 2008
EXCERPT: "South Korean police said Friday they have arrested members of a major drug-trafficking ring with suspected links to Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents. 'Police have rounded up a drug-trafficking ring involving Afghans and Pakistanis who are suspected of being linked with the Taliban,' a National Police Agency spokesman told AFP....
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Canada's Top General Passes The Torch
04 July 2008
'', Toronto Star, 3 July 2008
EXCERPT: "It was a ceremony fit for a king, but engineered to usher out one "warrior" and welcome in his successor. The official procedure that handed responsibility for the Canadian Forces from outgoing Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier to Gen. Walter Natynczyk took just a few minutes to complete. Governor General Micha?lle Jean accepted the former chief's white ceremonial...
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Peace Deals That Destabilize Afghanistan
04 July 2008
'Peace Deals That Destabilize Afghanistan', Middle East Times, 3 July 2008
EXCERPT: "Present and past peace negotiations between Pakistan and the Taliban in the country's Federally Administered Tribal Areas have coincided with increased cross-border terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. For example, terrorist attacks have risen by more than 40 percent in eastern Afghanistan within the first five months of 2008 compared to the same period...
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Pakistani Forces Lie Low In Taliban Town
04 July 2008
'Pakistani Forces Lie Low In Taliban Town', The Globe and Mail, 4 July 2008
EXCERPT: "The Taliban fighters were in a pickup truck, brazenly parked right outside the army fort in Darra Adam Khel, militants and the state in an uneasy co-existence. For months, Darra, a Pakistani town infamous for its arms bazaar in the troubled North West, has been under the control of the country's fierce Taliban movement, whose cadres patrol the streets...
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