08 September 2008

'Afghan Minister Disputes Call To Boost Refugee Returns', IRIN News, 8 September 2008

EXCERPT: "The Afghan Minister of Refugees and Returnees, Shir Mohammad Etibari, has rejected calls by the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to boost the repatriation of Afghan refugees. Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, was quoted as calling for more Afghan refugees to return home, particularly from Iran. '[I]t is very important...

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08 September 2008

'Canada Outlines 21 Goals For Afghanistan', CBC News, 5 September 2008

EXCERPT: "The federal government has laid out specific goals to reach in Afghanistan in the next three years, including building 50 schools in Kandahar and training at least four Afghan army battalions to work nearly autonomously in the volatile southern province. The 21 goals, which the government is calling benchmarks, will allow officials to quantitatively measure...

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08 September 2008

'More Diggers Wanted For Afghanistan', The Australian, 8 September 2008

EXCERPT: "NATO'S new top commander in Afghanistan says the international coalition is "struggling to win" a strategic victory against the Taliban and he wants a significant increase in troop numbers, including more Australians, to ensure success. General David McKiernan has asked Washington to boost US troop numbers with the addition of an extra brigade-size...

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08 September 2008

'US Reopens Inquiry Into Afghanistan Attack As New Evidence Emerges', The Guardian, 8 September 2008

EXCERPT: "The US is to reopen its investigation into an air strike in western Afghanistan last month in response to 'new evidence' about civilian casualties. The Afghan government says 90 civilians, mainly women and children, were killed in the attack on Azizabad, in Herat province, a figure backed by the UN. An initial US inquiry found...

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