"Corruption And Incompetence Cripple Reconstruction Effort"
20 February 2009
'Corruption And Incompetence Cripple Reconstruction Effort, Say Aid Workers', The Guardian, 19 February 2009
EXCERPT: "Chronic mismanagement and profligacy are blighting reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, international aid officials have warned, wasting up to a third of the $15bn (?10.55bn) in funding already delivered and deepening local resentment towards foreign troops stationed there. Senior British, US and local aid...
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US Expands Prison In Afghanistan
20 February 2009
'US Expands Prison In Afghanistan', Al Jazeera, 20 February 2009
EXCERPT: "The US military is about to complete a $60m expansion to its prison at the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, where it holds more than 600 so-called enemy combatants. The near doubling of the jail's size comes as Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, prepares on Friday to 'refine' Washington's position on its use of Bagram and other facilities,...
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Strategy Switch In Afghanistan
20 February 2009
'Strategy Switch In Afghanistan', Edmonton Sun, 20 February 2009
EXCERPT: "Canadian soldiers and thousands of U.S. reinforcements will need to reach out to residents in the smallest villages in Kandahar if the war in Afghanistan is to be turned around, a senior Canadian commander and the province's troubled governor said yesterday. Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, who officially took charge of the 2,850 soldiers, aircrew and...
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2008 Opium Crop Was Second Biggest: UN Report
20 February 2009
'2008 Opium Crop Was Second Biggest: UN Report', Reuters UK, 19 February 2009
EXCERPT: "Afghanistan's opium harvest fell in 2008 after international efforts to persuade farmers to switch crops but was still the second biggest on record, a United Nations body said on Thursday. While the area under cultivation was reduced by a fifth, better yields meant production dropped only 6 percent to 7,700 tons, after a record 8,200...
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