Kandahar Critical Test For Afghanistan's Future
03 September 2009
'Kandahar Province Presents Critical Test For Afghanistan's Future', Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 3 September 2009
EXCERPT: "This once peaceful region of pomegranate orchards and vineyards was the seat of Afghan royalty and the elite for centuries, until the 1979 Soviet invasion radically altered local power structures. With the demise of the hard-line Taliban regime in late 2001, former mujahedin commanders and regional...
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Russia Seeks Afghan War Role As NATO Deaths Climb
03 September 2009
'Russia Seeks Afghan War Role As NATO Deaths Climb', Bloomberg, 3 September 2009
EXCERPT: "Russia is seeking a role in planning NATO's war in Afghanistan two decades after Soviet forces were ejected from the country. As East-West ties improve under President Barack Obama, Russia wants to be involved in setting the political, military and intelligence strategy for the war against the Taliban, said Dmitry Rogozin, Russian...
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"Differentiate Rape From Adultery": Rights Groups
03 September 2009
'"Differentiate Rape From Adultery": Rights Groups', IRIN News, 3 September 2009
EXCERPT: "Human rights groups are calling on the Afghan government to adopt a new law which would more clearly differentiate rape, a criminal offence, from consensual adultery, considered a serious crime in the country. 'Rape and adultery are two different issues and should be separate in law. Rape is an act of violence and coercion...
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US Consensus On Afghanistan Begins To Crumble
03 September 2009
'', AFP, 3 September 2009
EXCERPT: "Weeks from President Barack Obama's expected move to send more troops to Afghanistan, the consensus behind the US commitment there is crumbling as some raise the specter of a new Vietnam. A growing number of experts doubt that the war can be won, while even Obama, who has already dispatched an additional 21,000 reinforcements there, contemplates...
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