UN Envoy to Step Down in March
11 December 2009
UN Afghan Envoy to Step Down on Schedule in March, Reuters AlertNet, 11 December 2009
EXCERPT: "The top U.N. official in Afghanistan plans to step down in March when his contract is scheduled to end and has asked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to find his replacement, a spokesman said on Friday. 'Kai Eide has asked the United Nations Secretary-General to start the process to identify his successor,' the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said in...
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Canada's Sixth Quarterly Report on Afghanistan
11 December 2009
, The Government of Canada, 11 December 2009
EXCERPT: "Canada's engagement in Afghanistan is contributing directly to strengthening institutions, to increasing the capacity of the Afghan government to extend basic services and to bolstering the ability of Afghan forces to provide security. This report covers the period from July 1 to September 30, and...
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Blackwater Guards Tied to Secret Raids by the CIA
11 December 2009
, The New York Times, 11 December 2009
EXCERPT: "Private security guards from Blackwater Worldwide participated in some of the C.I.A.'s most sensitive activities ? clandestine raids with agency officers against people suspected of being insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan and the transporting of detainees, according to former company employees and intelligence officials. The raids against...
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The Taliban's Campaign for Kandahar
11 December 2009
Carl Forsberg, , Institute for the Study of War, 1 December 2009
EXCERPT: "This paper describes the Taliban's multi-year campaign to exert control over Kandahar City. Kandahar is the center of gravity of the Quetta Shura Taliban's efforts in Afghanistan. The paper demonstrates why Coalition forces have hitherto inadequately responded to the Taliban in Kandahar, and explains why ISAF will most likely...
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