Casualties "Increasing" Ahead of Major Assault: Red Cross
10 February 2010
, AFP, 10 February 2010
EXCERPT: "The Red Cross warned on Wednesday that war casualties were increasing around a Taliban bastion where US Marines are gearing up to launch a massive assault. Thousands of Marines, NATO and Afghan soldiers are massing around the town of Marjah in Helmand province, where military officials have predicted an impending offensive will be one of the...
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Russia Rules Out Sending Troops to Afghanistan
10 February 2010
"No Russian Combat Troops For Afghanistan", RTT News, 10 February 2010
EXCERPT: "A top Kremlin official Tuesday ruled out sending Russian combat troops to war-torn Afghanistan to help NATO forces counter a rising Taliban insurgency, but said it could train the south-west Asian country's military and police personnel to bolster its internal security capabilities. Asserting that Russia was interested in having a stable Afghanistan...
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Germany Approves Deployment of Additional Troops
10 February 2010
German Cabinet Approves Deployment of Extra 850 Soldiers to Afghanistan, Deutsche Welle, 10 February 2010
EXCERPT: "The German cabinet has cleared the way for additional soldiers to be deployed to Afghanistan. The increase is Germany's contribution to implementing the strategy agreed upon at a recent Afghanistan conference. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet approved the plan at a meeting in Berlin on Tuesday. Once the lower...
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UN Forecasts "Stable" Afghan Opium Crop
10 February 2010
, The Associated Press, 10 February 2010
EXCERPT: "After a major drop over the past two years, Afghanistan's opium cultivation is unlikely to rise or fall dramatically in 2010, a U.N. report said Wednesday. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime's annual winter survey said bad weather may lead to a decrease in opium production but warned the country could see fewer poppy-free provinces. Afghanistan...
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