Afghanistan Confirms Blanket Pardon for War Crimes
17 March 2010
Afghanistan Confirms Blanket Pardon for War Crimes, Reuters, 17 March 2010
EXCERPT: "Human rights groups have expressed dismay that the law appeared to have been enacted quietly, granting blanket immunity to members of all armed factions for acts committed during decades of war before the fall of the Taliban. President Hamid Karzai had promised not to sign the National Stability and Reconciliation Law, when it was passed by parliament...
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Retaken Afghan Town Reports Taliban Threats
17 March 2010
, The New York Times, 17 March 2010
EXCERPT: "The Taliban have begun waging a campaign of intimidation in Marjathat some local Afghan leaders worry has jeopardized the success of an American-led offensive there meant as an early test of a revised military approach in Afghanistan. The Taliban tactics have included at least one beheading in a broader effort to terrorize residents and undermine what...
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US Ops Have Already Started in Kandahar: Commander
17 March 2010
, AFP, 17 March 2010
EXCERPT: "US operations to push back Taliban forces around Kandahar have 'already begun' and will steadily build in coming months, the commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan said on Wednesday. General Stanley McChrystal told reporters that the US-led offensive on the Taliban's spiritual heartland had started with initial military and political efforts,...
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Paris Club Agrees to Cancel Afghanistan Debt
17 March 2010
Paris Club Agrees to Cancel Afghanistan Debt, Reuters, 17 March 2010
EXCERPT: "The Paris Club has agreed to cancel all of the debt owed to it by Afghanistan, in a deal worth $1.026 billion, the group of sovereign creditors said in a statement on Wednesday. Afghanistan is one of the world's poorest nations and faces funding needs to rebuild from years of conflict. 'As a contribution to restoring the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's...
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