Afghan President Beefs Up Anti-Graft Body
18 March 2010
, AFP, 18 March 2010
EXCERPT: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday boosted the power of an anti-corruption body that had faced fierce accusations of being toothless and half-hearted in its battle to wipe out official graft. Karzai is under intense pressure from the Western backers that keep him in power to tackle corruption endemic in every walk of Afghan life, including the polls that saw...
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Canada Releases Its Seventh Quarterly Report
18 March 2010
Canada's Engagement in Afghanistan, Report to Parliament, October 1 to December 31, 2009, The Government of Canada, 18 March 2010
EXCERPT: "Introduction: As 2009 closed, Canada continued to make inroads on a number of key priorities and signature projects in Afghanistan, and continued to focus on creating an environment of stability and sustainability in Afghan security, governance and development. Where progress has been made...
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Soaring IED Attacks Stymie US Counteroffensive
18 March 2010
, The Washington Post, 18 March 2010
EXCERPT: "Taliban fighters more than doubled the number of homemade bombs they used against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan last year, relying on explosives that are often far more primitive than the ones used in Iraq. The embrace of a low-tech approach by Taliban-trained bombmakers -- they are building improvised explosive devices,...
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NATO Plans "Northern Afghanistan Offensive"
18 March 2010
, AFP, 18 March 2010
EXCERPT: "The NATO military alliance is planning a large-scale offensive in northern Afghanistan this year against Taliban insurgents, a senior German general was quoted as saying on Thursday. 'There will definitely be an operation up there in Kunduz (province),' General Bruno Kasdorf, chief of staff in the NATO-led International Security and Assistance...
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