Afghans Protest against "Refugee Executions" in Iran
13 May 2010
Afghans Protest against "Refugee Executions" in Iran, BBC News, 13 May 2010
EXCERPT: "Thousands of Afghans have protested in the eastern city of Jalalabad against the alleged executions of a number of Afghan refugees in Iran. Demonstrators rallied in front of the Iranian consulate, shouting slogans and throwing eggs. This is the fifth and largest anti-Iran protest in Afghanistan in a fortnight. Protesters say Iran...
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Opium Poppies Hit by Mysterious Disease
13 May 2010
, AFP, 13 May 2010
EXCERPT: " As the pink poppy fields of southern Afghanistan yield their sticky harvest, opium production in the country that supplies the world with heroin is set to fall, farmers and officials say. That's good news for the fight against the multi-billion-dollar drugs trade but it could be bad news for Afghan farmers struggling to feed their families as the war against...
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A Force in Fragments: Reconstituting the Afghan National Army
13 May 2010
A Force in Fragments: Reconstituting the Afghan National Army [pdf], International Crisis Group, 13 May 2010
EXCERPT: "For nearly a decade, the Afghan military has been promoted as the cornerstone of counterinsurgency in the country. Billed as a rare success story in a conflict with few bright spots, the Afghan armed forces will undoubtedly prove pivotal to stabilising Afghanistan. Yet nine years after the fall of the Taliban,...
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Civilian Casualties Rising in Afghanistan
13 May 2010
Civilian Casualties Rising in Afghanistan, Reuters, 13 May 2010
EXCERPT: "The number of civilians killed by U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has risen this year, despite efforts to limit fallout from the widening war against the Taliban, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. Citing NATO statistics, the Pentagon said U.S. and NATO forces killed 90 civilians from January to April -- a 76 percent rise from the 51 deaths in the same period of...
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