NATO Turns to "Private Armies" for Help Against Taliban
17 May 2010
NATO Turns to Militias in Afghanistan Battle, Channel 4 News, 17 May 2010
EXCERPT: "Elite American and Nato military units in Afghanistan have discreetly turned for help from the 'private armies' of warlords and tribal leaders as a controversial tactic in the war against the Taliban, it can be revealed. Working alongside both US intelligence and special force agencies, irregular Afghan militia groups are increasingly...
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The Importance of the Wolesi Jirga Election and Local Political Networks
17 May 2010
[pdf], Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, 17 May 2010
EXCERPT: "While the international community focuses on procedural aspects of the upcoming elections, this preliminary study suggests that, on a local level, many Afghans are concerned about how parliamentary elections will play out for very different reasons. In fact, interviewees...
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US Military Relies on "Secret Network of Private Spies"
17 May 2010
, The New York Times, 15 May 2010
EXCERPT: "Top military officials have continued to rely on a secret network of private spies who have produced hundreds of reports from deep inside Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to American officials and businessmen, despite concerns among some in the military about the legality of the operation. Earlier this year, government officials admitted...
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Drug Rehabilitation Program Offers Hope to ANP Addicts
17 May 2010
, The New York Times, 16 May 2010
EXCERPT: "The Hospital for Interior Ministry Addicts is both a symptom of how bad this country's drug addiction problem is, and a possible solution for one of its worst aspects. On the one hand, its patients are all policemen. On the other hand, those policemen are no longer on the street, trying to feed heroin and opium addictions that can easily...
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Farmers Flee Marja, Claim Taliban Terrorizing Civilians
17 May 2010
, The New York Times, 16 May 2010
EXCERPT: "Farmers from the district of Marja, which since February has been the focus of the largest American-led military operation in Afghanistan, are fleeing the area, saying that the Taliban are terrorizing the population and that American troops cannot protect the civilians. The departure of the farmers is one of the most telling indications that...
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