Taliban Expands Influence as Jihadist Allies Return to Tajikistan
05 October 2010
More "Jihadistans"?, Newsweek, 3 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Taliban sources in Afghanistan say jihadist allies from Central Asia have started heading home. Though the exodus is being encouraged by relentless American drone attacks against the fighters? back bases in Pakistan's tribal areas, it's not necessarily good news for U.S. forces. The dislodged jihadists aren?t quitting the battlefield; on the contrary, they?re expanding...
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Taliban Infiltrating Afghan Forces: Ex-UN Official
05 October 2010
Ex-UN Official Says Taliban Infiltrating Afghan Forces, BBC News, 4 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Dr Antonio Maria Costa, former head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said Taliban sleeper cells had been set up inside the security forces. They had already carried out a number of attacks and were planning further attacks on Nato-led troops, he said. A spokesman for the coalition forces said infiltration was a rare problem and most...
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Head Election Official Arrested amidst Allegations of Fraud
05 October 2010
, The New York Times, 4 October 2010
EXCERPT: "After a raft of complaints about fraud in the parliamentary elections in Khost Province, the provincial police arrested the provincial head of the Independent Election Commission on Monday, police officials said. Shahzada Hassan, the chief election officer in Khost, was accused by candidates and observers of taking bribes in exchange for important...
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Kandahar Locals Remain Skeptic of NATO Offensive
05 October 2010
Afghan Offensive Fails to Reassure Residents, Los Angeles Times, 5 October 2010
EXCERPT: "As NATO steps up its operation around Kandahar city, vowing that the Taliban will have nowhere to hide, residents remain fearful, saying militants simply bide their time and return. [...] North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials characterize the ongoing confrontation as the inexorable tightening of a noose around the Taliban, an enemy depicted...
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Diversity and Transnational Links in Afghan Religious Education
05 October 2010
[pdf], Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), September 2010
EXCERPT: "In the aftermath of 9/11, madrasas have become a subject of great controversy. In Afghanistan, it is commonplace to blame Pakistani madrasas for the recruitment of Afghan youths to militant groups. In response, the Afghan government has initiated a comprehensive reform of the Islamic education...
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