US, Afghan Govts "Made Contact" with Haqqani Insurgents
06 October 2010
, The Guardian, 6 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Both the Afghan and US governments have recently made contact with the most fearsome insurgent group in Afghanistan, the Haqqani network, the Guardian has learned. Hamid Karzai's government held direct talks with senior members of the Haqqani clan over the summer, according to well-placed Pakistani and Arab sources. The US contacts...
Read the post »
Canada's Pullout "Threatens to Undermine Progress": NATO
06 October 2010
Canadian Pullout Could Hurt Afghan Mission: NATO, CTV, 6 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Canada's planned withdrawal of troops from Kandahar next year threatens to undermine progress being made in the volatile Afghan province, a senior NATO officer said Wednesday. Coalition and Afghan forces in Kandahar have in recent months launched a multi-pronged offensive against Taliban insurgents. Many see the operation, dubbed Hamkari, as the international...
Read the post »
1 in 5 Afghan Prisoners Interviewed by Canadian Diplomats Reported Abuse
06 October 2010
1 in 5 Afghan Prisoners Interviewed Reported Abuse, CTV, 4 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Roughly 21 per cent of Afghan prisoners interviewed by Canadian diplomats over a nine-month period reported some form of abuse by Afghan authorities, say new figures released Monday. The numbers, laid out during testimony before a Military Police Complaints Commission hearing, show that eight of 38 captives taken into custody by the Canadian army in late...
Read the post »
Afghan, former Pakistani, Taliban Officials Hold Meeting in Kabul
06 October 2010
Afghan Summit Seeks Way to Bring Taliban to Peace Talks,The Wall Street Journal, 6 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Afghan officials, retired Pakistani security chiefs and former Taliban leaders are meeting in Kabul, trying to find ways to open peace talks with the insurgents?possibly by dropping key Western-backed conditions to such a reconciliation. The meetings, sponsored by the United Arab Emirates and held Tuesday and Wednesday in...
Read the post »
Karzai's Kin Use Ties to Gain Power
06 October 2010
, The New York Times, 5 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Until recently, Taj Ayubi's specialty was retail. Mr. Ayubi, an Afghan immigrant, ran a furniture store in Leesburg, Va., and before that, a thrift shop in Washington. But today, Mr. Ayubi's specialty is foreign policy. He is the senior foreign affairs adviser to the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. Among Mr. Ayubi's qualifications...
Read the post »
US Apologises for Attack that Killed Pakistani Soldiers, as Supply Pass Remains Closed
06 October 2010
, The New York Times, 6 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Dozens of tanker trucks carrying fuel to Afghanistan for NATO troops were torched near Quetta in western Pakistan on Wednesday, the third major attack on supplies since Pakistan closed a border crossing to Afghanistan a week ago and the first at the only checkpoint that remained open. The latest sabotage came as American officials...
Read the post »