Billions in US Aid Dollars Unaccounted for, Lost in Bureaucratic "Labyrinth": Audit
28 October 2010
, AFP, 27 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Nearly 18 billion dollars earmarked for reconstruction in Afghanistan remain unaccounted for, snagged in a 'labyrinth' of contract bureaucracy, a sweeping US government audit has shown. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said 17.7 billion dollars was obligated over three years to nearly 7,000 contractors,...
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Private Contractors: The Good, the Bad, and the Strategic Impact
28 October 2010
, National Defense University // Strategic Forum, October 2010
EXCERPT: "In Iraq and Afghanistan, the use of contractors reached a level unprecedented in U.S. military operations. As of March 31, 2010, the United States deployed 175,000 troops and 207,000 contractors in the war zones. Contractors represented 50 percent of the Department of Defense (DOD) workforce in Iraq...
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Bin Laden Threatens France over Afghan War, Veil Ban
28 October 2010
, The Associated Press, 27 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden threatens in a new audio tape to kill French citizens to avenge their country's support for the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and a new law that will ban face-covering Muslim veils. In the tape obtained by satellite television station Al-Jazeera and then posted on its website on Wednesday, bin Laden said...
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Marjah's Displaced Reluctant to Return Due to Threats, Insecurity
28 October 2010
Afghanistan Displaced Still Waiting to Go Home, BBC News, 26 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Seven months after a Nato and Afghan army operation ended in Helmand's Marjah district, about 15,000 refugees from the area are still hesitating to return. They are fearful of roadside bombs, Taliban remnants not removed by the Nato operation, and continuing battles between insurgents and coalition troops. Marjah's displaced families live in poorly-built...
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