Canada, US Back Afghan-led Operation in South
07 December 2010
, The National Post, 5 December 2010
EXCERPT: "A major Afghan-led military operation, with backing from Canadian and U.S. units in the field, is underway to target a Taliban stronghold in lawless territory once held briefly by the Canadian Forces battle group. The area, west of Kandahar City, is where 'all the bad people are,' Lt.-Col. Maurice Poitras, senior operations...
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Report Reveals Political Deals behind Appointments of Governors
07 December 2010
Report Reveals Political Deals Behind Governors Appointments, Tolo News, 4 December 2010
EXCERPT: "Afghan governors have been appointed based on political deals, supports from government factions and pressures, a latest report by Kilid Group found. The report has found that former Jihadi leaders, some top Afghan government officials and foreign countries with huge military engagement in Afghanistan play a crucial and influential role...
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Counterinsurgency and the Future of NATO
07 December 2010
, Center for a New American Security // The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 1 October 2010
EXCERPT: "Counterinsurgency is much more than a military discipline. As General David Petraeus recently noted, successful COIN requires the integrated employment of all components of national power. This paper evaluates the fundamental underpinnings of the NATO counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan,...
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Pakistani Anti-Taliban Militias Offer Lessons for US in Afghanistan
07 December 2010
, The Washington Post, 7 December 2010
EXCERPT: "U.S. military officials hail the formation of village security forces in Afghanistan as a potential game-changer in a stumbling war, citing the relative success of similar units in Iraq. But Pakistan may be the better comparison, because tribes on either side of the border share a common Pashtun heritage. Here...
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Govt Softens Ban on Private Security Firms, Announces New Public Security Force
07 December 2010
, Reuters, 7 December 2010
EXCERPT: "Afghanistan appeared on Monday to offer more concessions over a ban on private security firms, saying companies would be allowed to work in the country until their existing contracts had expired. President Hamid Karzai issued a decree in August banning all private security contractors in Afghanistan by mid-December, with an exception for those guarding...
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