IMU Militants Increase Presence in Northern Afghan Provinces
08 December 2010
IMU Takes Root in Increasingly Insecure Northern Afghan Provinces, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 8 December 2010
EXCERPT: "Afghan and international forces missed their mark in the hunt for a senior leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in northern Afghanistan's Konduz Province last week, but they didn't go home empty-handed. Several militants were killed and two suspected IMU members were detained in the course of the operation,...
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Reconciliation Key to Abating Rise in IED Deaths: General
08 December 2010
, AFP, 7 December 2010
EXCERPT: "The best way to reduce the improvised explosive device threat in Afghanistan, the leading cause of death for troops there, is through the political process, as was the case in Iraq, a top US military officer said Monday. 'The political reconciliation in Iraq was a major factor in reducing the IED threat. I do believe that's possible in Afghanistan...
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Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan Agree to Intensify Drug Fight
08 December 2010
Russia, Afghanistan Agree to Beef-up Heroin Fight, Reuters India, 8 December 2010
EXCERPT: "Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan agreed with Russia on Wednesday to step up efforts in fighting the Afghan heroin trade which kills at least 30,000 Russians a year. 'We are neighbours linked by the same piece of land, and we have the potential to strengthen our work in fighting a global menace,' Russia's anti-drugs tsar...
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Coalition Completes Offensive in Marjah: US Official
08 December 2010
Afghan War Coalition Completes Battle in Marjah as U.S. Assesses Strategy, Bloomberg, 7 December 2010
EXCERPT: "A U.S. military commander in Afghanistan said a 10-month fight to turn back the Taliban is 'over' in an area that formed the crux of a February offensive, in what may signal a move toward progress in the war. Marjah, a town in central Helmand Province that was controlled by the Taliban and helped fuel the insurgency...
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