Afghan War Just a Small Slice of US Media Coverage
22 December 2010
, The New York Times, 19 December 2010
EXCERPT: "As the Obama administration conducted an Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review this month, the news media did too, and the coverage came peppered with question marks. The same week that ABC News scheduled a series of segments titled 'Afghanistan: Can We Win?,' Katie Couric of the 'CBS Evening News' devoted six minutes to a special...
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In Televised Confession Al-Qaeda Commander Recalls Afghan Betrayal
22 December 2010
, Asharq Al-Awsat, 22 December 2010
EXCERPT: "Jabir al-Fayfi traveled from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan via Qatar, before crossing the border into Afghanistan, where he fought alongside the Taliban for 9 months, until the 9/11 attacks took place, brining his stay in the country to an end. Al-Fayfi spoke about all of this and more during the first of his televised confessions...
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Locals Caught between Taliban, Militias and Security Forces
22 December 2010
The Americans Are in Our House. What Will the Taliban Think?, The New York Times // At War, 15 December 2010
EXCERPT: "In Imam Sahib district in the north of the province, less than a mile from the district center, are Taliban checkpoints, said Samimi, a local citizen, who asked that only one name be used because he feared retribution. The fighting has slackened, but people are feeling pressure both from local militias, known as arbekais,...
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Traditional Medicine Endangers Afghan Lives: Local Doctors
22 December 2010
Traditional Medicine Endangers Afghan Lives, Institute for War and Peace Report, 22 December 2010
EXCERPT: "[...] Traditional medicine has an ancient history in Afghanistan and is still the main form of treatment in remote areas that lack transportation routes and health clinics. The likes of bonesetters and herbalists possess skills handed down through families, but they rarely have any kind of professional training. Consequently, their...
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Taliban Reject UN Report on Civilian Deaths
22 December 2010
Afghan Taliban Reject U.N. Report on Civilian Deaths, Reuters, 22 December 2010
EXCERPT: "The Taliban on Wednesday branded as 'fabricated' the latest U.N. report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan that blamed insurgents for three-quarters of those killed and wounded in the first 10 months of 2010. In a quarterly report on Afghanistan this month, the United Nations said civilian casualties had risen by 20 percent between January...
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Oversight Report Slams Pentagon's "Hyper-secret" $2bn Afghan Fuel Deals
22 December 2010
Pentagon Slammed for "Hyper-secret" $2bn Afghan Fuel Deals, The Telegraph, 22 December 2010
EXCERPT: "US Congress investigators have sharply criticised the Pentagon for allowing an 'ultra-secretive' business group to control more than $2 billion in crucial Afghan fuel contracts, while turning a blind eye to the alleged elaborate fraud by which it sourced more than half a billion gallons of jet fuel from Russian refineries. The report, released...
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