US Suspends Two Contractors over Failures to Pay Afghans
06 January 2011
, The New York Times, 6 January 2011
EXCERPT: "The United States Army Central Command has suspended work with two American civilian contractor companies operating in Iraq and Afghanistan because of their failure to pay Afghan contractors. The failure of the two companies, Bennett-Fouch Associates of Michigan and K5 Global, to pay millions of dollars to Afghan subcontractors...
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Pakistan-Afghanistan to Hold Peace Jirga; Militants Vow to Keep Fighting
06 January 2011
, AFP, 5 January 2011
EXCERPT: "Pakistan and a visiting delegation of Afghan officials charged with trying to broker peace with the Taliban have agreed to hold a peace 'jirga' between the two countries, Islamabad said on Thursday. A spokesman for Pakistan's foreign ministry said the decision was made during a visit to the capital by two dozen members of Kabul's High Committee for...
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US to Deploy Additional 1,400 Marines
06 January 2011
U.S. Boosts Afghan Surge, The Wall Street Journal, 4 January 2011
EXCERPT: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decided to send an additional 1,400 Marine combat forces to Afghanistan, officials said, in a surprise move ahead of the spring fighting season to try to cement tentative security gains before White House-mandated troop reductions begin in July. The Marine battalion could start arriving on the ground as early as mid-January....
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New US Military Centre to Streamline Operations Targeting Militants
06 January 2011
Building a Network to Hit Militants, Houston Chronicle, 5 January 2011
EXCERPT: "The Obama administration has ramped up its secret war on terror groups with a new military targeting center to oversee the growing use of special operations strikes against suspected militants in hot spots around the world, according to current and former U.S. officials. Run by the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, the new center would be a significant...
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