New US Anti-corruption Campaign to Side-step Top Karzai Allies
07 January 2011
US Won't Pursue Karzai Allies in Anti-corruption Campaign, McClatchy, 6 January 2011
EXCERPT: "Under a new anti-corruption strategy for Afghanistan, the U.S. government won't aggressively pursue top Afghan officials suspected of malfeasance, conceding that 'limited judicial capacity and political interference' from President Hamid Karzai's government make success in prosecuting them unlikely. Instead, the document,...
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British Troops Move Out of Helmand
07 January 2011
British Troops Move Out of Helmand, The Guardian, 7 January 2011
EXCERPT: "British troops have established a permanent presence outside Helmand province for the first time since 2006 in an effort to secure a key road that runs through one of Kandahar's most violent districts, according to US and UK officials. Since mid-December troops from the Household Cavalry have been operating on a 12 mile stretch of Highway 1 in Maiwand district...
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Netherlands to Deploy 545-Strong Police Training Force
07 January 2011
, AFP, 7 January 2011
EXCERPT: "The Dutch cabinet agreed Friday to a police training mission to Afghanistan, 11 months after the last government collapsed in a spat over military deployment to the conflict-torn nation. 'The cabinet decided today to send an integrated police training mission to Afghanistan in the period 2011 to 2014,' Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced after the...
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Suicide Bomber Targeting Senior Police Official Strikes Bath House, Kills 17
07 January 2011
, The New York Times, 7 January 2011
EXCERPT: "A suicide bomber killed himself and 17 others, including a senior border police commander, in an attack on Friday in a crowded bathhouse in the southern city of Spin Boldak, Afghan officials said. 'A suicide bomber entered local bathhouse and exploded his vest around 11:30 this morning,' said Abdul Ghani, the district governor of Spin Boldak....
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Surge Fails to Reduce Number of Taliban Fighters
07 January 2011
Surge Fails to Reduce Number of Taliban Fighters, The Washington Times, 6 January 2011
EXCERPT: "A massive effort by U.S. and NATO forces ? including offensives in the insurgent heartland and targeted assassinations of rebel leaders ? has failed to dent Taliban numerical strength over the past year, according to military and diplomatic officials. A senior NATO official said this week that the alliance estimates the current number of...
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