US Casualties from IEDs Up 60% in 2010: Report
27 January 2011
, The Washington Post, 25 January 2010
EXCERPT: "The number of U.S. troops killed by roadside bombs in Afghanistan soared by 60 percent last year, while the number of those wounded almost tripled, new U.S. military statistics show. All told, 268 U.S. troops were killed by the improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, in 2010, about as many as in the three previous years combined, according...
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Interview with Afghanistan's Former Intelligence Chief
27 January 2011
The Spy Who Quit: A Conversation with Amrullah Saleh [transcript+video], PBS // Frontline, 17 January 2011
EXCERPT: "[..] [Q] Did you encourage the Americans to increase their use of drones? [A] I encouraged America to use Air Force, bomb Pakistan, force it to stop supporting Taliban and Al Qaeda, period; let alone drones. I said: 'Drones are not sufficient. ... Do night raids the way you do in Kandahar.' This is global war against...
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Afghanistan Seeks Control of Army Funds, Hardware
27 January 2011
Afghanistan Seeks Control of Army Funds, Hardware, Reuters, 27 January 2011
EXCERPT: "Afghanistan said on Thursday it would seek control of billions of dollars of Western money going to the Afghan army and needed helicopters, planes and heavy guns to take charge of security from foreign troops. The demands came in a statement from the office of President Hamid Karzai, which also threatened new measures against some private security firms...
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Karzai's Pick for Parliament Speaker Accused of Atrocities
27 January 2011
Karzai's Pick for Parliament Speaker Accused of Atrocities, McClatchy, 26 January 2011
EXCERPT: "An Afghan warlord who's accused of gross human rights violations and was once close to Osama bin Laden has received the backing of President Hamid Karzai for the important post of speaker of the new parliament, which was inaugurated Wednesday. To the dismay of diplomats and many lawmakers, especially women and those from Afghanistan's...
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Govt Officials Refuse to Respond to Information Requests: Journalists
27 January 2011
Herat Media Freedom Alarm, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, 27 January 2011
EXCERPT: "Journalists in the western Afghanistan province of Herat insist local and foreign officials are refusing to cooperate with them, hampering their ability to produce balanced reports and restricting freedom of speech. Media sources allege that officials, both security and civilian, have been ordered by their superiors not to respond to requests...
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