NATO, Afghan Forces Detain Insurgent Leaders
17 February 2011
EXCERPT: "NATO and Afghan forces captured leaders of an insurgent group in eastern Afghanistan, including one believed to be linked to last month's suicide attack on a Kabul supermarket, the coalition said Thursday. Insurgent attacks elsewhere killed three, including a NATO service member. The detainees were identified as members of Hizb-i-Islami, a militant group made up of loyalists of regional warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Among those captured was...
Read the post »
Afghanistan: Tracking Major Resource Flows 2002-2010
17 February 2011
EXCERPT: "This latest report sheds light on Afghanistan’s rapid transformation into the world’s leading recipient of aid. It reveals the nature of the domestic and international aid architecture which has developed to receive and administer the growing volume of aid, which reached US$6.1 billion in 2009, and captures some of the major aid trends, actors and mechanisms from 2002 to the latest available data. Providing a broad contextual...
Read the post »
US Questions How Long It Can Fund the Afghan Army as Fiscal Concerns Grow
17 February 2011
EXCERPT: "President Barack Obama's government is unsure whether the United States can afford a further buildup of Afghan security forces, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday. The United States is struggling to balance mounting fiscal concerns at home with the need to stand up a capable Afghan fighting force that would be able to take over more security responsibilities as foreign troops withdraw. Gates, discussing the nearly 10-year-old...
Read the post »
Building Afghan Peace from the Ground Up: Report
17 February 2011
EXCERPT: "This paper strives to capture Afghan perspectives on the state and governance, the nature of civil society, and the role of the international community. It also explores the prospects for peace with the insurgency and draws out the implications for Western strategy. The data is based on a series of consultations with community, religious, and tribal leaders; NGO and community activists; teachers and educators; and students and youth leaders....
Read the post »