Germany Approves Up to 300 Additional AWACS Personnel for Afghanistan
23 March 2011
Chancellor Angela Merkel's government approved a plan to send AWACS surveillance planes to Afghanistan in order to free up NATO capacity for operations in Libya. The trans-Atlantic alliance looks set to take over control of the ongoing bombardment of forces loyal to dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel elected not to take part in the United Nations-approved military operations in Libya. On Wednesday, however,...
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Task Force Report Calls for Immediate Afghan Peace Talks
23 March 2011
A new study by a non-governmental task force concludes there is a growing sense of stalemate in Afghanistan that opens the way for a political settlement in the country. The task force, created by the Washington-based Century Foundation, says neither side in the Afghan conflict can win militarily and moves toward a political settlement should start now. The task force, made up of a wide range of scholars and former international diplomats, says public...
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Thousands of Afghan Taliban Laying Down Arms: US
23 March 2011
Nearly 5,000 Taliban insurgents have either laid down their weapons or are moving towards doing so, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, said Wednesday. The Afghan government has launched a "reintegration" process aimed at encouraging insurgents to abandon their weapons and return to their villages. Under the program, fighters who wish to abandon the fight are vetted, disarmed and given jobs. "There...
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Poll on Behalf of Top UK Aid Agencies Reveals Most Britons Unsure of Afghan Mission Aims
23 March 2011
Most Britons are unclear about what the government's goals are in Afghanistan and only one in four believe the current strategy is working well, a poll published on Wednesday on behalf of leading aid groups showed. [...] The YouGov Afghan poll, commissioned by eight aid organisations, found that 58 percent of the public said they were uncertain what Britain was trying to achieve there. The poll found that only 26 percent believed the current approach...
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