NATO to Shift Troops, Focus on "Key Terrain Districts"
30 March 2011
With the first American troops slated to withdraw in July, the Afghanistan surge is nearly over. But even as the overall U.S. force in Afghanistan contracts, portions of a handful of particularly important districts — the rough equivalent of U.S. counties — could actually get more troops and more development cash. The shift toward these so-called “key terrain districts” is the result of a slowly evolving plan for making the...
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Haqqani Network Influence in Kurram and Its Implications for Afghanistan
30 March 2011
The Haqqani Network is one of Afghanistan’s most capable insurgent groups. Based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan Agency, the Haqqani network’s senior leadership directs the insurgency in Afghanistan’s southeastern provinces of Khost, Paktika, and Paktia. The network is important not only because of its tactical and operational proficiency, but because it links foreign terrorists, such as al-Qa`ida, to operations inside Afghanistan....
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"Taliban Surrenders" Not All They Seem
30 March 2011
While the Afghan authorities say hundreds of insurgents have surrendered since a new peace mechanism was established last year, others are less than convinced. Sources interviewed by IWPR in northern Afghanistan say many of those coming over to the government are not insurgents at all. As long as the real Taleban stay away, analysts say there is little point to this aspect of the peace process. [...] According to officials and local commentators,...
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Karzai Blasts US Troops for Gruesome Afghan Deaths
30 March 2011
Afghanistan's president on Wednesday condemned the actions of a group of U.S. soldiers charged with murdering three unarmed Afghans, charging they killed for entertainment after taking drugs. It was Hamid Karzai's first public mention of the actions of five soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade who have been charged with murder and conspiracy in the deaths of the three men in southern Afghanistan. Civilian deaths in Afghanistan have created tensions...
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