Afghanistan: Glimmers of Hope?
13 May 2011
NATO’s electronic eavesdropping and networks of informants have discovered that some Taliban commanders are afraid to return to the fight, and have had flaming rows with senior insurgents directing fighting from the safety of Pakistan. One piece of intelligence even suggests that Mullah Omar himself, the one-eyed leader of the Taliban, is deeply alarmed by the rapid expansion of the Afghan Local Police (ALP), an auxiliary patrol force supervised...
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Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan Endanger Journalists: Report
13 May 2011
Intensifying conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan pose threats to the lives of journalists, while dangers have eased in Sri Lanka and Nepal with the end of fighting there, a media group said Tuesday. A report by the International Federation of Journalists said threat levels to journalists also remain high in conflict-ridden areas of India's remote northeast, the Himalayan region of Kashmir and central India, where Maoist rebels have stepped up a...
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RAF to Move Afghanistan Drone Mission Control to UK; Reapers Replace Tornadoes
13 May 2011
A new squadron of unmanned aircraft operating in Afghanistan will be controlled for the first time from a base in the UK. Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton said the new squadron of drones, known as Reapers, would be based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. Reapers, which have high-tech sensors and laser-guided weapons, are currently controlled by RAF crews in the US. Air Chief Marshal Dalton said the move would make the force "more efficient". He...
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NATO's Taliban Reintegration Plan Fails to Gain Traction
13 May 2011
NATO’s plan to get Afghan insurgents to lay down their arms hasn’t exactly been a blockbuster. 900 guerrillas have agreed to stop fighting in the the last five months — just a tiny sliver of the more than 20,000 fighters that are estimated to be battling the Kabul government and their western allies. “Strategically, it’s yet to really bite into the insurgency,” concedes British Maj. Gen. Phil Jones, who heads up...
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US to Limit Afghan Troop Expansion Due to Costs
13 May 2011
After months of internal deliberations, the Obama administration has decided to limit the expansion of Afghanistan's army and police forces over the next 18 months, largely to hold down the costs of training, equipping and paying them. The White House decision, which has not been announced, also appears to signal that President Obama may approve only a modest reduction of U.S. troops in Afghanistan this summer, U.S. officials said Thursday.With fewer...
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