"Foreign Forces Fuel Afghan Extremism"
23 December 2008
'', Haber27, 23 December 2008
EXCERPT: "Iran holds the foreign forces in Afghanistan responsible for the escalation of insecurity and spread of extremism in the war-torn country. Seven years after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, which was amid at curbing insurgency and drug trafficking, 'we are witnessing a surge in drug production and an increase in violence and extremism,'...
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Mullah Omar: Peace Talk "Just Enemies' Propaganda"
23 December 2008
'', China View, 23 December 2008
EXCERPT: "Taliban elusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar in a statement released on Tuesday once again rejected that no peace talk with Afghan government ever existed, adding 'it is just one of the enemies' propaganda'. Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, the purported Taliban spokesman, read the statement through mobile phone to media...
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Obstacle In Bid To Curb Afghan Trade In Narcotics
23 December 2008
'', The New York Times, 22 December 2008
EXCERPT: "A drive by the NATO alliance to disrupt Afghanistan's drug trade has been hobbled by new objections from member nations that say their laws do not permit soldiers to carry out such operations, according to senior commanders here. The objections are being raised despite an agreement two months ago that the alliance's campaign...
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An Afghan Perspective On Operations of Pro-Government Forces
23 December 2008
'', Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, 23 December 2008
EXCERPT: "This report represents the Afghan perspective on the operations of Pro-Government Forces (PGF). The incidents documented in this report have resulted primarily from operations by International Military Forces (IMF), Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF),...
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In Afghanistan, Education Under Attack
22 December 2008
Helene Gayle, '', Washington Post, 22 December 2008
EXCERPT: "Few things symbolize progress in the fight against poverty better than the face of an educated girl. And I was fortunate enough to see hundreds of them during a trip to Afghanistan in 2006. Those faces, eager and alert, lit up the courtyard of a new school built to educate 1,000 girls in central Afghanistan's Bamian province. Gone...
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US Military Eyes Alarming Spike In Attacks On Key Supply Convoys
22 December 2008
'', US News & World Report, 22 December 2008
EXCERPT: "As the Pentagon prepares to nearly double the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan next year, the urgent question now occupying planners is just how the U.S. military is going to get its soldiers the food and fuel they need in the face of increasingly devastating attacks on supply convoys. Right now, roughly...
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NATO To Engage Afghan Tribes In Taliban Fight
22 December 2008
'NATO To Engage Afghan Tribes In Taliban Fight', Reuters, 22 December 2008
EXCERPT: "While U.S. forces prepare to send up to 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, behind the scenes Afghan government officials are working to engage tribal elders as a way of undermining the growing influence of Taliban insurgents. Engaging with leaders in rural areas of Afghanistan is part of a new NATO and U.S. strategy in Afghanistan; to promote...
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Closing Opium Poppy Fields In Balkh And Its Consequences
22 December 2008
'', Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, 22 December 2008
EXCERPT: "In 2007, many pointed to the example of Balkh Province, where the reported area of opium poppy fell from 7200 hectares (ha) in 2005-06 to zero in 2006-07. Drawing on these area statistics, international agencies have claimed that incentives, and improvements in security...
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Afghanistan Update: November 2008
18 December 2008
'Afghanistan Update: November 2008', Center for Defense Information, 17 December 2008
EXCERPT: "The Taliban hold a permanent presence in 72 percent of Afghanistan, up from 54 percent last year, according to the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS). In a report released in early December, ICOS found that the Taliban have cemented themselves in Regional Command South and East, have achieved significant gains...
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"Local Integration" Key To Internal Displacement
18 December 2008
'"Local Integration" Key To Internal Displacement', IRIN News, 17 December 2008
EXCERPT: "Aid agencies and the government must focus on 'local integration' to help bring to an end long-term displacement, says a new report by an internally displaced persons (IDP) task force comprising government bodies, NGOs and the UN. Such a policy, if favoured by the government, would require land distribution and the creation...
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