NATO Hands Kabul Security To Afghan Forces
28 August 2008
'NATO Hands Kabul Security To Afghan Forces', Reuters, 28 August 2008
EXCERPT: "Afghan forces took over responsibility for the security of the capital, Kabul, on Thursday [28 August 2008], in what is largely viewed as a symbolic move. Although there are no plans for foreign forces to pull out of the city any time soon, the move is also meant to reflect the growing strength of the Afghan army and police force. While the Taliban insurgency...
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UN Blasts Afghanistan For Freeing Rapists Early
28 August 2008
'', International Herald Tribune, 28 August 2008
EXCERPT: "The United Nations has lashed out at Afghanistan's government for pardoning two rapists after serving only a fraction of their 11-year sentences. The release of the men will send the wrong message to other perpetrators of violent crimes against women, Norah Niland, the U.N.'s chief human rights officer in Afghanistan, said in a statement...
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Japan To Extend Afghan Mission Despite Slaying
28 August 2008
'', AFP, 28 August 2008
EXCERPT: "Japan said Thursday [28 August 2008] it planned to extend a controversial mission backing the US-led 'war on terror' in Afghanistan, a day after Taliban extremists killed a Japanese aid worker in the war-torn country. The slain worker's group withdrew staff and charged that Japan's rising military profile may have been to blame for the death of agricultural...
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Two-Page "Note" Governs U.S. Military in Afghanistan
28 August 2008
"", The Washington Post, 28 August 2008
EXCERPT: "For the past six years, military relations between the United States and Afghanistan have been governed by a two-page 'diplomatic note' giving U.S. forces virtual carte blanche to conduct operations as they see fit. Although President Bush pledged in a 2005 declaration signed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to 'develop appropriate...
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Leak May Have Led To Taliban Ambush On French
27 August 2008
'Leak May Have Led To Taliban Ambush On French', France24, 27 August 2008
EXCERPT: "New information surfaced Wednesday on the death on August 18 of 10 French soldiers who, while on a reconnaissance mission in Eastern Afghanistan, were ambushed by Taliban insurgents. French satirical weekly Le Canard Encha?n?, reputed for its investigative reporting and political scoops, suggested that the French patrol may have been betrayed by their...
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Don't Expect Miracles In Afghanistan: Canadian Envoy
27 August 2008
'Don't Expect Miracles In Afghanistan: Canadian Envoy', CTV News, 27 August 2008
EXCERPT: "Don't expect any miracles by the time Canada's military commitment to Afghanistan ends in 2011, says the outgoing Canadian ambassador to the country. Arif Lalani, who has held the position for 15 months, said the mission is a difficult one and great challenges lie ahead. But he said progress is being made. 'In 2011 I think Canadians should not...
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Afghanistan Death Rate For British Troops Tops Iraq
27 August 2008
'Afghanistan Death Rate For British Troops Tops Height Of Iraq Fighting', The Telegraph, 27 August 2008
EXCERPT: "Eight in every 1,000 UK servicemen and women sent to the country to fight the Taliban this summer has been killed after a sharp increase in roadside bomb attacks by insurgents in Helmand Province, analysis of casualty figures shows. Following some of the bloodiest months since US-led coalition forces were first sent to Afghanistan...
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Afghan Opposition Wants International Crisis Meet
27 August 2008
'Afghan Opposition Wants International Crisis Meet', Reuters India, 27 August 2008
EXCERPT: "Afghanistan is going through a critical period and an international meeting including Taliban-led insurgents should be held to ward off crisis, the country's main opposition group said on Wednesday [27 August 2008]. Attacks by the al Qaeda-backed Taliban have dramatically jumped in the past three years in Afghanistan, with militants appearing...
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Transit Russia At Own Risk, NATO Warned
26 August 2008
'Transit Russia At Own Risk, NATO Warned', Canada.com / AFP, 25 August 2008
EXCERPT: "NATO should not be able to use Russian routes to transit supplies and equipment to Afghanistan because Russia has suspended military co-operation with the Western alliance, the country's ambassador to Kabul argued in an interview published Tuesday [26 August 2008]. Speaking to The Times from the Afghan capital, Zamir Kabulov said increased tensions...
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US Builds New Detention Centre in Afghanistan
26 August 2008
'US Builds New Detention Centre in Afghanistan', Christian Science Monitor, 26 August 2008
EXCERPT: "In an effort to lay to rest some of the controversy surrounding its Afghanistan detention program, the US is building a new detention facility there designed to be on par with one in Iraq that came to be seen by many as a model program. Construction has begun on a new facility for as many as 1,100 detainees to be run by Americans at a...
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