Afghan Police Face Critical Tasks
30 April 2009
'Afghan Police Face Critical Tasks', Online International News Network, 29 April 2009
EXCERPT: "Army Brig. Gen. Anne F. Macdonald, Assistant Commander for Police development in Kabul said that Afghan police force faces various challenges in the country. 'We can help, but ultimately it is going to be up to Afghan security forces - most notably the police - to make the difference,' she said. She indicates that there is...
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Exclusionary Humanitarian Aid Practices Hitting Balkh
30 April 2009
'Exclusionary Humanitarian Aid Practices Hitting Hearts and Minds', EurasiaNet, 30 April 2009
EXCERPT: "During a recent interview, the governor of Balkh - Atta Mohammad - repeatedly expressed frustration with the international approach to Afghanistan. His chief complaint: Despite totally eradicating poppy cultivation in 2007, his province is being ignored by the international aid community. Atta expressed pride in achieving...
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More Australian Troops For Afghan Mission
30 April 2009
'More Australian Troops For Afghan Mission', The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 April 2009
EXCERPT: "Kevin Rudd has expanded Australia's military commitment in Afghanistan and put his stamp on a war that he says is becoming increasingly unpopular. About 450 extra personnel will be deployed, including 100 more soldiers to mentor the Afghan army and 120 personnel who will be deployed for eight months to provide security for the...
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Concerns Over Using Clinics As Polling Stations: ICRC
30 April 2009
'Afghanistan: Using Clinics As Polling Stations "Not A Good Idea": ICRC', IRIN News, 30 April 2009
EXCERPT: "The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concern over the use of health facilities for voter registration or as polling stations in Afghanistan's upcoming presidential elections, saying this could jeopardise the security of health workers and put patients at risk. Whilst there is...
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700 More British Troops For Afghanistan
29 April 2009
'Gordon Brown: 700 More Troops For Afghanistan', The Telegraph, 29 April 2009
EXCERPT: "In a Commons statement, Mr Brown said the additional troops, which will take the British force to 9,000, will remain in the country until the autumn. Officials made clear that there will be no permanent increase in UK troop numbers, which will return to the current level of 8,300 once the temporary 'surge' is over. Mr Brown was...
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Afghan Anti-Drug Effort Needs Big Boost
29 April 2009
'Afghan Anti-Drug Effort Needs Big Boost', Reuters, 29 April 2009
EXCERPT: "Efforts to combat the drug trade in Afghanistan must grow dramatically as the United States deploys tens of thousands more troops to fight a resurgent Taliban, a top U.S. general said on Wednesday. General James Conway, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, said the opium business had to be tackled because it was estimated to provide between $80 million...
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Falling Short On Afghanistan
29 April 2009
Paddy Ashdown and Joseph Ingram, '', The New York Times, 29 April 2009
EXCERPT: "A just-released report from Afghanistan's Ministry of Finance has produced some shocking findings with disturbing implications for the future of the war-ridden country and its unstable neighborhood. Yet the report and its conclusions have failed to capture the attention of the key politicians overseeing financial and...
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Taliban Threatens Spring Offensive
29 April 2009
'Taliban Threatens Spring Offensive', The Globe and Mail, 29 April 2009
EXCERPT: "A top Taliban commander warned today that militants would unleash a wave of ambushes, roadside bombs and suicide attacks in a new spring offensive in Afghanistan. In a possible harbinger of coming violence, coalition and Afghan troops killed 42 militants in three operations, officials said. Mullah Berader, a deputy to Taliban leader Mullah...
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Pentagon: Progress In Talks To Keep US Base
28 April 2009
'', The Associated Press, 28 April 2009
EXCERPT: "The United States reported progress Tuesday in negotiations to extend its lease of a key Central Asian air base that provides support for military operations in Afghanistan, although an August eviction date looms. 'I think we see reason for hope there, that that can be worked out,' Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said. Morrell...
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Karzai Vows To Change Controversial Law
28 April 2009
'Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai Vows To Change Controversial Law On Sex', Los Angeles Times, 28 April 2009
EXCERPT: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged Monday to change a law critics say legalizes marital rape to remove concerns that it violates human rights. The law, which sparked an international outcry after it was signed last month, says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days unless she is ill or would...
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