Disease Threatens Afghan Wheat Crop
31 July 2009
'Disease Threatens Afghan Wheat Crop', IPS, 30 July 2009
EXCERPT: "Agronomists and crop experts fear that an aggressive disease that attacks wheat crops could soon reach Afghanistan, potentially threatening food security and initiatives to curb the cultivation of illicit crops. The Ug99 fungus, so named for its identification in Uganda in 1999, is a strain of black stem rust, a fungus that kills plants by leeching water and...
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The Future Of Afghanistan And Pakistan: The Development Challenge
31 July 2009
Jessica T. Mathews & Douglas Alexander, 'The Future Of Afghanistan And Pakistan: The Development Challenge', Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 30 July 2009
EXCERPT: "The international coalition cannot defeat the Taliban without a strengthened Afghan state. It should work through the Afghan government?rather than international agencies?to increase economic opportunity and foster effective political institutions at...
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July Is Deadliest Month For US And Allies
31 July 2009
'July Is Deadliest Month In Afghanistan For US Forces, Foreign Allies', Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2009
EXCERPT: "The month began with a fatal roadside bombing and ended with word that an American had died of wounds suffered in a firefight. After nearly eight years of warfare in Afghanistan, July proved by far the deadliest month yet for U.S. troops and their foreign allies.Bombs and rocket attacks, ambushes and aviation accidents...
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1013 Civilian Deaths In The First Six Months Of 2009
31 July 2009
'', United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan - Human Rights Unit, 30 July 2009
EXCERPT: "Armed conflict is particularly prevalent in the South, South-East, East, Central, and Western regions of the country. It is also spreading into areas formerly relatively tranquil, such as the North and North-East. As the conflict intensifies and spreads,...
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Tripartite Agreement On Voluntary Repatriation
30 July 2009
'', China View, 30 July 2009
EXCERPT: "Pakistan, Afghanistan and UNHCR will work closely for a comprehensive strategy of voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees while creating conducive conditions in Afghanistan for their resettlement and reintegration, a Pakistani minister said Thursday. After attending the 17th session of the Tripartite Commission on Afghan...
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Afghan, Pakistani Conflicts Spilling Into Central Asia?
30 July 2009
'Afghan, Pakistani Conflicts Spilling Into Central Asian States?', The Christian Science Monitor, 30 July 2009
EXCERPT: "A spate of militant clashes in Tajikistan may indicate that the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan are spilling beyond their borders ? a top concern for neighboring Central Asian nations and Russia. The rise in violence comes as Pakistan wraps up an assault on militants in the north and Western forces...
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Problems Plague Rebuilding Of War-Torn Afghanistan
30 July 2009
'', The Associated Press, 30 July 2009
EXCERPT: "The special inspector general overseeing tens of billions of dollars in Afghanistan reconstruction projects is warning of a lack of direction and communication among the U.S. agencies handling the work. Inspector General Arnold Fields says that coordination between the Americans and the Afghans is also poor, leading to a disjointed...
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Taliban Vows To Disrupt Afghan Election
30 July 2009
'Taliban Vows To Disrupt Afghan Election', VOA News, 30 July 2009
EXCERPT: "The Taliban says it intends to disrupt Afghanistan's upcoming presidential elections, and is calling on Afghans to boycott the vote and attack foreigners. In a statement posted on the Internet Thursday, the extremist group calls the August 20 election an 'American process' meant to deceive the Afghan people. The Taliban says, instead of...
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More US Troops May Be Needed
29 July 2009
'More US Troops May Be Needed In Afghanistan, Says Pentagon Advisor', VOA News, 29 July 2009
EXCERPT: "A member of the strategic assessment team working with the new U.S. military commander in Afghanistan says the U.S. government and its allies need to be more realistic about what is needed to win the Afghan war, and he says that may include more troops. Senior Washington analyst Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and...
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Spain Willing To Increase Afghan Force
29 July 2009
'', The New York Times, 29 July 2009
EXCERPT: "Prime Minister Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero said Wednesday that Spain was willing to increase its troops on long-term assignment in Afghanistan, in what appeared to be a gesture of support to the Obama administration. Spain's Socialist government has long resisted calls from the United States and other NATO allies to increase...
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