23 December 2010
Taliban's Cash Flow Grows From Heroin Trade, Crime, NPR, 20 December 2010
EXCERPT: "The latest review of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan notes that coalition troops are making gains against the Taliban on the battlefield. But that hasn't stemmed the flow of money into Taliban coffers. U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks reveal growing U.S. frustration with Arab allies and their failure to deal with charities and private...
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ISAF Captures Cross-border Weapons Facilitator Linked to Iran's Qods Force
23 December 2010
Exclusive: ISAF Captures Qods Force Operative in Kandahar [blog], The Long War Journal, 23 December 2010
EXCERPT: "Coalition and Afghan special operations teams have captured a Taliban commander who doubles as an Iranian Qods Force operative and helped ship weapons from Iran into Afghanistan. The Taliban/Qods Force operative, who was not named, was detained during a Dec. 18 raid in the Zhari district in Kandahar province, the International...
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Growing Insecurity, Unemployment Forces Afghans into Capital, Insurgency
23 December 2010
Afghanistan Battles Insecurity, Joblessness, VOA News, 23 December 2010
EXCERPT: "Growing insecurity and unemployment in Afghanistan is forcing Afghans into the capital, across borders and into the insurgency looking for work. Every day hundreds of men gather at Kote Sangi; one of the busiest intersections in Kabul. They fill the intersection waiting for work; they pass time talking and joking over cups of tea. The workers say from morning...
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Taliban Leadership Splintered by Intense US Operations near Kandahar
23 December 2010
Afghan Taliban Leadership Splintered by Intense US Military Campaign, The Guardian, 22 December 2010
EXCERPT: "The US military onslaught against the Taliban in Kandahar has dealt a major blow against insurgent commanders who have been forced to flee areas they used to control and reduced two of the most senior insurgent field commanders to squabbling over footsoldiers, residents in the critically important southern province say. Tribal...
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Corruption Inquiry into Missing Medicines for Afghan Soldiers Launched
23 December 2010
, The Associated Press, 22 December 2010
EXCERPT: "U.S.-donated medicines and pharmaceutical supplies meant to keep the new Afghan army and police healthy have been disappearing before reaching Afghan military hospitals and clinics, and the government said it is removing the army's top medical officer from his post as part of an investigation into alleged corruption. Afghan Defense...
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23 December 2010
, AFP, 23 December 2010
EXCERPT: "The UN envoy to Afghanistan on Wednesday warned that the war was likely to get worse in the short-term and that Taliban insurgents may attempt 'spectacular attacks.' 'We are detecting from the anti-government elements an attempt to show, on their side, spectacular attacks,' Staffan de Mistura said at the United Nations. 'I'm...
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Afghan War Just a Small Slice of US Media Coverage
22 December 2010
, The New York Times, 19 December 2010
EXCERPT: "As the Obama administration conducted an Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review this month, the news media did too, and the coverage came peppered with question marks. The same week that ABC News scheduled a series of segments titled 'Afghanistan: Can We Win?,' Katie Couric of the 'CBS Evening News' devoted six minutes to a special...
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In Televised Confession Al-Qaeda Commander Recalls Afghan Betrayal
22 December 2010
, Asharq Al-Awsat, 22 December 2010
EXCERPT: "Jabir al-Fayfi traveled from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan via Qatar, before crossing the border into Afghanistan, where he fought alongside the Taliban for 9 months, until the 9/11 attacks took place, brining his stay in the country to an end. Al-Fayfi spoke about all of this and more during the first of his televised confessions...
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Locals Caught between Taliban, Militias and Security Forces
22 December 2010
The Americans Are in Our House. What Will the Taliban Think?, The New York Times // At War, 15 December 2010
EXCERPT: "In Imam Sahib district in the north of the province, less than a mile from the district center, are Taliban checkpoints, said Samimi, a local citizen, who asked that only one name be used because he feared retribution. The fighting has slackened, but people are feeling pressure both from local militias, known as arbekais,...
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Traditional Medicine Endangers Afghan Lives: Local Doctors
22 December 2010
Traditional Medicine Endangers Afghan Lives, Institute for War and Peace Report, 22 December 2010
EXCERPT: "[...] Traditional medicine has an ancient history in Afghanistan and is still the main form of treatment in remote areas that lack transportation routes and health clinics. The likes of bonesetters and herbalists possess skills handed down through families, but they rarely have any kind of professional training. Consequently, their...
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