Afghanistan runs on well-oiled wheels Nov 19, 2009
KABUL - Every morning, dozens of trucks laden with diesel from Turkmenistan lumber out of the northern Afghan border town of Hairaton on a two-day trek across the Hindu Kush down to Afghanistan's capital, Kabul ... Afghan political analysts observe that Ghazanfar and Zahid Walid are striking examples of the multimillion-dollar business conglomerates, financed by American as well as Afghan tax dollars and connected to powerful political figures, which have, since the fall of the Taliban in 2001,... (Asia Times Online)
Paying Off The Warlords Nov 18, 2009
Pratap Chatterjee: Anatomy Of An Afghan Culture Of Corruption ... In Afghanistan, the Government of President Karzai is riddled with corruption ... Has corruption within Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai's government caused the Taliban to exist. (CBS News)
Brown to unveil UK banking sector crackdown Nov 18, 2009
With Britain still in recession and publ 00004000 ic concern mounting over the Afghan conflict, Brown is widely tipped to lose the election to the main opposition Conservatives, which has a substantial lead in opinion polls. The government's policies are aimed at laying the battleground for the election as well as prompting the Conservatives, led by David Cameron, to reveal their plans, including possible spending cuts, reports said Wednesday. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Obama takes heat on Afghan timing... Nov 16, 2009
President Obama takes heat on Afghan timing - Mike Allen - POLITICO.com ... President Obama makes no effort to conceal irritation when the first question he's asked in Asia is about what's taking him so long on Afghanistan ... With respect to Afghanistan, Jennifer, the president scolded, I don't think this is a matter of some datum of information that I'm waiting on. (The Drudge Report)
Big test for Afghanistan education Nov 14, 2009
Abdul Kabir, a local teacher in Parakh, Afghanistan, stands in front of Bezorak High School on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 ... To boost Afghanistan education standards, 42,000 teachers take an exam Sunday to establish a pay scale and woo international funding for higher salaries ... Reporter Ben Arnoldy discusses how far the Afghan education bureaucracy has advanced technologically. (Christian Science Monitor)
Commentary: Don't count on Karzai Nov 13, 2009
The United States must find a way to back a full national reconciliation process in Afghanistan, Patrick Doherty says ... Afghan President Hamid Karzai stole the election, Patrick Doherty says ... He says the U.S. can't build its Afghan strategy on support for Karzai. (CNN)
Miss Ireland upstages lady in red Nov 13, 2009
The Afghan National Police needs another three years of training and investment to be turned into a credible force, said a senior British officer. Lieutenant Colonel Jasper de Quincey Adams, chief mentor to the ANP, said a professional force would not be created overnight, but methods such as "embedded partnering", where British and Afghan forces live and work by each other, were making progress. (Yahoo News -- Beauty Pageants)
Afghan options Nov 13, 2009
As the Obama administration considers whether to send more troops to Afghanistan, Michael Codner, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, weighs up the US president's four options. Deploying another 40,000 troops is the option pushed for by the top US military commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal ... He is in charge of both the Nato International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and of national US forces in Afghanistan (under the label Operation Enduring... (BBC News -- South Asia)
Red Cross says millions of displaced are neglected Nov 12, 2009
Internally displaced Afghan children stand in a tiny workshop where they weave carpets near Kabul in mid October. The international Red Cross has warned that the majority of the world's 26 million displaced people were often neglected because they found refuge with local communities instead of in camps. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Refugees worry Red Cross Nov 12, 2009
Internally displaced Afghan children stand in a tiny workshop where they weave carpets near Kabul in mid October. AFP. (iAfrica.com)
Ed Wells: This Veterans Day, we must pledge to do better Nov 11, 2009
It s also time to remember those who are currently in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan ... I ve been thinking a lot about Afghanistan lately ... October was the bloodiest month for our troops stationed in Afghanistan. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
Best from Sunday Nov 9, 2009
KABUL - U.S. and Afghan authorities investigated Saturday whether a botched NATO airstrike was to blame for the death of Afghan soldiers and police during a search for two American paratroopers missing in a Taliban-infested area of the country's west ... As he continues to stretch out the timetable on a decision about whether to escalate the U.S. commitment to the war in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama has asked for a province-by-province assessment of tribal and other local leaders in that... (Athens Banner-Herald)
Click to read:Hasan Likely "Lone Wolf," Officials Say Nov 7, 2009
Though his motive wasn't known, some who knew Hasan said he may have been struggling with a pending deployment to Afghanistan and faced pressure in his work with distressed soldiers ... I cried a river over the killings of women and children in Afghanistan, pakistan and Iraq ... Although this event was certainly tragic lets not forget how tragic it is for the innocent recipients of U.S bombs in Afghanistan,Iraq,and Pakistan. (CBS News)
Wiesel slams tea partiers Nov 7, 2009
s." Has it occurred to you that maybe that is just who he is and the people he surrounds himself with are just a reflection of himself? I see Obama and his presidency as the crowning of the ideas of that northeastern liberal aristocracy you so much criticize. He appears to me as a clich? of all their pathologies, and yet you seem infatuated with him. You continually praise his speech and demeanor while to me it seems like a mask for his lack of substance. I find him to be a man of an oversized... (Salon)
The corporate takeover of U.S. intelligence Nov 7, 2009
Reuters/Ahmad Masood Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah speaks with his supporters in Kabul Nov. 1 ... Since President Obama had put off making a decision on his Afghanistan policy until he saw the results of the planned November 7 runoff, Abdullah's decision puts Washington in an awkward position ... The reason Clinton is so eager to insist that Karzai's election is legitimate despite its obvious illegitimacy is that Abdullah's withdrawal puts paid to the idea that there is a... (Salon)
Afghanistan: culture of corruption Nov 5, 2009
Standing at Karzai's side Tuesday were his two vice presidents - both former warlords widely believed to have looted Afghanistan for years ... Afghans pay bribes for everything from driver's licenses to police protection, and the elite all too often treat state property as their own ... Gibbs told reporters that the U.S. Embassy in Kabul was working with the Afghans on an anti-corruption compact, but he refused to comment on specific benchmarks or deadlines. (San Francisco Chronicle)
GOP organizes 12-hour online town hall for Thursday Nov 5, 2009
BY john on 11/04/2009 at 20:19I hope someone ask Marsha Blackburn about these votes: Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR: Omnibus Appropriations, Special Education, Global AIDS Initiative, Job Training, Unemployment Benefits, Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations, Agriculture Appropriations, U.S.-Singapore Trade, U.S.-Chile Trade, Supplemental Spending for Iraq Afghanistan, Prescription Drug Benefit, Child Nutrition Programs, Surface Transportation, Job Training and Worker Services, Agriculture... (TheHill.com)
Karzai wins amid cries of fraud Nov 4, 2009
Afghanistan's election commission proclaimed President Hamid Karzai the victor of the country's tumultuous ballot Monday, canceling a planned runoff and ending a political crisis that began with a fraud-marred first round two and a half months ago ... The annulment is a huge relief to organizers who were scrambling to hold the election before the onset of Afghanistan's harsh winter, as well as authorities who feared a wave of bloody violence on polling day after a Taliban spokesman threatened... (Salon)
Fighting the 'good' war Nov 4, 2009
The United States invasion and occupation of Afghanistan entered its ninth year in October, and the majority of Americans now oppose the war ... Al-Qaeda's Osama bin Laden and the Taliban's Mullah Omar - Washington's principal enemy leaders in the Afghan war - are not only alive, free and still taunting the White House after all these years, but appear to believe they now have the upper hand in Afghanistan ... The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan played directly into al-Qaeda's hands, as will... (Asia Times Online)
Blowing jobs to China Nov 4, 2009
From Washington's point of view, efforts to secure international support for the allied war effort in Afghanistan have also met with a strikingly disappointing response ... So far, this tiny, provisional contingent represents the sum total of additional troops the Obama administration has been able to pry out of America's European allies, despite a sustained diplomatic drive to bolster the combined NATO force in Afghanistan ... This appears evident, for example, in the administration's decision... (Salon)
US goofs the Afghan election Nov 3, 2009
Abdullah Abdullah's refusal to take part in the Afghan presidential election runoff on November 7 is a watershed event ... The real political game in great Afghan style is now all set to begin ... Afghans are unused to such Western-style muckraking in the name of democracy. (Asia Times Online)
Official who resigned over Afghan war says many in administration agree Nov 3, 2009
Official who resigned over Afghan war says many in Obama administration agree with him - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room ... Official who resigned over Afghan war says many in Obama administration agree with him ... The only U.S. official known to have resigned in protest over the war in Afghanistan on Monday said "a lot" of people in the Obama administration agree with his point of view. (TheHill.com)
Obama Tells Karzai: Time for a New Chapter Nov 3, 2009
President Calls Afghan Leader to Congratulate and Admonish him After Challenger Drops out of Race ... Mandy Clark reports on the Afghan Election Commission's announcement the runoff election was canceled and President Karzai was declared the winner ... President Barack Obama talks with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan during a phone call from the Oval Office, Nov. 2, 2009. (CBS News)
Miliband hails links with Russia Nov 3, 2009
" Mr Miliband had met Sergei Lavrov for dinner and informal talks ahead of the meeting. Discussions were expected to cover Iran, the Middle East and Afghanistan. According to BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall, a senior diplomat has indicated the main focus will be on issues where Russia's collaboration is needed internationally - over Afghanistan, and over the question of Iran's nuclear programme. The aim, said the diplomat, was to be clearer about Russia's position on Iran, and... (BBC News -- Europe)
Legalise drugs and society would benefit Nov 3, 2009
Bruce Anderson: Let's be honest. from The Independent & The Independent on Sunday. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Home from home Nov 3, 2009
Chomsky condemns 'immoral' Afghan war. Texas takes on green energy. (BBC News -- Africa)
Analysis: With Few Options, US Accepts Karzai Nov 2, 2009
Analysis: In The End US Accepts Karzai Because Afghanistan Offers Few Other Good Options ... But in the end, the Obama administration is sticking by the Afghan president - because it has few other good options ... Karzai is far from the strong and capable partner that Washington had hoped would emerge from the electoral process that it and Western allies had pushed for in Afghanistan. (CBS News)
Up to 6 Bodies Found at Ohio Home Nov 1, 2009
Abdullah to Announce Decision Tomorrow; Breakdown in Talks Aimed to Reduce Fraud Jeopardizes Final Afghan Vote. Convicted Rapist Arrested; Remains Found in Advanced State of Decomposition. (CBS News)
Pakistan's Other Problem Area: Baluchistan Nov 1, 2009
When the world looks at Pakistan, its attention justifiably focuses on the rugged northern border with Afghanistan, a nexus of Taliban activity and the site of an ongoing multi-pronged campaign against the militants ... The province of Baluchistan, situated along Pakistan's west and northwest borders with Iran and Afghanistan, comprises more than 40% of Pakistan's landmass but less than 5% of its people ... The Iranians loath the Afghan Taliban, who were created in part by elements within the... (Time.com)
Obama inks defense bill with hate crimes provision Nov 1, 2009
The bill terminates production of the F-22 fighter jet program, which has its origins in the Cold War era and, its critics maintain, is poorly suited for anti-insurgent battles in Iraq and Afghanistan ... On the military front, the legislation approves Obama's $130 billion request as the latest installment of money toward the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ... Brooks and Krauthammer try to macho-bait Obama into the McChrystal escalation in Afghanistan By. (Salon)
Obama first guests: Oprah, Clooney Nov 1, 2009
Brooks and Krauthammer try to macho-bait Obama into the McChrystal escalation in Afghanistan By ... But what Krauthammer is really trying to do is elaborate on the Dick Cheney slur from last week: That Obama is "dithering" on Afghanistan, and he's "afraid" to make a decision ... Again, coming from the neocon Iraq war boosters who countenanced the abandonment of the Afghan war to fight a pointless war in Iraq, the criticism is galling. (Salon)
Report: Karzai's brother gets CIA pay Nov 1, 2009
NYT story says Afghanistan president's brother, long a suspect in opium trade, gets regular CIA payments By Associated Press. Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the president of Afghanistan, gets regular payments from the CIA and has for much of the past eight years, The New York Times reported Tuesday ... The newspaper said that according to current and former American officials, the CIA pays Karzai for a variety of services, including helping to recruit an Afghan paramilitary force that... (Salon)
Guantanamo Uighurs to Palau Nov 1, 2009
Palau agreed in June to take up to a dozen Uighurs who were captured during the US-led war in Afghanistan but not later classified as "enemy combatants" ... Abdullah pulls out of Afghan vote. (BBC News -- Americas)
If we leave Iraq, do we lose for good? Nov 1, 2009
I must confess I don't see the logic in your conflating the ponderous bureaucratic labyrinth that was the Soviet Union with the small, agile, anarchic cells of terrorists who bedevil us now -- and who in fact humiliatingly drove the Soviet Union out of mountainous Afghanistan ... If Afghanistan and Somalia became breeding grounds for terrorism after we ended our involvement, how much more virulent an enemy will be bred in a nation as vast, populous and accessible as Iraq ... I have been deployed... (Salon)
Photos: Halloween Hauntings Nov 1, 2009
University of Alaska Southeast student Olivia Pitesa's Halloween costume depicted a famous National Geographic magazine cover of the "Afghan Girl," Sharbat Gula. Brian Wallace / Juneau Empire. (Juneau Empire)
Another American Century? Oct 31, 2009
Then, in an amazingly short time, a relentless series of events almost a staccato burst perforated and punctured this centennial and imperial dream: the 9/11 attacks, the setbacks of the Iraq war and then of the Afghan War, and particularly the American-originated global economic crisis and Great Recession of 2008 09. The frustrations in Iraq and Afghanistan have largely discredited the American reputation for high moral character and judicious strategic judgment, and the global economic crisis... (The American Conservative)
Europe stoops to conquer the Uzbeks Oct 30, 2009
Asia Times Online :: Central Asian News and current affairs, Russia, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan ... The worsening Afghan war has brought some good news for Uzbekistan ... All the same, it should be traced first and foremost to the imperatives of the Afghan war, and only reminds us how far the war has transformed as a "bleeding wound" - to borrow former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev's unforgiving words. (Asia Times Online)
How should aid workers and the military interact, asks IRIN Oct 29, 2009
Reuters AlertNet - AFGHANISTAN: How should aid workers, military personnel interact ... AFGHANISTAN: How should aid workers, military personnel interact ... KABUL, 28 October 2009 () - More than a year after a modus operandi was approved by humanitarian and military actors in Afghanistan, aid agencies have differing views on its success, but almost all agree it could be more strongly implemented and more widely disseminated. (AlertNet)
Casting a net into the future Oct 29, 2009
Mobiles transform Afghan banking ... How a lack of leadership holds back Afghan army. (BBC News -- Science)
Opinion: McCain on Afghan war Oct 29, 2009
McCain: Why we can -- and must -- win the war in Afghanistan - CNN.com ... McCain: Why we can -- and must -- win the war in Afghanistan ... John McCain: It's good to have a debate about Afghan war. (CNN)
The Malpractice Problem Oct 29, 2009
Alleged Reliance on Corrupt Brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai More Bad News for U.S. Campaign in Afghanistan. News in Pictures Scroll Left Scroll Right. (CBS News)
Gangs of Derby Oct 28, 2009
Afghan talent show star begins new life in United States. Karadzic trial highlights split in Serbian opinion. (BBC News -- UK)
Click to read:Vet: U.S. Presence Fuels Afghan Insurgents Oct 28, 2009
Vet: U.S. Presence Fuels Afghan Insurgents - CBS Evening News - CBS News ... Vet: U.S. Presence Fuels Afghan Insurgents ... State Department Official Resigns in Protest over Afghan "Misadventure"; Calls Justifications for U.S. Bloodshed "Specious". (CBS News)
CIA funds Karzai brother? Oct 28, 2009
Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the embattled Afghan president and a suspected drug trafficker, has been on the CIA payroll for most of the past eight years, The New York Times reported. The US spy agency pays Karzai for a variety of services, the newspaper said, such as fielding recruits for an Afghan paramilitary force operating at the CIA's direction in and around his home city of Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold ... Karzai, who is said to have ties to Afghanistan's lucrative illegal opium... (iAfrica.com)
Celebrity Journalism Attacked in New Film Oct 28, 2009
Gunmen in Suicide Vests Storm Residence Used by Foreign Workers in Afghan Capital, 1 American Among Dead. eBay Blocks Auction of Items Like "Army of God Manual," Sold to Aid Defense of Anti-Abortion Zealot. (CBS News -- Entertainment)
Dancing Afghan boys abused Oct 28, 2009
Ignored by society, Afghan dancing boys suffer centuries-old tradition - CNN.com ... Ignored by society, Afghan dancing boys suffer centuries-old tradition ... Afghan sex tradeSTORY HIGHLIGHTS. (CNN -- World)
Sounds good: researchers seek recordings for UK 'soundscapes' Oct 28, 2009
Page last updated at 12:04 GMT, Tuesday, 27 October 2009. Researchers seek UK 'soundscapes. (BBC News -- Technology)
'All-star cast' for Gabriel album Oct 28, 2009
Page last updated at 17:02 GMT, Tuesday, 27 October 2009. All-star cast' for Gabriel album. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
French Minister: Muslim Burqa 'Contrary' to French Values Oct 27, 2009
The remarks come just under a week after three Afghans were deported from France back to Kabul, and Besson has once again sparked the outrage of French opposition members with his claims that French culture is being lost on immigrants ... Besson defended the country's decision to deport three undocumented Afghan immigrants last week, and said that he will continue the country's hard-line approach to illegal immigrants to the country. (Fox News)
Obituaries in the news Oct 27, 2009
Robert H. Reid, AP's news director for Afghanistan and Pakistan and its bureau chief in Kabul, said Neuerbourg was a real standout ... As Geneva bureau chief, Neuerbourg covered disarmament, the Afghan talks and other issues ... Afghans receive fire e training. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Karzai questions US Oct 26, 2009
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has questioned the reliability of the United States as a partner ... Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai questioned the reliability of the United States as a partner on Sunday, as he fought off criticism of his government's legitimacy following fraud-marred elections ... "Is the United States a reliable partner with Afghanistan? Is the West a reliable partner with Afghanistan?" Karzai asked. (iAfrica.com)
New German coalition govt Oct 25, 2009
In foreign policy, they want to press for the Afghan government to take on more responsibilities so that Germany's 4200 troops, who are part of the NATO-led mission, can come home. The FDP succeeded in softening somewhat Merkel's position on Turkish membership of the European Union, meaning that the door will remain open, while stressing that Turkish membership is neither automatic nor guaranteed. (iAfrica.com)
Aid agency seeks Pakistan access Oct 24, 2009
Page last updated at 14:33 GMT, Friday, 23 October 2009 15:33 UK. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled the region. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Protesters urge end to Afghan war Oct 24, 2009
Soldiers and military families will be among those joining a Stop the War Coalition march in London later against UK military operations in Afghanistan ... It will be led by L/Cpl Joe Glenton, who is facing a court martial for refusing to return to Afghanistan ... The government said Afghanistan must become "stable and secure" before Nato forces could pull out. (BBC News -- UK)
Miss Ireland upstages lady in red Oct 24, 2009
The Taliban today called on Afghans to boycott next month's presidential election run-off and vowed to disrupt voting in a repeat of their threat to derail the disputed first round ... Nato defence ministers signalled their backing for the Afghan strategy put forward by the American commander General Stanley McChrystal yesterday in an implicit rejection of the alternative plan proposed by US Vice-President Joe Biden. (Yahoo News -- Beauty Pageants)
Afghan run-off campaigning begins Oct 24, 2009
Campaigning for Afghanistan's presidential election run-off is due to officially get under way ... Meanwhile, the US special envoy to Afghanistan has said it is reasonable to hope for fewer irregularities in the presidential run-off poll than in the August election. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Culture comeback Oct 24, 2009
Page last updated at 03:30 GMT, Saturday, 24 October 2009 04:30 UK. Culture makes a comeback in Swat. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Nato 'backs new Afghan strategy' Oct 24, 2009
Nato 'backs new Afghan strategy ... Anders Fogh Rasmussen: "There is no military solution solely to the problems in Afghanistan" ... Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen says defence ministers broadly support the strategy for Afghanistan outlined by the international commander there. (BBC News -- South Asia)
We have made Afghan insurgency stronger than ever Oct 24, 2009
Paul McGeough War in Afghanistan McChrystal ... Afghan insurgency given new life by their enemies ... This is the full text of an address given last Thursday by Paul McGeough, the chief correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald, at a conference on the Afghanistan crisis which was organised by the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
US envoy sees fairer Afghan poll Oct 24, 2009
The US special envoy to Afghanistan has said it is reasonable to hope for fewer irregularities in the presidential run-off poll than in the August election. Richard Holbrooke told reporters that one reason was that this time there were only two candidates - President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah. (BBC News -- Americas)
Boycott for Afghan poll? Oct 23, 2009
Afghan presidential candidate Ramazan Bashardost has breakfast in a tea house in the old city of Herat in August ... Boycott for Afghan poll ... An anti-corruption campaigner who came third in Afghanistan's election said on Thursday he may urge a boycott of a run-off next month, as the UN strived to avoid a repeat of the first round's rampant fraud. (iAfrica.com)
Cheney: Stop 'dithering' over Afghanistan Oct 23, 2009
Former Vice President Dick Cheney says Obama must do 'what it takes to win' in Afghanistan ... Afghanistan's president has given into U.S. pressure and agreed to a runoff election ... As Mandy Clark reports, Karzai's uncertainty forced President Obama to delay his decision on a new Afghan strategy. (CBS News)
Camille Paglia Oct 23, 2009
I have been deployed to the Iraqi theater, and my son is deployed to the Afghani theater ... I understand your opposition to Iraq and Afghanistan in an intellectual sense, but I probably am tribal, too, and can't understand it in an emotional sense ... I agree the stated reasons we went to Iraq were in error, but the battles in Iraq and Afghanistan have one redeeming feature. (Salon)
Plane down in Afghanistan Oct 23, 2009
A military aircraft crashed on Thursday in a mountainous area of northern Afghanistan, a local official said ... A spokesperson for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said they had "no aircraft missing" while an Afghan interior ministry spokesperson in Kabul said he could not confirm the report. (iAfrica.com)
Fraud worries for Afghans Oct 22, 2009
6 percent of the vote in Afghanistan's fraud-tainted presidential election ... The main challenger to President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday urged action to prevent a repeat of massive fraud that compromised Afghanistan's elections as officials warned the run-off faced major challenges ... But Sweden, which holds the rotating EU presidency, warned the 27-nation bloc would be unable to scramble its election observers to Afghanistan on time. (iAfrica.com)
