U.S. to harness Afghan militias against Taliban (The Hindu)
The U.S. on Tuesday outlined a controversial plan to organise local militias in Afghanistan to contain the growing strength of the Taliban, echoing tactics used by American commanders in Iraq. The programme is formally an Afghan …
Canada opens inquiry into insurgent’s death in Afghanistan (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Canada has opened an investigation into the death of an alleged insurgent in Afghanistan in October, the leader of Canadian military forces in the southern Kandahar region said Wednesday.
US deaths down in Iraq in 2008, up in Afghanistan (AP via Yahoo! News)
U.S. military deaths in Iraq plunged by two-thirds in 2008 from the previous year, a reflection of the improving security following the U.S. military’s counterinsurgency campaign and al-Qaida’s slow retreat from the battlefield. By comparison, the war in Afghanistan saw American military deaths rise by 35 percent in 2008 as Islamic extremists shift their focus to a new front with the West.
NATO, US forces say 17 militants dead in Afghanistan (The Daily Star Lebannon)
International military forces helping Afghanistan to fight Islamic extremists said Wednesday they had killed 17 militants in separate operations. The US military said troops under its command had killed 11 militants Tuesday in an operation against the radical Hizb-e-Islami faction led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, about 60 kilometers from the capital, Kabul.
Jilted Afghan bride seeks justice in India (The Times of India)
NEW DELHI: It’s a love story gone sour. So, she has crossed the border, from Kabul to New Delhi, seeking justice. A young Afghan translator, Sabra Khan, is in the Capital, complaining about having been deceived by an Indian army doctor who allegedly married her and then abandoned her in Afghanistan.
Ambassador calls Taliban peace bid ‘a lot of noise’ (Edmonton Sun)
Peace overtures by Afghan leaders to hard-line elements of the Taliban have “almost no prospect” of success in the short term, says Canada’s ambassador to Kabul.
Afghanistan facing many hurdles as it heads into election year (The Canadian Press via Yahoo! Canada News)
MONTREAL – Afghanistan will hold its second-ever presidential vote in 2009, but golden expectations have dulled over five years amid faltering efforts to democratize the country.
Afghanistan: Militants killed in clash with foreign troops (Adnkronos)
Afghanistan: Militants killed in clash with foreign troops (AKI) – US-led forces have killed 17 militants in Afghanistan in separate attacks. The US military said troops under its command on Tuesday killed 11 armed militants in an operation against the Hizb-e-Islami faction led by Islamic Afghan warlord, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, about 60 kilometres from the capital, Kabul.The battle took …
U.S. harvests Afghan ties (USA Today)
National Guard deploys teams of farmer-soldiers to build on common ground with Afghans and share know-how on growing crops.
US-led coalition kills 11 militants in Afghanistan (Greeley Tribune)
KABUL, Afghanistan – U.S.-led coalition forces killed 11 militants during an operation just outside the Afghan capital, the coalition said Wednesday.
