Hundreds flee south Afghan town ahead of offensive (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Minivans piled high with mattresses and clothing lined up at checkpoints Sunday as hundreds of civilians fled a Taliban-controlled area ahead of a planned NATO offensive in southern Afghanistan.
Karzai demands halt to Afghanistan civilian casualties (TVNZ)
President Hamid Karzai called for a halt to military raids on Afghan villages by the international coalition forces and a complete end to civilian casualties
Taliban ‘digging in’ ahead of huge Afghan offensive (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Taliban militants are digging in ahead of a major NATO operation in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.
Afghanistan needs reconciliation and conscription, Karzai says (EARTHtimes.org)
Munich – Afghanistan needs strong international backing for a plan to woo former militants and their leaders back into civil life, and it should consider re-introducing conscription, President Hamid Karzai said Sunday. Ten days ago, top Afghan and wo…
Karzai Proposes Military Draft in Afghanistan (Fox News)
The plan comes amid Western dissatisfaction with both the quality and size of Afghan forces, any many U.S. and European officials think it could take as a long as decade before they’re ready to stand on their own.
Afghan cricketers out to prove they are no one-hit wonders (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Afghanistan and its people have not had much to cheer about in the past 30 years but one bright spot has come from a surprising source – their cricket team.
Karzai demands halt to Afghan civilian casualties (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
President Hamid Karzai called on Sunday for a halt to military raids on Afghan villages by the international coalition forces and a complete end to civilian casualties.
Delays in closing U.S. base in Afghanistan made it vulnerable target (Denver Post)
Delays in closing a remote U.S. military outpost in eastern Afghanistan increased the vulnerability of the base, where eight Fort Carson soldiers were killed during a prolonged siege by 300 insurgents Oct. 3, according to a summary of a military investigation released Friday.
Afghan force faces crucial test in Marja (Los Angeles Times)
As doubts increase about the Afghan security force’s ability to take over security next year, soldiers’ participation in a Marine offensive in Helmand will serve as a measure of readiness. Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan — The effectiveness of the alliance between the U.S. military and Afghanistan’s security force rests on a particularly delicate question …
Taliban reject Karzai’s “reconciliation” offer (Press TV)
Afghanistan’s Taliban have rejected President Hamid Karzai’s call for reconciliation talks as pointless, emphasizing on their goal for complete independence.
