Retaken Afghan Town Reports Taliban Threats (International Herald Tribune) Though fighters have left town, agitators have remained in Marja waging a campaign of intimidation, local leaders said.
Taliban fight in Afghan town with fear campaign (3news) A month after losing control of their southern base in Marjah, the Taliban have begun to fight back.
Karzai, [...]

Mongolia’s harsh winter of discontent (The New Sabah Times) SERGELEN : After enduring a harsh winter last year that killed almost half of her 1,000 head of livestock, Baatariin Erdenechimeg moved halfway across Mongolia in search of a new start.
BIG BUSINESS IN UZBEKISTAN TARGETED IN WAVE OF ARRESTS (EurasiaNet) Some of the wealthiest people [...]

Obama discusses Afghan war with Karzai (Malaysian Mirror) KABUL Afghanistan US President Barack Obama held a video call with Afghan head of state Hamid Karzai to discuss the war on the Taliban and progress in eradicating corruption, the Kabul government said Tuesday. In the Monday “teleconference” which lasted Read more…
Police [...]

Afghan govt held talks with Taliban No. 2; Karzai ‘very angry’ at his arrest (The Canadian Press via Yahoo! Canada News) KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan officials say the Afghan government was holding secret talks with the Taliban’s No. 2 when he was captured last month in Pakistan.
Karzai, Obama discuss prospects of Taliban talks (The [...]

A Tale of Two Taliban Reveals U.S. Afghan Dilemma (Time Magazine) Mullah Zaeef and Mullah Zakir are both former Gitmo inmates. While one is now leading the Taliban insurgency, the other is suing for peace — but warning that this would require an American withdrawal
Taliban: Kandahar strikes ‘warning’ to NATO (GMA News) KANDAHAR, Afghanistan [...]

Uzbek man wins right to wear beard (Russian Information Agency Novosti) An Uzbek citizen managed to protect his good name and the right to wear a beard, considered by local officials an attribute of extremists, the Uznews website said.
U.S. not seeking military base in Kyrgyzstan’s south – embassy (Russian Information Agency Novosti) The U.S. [...]

House rejects Afghan withdrawal deadline (Las Vegas Review-Journal) WASHINGTON — The House last week defeated a resolution that called for the United States to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.
Afghan gov wants more troops after Kandahar attack (AP via Yahoo! News) The governor of Kandahar province demanded more security [...]

Explosions, gunbattles in Afghanistan’s Kandahar (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Four explosions hit the center of Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar after nightfall on Saturday, and a shootout between police and militants followed, a Reuters reporter in Kandahar said.
Explosion rocks southern Afghan city: ministry (AFP via Yahoo!Xtra News) KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) – A loud explosion [...]

Taliban could abduct Indians in Kabul, Delhi says (Calcutta News) India has asked its nationals living in Afghanistan to take precautions, warning the Taliban could abduct Indian diplomats, highly placed sources indicated Friday.
‘Pak’s arrest of ‘pragmatic’ Taliban leaders source of ‘underlying’ tension with Afghanistan’ (Sify News) Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai might have described Pakistan [...]

Karzai says no proxy war in Afghanistan (Gulf Times) Afghanistan does not want a proxy war between Pakistan and India or anybody else fought on its soil, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said yesterday during a visit to Pakistan.
Taliban talks likely on Karzai agenda in Pakistan (AP via Yahoo! News) Afghan President Hamid Karzai said [...]