Hot on the heals of the announcement that President Barack Obama had approved adding 17,000 more US troops to the war in Afghanistan, top US commander in Afghanistan General David McKiernan conceded that the level of violence in the nation was increasing and expressed...
UN Report on Afghan Civilian Toll Contradicts NATO Claims
Today, the United Nations released a report detailing the civilian death toll in Afghanistan in 2008. According to the report, 2,118 civilians were killed in 2008 - 828 by the American-led coalition forces. Most of those were, unsurprisingly, killed in the various air...
Karzai Expected “Better Judgment” From Obama
In an interview with Fareed Zakaria aired on CNN today, Afghan President Hamid Karzai lashed out at his critics in the US and Britain, saying he had expected "better judgment" from the Obama Administration and expressing hope that "as they settle down, and as they...
Afghan Govt Condemns Australian Raid That Killed Children
Australian forces launched a pre-dawn raid on a village in Oruzgan Province, sparking a gunbattle that left five children dead and several others wounded. The Australian military defended the killings, saying they were "in accordance with the rules of engagement," but...
Afghan Troops Out in Force in Kabul During US Envoy Visit
US envoy Richard Holbrooke arrived in Kabul today to help President Obama decide how to proceed with his promised escalation of the war in Afghanistan. His visit was not exactly a cheerful time, coming as Kabul recovered from multiple Taliban attacks which killed at...
26 Dead in Afghan Assaults; Pakistan Group Blamed
Taliban forces launched coordinated attacks on the Afghan government's prisons directorate, justice and education ministries in Kabul today, killing at least 26 and wounding 57 others. At least eight suicide attackers were involved in the attack, in addition to an...
Gates: Obama to Decide Within Days on Afghan Surge
Since his election in November, President Obama's promised escalation of the war in Afghanistan has been presumed to be one of the first things his administration would do. Yet the president has ordered reviews of the strategy to be completed before moving ahead with...
Poll Shows Afghan Populace Losing Faith in Govt, NATO
Though the trend could hardly be called a surprise given the number of massive protests held in the wake of the assorted civilian killings in the past several months, a poll conducted by the Afghan Center for Socio-Economic and Opinion Research has revealed the extent...
Gen. Craddock: Afghan Drug War to Escalate in ‘Next Several Days’
NATO Supreme Commander General John Craddock made headlines recently when a leaked classified "guidance" document showed he urged NATO commanders operating in Afghanistan to kill anyone involved in the drug trade in Afghanistan, whether or not they were involved in...
Grim Appraisal in Afghanistan
The national security team in Afghanistan gave a grim assessment of the war in Afghanistan today, pointing to the growing strength of the Taliban and the long, difficult struggle ahead. CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus, a long time advocate of the proposed...