In a surprisingly harsh outburst, NATO Supreme Commander for Europe General John Craddock has condemned those allies who are questioning the wisdom of the US plan to ratchet up raids against Afghan drug lords. Gen. Craddock complained that a "handful" of unnamed...
US Says Pakistani Troops Fired on Helicopters
Updated 9/25 3:55 PM EST NATO has issued a statement today saying that Pakistan troops opened fire on two helicopters near the Afghan border. This is the third such incident reported in the past two weeks, with the other two reports involving US helicopters in South...
Australian Troops Kill Afghan Governor, Two Guards in Botched Raid
Just days after General David McKiernan announced his "revised tactical order" designed to reduce the number of civilians killed in NATO raids, Australian special forces surrounded a house in the Afghan province of Oruzgan and opened fire, killing district governor...
Crimea Calls for Recognition of South Ossetia, Abkhazia as Enclaves Sign Russia Defense Deal
The Crimean Parliament voted today 79-8 to press the Ukrainian government to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It seems highly unlikely that the Ukrainian government will act on the call given the collapse of its coalition government and the...
Bush Administration Seeks Sole Control Over NATO War in Afghanistan
Much has been said in the past week about Admiral Michael Mullen's talk of a "new, more comprehensive" strategy in Afghanistan before the House Armed Services Committee, and while the focus of this strategy has been the US escalation in Pakistan, The Independent has...
Gates Apologizes to Afghans as Civilan Deaths Soar
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has issued his "sincere condolences and personal regrets" for the large number of Afghan civilians recently killed by the US and its allies in air strikes. Gates pledged that NATO forces would do more in the future to...
Ukraine’s Coalition Also a Casualty of Russia-Georgia War
Ukraine's Parliament is expected to declare its coalition government dissolved tomorrow, after a split between the factions of President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Unless a new coalition is formed within the next 30 days, which at this...
Georgia’s Path to NATO Stalled by Questions About Democratic Credentials
In a high profile visit to Tbilisi, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer reiterated the alliance's backing for Georgia in the aftermath of its brief August war with Russia. The NATO visit is seen as an important step towards Georgia's eventual membership in...
Pentagon Team Heads to Georgia as Medvedev Defends Decisions on War
The Pentagon is sending a team to Georgia to assess the state of its military in the wake of last month's brief war with Russia, a move likely to exacerbate tensions with Russia even further. Though the team is only authorized to determine Georgia's military...
Karzai Opposes Long-Term NATO Presence as Afghan Situation Worsens
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, while very supportive of a change in US strategy which would involve increased strikes on militants in Pakistan, a strategy he says he has pushed for years, said today that he opposes a long-term presence of foreign troops within...