Afghanistan war

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In Afghan Ambush, the War in Microcosm

(Newser) - The Korangal riverbed had become a kill zone. The American soldiers had crossed after a friendly handshake with a local elder, only to have a bomb explode when the lead squad reached the opposite side. Taliban fighters rained bullets on a second squad exposed in the riverbed, while a third...

Army May Not Want You So Bad After All

Jobless rate drives surge in applicants

(Newser) - Rising unemployment and safer conditions in Iraq have boosted interest in joining the Army, allowing recruiters to raise acceptance standards. The Washington Post reports that felons and recent drug users need not apply, and the pool of applicants also is better educated. For the first time since 2004, the Army...

Army Holds Up Lighter Armor for Soldiers in Afghanistan

(Newser) - In a sign of the Army’s careful—some say plodding—procurement process, $3 million in lightweight body armor destined for Afghanistan is still stateside pending a widened assessment, the New York Times reports. The armor would shave 20 pounds off the punishing load—up to 130 pounds—some soldiers...

Poll: 72% Disagree With Cheney About Obama Policy

72% disagree with former VP that Obama increased security threat

(Newser) - Most Americans disagree with Dick Cheney’s scathing view of President Obama’s security policies: 72% of those polled by CNN say the Democrat’s softer global approach is not putting the nation at greater risk of attack. The survey also shows that 67% back the controversial Afghanistan troop surge,...

Gas-Guzzling Pentagon Turns to Green Energy

Fuel is costing the military in money and lives

(Newser) - The nation's biggest gas guzzler, the Defense Department, is trying to kick its oil habit and use alternative energies—not to support the green movement or save money, but to save lives, the Washington Post reports. Half of US casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan are from IEDs deployed on fuel-carrying...

Obama Seeks $83.4B for Wars
 Obama Seeks $83.4B for Wars 
Apr 9, 2009 5:13 PM CDT

Obama Seeks $83.4B for Wars

(Newser) - President Obama will ask Congress for $83.4 billion in supplemental funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the AP reports. Obama had in the past opposed such requests outside of the federal budget, but the administration says it's necessary one final time to fund the military through the...

Afghan Officials in Cahoots With Taliban: Leader

Thousands will replace me if I die: Haqqani

(Newser) - Afghan intelligence agencies have been tipping off militants to US and NATO movements, a Taliban leader told NBC News during a secret interview near Pakistan’s tribal areas—where his role in setting up al-Qaeda safe havens has moved the US to put a $5 million bounty on his head....

Vastly Corrupt Afghan Cops Await US Trainers

Obama's plan to train cops faces tough challenge

(Newser) - The 4,000 troops President Obama is sending to train Afghanistan's police and army will run straight into a formidable wall of corruption that undermines national security at every turn, American soldiers tell the New York Times. Cops pilfer gas, judges take money, top officials profit from the drug trade,...

Press Allowed to Witness Return of Dead Service Member

Afghanistan casualty's return first to be covered since end of 18-year-old ban

(Newser) - The press was allowed to cover the return of a fallen US soldier last night for the first time since President Obama lifted an 18-year-old ban, the Washington Post reports. The family of Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers, who was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan Saturday, gave permission...

For Afghan Success, Look to Colombia
 For Afghan Success, 
 Look to Colombia 
OPINION
Apr 5, 2009 11:11 AM CDT

For Afghan Success, Look to Colombia

Countries face similar troubles—and Colombians know how to fix them

(Newser) - When President Obama reviewed US strategy in Afghanistan, the lessons of Iraq were key. But a better comparison might be Colombia, where parallels abound—and where the government has handled insurgents with a fair bit of success, writes Scott Wilson in the Washington Post. Both Afghanistan and Colombia have faced...

IED Casualties in Afghanistan Soaring

75% of coalition deaths result from roadside explosives

(Newser) - Improvised roadside bombs caused 75% of all casualties among coalition forces in Afghanistan in the first two months of this year, up from 50% two years ago, reports USA Today. The rate of casualties from IEDs is also higher than at any time in Iraq, calling for urgent pleas for...

Albania, Croatia Join NATO, Will Share Afghan Load

(Newser) - Albania and Croatia both officially joined the NATO alliance today, the BBC reports. The former Yugoslav republics will likely be asked to send troops to bolster NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. Insiders say NATO wanted to celebrate its 60th birthday by welcoming nations from a region recently wracked by bloody...

US, Iran Meet in Moscow on Afghanistan Peace

Officials talk terror, drug trafficking

(Newser) - American and Iranian officials gathered in Moscow for Afghanistan peace talks, highlighting a warming of US-Tehran relations under President Obama, reports the Times of London. “We’ve turned a page to have Iranians and Americans at the same table all discussing Afghanistan,” said Russia’s foreign minister at...

Don't Believe the Hype: Afghanistan's Fixable

US position in the country far different from previous foreign powers'

(Newser) - We hear plenty of doom and gloom about Afghanistan, the so-called “graveyard of empires” that defeated the Brits way back when and kicked out the Soviets in 1989. But the naysayers are forgetting all that’s working in favor of the US, writes Peter Bergen in the New York ...

Intense Debate Led to Obama Afghan Compromise

Biden warned against being dragged into political, military quagmire

(Newser) - President Obama's new Afghan strategy was forged after intense debate among advisers, reports the New York Times, with VP Joe Biden being the voice of caution, warning against being dragged into a quagmire there. All advisers agreed that the goal should narrow to tackling al-Qaeda, rather than Bush-style nation-building. But...

Obama Rolls Out Afghan Plan: 'Al-Qaeda Must Be Stopped'

(Newser) - President Obama laid out the government's new strategy for Afghanistan today, declaring that the US must “disrupt, defeat, and dismantle” al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Obama will send another 4,000 troops to Afghanistan, on top of the 17,000 already approved. He also announced plans to work with regional...

Brooks: We Can Win in Afghanistan
 Brooks: 
 We Can Win in Afghanistan 
OPINION
Mar 27, 2009 7:57 AM CDT

Brooks: We Can Win in Afghanistan

(Newser) - David Brooks has always been skeptical of our efforts in Afghanistan, “one of the poorest, least-educated and most-corrupt nations on earth,” and his recent six-day tour of the country reinforced "every element" of his skepticism. But the columnist also emerged “infected by the optimism of the...

US Takes Charge in Afghanistan
 US Takes Charge in Afghanistan 
Mar 26, 2009 9:32 AM CDT

US Takes Charge in Afghanistan

With troop increase, US resources in country tower over NATO's

(Newser) - As President Obama sends 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan—making American service members two-thirds of the foreign force there—the US is taking a firmer grip on the country’s reins, the Washington Post reports. America’s civilian presence in the country is also growing by at least half,...

NATO Troops Kill Key Taliban Commander in Afghanistan

Maulawi Hassan responsible for numerous bombings, attacks in recent months

(Newser) - A top Taliban commander was killed by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan this weekend, the New York Times reports. Maulawi Hassan had been the coordinator of many suicide bombings and other attacks since fall 2008 and reported directly to Mullah Rahmatullah, a Taliban leader who directs operation from outside Afghanistan. Hassan’...

US Maneuvers to Name Afghan Prime Minister

Part of America's 'exit strategy'

(Newser) - The US is planning to place a prime minister in the Afghanistan government to bypass corruption-tainted President Hamid Karzai, reports the Guardian. American authorities, backed by European allies, also plan to divert money to the provinces away from Karzai control. US officials have grown increasingly disillusioned with the current government...

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