Taliban

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Troubled Afghan Mission Under Review

Prospect of failure in 'forgotten war' prompts probes, if not surge

(Newser) - With insurgent violence in Afghanistan soaring to the highest level since 2001, the Bush administration and NATO have begun three sweeping reviews of a mission that was considered a success, but now seems increasingly threatened. Lack of coordination in fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda, rising opium production, and the weakness...

UK Wants to Talk to Taliban
UK Wants to Talk to Taliban
Dec 12, 2007 8:13 AM CST

UK Wants to Talk to Taliban

Brown to announce major revision of Afghan strategy, rankling Washington

(Newser) - Just back from Kabul, Gordon Brown is poised to announce a major strategic revision in Afghanistan that will involve dialogue with the Taliban. Senior British officials believe that treating the loose-knit organization as a unified terrorist actor is counterproductive, the Independent reports, and they want to move from fighting militants...

NATO &amp; Afghan Forces Rout Taliban
NATO & Afghan Forces
Rout Taliban
Dec 11, 2007 2:35 AM CST

NATO & Afghan Forces Rout Taliban

Taliban leaves stronghold as UK Prime Minister arrives

(Newser) - Taliban troops retreated from their last major stronghold in the southern town of Musa Qala in Afghanistan yesterday, ceding control to NATO and Afghan troops, the New York Times reports. After heavy bombardment and a troop attack, the Taliban was overcome by "heavy casualties," said a local police...

40 Taliban Die in Afghan Clashes
40 Taliban Die in Afghan Clashes
Dec 2, 2007 8:00 AM CST

40 Taliban Die in Afghan Clashes

Three days of battle latest sign of Taliban surge

(Newser) - Some 40 Taliban insurgents were killed in three days of clashes with Afghani and US-led foreign forces in the mountainous Shah Wali Kot district in southern Kandahar province, reports AP. Forces launched pitched battles against various pockets of Taliban strongholds in the area and called in airstrikes.

Osama Tape Cautions Europeans
Osama Tape Cautions Europeans
Nov 29, 2007 1:34 PM CST

Osama Tape Cautions Europeans

Al-Qaeda leader urges withdrawal from Afghanistan

(Newser) - A new audio tape has Osama Bin Laden calling for European nations to sever military ties with US forces in Afghanistan. Cable network Al Jazeera today broadcast portions of the tape, in which a voice resembling Bin Laden's denies allegations that the Taliban, then ruling Afghanistan, knew of the Sept....

Taliban Reclaiming Afghanistan
Taliban Reclaiming Afghanistan
Nov 22, 2007 4:49 AM CST

Taliban Reclaiming Afghanistan

Now established in 54% of country and headed for Kabul

(Newser) - The Taliban is rapidly regaining control of Afghanistan, according to a report released by the Senlis Council, an independent think tank. The insurgency has established a permanent presence in 54% of the country, including "important road arteries," and the Taliban's goal of reaching Kabul in 2008 seems "...

40 Taliban Militants Killed in New Pakistan Battle

Area residents continue to flee as militants dig in

(Newser) - Dozens of Taliban militants have been killed in new fighting in northwest Pakistan, reports AP. Pakistani security forces moved into the Swat valley in the latest battle against supporters of hardline Islamic cleric Maulana Fazlullah, who is calling for Islamist rule in the area. Militants from Afghanistan have been crossing...

US Aims to Enlist Tribes in Pakistan

Proposal would train, pay tribes to fight Taliban and al Qaeda

(Newser) - The US military would like to enlist Pakistani tribesmen in the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda, importing the strategy that's been used successfully in Anbar province in Iraq. The classified proposal would see more American military trainers heading for Pakistan—where we have only 50 troops now—and...

US Seeks 'Plan B' in Pakistan
US Seeks 'Plan B' in Pakistan
Nov 15, 2007 4:08 AM CST

US Seeks 'Plan B' in Pakistan

American officials cast around for a new leader should Musharraf totter

(Newser) - As Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf continues to crack down on opponents, the US is losing faith in his ability to survive, the New York Times reports. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte will meet with Musharraf tomorrow in an effort to help calm the situation, but administration officials are already...

Afghan Blast Killed 59 Children
Afghan Blast Killed 59 Children
Nov 9, 2007 5:22 PM CST

Afghan Blast Killed 59 Children

Death toll reaches 75; police have detained two suspects

(Newser) - The death toll from Tuesday's suicide bombing in northern Afghanistan has been revised up to 75, CNN reports, including 59  schoolchildren who had come to greet the visiting dignitaries who were the target of the attack. The blast also claimed five teachers, six lawmakers, and five of their guards. Police...

Karzai Presses Taliban Talks
Karzai Presses Taliban Talks
Nov 9, 2007 11:58 AM CST

Karzai Presses Taliban Talks

Afghan president offers amnesty, roles in government

(Newser) - As bloodshed escalates in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai is pressing for negotiations with senior members of the Taliban, writes the Los Angeles Times. Foreign diplomats and members of Karzai's own government now believe that peace cannot be achieved by military means, and the president is hoping to achieve some form of...

More Than 50 Killed in Afghan Suicide Bombing

Six lawmakers are among the dead; explosion hit villagers, children gathered to greet visiting dignitaries

(Newser) - A suicide bomber killed more than 50 people in northern Afghanistan today, Reuters reports, including five lawmakers, in the worst bombing in the nation’s history. A huge crowd of residents and school children had gathered to greet a delegation of members of parliament, the bomb's apparent target, visiting a...

Pakistan Promises Election
Pakistan Promises Election
Nov 5, 2007 6:06 PM CST

Pakistan Promises Election

Musharraf vows to leave military as emergency rule continues

(Newser) - Pakistan answered worldwide criticism of its military rule today by vowing to hold national elections in January, Reuters reports. "We don't want to disrupt the election process. We want a free election," the PM said. President Pervez Musharraf also promised to leave the military “once we correct...

Pakistan Aid Not Fighting Terror
Pakistan Aid Not Fighting Terror
Nov 5, 2007 11:05 AM CST

Pakistan Aid Not Fighting Terror

US funds go to forces more suited for battle with India

(Newser) - The US has given Pakistan $7 billion in military aid over the past 6 years, yet the paramilitary forces fighting al-Qaeda and Taliban militants are armed with little but “sandals and bolt-action rifles,” a military official tells the LA Times. With militants on the rise because the forces...

250 Taliban Surrounded, Villagers Flee

But Afghan mission loses support of Japanese ships ordered home

(Newser) - Some 250 Taliban fighters are surrounded by coalition troops just 15 miles north of the Taliban’s old power base of Kandahar, the AP reports. Villagers fled as the insurgents took over their homes. “They’re surrounded and in big trouble,” said Kandahar police. But the coalition lost...

Pakistani Cleric Calls Ceasefire
Pakistani Cleric Calls Ceasefire
Oct 29, 2007 12:07 PM CDT

Pakistani Cleric Calls Ceasefire

Dozens killed in clashes with government troops, helicopters

(Newser) - Supporters of an extremist cleric who had declared a jihad against Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire today after fierce fighting this weekend claimed between 50 and 60 of their number, Al Jazeera reports. Pakistan had sent 2,500 paramilitary troops to Swat to head off Maulana Fazlullah, who wants to...

80 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle
80 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle
Oct 28, 2007 7:00 AM CDT

80 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle

Coalition, Afghan forces pitch 6-hour battle after insurgent ambush

(Newser) - In a sudden new flash of violence in another American battle theater, US-led forces killed 80 Taliban fighters yesterday near a southern Afghanistan town held by insurgents. The battle erupted when Taliban troops ambushed a joint coalition and Afghan army patrol with machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Coalition forces...

Pakistan Turmoil Haunts US
Pakistan Turmoil Haunts US
Oct 21, 2007 8:52 AM CDT

Pakistan Turmoil Haunts US

Over-reliance on beleaguered Musharraf threatens war on terror

(Newser) - Political chaos in Pakistan could spell major danger for the US, as weakened President General Pervez Musharraf fights to keep Taliban and al-Qaeda forces—as well as the nation's numerous nuclear weapons—in check. One White House official called Pakistan's potential destabilization a "nightmare scenario" that appears to be...

Germany Paid Dearly for Hostage Release

Afghan captors secure cash, cronies' freedom in risky precedent

(Newser) - On one hand, the German government successfully negotiated the release of a German engineer held hostage in Afghanistan; on the other, the deal cost the Germans a hefty ransom, the release of five prisoners, and its hard line against granting terrorist demands, reports Der Spiegel. "I have purchased a...

Homeward Bound, Bhutto Fears for Life

Former PM concerned about ‘threat within the government’

(Newser) - Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan Thursday for the first time in 19 years, and she worries her life is at risk. A Taliban commander has vowed to murder the ex-PM with suicide bombers, but her fear is military officers “who have fought the jihad,” she told the Guardian....

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