Afghanistan war

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Taliban Massacres Highway Workers

35 killed in eastern Afghanistan attack

(Newser) - At least 35 workers were killed when Taliban militants ambushed a highway construction crew in eastern Afghanistan yesterday. Almost every one of the laborers, engineers, and guards on site where killed, kidnapped, or injured after the insurgents attacked a roadside camp early in the morning, reports the BBC . Eight militants...

Troops' Morale Drops in Afghanistan

Stress levels rise as fighting intensifies

(Newser) - As fighting and casualties in Afghanistan's war reached an all-time high, US soldiers and Marines there reported plunging morale and the highest rates of mental health problems in five years. Only 46.5% of soldiers said their morale was medium, high, or very high last year, compared with 65....

11 Afghans Dead as Protest of NATO Raid Turns Violent

Four were killed in last night's raid

(Newser) - Hundreds of protesters, angered by an overnight NATO raid that they believed killed four civilians, clashed with security forces today on the streets of a northern Afghan city. At least 11 people were killed and 50 injured as the protesters fought with police and tried to assault a NATO outpost...

Breathing Trouble Dogs Middle East Vets

 Breathing Trouble 
 Dogs Middle East Vets 
study says
May 17, 2011 9:05 AM CDT

Breathing Trouble Dogs Middle East Vets

New study increases concern over respiratory issues

(Newser) - Why do so many young, previously healthy soldiers come back from the Middle East with respiratory problems, some so bad they can no longer pass a physical required for active duty? The question was made more urgent with the results of a new study showing that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans...

US-Taliban Talks Speed Up
 US-Taliban Talks Speed Up 
May 17, 2011 6:50 AM CDT

US-Taliban Talks Speed Up

Officials hope Obama will have progress to report by July

(Newser) - The US has accelerated direct talks with the Taliban, a move that predates the killing of Osama bin Laden. US representatives have attended at least three meetings with a Taliban official believed to be close to the group's leader, the most recent of which was just "eight or...

Toxic Dust May Explain Troops' Health Problems

Navy researcher says particles loaded with metals and bacteria

(Newser) - A Navy researcher thinks he's found the "smoking gun" to explain why so many service members come back from Iraq and Afghanistan with health problems ranging from respiratory ailments to cancer to heart disease: It's all that dust they're breathing, reports USA Today . It's far...

US Only Got bin Laden Because It's in Afghanistan

This proves we can't count on Pakistan, Bruce Riedel points out

(Newser) - Happy that Osama bin Laden is dead? Well, remember that the raid that killed him “was possible only because America and NATO are engaged in Afghanistan,” writes Bruce Riedel of the Daily Beast . “Simply put, we can’t put pressure on al-Qaeda without Afghanistan forward operating bases,...

After bin Laden's Death, Afghanistan Debate Heats Up

Washington weighs withdrawal, other options

(Newser) - The big question in Washington: Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, what do we do about Afghanistan? Senators John Kerry, a Democrat, and Richard Lugar, a Republican, both said yesterday that we must reassess the nearly decade-old conflict and work toward, as Kerry said, "the smallest footprint necessary....

Military Outlining Modest Afghan Withdrawal

But only a small one

(Newser) - US military officers are drawing up plans for a modest troop reduction in Afghanistan that’s designed to meet President Obama’s July deadline without conceding the ground they’ve gained in the restive south. Preliminary plans call for the withdrawal of 5,000 troops in July, and another 5,...

Taliban: Osama's Death Inspires Us to Keep Fighting

New video shows purported frontline fighters

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda isn't the only organization making threats in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death: In a new video, unidentified fighters who identify themselves as frontline Taliban militants promise to continue fighting until all foreign forces have left Afghanistan. "Even if the news of Osama bin Laden'...

Obama: Perpetual Afghan Footprint No Longer Needed
Obama: Perpetual Afghan Footprint No Longer Needed
'60 minutes'
May 6, 2011 8:15 AM CDT

Obama: Perpetual Afghan Footprint No Longer Needed

Bin Laden's death confirms Afghan war can be refocused

(Newser) - Osama bin Laden's death has stirred up a debate over whether the US should pull out of Afghanistan early. Asked about it on his upcoming 60 Minutes appearance, President Obama reminded Steve Kroft that he's already committed to a draw-down of troops starting in July. But bin Laden'...

With Osama Dead, Taliban, al-Qaeda May Part Ways

Bin Laden's death provides the opening for peace talks

(Newser) - Osama bin Laden's death is likely to make the Taliban rethink its alliance with al-Qaeda, which was likely initially based on a personal friendship between bin Laden and the Taliban's one-eyed leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, analysts tell the AP . The US and Afghan governments won't negotiate a...

Afghans: Osama’s Death Is Not ‘Mission Accomplished’

Al-Qaeda, Taliban aren't finished, officials warn, but others want US out of Afghanistan

(Newser) - Osama bin Laden may be dead, but Afghan officials warn that the war on terror is far from over, the New York Times reports—even as bin Laden's death strengthens cries for the US to pull out of Afghanistan. “The killing of Osama should not be seen as...

Scott Brown: I'll Serve in Afghanistan This Year

Senator will complete National Guard duty there this year

(Newser) - Scott Brown may be a Massachusetts senator, but he's also a lieutenant colonel in the state's Army National Guard—and as part of his duties, he will serve in Afghanistan, CNN reports. "I have service obligations that I fulfill each year. Following in the tradition of other...

Afghan Pilot Kills NATO Troops After ‘Argument’

Man had been in Afghan military for 20 years

(Newser) - A veteran Afghan military officer opened fire on foreign forces today after a dispute at the Kabul airport, killing several NATO troops, Afghan and coalition officials said. It was the latest in a spate of attacks that have occurred inside government or military installations. The Taliban claimed responsibility, but Defense...

Pakistan to Afghanistan: Dump US

Pakistan would be a better long-term ally, Prime Minister Gilani argues

(Newser) - As the US prepares to withdraw most of its troops from Afghanistan by 2014, Afghanistan's neighbors are jockeying for increased influence—most notably Pakistan, which is blatantly lobbying Hamid Karzai to ditch the US. Rather than allow a long-term American military presence in Afghanistan, Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani...

Afghan Prison Break Looks Like Inside Job: Karzai

So far, just 65 convicts have been recaptured, and two killed

(Newser) - Hundreds of prisoners are still at large the day after a massive jailbreak in Afghanistan , but officials say Afghan and international forces have caught 65 of them and killed two. The justice minister acknowledged in a letter to President Hamid Karzai that the Taliban, which has claimed to have orchestrated...

Romney: Obama's on 'Peacetime Spending Binge'

GOP hopeful issues correction after Dems pounce on error

(Newser) - Mitt Romney was so busy slamming President Obama over the deficit yesterday that he somehow managed to forget two little wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and US involvement in Libya. In a Union-Leader op-ed on America's debt problem, Romney knocked Obama for "one of the biggest peacetime spending...

Man in Army Uniform Kills 2 in Afghanistan

Taliban claims responsibility; gunman thought to be infiltrator

(Newser) - A man wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire inside the Defense Ministry today, killing at least two soldiers before being gunned down himself. A Defense Ministry spokesperson first called the attacker an Afghan soldier, then backtracked; he may have been a Taliban infiltrator, the AP reports. The Taliban claimed...

Taliban Weakens in Afghanistan's South

But progress is 'fragile and reversible,' says Petraeus

(Newser) - Rare good news from Afghanistan: The Taliban is losing ground in the south, meaning that “we start this year in a very different place from last year,” Gen. David Petraeus says. For the first time since the beginning of the war, the Taliban’s summer fighting season begins...

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