Afghanistan war

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McChrystal Denies Rift, Says He's Not Quitting

General will not resign, even if his requests are not honored

(Newser) - General McChrystal says his bleak assessment of the US effort in Afghanistan has not created any ill will between him and the Obama administration, and he welcomed the national debate over the mission. In an interview with the New York Times, McChrystal also denied rumors that he will resign he...

Congress Wants McChrystal in Hot Seat

Members of both parties want testimony, but Pentagon is not forthcoming

(Newser) - With the White House beset by classified leaks and agonizing over a new Afghan strategy, lawmakers from both parties in both Houses of Congress are calling for a sitdown with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the Wall Street Journal reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has refused requests for testimony from McChrystal until...

Post Held Off Afghan Story at DoD Request

Pentagon got one-day delay, and redacted McChrystal report

(Newser) - When Bob Woodward obtained Gen. Stanley McChrystal's classified report on Afghanistan, the Obama administration asked for and got a one-day delay in publication from the Washington Post, the paper reports. Woodward and the Post’s editor met with Pentagon officials Sunday and agreed to remove some sensitive information from the...

Congress, Military Question 'Protect Afghans' Rule

(Newser) - With US casualties mounting in Afghanistan, some members of Congress are questioning recent orders that have put troops at greater risk in order to protect Afghan civilians, the Washington Post reports. Gen. Stanley McChrystal recently berated the military for being “preoccupied with protection of our own forces.” He...

Biden Plan Would Target al-Qaeda, not Taliban

 Biden Plan 
 Would Target 
 al-Qaeda, 
 not Taliban 
Afghan war rethink
Sep 23, 2009 7:27 AM CDT

Biden Plan Would Target al-Qaeda, not Taliban

No consensus has emerged in White House war room

(Newser) - The Obama administration’s national security heavyweights have yet to reach any kind of consensus on a strategy for Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. Obama is considering both increasing troop levels to carry out his original counterinsurgency strategy, and an alternative plan from Joe Biden that would pull troops...

Obama Drops on Foreign Policy, With Independents
Obama Drops on Foreign Policy, With Independents
POLL ANALYSIS
Sep 22, 2009 6:42 PM CDT

Obama Drops on Foreign Policy, With Independents

But president did slow defections with speech on health reform

(Newser) - President Obama’s speech on health reform did stem movement away from him on the issue, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows, but he’s losing steam among independent voters—a key constituency for him and fellow Democrats in recent elections—and facing more doubt about his handling of...

Who Leaked to Woodward? Good Luck
 Who Leaked 
 to Woodward? 
 Good Luck 
ANALYSIS
Sep 22, 2009 11:50 AM CDT

Who Leaked to Woodward? Good Luck

McChrystal report could help the Pentagon, or the White House, or...

(Newser) - The question du jour in Washington is who leaked Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s report advocating an increased troop presence in Afghanistan to Bob Woodward, Ben Smith writes on Politico. But the outcome of this tried and true “capital parlor game” is far from certain. Some Beltway insiders think the...

US Redeploys to Afghan Cities, Leaves Rural Areas to Taliban

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal has ordered a major shift in US troop deployment in Afghanistan, telling his commanders to pull out of the sparsely populated, Taliban-controlled areas and focus instead on protecting population centers, the Washington Post reports. US officials say they’ve realized that they’re not going to wrest...

Obama May Boost Drones Instead of Troops

Shifting focus to Pakistan may avoid increasing forces

(Newser) - The White House is looking at expanding counterterror operations in Pakistan as an alternative to a major military escalation in Afghanistan, two senior officials tell the AP. The military would rely on armed drones that could contain al-Qaeda in a smaller, if more remote, area and keep its leaders from...

McChrystal: US 'Will Fail' Without More Afghan Troops

Blunt warnings bared in secret Pentagon report

(Newser) - Afghanistan's top commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal made a blunt request for more troops in a confidential report to the Pentagon last month, warning that without more forces the war "will likely result in failure." The 66-page report, obtained by Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, contains repeated...

Fallen Soldier Awarded Medal of Honor

Army sergeant perished in Afghanistan saving an injured comrade

(Newser) - Army Sgt. Jared Monti, who died in 2006 while trying to save the life of a wounded comrade in Afghanistan, was awarded the Medal of Honor this afternoon at the White House. "Jared Monti saw the danger before him and went out to meet it," said President Obama....

Joint Chiefs Chair: Afghan War Needs More Troops

(Newser) - The drumbeat for more US troops in Afghanistan goes on: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told senators today that a "properly resourced counter-insurgency probably means more forces." Adm. Mike Mullen said he hasn't yet received a formal request from Gen. Stanley McChrystal but expects one...

Afghanistan Push Meets Resistance —From Democrats

Levin, Pelosi object to troop buildup; Obama weighs options

(Newser) - Support for the war in Afghanistan is dwindling among Democrats as President Obama mulls increasing US involvement in the region, the New York Times reports. Ahead of an expected request for more troops from the US commander in the country, the chair of the Senate armed services committee says he’...

AP Made Right Decision to Run Marine's Photo

We need to see the war

(Newser) - The AP made the correct call in running a photo of a mortally wounded Marine, writes David Harsanyi in the Denver Post. “If I could recall a wanton penchant of the press to run photos of dead Marines, my reaction might have been very different,” he writes. But...

Kidnapped Times Reporter Freed in Deadly Rescue

Afghan interpreter, British commando die in operation

(Newser) - A New York Times reporter held hostage by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan was freed today when British troops raided the militants' compound, but his Afghan interpreter and a British commando were killed during the rescue. Stephen Farrell was abducted Saturday while covering the aftermath of the NATO strike on...

8 US Troops Killed in Iraq, Afghanistan

(Newser) - It was an unusually bloody day for US troops abroad today, as eight soldiers were killed—four in Iraq and four in Afghanistan. It was the deadliest day for the US in Iraq since troops left the cities earlier this year, reports the BBC. Three soldiers were killed by a...

Win in Afghanistan, or We're Doomed
 Win in Afghanistan, 
 or We're Doomed 
OPINION
Sep 8, 2009 8:44 AM CDT

Win in Afghanistan, or We're Doomed

Defeatnik columnists paving path to another 9/11: Stephens

(Newser) - Three big-swinging columnists from the left, right and center—Tom Friedman and Nicholas Kristof of the Times, plus George Will of the Post—have joined the chorus of naysayers on the war in Afghanistan. But if we lose this "relatively easy fight," writes Wall Street Journal columnist Bret...

Suicide Bomb Rocks NATO Base at Kabul Airport

At least two civilians dead; foreign troops may also be victims

(Newser) - A suicide bomber blew up his car outside a NATO military base at Afghanistan's main airport today, killing at least two civilians and wounding six others, Reuters reports. Eyewitnesses saw huge flames rising from the airport, which has endured Taliban rocket attacks and suicide bombs in the past. An Afghan...

Surge May Be Only Way to Keep US Safe From al-Qaeda

Remote-controlled strikes won't be enough to stop terrorists, say experts

(Newser) - The idea that al-Qaeda could be prevented from regaining a haven in Afghanistan without having American troops in the country is gaining support as the war drags on, but it's unlikely to work, many counterterrorism experts tell the New York Times. Terrorism can't be destroyed by airstrikes or Special Forces...

McChrystal Visits Site of Airstrike, Pledges Inquiry

Promises public investigation in televised address

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal visited the site of a NATO airstrike today that killed scores of Aghan civilians and made an unprecedented televised address in which he promised a full public inquiry, Reuters reports. “Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of the Afghan people,” said the...

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