Afghanistan army

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Afghan Soldier Shoots GI Dead
 Afghan Soldier Shoots GI Dead 
Dec 30, 2009 1:23 AM CST

Afghan Soldier Shoots GI Dead

2 Italians injured after Afghan opens fire on troops

(Newser) - An American soldier has been killed and two Italian servicemen injured by a rogue Afghan soldier who opened fire on foreign troops at a base in Herat. The soldier, who was wounded when troops returned fire, suffers from mental health problems, according to Afghan officials. Italian officials said the shooting,...

NATO Will Send 5,000* More Troops to Afghanistan

*But only if you use creative counting

(Newser) - NATO's chief said today that the alliance will be more than happy to fulfill President Obama's request to send another 5,000 troops to Afghanistan. "And probably a few thousand on top of that," asserted Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "This is our fight together." The problem, says...

Obama Gambles on Dubious Afghan Allies
Obama Gambles on Dubious Afghan Allies
Dexter Filkins
Dec 2, 2009 8:49 AM CST

Obama Gambles on Dubious Afghan Allies

Surge relies on corrupt Karzai government, poorly-trained military

(Newser) - By announcing an 18-month timetable, Barack Obama has thrown down the gauntlet for an Afghan government and military that have so far proven unreliable. Hamid Karzai’s government is considered among the world’s most corrupt, but Obama seems to be betting that the withdrawal timetable will encourage it to...

Speech, Afghan Reality Don't Quite Match

Allies may not help; Afghan troops ineffective even if trained

(Newser) - President Obama’s speech tonight “raised expectations that may be hard to meet,” AP analysts Calvin Woodward and Robert Burns write, citing conditions in Afghanistan that don’t match Obama’s rhetoric:
  • US allies will add troops: In fact, this has always been a tough sell, and even
...

Troop Surge Number? 34K
 Troop Surge Number? 34K 
AFGHAN strategy
Dec 1, 2009 7:36 AM CST

Troop Surge Number? 34K

With NATO troops, total close to McChrystal request

(Newser) - The Washington Post has—or thinks it has—the much anticipated number of troops President Obama will deploy to Afghanistan, and it's 34,000. That, combined with 5,000 he's said to be seeking from NATO allies, brings the total within shooting distance of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for 40,...

NATO Airstrike Kills 7 Afghan Soldiers

Mistaken assault on joint NATO, Afghan base

(Newser) - A NATO airstrike in the western province of Badghis mistakenly hit a joint base housing coalition troops and Afghan security forces, killing four Afghan soldiers and three policemen, Afghan officials said today. An Afghan army commando unit, district police members and foreign forces were in the base in the Bala...

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’...

Marines Launch New Afghan Assault

(Newser) - US Marines battled Taliban fighters today for control of a strategic southern town in a new operation to cut militant supply lines and allow Afghan residents to vote in next week's presidential election. Insurgents appeared to dig in for a fight, firing rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds, and even missiles from...

US to Pressure Brits for More Troops in Afghanistan

(Newser) - The US is expected to push for more British troops to help fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, a move certain to be unpopular with the British public, reports the Guardian. NATO Gen. Stanley McChrystal will likely recommend to President Obama that the current total of 150,000 Afghan troops should...

A Baptist and a Mullah Team Up to Fight Taliban

US captain urges Afghan colonel to show faith to locals

(Newser) - A Baptist Army officer has teamed up with an Afghan mullah to fight Taliban propaganda that calls the Afghan army godless. “The only way we can keep people from becoming Taliban is by promoting the Muslim nature of the Afghan National Army,” says the mullah, Lt. Col. Abdul...

Military Seeks Much Bigger Boost for Afghan Forces

(Newser) - America's new top commander in Afghanistan believes the country's security forces will need a much bigger upgrade than planned if President Obama's strategy is going to work, officials tell the Washington Post. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, still doing a 60-day assessment, is said to have concluded that the expansion of Afghan...

US-Issued Ammo Found on Afghan Insurgents

Experts fear Pentagon-procured munitions finding their way to Taliban

(Newser) - The resilience of Afghanistan's Taliban insurgency may be partly due to supplies from the US, according to a New York Times investigation. The majority of 30 rifle magazines recently found on dead insurgents were the same as those issued to the Afghan military by the US, strongly suggesting that Pentagon-supplied...

20 Dead in Wake of 11 Afghan Suicide Attacks

US, Afghan troops free 20 hostages

(Newser) - Some 11 Taliban suicide bombers attacked government buildings in eastern Afghanistan today, sparking running gun battles that killed at least 20 people and wounded three US troops, officials said. US and Afghan troops freed 20 hostages taken by the insurgents. The assault began this morning when several suicide bombers attacked...

US Ambassador Implicated in China Arms Deal

Envoy to Albania hid aging, illegal munitions bound for Afghanistan

(Newser) - The American ambassador to Albania personally endorsed a plan to disguise the origin of munitions bought by a Pentagon contractor, according to Congressional testimony. The New York Times traveled to Albania during an earlier investigation of a shady 22-year-old arms dealer operating out of Miami Beach. But the Albanian defense...

Pakistan Condemns US Air Strike That Killed 11 Troops

...which were reportedly working with the Taliban

(Newser) - At least 11 Pakistani soldiers and 10 other people were killed today in an ugly border incident that could strain US/Pakistani ties. US fighters reportedly launched an air strike inside Pakistan’s mountainous tribal area, backing up Afghan troops fighting Taliban forces. The matter was complicated, however, because Pakistani troops...

US Supplier Arms Afghan Forces With Ancient Ammo

22-year-old buys old Soviet-bloc munitions

(Newser) - The US military's main supplier for munitions to Afghanistan is an unvetted business run by a 22-year-old with no military experience and a string of domestic violence allegations, an investigation by the New York Times finds. And the tiny company's shady dealings with arms traffickers has left Afghan forces armed...

Letters Linked to NYC Bombing Claim 'We Did It'

They were sent to Capitol Hill; bomber remains unknown

(Newser) - As many as 10 Capitol Hill offices received letters today with a photo of a man standing in front of the Times Square military recruiting office before it was struck by a small bomb. A message with the photo reads, “Happy New Year, We Did It,” the AP...

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...

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...

45 Taliban Die in Battle on Ramadan Eve

Month-long surge in fighting in Afghanistan expected to continue

(Newser) - Forty-five Taliban insurgents were killed in a clash with coalition and Afghan troops in Afghanistan today. The Taliban attacked a joint patrol; the Afghan forces responded, with help from coalition airstrikes. The skirmish comes at the beginning of Islam's holy month of Ramadan

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