tagged w/ NATO in afghanistan
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Fake Talibans above...
Have you heard the one about the Pakistani shopkeeper who posed as a high-ranking Taliban commander and duped the Afghan government and Nato out of lots of money?No?
Well keep reading - as it gets better and better. Although it sounds like something out of a Mel Brooks or Cohen brother film, but it is real!An impostor posing as Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Mansour, a top Taliban commander, fooled both Afghan and Nato officials during secret peace negotiations where he was given "large sums of money" before disappearing with the cash leaving both parties feeling somewhat embarrassed. The man is said to have travelled from Pakistan, where it is thought the Taliban's leadership is based, and had three meetings with government officials in Afghanistan.The fake Taliban leader was flown to Kabul on a Nato aircraft and taken to the presidential palace to meet President Karzai, unnamed Nato and Afghan officials told the New York Times.It's not clear why Afghan officials would have had any difficulty identifying the real Mansour as he was civil aviation minister during Taliban rule.But finally doubts about the man's identity arose after someone who knew Mansour told Afghan officials he did not recognise the impersonator."It's not him," an unidentified Western diplomat in Kabul, said to be deeply involved in the negotiations "And we gave him a lot of money."Ooops.
Fake Talibans above...
Have you heard the one about the Pakistani shopkeeper who... more
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Children may be safer growing up in Kabul than they are in London, Glasgow or New York, a Nato official said.Mark Sedwil, who is Nato's top civil representative told the young audience of CBBC's Newsround the Afghan capital was better for young people than many Western cities, despite being in a country at war. "Here in Kabul and other big cities [in Afghanistan] actually there are very few of these bombs."Most children can go about their lives in safety," he said.But some Kabul children interviewed spoke of their fears, and Save the Children said the claim was "wrong and misleading".Sohrad, a 16-year-old student, told Newsround: "Because of explosions happening in the city, it is frightening when we come to school. We are afraid of explosions in the school."The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office website advises against all but essential travel to parts of Afghanistan, and that nobody visits the areas worst-hit by fighting.Children may be safer growing up in Kabul than they are in London, Glasgow or New... more
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As NATO forces prepare to pull out of Afghanistan, worries about the country falling back to Taliban control are paramount. But in neighbouring Pakistan, where suicide bombings and brazen attacks on security forces have become regular occurrences, the stakes are also high.As NATO forces prepare to pull out of Afghanistan, worries about the country falling... more
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Pakistanis are outraged by NATO strikes on their side of the border. The fourth strike in a week by coalition helicopters killed three members of Pakistan’s border force. In response, Pakistan closed the crossing to protest the strike.Pakistanis are outraged by NATO strikes on their side of the border. The fourth strike... more
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The U.S. military is secretly diverting aerial drones and weaponry from the Afghan battlefront to significantly expand the CIA's campaign against militants in their Pakistani havens.The U.S. military is secretly diverting aerial drones and weaponry from the Afghan... more
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The International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank based in the UK, has just released a report which discusses changes in the methods by which the West is conducting its war against terrorism.
John Chipman, Director if the IISS urged for a reduction in military presence, more of a concentrated effort on al-Qaeda rather than attempting, in vain, a nation-building effort. During a press conference, Chipman estimated that the military counter-offensive strategy is much too ambitious, while stressing the fact that many experts have stated that it is ironically the heavy number of troops on the ground which are feeding, if not maintaining the Taliban presence.
more: http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/the-west-needs-a-new-strategy-afghanistanThe International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank based in the UK, has... more
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Three $100 million air base expansions in southern and northern Afghanistan show how the Pentagon plans to continue building multimillion-dollar facilities in that country to support increased U.S. military operations well into the future.Three $100 million air base expansions in southern and northern Afghanistan show how... more
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Hundreds of people protested in eastern Afghanistan this past week over the deaths of two men killed by coalition forces and whom local Afghans insist were civilians. The protesters blocked a main highway for several hours, shouting anti-American slogans like "down with Obama" and "down with foreign forces."Hundreds of people protested in eastern Afghanistan this past week over the deaths of... more
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International Red Cross affiliate the Afghan Red Crescent Society says about 500 families in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province were forced out of their homes following recent military operations there by Afghan government and NATO forces. The refugee affairs department says over 2,000 of up to 4,000 families displaced from their homes in the Marjah area during a large-scale military operation in February have remained in Lashkargah for security reasons.International Red Cross affiliate the Afghan Red Crescent Society says about 500... more
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(Reuters) - NATO is failing to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan, according to a poll released on Friday showing most people in Taliban heartlands view foreign troops negatively and believe the Taliban should join the government.
However, 55 percent of Afghans surveyed by the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) think-tank believed NATO and the Afghan government were winning the war against Taliban insurgents.(Reuters) - NATO is failing to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan, according to a... more
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The commander of US combat operations in Afghanistan who was fired, General Stanley McChrystal, issued a devastatingly critical assessment of the war against a "resilient and growing insurgency" just days before being forced out.The commander of US combat operations in Afghanistan who was fired, General Stanley... more
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Journalist and veteran Afghanistan expert Jere Van Dyk says the United States should pull its troops out of Afghanistan because the war cannot be won and Pakistan is funding the Taliban to undermine U.S. interests.Journalist and veteran Afghanistan expert Jere Van Dyk says the United States should... more
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According to senior military officials, the U.S. military has “reinvigorated planning” for a unilateral strike in Pakistan should a successful attack on American soil be traced to the country's tribal areas.According to senior military officials, the U.S. military has “reinvigorated... more
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Website Raw Story reports that the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who helped break the story that detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were being tortured by their US jailers is now saying that American soldiers are executing prisoners in Afghanistan.Website Raw Story reports that the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who helped break... more
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A civilian was shot dead in eastern Afghanistan last week after police fired at thousands of villagers protesting against NATO raids which they say killed 11 civilians.A civilian was shot dead in eastern Afghanistan last week after police fired at... more
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Although it's just beginning, the U.S.-led effort to pacify the Taliban's spiritual capital in southern Afghanistan already appears to be faltering.
Key military operations have been delayed until the fall, efforts to improve local government are having little impact and a Taliban assassination campaign has brought a sense of dread to Kandahar's streets.Although it's just beginning, the U.S.-led effort to pacify the Taliban's... more
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The US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, who was boasting of military progress only three months ago, confessed last week that "nobody is winning".The US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, who was boasting... more
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An independent government report raises new questions about the likelihood of success for President Barack Obama's Afghanistan policy, which nearly doubles the number of U.S. troops there.
The report, by the Government Accountability Office, found that despite the boost in U.S. troops, the Taliban remain a resilient fighting force, and it suggests many factors remain in place that will allow the Taliban to survive U.S. efforts to eradicate them.An independent government report raises new questions about the likelihood of success... more
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