tagged w/ us in afghanistan
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A recently-retired United Nations official is warning that the Taliban have infiltrated the Afghan army and police. Dr. Antonio Maria Costa, former head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, says Taliban sleeper cells have been set up inside the security forces.A recently-retired United Nations official is warning that the Taliban have... more
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A Senate investigation has revealed that Afghan private security forces with ties to the Taliban, criminal networks and Iranian intelligence have been hired to guard American military bases in Afghanistan. Investigators on the staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee say the links expose US soldiers to surprise attack and are confounding the fight against insurgents.A Senate investigation has revealed that Afghan private security forces with ties to... more
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The CIA has a constellation of bases across Afghanistan, used to train and deploy a 3,000-member Afghan paramilitary force for operations in Pakistan.The CIA has a constellation of bases across Afghanistan, used to train and deploy a... more
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The US military has drawn up plans to continue holding Afghan prisoners it deems a threat in a "unilateral" prison complex on Bagram airbase even after it hands control of the main detention facility to the Afghan government next year.The US military has drawn up plans to continue holding Afghan prisoners it deems a... more
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Many Afghans are worried that a new strategy being used in their country to defeat the Taliban, which involves paying about 10,000 unemployed rural youth to fight insurgents in their villages will merely strengthen local warlords and militias accused of committing human rights violations. Ex-Taliban fighters who join the government's reintegration process can also join the new force.Many Afghans are worried that a new strategy being used in their country to defeat the... more
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Afghanistan's embattled president Hamid Karzai said this past week that U.S. taxpayers are indirectly funding "mafia-like groups" and terrorist activities with the American government's support of private contractors inside his country.Afghanistan's embattled president Hamid Karzai said this past week that U.S.... 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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The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said this week that civilian casualties in Afghanistan rose 31 percent in the first half of 2010. Meanwhile, NATO forces admitted that their troops, as well as Afghan soldiers killed a number of civilians during a joint operation in eastern Afghanistan this past week, hours after US troops were urged to avoid hurting non-combatants.The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said this week that civilian casualties in... more
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In one of the least examined aspects of President Obama's escalation of the Afghan war, armed private security contractors are being killed in action by the hundreds -- at a rate more than four times that of U.S. troops, according to a previously unreported congressional study.In one of the least examined aspects of President Obama's escalation of the... more
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Afghanistan city. In a bleak report warning of record Taliban violence and rising civilian deaths across the country by the Afghanistan NGO Security Office, which monitors trends in violence on behalf of aid organizations, the group says NATO's counter-insurgency strategy is not showing any signs of succeeding amid rising violence, the unchecked establishment of local militias and a huge increase in attacks on private development workers across the country.Afghanistan city. In a bleak report warning of record Taliban violence and rising... more
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This year has been the most violent since the Afghan war began in 2001 and civilian deaths have risen slightly with the increased insecurity, an Afghan rights group said last week.This year has been the most violent since the Afghan war began in 2001 and civilian... 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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The Obama administration is considering using Afghanistan's U.S.-run Bagram Air Base prison to indefinitely detain terrorism suspects captured far from a battlefield and who have not been charged with a crime - without any judicial oversight.The Obama administration is considering using Afghanistan's U.S.-run Bagram Air... more
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The US Senate has rejected a proposal to require President Barack Obama to submit a timetable for pulling U.S. forces out of Afghanistan, despite unease among some members of his party over the nine-year-old war.The US Senate has rejected a proposal to require President Barack Obama to submit a... more
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In a major victory for the Obama administration, a key appellate court has concluded that prisoners held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan cannot challenge their captivity through rights granted under the U.S. Constitution.In a major victory for the Obama administration, a key appellate court has concluded... 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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