Afghanistan war

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Eight Died Defending Obsolete Outpost

 Eight Died Defending 
 Obsolete Outpost 
More from Wikileaks
Jul 26, 2010 8:37 AM CDT

Eight Died Defending Obsolete Outpost

The sad story of Combat Outpost Keating

(Newser) - In the beginning, soldiers at Combat Outpost Keating were upbeat. They’d distributed lots of clothing, first aid, and school supplies to the local villagers. “Our friendship grows every day,” reads one dispatch found in the Wikileaks document trove. But as time goes on, documents pieced together by...

Top 9 Revelations From Leaked Afghan Reports

Biggest military leak in history underscores grim realities

(Newser) - Wikileaks has unveiled 92,000 secret documents about the Afghan war, which, in the New York Times ' words, "illustrate in mosaic detail why ... the Taliban are stronger than at any time since 2001." Don't have time to scan through 92,000 documents? Here are what appear to...

Taliban Says It Captured 2 US Troops
Taliban Says It Captured
2 US Troops
Jul 24, 2010 12:21 PM CDT

Taliban Says It Captured 2 US Troops

No confirmation yet from American authorities

(Newser) - The Taliban says it has captured two American soldiers in Afghanistan, Reuters reports. No official confirmation has come from NATO or US forces, but a Reuters correspondent heard a local radio broadcast offering a $20,000 reward for information about their whereabouts. A Taliban spokesman said three servicemen from NATO's...

Support Crumbling for Afghan War

Congressional Dems near open revolt as initiative fails to show progress

(Newser) - The July 2011 deadline Barack Obama set to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan was supposed to put pressure on Hamid Karzai’s government to step up its efforts to take over security duties. But it's wound up putting at least as much pressure on Obama, according to a harsh front-page...

Afghanistan Victory a 'Romantic Wish'
 Afghanistan Victory 
 a 'Romantic Wish'  
rachel maddow
Jul 16, 2010 2:11 PM CDT

Afghanistan Victory a 'Romantic Wish'

It's time to stop asking people to die, host argues

(Newser) - Rachel Maddow fired one across the administration's bow last night in a lengthy piece breaking down its strategy behind the war in Afghanistan. She acknowledges that setting up an Afghan government is a vital US interest. "The administration's argument for staying in Afghanistan and what to do there is...

Karzai Concedes, Backs US Plan for Local Forces

Villagers will be trained to fight the Taliban

(Newser) - With US deaths rising by the day, Hamid Karzai gave up his long-held objections today to a central part of Gen. David Petraeus' strategy. The Afghan president agreed to allow the training of local defense forces—"community watch on steroids," says one US official—so villagers can defend...

8 US Troops Killed in Taliban Attacks
 8 US Troops Killed 
 in Taliban Attacks 
updated
Jul 14, 2010 12:44 PM CDT

8 US Troops Killed in Taliban Attacks

Taliban claims responsibility for car bomb, gun, grenade attack

(Newser) - Eight American troops died in attacks in southern Afghanistan in the last 24 hours, including a car bombing and gunfight outside a police compound in Kandahar. In that attack, a suicide attacker slammed a car bomb into the gate of the headquarters of the elite Afghan National Civil Order Police....

Troops Forced to Play Diplomat in Kandahar

Forces represent Afghan government where it fears to go

(Newser) - After the less-than-successful military offensive in Marjah, NATO forces are taking a different tack in the villages surrounding Kandahar: They’re acting as representatives of the distant, oft-distrusted government. In “Operation Hamkari” (“cooperation”), soldiers are attempting to drive out the Taliban simply by improving government services and...

Petraeus, Karzai Clash on Strategy
Petraeus,
Karzai Clash
on Strategy
Jul 10, 2010 11:53 AM CDT

Petraeus, Karzai Clash on Strategy

Elsewhere, six American troops are killed

(Newser) - Bleak news all around today from Afghanistan: Gen. David Petraeus has barely settled in, but he's already running into resistance from President Hamid Karzai on strategy, reports the Washington Post . Meanwhile, six American service members were killed, bringing the total to 23 this month, reports AP . That follows last month's...

NATO Strike Kills 5 Afghan Troops

Allies 'weren't clear' Afghans were in the area

(Newser) - NATO mistakenly killed five of its Afghan army allies in an airstrike today while the Afghans were attacking insurgents in the country's east. The Afghan soldiers were launching an ambush before dawn against insurgents in Ghazni province when NATO aircraft began firing on them without warning, the AP reports. An...

We Need Afghan Debate, But Neither Party Allows It

Michael Steele is a victim of this narrow-minded atmosphere

(Newser) - Joke all you want about Michael Steele's new troubles , but one part of this mess isn't so funny, Ned Resnikoff writes for Salon . It's the depressing—and dangerous—political reality that neither Republicans nor Democrats will tolerate debate of the Afghanistan war. "The leadership of both major parties concludes...

Lay Off Michael Steele: Ron Paul

Texan defends RNC chair's Afghanistan remarks

(Newser) - Michael Steele is under fire from politicians and pundits alike for saying the Afghanistan war is unwinnable, but he has at least one Republican on his side: Ron Paul. "Michael Steele has it right and Republicans should stick by him," the Texas congressman said in a statement. He...

McCain, Graham Pile on 'Unwise,' 'Inaccurate' Steele
 McCain, Graham, 
 Et Al. Pile on 
 'Unwise' Steele 
TALK SHOW ROUNDUP
Jul 4, 2010 1:14 PM CDT

McCain, Graham, Et Al. Pile on 'Unwise' Steele

GOP chair needs to make 'appropriate decision' about his future

(Newser) - If Michael Steele was hoping his GOP pals on the Sunday airwaves today has his back, let's hope his cable went out. John McCain called Steele's comments about the Afghan war "wildly inaccurate," while Lindsey Graham slammed them as "uninformed, unnecessary, unwise." The Maverick further suggested...

Petraeus: 'We Are in This to Win'
 Petraeus: 
 'We Are in 
 This to Win' 
FIRST DAY ON THE JOB
Jul 4, 2010 6:30 AM CDT

Petraeus: 'We Are in This to Win'

General officially takes the reins in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus formally assumed command of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan today, declaring "we are in this to win" despite rising casualties and growing skepticism about the nearly 9-year-old war. "We have arrived at a critical moment," he told a crowd of hundreds, also...

Biden Makes Surprise Stop in Iraq
Biden Makes Surprise Stop
in Iraq
Jul 3, 2010 10:10 AM CDT

Biden Makes Surprise Stop in Iraq

In Afghanistan, meanwhile, Petraeus calls for unity

(Newser) - Joe Biden and his wife will be spending the Fourth of July weekend with the troops in Iraq. The vice president landed in Baghdad today for the surprise visit, where he will also meet with Iraqi leaders. It's likely an attempt to reassure Iraqis that the US is still engaged,...

Steele Backs Off Afghan War Smack Talk

RNC chair rushes to declare support for troops

(Newser) - Having enraged conservatives and delighted Democrats by criticizing the decision to engage in Afghanistan—a policy advanced by President Bush and supported by congressional Republicans—the RNC chairman is scrambling to defuse the controversy, reports the Washington Post . "For the sake of the security of the free world, our...

Michael Steele, Please Resign
 Michael Steele, Please Resign 
William Kristol
Jul 2, 2010 12:59 PM CDT

Michael Steele, Please Resign

RNC president's Afghanistan comments are the last straw

(Newser) - William Kristol has a holiday weekend request for Michael Steele. Perform "an act of service for the country you love: Resign as chairman of the Republican party," he writes for the Weekly Standard . Kristol says he's been willing to ignore Steele's gaffes in the past, but now that...

Joe Biden Becomes Backstage Powerhouse

The 'skunk at the family picnic' has Obama's ear

(Newser) - It may have looked as though Joe Biden lost last fall’s argument over strategy in Afghanistan, but he actually emerged with a powerful, well-defined role in the administration. His position, in his own words: “the skunk at the family picnic.” Biden has been the in-house skeptic on...

Senate Confirms Petraeus (99-0)

As expected, he'll be running the war in Afghanistan

(Newser) - The Senate has unanimously confirmed Gen. David Petraeus as the next commander of the Afghanistan war. The vote was 99-0. Petraeus replaces Gen. Stanley McChrystal, whose career spanned three decades before ending in disgrace because of inflammatory remarks he and his aides made to Rolling Stone magazine. Petraeus spent much...

McChrystal's Potty Mouth May Have Cost Him His Job

Rolling Stone piece's impact helped by vulgar language

(Newser) - What does a journalist have to do to effect a major change in US foreign policy? In the case of Michael Hastings' Rolling Stone profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the answer may be to use lots and lots of curse words. The piece uses "f---" 18 times, from the...

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