The Taliban launched coordinated attacks in the Afghan capital and three other provinces—days after hundreds marched in Faryab province to protest a NATO-led night raid that resulted in the death of a madrassa teacher.
An Afghan soldier killed two British soldiers on a military base in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand, on March 26. The Afghan soldier was killed by ISAF troops, who opened fire on the attacker. That same day, an… Read moreAfghanistan: whose side are security forces on?
The next round of deployments to Afghanistan was announced amid a wave of anti-US protests. Five brigades and one army command will train and support the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), an unprecedentedly large training mission.
Two years ago when we reported revelations that two Czech NATO commanders in Afghanistan had worn Nazi SS regalia while on duty, everyone told is it was an isolated incident and not to make a big deal of it. What do you say now, pronoiacs?
The number of civilians killed in the Afghan conflict has risen for the fifth year in a row, according to the annual report of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, which documents 3,021 civilian deaths in 2011 compared with 2,790 in 2010.
In a Google-sponsored “video chat,” Obama gave the first public acknowledgment of the use of US drones in Pakistan—and said that drone strikes “enhance” US respect for the sovereignty of the target countries. (Insert Orwell reference here.)
The BBC says it has seen a “secret NATO report” that finds the Taliban continue to be heavily backed by Pakistan, are confident they can win the Afghan war, and are gaining popular support at the expense of the Kabul government.
A new survey by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicates that the value of opium in Afghanistan soared by 133% in 2011 over the previous year, netting farmers $1.4 billion. Yields increased by 61%, from 3,600 to 5,800 tons.
An investigative commission in Afghanistan issued a statement alleging the abuse of detainees held by the US military at prisons in the country. The commission called for the transfer of all prisoners held by the US to Afghan custody.
Three-year old Shakira, disfigured by a drone strike on her Pakistani village, has just arrived in Houston for surgery. Yet, unlike the woman whose nose was cut off by the Taliban, she will not be exploited for propaganda, at least.
The Pakistan-based Foundation for Fundamental Rights, representing the victims of drone attacks, is seeking an international warrant for the arrest of CIA station chief Jonathan Banks who has fled the country to avoid prosecution.
Pakistani officials said NATO aircraft killed at least 25 troops in strikes against two military posts on the Afghan border, and responded by closing the strategically important Khyber Pass supply route to Afghanistan.
