Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned of a “downward spiral” in Afghanistan if trends continue in comments Oct. 9. “The trends across the board are not going in the right direction,” he told reporters. “I… Read moreAfghanistan: grim prognoses from NATO leaders
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that fighting between the Pakistani military and militants in the autonomous tribal districts on the Afghan border has driven 20,000 to flee as refugees into Afghanistan. The exodus from the Bajaur tribal agency… Read moreRefugees flee Pakistan —for Afghanistan
Three Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants hurled grenades in an hour-long battle and then blew themselves up after police raided their hideout in Karachi Sept. 26, with authorities saying preventing they prevented major attack in the country’s biggest city. “We have saved Karachi… Read morePakistan: terror in Karachi, Punjab
Pakistani soldiers fired at US OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters that were escorting Afghan and US ground troops along the volatile border Sept. 25, sparking a five-minute ground battle between the countries’ military forces. Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, in New… Read moreUS and Pakistan: is it war yet?
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sept. 23 the Pentagon could send thousands more combat troops to Afghanistan starting next spring—but also warned: “I think we need to think about how heavy a… Read moreGates: more troops for Afghanistan —with caveats
The US Defense Department has denied that its helicopters flew into Pakistan’s airspace above from across the border with Afghanistan Sept. 22. Pakistani intelligence officials say US two helicopters flew into North Waziristan, but returned to Afghanistan after troops and… Read morePakistan protests purported US incursion
Eleven police officers and two insurgents were killed in a rebel attack in western Afghanistan’s Herat province Sept. 21. “We lost 11 policemen. They were attacked while on a patrol in a village near their headquarters in Salama Dam,” said… Read moreAfghanistan: 11 police dead in hydro-dam attack
Pakistan’s government is blaming al-Qaeda operatives for the deadly Sept. 21 blast at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. The attacker failed to get through a secondary barrier when he crashed his explosive-laden truck into the hotel’s security gates, killing 53… Read morePakistan blames al-Qaeda in Marriott blast
Pakistan’s army chief harshly criticized the US military for making unilateral cross-border raids from Afghanistan Sept. 12. Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, Chief of Army Staff, said there was “no agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to… Read morePakistan army chief blasts US border raids
At least 25 civilians were killed and 50 injured in an armed attack on a Sunni mosque Sept. 10 in the Maskanai area of lower Dir (NWFP), Pakistan. Unidentified militants threw grenades in the mosque in Banai village, less than… Read morePakistan: Sunni civil war?
A NATO air-strike in Afghanistan’s Khost province missed its target Sept. 9, striking a house, killing two civilians and wounding 10. NATO said their forces were targeting an insurgent position when a weapon accidentally misfired, veering one and a half… Read moreAfghanistan: NATO air-strike wipes out more civilians
From Human Rights Watch, Sept. 8: Afghanistan: Civilian Deaths From Airstrikes on the Rise Airstrikes Cause Public Backlash, Undermine Protection Efforts New York – Civilian deaths in Afghanistan from US and NATO airstrikes nearly tripled from 2006 to 2007, with… Read moreAfghanistan: Human Rights Watch blasts civilian casualties
