28 March, 2009

President Obama De-Emphasizes Priority of Democracy in Afghanistan
ABC News – USA
Last December, when President Bush appeared in Kabul with Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, he stated that one of the top priorities of the US is “to …
blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/03/president-ob-21.html

Afghanistan
Dallas Morning News – Dallas,TX,USA
European Union foreign ministers pledged Friday to send more police trainers and cash to Afghanistan but shied away from deploying more troops on a …
www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/
stories/DN-europe_28int.ART.State.Edition1.4a85daa.html

Barack Obama unveils plan for war in Afghanistan, with a few …
Chicago Tribune – United States
David Petraeus, the top military commander in the region, and Richard Holbrooke, the special US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. …
www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi
-obama-afghanistan_28mar28,0,170532.story

Share this Article:
Washington Post – United States
President Obama just unveiled his strategy for Afghanistan. The Post asked politicians and experts to weigh in. Below are contributions from Thomas E. Ricks …
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2009/03/27/AR2009032702842.html

US hopes to engage with Iran on Afghanistan Tuesday
Reuters – USA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States hopes to “constructively engage” with Iran on issues related to Afghanistan at an international conference in The …
www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE52R18Z20090328

More troops, narrower mission in Afghanistan
Baltimore Sun – United States
By David Wood WASHINGTON – The 21000 paratroopers, infantrymen and Marines being rushed to Afghanistan this spring will fight with a markedly narrowed…
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te
.md.strategy28mar28,0,4255448.story

Graveyard Myths
New York Times – United States
By PETER BERGEN AS President Obama orders an additional 21000 troops to Afghanistan, he faces growing skepticism over the United States’ prospects there. …
www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/opinion/28bergen.html?ref=opinion

2 arrested over Pakistan mosque bombing
CNN International – USA
The blast occurred at Jamrod in northwest Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. This is the latest assault in a region populated by Islamic militants in …
edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/03
/28/pakistan.mosque.bomb.arrest/

Extra troops heading for Afghanistan
WWMT – Kalamazoo,MI,USA
Washington is watching the latest violence in the region, and President Barack Obama has announced his new plan for Pakistan’s neighbor; Afghanistan. …
www.wwmt.com/articles/pakistan_136
0726___article.html/least_dead.html

Troops kill 12 militants in southern Afghanistan
The Associated Press
President Barack Obama announced a new strategy Friday that aims to counter the militants and improve stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan. …
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h
vWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD976T4Q00

Re ‘Afghanistan’ – Jay Nordlinger – The Corner on National Review …
By Jay Nordlinger
Re ‘Afghanistan’ [Jay Nordlinger]. Ramesh, I’m sure you’re right about the Afghan War (for now). “I been ’buked,” as the old spiritual has it. I was thinking more of the New Year’s greetings to the Iranian leaders, the early interview …
corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MzA2MjQzN2
I2YjIxNDljYmM2NDFiMGQxYzA4YmE4OGI=

t r u t h o u t | Afghanistan: The Four Questions
President Obama announced his new Afghanistan strategy on Friday – the traditional Washington day for burying things. But there weren’t any big surprises. The administration had been dribbling details out through the news media: more …
www.truthout.org/032809Z

Obama Chooses Winning Strategy for Afghanistan “ The Foundry
By Lisa Curtis
The long-awaited new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan that President Barack Obama unveiled this morning is the clearest signal yet that the Obama Administration intends to dedicate the time, resources, and U.S. leadership necessary …
blog.heritage.org/2009/03/27/obama-chooses
-winning-strategy-for-afghanistan/

News Hounds: Robert Greenwald’s Rethink Afghanistan
By Ellen
We pause our usual FOX News commentary in order to bring you the following: Robert Greenwald has returned from a one week trip to Afghanistan, as part of his work on Brave New Films’ full-length documentary, Rethink Afghanistan. …
www.newshounds.us/2009/03/28/robert
_greenwalds_rethink_afghanistan.php

Huff TV: Arianna Discusses Obama’s Afghanistan Policy, Bank …
By Huff TV
Arianna Discusses Obama’s Afghanistan Policy, Bank Bailout On “Larry King”
– The Huffington Post.
www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-tv/arianna
-discusses-obamas_b_180285.html

Obama widens war against al-Qaida in Afghanistan
Widening war in “the most dangerous place in the world,” President Barack Obama launched a fresh effort Friday to defeat al-Qaida terrorists in both…
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090327/ap_on
_go_pr_wh/obama_afghanistan

27 March, 2009

Obama’s Gutsy Decision on Afghanistan
Washington Post – United States
Hats off to President Obama for making a gutsy and correct decision on Afghanistan. With many of his supporters, and some of his own advisers, …
voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/03/
hats_off_to_president_obama.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Marine to receive medal for bravery in Afghanistan
Los Angeles Times – CA,USA
Gustafson, 22, from Eagan, Minn., is credited with saving Marine lives by continuing to fire at the enemy during an insurgent ambush in Afghanistan in July, …
latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/03/bravery-medal.html

Forces Target Bomb-Making Taliban in Afghanistan
Voice of America – USA
Southern Afghanistan, and Helmand province in particular, has become the center of an increasingly active Taliban insurgency. Also Thursday, the first 240 …
www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-27-voa14.cfm

Obama Shifts Focus to Afghanistan
Washington Post – United States
Obama will deliver remarks on the new Afghanistan strategy this morning, after which a trio of administration officials will hold an on-the-record session …
voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/03/27/oba
ma_shifts_focus_to_afghanis.html?wprss=44

17 militants killed in Afghanistan: officials
AFP
KABUL (AFP) — Security forces killed 17 militants in various operations in Afghanistan, authorities said Friday, as US President Barack Obama was due to …
www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/AL
eqM5hzZOkVsqPgEkBVg94CaeodC6B4Yg

UK ready to send more troops to Afghanistan
CNN International – USA
LONDON, England (CNN) — Britain is prepared to send more troops to Afghanistan, the head of the British Army said in an interview published Friday. …
edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/
03/27/britain.afghanistan.troops/

FACTBOX-Afghanistan: Who are the insurgents?
Reuters – USA
But who are the armed opposition groups in Afghanistan? The Taliban arose in 1994 near the main southern Afghan city Kandahar under the leadership of Mullah …
www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSISL427398

US official: talks on Kyrgyzstan base continue
The Associated Press
The base provides support for military operations in Afghanistan and its potential closure poses a challenge to President Barack Obama’s plan to send up to …
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jg
2aPCkh2TdmF8zxxwo27FAlTp9wD976A75O0

Army mulls ‘Afghanistan troop surge’
AFP
LONDON (AFP) — The head of the army has earmarked extra troops to send to Afghanistan, The Times reported on Friday, as US President Barack Obama prepared …
www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/A
LeqM5ghOy1U8iUXzbChabYwJUjeVgHlWA

Afghanistan and Pakistan
Dallas Morning News – Dallas,TX,USA
A former UN official who oversaw reconstruction funds in Afghanistan diverted half a million dollars from roads, schools and clinics to fund his luxury …
www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/
stories/DN-violencebox_27int.ART.State.Edition1.4acdf62.html

Afghanistan – Ramesh Ponnuru – The Corner on National Review Online
By Ramesh Ponnuru
Jay, I don’t know if I’d call Obama’s Afghan policy, as it seems to be developing, Carteresque (via the Standard). I’ll be interested to hear what Lowry has to say about Obama’s plan once he is back from Afghanistan, but it sounds …
corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Zjc0NjBkOTkz
ZTU0NjAyMWUyMmNmNGY2ZWM4ZjMyYjE=

Afghanistan War: The West’s ‘Fatal Mistakes’
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Afghanistan War: The West’s ‘Fatal Mistakes’ – The Huffington Post.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/27/afgha
nistan-war-the-wests_n_179929.html

Wake up America: Afghanistan Strategy
By Susan Duclos
President Obama plans to further bolster American forces in Afghanistan and for the first time set benchmarks for progress in fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban there and in Pakistan, officials said Thursday. …
wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com
/2009/03/afghanistan-strategy.html

Matthew Yglesias “ Obama Administration Goals in Afghanistan
By myglesias
Promoting a more capable, accountable, and effective government in Afghanistan that serves the Afghan people and can eventually function, especially regarding internal security, with limited international support.…
yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/03/
obama_administration_goals_in_afghanistan.php

Open Left:: President Obama’s Afghanistan Speech
By Chris Bowers
It has been more than seven years since the Taliban was removed from power, yet war rages on, and insurgents control parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan . Attacks against our troops, our NATO allies, and the Afghan government have risen …
www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=12515