30 March, 2009

NATO Opposes ‘Americanization’ of Afghanistan War
Bloomberg – USA
By James G. Neuger March 30 (Bloomberg) — NATO’s chief called for more European troops in Afghanistan to avoid the “Americanization” of the war after …
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601
082&sid=anojZhrn0VCA&refer=canada

Obama’s ‘New’ Afghanistan Strategy
FOXNews – USA
BUSH: Afghanistan’s success is critical to the security of America and our partners in the free world. OBAMA: And what’s at stake at this time is not just …
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511495,00.html

NATO chief accepts Netherlands’ planned withdrawal from S Afghanistan
Xinhua – China
De Hoop Scheffer has in recent years been an important advocate of the Netherlands sending more troops to Afghanistan. He urged The Hague to extend the …
news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/30/content_11102107.htm

Both Iran, US to attend Afghanistan peace meeting
The Associated Press
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An international conference on pacifying Afghanistan will include two unlikely partners for peace — the United States and Iran …
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM
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Eight die in Afghanistan attack
BBC News – UK
Eight people have died in a suicide bomb attack on a police compound in southern Afghanistan, officials say. The deaths came as a bomber wearing a police …
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7971638.stm

Afghanistan election delayed 3 months, extending President Hamid …
Chicago Tribune – United States
—AP KABUL — Afghanistan’s Supreme Court announced Sunday that President
Hamid Karzai should remain in office until a new leader is chosen in a
late-summer …
www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/
chi-obama-afghanistan_boxmar30,0,4523617.story

Obama Heads Back to Europe, Challenges in Tow
New York Times – United States
Add the challenge of promoting a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, and political strategists say there is no danger that Americans will confuse this …
www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/us/politics/30caucus.html

Transcript: Stephen Harper on ‘FNS’
FOXNews – USA
WALLACE: Before we get to the G20, let’s discuss Afghanistan. Canada, which has 2800 troops there and has, unfortunately, lost more than 100, plans to wrap …
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511369,00.html

‘Special Report’ Panel on President Obama’s Plan for Afghanistan
FOXNews – USA
BRET BAIER, HOST: President Obama talking about Afghanistan and Pakistan, laying out a new plan in which he wants to send 4000 additional trainers from the …
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511364,00.html

US Pushes Afghan Plan In The Hague This Week
Wall Street Journal – USA
By MARC CHAMPION After unveiling its strategy review for Afghanistan, the US administration this week starts selling it in earnest to the rest of the world …
online.wsj.com/article/SB123837048340167703.html

Australian Labor Party : Conference on Afghanistan in The Hague
By Australian Labor Party
This year will be a critical year for Afghanistan both in terms of security and in civilian reconstruction efforts. Australia continues to contribute to reconstruction efforts and we remain committed to building the capacity of the …
www.alp.org.au/media/0309/msfa300.php

Epoch Times – Press Freedom in Afghanistan on the Decline
By By Genevieve Long/Epoch Times Staff
Press freedom in war-torn Afghanistan regressing to Taliban-era level of restrictions, according to recent report.
www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/14465/

Gareth Porter: Debunking the Rationale for War in Afghanistan
By Gareth Porter
Debunking the Rationale for War in Afghanistan – The Huffington Post.
www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-gareth-porter/
debunking-the-rationale-f_b_180504.html

Debunking the Rationale for War in Afghanistan …
By davidswanson
Yet there has been no public examination of the Obama administration strategic argument that the United States must do whatever is necessary in Afghanistan to ensure that al Qaeda cannot have a safe haven there. The assumption seems to …
www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/41208

Deeper into Afghanistan, the “Graveyard of Empires” | The Platform …
By Editorial Board
That was Rudyard Kipling’s advice after covering one of Great Britain’s futile 19th-century adventures in Afghanistan. Britain failed, as did Tsarist Russia, as had Alexander before them and the Soviet Union after them. …
www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-platform/published-editorials/
2009/03/deeper-into-afghanistan-the-graveyard-of-empires/

29 March, 2009

Transcript: Obama On “Face The Nation”
CBS News – New York,NY,USA
But as – when you outlined your program for Afghanistan and the new strategy, it really underlined in the starkest terms that we may not be talking about …
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/29/ftn/main4900813.shtml

Court: Karzai should remain Afghan pres until vote
The Associated Press
KABUL (AP) — Afghanistan’s state TV says the country’s Supreme Court has ruled that President Hamid Karzai should remain in office until a new leader is …
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWE
qwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD977O8I00

El Cajon Navy officer is killed in Afghanistan
San Diego Union Tribune – San Diego,CA,USA
By Lola Sherman (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer A Navy lieutenant from El Cajon has been killed in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said …
www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/mar/29/1m29
sailor222253-el-cajon-navy-officer-killed-afgh/

US Pakistan-Afghanistan envoy in India next week
AFP
As part of the policy revamp, Obama also promised to press an additional 4000 US troops into the “increasingly perilous” war in Afghanistan on top of the …
www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeq
M5iU3WomEu5a5MUT5xpCiVevexCT2A

Gates says objectives in Afghanistan are narrowing
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the short-term objectives for US forces in Afghanistan have narrowed under President Barack Obama’s …
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4
Y2OIVhugHSGoXJPn_opoNf6tIwD977N8M80

Taliban abduct 11 Pakistani policemen
Reuters – USA
Pakistan sees the violence in Khyber and across the northwest as a result its support for the US mission in Afghanistan. US President Barack Obama announced …
www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSISL42041

FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, March 29
Reuters – USA
HELMAND – Seven insurgents were killed in a joint operation by Afghan and international troops in Girishk district, 530 km (330 miles) southwest of Kabul, …
www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSISL439511

Obama Will Face a Defiant World on Foreign Visit
New York Times – United States
The president will not even try to overcome NATO’s unwillingness to provide more troops in Afghanistan when he goes on later in the week to meet with the …
www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/washington/29global.html

US troops face clever relentless opponents in Afghanistan
MiamiHerald.com – Miami,FL,USA
A confrontation between a US platoon and insurgents is leaving troops to conclude there is no victory around the bend in Afghanistan, only relentless clever …
www.miamiherald.com/news/world/story/973143.html

No Givens As Obama Steps Onto World Stage
Washington Post – United States
The president plans to push for a new approach to the war in Afghanistan, aggressive action to stop the proliferation of weapons and a more united European …
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2009/03/28/AR2009032801636.html

Afghanistan’s Karzai Endorses Obama Plan | AfterDowningStreet.org
By Chip
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that he was in “full agreement” with President Obama’s newly announced strategy for Afghanistan, saying it was “exactly what the Afghan people were hoping for” and promising to “work very …
www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/41179

UFPJ Call for National Action for Peace in Afghanistan …
By tnjp
Today, President Barack Obama announced his plans to send another 21000 troops to Afghanistan: he is girding the nation for a long and costly military occupation there. While he also made some good statements on increasing diplomacy and …
www.tnjp.org/UFPJ-Call-for-National-Action-for-Peace-in-Afghanistan

Green Left – AUSTRALIA: Rudd promises to stay in Afghanistan for …
Polling by the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based conservative think tank, revealed that 56% of Australians were “opposed to military involvement” in Afghanistan in 2008. On March 24, Newspoll said that 65% of Australians disagree with …
www.greenleft.org.au/2009/789/40637

Sky News: AFP will consider Afghanistan requests
The federal government has not confirmed reports in Fairfax newspapers earlier this month that 10 extra AFP officers have been sent to Afghanistan to help train local police. The police were reportedly sent to the Afghanistan this month …
www.skynews.com.au/news/article.aspx?id=316760

U.S. follows Canada’s leadin Afghanistan – Brockville Recorder and …
There were no big surprises in President Barack Obama’s new plan for Afghanistan, unveiled yesterday. It was clear before he took office the president and those around him were deeply unhappy with the state of progress there. …
www.recorder.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1500650