Ex-Taliban spokesman killed in Afghanistan Nov 29, 2008
KABUL (Reuters) A former Taliban spokesman was shot dead in his home late on Friday evening by unknown gunmen in the southeastern province of Nangarhar, a provincial official said on Saturday. Mohammad Hanif, who became a Taliban spokesman in October 2005 and was recently released from prison, was killed along with three members of his family when gunmen broke into his home in Chaparhar district, about 400 km (215 miles) southwest of Kandahar. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
10-year sentence for British army spy Nov 29, 2008
Prosecutors said James began sending coded e-mails after meeting Col. Mohammad Hossein Heydari, military attache at the Iranian Embassy in Kabul, in late August 2006. One allegedly read, "I am at your service.". (International Herald Tribune)
Afghanistan stay gives Navy doctor reason for thanks Nov 29, 2008
American armed service personnel sat around a table at a NATO base in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thanksgiving Day and shared why they give thanks. Navy Lt. Kerry Ann Hudson -- 7,000 miles from her native Peters and away from family on a holiday for the first time in her 31 years -- didn't hesitate, having seen the country's oppressive poverty. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
India, Pakistan tension rises Nov 29, 2008
It is also notable because India has in the past accused the ISI of helping attacks on Indian targets by militants, including last July's bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Gilani said that Singh had told him that a preliminary investigation indicated the attack originated from the Pakistani city Karachi. (iAfrica.com)
COMMENT: Save Pakistan To Save All Nov 29, 2008
Recall that the US confronted Islamabad, to apparently little avail, with evidence of the involvement of Pakistan-inspired elements in the July bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul; wonder how the world's premier nuclear smuggler and rogue proliferator, A Q Khan, can lead a low-profile, yet comfortable and virtually unexamined life in Pakistan while being under so-called house arrest, with no one from the rest of the world allowed to go near him; and, to gently remind everyone of India's... (India Times, India)
Suicide attack on US convoy kills, injures Afghan civilians Nov 28, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan - At least four people were killed and 17 injured yesterday in a suicide car bomb attack on a convoy of American troops near the US Embassy in the capital, Kabul ... The explosion in rush-hour traffic in the heart of Kabul damaged cars and blew out the windows of several apartments in a high-rise building ... Ali Shah Paktiawal, chief of the police investigation division in Kabul, said four Afghans were killed and three were wounded. (Boston Globe)
Pak may be pushing hardened jihadis Nov 28, 2008
ISI has also been irked with Indias presence in Afghanistan and despite the possibility of attracting US displeasure had attacked the Indian embassy in Kabul. The successful polling in the first two phases of Jmbly elections could also be a reason that prompted jihadis to mark their presence, to drive home the point that India is very much vulnerable to terror strikes. (India Times, India -- Community News)
British death toll now at 101 in Afghanistan Nov 28, 2008
Michael Evans, Defence Editor and Tom Coghlan in Kabul ... A suicide car bomb exploded close to the US Embassy in Kabul yesterday, killing at least four people as a United Nations Security Council delegation visited the Afghan capital ... Despite the mounting violence, the delegation from the UN Security Council in Kabul reported yesterday that there were reasons for being cautiously optimistic. (Times Online)
Afghans riot in Kabul after troops kill civilian Nov 28, 2008
Rioting began after a convoy of foreign contractors hit a grey minivan off a main road in eastern Kabul, witnesses said ... The Kabul chief of police had earlier said British soldiers had opened fire on the minivan, but ISAF said none of its troops fired their weapons during the incident ... Dozens of Afghans gathered near the United Nations headquarters in Kabul on Thursday for a peaceful protest against the killing of civilians in foreign air strikes. (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
Interrogator Says Bin Laden Driver Heard Sept. 11 Briefing Nov 28, 2008
According to Soufan, Hamdan said that on Sept. 11, 2001, he was present for a meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan, between the al-Qaeda leader; his deputy, ; and , the self-described mastermind of the assault on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As the men viewed pictures of the 19 suicide hijackers, bin Laden "praised them and their courage and asked God to accept them as martyrs," Soufan quoted Hamdan as saying. (Yahoo News -- Terrorism & 9/11)
Warns against ‘knee-jerk reactions' Nov 28, 2008
Most recently, it was alleged that Pakistan's notorious Inter-Services Intelligence agency masterminded the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul this year. After the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament, for which India blamed Pakistan, both countries deployed large numbers of troops to their common border. (Globe and Mail)
Afghan police: 4 dead near U.S. Embassy Nov 28, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide car bomber targeting a convoy of foreign troops exploded about 200 yards outside the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least four Afghan bystanders as people entered the compound for a Thanksgiving Day race. At least 18 others were wounded in the morning attack, said Abdullah Fahim, a health ministry spokesman. (Athens Banner-Herald)
• Terror leader slams US, Afghanistan gov'ts Nov 28, 2008
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, right, speaks as NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer listens, during a meeting at the Presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008. At a news conference Wednesday with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Karzai expanded on his comments from a day earlier, saying he had not asked the international community for a withdrawal date, but a "date for your success." He also returned to one of his longstanding criticisms of U.S.... (Burley South Idaho Press, ID)
Meeting Medvedev Halfway Nov 28, 2008
As our supply line from the Pakistani port of Karachi through the Khyber Pass to Kabul grows perilous, this has to be seen as a gesture of friendship by a Russia that shares, as a fellow victim of Islamic terror, the U.S. detestation of al-Qaida. Opportunity also presents itself with the official report of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on the August war. (Human Events Online)
India's day of reckoning Nov 28, 2008
This suggests that by striking at India's investment and inflows, the attackers want India to pay a heavy price for its backing of the Karzai Government in Kabul and its detente with Pakistan over Kashmir. Although fragile, the reduction in tension between the two countries allows the Pakistan army to divert forces to fighting the Taliban along the North-West Frontier. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Botched mission costs life of chief Nov 28, 2008
Khan's friend had received one of the Taliban's dreaded night letters - written threats dropped at his door, warning he would be killed if he persisted with a road-building project which the insurgents read as support for the Kabul Government and its foreign sponsors ... " Rozi Khan was larger than life in Oruzgan. A former provincial police chief, he was the district governor of Chora, in the north of the province. His power came as much from the standing of his Barakzai tribe as from his... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Suicide bomb kills 4 near U.S. embassy in Kabul Nov 28, 2008
An Afghan looks at a damaged vehicle at the site of blast in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Nov. 27, 2008 ... KABUL, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Suicide car bombing suspected of targeting convoy of international troops Thursday morning near U.S. embassy in Afghan capital Kabul killed at least four and injured 16 others, officials said ... "It occurred at around 8:30 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) when a suicide bomber driving a car laden with explosive material detonated himself some 100 meters from the... (Xinhuanet, China)
Former Taliban spokesman killed in E Afghanistan Nov 28, 2008
KABUL, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Doctor Hanif, anonym of a former Taliban spokesman for eastern Afghanistan, was killed by unknown gunmen Thursday night in Nangarhar province, said an official on Friday. Sayed Mohammad Pahlawan, district chief of Chaparhar, told Xinhua that "a group of gunmen shot and killed Doctor Hanif along with two other members of his family in the district late last night.". (Xinhuanet, China)
UN: Taliban Could Clear $500M From 2008 Drug Trade Nov 28, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 28, 2008. Text Size: (AP) The Taliban and other warlords could clear almost half a billion dollars from Afghanistan's opium trade this year _ money that will help finance insurgent attacks, the U.N.'s drug czar said. (CBS News -- World)
Winter of Hunger Looms in Afghanistan Nov 28, 2008
And he has just used some of his last money to travel 200 miles to Kabul for tuberculosis treatment. The family usually starts the winter burning wood, then dried leaves and dung patties when the wood runs out. (Newsmax)
Afghan leader faults US and NATO on war Nov 27, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's president sharply critiqued the seven-year Afghan war yesterday, complaining that US and NATO troops haven't made life better. The criticism came a day after he accused foreign forces of undermining him with a "parallel government" in the countryside. (Boston Globe)
Afghan leader criticizes U.S., NATO efforts Nov 27, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's president sharply critiqued the seven-year Afghan war Wednesday, complaining that U.S. and NATO troops haven't made life better ... In a sign of the mood of Afghan journalists in the room, de Hoop Scheffer was asked what NATO had accomplished over the years, given that violence "has reached the gates of Kabul." He sidestepped the question. (MSNBC -- International)
Kabul 'bomb attack' on US embassy Nov 27, 2008
A suspected suicide bomber has struck close to the entrance to the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, witnesses and police say ... Kabul's police chief, Mohammad Ayoub Salangi, said one person had been killed and six injured. (BBC News)
Video Released of Kidnapped French Aid Worker Nov 27, 2008
Egreteau was captured by gunmen in Kabul Nov. 3 as he drove to work with another aid worker, who managed to escape ... Security has deteriorated across Afghanistan over the last two years, and the capital, Kabul, has seen a spike in crimes against Westerners in the last several weeks. (Fox News)
Suicide bomber kills 4, wounds 17 in Kabul Nov 27, 2008
A suicide car bomber plowed his Toyota into rush-hour traffic on a commercial boulevard in Kabul on Thursday morning, killing at least four civilians and wounding up to 17 , the police and hospital authorities said. The bomber was apparently targeting a passing convoy of NATO troops, the Interior Ministry said in a statement, but several witnesses said there were no security forces, either Afghan or foreign, in the immediate vicinity of the blast. (International Herald Tribune)
Nato chief, Karzai discuss war on terror Nov 27, 2008
KABUL: President Hamid Karzai held talks with Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in Kabul on Wednesday on the alliances role in the war on terror in Afghanistan, the leader said. Scheffers visit to Kabul, which was unannounced, came as a delegation from the UN Security Council also toured the country to assess developments seven years after the 2001 ouster of the Taliban regime in a US-led invasion. (PakTribune.com)
Afghan justice: 'They should die' Nov 27, 2008
"But maybe I can go to Kabul and continue my studies.". (). (Globe and Mail -- International)
Pakistani officers say Americans misreading their nation Nov 27, 2008
He s just the mayor of Kabul (Afghanistan s capital city), Waheed added. And Karzai and other Afghan leaders are becoming too cozy with India, both Pakistani officers said. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
Bomb explodes near U.S. Embassy Nov 27, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan police say a suicide car bomb has exploded about 200 yards (meters) outside the main entrance to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul in an attack against an American convoy. Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayub Salangi says one person was killed and six wounded in the attack. (AZCentral -- News)
Afghanistan arrests 10 in acid attack on girls Nov 27, 2008
(11-26) 04:00 PST Kabul, Afghanistan -- Even amid the everyday brutality of war, it was an especially horrific attack: Assailants splashed battery acid on a group of Afghan girls earlier this month, punishing them for going to school ... The arrests were made last week, but only disclosed on Tuesday by Kandahar Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi after the arrival of a delegation of senior Afghan government officials from the capital, Kabul. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Karzai defends Taliban peace move Nov 27, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has defended his peace "overtures" to some Taliban militants but emphasized the fight against terror groups like al Qaeda must continue. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has defended his peace "overtures" to some Taliban militants. (CNN -- World)
US to send troops to key Afghan areas Nov 26, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan - As the United States and NATO attempt to stamp out an increasingly potent insurgency on the doorstep of the Afghan capital, the senior US Army commander in eastern Afghanistan said he plans to send hundreds of troops to two volatile provinces immediately south of Kabul that have traditionally lacked Western forces ... Neither has been a major center of US or NATO military activity, even though both provinces are directly adjacent to Kabul and are home to critical transit... (Boston Globe)
Karzai: Fixed end date needed for Afghan war Nov 26, 2008
Shah Marai / APAfghan President Hamid Karzai, right, talks with U.N. Security Council ambassadors and envoys at the presidential palace in Kabul on Tuesday ... KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai told a visiting U.N. Security Council delegation Tuesday that the international community should set a timeline to end the war in Afghanistan. (MSNBC -- International)
Border control Nov 26, 2008
The US blames the Haqqani network for much of the violence in south-eastern Afghanistan, as well as the attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul last July. "Haqqanis are for us what Baitullahs are for you," Dawn quoted Gen Petraeus as saying to Pakistani commanders. (BBC News)
Afghan progress Nov 26, 2008
By Ian Pannell Kabul Correspondent, BBC News ... From London to Washington to Kabul, a debate is now under way about what success in Afghanistan will look like and who will achieve it. (BBC News -- UK)
Tribal chiefs offered UK 'bribes' to fight Taliban Nov 26, 2008
By Jerome Starkey in Kabul Wednesday, 26 November 2008 ... British officials in Kabul are bankrolling an Afghan initiative to pay community leaders monthly wages to get them talking to the government ... News of Britain's involvement came as the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, met President Hamid Karzai during a surprise visit to Kabul yesterday. (Independent)
Afghanistan plea in war on opium Nov 26, 2008
The Afghan president made the call as he officially opened an international summit in Kabul aimed at tackling Afghanistan's illegal drugs trade ... The BBC's Andrew North in Kabul says Mr Karzai stressed the need for greater efforts to develop "alternative livelihoods" for poppy farmers. (Yahoo News -- Drug Trade)
Karzai Seeks UN Help to Curb Civilian Deaths in Afghan Conflict Nov 26, 2008
Karzai told the that one of his main requests was for international troops to avoid civilian casualties during the military operations against the terrorists, Humayun Hamidzada said at a news conference in Kabul yesterday. In the first eight months of this year, 1,445 civilians were killed in Afghanistan, either by international and Afghan forces or militants, an increase of 39 percent on the same period last year when 1,040 died, according to the UN.. (Bloomberg)
* Afghanistans women lawmakers speak out as conditions worsen Nov 26, 2008
By Clancy Chassay THE GUARDIAN, KABUL Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008, Page 9 ... Talking at her home in central Kabul, she closed the living room door as her three young daughters played in the hall ... We are very worried that, now the government is talking with the Taliban, our rights will be compromised, said Shinkai Karokhail, an outspoken MP for Kabul. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Karzai urges Afghan war timeline Nov 26, 2008
The BBC's Daud Qarizadah in Kabul says Mr Karzai's strong comments show he is extremely worried about the dissatisfaction and frustration among Afghans in the south and east where the insurgency is high. The call for the timeline is an attempt to win support back in those regions ahead of elections next year, our correspondent says. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Arrests after Afghan acid attack Nov 26, 2008
But the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Kabul says many Afghans blame the Taleban for continued arson attacks on girls' schools. Only two million girls attend school in Afghanistan, with many conservative families still preferring to keep them at home despite a government push to encourage female education, he says. (BBC News -- South Asia)
10 arrested for Afghan acid attack Nov 26, 2008
Ayobi said a joint delegation from the Interior Ministry and the office of the attorney general in the capital, Kabul, had arrived in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, on Monday to evaluate the cases of the suspects. Today in Asia - Pacific. (International Herald Tribune)
Karzai calls for timeline to end the war in Afghanistan Nov 26, 2008
KABUL President Hamid Karzai told a visiting United Nations Security Council delegation Tuesday that the international community should set a timeline to end the war in Afghanistan. It appeared to be the first time Mr. Karzai has called for such a deadline to defeat Taliban militants and raise a stable and competent Afghan security establishment. (Globe and Mail)
Taliban, drug lords await $770m opium bonanza Nov 26, 2008
A policeman destroys a poppy field south of Kabul. Photo: AFP. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Kaplan: Rumsfeld\'s Feeble Attempts To Rewrite History Nov 26, 2008
He felt confident in his views because of the lightning victory in Afghanistan, where a very small contingent of Special Operations forces, backed by smart bombs and indigenous guerrilla fighters, ousted the Taliban regime from Kabul in a matter of weeksmuch more rapidly than the year or two that many Army generals guessed it would take ... He thought that the war was over when Kabul fell and the Taliban retreated. (Slate)
Karzai says US, NATO created 'parallel' government Nov 26, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) President Hamid Karzai criticized the U.S. and other foreign countries for creating a "parallel government" in Afghanistan's countryside during a blunt overview of the country's problems before a U.N. Security Council delegation. Karzai called Tuesday for the international community to set a timeline to end the war in Afghanistan and asked why given the number of countries involved and the amount of money spent the Taliban remains so powerful. (AL.com)
More Top Stories Asia Pacific Headlines Nov 26, 2008
KABUL (AFP) - Soldiers killed 10 militants and arrested four in US-led operations targeting extremists in eastern Afghanistan linked to the Al Qaeda terror network, the US military said Wednesday. One of the raids on Tuesday targeted a senior Taliban commander in Paktya province who was believed to be liaison between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, it said in a statement. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Afghanistan exit Nov 25, 2008
Parts of it may well remain beyond the reach of central government in Kabul, and some of those responsible for the mayhem of the last 30 years could well retain much of their power and influence, perhaps even their militia ... The Taleban may not rule in Kabul, but in large parts of this vast country - notably in the south - they remain a threat and retain the power to disrupt people's lives ... According to figures published by the UN and the Kabul government, 85% of the population now have... (BBC News)
Ormond Beach ties reach to Nurse Corps in Kabul Nov 25, 2008
Christopher Schmidt, 40, chief of the Nurse Corps and member of an 18-person Navy embedded training team in Kabul, Afghanistan ... Our mission is to mentor and advise doctors and nurses of the Afghan National Army's largest military medical facility, National Military Hospital, Kabul, in order to augment their standard of medical care provided to critically injured and ill soldiers and their beneficiaries ... Though rebuilding is taking place, specifically in Kabul, poverty is everywhere. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Pervasive corruption fuels deep anger in Afghanistan Nov 25, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan Ramzan Bashardost drives a beat-up black 1991 Suzuki with a cracked windshield and often sleeps in a tent habits hardly befitting a respected member of parliament ... "Otherwise, nothing in Kabul works.". (Chicago Tribune)
S Korea denies hostage payments Nov 25, 2008
The 19 hostages, freed on Wednesday and Thursday after a six-week ordeal, left Kabul for Dubai on Friday. Witnesses at Kabul airport said the South Koreans looked pale but healthy ... HOSTAGE TIMELINE 19 July: 23 South Korean Christian volunteer aid workers seized on a bus between Kabul and Kandahar 26 July: One male hostage shot dead - identified as Bae Hyung-kyu, 42, a church pastor and leader of the group 31 July: Another male hostage, Shim Sung-min, a 29-year-old former IT worker, found dead... (Yahoo News -- South Korea)
U.S. "surge" could prop up allies in Afghan south Nov 25, 2008
KABUL (Reuters) British, Canadian and Dutch troops are doing their best to fight the Taliban in southern Afghanistan with limited resources, but with progress slow, the United States is considering a surge of its own firepower to tip the balance. The decision whether to send more than 20,000 extra U.S. troops to Afghanistan to safeguard presidential polls next year is likely to be one of the first faced by President-elect Barack Obama when he becomes commander-in-chief in January. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Karzai's death-penalty dilemma Nov 25, 2008
"I wonder whether he has read the constitution?" a Western official in Kabul said after the President's statement appeared to interfere with the supposedly independent judiciary ... A Kabul newspaper approvingly quoted Mr. Nadery earlier this month saying he supports the executions, but in a subsequent interview the commissioner said his position is more nuanced. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Fitzgibbon in dispute with UN over rejected general Nov 25, 2008
"Subsequently, I spoke to [Australia's UN ambassador] Robert Hill in New York, and also called the Special Envoy in Kabul to see what more Australia could do to more quickly progress the UN presence in Oruzgan province. I told the Special Envoy that the offer of a senior military officer remains, but he indicated his preference is for more assistance in the area of agricultural and developmental advice." ... Mr Eide, who is based in Kabul as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Rise in crime, kidnapping, top Afghans' worries Nov 25, 2008
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Hajji Habib Lal is a successful businessman in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, importing fine ceramic plates from Germany and France ... "Our perception of security priorities is different from that of the vast majority of Afghans," says Andrew Wilder, author of "Cops or Robbers?" a 2007 report on police reform for the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, an independent think tank in Kabul ... In Kabul, a Christian aid worker and two businessmen have been shot in... (Christian Science Monitor)
UNSC mission: UN continues to assist Afghanistan Nov 25, 2008
KABUL, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The visiting fact finding mission of United Nations Security Council assured that UN would continue support to the war-battered Afghanistan, a press release of Afghan Foreign Ministry received here Tuesday said ... An Afghan policeman walks near the site of a roadside bombing on the outskirts of Kabul November 24, 2008 ... KABUL, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- A fact finding mission sent by the United Nations Security Council has arrived in Afghan capital Kabul to assess the... (Xinhuanet, China)
Panel: U.S. 'falling behind' Afghanistan bombings Nov 25, 2008
Afghan police inspect the site of an explosion Monday on the outskirts of Kabul. Police said an improvised explosive device wounded a boy. (USA Today)
U.N.: "Grave Abuses" Against Afghan Youth Nov 25, 2008
On April 30, 2008, in Kabul, police cordoned off a house where insurgents were hiding; a woman and child were killed in the ensuing firefight ... On July 7, 2008, a vehicle-borne IED detonated at the Indian Embassy in Kabul, killing about 50 civilians, including children. (CBS News -- World)
US military spokesman says first brigade arriving will be deployed in areas in east not currently covered Nov 24, 2008
KABUL: A brigade of 3,500 to 4,000 additional United States troops due in Afghanistan in January will be deployed in the east amid efforts to stop infiltration of Taliban from Pakistan, the US military said on Sunday. The brigade has been approved as part of requested US troop reinforcements for Afghanistans fight against insurgency that could amount to around 20,000 personnel, US military spokesman Colonel Greg Julian told reporters in Kabul. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
The co-operation between NATO troops in Afghanistan and the Pakistan Army is at its best Nov 24, 2008
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan. Monday, November 24, 2008. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Obama promises Afghan president more U.S. aid in fight against extremists Nov 24, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan Barack Obama told Afghanistan's leader that he will dedicate more U.S. aid and military power to this region's fight against extremists groups once he takes office, the Afghan presidential office said today. The telephone conversation between Obama and President Hamid Karzai yesterday was the first reported contact between the two, although Obama spoke to at least 15 other world leaders in the three days after winning election. (Honolulu Advertiser)
UNDER ATTACK Nov 24, 2008
KABUL, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Violations of children's rights are increasing in Afghanistan with more attacks against schools, more children killed and more evidence of child sexual abuse, the United Nations said on Sunday. The report was conducted using a combination of data from agencies working across Afghanistan and anecdotal reports or allegations of violations against children. (AlertNet)
U.N. Security Council envoys on Afghan visit Nov 24, 2008
KABUL, Nov 24 (Reuters) - United Nations Security Council ambassadors and envoys arrived in Kabul on Monday for a three-day trip to assess the status of a $20 billion funding pledge to Afghanistan and meet with President Hamid Karzai. The UN Security Council delegation, led by Ambassador Giulio Terzi of Italy, will assess efforts to improve security and rebuild a country which has been in a state of war for almost three decades. (AlertNet)
Tibetan exiles opt for 'middle way' Nov 23, 2008
AFGHANISTAN Attacks kill French soldier, 8 civilians KABUL - A blast killed a French soldier walking with other troops from their Afghan base to a firing range and a grenade attack on a wedding party killed eight people, officials said yesterday. It was unclear whether the mine that exploded was planted by insurgents. (Boston Globe)
5 suspected terrorists killed in Pakistan Nov 23, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan - A fugitive Al Qaeda operative and at least four other extremist fighters were killed yesterday in a suspected US missile strike in a tribal area of northwest Pakistan, according to two Pakistani intelligence officials. The intelligence officials in the restive tribal area of North Waziristan said the dead operative was Rashid Rauf, a man who held dual Pakistani and British citizenship and who has been linked to a 2006 plot to blow up British airliners. (Boston Globe)
