Taliban

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Don't Believe the Hype: Afghanistan's Fixable

US position in the country far different from previous foreign powers'

(Newser) - We hear plenty of doom and gloom about Afghanistan, the so-called “graveyard of empires” that defeated the Brits way back when and kicked out the Soviets in 1989. But the naysayers are forgetting all that’s working in favor of the US, writes Peter Bergen in the New York ...

Intense Debate Led to Obama Afghan Compromise

Biden warned against being dragged into political, military quagmire

(Newser) - President Obama's new Afghan strategy was forged after intense debate among advisers, reports the New York Times, with VP Joe Biden being the voice of caution, warning against being dragged into a quagmire there. All advisers agreed that the goal should narrow to tackling al-Qaeda, rather than Bush-style nation-building. But...

Pakistani, Afghan Taliban Unite Against US

Commanders agree to settle differences to counter US surge

(Newser) - Pakistan's Taliban leaders have pledged to scale back their battle against the government to help their Afghan counterparts fight the US surge, the New York Times reports. The leaders issued a statement promising to settle their internal differences to "bring dishonor on the infidels" after a visit from a...

US Pinpoints New Drone Targets in Pakistan

Missile strikes evaluated as part of regional policy review

(Newser) - As the US reviews its controversial air strike program in Pakistan, US and Pakistani intelligence officials are adding new targets to its list, the Wall Street Journal reports. Pakistani officials hope that expanding the drone program to target extremists will win them public support; at the same time, the Obama...

Taliban Gets Pakistani Aid for Afghan Fight

(Newser) - It's no great secret that Pakistan's spy agency has long lent a helping hand to the Taliban, but the scale of that aid appears to be larger and more diverse than thought, the New York Times reports. The secretive ISI provides money, supplies, and help with strategic planning to the...

NATO Troops Kill Key Taliban Commander in Afghanistan

Maulawi Hassan responsible for numerous bombings, attacks in recent months

(Newser) - A top Taliban commander was killed by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan this weekend, the New York Times reports. Maulawi Hassan had been the coordinator of many suicide bombings and other attacks since fall 2008 and reported directly to Mullah Rahmatullah, a Taliban leader who directs operation from outside Afghanistan. Hassan’...

Seeking Talks, US May Allow Taliban Political Party

Some could run for office, but power-sharing impossible: diplomat

(Newser) - In an effort to establish a dialogue with the Taliban, the US may allow the militant group to create a political party or be represented by election candidates, the Guardian reports. Other options include removing Taliban leaders from UN blacklists, releasing prisoners, and revising Afghanistan’s constitution. But there’s...

US May Strike Deeper Into Pakistan

Drones may target Taliban sanctuaries beyond tribal areas

(Newser) - The Obama administration is considering expanding its covert war in Pakistan beyond tribal areas to strike Taliban havens in regions under the central government's control, reports the New York Times. US commanders believe the Taliban, under the leadership of Mullah Omar, is operating out of sanctuaries in Baluchistan—which borders...

Feds Loosen Restrictions on 'American Taliban'

(Newser) - Federal prison officials are easing up a bit on John Walker Lindh, better known as the American Taliban, reports the Washington Post. All "special administrative measures" against Lindh will expire on Friday, meaning he'll be able to get more visitors, mail, and access to the media, among other things....

Liberals Turn Against War in Afghanistan, Too
Liberals Turn Against War in Afghanistan, Too
OPINION
Mar 17, 2009 9:52 AM CDT

Liberals Turn Against War in Afghanistan, Too

How swiftly 'good war' becomes 'another Vietnam,' says scribe

(Newser) - When the Iraq war was going badly, Bret Stephens writes in the Wall Street Journal, American liberals always defended efforts in Afghanistan—the “good war” the US couldn’t afford to lose. But now many of those same lefties say it’s time to bow out instead of getting...

Washington Needs to Give Obama His Due
Washington Needs to Give Obama His Due
OPINION
Mar 15, 2009 2:07 PM CDT

Washington Needs to Give Obama His Due

Pundits too often advocate outdated 'imperial policy'

(Newser) - You just can’t please the Washington establishment, Fareed Zakaria observes in Newsweek. Beltway pundits almost universally blasted former President Bush’s foreign policy as arrogant and incompetent. But now that President Obama is charting a decidedly different course—closing Guantanamo, nixing torture, and signaling openness to talks with Syria,...

US Can Turn 70% of Afghan Taliban: Biden

Largest group of insurgents just hired mercenaries, VP says

(Newser) - A majority of the Taliban fighters in Afghanistan are just hired guns whose loyalties could be bought by the US, Joe Biden said today. “Five percent of the Taliban is incorrigible, not susceptible to anything other than being defeated,” the vice president said. “Another 25% or so...

With Talks, US Looks to Split Taliban

Experts push for controversial negotiations

(Newser) - The idea of negotiating with the Taliban may seem absurd to many Americans—but experts are increasingly encouraging the Obama administration to talk with some of the group’s low-ranking members, writes Helene Cooper in the New York Times. Such a strategy could help divide the Taliban by targeting insurgents...

Obama May Reach Out to Elements of Taliban

(Newser) - President Obama stated flatly today that the US is not winning the war in Afghanistan and said he is considering reaching out to less extreme elements of the Taliban, the New York Times reports. He likened the strategy to the successful American efforts in Iraq of convincing Sunni insurgents to...

US Missiles Kill 8 Militants in Pakistan

Islamabad complains that drone strikes help Taliban

(Newser) - An American drone attack today killed at least eight militants in a Pakistani tribal area, Reuters reports. "There are 'guests' among the dead," an anonymous intelligence official says, referring to non-Pakistani militants. The missile assault struck either a house or a bunker in South Waziristan, a Pakistani Taliban...

Pakistan: US Strikes Boost Local Qaeda Threat

But attacks are cutting fighters' global abilities

(Newser) - US drone strikes are heightening al-Qaeda’s threat to Pakistan, even as the attacks hurt the organization's ability to coordinate on a global scale, Pakistani officials say. The strikes have helped decentralize the group, but pockets focused on local jihad are fighting back. The officials also worry that an upcoming...

Did Gitmo Turn 'Lost Kid' Into Suicide Bomber?

Case highlights questions as Obama decides inmates' fate

(Newser) - A young Guantanamo inmate described by a lawyer as just "a kid who was lost" ended up bombing an Iraqi army outpost last year, killing 13 soldiers. While he was originally thought to be a low-level Taliban fighter—one of the “least dangerous” at Gitmo—his lawyer says...

Obama Approves Afghan Troop Surge

(Newser) - President Obama has approved an increase in troop levels in Afghanistan, which could put 17,000 more soldiers and Marines on the ground in the coming months, the AP reports. Insiders say they should be in place by the volatile summer period, when warmer weather and upcoming elections are expected...

Taliban Target Pakistanis With Relatives in US

Extremists kidnap family of immigrants, demand ransom

(Newser) - The Taliban have developed a new tactic as they grow stronger in Pakistan: kidnapping and intimidating Pakistanis with relatives in the US. Immigrants are targeted through their families for money or as punishment for perceived political dissent, reports the New York Times. This creates a vexing paradox for Pakistanis in...

Pakistan Peace Deal Imposes Sharia Law

Agreement creates new 'order of justice' for Swat region

(Newser) - A peace deal between Pakistan and the Taliban will bring the country's troubled Swat valley under Islamic Sharia law, the BBC reports. The agreement "was reached after realization that it was the demand of the people," a regional official says. Since a violent Taliban campaign to impose Sharia...

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