Afghanistan

Source : Agencies | 03 Aug 2012

One of the key strategies touted by US and NATO military officials for securing appropriate conditions for a withdrawal of coalition soldiers from Afghanistan is the training of Afghan forces strong enough to provide their own defense and security against Taliban forces.

Source : Reuters | Kabul | 13 Aug 2012

Afghan officials have held secret talks with the Taleban's former second in command who is in detention in Pakistan in a move which could help rekindle stalled peace talks with the insurgents, according to senior officials from both countries.

Afghan officials have often seen Pakistan as a reluctant partner in attempts to broker talks with the Taleban but its decision to grant access to Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar may signal Islamabad's willingness to play a more active role.

By Missy Ryan | Reuters | 09 Aug 2012

The Obama administration, in a move aimed at reviving Afghan peace talks, has sweetened a proposed deal under which it would transfer Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison in exchange for a U.S. soldier held by Taliban allies in Pakistan.

The revised proposal, a concession from an earlier U.S. offer, would alter the sequence of the move of five senior Taliban figures held for years at the U.S. military prison to the Gulf state of Qatar, sources familiar with the issue said.

Source : Agencies | 08 Aug 2012

War-ravaged Afghanistan has been occupied by US and NATO troops for over a decade.

Now, with no end of the war in sight and according to new polling by Gallup, the misery and hopelessness of Afghans remains near its lowest point since similar polling was first conducted in 2008.

Source : Agencies | 25 Jul 2012

NATO trucks carrying supplies to Afghanistan were attacked in Pakistan on Tuesday following ongoing protests and anger in Pakistan over the July 3 reopening of the NATO supply routes and continued U.S. drone strikes which have escalated since May.

The attack on the trucks took place in the northwest area near Peshawar and are said to be the first such attack since the supply routes have been reopened following a tepid apology from Secretary Clinton.

By Saeed Shah | The Guardian | Islamabad | 21 Jul 2012

Pakistan plans to cancel refugee status for all Afghans living in the country at the end of this year, leaving some 3 million displaced people – the world's biggest cluster of refugees – facing possible expulsion to a country that many barely know.

Pushing the refugees into Afghanistan would be likely to create a new crisis for that country, already struggling with an insurgency and an economy almost entirely dependent on the western presence and the illicit drug trade.

Source : Reuters | Tokyo | 09 Jul 2012

Major donors pledged yesterday to give Afghanistan $16 billion in development aid through 2015 as they try to prevent it from sliding back into chaos when foreign troops leave, but demanded reforms to fight widespread corruption.

Donor fatigue and war weariness have taken their toll on how long the global community is willing to support Afghanistan and there are concerns about security following the withdrawal of most NATO troops in 2014 if financial backing is not secured.

By Matthew Rosenberg and Graham Bowley | NY Times | Kabul | 07 Jul 2012

The United States declared Afghanistan a major, non-NATO ally on Saturday with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton personally delivering the news of Afghanistan’s entry into a club that includes Israel, Japan, Pakistan and other close Asian and Middle Eastern allies.

By AFP | Kabul | 04 Jul 2012

The French military officially handed over control of the key Afghan province of Kapisa to local forces on Wednesday.

The transfer is an important stage in France’s withdrawal from the war-torn country, which new President Francois Hollande has accelerated by ordering the return of troops by the end of 2012, a year earlier than previously planned.

France is the fifth largest contributor to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is due to pull out the vast majority of its 130,000 forces by the end of 2014.

Source : AP | Islamabad | 01 Jul 2012

A Taleban emissary sat face-to-face this week with a senior Afghan government official responsible for peace talks in a rare high-level gathering between the bitter adversaries, an official said Saturday.