AFGHANISTAN & PAKISTAN :

New York Times, 02 Jul 09, by Richard A. Oppel Jr.
U.S. Marines Try to Retake Afghan Valley From Taliban
'Almost 4,000 United States Marines, backed by helicopter gunships, pushed into the volatile Helmand River valley in southwestern Afghanistan Thursday morning to try to take back the region from Taliban fighters whose control of poppy harvests and opium smuggling in Helmand provides major financing for the Afghan insurgency.'

Washington Post, 01 Jul 09, by Bob Woodward
Key in Afghanistan: Economy, Not Military
'National security adviser James L. Jones told U.S. military commanders here last week that the Obama administration wants to hold troop levels here flat for now, and focus instead on carrying out the previously approved strategy of increased economic development, improved governance and participation by the Afghan military and civilians in the conflict.'

New York Times, 01 Jul 09, by Jane Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah
In Refugee Aid, Pakistan’s War Has New Front
'Hard-line Islamist charities are using a refugee crisis to sour public opinion about the United States.'

Human Events, 01 Jul 09, by Rowan Scarborough
Pakistan Nukes At Risk
'Taliban terrorists know where some of Pakistan's nuclear weapons are stored based on information from allies inside the country's national security forces. A military source tells Human Events the Taliban and al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan's western frontier have ties to elements of the Pakistan army and Inter-Services Intelligence.'

New York Times, 30 Jun 09, by Salman Masood
An Accord in Pakistan Is Scrapped by Militants
'A powerful Taliban faction in a northwestern tribal region has said it is withdrawing from a peace deal with the government to protest continuing strikes by American drones, confronting the Pakistani military with a possible two-front campaign against militants ...'

Washington Post, 30 Jun 09, by Joshua Partlow
Deadly Ambush Could Indicate Threat to Pakistan's Army
'The Taliban assault on an army convoy passing through the village of Inzar Kas was one of the deadliest incidents for the military during its two-month-old offensive against the insurgents. But to some analysts, it also served as a warning of a bigger threat -- the possibility that disparate Taliban factions might be closing ranks to battle the army in Pakistan.'

New York Times, 27 Jun 09, by Jane Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah
Taliban Losses Are No Sure Gain for Pakistanis
'... the Taliban mostly melted away without a major fight, possibly to return when the military withdraws or to fight elsewhere, military analysts say. ... the Taliban’s decision to scatter leaves the future of Swat, and Pakistan’s overall stability, under continued threat, military analysts and some politicians say.'

BBC News, 25 Jun 09
'Shift needed' in Afghan combat
'The new commander of US and Nato-led troops in Afghanistan has said troops must shift from conventional warfare to protecting Afghan civilians. Gen Stanley McChrystal is expected to release new combat rules aimed at reducing the number of civilian deaths.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jun 09, by Issam Ahmed
Pakistan puts Taliban leader in crosshairs
'As the Army begins attacking South Waziristan, it has targeted hideouts of Baitullah Mehsud. Killing or even dislodging the militant chief could deal a severe blow to the movement, analysts say.'

Washington Post, 24 Jun 09, by Pamela Constable
Pakistan's Plans for New Fight Stir Concern
'Although the U.S. government has strongly endorsed Pakistan's new get-tough policy toward the extremists, American officials are also concerned that the Waziristan campaign could merely drive them into Afghanistan, where tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO forces are waging a grueling and protracted war against Afghan Taliban fighters and other insurgents.'

New York Times, 21 Jun 09, by Dexter Filkins
U.S. Toughens Airstrike Policy in Afghanistan
'The new American commander in Afghanistan said he would sharply restrict the use of airstrikes here, in an effort to reduce the civilian deaths that he said were undermining the American-led mission. ... Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, said the use of airstrikes during firefights would in most cases be allowed only to prevent American and other coalition troops from being overrun.'

Christian Science Monitor, 21 Jun 09, by Ben Arnoldy
Why Afghanistan might gain a CEO
'As race for presidency nears, a new role is eyed for a former US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad: Help Kabul work with the outside world.'

Washington Post, 23 Jun 09, by Keith B. Richburg
Reporters Escape Taliban Captors
'New York Times, Afghan Journalists Were Held 7 Months'

Washington Post, 19 Jun 09, by Rajiv Chandrasekaran
U.S. Pursues a New Way To Rebuild in Afghanistan
'Members of [Obama's] national security team have concluded that the country requires not just more money and personnel for reconstruction but also a fundamental overhaul of the U.S. approach to development.'

Christian Science Monitor, 18 Jun 09, by Ben Arnoldy
Pakistan faces limits as it widens war on Taliban
'The Army is preparing for a new offensive in South Waziristan. ... The military has the momentum of battlefield gains and popular support after pushing back one Taliban faction in northwestern Swat Valley and nearby areas. But South Waziristan is no Swat.'

Washington Post, 17 Jun 09, by Pamela Constable
Cleric's Slaying Signifies a Shift
'Taliban Widens Its Targets in Pakistan'

Washington Post, 17 Jun 09, by Griff Witte
A Karzai Victory Is Just the Ticket for Regional Commanders
'President Hamid Karzai is considered a strong favorite to win reelection when Afghans go to the polls this summer. But here in northern Afghanistan, one of the country's most peaceful regions, there is little doubt who will be in control when the elections are over, and it's not Karzai.'

Washington Post, 16 Jun 09, by Karen DeYoung
Seeking Truth and Trust in Pakistan
'Envoy Tries to Convince Refugees That U.S. Is on Their Side'

Christian Science Monitor, 09 Jun 09, by Daud Khattak
Pakistan: Massive hotel bomb further erodes security
'It comes after the Taliban threatened to launch periodic attacks in retaliation for an ongoing Army offensive against militants in the Swat Valley. As the town closest to the battle zone and to Pakistan's tribal areas, a militant stronghold, Peshawar makes for a prime target.'

New York Times, 10 Jun 09, by Sabrina Tavernise and Salman Masood
Bombing Challenges Aid to Pakistan Refugees
'One casualty of the bombing that killed as many as 18 people at a luxury hotel here Tuesday night may be the effort to aid Pakistan's surging population of refugees, who have been displaced by the military campaign against the Taliban.'

American Forces Press Service, 05 Jun 09, by Jim Garamone
Success in Afghanistan, Pakistan requires knowledge of region
'Success in Afghanistan and Pakistan will require an intimate local knowledge of the tribal culture and a small coalition footprint, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said here Friday.'

American Forces Press Service, 03 Jun 09, by John House
Afghan air power growing steadily
'The Afghan National Army Air Corps is a vital and rapidly growing component of Afghanistan's security forces and is building air power to deny terrorists a safe haven in Afghanistan, a U.S. Air Force general here said.'

New York Times, 09 Jun 09, by Adam B. Ellick
Accounts Differ on Afghan Grenade Attack
'American officials and some Afghan officials blamed an insurgent, but other Afghan officials faulted an American soldier.'

Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 09, by Saeed Shah and Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers
US to spend $1 billion on embassy expansions in Pakistan, Afghanistan
'Diplomatic presence on the scale of Iraq prompts concerns in Pakistan about American meddling.'

Christian Science Monitor, 09 Jun 09, by P.J. Tobia
Afghans fight flow of drugs and guns fueling Taliban insurgency
'But only 200 officers in the south have been trained so far in a US-led program to stem trafficking in and out of Pakistan.'

New York Times, 09 Jun 09, by Sabrina Tavernise and Irfan Ashraf
Attacked, Pakistani Villagers Take On Taliban
'Villagers are rising up against the Taliban in a remote corner of northern Pakistan, a grass-roots rebellion that underscores the shift in the public mood against the militants and a growing confidence to confront them.'

Washington Post, 03 Jun 09, by Ann Scott Tyson
New Approach to Afghanistan Likely
'Army Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, President Obama's choice to lead the war in Afghanistan, said yesterday that violence and combat deaths will intensify as more U.S. troops surge into Taliban-held areas, but he vowed to execute a "holistic" strategy in which killing insurgents would be subordinate to safeguarding Afghan civilians.'

New York Times, 02 Jun 09, by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker
U.S. Report Finds Airstrike Errors in Afghan Deaths
'A military investigation has concluded that American personnel made significant errors in carrying out some of the airstrikes in western Afghanistan on May 4 that killed dozens of Afghan civilians, according to a senior American military official.'

Washington Post, 01 Jun 09, by Karen DeYoung
Al-Qaeda Seen as Shaken in Pakistan
'Drone-launched U.S. missile attacks and Pakistan's ongoing military offensive in and around the Swat Valley have unsettled al-Qaeda and undermined its relative invulnerability in Pakistani mountain sanctuaries, U.S. military and intelligence officials say.'

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