AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN ARCHIVE :

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The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 May 08, by Isambard Wilkinson
Al-Qaeda schools nurture children for suicide attacks
'Militants linked to al-Qaeda have set up training camps to teach children how to conduct suicide attacks, say senior officers in the Pakistani military.'

International Herald Tribune, 28 May 08, by Judy Dempsey
Europe lagging in effort to train Afghan police
'Afghanistan's police force is in dire need of consistent training. Ever since the Taliban was overthrown in late 2001 by a coalition of U.S. troops and Afghan resistance fighters, the U.S. and some European countries have been trying to build from scratch the army and the police. While the army is finally taking shape, establishing a well-functioning police structure has been very slow. The blame can be shared widely.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 May 08, by Carlotta Gall
Taliban make Afghan stability a distant goal
'The American military often describes the insurgency as being like a balloon that when squeezed in one place, pops up in another. With the arrival of spring and a new fighting season, some local officials say NATO must move faster to strike the Taliban while the insurgents are weak, to prevent another summer offensive and to gain people's confidence. Frightened people will not support the government while it remains so weak, they say.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 May 08, by Jane Perlez
Pakistan agrees to pull troops from Taliban area
'The government of Pakistan has signed a deal with Taliban militants requiring the Pakistani Army to withdraw gradually from Swat, a once-popular resort area in North-West Frontier Province that has become a battleground.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 08, by Gordon Lubold
NATO extends Afghanistan tours
'Britain and the Netherlands agree to longer tours, delaying a bigger US role in the mission.'

BBC News, 10 May 08
Pakistan's government in turmoil
'Nine ministers from a leading party in Pakistan's new coalition have handed in their resignations, plunging the country into political uncertainty.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Apr 08, by Eric Schmitt and Mark Mazzetti
Pakistan's planned accord with militants alarms U.S.
'Bush administration officials are expressing increasing alarm that a deal being negotiated between the new Pakistani government and militant tribes in the country's unruly border area will lead to further unraveling of security in the region.'

International Herald Tribune, 01 May 08, by Eric Schmitt
Attacks in Pakistan increasing, U.S. reports
'Terrorist attacks against noncombatants more than doubled in Pakistan from 2006 to 2007, reflecting the growing violence in the country's turbulent tribal areas and new bombings against Pakistani government officials and security services, according to a report by the State Department.'

International Herald Tribune, 01 May 08, by Carlotta Gall and Abdul Waheed Wafa
Afghans see link to Qaeda in plot to shoot Karzai
'The attempt to kill President Hamid Karzai on Sunday was the work of militants who had infiltrated Afghanistan's security forces and had ties to groups linked to Al Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal areas, the Afghan intelligence chief said Wednesday.'

International Herald Tribune, 24 Apr 08, by Carlotta Gall
Fighting the Taliban with better governance, not just arms
'... local governance like the effort [in Wardak] has become one of the most pressing issues in Afghanistan, said Afghans, Western diplomats and NATO and U.S. military officials, and one that could determine the outcome of the still uncertain war.'

International Herald Tribune, 21 Apr 08, by Carlotta Gall
Afghans should be able to secure their own country by 2011, NATO predicts
'The Afghan Army and police forces should be able to secure most of Afghanistan by 2011, allowing international forces to start withdrawing, according to the U.S. commander of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, General Dan McNeill.'

Washington Post, 22 Apr 08, by Candace Rondeaux and Imtiaz Ali
Pro-Taliban Leader Released by Pakistan
'The release was part of a broader deal between the secular political leadership of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province and Islamist groups, which exert strong influence within the religiously conservative population. It represents the type of political negotiation promised by the country's newly elected lawmakers with groups the Bush administration and President Pervez Musharraf consider enemies.'

New York Times, 20 Apr 08, by Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt
U.S. Military Seeks to Widen Pakistan Raids
'American commanders in Afghanistan have in recent months urged a widening of the war that could include American attacks on indigenous Pakistani militants in the tribal areas inside Pakistan, according to United States officials.'

New York Times, 18 Apr 08, by Eric Schmitt
U.S. Lacks a Pakistan Plan, Report Finds
'The Bush administration has failed to develop a governmentwide plan to combat terrorism in Pakistan’s unruly tribal areas, even though top American officials concede that Al Qaeda has regenerated its ability to attack the United States and has established havens in that border region, government auditors said Thursday.'

Asia Times, 10 Apr 08, by Syed Saleem Shahzad
The Taliban talk the talk
'Another spring, another promised Taliban offensive in Afghanistan. This time it will be different, claim the Taliban, bolstered by hard-nosed tacticians and seasoned fighters who have honed their skills in Kashmir and the Pakistani tribal areas. Coalition forces in Afghanistan, while concerned over disruptions to their supply lines, are unmoved: bring them on, they say.'

International Herald Tribune, 10 Apr 08, by Tim Golden and David Rohde
Afghans hold secret trials for men that U.S. detained
'Dozens of Afghan men who were previously held by the United States at Bagram Air Base and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, are now being tried here in secretive Afghan criminal proceedings based mainly on allegations forwarded by the American military.'

Christian Science Monitor, 02 Apr 08, by Gordon Lubold
Afghanistan to ask NATO for bigger army of its own
'At the NATO meeting in Romania Thursday, Afghan officials are expected to request money to expand its National Army from 86,000 to 120,000 troops.'

Christian Science Monitor, 03 Apr 08, by Anand Gopal
Afghan opposition courts Taliban
'Talks began in 2007, a powerful coalition revealed last week. Experts say the move, an effort to undercut the government, could draw Taliban into the political process.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Apr 08, by Eric Schmitt
Army chief in Pakistan wins honor from U.S.
'Since General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani took command of Pakistan's army last November, a parade of top American officers and spymasters has trooped to Islamabad to urge him to wage an aggressive campaign against Al Qaeda and other militants in the country's restive tribal areas.'

Washington Post, 26 Mar 08, by Robin Wright and Joby Warrick
U.S. Steps Up Unilateral Strikes in Pakistan
'The United States has escalated its unilateral strikes against al-Qaeda members and fighters operating in Pakistan's tribal areas, partly because of anxieties that the country's new leaders will insist on a scaling back of military operations in that country, according to U.S. officials.'

International Herald Tribune, 27 Mar 08, by C. J. Chivers
Supplier under scrutiny on aging arms for Afghans
'Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur.'

Washington Post, 27 Mar 08, by Imtiaz Ali
Extremists Killing Afghans They Suspect Are Spying
'Extremists in Pakistan's western tribal areas have killed dozens of people suspected of providing intelligence to the United States and its allies in recent months, according to local officials and tribal elders.'

International Herald Tribune, 26 Mar 08, by Carlotta Gall
Pakistan pins hope for border region on moderate tribal party
'The victory of the Awami National Party, or ANP, [in Pakistani elections in February] was welcomed by Western officials and Pakistanis as a clear rejection of the Taliban and the religious parties in the province. The ANP ... sees itself as critically placed to begin a dialogue with the militants, something the Bush administration has been regarding warily.'

Globe and Mail, 22 Mar 08
Talking to the Taliban
'A portrait of average Taliban fighters.'

International Herald Tribune, 04 Mar 08, by Thom Shanker
Joint Chiefs chairman emphasizes U.S. role in Pakistan
'[Admiral Mike] Mullen said the United States was willing to offer assistance for things like training, transport helicopters and night-combat operations, but he stressed that he was bringing no specific proposals on this visit and that he would await formal requests from Pakistan's military.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Mar 08, by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker
U.S. plan widens role in training Pakistani forces
'The United States military is developing a plan to send about 100 American trainers to work with a Pakistani paramilitary force that is the vanguard in the fight against Al Qaeda and other extremist groups in Pakistan's restive tribal areas, American military officials said.'

Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb 08, by Mark Sappenfield
In northwestern Pakistan, where militants rule
'Foreign jihadists in an ungoverned tribal belt kill leaders, recruit locals.'

Washington Post, 26 Feb 08, by Michael Abramowitz and Colum Lynch
U.S. Struggles to Find Envoy, Hindering Effort to Stabilize Afghanistan
'The White House has been pushing since early fall to install a powerful new foreign envoy to oversee international reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.'

Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb 08, by David Montero
Pakistani militant attacks persist, test new leaders
'Key Taliban figures in the tribal belt remain at large despite 20,000 troops' efforts.'

International Herald Tribune, 20 Feb 08, by Carlotta Gall and Jane Perlez
New policy on militants is planned in Pakistan
'The winners of Pakistan's parliamentary elections said that they would take a new approach to fighting Islamic militants by pursuing more dialogue than military confrontation, and that they would undo the crackdown on the media and restore independence to the judiciary.'

Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb 08, by Mark Sappenfield
Pakistanis reject Musharraf rule, embrace new direction
'The opposition wins by a landslide in a surprisingly smooth election, as Musharraf allies concede defeat.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 Feb 08, by Salman Masood
Pakistan Army pulls back from civilian role
'The new army chief of Pakistan has ordered the withdrawal of military officers from the government's civil departments, officials said, an action that reverses an important policy of his predecessor, President Pervez Musharraf.'

Christian Science Monitor, 07 Feb 08, by Mark Sappenfield
Pakistan's Taliban offers truce, Army demurs
'Militants in the country's tribal belt seem to be maneuvering for time and space, analysts say.'

International Herald Tribune/AP, 07 Feb 08
U.S. confirms it is training Pakistani special forces
'U.S. military advisers are helping the Pakistanis double the size of their elite commando force in a continuing effort to blunt the rising threat of terror groups and anti-government militants operating in Pakistan's unruly tribal areas, a senior Defense Department official said.'

Washington Post, 07 Feb 08, by Ann Scott Tyson and Josh White
Gates Hits NATO Allies' Role in Afghanistan
'Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the top U.S. commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan yesterday issued a blunt assessment of the alliance's shortcomings in that country, arguing that the unwillingness of some member states to risk combat casualties is threatening NATO's future and undermining the prosecution of the Afghan war.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Feb 08
Rice prods U.S. allies on Afghan troop level
'All 26 NATO nations have soldiers in Afghanistan, and all agree that the mission is a top priority. But the refusal of European allies to send more combat troops to the south is forcing an already stretched U.S. military focused on the Iraq war to fill the gap and is straining the Western alliance.'

BBC News, 07 Feb 08
West warned over Afghan failure
'Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has said the failure of Nato's mission in Afghanistan could result in terror attacks in Western countries.'

Christian Science Monitor, 06 Feb 08, by Laura J. Winter
Afghanistan strains NATO ties
'Three major studies published last week concluded that economic and military initiatives to date lack the coherent strategy needed to block the return of the Taliban and Al Qaeda – or stop the burgeoning opium economy. The US and Britain, the lead military players in Afghanistan, have taken repeated beatings from lawmakers and allies about NATO's handling of the mission in the six years since the Taliban fell.'

BBC News, 07 Feb 08, by Lyse Doucet
World effort in Afghanistan under strain
'In 2001 when world leaders promised Afghans they would "be with you for the long run", no-one realised then just how long this run would be - or where it would take them.'

Christian Science Monitor, 05 Feb 08, by Mark Sappenfield
Musharraf successor Kayani boosts Pakistan Army's image
'His changes push officers to focus on eradicating terrorism, rather than on politics or securing perks.'

Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan 08, by Mark Sappenfield
New bid to control Pakistan's tribal belt
'US, Pakistan step up efforts to address the militant haven tied to global terror.'

Washington Post, 31 Jan 08, by Ann Scott Tyson
NATO's Not Winning in Afghanistan, Report Says
'NATO forces in Afghanistan are in a "strategic stalemate," as Taliban insurgents expand their control of sparsely populated areas and as the central government fails to carry out vital reforms and reconstruction, according to an independent assessment released yesterday by NATO's former commander.'

International Herald Tribune, 27 Jan 08, by Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger
Pakistan rejects secret request by U.S. to increase CIA presence
'The top two U.S. intelligence officials traveled secretly to Pakistan this month to press President Pervez Musharraf to allow the CIA greater latitude to operate in the tribal territories where Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other militant groups are all active, according to several officials who have been briefed on the visit.'

Asia Times, 31 Jan 08, by Philip Smucker
Mission creep in Afghanistan
'To undercut the insurgents - whose forces are an unusual mix of al-Qaeda operatives and fighters loyal to American nemesis Gulbuddin Hekmatyar - Kapisa, Afghanistan is fast becoming a litmus test for the US military's new and improved counter-insurgency campaign.'

International Herald Tribune, 24 Jan 08, by Ian Austen
Canada discloses it stopped sending prisoners to Afghans
'The Canadian military secretly stopped transferring prisoners to the Afghan government in November after Canadian monitors found evidence that they were being abused and tortured.'

Washington Post, 10 Jan 08, by Ann Scott Tyson
U.S. to Bolster Forces in Afghanistan
'The U.S. military is planning to deploy about 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan this spring to counter an expected offensive by Taliban insurgents, a Pentagon spokesman said yesterday, citing NATO allies' failure to provide additional combat troops.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Jan 08, by David Rohde and Carlotta Gall
A general in Musharraf's shadow raises U.S. hopes
'Over the last several months, a little-known, enigmatic Pakistani general has quietly raised hopes among U.S. officials that he could emerge as a new force for stability in Pakistan, according to current and former government officials. But it remains too early to determine whether he can play a decisive role in the country.'

Washington Post, 10 Jan 08, by Imtiaz Ali and Craig Whitlock
Taliban Commander Emerges As Pakistan's 'Biggest Problem'
'Radical Accused in Bhutto's Death Has Quickly Gathered Power'

Christian Science Monitor, 10 Jan 08, by Shahan Mufti
In Pakistan, fear of an ethnic divide
'The political blame game over Bhutto's assassination and rising ethnic tensions raise worries about the fragility of the country's federal structure.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Jan 08, by Tim Golden
U.S. prison grows beyond capacity in Afghanistan
'As the Bush administration struggles for a way to close the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a similar effort to scale down a larger and more secretive American detention center in Afghanistan has been beset by political, legal and security problems, officials say.'

New York Times, 06 Jan 08, by Steven Lee Myers, David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt
U.S. Considers New Covert Push Within Pakistan
'President Bush's senior national security advisers are debating whether to expand the authority of the Central Intelligence Agency and the military to conduct far more aggressive covert operations in the tribal areas of Pakistan.'

International Herald Tribune/AP, 06 Jan 08
Pakistan says it will not allow US forces to hunt militants on its soil
'Pakistan reiterated Sunday that it will not let American forces hunt al-Qaida and Taliban militants on its soil, after a news report said Washington was considering expanding U.S. military and intelligence operations into Pakistan's tribal regions.'

BBC News, 06 Jan 08, by Sanjay Dasgupta
Key Pakistan governor steps down
'The governor of Pakistan's restive North West Frontier Province, Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai, has resigned. The development comes amid continuing violence linked to Islamist guerrillas hiding in remote, mountainous villages near the Afghan border.'

New York Times, 06 Jan 08, by John F. Burns
Ghosts That Haunt Pakistan
'Throughout history, violent death has rewritten the country's political map.'

New York Times Magazine, 06 Jan 08, by Nicholas Schmidle
Next-Gen Taliban
'Pakistan's younger Islamic militants are bringing the jihad waged in Afghanistan back home: breaking with senior mullahs, renouncing elections and killing police officers, soldiers and, perhaps, Benazir Bhutto.'

2007 Afghanistan archive