Middle East Public date: 24.08.2017 23:12:18

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16 Mar 2012

At Afghan Prison, Invasive Search of Female Visitors Raises U.S. Objections

Women visiting relatives at a notorious men s prison on the edge of Kabul have in recent weeks been subjected to invasive body-cavity searches at the order of the prison s commandant, who has told guards and American officials that the measure is needed to keep out contraband, Western and Afghan officials said.
Women visiting relatives at a notorious men s prison on the edge of Kabul have in recent weeks been subjected to...

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16 Mar 2012

Afghan massacre US soldier ‘reluctant to serve’

The US soldier accused of shooting dead 16 Afghans had been injured twice while serving in Iraq and was unhappy about going for another tour of duty, a lawyer has said. John Henry Browne said the soldier - who has not been named - had already completed three tours in Iraq. He also said the accused had witnessed his friend's leg blown off the day before the killings.
The US soldier accused of shooting dead 16 Afghans had been injured twice while serving in Iraq and was unhappy about...

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15 Mar 2012

Karzai Wants U.S. Troops Confined to Bases – Taliban Suspend Peace Talks

Prospects for an orderly withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan suffered two blows on Thursday as President Hamid Karzai demanded that the United States confine troops to major bases by next year, and the Taliban announced that they were suspending peace talks with the Americans.
Prospects for an orderly withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan suffered two blows on Thursday as President Hamid...

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15 Mar 2012

Denial and defeat in Afghanistan

To listen to US and European officials, all is well with the Western project in Afghanistan. Absent awareness of the irony, President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron have announced that this project is in its "final phases". "The trajectory we've set", said an advisor of President Obama's who specialises in strategic communications, "is one of transition and Afghan sovereignty". As the Afghans move into the lead, the US will be able to pull back.
To listen to US and European officials, all is well with the Western project in Afghanistan. Absent awareness of the...

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15 Mar 2012

Afghan interpreter tried to run down Marines, official says

An Afghan interpreter who breached the security perimeter at a southern Afghanistan airbase Wednesday tried to run over a squad of U.S. Marines assembled to meet Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta's plane, an American military official said.
An Afghan interpreter who breached the security perimeter at a southern Afghanistan airbase Wednesday tried to run over...

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14 Mar 2012

When war turns pathological, get out

US soldiers urinating on dead Taliban fighters, the burning of Qurans, and troops convicted of killing Afghan civilians for sport or routinely invading the privacy of Afghan homes in the middle of the night: whatever the military commanders in Kabul might say in regret, and Washington might repeat by way of formal apology, has become essentially irrelevant.
US soldiers urinating on dead Taliban fighters, the burning of Qurans, and troops convicted of killing Afghan civilians...

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13 Mar 2012

‘Taliban Stronger than Ever’ after Massacre

Tensions are high in Afghanistan following Sunday's alleged massacre of 16 civilians by a US soldier. The incident overshadowed Chancellor Merklel's visit to Bundeswehr troops in the country. German commentators argue that it has also worsened the chances for peace in the country.
Tensions are high in Afghanistan following Sunday's alleged massacre of 16 civilians by a US soldier. The incident...

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12 Mar 2012

Afghan civilian massacre sparks public fury

The massacre of 16 villagers by a rogue United States soldier has triggered angry calls for an immediate American exit from Afghanistan as Washington tries to negotiate a long-term presence to keep the country from sliding into chaos again.
The massacre of 16 villagers by a rogue United States soldier has triggered angry calls for an immediate American exit...

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11 Mar 2012

US soldier kills Afghan civilians in Kandahar

A US soldier in Afghanistan has killed at least 16 civilians and wounded five after entering their homes in Kandahar province, senior local officials say. He left his military base in the early hours of the morning and opened fire in at least two homes; women and children were among the dead.
A US soldier in Afghanistan has killed at least 16 civilians and wounded five after entering their homes in Kandahar...

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8 Mar 2012

British troops killed in Afghan blast

Six British soldiers have been killed by an explosion in southern Afghan province of Helmand, according to the UK's defence ministry, in the deadliest attack on the country's forces in over five years. A separate explosion in a crowded market in neighbouring Kandahar province killed four civilians and wounded nine others, provincial officials said.
Six British soldiers have been killed by an explosion in southern Afghan province of Helmand, according to the UK's...
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8 Mar 2012

Corruption Remains Intractable in Afghanistan Under Karzai Government

For the past few months, possibly the most intriguing poker game in Kabul has been taking place in the sprawling pink sitting room of the man at the center of one of the most public corruption scandals in the world, the near collapse of Kabul Bank. The players include people tied to President Hamid Karzai s inner circle, many of whom have profited from the crony capitalism that has come to define Afghanistan s economic order, and nearly brought down Kabul Bank.
For the past few months, possibly the most intriguing poker game in Kabul has been taking place in the sprawling pink...

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6 Mar 2012

Afghan clerics’ guidelines ‘a green light for Talibanisation’

Women are subordinate to men, should not mix in work or education and must always have a male guardian when they travel, according to new guidelines from Afghanistan's top clerics which critics say are dangerously reminiscent of the Taliban era
Women are subordinate to men, should not mix in work or education and must always have a male guardian when they travel,...

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2 Mar 2012

US-Afghanistan deal in danger as Hamid Karzai holds firm on demands

Hopes that the US can fix conditions for a long-term military presence in Afghanistan before an unofficial May deadline are fading because Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, is not prepared to compromise on two demands that have stalled negotiations for months.
Hopes that the US can fix conditions for a long-term military presence in Afghanistan before an unofficial May deadline...

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1 Mar 2012

Two American Soldiers Die in Shooting at Afghan Base

Another two United States soldiers were killed in Afghanistan on Thursday when an Afghan soldier in league with a civilian Afghan literacy instructor killed a tower guard and attacked with gunfire and a rocket the barracks where American soldiers were sleeping at a joint base in the south of the country, officials said.
Another two United States soldiers were killed in Afghanistan on Thursday when an Afghan soldier in league with a...

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27 Feb 2012

Afghanistan suicide bomber attacks Nato military base

A suicide car bomber has killed nine Afghans, most of them civilians, in an attack on a military base in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed the attack was revenge for the burning of copies of the Qur'an by foreign troops.
A suicide car bomber has killed nine Afghans, most of them civilians, in an attack on a military base in eastern...

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27 Feb 2012

France and Germany withdraw civilian staff

France and Germany are following the US and Britain in withdrawing civilian staff from Afghan government institutions in the wake of the killing of two senior US Nato officers. Afghan authorities are hunting a 25-year-old Afghan policeman believed to have shot the officers dead at the interior ministry in Kabul on Saturday.
France and Germany are following the US and Britain in withdrawing civilian staff from Afghan government institutions in...

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26 Feb 2012

Afghan police officer sought over Kabul Nato killings

Afghanistan's interior ministry has said one of its own employees is suspected of the killing of two senior US Nato officers inside the ministry. Officials earlier named police intelligence officer Abdul Saboor from Parwan province as the main suspect behind Saturday's attack
Afghanistan's interior ministry has said one of its own employees is suspected of the killing of two senior US Nato...

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26 Feb 2012

Afghan Grenade Wounds American Soldiers as Riots Still Rage

A grenade thrown by Afghan protesters wounded at least six American service members in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said, as new details emerged in the investigation of the shooting death of two American officers within the Interior Ministry building the day before.
A grenade thrown by Afghan protesters wounded at least six American service members in northern Afghanistan on Sunday,...

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25 Feb 2012

NATO recalls advisers after Kabul shooting

NATO has announced that all foreign adivsers will be pulled out of their posts in Kabul. The announcement came hours after the shooting on Saturday of two International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) military advisers in the Ministry of Interior in Kabul city.
NATO has announced that all foreign adivsers will be pulled out of their posts in Kabul. The announcement came hours...

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25 Feb 2012

U.S. commander pulls back advisors from Afghan ministries

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan ordered all Western advisors withdrawn from Afghan government ministries Saturday after two American military officers were shot and killed in a heavily secured compound inside the Afghan Interior Ministry.
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan ordered all Western advisors withdrawn from Afghan government ministries Saturday...

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25 Feb 2012

Protests over Koran Burning: Germany Closes Afghan Military Base Early

The German military said Friday it would move up the planned closure of a base in northern Afghanistan in response to deadly protests over the inadvertent burning of copies of the Koran by a US soldier. The base would have been shuttered in March, but officials worried its security could not be maintained in the face of the demonstrations.
The German military said Friday it would move up the planned closure of a base in northern Afghanistan in response to...

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23 Feb 2012

Afghan Protests Over Burning of Korans Spread for 3d Day

President Obama apologized on Thursday for the burning of Korans at the largest American base in Afghanistan earlier this week as furious protests raged for a third day and a man wearing Afghan Army uniform turned his weapon on coalition soldiers, killing two of them.
President Obama apologized on Thursday for the burning of Korans at the largest American base in Afghanistan earlier...

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22 Feb 2012

Six dead in Afghanistan Koran burning protests

At least six people have been killed and dozens injured in Afghanistan after protests spread over the burning of copies of the Koran at a US airbase. One person was killed in Kabul, one in the eastern city of Jalalabad and at least four in Parwan province. US officials apologised on Tuesday after Korans were "inadvertently" put in an incinerator at Bagram airbase. Officials at Bagram reportedly believed Taliban prisoners were using the books to pass messages to each other.
At least six people have been killed and dozens injured in Afghanistan after protests spread over the burning of copies...

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17 Feb 2012

Afghan Girls Are Penalized for Elders’ Misdeeds

Shakila, 8 at the time, was drifting off to sleep when a group of men carrying AK-47s barged in through the door. She recalls that they complained, as they dragged her off into the darkness, about how their family had been dishonored and about how they had not been paid.
Shakila, 8 at the time, was drifting off to sleep when a group of men carrying AK-47s barged in through the door. She...
14 Feb 2012

Leaked report belies Afghan surge ‘success’

An analysis by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, which the US Army has not approved for public release but has been leaked to Rolling Stone magazine, provides the most authoritative refutation thus far of the official military narrative of success in the Afghanistan War since the troop surge began in early 2010.
An analysis by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, which the US Army has not approved for public release but has been...

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12 Feb 2012

Afghan War Risks Are Shifting to Contractors

Even dying is being outsourced. This is a war where traditional military jobs, from mess hall cooks to base guards and convoy drivers, have increasingly been shifted to the private sector. Many American generals and diplomats have private contractors for their personal bodyguards. And along with the risks have come the consequences: More civilian contractors working for American companies than American soldiers died in Afghanistan last year for the first time during the war.
Even dying is being outsourced. This is a war where traditional military jobs, from mess hall cooks to base guards and...

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5 Feb 2012

Nine dead in Kandahar car bomb attack

A car bomb attack on police headquarters in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar has killed at least nine people, including five policemen. Some 19 others were wounded in the blast in a car park outside the police building, the local government said. The blast - thought to have been caused by explosives hidden inside a parked car and detonated remotely - was strong enough to shatter nearby windows.
A car bomb attack on police headquarters in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar has killed at least nine people,...
4 Feb 2012

Rants and raves for new US pullout plan

United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's surprise announcement on Wednesday that US troops will phase out their combat role in Afghanistan by mid-2013 is drawing mixed reactions, as well as a fair bit of confusion here, from both critics and supporters of the 11-year-old war.
United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's surprise announcement on Wednesday that US troops will phase out their...

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4 Feb 2012

Taliban eat into Afghanistan’s core

As the United States steps up efforts to engage the Taliban and al-Qaeda in a peace process for Afghanistan, elements of the Taliban have initiated their own plan focusing on regaining the power they lost in 2001 following the US-led invasion. This involves hijacking the efforts and finances that the US is investing in training and equipping the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP).
As the United States steps up efforts to engage the Taliban and al-Qaeda in a peace process for Afghanistan, elements of...

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4 Feb 2012

Afghan civilian deaths rise for 5th straight year to record high

Afghan civilian casualties have reached a grim new milestone, with a record 3,021 noncombatants killed in wartime violence last year, the United Nations said in a report released Saturday. The toll for 2011 represented an 8% increase from the previous year and marked the fifth year in a row that the number of noncombatant deaths and injuries has risen. Insurgents were blamed for nearly four-fifths of the deaths.
Afghan civilian casualties have reached a grim new milestone, with a record 3,021 noncombatants killed in wartime...

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3 Feb 2012

US remains committed to Afghan exit in 2014

Military chiefs in the US say the country's commitment to Afghanistan has not changed after an earlier suggestion that their combat role might end earlier than previously thought. Intelligence officials were trying to clarify remarks from Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, who said that combat operations could end in 2013, a year early.
Military chiefs in the US say the country's commitment to Afghanistan has not changed after an earlier suggestion that...
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2 Feb 2012

U.S. and allies plan to give Afghanistan forces lead role in 2013

The U.S. and its military allies in Afghanistan intend to hand the lead combat role to Afghan forces next year, according to Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, shifting to a training and advising mission as they press ahead with their withdrawal after more than a decade of fighting.
The U.S. and its military allies in Afghanistan intend to hand the lead combat role to Afghan forces next year,...

Publisher: NYTimes

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1 Feb 2012

Afghan Officials Consider Separate Talks With Taliban

Concerned that it is being left out of potential peace talks between the United States and the Taliban, the Afghan government is pushing to open its own direct negotiations with the insurgent group in Saudi Arabia, Afghan officials said on Monday
Concerned that it is being left out of potential peace talks between the United States and the Taliban, the Afghan...

Publisher: BBC News

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30 Jan 2012

Afghan President Hamid Karzai ‘plans talks with Taliban’

The Afghan government is planning to meet the Taliban in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to jump-start peace talks, the BBC has learned. The landmark meeting will come in the coming weeks, before the establishment of a Taliban office in Qatar, according to Western and Afghan officials.
The Afghan government is planning to meet the Taliban in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to jump-start peace talks, the BBC...

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30 Jan 2012

Taliban Have Begun Talks With U.S., Former Taliban Aides Say

Several Taliban negotiators have begun meeting with American officials in Qatar, where they are discussing preliminary trust-building measures, including a possible prisoner transfer, several former Taliban officials said Saturday.
Several Taliban negotiators have begun meeting with American officials in Qatar, where they are discussing preliminary...

Publisher: The Observer

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29 Jan 2012

The long walk to Europe

Afghanistan is the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a child. Caroline Brothers spoke to children who have left the country and travelled thousands of miles, alone, in search of safe haven. Here, she tells their stories
Afghanistan is the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a child. Caroline Brothers spoke to children who...

Publisher: The Guardian

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23 Jan 2012

Afghan soldier who killed French troops was our recruit, Taliban say

The Taliban claim the Afghan soldier who shot dead four French soldiers at a base east of Kabul, prompting France to threaten to withdraw early from the country, was one of their recruits. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the gunman was an infiltrator working for the Taliban, also known as The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The Taliban claim the Afghan soldier who shot dead four French soldiers at a base east of Kabul, prompting France to...
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20 Jan 2012

Afghan Soldiers Step Up Killings of Allied Forces

American and other coalition forces here are being killed in increasing numbers by the very Afghan soldiers they fight alongside and train, in attacks motivated by deep-seated animosity between the supposedly allied forces, according to American and Afghan officers and a classified coalition report.
American and other coalition forces here are being killed in increasing numbers by the very Afghan soldiers they fight...

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19 Jan 2012

Many killed in Afghan suicide attack

More than a dozen people have been killed and many more wounded when a man on a motorcycle blew himself up in a market in Helmand province, Afghan and international officials said. Thirteen Afghans, including three police officers, were killed and at least 23 others wounded, Daud Ahmadi, a spokesperson for the province, said on Wednesday.
More than a dozen people have been killed and many more wounded when a man on a motorcycle blew himself up in a market...

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19 Jan 2012

UK troops quizzed over Afghan ‘child abuse’

Two British soldiers have been arrested and questioned over allegations of "inappropriate behaviour" in Afghanistan, the UK's Ministry of Defence announced after a newspaper described their alleged abuse of two 10-year-old boys. Quoting defence sources, The Sun newspaper reported on Wednesday that a sergeant and a private from the Mercian Battle Group had recorded their abuse of the children on video and showed it to other soldiers on laptops.
Two British soldiers have been arrested and questioned over allegations of "inappropriate behaviour" in Afghanistan, the...
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16 Jan 2012

Afghan War Reflects Changes in Air War

The use of air power has changed markedly during the long Afghan conflict, reflecting the political costs and sensitivities of civilian casualties caused by errant or indiscriminate strikes and the increasing use of aerial drones, which can watch over potential targets for extended periods with no risk to pilots or more expensive aircraft.
The use of air power has changed markedly during the long Afghan conflict, reflecting the political costs and...

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5 Jan 2012

Afghan president demands control of Bagram prison

Hamid Karzai, furious at being sidelined from Afghan peace talks, has thrown his government into yet another dramatic confrontation with the international community by demanding the US hand over control of its main military prison in Afghanistan. Officials at the US embassy and Nato headquarters in Kabul scrambled to deal with the unexpected announcement, which comes amid humiliation for Karzai over US efforts to set up an overseas political office for the Taliban despite the minimal involvement of the Afghan government.
Hamid Karzai, furious at being sidelined from Afghan peace talks, has thrown his government into yet another dramatic...

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3 Jan 2012

Taliban to Open Qatar Office in Step Toward Peace Talks

Giving its first major public sign that it may be ready for peace talks, the Taliban announced on Tuesday that it had struck a deal to open a peace mission in Qatar. The step was a sharp reversal of the Taliban s longstanding public denials that it was involved or interested in any negotiations to end its insurgency in Afghanistan.
Giving its first major public sign that it may be ready for peace talks, the Taliban announced on Tuesday that it had...

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2 Jan 2012

In Afghanistan, a Troubling Resurgence of the Poppy Crop

This stretch of the Helmand River Valley, the heart of the nation s poppy-growing area, stands as a showcase for one of NATO s most ambitious offensives against the Taliban and the drug trade. But now, the area is also becoming an object lesson in the resilience of militants and opium producers alike.
This stretch of the Helmand River Valley, the heart of the nation s poppy-growing area, stands as a showcase for one of...
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