BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — Secretive branches of the military’s Special Operations forces have increased counterterrorism missions against some of the most lethal groups in Afghanistan and, because of their success, plan an even bigger expansion next year, according to American commanders.

The commandos, from the Army’s Delta Force and the Navy’s classified Seals units, have had success weakening the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the strongest Taliban warrior in eastern Afghanistan, the officers said. Mr. Haqqani’s group has used its bases in neighboring Pakistan to carry out deadly strikes in and around Kabul, the Afghan capital.  Read more... (1147 words, 1 image, estimated 4:35 mins reading time)

Despite ongoing troubles in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2009 was a moderately successful year for the U.S. in all three theaters of battle.

The United States spent 2009 at war again — with its own troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and as a major, indirect supporter of Pakistan in its internal counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism campaign as well. On balance, I would judge it a moderately successful year in all three places to varying degrees. But that is admittedly a subjective judgment and also obviously requires a great deal more discussion.  Read more... (1011 words, 1 image, estimated 4:03 mins reading time)

Originally published November 26, 2009

As daylight faded and the winter cold set in, soldiers huddled inside a crude wooden hut to tuck into Thanksgiving turkeys the unit itself had fattened and to give thanks for having survived a year of combat in Afghanistan.

By DENIS D. GRAY

Associated Press Writer
BARAKI-BARAK, Afghanistan —

As daylight faded and the winter cold set in, soldiers huddled inside a crude wooden hut to tuck into Thanksgiving turkeys the unit itself had fattened and to give thanks for having survived a year of combat in Afghanistan.  Read more... (871 words, 1 image, estimated 3:29 mins reading time)

Originally published December 1, 2009

As we watch the president’s speech Tuesday night, writes columnist David Brooks, we’ll all get to judge whether he has cut and pasted the different options into a coherent whole. It’s not the troop levels that matter. What matters is how this war will be fought.

By David Brooks

Syndicated columnist

In late 2006, Gen. David Petraeus and Gen. James F. Amos released a brilliant book with a thrilling title. It was called the “Army/Marine Corps Field Manual 3-24.” In its quiet way, this book helped overturn conventional wisdom on modern warfare and gave leaders a new way to see the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Read more... (868 words, 1 image, estimated 3:28 mins reading time)

By ERIC SCHMITT

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — Secretive branches of the military’s Special Operations forces have increased counterterrorism missions against some of the most lethal groups in Afghanistan and, because of their success, plan an even bigger expansion next year, according to American commanders.

The commandos, from the Army’s Delta Force and the Navy’s classified Seals units, have had success weakening the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the strongest Taliban warrior in eastern Afghanistan, the officers said. Mr. Haqqani’s group has used its bases in neighboring Pakistan to carry out deadly strikes in and around Kabul, the Afghan capital.  Read more... (1151 words, 1 image, estimated 4:36 mins reading time)

Lacklustre deals on health and climate will soon be eclipsed by the absurdity of his promise to bring troops home by July 2011

On a mild mid-December morning, the chairman of US joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, strolled through a humble market in Nawa. Mullen was in the heart of Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold where US marines have spent months fighting – and dying – to pacify. Just a few months earlier, Nawa’s market was nearly abandoned. But this past summer, a marine operation cleared the area. Now the place is safe enough that even America’s top-ranking military officer was able to sample its market wares – everything from soda pop and candy to shampoo and bananas – without wearing a flak jacket.  Read more... (1322 words, 1 image, estimated 5:17 mins reading time)

Two days before announcing the deployment of additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, President Obama informed

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal that he was not granting McChrystal’s request to double the size of the Afghan army and police.

Cost was a factor, as were questions about whether the capacity exists to train 400,000 personnel. The president told McChrystal, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, to focus for now on fielding a little more than half that number by next October.  Read more... (1969 words, 1 image, estimated 7:53 mins reading time)

Lacklustre deals on health and climate will soon be eclipsed by the absurdity of his promise to bring troops home by July 2011

On a mild mid-December morning, the chairman of US joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, strolled through a humble market in Nawa. Mullen was in the heart of Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold where US marines have spent months fighting – and dying – to pacify. Just a few months earlier, Nawa’s market was nearly abandoned. But this past summer, a marine operation cleared the area. Now the place is safe enough that even America’s top-ranking military officer was able to sample its market wares – everything from soda pop and candy to shampoo and bananas – without wearing a flak jacket.  Read more... (1331 words, 1 image, estimated 5:19 mins reading time)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) this week said that U.S. generals who spoke publicly about the nation‘s Afghan strategy during the president’s deliberations should lose their jobs.

Kucinich, who is known for his anti-war views, told Russia Today in an interview Wednesday that Congress should be making the final decision on whether to go to war, not the president or his generals. “Some of his generals made remarks publicly, which is really unheard of,” he said. “You know, generals are subordinate to the president who is the commander-in-chief. He’s the boss. And when generals start trying to suggest publicly what the president should do, they shouldn’t be generals anymore.”  Read more... (278 words, 1 image, estimated 1:07 mins reading time)

The coming year will see the international military coalition in Afghanistan “take the battle to the enemy”, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said.

Mr Ainsworth said he could not guarantee the families of Britain’s 10,000 troops in Afghanistan that their loved ones would be safe, though he insisted the Government was investing massively to protect them.

And he held out the prospect that 2010 will see some parts of Afghanistan handed over to home-grown security forces, in a process which Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said will eventually pave the way to bringing UK troops back home.  Read more... (268 words, 1 image, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)