Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The New York Times
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Confidential diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks and released in December 2010 offered a fresh sense of the pervasive nature, overwhelming scale, and dispiriting challenge that corruption, fueled by a booming illicit narcotics industry, poses to American officials who have made shoring up support for the Afghan government a cornerstone of America’s counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan.
Following months of secret talks between Afghan and Taliban leaders to end the war, a participant believed to be Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, one of the most senior commanders in the Taliban movement, was unmasked as an impostor in November. The high-level discussions conducted with the assistance of NATOappeared to have achieved little.
The Obama administration is increasingly emphasizing the idea that the United States will have forces in Afghanistan until at least the end of 2014, a change in tone aimed at persuading the Afghans and the Taliban that there will be no significant American troop withdrawals in the summer of 2011. The message shift is effectively a victory for the military, which has long said the July 2011 deadline undermined its mission by making Afghans reluctant to work with troops perceived to be leaving shortly.
In October 2010, new details emerged about talks between that Afghan government and the Taliban that could possibly lead to a settlement of the nine-year conflict. The talks involve extensive, face-to-face discussions with Taliban commanders from the highest levels of the group’s leadership, who have secretly leaving their sanctuaries in Pakistan with the help of NATO troops. Part of the overall American strategy is to wear down the Taliban with ground offensives, in the hope that they will become more receptive to a deal.
OVERVIEW
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country north and west of Pakistan and east of Iran. Its strategic location has long granted it a pivotal role in the region, while its terrain and population have stymied would-be conquerors for centuries. The country's population is 34 million. Its capital is Kabul.
The United States has been militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001, when it led an invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda. The group had been given safe haven in the country by theTaliban, the extremist Islamic group that had seized control in 1996 after years of civil war. The 2001 invasion succeeded in dislodging Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power, but not in eradicating either group. Fueled by profits from the opium trade and dissatisfaction with the weak and often corrupt new Afghan government, the Taliban has made a steady comeback, particularly in the Pashtun regions of the south and east where the group originated.
Articles
Obama Makes Unannounced Visit to Afghanistan
President Obama made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Friday as he sought to smooth over a troubled relationship with President Hamid Karzai.
December 3, 2010How Rescue of Aid Worker in Afghanistan Failed
An American soldier taking part in a rescue attempt for an aid worker being held in Afghanistan threw a hand grenade that killed her, officials said.
December 2, 2010
WikiLeaks Archive - Afghan Corruption Undercuts U.S.
American officials trying to build support for the Afghan government are dispirited by its corruption.
December 2, 2010WikiLeaks Archive - Hamid Karzai Baffles the West
Reports show the trajectory of the Afghan president from a leader anointed by the West to an embattled one.
December 2, 2010In Afghan Shootings Case, Soldier Agrees to Plea Deal
An Army staff sergeant charged with shooting at unarmed Afghans has pleaded guilty in a deal that requires him to testify against other defendants.
December 1, 2010
Contrary to Hopes, Afghan Vote Disappoints
The results of parliamentary elections in Afghanistan have ushered in uncertainty, deepened skepticism of the government and stirred volatile ethnic fault lines.
December 1, 2010Afghan Who Killed 6 Americans Was Trusted Police Officer
The Afghan officer who shot and killed six American soldiers Monday had been in the border police since 2008.
November 30, 2010
In Afghanistan, Quick Rescue Saved Wounded Photographer
An account of how a photographer was wounded by a mine illustrates the risks that soldiers and journalists face on even the most careful patrols for explosives.
November 29, 2010U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan
The Department of Defense has identified 1,390 American service members who have died as a part of the Afghan war and related operations.
November 29, 2010Afghan Police Officer Kills Six Americans
It was at least the fifth time in 13 months that Afghan soldiers or police have turned their weapons on their NATO partners. Many of the previous cases appeared to be Taliban infiltration.
November 29, 2010
In Afghanistan, Hoping to Avoid Bombs and Win Minds
For American troops in a heavily mined village, avoiding improvised explosive devices is the most difficult task.
November 29, 2010Britain Keeps Silent on Afghan Impostor Claim
Britain withheld a formal response to a reported Afghan accusation that the British introduced an impostor posing as a high Taliban leader to meet the Afghan president.
November 27, 2010In Afghanistan, Bombers Dressed as Officers
Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the police headquarters of Paktika Province killing at least 10 policemen, according to a physician on duty and NATO officials.
November 27, 2010The Man Who Would Be Taliban
It turns out that a key figure in the Afghan peace negotiations was really a shopkeeper. What does that say about talking to the Taliban?
November 26, 2010Afghan Government of Karzai Arrests Election Officials
The actions intensified pressure from the government on election officials a day after the election commission released final results.
November 26, 2010The Taliban Impostor, and Our Mission in Afghanistan
A response to an article about a fake Taliban leader who was a key figure in the talks with American and Afghan officials.
November 25, 2010
Karzai Government Challenges Election Results
President Hamid Karzai’s government vowed to challenge parliamentary results endorsed by international officials.
November 25, 2010
Afghanistan Threatens to Indict Election Officials
The threat against two officials with the elections commissions, whose work has won international praise, came as final results were about to be announced in September’s parliamentary voting.
November 24, 2010
The Great Game Imposter
The Great Game is now about conning the Americans who have come to help.
November 24, 2010Pentagon Report Cites Gains in Afghanistan
The report’s cautious findings of progress, especially in southern areas where the American and NATO presence is strongest, are balanced against those of a strong, expanding insurgency.
November 24, 2010
NATO Official Calls Kabul’s Children Safer Than New York’s
The senior civilian representative of NATO in Afghanistan provoked critics after saying that Kabul is safer for children than major Western cities.
November 23, 2010Taliban Leader in Peace Talks Was an Impostor
A man purporting to be a key figure in the talks was faking, American and Afghan officials say.
November 23, 2010
Afghan Voting Fraud Caught on Tape
An audiotape of conversations between an election worker and a cabinet member is under investigation, as officials disqualified 21 more parliamentary candidates for fraud.
November 22, 2010
iCasualties.org Keeps Tally in Iraq and Afghanistan
The Web site iCasualties.org has had a decline in traffic and donations as public interest in the wars has waned.
November 22, 2010Sending Tanks to Afghanistan, Part I
A lot of the old mujaheddin leaders who fought against the Soviets were dubious about sending American tanks to Afghanistan.
November 22, 2010SEARCH 8463 ARTICLES:
Notes from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and other areas of conflict in the post-9/11 era.
The Engines of Every Mission
Veterans' Group Backs Repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
Follow the latest Afghanistan updates on The Times’s news blog.
U.S. Rescuers May Have Killed British Captive in Afghanistan
New Video Game Changed to Prevent Players Taking on Role of Taliban Militants
Headlines Around the Web
What's This?
Multimedia
On the Set of “Eagle Four”
“Eagle Four” is a popular new police show on Afghanistan’s Tolo TV.
On Patrol in Kandahar
Soldiers patrolled Arghandab District of Kandahar Province, one of the most heavily mined areas of southern Afghanistan.
Destroying to Save Lives
NATO forces in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, have been blasting their way through homes and other structures booby-trapped by the retreating Taliban, in the wake of a troop surge by the American-led troops.
Burning Desperation
Self-immolation has become a common form of suicide for Afghan women. Photographer Lynsey Addario speaks with women who survived their suicide attempts.
Suicide in Herat
Even the poorest families in Afghanistan have matches and cooking fuel. The combination usually nourishes. But it also can be the makings of a combustible escape: from poverty, from forced marriages, from the abuse and despondency that can be the fate of Afghan women.
Afghanistan Navigator
A list of resources from around the Web about Afghanistan as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.
- Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
- NATO mission in Afghanistan
- United States Embassy in Afghanistan
- C.I.A World Factbook
- Maps of Afghanistan
- University of Texas Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
- Operation Enduring Freedom Casualties
- iCasualties.org
- World Bank Country Profile
- World Health Organization Country Profile
- United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
- Afghanistan Digital Library
- New York University
ADVOCACY GROUPS AND BLOGS
- Human Rights Watch
- The Afghanistan Analysts Network
- Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)
- Registan
- Afghan Lord
- Exploring the Heart of Asia: the Narrative of Afghanistan
- Ghosts of Alexander
- Sanjar
OTHER COVERAGE
- The AfPak Channel
- Foreign Policy
- BBC Country Profile
- Ongoing Coverage
- The Guardian (UK)
- Washington Post Country Guide
- National Geographic Country Guide
BOOKS
- Descent Into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia
- By Ahmed Rashid
- Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia
- By Ahmed Rashid
- Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, From the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
- By Steve Coll
- The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
- By Lawrence Wright
- The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban
- By Sarah Chayes
- Opium Season: A Year on the Afghan Frontier
- By Joel Hafvenstein
- A Thousand Splendid Suns
- By Khaled Hosseini
- Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil
- By Deborah Rodriguez and Kristin Ohlson
- The Places in Between
- By Rory Stewart
- Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager's Story
- By Said Hyder Akbar and Susan Burton
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