InfoAnda - Kandahar is NATO's next Afghanistan challenge

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

US-TECH Summary | 8 July 2009
Frustrated Thai "red shirts" press ahead with rally | 16 March 2010
Three Die In Wyoming Avalanche | 1 March 2009

Pro-Assad forces regain rebel Syrian town: agency | | 2 October 2011

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Kandahar is NATO's next Afghanistan challenge

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Kandahar is NATO's next Afghanistan challenge AFP - Wednesday, March 31 Send IM Story Print Kandahar is NATO's next Afghanistan challenge WASHINGTON (AFP) - – Afghanistan's key Kandahar province is the next major challenge facing NATO forces tasked with rooting out both Taliban militants and local corruption that extends to the brother of the country's president. The international military operation that took back Helmand province last month was seen by defense officials as a dress rehearsal for an even more decisive clash with the Taliban in neighbouring Kandahar beginning in June. NATO already has begun advance work ahead of the confrontation, shoring up communication lines leading to that provincial capital of southern Afghanistan. Coalition forces also have undertaken talks with tribal chiefs to gain their support. Kandahar is a "tremendously important part of Afghanistan" that coalition forces simply must retake, said Stephen Biddle of the Council on Foreign Relations. General Stanley McChrystal commander of US forces in Afghanistan said earlier this month that he will take on Taliban militants in their Kandahar strongholds this summer in a series of rolling engagements, once sufficient reinforcements are on the ground. General David Petraeus, who heads the US Army's Central Command and oversees US strategy in Afghanistan, said earlier this month that the Marjah campaign is only "the initial salvo" in a larger 12-18 month offensive that aims to drive out the Taliban and "clear, hold and build" stability in those areas. The upcoming Kandahar offensive promises to be a major test of McChrystal's counter insurgency strategy -- and experts said failure is not an option. "It's impossible to defeat the insurgency without holding Kandahar," said John Nagl, a retired military office now at the Center for A New American Security (CNAS) think tank. "If the Taliban were the Third Reich, this would be Berlin. This is where it began," Nagl said of Kandahar, the Taliban's spiritual heartland. A military source told AFP that the upcoming operation at Kandahar is likely to involve more than 15,000 Afghan and foreign soldiers. US reinforcements are expected to take positions throughout the province, forming a "tighter ring of security around Kandahar" that will allow Afghan forces to concentrate on securing and establishing their authority in the city of some 900,000 people which is riddled with Taliban fighters as well as criminal gangs. Military officials said they hope to rid the city of Taliban by the start of observances marking Ramadan in mid-August. However, beyond security, the most pressing challenge facing the coalition is the rampant corruption at the local level. The challenge is embodied in the figure of President Karzai's brother Ahmad Wali Karzai, who heads the provincial council and enjoys extensive ties to the local drug trade on one hand and with the CIA on the other. The unnamed US military official said that, broadly speaking, the aim of the June military operation will be "changing out the political players, trying to work to get a new police chief" as well as replacing other local leadership. They will be "looking at district, provincial leaders, city workers, trying to figure out who's corrupt, who we can work with, who can stay and help us establish authority," he said. "Very few people are really completely clean," he continued. "You have to figure out who you can work with and co-opt and getting rid of those who are so wrapped into corruption that they've got to go." Biddle warned however against closing an eye to corruption that permeates Afghan society. "If we decide we continue to accept the bargain in which we tolerate corruption in exchange for assistance of some kind, we are going to lose the war," he said. According to Nagl, ousting the Taliban from Kandahar is really only half the battle for the US-led troops. "The hard part is not going to be clearing out the insurgents from Kandahar," he said. "The hard part is going to be holding and building afterwards with insufficient quantities of sufficiently trained, loyal, professional security forces and government officials." Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles Taliban attack checkpoint, kill 6 Pakistani troops AP - 38 minutes ago Taliban attack checkpost, kill 6 Pakistan soldiers AP - 1 hour 3 minutes ago Philippines insists its airlines safe despite EU ban AFP - 1 hour 10 minutes ago Google: Critics of Vietnam mine face online attack AP - 1 hour 10 minutes ago Five soldiers, 25 rebels killed in Pakistan clash AFP - 1 hour 53 minutes ago News Search Top Stories EU subsidies have encouraged overfishing: study What, or who, killed the last mammoths? Toad is a telltale for impending quakes: scientists Obama wants Iran sanctions within 'weeks' Burglars tunnel into French bank vault More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Burglars tunnel into French bank vault Toad is a telltale for impending quakes: scientists Latin pop icon Ricky Martin tells fans he is gay Atom smasher opens 'new era' for science Elephants move like 4x4s: scientists More Most Viewed » 'Rare' fossil of new dinosaur species found in US Hollywood stars help prevent suicide after Twitter alert Prince Philip in strip club gaffe More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Asia Entertainment Photos World Cup 2010 Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Europe risks 'second league' of world economies: IMF
Want to see the iPad? So do Apple store employees
Top US commander visits Afghan frontline
CERN scientists closer to understanding Big
Palestinian killed as Israelis fire on protestors
Putin orders Russia to hunt down bombing militants
Nigeria court confirms Twitter chat ban on amputation
Burglars tunnel into French bank vault
Atom smasher opens 'new era' for science
Taiwan design house files complaint against Apple
Part of Nero's ancient palace collapses in Rome
Elephants move like 4x4s: scientists
Maliki is block in Iraq coalition merger talks |
Berlusconi's coalition score gains in regional poll
Britain emerges from recession with new growth upgrade
Coal fuels much of Internet "cloud", says Greenpeace
Palestinian PM ploughs ahead with future state
Rights at issue as U.N. chief tours Central Asia |
Australia reveals prototype 'bionic' eye
Google searches trigger error messages in China
Facebook veterans in venture capital spotlight
Turkey asks Germany for help if EU bid stalls |
Colombia rebels to free hostage held over a decade |
Nigerian airports start installing body scanners |
2 detained for dead babies found along China river
U.N. Bhutto assassination inquiry report delayed
Thai Red Shirt protesters reject more govt talks
Thai reds refuse more talks, plan fresh weekend demo
Obama signs final healthcare changes, defends law
Iran nuclear drive in focus at G8 talks
Leaks reported at China mine days before flood
Obama signs package of final healthcare changes
Vietnam signs nuclear energy pact with US
Kashima first into AFC Champions League knockouts
US general apologises for anti-gay remarks
Top US commander visits Afghan war frontline
Journalists in China say Yahoo accounts hacked
Want to see the iPad? So do Apple store employees |
China's Geely to spend 2.7 billion dollars buying Volvo
Kijiji begone: EBay rebrands classified site |
Bombardier signs credit deal with China's CDB
Peru's Machu Picchu reopens
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Honda to create 400 jobs in Canada
Author Stephenie Meyer to release "Eclipse" novella
China should adjust yuan before September: PBOC adviser
Maldives to host Akon's aborted Sri Lanka concert
US fund Steel Partners fails to oust Japan's Sapporo chiefs
Bordeaux uncorks blockbuster vintage, eyes China
India's Bharti clinches deal to buy Zain assets
Chinese director's film evokes civil war's cost
Work begins on Cambodian hydropower project
"Titans" Worthington fights his way to film stardom
Morgan Stanley, Mitsubishi UFJ to merge operations
Online Muslim sex shop launched in the Netherlands
Standard Chartered to raise $500 mln in India
Bruce Lee's wife, daughter open Hong Kong exhibit
Singer Badu causes stir with nude video at JFK site |
Rip Torn exits rehab and pleads not guilty |
Palestinian teen killed as Israelis fire on Gaza protests
Afghanistan now also world's top hashish producer: UN
Nine dead in blasts in Russia's Dagestan: police
Obama wants U.N. sanctions on Iran in weeks |
US-TECH Summary
Iranian nuclear scientist defects to U.S.
EU subsidies have encouraged overfishing: study
Kandahar is NATO's next Afghanistan challenge
Death toll rises to 11 in south Russian bombings |
Some Yahoo email accounts hacked in China, Taiwan
Burglars tunnel into French bank vault
What, or who, killed the last mammoths?
sidesteps report of China hack of journalists' email
Toad is a telltale for impending quakes: scientists
Putin orders Moscow bombers scraped from sewers |
Kijiji begone: EBay rebranding U.S. classified site
Obama wants Iran sanctions within 'weeks'
'.yu' country code domain for Yugoslavia finally obsolete
China uproar over dead babies dumped near river |
Google says China's "great firewall" blocked search
Web attacks hit Vietnam bauxite activists: Google |
U.S. seeks 4-month Jerusalem building freeze: report |
Muslim scholars recast jihadists' favorite fatwa |
Haiti hopes for $4 billion to rebuild after quake |
Afghanistan world's top cannabis source: U.N. |
Turkey asks Germany for help if EU bid stalls |
US wants 4-month Jerusalem building freeze: media
Mexico gang leader 'confesses' in US diplomat killing
Iranian nuclear scientist defects to US: report
Iran can't continue 'mad' nuclear race: Sarkozy
Sarkozy aims to rekindle US ties in White House talks
Obama signs final healthcare changes, defends law
Five soldiers, 25 rebels killed in Pakistan clash
China drought leaves 24 million short of drinking water
Some Yahoo email accounts hacked in China, Taiwan |
US, China change tone but disputes lie ahead
NZ moves to change divisive shore ownership law
Australian faces 15-year term in Bali drug case
Baruto becomes first Estonian 'ozeki' sumo wrestler
Taiwan auctions 30-yr govt bond at 2.23 pct yield
Seoul shares slip, post 0.6 pct gain on Q1
Chinese interest rules the auction world
China safety body says rules ignored in mine flood
Astronaut Aldrin still "Dancing," Doherty dumped
China blames poor safety for mine disaster
S.Korea c.bank's Lee calls for better relations with gov't
S.Korea military on alert after warship sinking
Two vintage L.A. theaters saved from closure
Google pegs China search trouble to 'Great Firewall'
US churches find no salvation from bad economy
Easter eggs may be good for you, study suggests
PAKISTAN
Michael Jackson's father plans wrongful death suit |
Astronaut Aldrin still Dancing, Doherty dumped |
Two vintage L.A. theaters saved from closure |
Miley Cyrus all grown up in new movie |
Suicide attack kills seven Afghan farmers: official
Eurozone inflation sharply up to 1.5%
Google says Vietnam political blogs hacked
Bomb attack kills 13 in crowded Afghan market
Suicide bomber targets police in new Russia attack
Zardari back in spotlight in Pakistan graft cases |
Kandahar is 'cornerstone' of Afghan war: Mullen
German jobless rate drops unexpectedly
Ericsson wins $1.3 billion India deal
Afghan peace talks end with no headway, more expected |
12 dead in new Russia suicide bomb attack
Putin to meet top U.S. foes in Venezuela |
Iraq's Sadrists propose vote on PM choice |
Divided Serbia apologizes for Srebrenica massacre |
UK hung parliament risk up |
3 trapped gold miners drown in Philippine tunnel
Rocket prepared for Soyuz space launch
Philippines defends record after EU plane ban
N.Korea's Kim likely to visit China soon: Seoul
Ford, Microsoft align to recharge cars |
Google: Online attacks aimed at Vietnam critics
Georgia Sen. Isakson Readmitted To Hospital
Superman Sets Super Sale Record
Stabbings, Moscow Attacks Underscore Dismal State Of Security Cameras In New York Subway
Pre-dawn Pakistan violence kills 32
Insurance Companies Agree To Adhere To New Regulations
Man Commits Suicide By Jumping Off Empire State Building
Fugitive Thaksin continues global wanderings
University Travel Ban To Haiti Keeps Florida Students From Showing Film
CERN pushes Big Bang machine to new science frontier |
Four Dead, Six Wounded In D.C. Drive-by Shooting
China official denies cutting off water to SE Asia
Man Shoots Wife's Dog, Passes Out While Trying To Bury The Animal
Australian "Ned Kelly" painting sells for record
Some Yahoo email accounts hacked in China, Taiwan
Miley Cyrus all grown up in new movie
Michael Jackson's father plans wrongful death suit
Taiwan and China discuss trade pact
Rip Torn exits rehab and pleads not guilty
Pakistan stocks gain, foreign inflows help sentiment
Ericsson wins $1.3 bln India contract
Singer Badu causes stir with nude video at JFK site
China's CNOOC says '09 profit falls 34 pct
Google service disruption bodes ill for Chinese
Ericsson wins $1.3 billion India deal |
Sony to sell liquid crystal display plant to Kyocera
WRAPUP 1-South Korean president cements low interest rate view
China shares mixed after a 3-day rally
Tourist falls into active volcano crater on Bali
Philippines insists its airlines safe despite EU ban
Madonna and daughter collaborate on fashion line |
Lady Gaga back atop UK album charts midweek |
Stephen King puts the frights into baseball |
Australian Ned Kelly painting sells for record |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01