29 June 2011
Nine suicide bombers penetrated several rings of security to lay siege to one of the capital’s premier hotels for six hours overnight Tuesday in a complex attack that jolted Afghans’ sense of security and highlighted the weakness of their police forces. At least 21 people were killed: all the attackers, two policemen, nine Afghan civilians, and one foreigner, a Spaniard. One witness said that the police failed to stop a man who obviously...
Read the post »
08 November 2010
Canada Considering Staying in Afghanistan, The Associated Press via The New York Times, 7 November 2010
EXCERPT: "Canada's defense minister said Sunday that Canada is considering a U.S. request to keep troops in Afghanistan past 2011, but switch them from a combat to a training role. Defense Minister Peter MacKay said the troops would not remain in Afghanistan's volatile southern Kandahar province. 'It will be out of Kandahar...
Read the post »
24 September 2009
'Deadline For NZ Troop Withdrawal', Stuff.co.nz, 24 September 2009
EXCERPT: "New Zealand troops will be out of Afghanistan in three to five years, Prime Minister John Key told the head of Nato today. After talks with Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Mr Key told reporters that while Nato wanted to beef up its presence, 'from New Zealand's point of view that's not on the table'. New Zealand's commitment...
Read the post »
09 September 2009
'NZ Agents Join Secret War In Afghanistan', New Zealand Herald, 8 September 2009
EXCERPT: "The Government has secretly been sending intelligence operatives to take part in the war in Afghanistan.
The Herald has learned New Zealand's contribution to the war against the Taleban has included an 'intelligence' component, separate from the military commitment.
Intelligence usually refers to the work done by spy agencies...
Read the post »
07 August 2009
'Global Citizens More Cautious About Afghan War', Angus Reid Global Monitor, 7 August 2009
EXCERPT: "While the Obama administration has been steadfast in its decision to ban the term 'war on terror', there is no such thing as a global sentiment regarding the military operations in Afghanistan. As its eight anniversary approaches, the multinational effort is becoming harder to understand and easier to reject in the countries...
Read the post »
20 July 2009
'New Zealand Mulls Afghan Special Forces Plan: PM', AFP, 20 July 2009
EXCERPT: "New Zealand is considering recommitting special forces to the escalating war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Key said Monday.
New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) troops have been deployed three times in Afghanistan, the last time in 2006, and other Western countries have increased their military commitment as fighting escalates.
Key...
Read the post »
05 May 2008
'Singapore Sends Military Engineers To Afghanistan', BERNAMA, 5 May 2008
EXCERPT: "The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is sending two six-man construction engineering teams to Bamiyan Province in central Afghanistan as part of its overall contribution to the international humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts there. Each of the teams, which would be deployed for about three months between now and October, would operate as part...
Read the post »
05 May 2008
'New Zealand Troops Deny Damaging Afghan Buddha Remains', Agence France Presse, 4 May 2008
EXCERPT: "The New Zealand Defence Force denied claims Sunday that its troops damaged the remains of Afghanistan's famous Bamiyan Buddha statues while carrying out a controlled explosion. Spokesman Captain Zac Prendergast confirmed to Radio New Zealand that the troops disposed of a live rocket in the area but said all care was taken and there was...
Read the post »
04 April 2008
'NATO Offers More Than 1,800 Additional Troops for Afghanistan', Voice of America, 4 April 2008
EXCERPT: "NATO leaders, at their summit in Bucharest, have pledged to dispatch more than 1,800 additional troops for the allied force in Afghanistan. France committed an additional 700 soldiers. Georgia, which hopes to become a NATO member, offered 500 and Poland will send 400 more soldiers and eight badly-needed helicopters. Italy, Romania...
Read the post »
27 February 2008
'Afghan NATO Mission For Discussion', TVNZ, 27 February 2008
EXCERPT: "Prime Minister Helen Clark [of New Zealand] is to attend a NATO meeting in Romania in April where discussions will be held about the future structure and aims of the military deployment in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Phil Goff says while the military presence is maintaining control over the vast majority of the country the problem with the insurgency has not gone...
Read the post »