29 April 2011

The United States and its allies have made "tangible progress" in the Afghanistan war, providing the needed momentum to transfer control of seven regions to Afghan forces this summer, according to a Pentagon report that gives the first assessment since the infusion of 30,000 more American troops to the battlefield late last fall. Sounding a more optimistic tone than previous reviews, the semiannual report to Congress also describes difficult challenges...

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29 April 2011

Lt. Gen. John R. Allen was called to the White House on Thursday for the formal announcement that he would take custody of the war in Afghanistan, now the focus of attention as the Obama administration moves toward withdrawing troops and handing over responsibility to the government in Kabul. General Allen is not well known beyond the Marine Corps and national security circles. But he was President Obama's first choice to succeed Gen. David H. Petraeus,...

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29 April 2011

U.S. aid officials have been forced to delay three large development programs intended to support the American military strategy in southern Afghanistan at a critical, make-or-break moment in the war. The initiatives, which are supposed to support local governments, agricultural development and job-training efforts, have been held up by bureaucratic missteps and funding cuts by Congress, according to senior U.S. officials. As a result, the programs...

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29 April 2011

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has initiated three military operations. In the tenth year of operations since the 9/11 attacks while troops are being withdrawn in Iraq and increased in Afghanistan, the cost of war continues to be a major issue including the total amount appropriated, the amount for each operation, average monthly spending rates, and the scope and duration of future costs. Information on costs...

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