Samundar Paar

Zardari's trip to Europe fuels resentment as Pakistan reels from deadly floods

2010-08-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

By Griff Witte

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN -- A politician with a 20 percent approval rating might not appear to have much to lose. (The Washington Post)

Taliban Exploit Openings in Neglected Province

2010-07-29T20:55:00.001-07:00

Taliban Exploit Openings in Neglected Province

By ALISSA J. RUBIN
Deprived of jobs and government services, people in Baghlan Province are turning to the Taliban for speedy justice and work. (The New York Times)

Pakistan Is Said to Pursue Role in Afghan Talks With U.S.

2010-02-09T17:40:00.001-08:00

By JANE PERLEZ

The offer, aimed at preserving Pakistan's influence once U.S. forces leave Afghanistan, is a departure from Pakistan's previous reluctance to approach the Taliban. (The New York Times)

Between the surge and the talks

2010-02-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

By Dr Maleeha Lodhi

The writer is a former envoy to the US and the UK , and a former editor of The News

There were few surprises at the London conference on Afghanistan , except perhaps Iran 's decision to stay away on the grounds that the meeting's main purpose was to back the American troop surge.

Co-sponsored by Britain , Afghanistan and the UN, the conference aimed to launch a political track to accompany the military strategy announced last month by President Barack Obama. This was the sixth international conference since the military intervention of 2001 and took place against the backdrop of three strategy reviews by the Obama administration.

After a grim year in Afghanistan that saw record casualties, falling public support in America and Europe for the war and a tainted election that weakened President Karzai's authority, the conference was designed to inject momentum into the West's floundering Afghan project.

Attended by over 65 countries, the conference on Jan 28 sought as much to reassure Western publics that there was a way out of the war as to show international solidarity for Afghanistan .

The main consensus reached in London was around a plan for the transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces within five years and a pay-for-peace reintegration initiative to lure low- and mid-level Taliban out of the insurgency with jobs and other incentives to join the mainstream.

The dominant theme at the conference was reconciling with the Taliban. President Karzai announced plans for a process of reconciliation to include the Taliban leading to a peace jirga. The final communiqué, however, referred only to reintegration. This raised the question whether the outreach to the Taliban marked a change in course by the US-led coalition towards pursuing a political solution or just served as an appendage to a military strategy.

The strategy fashioned at the London conference to "align civilian and military resources" exposed several contradictions or inconsistencies:

* Between Western countries' need to tell their war-weary publics that they were seeking to wind down their military engagement and the conflicting message to the Taliban that US-NATO forces were not about to abandon the fight.

* Between a military surge and the planned acceleration in the transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan forces.

* Between British prime minister Gordon Brown's five-year timeline to complete this transition and President Karzai's pronouncement that this could take 15 years.

* And, most significantly, between the military surge and political reconciliation. This raised the question whether the plan to escalate the war, instead of persuading the Taliban towards reconciliation, would give them an incentive to continue fighting – at a time when the movement is at its strongest since 2001.

Why would the Taliban switch allegiances if they felt their side was winning and give up fighting if they were being bombed?

The conference was unable to resolve these policy tensions. The muddled approach indicated uncertainty rather than a clear direction. It also reflected differences among coalition members, as also within the US administration itself. The latter was vividly illustrated by leaked cables from Washington 's envoy in Kabul , Karl Ikenberry, who questioned the wisdom of the surge and the inadequacy of Karzai as a strategic partner.

Significantly, no consensus has yet emerged on the issue of pursuing a negotiated settlement to dissipate the eight-year-old conflict by reaching an accommodation with the Taliban. This means that beyond the goal to reintegrate Taliban foot soldiers the international effort does not yet have a shared vision of a dialogue with Taliban leaders. Washington 's thinking on this issue has certainly been changing. Like the view of several coalition partners, notably President Karzai himself, many American officials believe that for the war to end, talks will ultimately have to take place with the insurgents for a political settlement. But the US has not reached the point where it is prepared to publicly acknowledge this or openly move in this direction.

This is evident from the stream of statements from US officials that followed the London conference, especially Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who sought repeatedly to distinguish between reintegration and reconciliation. She made it plain that the US "will be pursuing military action, going aggressively against the Taliban….but (supporting) an opportunity for those who choose to leave the fighting to re-enter society."

The US has also continued to press Pakistan to undertake kill-or-capture actions against the Afghan Taliban in North Waziristan and those belonging to the so-called "Quetta Shura."

Behind Washington 's public posture and its ramped up military effort is a policy debate that has been underway in the administration and with close NATO allies about the timing and modalities of talking to the senior commanders of the Taliban.

So far the view that has ascendancy in this debate is one that advocates an approach of surge now, talk later. This argues that until coalition forces are able to bolster their position militarily and talk from a position of strength, the Taliban will have no incentive to negotiate. Therefore, the surge and "reintegration" plan should first reverse the momentum, split the foot soldiers from the leadership and weaken and divide the Taliban before transitioning to "reconciliation."

Another view purportedly sees the present as the most propitious time to open negotiations. The Taliban have been confronted with the challenge of the surge, but with fighting yet to intensify. It is precisely because the Taliban feel that they are strong that they can be tempted to engage in the political process.

Similarly there are differing views on modalities: who to involve, what role to assign Pakistan and Saudi Arabia , and how to proceed. Internal debate on these questions in Washington is said to be informed by the consideration of wanting to stay firmly in the driver's seat whenever this process unfolds.

As far as Pakistan is concerned, it has already signalled that it can play a vital role in mediating with the Taliban once there is clarity about how and when to proceed. Interestingly, the debate within the government is how proactive Pakistan should be at a time when Washington 's thinking is still evolving and its decisions have yet to firm up on substance, timing and process.

The view that has prevailed for now is to wait until Washington has made up its mind and decided on a political framework for talks with the Taliban. The obvious question raised by this wait-and-see approach is how in the meantime Islamabad will deal with US expectations of cooperation with its military escalation strategy which will place it at odds with its potential role as an interlocutor with the Taliban.

While daunting challenges lie ahead in resolving the tensions in the US-led international effort in Afghanistan , there is an important aspect of the evolving situation that has attracted little attention in the media. This is India 's growing discomfiture over the emerging trend towards accommodation with the Taliban and the West's quest for an orderly exit from Afghanistan . Delhi 's worry over reconciliation – notwithstanding its foreign minister's feeble effort to signal conditional support – puts it at variance with the growing international consensus on the issue.

India could not have been pleased by the London Conference's failure to make headway in establishing the so-called regional stability council to coordinate efforts in Afghanistan . Pakistan 's insistence that only "immediate neighbours" should be included in such a framework, as well as Iran 's non-participation, meant that this part of the conference agenda fizzled out. Coming after Turkey agreed to Pakistan 's request to exclude India from the regional meeting it hosted, this development would also have left Delhi deeply worried.

India could react to this by trying to muddy the waters in Afghanistan once it sees that the reconciliation process could gather pace. This will only add to the many obstacles that lie ahead in stabilising the worn-torn country. The most pressing challenge, however, is to square the many circles that have persisted beyond the London conference and map out a viable – and agreed – strategy that offers Afghanistan a real chance of peace. (The News, Pakistan)

Indian officials fail to recognize the very existence of disputes: Dr. Maleeha Lodhi

2010-02-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD: Eminent National Security expert and Pakistan’s distinguished diplomat Dr. Maleeha Lodhi has said that India sees a strong Pakistan as a constraint on India’s aspiration for great power status rivalling China. This drives India to make consistent efforts to undermine its neighbor. “Islamabad sees Delhi’s present interference in Balochisan is testimony of this. India also seeks to achieve the same objective by acquiring and asserting overwhelming military superiority over Pakistan. A critical part of this effort involves neutralizing Pakistan’s strategic deterrence capability.”

She has expressed the views in her rejoinder to Indian Prime Minister’s designate National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon appeared in the Harvard International Review magazine’s latest issue. The magazine also carried the write-up of Dr. Lodhi who has served Pakistan’s ambassador in the United States twice and high commissioner in the United Kingdom.

A journalist turned diplomat Dr. Maleeha Lodhi who is also fellow in Woodrow Wilson Centre has said in her rejoinder that Indian officials fail to recognize the very existence of disputes. According to Menon, there is no issue of contention between the two neighbors other than terrorism. Myths on both sides have complicated relations. But mythology often reflects a people’s collective recollection.

She said that Menon’s account glosses over harsh India-Pakistan realities, historical and current. The most significant historical reality is India’s military intervention in 1971, which culminated in Pakistan’s break-up. As for current realities, three-fourths of Indian forces are deployed against Pakistan. Indian military and political leaders regularly call for punitive military action against their nuclear neighbor. Naturally, such chauvinism finds a response in Pakistan.

“India’s rejection of Pakistan’s long-standing proposals for a South Asia strategic stability regime based on nuclear and conventional restraint highlights this, as do Indian efforts to deny Pakistan a similar civilian nuclear deal to that forged with the United States and actions that play up the danger and challenge the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

As for Kashmir, evidence suggests that most Kashmiris do not want Indian rule. Otherwise, Delhi would not have moved to brutalize Kashmir with over half a million troops,” she said.

Dr. Lodhi has posed a question that if India is confident of its democratic “soft power,” why not let the Kashmiris decide their own future as prescribed by UN Security Council Resolutions?

She said that terrorism challenges both countries. It would be easier for them to address these issues cooperatively if India would clarify that its counterterrorism policy is not designed to de-legitimize the Kashmiri freedom struggle and if root causes were addressed.

Finally, India’s offer to discuss Trade and other secondary issues seeks to deflect attention from the fundamental problems and achieve its aim of regional domination by other means. If Pakistan’s economic progress matters to India, then it should halt construction of various dams in violation of the Indus Water Treaty, which could turn parts of Pakistan into a desert. The path to a viable peace rests on addressing the underlying causes of tensions between these two neighbors.

She reminded that the neuralgic reactions in both India and Pakistan to the Sharm Al Sheikh joint statement of July 16, 2009 are a measure of the sensitivity and irrationality that dodge attempts to rework India-Pakistan relations, and of how fraught these relations are. I will offer an Indian perspective on why this is so.

“The usual explanation for the state of affairs between India and Pakistan is the complicated and unique circumstances that attended Pakistan’s birth. India-Pakistan relations are certainly sui generis. Unlike other states, Pakistan was born by partition, from India. To this fact is ascribed a host of ills, reflected in myths that prevail in each country. However, not all the problems between India and Pakistan can be attributed to historical events 60 years ago, events not experienced by the vast majority of the population of the two countries,” she said.

She said that instead, the decisions and choices made over time by both countries and the resultant changes in India, Pakistan, and the world influence their relationship today. As a result, the issues that divide the two countries have assumed a form that would be unrecognizable to the
generation that experienced partition.

She is of the view that the reality of India-Pakistan affairs is one of complicated state-to-state relations that obscure deep links, unfinished structural changes, and failed institutions in Pakistan’s polity, all within the most nuclear but least integrated neighborhood in the world. We must understand the basis for the troubled relations today, so that we can overcome contentious issues and look to a productive future.

Shiv Shankar Menon who retired as secretary external affairs of India July last and earlier served envoy of his country to Pakistan, China and Israel in his write-up stated in India certain inaccuracies about Pakistan purveyed. One is that Pakistan has a fundamental identity problem and therefore can define herself only in anti-Indian terms. Even if this were true 60 years ago, it is no longer so. Today, it is not difficult for others to tell Indians and Pakistanis apart. At the popular level there is little instinctive hostility or revulsion towards each other in Indian or Pakistani society. What one sees when Indians and Pakistanis are together is a common and spontaneous celebration of cultural affinities formed by a common history and geography rather than fear of the other. Many in India believe that the Pakistani army needs hostility towards India to justify its hold on power in Pakistan. This may have some validity, but the Pakistani army’s dominance over Pakistan’s internal political space has now lasted for so many years, and is so complete, that it should no longer need an external threat to justify its rule.

He said that the issue that Pakistan officially professes as the core of tensions is Jammu and Kashmir. However, Pakistani actions and the evolution of the Indian polity have transformed this contention. Pakistan’s attempt in 1999 to occupy and hold fresh territory and to ignite a popular uprising in Jammu and Kashmir effectively united the international community against a change in the status quo. The lack of any favorable popular response in Jammu and Kashmir confirmed the alienation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir from the Pakistani cause as a result of Pakistani-sponsored militancy. Terrorism has given extremist groups a bad name and has marginalized local politicians who support them, as repeated successful elections to the state assembly and the Indian national parliament with ever increasing turnouts have shown. Elections also reveal the strength of a federal and plural democracy in dealing with separatism and militancy, even when emotive issues like religion are used as a pretext for political action.

Shiv Shankar Manon recalled that recognizing the changes in Jammu and Kashmir and its international context, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought to engage Pakistan in 2004 on the issue, making it clear that while no Indian government has a mandate to change borders, the lives of people on both sides of the line take priority. President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also agreed that confidence-building measures should be implemented, keeping in mind practical limitations. They agreed that possible options for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir be explored. Prime Minister Singh made it clear that while India is willing to look at various options, it would not agree to a redrawing of boundaries or to another partition of the country.

As a result of the bilateral dialogue begun in 2004, trade and travel began to cross Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since 1948. Intensive back-channel diplomacy also made considerable progress in charting a way forward that would enable the issue to be dealt with in humanitarian and
practical terms without affecting the territorial stance of each country or the legal validity of Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India. The progress achieved in these discussions was considerable but not conclusive or formalized.

In a typical Indian way Shiv said that whether in the formal composite dialogue or back-channel diplomacy, Pakistan found it harder to think outside the box and to find creative solutions. On the Pakistani side these discussions were very closely monitored, conducted by a personal friend of President Musharraf who spoke for the President, but whose relationship with the rest of the Pakistani establishment was nebulous.

There were two Indian worries. One was whether future governments of Pakistan would respect agreements, since Pakistan is a country where orderly transfers of power from one government to the next are the exception rather than the rule. The other was whether the internally omnipotent Pakistan army was on board. The first question was never put to the test and remains unanswered.
All too soon the second was answered in the negative.

In March 2007, President Musharraf indicated that he could not operate on so many fronts at the same time and effectively put back-channel discussions with India on hold. Simultaneously cross-Line of Control (LOC) infiltration increased markedly, as did the number of ceasefire
violations by the Pakistan army under a new Chief. This was soon followed by the attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul on July 7 and on Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

He contented that these attacks effectively put the dialogue process on hold, as India deals with the enhanced threat that it faces by seeking effective Pakistani action to both prevent future attacks and to punish the perpetrators of these attacks. Such action has yet to occur.
In retrospect, it would appear that the primary cause of the present standstill in formal India-Pakistan negotiations was domestic developments in Pakistan. Whether Pakistan is a failed or unfinished or fragmented state is a discussion for scholars. The practical problem for India and the world is how to deal with Pakistan are multiple centers of power and leadership. There has been some talk of the need for international involvement in the search for solutions to these issues. Such an attempt would neither help India-Pakistan relations, nor the people of Jammu and Kashmir. No outsiders can substitute for the absence of political will and agreement between India and Pakistan or overcome the domestic complications involved in this issue.

And experience shows that the first groups to welcome the prospect of such mediation are separatists and militants who lack a popular following. Foreign mediation would embolden militants and put at risk the progress that India and Pakistan have made bilaterally in the past, he added.
He is of the opinion that it would also help if both countries were to define their security in terms of their people’s welfare and not just in terms of the hard power of the state or in zero-sum military terms.

Every successful experience of overcoming differences and resolving problems in the rest of the world suggests that issues are easier to resolve when a cooperative atmosphere exists between the parties. Traditionally, India has sought to move forward on trade and other issues, but Pakistan has made progress on other questions conditional on a satisfactory resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue. The answer between 2004 and 2007 was to proceed simultaneously with both efforts, in the hope of building a cooperative atmosphere that would ease the solution of difficult political problems. Unfortunately, the hope for such an atmosphere generated by the composite dialogue from 2004 to 2007 is no longer evident, absent credible action by Pakistan on terrorism.

Shiv Shnkar Menon said that from an Indian perspective, foremost among the issues that divide India and Pakistan is terrorism. For Indians the dialogue with Pakistan, and the entire relationship, is predicated on an absence of violence against India from Pakistan, a sense that has hardened since cross-border terrorism began three decades ago. The 2004 resumption “Faced with a fragmented situation the logical answer would be to engage those elements in Pakistan that may share India’s interest in opposing extremism and terrorism and in promoting a peaceful democratic periphery.”

He alleged that despite the assurances, no state other than India has faced such a series of attacks from the territory of its neighbor, with complicity of official organs of that neighbor. In the last three years alone, since the multiple bombings on Mumbai suburban trains in July 2006, every major Indian city has been targeted in terrorist attacks linked to elements in Pakistan. The attacks on the Indian Embassy in Kabul on July 7, 2008 and on Mumbai on November 26-29, 2008 took the terrorist threat and capability to a new level. There can be no doubting the complicity of portions of the Pakistani establishment, namely the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and therefore the Pakistan army, in these attacks, and in the fact that the organizations and camps and other infrastructure continue to operate in Pakistan. Nor is there any sign that the Pakistan army’s recent actions against some Taliban groups in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) will be reflected in actions against terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, or others of their ilk, by whatever name, which target India.
At the same time no other state has responded to a sustained terrorist campaign of this nature with the sort of restraint and patience displayed by India, namely, without recourse to direct military options or retaliation.

He said that recognizing the nature of Pakistan’s polity, the Indian reaction to the Kabul and Mumbai attacks was to differentiate between the Pakistani people who are blameless, the democratic civilian government whom we expect to fulfill their responsibilities, and those responsible for orchestrating the attacks. And yet reports continue of fresh attacks being planned and mounted from Pakistan. Cross-LOC infiltration has reached levels unprecedented since the composite dialogue process resumed in 2004.

The policy challenge that this reality poses to India is therefore unique. As the international community is now discovering in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the absence of normal functioning state organs, and their association with sub-conventional terrorist threats, exposes the limits of the standard tools of state-to-state diplomacy and traditional coercive policies.
The utility of force, as states have presently configured it, is also an issue.
India has a broad congruence of goals with the present international coalition in Afghanistan, in terms of helping to build a moderate, democratic Afghanistan as a home for all her ethnic communities and citizens, and in isolating and eliminating the threat to global society from international terrorist groups based in Pakistan and Afghanistan. At the
same time, as Pakistan’s immediate neighbor, lacking the United States’ ties with the Pakistani army, India’s stakes and interests will necessarily is expressed uniquely. From our experience, it is the nexus between the Pakistani establishment and terrorist groups like the Taliban and Lashkare-
Taiba, that is the key to dealing with this menace.

He said that India’s experience also shows that the efforts in Pakistan and Afghanistan will necessarily be a long haul, and that success requires action against the sponsors and safe havens used by the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and their affiliates.

Segmentation, appeasement, or attempts to differentiate between groups that are ideologically and otherwise bound, or to reach local settlements as were tried in Swat, Waziristan, and Helmand, are bound to fail and embolden the enemy. The effect of such attempts has invariably been
to legitimize the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and their affiliates in the eyes of the ordinary people, who naturally feel that if the great powers are ready to accommodate such groups, they have no choice but to obey them?

Each of us has a tendency to project upon the other our own political experience and attitudes. For instance, Pakistani leaders speak about Indian intelligence agencies in terms of respect and awe that no Indian uses. We need to learn to recognize and factor in the differences in the Indian and Pakistani systems, and the effect that this has upon then relationship. No democratically elected Indian government can be insensitive to the very strong views of the Indian public on the need for real Pakistani action against terrorism from Pakistan. As another instance, we hear a great deal
from Pakistan of some form of India-Pakistan competition in Afghanistan, using outdated nineteenth century notions from the Great Game. These reflexive reactions fail to reflect the nature of India’s commitment to the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan, he said.

Shiv Menon said that the dilemma for Indian policy is to craft a credible and workable response to existing threats, including that of more Mumbai-like attacks from Pakistan, while attempting to work for a more normal relationship with Pakistan. And this is to be achieved when Pakistan’s internal condition appears increasingly fragile. There is a real risk of radical elements gaining ascendancy in Pakistan, and its army cannot remain perpetually insulated from the society around it. ISI links with jihadi groups and the Taliban continue to work in both directions. Democracy remains fragile and has led to the emergence of multiple centers of power, further weakening the formal organs of state authority.

To this volatile mix is added the fact of a nuclear weapons program that has already proliferated both horizontally and vertically. While a stable India-Pakistan relationship is in both countries’ interest, it is hard to see how that is possible in this atmosphere and while cross-border terrorism continues.

Faced with a fragmented situation the logical answer would be to engage those elements in Pakistan, such as the civilian democratic leadership, that may share India’s interest in opposing extremism and terrorism and in promoting a peaceful democratic periphery. This would require a controlled and limited dialogue focused on terrorism, as successive governments of India of all political hues have consistently attempted. The successes of the composite dialogue process and back-channel diplomacy have not yet been enough to guarantee an absence of terrorist violence from Pakistan. Nor have they brought India-Pakistan relations to an acceptable level.

At the same time, the alternatives to a controlled and limited dialogue, of war or isolation, are either worse or counterproductive and would leave the field open to terrorist and extremist groups and their sponsors.

The paradox is that while there is no alternative to dialogue, it is and cannot be the entire answer to India’s dilemma. At the same time, one should not exaggerate the significance of Pakistan to India. Often arguments about India-Pakistan tensions being dangerous because both are nuclear weapon states, or threats of a Taliban-controlled Pakistan, are just that, namely, arguments used to provoke the desired response. Besides, real solutions to such issues are hardly likely to be found in full public view. Furthermore, there is a larger asymmetry that operates between India and Pakistan which might be called the vision deficit.

India has been relatively clear and open since the 1940s in enunciating a grand strategy for her foreign policy that attempts primarily to develop her own society and economy and seeks to use foreign policy to maximize this welfare function, while building strategic autonomy.
With Pakistan as well, it has been the Indian practice to outline a broader vision of the relationship and to describe the sort of relationship that India wishes to enjoy with Pakistan.

I am not aware of a similar description by a Pakistani leader of a larger or longer-term vision for a relationship with India since Jinnah’s 1947 statement that Pakistan should be to India as Canada is to the United States.

The vision deficit matters because the issues that divide both countries would be easier to solve if they shared a common goal or purpose or vision of the sort of relationship to build in the future. In theory, one could envisage several futures for India and Pakistan, ranging from outright hostility to a cold peace to active cooperation to regional economic integration or even Lohia and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya’s idea of confederation. It would certainly be useful if India and Pakistan agreed on where we wish to be on that spectrum.

Pakistan has allowed an obsession with India and Afghanistan to destroy her own polity and internal balance.
India must not allow an obsession with Pakistan to do the same to her foreign and domestic policies. For India, (and, I dare say, for Pakistan as well though to a lesser extent), the real issues are elsewhere. India’s overriding task is her own domestic transformation, as is Pakistan’s. Pakistan thus represents a unique challenge to Indian statecraft. If our unsatisfactory experience is any guide, it requires the crafting of an Indian approach mixing traditional and new methods, the shape of which is still to emerge.

India and Pakistan each has its own wisdom for why the countries’ relations are unsatisfactory. To an outside observer, these ideas appear to be self-perpetuating and self-fulfilling myths, he concluded.

(Courtesy: Jang/The News, Pakistan)

A Look at America's New Hope: The Afghan Tribes

2010-02-01T10:06:00.001-08:00

By RUHULLAH KHAPALWAK and DAVID ROHDE
Afghanistan is built on its tribes. How they work. How power flows. Who matters most. (The New York Times)

Evidence grows that Pakistani Taliban leader is dead

2010-02-01T10:04:00.001-08:00

By Haq Nawaz Khan and Pamela Constable

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN -- Evidence mounted Monday that the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, an extremist Islamic militia with close links to al Qaeda and a record of major suicide bombings, has died of burns and other injuries he received during a recent U.S. missile strike in Pakistan's northwest tr... (The Washington Post)

Pakistani Taliban Leader Is Reported Dead

2010-01-31T17:29:00.001-08:00

By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
A report on state-run TV that Hakimullah Mehsud had died in a drone strike set off a storm of speculation about the fate of Pakistan's chief domestic enemy. (The New York Times)

Taliban denies it met with U.N. envoy

2010-01-30T17:09:00.001-08:00

By Joshua Partlow

KABUL -- The Taliban on Saturday denied meeting with the United Nations' special representative in Afghanistan and vowed to persist in its war "against the invaders." (The Washington Post )

Attacked CIA facility supported drone strikes

2009-12-31T20:35:00.001-08:00

By Joby Warrick and Pamela Constable

The CIA base attacked by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan this week was at the heart of a covert program overseeing strikes by the agency's remote-controlled aircraft along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, officials familiar with the installation said Thursday. (The Washington Post)

Pakistani army eager to show progress in fight against Taliban

2009-11-17T16:51:00.001-08:00

Pakistan: Militants attack 2 anti-Taliban figures

2009-11-15T17:40:00.001-08:00

High Costs Weigh on Troop Debate for Afghan War

2009-11-14T11:07:00.001-08:00

By CHRISTOPHER DREW
The budget implications of President Obama's decision about sending more troops to Afghanistan are adding pressure to limit the commitment, senior administration officials say. (The Washington Post)

Challenger poised to quit race

2009-10-31T20:05:00.001-07:00

Bombings kill 8 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan

2009-10-27T18:56:00.001-07:00

14 Americans killed in two helicopter crashes in Afghanistan

2009-10-26T18:14:00.001-07:00

By Pamela Constable and Joshua Partlow
KABUL -- In a day of military tragedy and political drama, 11 American troops and three U.S. civilians died Monday in two helicopter crashes in rural Afghanistan, while President Hamid Karzai and his top political rival escalated their dispute over conditions for holding a runoff election scheduled... (The Washington Post)

U.S. tested 2 Afghan scenarios in war game

2009-10-25T20:28:00.001-07:00

By Greg Jaffe and Karen DeYoung

The Pentagon's top military officer oversaw a secret war game this month to evaluate the two primary military options that have been put forward by the Pentagon and are being weighed by the Obama administration as part of a broad-based review of the faltering Afghanistan war, senior military... (The Washington Post)

Pakistan Launches Full-Scale Offensive

2009-10-17T19:29:00.001-07:00

By Karin Brulliard

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 17 -- The Pakistani military launched a major ground offensive Saturday in the insurgent haven of South Waziristan, starting a much-awaited fight that could define the nation's increasingly bloody domestic struggle against Islamist extremism. (The Washington Post)

In Afghan Stability, Abdullah Is Pivotal

2009-10-14T18:37:00.001-07:00

By Karin Brulliard

KABUL -- Abdullah Abdullah stood before a roomful of supporters at a hotel here last week, slamming the failings of the Afghan government like a man still on the campaign trail -- which, the presidential candidate insists, he is. (The Washington Post)

A Dogged Taliban Chief Rebounds, Vexing U.S.

2009-10-11T10:11:00.001-07:00

By SCOTT SHANE Mullah Muhammad Omar's prospects seemed bleak in 2001. Now, he leads an insurgency that has gained ground in much of Afghanistan against U.S. and NATO forces. (The New York Times)

U.N. Envoy: Accusations of Pro-Karzai Bias Are Untrue

2009-10-11T10:06:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow
KABUL, Oct. 11 -- The embattled head of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan on Sunday defended himself against allegations from his former American deputy that he chose to ignore evidence of fraud in last month's disputed elections and acted in a biased manner towards President Hamid Karzai. (The Washington Post)

In Pakistan, Militants Attack Army Bastion

2009-10-10T21:30:00.001-07:00

By Shaiq Hussain and Karin Brulliard

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Oct. 10 -- Militants staged a deadly attack on the Pakistani army headquarters Saturday in the most audacious indication yet of their willingness to battle the government -- even at the doorstep of the nation's large and powerful security forces. (The Washington Post)

Emerging Goal for Afghanistan: Weaken, Not Vanquish, Taliban

2009-10-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

By Scott Wilson

As it reviews its Afghanistan policy for the second time this year, the Obama administration has concluded that the Taliban cannot be eliminated as a political or military movement, regardless of how many combat forces are sent into battle. (The Washington Post)

Afghan Strategy Divides Lawmakers

2009-10-06T19:47:00.001-07:00

By Scott Wilson

Congressional leaders left a rare bipartisan meeting with President Obama on Tuesday divided over what strategy the administration should adopt to fight an increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan and how quickly it must do so to protect U.S. forces already on the ground. (The Washington Post)

The Distance Between 'We Must' and 'We Can'

2009-10-04T07:57:00.001-07:00

By JAMES TRAUB
The war in Afghanistan reignites a classic debate: on one side an imperative for victory, on the other the risks of overreach. (The New York Times)

Eight U.S. Troops Die in Attack on Afghan Outpost

2009-10-04T07:55:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow

KABUL, Oct. 4 -- Firing rockets and rifles, Taliban militiamen attacked American and Afghan military outposts in a daylong siege on Saturday that killed eight U.S. soldiers and two Afghan security forces in one of the deadliest battles in months, according to U.S. and Afghan officials. (The Washington Post)

U.S. Says Taliban Has A New Haven in Pakistan

2009-09-28T18:30:00.001-07:00

By Pamela Constable

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- As American troops move deeper into southern Afghanistan to fight Taliban insurgents, U.S. officials are expressing new concerns about the role of fugitive Taliban leader Mohammad Omar and his council of lieutenants, who reportedly plan and launch cross-border strikes from ... (The Washington Post)

U.S., Allies Vow Support for Karzai

2009-09-27T18:59:00.001-07:00

By Karen DeYoung

The United States and NATO countries fighting in Afghanistan have told President Hamid Karzai's government that they expect him to remain in office for another five-year term and will work with him on an expanded campaign to turn insurgent fighters against the Taliban and other militant groups. (The Washington Post)

Top General Denies Rift With Obama on Afghan War

2009-09-23T19:03:00.001-07:00

By THOM SHANKER and ERIC SCHMITT
The senior American commander in Afghanistan said in an interview that he welcomed the fierce debate that has emerged over how to carry out the war. (The New York Times)

Inquiry Into CIA Practices Narrows

2009-09-18T19:07:00.001-07:00

By Carrie Johnson, Jerry Markon and Julie Tate

The Justice Department's review of detainee abuse by the CIA will focus on a very small number of cases, including at least one in which an Afghan prisoner died at a secret facility, according to two sources briefed on the matter. (The Washington Post)

First Full Afghan Tally Gives Karzai 54% of Vote

2009-09-16T18:06:00.001-07:00

By Pamela Constable

KABUL, Sep. 16 -- The Afghan national election commission, in its first full tally of ballots cast in last month's presidential race, announced Wednesday that incumbent Hamid Karzai had won 54.6 percent of the vote, a margin large enough for him to win reelection and avoid a runoff against his to... (The Washington Post)

Pakistan's Army Said to Be Linked to Many Killings By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH Two months after the Pakistani Army gained control of the Swat V

2009-09-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
Two months after the Pakistani Army gained control of the Swat Valley, bodies have been dumped on the streets in what rights advocates and residents say is the work of the military. (The New York Times)

U.S. Gives New Rights To Afghan Prisoners

2009-09-12T20:30:00.001-07:00

By Karen DeYoung and Peter Finn

Hundreds of prisoners held by the U.S. military in Afghanistan will for the first time have the right to challenge their indefinite detention and call witnesses in their defense under a new review system being put in place this week, according to administration officials. (The Washington Post)

U.S. in Delicate Spot as Fraud Claims Mount in Afghan Vote

2009-09-09T04:13:00.001-07:00

By MARK LANDLER and HELENE COOPER
The Obama administration is trying to balance an effort to investigate vote fraud allegations with its interest in maintaining good relations with President Hamid Karzai.(The New York Times)

NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan Kills Up to 90

2009-09-04T09:15:00.001-07:00

By FRANK JORDANS

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan -- An American war jet blasted two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing up to 90 people, including insurgents and dozens of civilians who had rushed to the scene to collect fuel, Afghan officials said. (The Washington Post)

Gates May Be Open To Troop Increase

2009-09-03T21:40:00.001-07:00

By Ann Scott Tyson

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates indicated Thursday that he is open to increasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, voicing a shift in his position as the administration ponders a military assessment expected to lead to a formal request for additional forces. (The Washington Post)

U.N. Agency Finds Evidence of Drug Cartels Forming in Afghanistan

2009-09-01T20:28:00.001-07:00

By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
But the U.N. report also says that Afghanistan's production of opium declined by 10 percent this year, a rare bit of good news. (The New York Times)

Taliban Surprising U.S. Forces With Improved Tactics

2009-09-01T20:25:00.001-07:00

By Karen DeYoung

The Taliban has become a much more potent adversary in Afghanistan by improving its own tactics and finding gaps in the U.S. military playbook, according to senior American military officials who acknowledged that the enemy's resurgence this year has taken them by surprise. (The Washington Post)

Accusation of Brazen Ballot-Stuffing Casts New Doubt on Karzai

2009-09-01T14:14:00.001-07:00

By DEXTER FILKINS
Allegations by tribal elders in a southern Afghan district represent the most serious that have so far been publicized against Hamid Karzai.(The New York Times)

Seven Days That Shook Afghanistan

2009-08-31T09:14:00.001-07:00

By DEXTER FILKINS
At the end of a violent week, doubts about the legitimacy of the election may cost more than battle losses. Troops can't replace faith in the government. (The New York Times)

Many Women Stayed Away From the Polls In Afghanistan

2009-08-31T08:52:00.001-07:00

By Pamela Constable

KABUL, Aug. 30 -- Five years ago, with the country at peace, traditional taboos easing and Western donors pushing for women to participate in democracy, millions of Afghan women eagerly registered and then voted for a presidential candidate. In a few districts, female turnout was even higher than... (The Washington Post)

U.S. General Calls for New Strategy Against Taliban

2009-08-31T08:51:00.001-07:00

By JASON STRAZIUSO

KABUL -- The commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan said Monday in an assessment of the war that a new strategy was needed to fight the Taliban, while NATO officials disclosed he is expected to separately request more troops. (The Washington Post)

Increasing Accounts of Fraud Cloud Afghan Vote

2009-08-30T20:02:00.001-07:00

By CARLOTTA GALL
International election observers who have been working for months in Afghanistan said the problem was systemic and institutional corruption.(The New York Times)

Karzai Using Rift With U.S. to Gain Favor With Afghans

2009-08-28T20:49:00.001-07:00

By HELENE COOPER
As American concerns mount about reports of widespread electoral fraud, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan is portraying himself as the one candidate willing to stand up to the United States. (The New York Times)

Message to Muslim World Gets a Critique

2009-08-27T20:39:00.001-07:00

By THOM SHANKER
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote in a military journal that government efforts to counter Islamist ideology "lack credibility." (The New York Times)

Accusations Of Vote Fraud Multiply in Afghanistan

2009-08-27T20:31:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow and Pamela Constable

MAZAR-E SHARIF, Afghanistan -- One week after Afghanistan's presidential election, with the winner still undeclared, increasing accusations of fraud and voter coercion threaten to undermine the validity of the results, deepen dangerous regional divisions and hamper the Obama administration's goal... (The Washington Post)

Alleged Drug Ties of Top Afghan Official Worry U.S.

2009-08-26T21:06:00.001-07:00

By JAMES RISEN and MARK LANDLER
The dilemma of how to grapple with Gen. Mohammad Qasim Fahim, President Hamid Karzai's running mate, says much about the struggle the U.S. has had in dealing with corruption in Afghanistan. (The New York Times)

On Afghanistan, Political Test for Obama

2009-08-25T19:57:00.001-07:00

By Scott Wilson and Joshua Partlow

President Obama is caught between two important constituencies as he recalibrates his policy in Afghanistan -- the generals who want more troops, and the base of his own party, whose tolerance for a worsening conflict is quickly evaporating. (The Washington Post)

Mullen: Afghan Fight 'Serious and Deteriorating'

2009-08-23T15:01:00.001-07:00

By Karen DeYoung

The situation in Afghanistan is "serious and deteriorating," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen said Sunday, as the Obama administration awaits an assessment by the new U.S. commander there and a possible request for more troops. (The Washington Post)

U.S. Fears Rifts if Afghanistan Vote Goes to Runoff

2009-08-21T20:24:00.001-07:00

By HELENE COOPER and CARLOTTA GALL
Rather than demonstrate stability justifying an expanded American commitment in Afghanistan, the election underscored the challenges that the country faces. (The New York Times)

U.S. drone strike kills 12 in Pakistan

2009-08-21T20:23:00.001-07:00

By Haji Mujtaba

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles into Pakistan's North Waziristan region on the Afghan border on Friday, killing at least a dozen people, Pakistani intelligence agency officials said. (The Washington Post)

Afghans Vote, Against Backdrop of Threats

2009-08-20T21:12:00.001-07:00

By Pamela Constable and Joshua Partlow

KABUL, Aug. 20 -- Defying Taliban threats to bomb polling stations and maim voters, millions of Afghans cast ballots Thursday in a presidential election that was relatively peaceful and orderly despite widespread predictions of violence and fraud. (The Washington Post)

Biography claims Imran Khan and Benazir Bhutto were romantically involved

2009-08-20T08:16:00.001-07:00

A new biography of Imran Khan has claimed the former international cricketer and Benazir Bhutto, the assassinated former Prime Minister of Pakistan, were romantically involved while they were both students at Oxford University.(The Telegraph )

Search for the real villain of Partition divides India again

2009-08-20T08:02:00.001-07:00

In Pakistan he is known as Quaid-e-Azam or "Great leader". But in India, and beyond, there are those who have considered Mohammad Ali Jinnah as little more than a criminal, a man whose unyielding insistence on a separate country for Muslims led to the brutal division of a nation and... (The Independent)

Going Jinnah’s way

2009-08-20T07:49:00.001-07:00

The expulsion of former Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh from the Bharatiya Janata Party could not have come as a surprise to him. He had said last week that having written an adulatory account of Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his seminal book on the Quaid-i-Azam, he was ‘prepared for the noose.’ (Dawn)

'We Don't Have Any Alternative to Karzai'

2009-08-18T20:47:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow

BATI KOT, Afghanistan, Aug. 18 -- From the gravel lot where he repairs cars, Babarak Shinwari can see the spot where the suicide bomber killed three of his cousins last year. At his home nearby, where his four children live without electricity, he says he prays to God for a president who can bring... ('The Washington Post)

Threats by Taliban May Sway Vote in Afghanistan

2009-08-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

By DEXTER FILKINS
The insurgents' campaign against this week's election may cost President Hamid Karzai vital support from his fellow Pashtuns. (The New York Times)

Pentagon Worries Led to Command Change

2009-08-17T06:52:00.001-07:00

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran

In mid-March, as a White House assessment of the war in Afghanistan was nearing completion, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met in a secure Pentagon room for their fortnightly video conference with Gen. David D. McKiernan, the top... (The Washington Post)

Ahead of Vote, Afghans in U.S. Backing Candidates From Afar

2009-08-17T06:51:00.001-07:00

By Tara Bahrampour

Late at night, after he gets home from his job managing an Afghan restaurant in Alexandria, Mir Farid Hashimi makes long-distance calls, trying to convince relatives in Afghanistan that despite the hard times there, Hamid Karzai should keep leading the country. (The Washington Post)

Pre-Vote Blast in Kabul Signals Taliban Intent

2009-08-15T20:53:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow

KABUL, Aug. 15 -- A suicide car bombing outside the U.S. military headquarters in Afghanistan's capital Saturday was the most serious indication yet of the Taliban's designs to disrupt Thursday's presidential election through violence. (The Washington Post)

In Helmand, Caught Between U.S., Taliban

2009-08-14T20:51:00.001-07:00

By Ann Scott Tyson

MIANPOSHTEH, Afghanistan -- U.S. Marines pushing into Afghanistan's southern Helmand province are running up against a skeptical Afghan population heavily influenced by Taliban insurgents, signaling a long campaign ahead. (The Washington Post)

U.S. Ambassador Seeks More Money for Afghanistan

2009-08-11T20:10:00.001-07:00

By Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe

The United States will not meet its goals in Afghanistan without a major increase in planned spending on development and civilian reconstruction next year, the U.S. ambassador in Kabul has told the State Department. (The Washington Post)

Afghanistan's story is like a Greek tragedy: Riaz M Khan

2009-08-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

Analysts Expect Long-Term, Costly U.S. Campaign in Afghanistan

2009-08-09T06:55:00.001-07:00

By Walter Pincus

As the Obama administration expands U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, military experts are warning that the United States is taking on security and political commitments that will last at least a decade and a cost that will probably eclipse that of the Iraq war. (The Washington Post)

Pakistan's No. 1 Enemy: Ex-Ally Bent by Al Qaeda

2009-08-08T08:05:00.001-07:00

By CARLOTTA GALL and ISMAIL KHAN
The terrorist reportedly killed in a missile strike on Wednesday is perhaps the most prominent example of a Taliban fighter who turned against his country. (The New York Times)

Pakistan Taliban Chief May Have Been Killed

2009-08-06T21:16:00.001-07:00

By Joby Warrick

Baitullah Mehsud, the al-Qaeda-allied Taliban commander who rose to become one of Pakistan's most feared terrorists, may have been killed in a U.S. airstrike inside Pakistan this week, U.S. officials said Thursday. (The Washington Post)

Officials: Taliban chief's wife killed by missile

2009-08-05T21:17:00.001-07:00

By ISHTIAQ MAHSUD and NAHAL TOOSI

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan -- A suspected U.S. missile strike killed a wife of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud at his father-in-law's house Wednesday, Pakistani intelligence and military officials said. (The Washington Post)

Pakistan Christians shut schools to mourn killings

2009-08-03T22:15:00.001-07:00

By ASIF SHAHZAD

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Christians have closed their schools and colleges across the country for three days starting Monday to mourn and protest the killings of eight of their religious brethren, leaders of the minority community said. (The Washington Post)

Pakistan Valley Tries to Heal, and Fears Dark Battles Ahead

2009-08-02T18:54:00.001-07:00

By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
Since residents returned to the Swat Valley after the army fought the Taliban, there are signs that a new insidious conflict may be afoot and that it could take months to play out. (The New York Times)

'You Have to Learn This Now'

2009-08-01T21:55:00.001-07:00

By Pamela Constable

KABUL -- On a bleak and sweltering plain littered with rusty Soviet tanks, pairs of grimacing military recruits crawled beneath a barbed-wire net one recent morning, dragging their rifles through the dust. Two trainers followed, shouting at them to move faster and stooping to correct their moveme... (The Washington Post)

Pakistan Injects Precision Into Air War on Taliban

2009-07-29T20:48:00.001-07:00

By ERIC SCHMITT
Sophisticated imagery and accurate weapons have helped reduce civilian casualties. (The New York Times)

U.S. unsure on success of Pakistan's Swat offensive

2009-07-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It is unclear if Pakistan's offensive in Swat has killed off Taliban insurgents or simply scattered them, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, adding a note of caution to U.S. praise for the effort. (The Washington Post)

Ahu & Me: A Dog Is Lost, Hope Is Found In Pakistan

2009-07-28T20:49:00.001-07:00

By Pamela Constable

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- I almost missed her at first, a small dusty dog curled up under a taxi in a crowded airport. But when I whistled, she poked her head out and looked up with a faintly hopeful expression. She had a slender face and huge brown eyes, like a doe. (The Washington Post)

With Stubborn Chaos in Swat, Land Owners Stay in Exile

2009-07-27T17:40:00.001-07:00

By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH The reluctance of landowners to return to the Swat Valley is a blow to the Pakistani military's campaign to restore stability to the region. (The Washington Post)

Serious Challenger Emerges in Afghan Race

2009-07-23T21:53:00.001-07:00

By CARLOTTA GALL Dr. Abdullah Abdullah is the one candidate who has a chance of forcing President Hamid Karzai into a runoff. (The New York Times)

Pakistan Seeks More U.S. Military Aid

2009-07-22T21:56:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 22 -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani on Wednesday called on the United States to provide real-time intelligence, unmanned aircraft technology and other military assistance to help his country combat the Taliban without relying on attacks from U.S. drones. (The Washington Post)

Pakistani Prime Minister Calls for More U.S. Assistance

2009-07-22T16:55:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 22 -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday called on the United States to provide real-time intelligence, unmanned aircraft technology and other military assistance to help Pakistan combat the Taliban without relying on attacks from U.S. drones. (The Washington Post)

Coordinated Attacks in Afghanistan Kill 6

2009-07-21T09:02:00.001-07:00

By CARLOTTA GALL and RUHULLAH KHAPALWAK The Taliban claimed responsibility as eight suicide attackers assaulted government compounds on Tuesday. (The New York Times)

Pentagon Seeks Prison Overhaul in Afghanistan

2009-07-19T17:58:00.001-07:00

By ERIC SCHMITT A U.S. military review calls for overhauling the troubled American-run prison at Bagram Air Base, which has become an ominous symbol for Afghans. (The Washington Post)

India Visit Leaves Officials for Last Day

2009-07-18T22:29:00.001-07:00

By Glenn Kessler
MUMBAI, India, July 18 -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reached out to the full spectrum of Indian society Saturday, sharing petits fours with corporate titans, including a man building a $1 billion home, and later munching nuts with rural women who embroider clothing for just dollars a... (The Washington Post)

Political Rivals Agree to Work Together for Pakistan's Sake

2009-07-17T20:11:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow and Aoun Sahi
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 17 -- Pakistan's leading opposition figure, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, met with President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday, following a Supreme Court ruling that acquitted Sharif of hijacking charges during a coup against his government a decade ago. (The Washington Post)

India, Pakistan PMs to meet, Mumbai attacks cloud talks

2009-07-15T19:02:00.001-07:00

By Rina Chandran
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Reuters) - The prime ministers of India and Pakistan meet in Egypt on Thursday for talks which Islamabad hopes will pave the way to the resolution of all disputes with its rival. (The Washington Post)

Tough Times for Smugglers at Pakistan's 'American Market'

2009-07-12T20:30:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow
PESHAWAR, Pakistan Not that they really have the right to complain, but these are also dire economic times for smugglers and gun runners. (The Washington Post)

Another Insurgency Gains in Pakistan

2009-07-11T18:25:00.001-07:00

By CARLOTTA GALL A conflict in Baluchistan, a vast and restless province in Pakistan's southwest, is distracting the government from its crackdown on the Taliban and Al Qaeda. (The New York Times)

U.S. Inaction Seen After Taliban P.O.W.'s Died

2009-07-10T21:43:00.001-07:00

By JAMES RISEN Bush administration officials are said to have repeatedly discouraged efforts to investigate a mass killing by the forces of an American-backed warlord. (The New York Times)

U.S. General Sees Afghan Army, Police Insufficient

2009-07-10T21:37:00.001-07:00

By Greg Jaffe and Karen DeYoung

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the newly arrived top commander in Afghanistan, has concluded that the Afghan security forces will have to be far larger than currently planned if President Obama's strategy for winning the war is to succeed, according to senior military officials. (The Washington Post)

Trampled by the 'Civilian Surge'

2009-07-09T21:30:00.001-07:00

By Anna Husarska
Why the latest surge in Afghanistan could do more harm than good. (The Washington Post)

Suspected U.S. Drones Kill at Least 44 in Pakistan

2009-07-08T20:55:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow and Haq Nawaz Khan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 8 -- For the second consecutive day, unmanned U.S. spy planes pounded suspected Taliban targets in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least 44 people, according to a Pakistani official. (The Washington Post)

7 US troops killed throughout Afghanistan - Yahoo! News

2009-07-06T17:41:00.001-07:00

KABUL – Bombs and bullets killed seven American troops on Monday, the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in nearly a year — and a sign that the war being fought in the Taliban heartland of the south and east could now be expanding north. (Associated Press)

Piecing Together an Immigrant's Life the U.S. Refused to See

2009-07-06T09:32:00.001-07:00

By NINA BERNSTEIN The story of a detainee and his death, kept in official oblivion for three years, shows how 9/11 changed the stakes for those tangled in U.S. immigration laws. (The New York Times)

Afghan-Pakistani Hostility Impedes U.S. Troops

2009-07-04T21:14:00.001-07:00

By Greg Jaffe
ON THE AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN BORDER -- Lt. Gabe Lamois's mission sounded simple: Hike down the hill to the Pakistani Frontier Corps' border post, inform the commander there that U.S. and Afghan troops were going to be moving through the area at 3 a.m., and hike back up the hill. (The Washington Post)

Marines Deploy on Major Mission

2009-07-01T20:32:00.001-07:00

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, July 2 -- Thousands of U.S. Marines descended upon the volatile Helmand River valley in helicopters and armored convoys early Thursday, mounting an operation that represents the first large-scale test of the U.S. military's new counterinsurgency strategy in Afghani... (The Washington Post)

Key in Afghanistan: Economy, Not Military

2009-06-30T20:41:00.001-07:00

By Bob Woodward
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan -- National security adviser James L. Jones told U.S. military commanders here last week that the Obama administration wants to hold troop levels here flat for now, and focus instead on carrying out the previously approved strategy of increased economic development,... (The Washington Post)

Deadly Ambush Could Indicate Threat to Pakistan's Army

2009-06-29T21:22:00.001-07:00

By Joshua Partlow
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 29 -- The Pakistani military is at war with the Taliban, but the ambush that killed 16 soldiers in the tribal region of North Waziristan on Sunday was still somewhat unexpected. (The Washington Post)

Taliban Losses Are No Sure Gain for Pakistanis

2009-06-27T18:20:00.001-07:00

By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH The Pakistani military has claimed success in the Swat Valley, but the stability may be threatened by the militants' decision to flee, possibly to return later. (The New York Times)

Pakistani violence spreads to Kashmir

2009-06-26T20:16:00.001-07:00

By Abu Arqam Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Two soldiers were killed on Friday in the first suicide bombing in Pakistani Kashmir, while three people were killed and seven wounded in two bomb blasts in a militant-infested areas near the Afghan border. (The Washington Post)

Suicide bomber kills 2 troops in Pakistani Kashmir

2009-06-25T20:51:00.001-07:00

By RYAN LUCAS
ISLAMABAD -- Officials say a suicide bomber has killed at least two soldiers in the Pakistani part of Kashmir. (The Washington Post)

Senate votes to triple non-defense aid to Pakistan

2009-06-24T19:52:00.001-07:00

By JIM ABRAMS
WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Wednesday to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan in hopes of bolstering economic and political stability there and to help change the negative attitudes of many Pakistanis toward America. (The Washington Post)

Pakistan's Plans for New Fight Stir Concern

2009-06-23T20:27:00.001-07:00

By Pamela Constable
CAMP JALOZAI, Pakistan -- As they bake in a sea of plastic tents under the relentless sun, families displaced by the recent army campaign against Taliban forces in the Swat Valley have a single, burning question about the Pakistani government's plans for a far more ambitious military assault against... (The Washington Post)

Pakistan's Victory Described as a Gift to a Nation

2009-06-22T21:15:00.001-07:00

By HUW RICHARDS The Pakistan captain, Younis Khan, retired from the format after leading his country over Sri Lanka for one of its greatest cricket victories. (The New York Times)

Samundar Paar

Zardari's trip to Europe fuels resentment as Pakistan reels from deadly floods

Taliban Exploit Openings in Neglected Province

Pakistan Is Said to Pursue Role in Afghan Talks With U.S.

Between the surge and the talks

Indian officials fail to recognize the very existence of disputes: Dr. Maleeha Lodhi

A Look at America's New Hope: The Afghan Tribes

Evidence grows that Pakistani Taliban leader is dead

Pakistani Taliban Leader Is Reported Dead

Taliban denies it met with U.N. envoy

Attacked CIA facility supported drone strikes

Pakistani army eager to show progress in fight against Taliban

By Pamela Constable

Pakistan: Militants attack 2 anti-Taliban figures

By RIAZ KHAN

High Costs Weigh on Troop Debate for Afghan War

Challenger poised to quit race

By Pamela Constable and Scott Wilson

Bombings kill 8 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan

By Joshua Partlow

14 Americans killed in two helicopter crashes in Afghanistan

U.S. tested 2 Afghan scenarios in war game

Pakistan Launches Full-Scale Offensive

In Afghan Stability, Abdullah Is Pivotal

A Dogged Taliban Chief Rebounds, Vexing U.S.

U.N. Envoy: Accusations of Pro-Karzai Bias Are Untrue

In Pakistan, Militants Attack Army Bastion

Emerging Goal for Afghanistan: Weaken, Not Vanquish, Taliban

Afghan Strategy Divides Lawmakers

The Distance Between 'We Must' and 'We Can'

Eight U.S. Troops Die in Attack on Afghan Outpost

U.S. Says Taliban Has A New Haven in Pakistan

U.S., Allies Vow Support for Karzai

Top General Denies Rift With Obama on Afghan War

Inquiry Into CIA Practices Narrows

First Full Afghan Tally Gives Karzai 54% of Vote

Pakistan's Army Said to Be Linked to Many Killings By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH Two months after the Pakistani Army gained control of the Swat V

U.S. Gives New Rights To Afghan Prisoners

U.S. in Delicate Spot as Fraud Claims Mount in Afghan Vote

NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan Kills Up to 90

Gates May Be Open To Troop Increase

U.N. Agency Finds Evidence of Drug Cartels Forming in Afghanistan

Taliban Surprising U.S. Forces With Improved Tactics

Accusation of Brazen Ballot-Stuffing Casts New Doubt on Karzai

Seven Days That Shook Afghanistan

Many Women Stayed Away From the Polls In Afghanistan

U.S. General Calls for New Strategy Against Taliban

Increasing Accounts of Fraud Cloud Afghan Vote

Karzai Using Rift With U.S. to Gain Favor With Afghans

Message to Muslim World Gets a Critique

Accusations Of Vote Fraud Multiply in Afghanistan

Alleged Drug Ties of Top Afghan Official Worry U.S.

On Afghanistan, Political Test for Obama

Mullen: Afghan Fight 'Serious and Deteriorating'

U.S. Fears Rifts if Afghanistan Vote Goes to Runoff

U.S. drone strike kills 12 in Pakistan

Afghans Vote, Against Backdrop of Threats

Biography claims Imran Khan and Benazir Bhutto were romantically involved

A new biography of Imran Khan has claimed the former international cricketer and Benazir Bhutto, the assassinated former Prime Minister of Pakistan, were romantically involved while they were both students at Oxford University.(The Telegraph )

Search for the real villain of Partition divides India again

Going Jinnah’s way

'We Don't Have Any Alternative to Karzai'

Threats by Taliban May Sway Vote in Afghanistan

Pentagon Worries Led to Command Change

Ahead of Vote, Afghans in U.S. Backing Candidates From Afar

Pre-Vote Blast in Kabul Signals Taliban Intent

In Helmand, Caught Between U.S., Taliban

U.S. Ambassador Seeks More Money for Afghanistan

Afghanistan's story is like a Greek tragedy: Riaz M Khan

Analysts Expect Long-Term, Costly U.S. Campaign in Afghanistan

Pakistan's No. 1 Enemy: Ex-Ally Bent by Al Qaeda

Pakistan Taliban Chief May Have Been Killed

Officials: Taliban chief's wife killed by missile

Pakistan Christians shut schools to mourn killings

Pakistan Valley Tries to Heal, and Fears Dark Battles Ahead

'You Have to Learn This Now'

Pakistan Injects Precision Into Air War on Taliban

U.S. unsure on success of Pakistan's Swat offensive

Ahu & Me: A Dog Is Lost, Hope Is Found In Pakistan

With Stubborn Chaos in Swat, Land Owners Stay in Exile