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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Pakistan's Overture To Taliban Concerns Afghans

November 21, 2012 Many Afghans are wondering about the timing and motive of Pakistan's release last week of at least nine Taliban prisoners. They say mistrust born of decades of duplicity won't vanish with a few declarations or small gestures.

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Prisoner Release Shifts Pakistan's Afghan Policy

Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik (right) meets with Salahuddin Rabbani, head of the Afghan High Peace Council, in Islamabad last week. Pakistan freed at least nine Taliban prisoners at the request of the Afghan government, in a move meant to help jump-start a shaky peace process with the militant group in neighboring Afghanistan, officials said.

November 21, 2012 In what is considered a good-faith gesture, Pakistan last week released at least nine Afghan Taliban prisoners. The move is seen as part of a new strategy by Pakistan as it eyes the looming drawdown of U.S. and Western troops in Afghanistan — and a small but potentially important breakthrough in the peace process.

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Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Two-Way

Most Afghans Now Optimistic, Survey Signals; How Real Is That Result?

Are better days ahead in Afghanistan? A new survey signals that just more than half of Afghans think their country is headed in the right direction. Here: Mohamed, who makes a living by working as a day laborer in construction, makes his way home after work in Kabul.

November 14, 2012 For the first time in eight years of doing surveys of Afghans, the Asia Foundations reports that more than half say the country is headed in the right direction. But some respondents might have been saying what they thought pollsters wanted to hear.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

World

Pakistan Fears Afghan Spillover Of Chaos, Refugees

An Afghan refugee girl walks back to her home in a slum on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in August. She is one of an estimated 1.7 million mostly Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

November 13, 2012 Pakistan is growing increasingly worried about the threat of civil war in Afghanistan when U.S. and other Western forces withdraw in 2014. In recent decades, Pakistan has seen an influx of refugees and turmoil as a result of war in Afghanistan and hopes to avoid that outcome this time.

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Monday, November 12, 2012

Afghans Brace For U.S. Departure In 2014

Afghan villagers look at a translator as U.S. soldiers tend to an injured local Afghan man, who was shot for being suspected of planting a roadside bomb in Genrandai village at Panjwai district, Kandahar, on Sept. 24.

November 12, 2012 U.S. and NATO forces will still be around for about two more years. But some Afghans fear a return of the Taliban, a civil war or economic collapse will follow a pullout by Western forces. Afghanistan also has a presidential election in 2014 that could reshape the country.

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As The Clock Ticks, U.S. Trains Afghan Troops

US troops from the 1-91 Cavalry patrol in Baraki Barak district in Logar Province, south of Kabul. Insurgents carry out frequent attacks in the area. The U.S. is trying to improve the capabilities of Afghan forces so they will be able to take control when U.S. troops leave.

November 12, 2012 Logar Province, a flashpoint just south of Kabul, shows the challenges facing U.S. forces as they try to prepare Afghan troops to take over security. In some areas, Afghan troops lead operations. In others, insurgents still pose a serious threat, and the U.S. troops still have the lead role.

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Sunday, November 11, 2012

Opinion

In The Faces Of Soldiers, Sadness And Sacrifice

Major Ehyart of the US Army salutes during the national anthem during a game between the Miami Dolphins and the Tennessee Titans at Sun Life Stadium on November 11, 2012 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

November 11, 2012 On Veterans Day, we remember those who serve to protect our country — including those in the most recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Commentator Sophie Adelman describes the hardship in honoring fallen soldiers.

Summary

Sunday, November 04, 2012

World

U.S. Handoff In Afghanistan Includes Radio Training

Unidentified Afghan civilians broadcast a radio program from the radio studio at Forward Operating Base Shank in Logar province, south of Kabul. The U.S. military is training Afghans to disseminate anti-insurgent messages via local radio.

November 4, 2012 The U.S. military has long conducted anti-insurgent information campaigns in Afghanistan. But as the U.S. prepares to withdraw combat troops, it's now mentoring the Afghan Army in how to get out its message, particularly through local radio. But it's difficult to tell how it is being received.

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