Taliban

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Taliban Takes Hostages After Bold Pakistan Attack

Move follows assault on military headquarters

(Newser) - Militants were holding several security officers hostage inside an intelligence wing of Pakistan's army headquarters today after staging an audacious assault on the nation's most powerful institution. At least four militants have between 10 and 15 hostages, says a military spokesman. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack in...

10 Dead as Gunmen Hit Pakistani Army HQ

Third devastating attack in a week as Pakistan readies anti-Taliban offensive

(Newser) - Gunmen wearing military uniforms and wielding assault rifles and grenades attacked Pakistan's army headquarters today, sparking a ferocious gun battle outside the capital that killed four of the assailants and at least six soldiers, authorities said. Two of the attackers managed to infiltrate the heavily fortified compound in the garrison...

Taliban Claim Victory as US Quits Base

Insurgents take control of remote outpost where 8 troops were killed last week

(Newser) - The Taliban claimed to have won a major victory over the US yesterday as American troops abandoned a remote base in eastern Afghanistan where eight soldiers were killed in a firefight last weekend. "The white flag of the Taliban is raised above Kamdesh," crowed a Taliban spokesman. NATO ...

Six People Irked by Obama's Nobel Prize

What do Sarkozy, Clinton and the Taliban have in common?

(Newser) - The decision to award President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize has clearly made some people unhappy, writes Katie Connolly for Newsweek. Here are six of the most peeved:
  1. Nicolas Sarkozy: The French president was also up for the honor but was passed over for someone he’s described as “
...

Blast Kills Dozens in Pakistan
 Blast Kills Dozens in Pakistan 
UPDATED
Oct 9, 2009 5:44 AM CDT

Blast Kills Dozens in Pakistan

Taliban suspected after bomb rips through Peshawar market

(Newser) - A car bomb exploded today in a crowded bazaar in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province, leaving at least 41 people dead and more than 100 injured. Many of the victims were in a passing bus that was reduced to a charred frame. Officials were uncertain...

Taliban to West: We Mean You No Harm

Group may be trying to sway Afghanistan strategy debate

(Newser) - With the US debating what to do in Afghanistan, the Taliban has announced it poses no threat to the West. “We did not have any agenda to harm other countries, including Europe, nor do we have such agenda today,” said a statement posted on Taliban websites. The group...

Afghan Debate Focuses on al-Qaeda
 Afghan Debate 
 Focuses on al-Qaeda 
white house strategy review
Oct 8, 2009 5:51 AM CDT

Afghan Debate Focuses on al-Qaeda

White House advisers argue that Taliban is too ingrained to be completely wiped out

(Newser) - The question of how much of a threat the Taliban actually poses to the US was at the heart of discussions on Afghanistan strategy yesterday, officials say. Members of Obama's national security team argued that recent successes in Pakistan show that al-Qaeda can be defeated without extra troops in Afghanistan,...

In Wanat, US Learns Value, Pain of Retreat

In Waygal Valley, leaving has helped the cause.

(Newser) - Days after the bloody battle that has come to be called the "Black Hawk Down" of Afghanistan, US troops left the the isolated Afghan village of Wanat. Fourteen months later, they haven’t returned, giving the Taliban free reign in the Waygal Valley—but the retreat is starting to...

Taliban Chief Cracks Jokes, Vows Revenge
 Taliban Chief Cracks 
 Jokes, Vows Revenge 
Interview
Oct 6, 2009 6:48 AM CDT

Taliban Chief Cracks Jokes, Vows Revenge

Media sitdown dispells rumors Hakimullah Mehsud is dead

(Newser) - Hakimullah Mehsud met with reporters Sunday for the first time since winning control of Pakistan's Taliban, quashing speculation that he had been slain in a succession struggle following his predecessor's death in a US drone attack. Flanked by heavily armed fighters, the new leader sat on a blue blanket, in...

Weak Afghan al-Qaeda Calls Surge Into Question

Whether Taliban will facilitate or shun terror group is up in the air

(Newser) - The principal rationale for the original US invasion of Afghanistan was the elimination of an al-Qaeda safe haven. Almost a decade later, the terrorist group is much diminished there, as well as in Pakistan, prompting serious second thoughts within the administration about ramping up forces in the region. Aides to...

Afghan Attack Kills 8 US Soldiers

Remote region near Pakistan border was scene of 2008 'Black Hawk Down' attack

(Newser) - Militant fighters attacked a pair of remote outposts in Afghanistan near the Pakistani border, killing eight US soldiers and as many as seven Afghan forces in one of the fiercest battles of the eight-year war.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack for coalition forces in a mountainous region...

White House Split on Afghanistan Strategy

'Skeptic-in-chief' Biden challenges McChrystal's call for more troops

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal's call to beef up the war effort in Afghanistan is proving a tough sell with senior administration officials.  White House advisers challenged many aspects of the commander's assessment at a meeting this week, including his belief that al-Qaeda would again find sanctuary in Afghanistan if the...

US Troops: It's 'Vietnam Without the Napalm'

(Newser) - The US troops patrolling the Arghandab River area in southern Afghanistan have one of the most arduous tasks of the war: winning the support of the locals in a region where the Taliban is gaining strength. Hal Bernton of McClatchy Newspapers checks in with the soldiers of Bravo Company and...

Taliban Widens Afghan Attacks From Pakistan Base

Forces controlled from Pakistan respond nimbly

(Newser) - The Afghan Taliban leadership operating out of Pakistan has surprised the US military by countering its offensive in southern Afghanistan with a shrewd expansion into the north and west of the country. “They’ve outmaneuvered us time and time again,” an intelligence official tells the New York Times....

US Redeploys to Afghan Cities, Leaves Rural Areas to Taliban

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal has ordered a major shift in US troop deployment in Afghanistan, telling his commanders to pull out of the sparsely populated, Taliban-controlled areas and focus instead on protecting population centers, the Washington Post reports. US officials say they’ve realized that they’re not going to wrest...

Afghan Vote's True Winner: The Taliban
 Afghan Vote's True 
 Winner: The Taliban 
ANALYSIS
Sep 21, 2009 5:57 AM CDT

Afghan Vote's True Winner: The Taliban

Chaos and corruption aid insurgents' propaganda campaign

(Newser) - It's still not evident whether Hamid Karzai will avoid a runoff in Afghanistan's presidential vote, but the winner of the election is clear: the Taliban. Delays in tallying and alleged systemic fraud have given the insurgency new material for a sophisticated propaganda campaign that portrays the Karzai administration as corrupt...

CIA Sending More Spies to Afghanistan

Covert effort aimed at stemming resurgence of Taliban

(Newser) - The CIA is upping its deployment of personnel in Afghanistan to combat a widespread resurgence of Taliban forces, reports the Los Angeles Times. The new spies, analysts, and paramilitary operatives will team up with special forces squads as part of an intelligence surge likely to rival the agency's numbers in...

NYC Terror Suspect May Have al-Qaeda Ties After All

Zazi admits possible run-ins in Pakistan

(Newser) - The man federal officials are questioning in Denver over a terror plot in New York might in fact have some ties to al-Qaeda, the Times reports. After first denying any connections, Najibullah Zazi has told officials he could have come into contact with extremists in his native Pakistan, and there...

Suicide Attack Hits Italian Convoy in Kabul, Kills 16

Taliban claims responsibility for bombing

(Newser) - A suicide car bomber attacked an Italian military convoy on a road in Afghanistan's capital today, killing six Italian soldiers and 10 Afghan civilians, the AP reports. The bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into two Italian military vehicles, Italy's defense minister said. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility, saying in a...

Pakistan Army Likely Behind Widespread Swat Killings

Military says deaths due to locals settling scores

(Newser) - Pakistan’s army took over the Swat Valley two months ago, ending Taliban control of the region—but lately, violence has swept the streets, with hundreds of bodies reportedly strewn about, the New York Times reports. The military says it’s a matter of revenge killings between locals, but human...

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