Word: afghanistan
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Obama arrived at Bagram Air Base after dusk and was greeted by commanding General Stanley McChrystal and the State Department official for Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry. The president immediately boarded a convoy of armed helicopters for the ride 50 miles south to the Presidential Palace in Kabul...
...cable complaining that Karzai was "not an adequate strategic partner" in part because of the corruption in his government and his decision to "shun responsibility" for Afghan governance and development. Asked if this was the current view of the Obama Administration in a briefing during the flight to Afghanistan, National Security Advisor James Jones did not answer directly, though he said that there had been improvements in the relationship. "He is our partner," Jones said. "We are seeing encouraging signs that things are moving in a positive direction." (See pictures of life in the Afghan National Army...
During his first year in office, Obama authorized the addition of 51,000 troops to Afghanistan. There are currently more than 70,000 U.S. troops in the country, according to Lt Gen. Douglas Lute, the top Afghanistan official on the National Security Council, a number that is expected to peak around 98,000 before withdrawals begin in July of 2011. In two major reviews in 2009, Obama also redefined the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, moving away from the stated Bush Administration goal of building an independent Afghan government to the goals of denying Al Qaeda a save haven and preventing...
...most measures, the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorated in 2009. According to NATO statistics, there were over over 7,000 attacks using improvised explosive devices in 2009, up from 4,170 in 2008 and 2,700 in 2007. About 310 U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan in 2009, more than twice as many as 2008, a fact partly attributable to more aggressive U.S. offensive operations. (See pictures of the battle against the Taliban...
...pictures of the presidential election in Afghanistan...