Word: afghanistans
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History Lessons When I saw your cover story, "Starting Anew," I immediately remembered reading your excellent cover article about Afghanistan by Rory Stewart in late July last year [July 20]. Stewart recommended, among other things, that U.S. troop numbers be reduced and that the military strategy should focus on counterterrorism, not counterinsurgency. How depressing, then, to read that the U.S. is planning to increase the number of troops in the country and is pursuing a counterinsurgency strategy in Helmand province, with running ground battles with the Taliban. The new policy of refraining from air strikes that might kill innocent Afghans...
...Whether intentionally or coincidentally, thank you for running two different but parallel pieces in the same issue: Leslie Gelb's "Remembrance: Robert McNamara" and your cover story on Afghanistan. Both articles mirror each other in thought and tone and express hope for American efforts in ongoing quagmires. Gelb and McChrystal understand that wars in places like Afghanistan and Vietnam - no matter how expertly executed - can't be won unless local people have a true stake in the operations. McChrystal's new fighting strategy - to separate and protect instead of kill, to understand motivations rather than employing brute force, to supplement...
...collect material evidence, but U.S. intelligence officials will also be paying close attention to chatter on the Taliban's communication channels. "Taking Mehsud off the battlefield would be a major victory," says a U.S. counterterrorism official. "He has American blood on his hands with attacks on our forces in Afghanistan. This would also affirm the effectiveness of our government's counterterrorism policies." (Read "Pakistan Takes On Taliban Leader Mehsud...
...teen, Mehsud served as a Taliban fighter against the Soviets in the battle for Afghanistan, but first rose to prominence as a supporter of Abdullah Mehsud (no relation), a one-legged militant imprisoned at the U.S. prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, soon after the 9/11 terror attacks. Baitullah Mehsud quickly leapfrogged his boss, and his ascension up the jihadi ladder was made apparent in 2005, when - swathed in a black cloth to shield his face - he negotiated the public signing of a cease-fire agreement with the Pakistani government. (Read "Why Pakistan Balks at the U.S. Afghanistan Offensive...
...Testified before Congress in 2007 to defend Blackwater against allegations of misconduct by its operatives in Iraq and Afghanistan...