Middle East Public date: 24.08.2017 23:12:18

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26 Nov 2011

Saving lives – and billions – in Afghanistan

If Senator Jeff Merkley's "expedite the drawdown from Afghanistan" amendment to the National Defense Authorisation Act makes a strong showing, it could tip the Obama administration towards a faster drawdown. That would likely save hundreds of US and Afghan lives - not to mention all the people who wouldn't be physically and psychologically maimed - and could easily save the US hundreds of billions of dollars, at a time when the alleged need for fiscal austerity is being touted as a reason to cut Social Security benefits and raise the Medicare retirement age.
If Senator Jeff Merkley's "expedite the drawdown from Afghanistan" amendment to the National Defense Authorisation Act...
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drawdown
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12 Aug 2011

Afghan forces prepare for US exit

The Afghan government says that it is confident that it can assume control of the country's security by the end of 2014, when US forces are scheduled to depart.
The Afghan government says that it is confident that it can assume control of the country's security by the end of 2014,...
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afghan army, drawdown
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12 Jul 2011

France to withdraw a quarter of troops in Afghanistan

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the country will withdraw 1,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan by the end of 2012. He made the announcement during a visit to a military base in the Sarobi district, north of Kabul.
France's President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the country will withdraw 1,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan by the end...
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drawdown, france
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23 Jun 2011

Taliban dismisses US troop withdrawal

The Taliban has dismissed President Barack Obama's announcement of US troop withdrawals from Afghanistan as "only as a symbolic step," in a statement released on Thursday. The Taliban "considers this announcement, which currently withdraws 10,000 soldiers this year, only as a symbolic step which will never satisfy the war-weary international community or the American people," it said.
The Taliban has dismissed President Barack Obama's announcement of US troop withdrawals from Afghanistan as "only as a...
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drawdown, taliban
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23 Jun 2011

France follows US in troop withdrawal

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced the phased withdrawal of its 4,000 soldiers serving in Afghanistan. A statement said the French would follow the timetable of US withdrawals announced by President Barack Obama. Mr Obama said 10,000 US troops would pull out this year, with another 23,000 leaving by the end of September 2012.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced the phased withdrawal of its 4,000 soldiers serving in Afghanistan. A...
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drawdown, france
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23 Jun 2011

Mullen endorses Obama troop decision, acknowledges ‘risk’

The top U.S. military officer told lawmakers Thursday that he supported President Obama s plan to draw down forces in Afghanistan, but said Obama s decisions were 'more aggressive and incur more risk that I was originally prepared to accept.'
The top U.S. military officer told lawmakers Thursday that he supported President Obama s plan to draw down forces in...
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drawdown, us military
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23 Jun 2011

Karzai Welcomes Withdrawal, but Many Afghans Are Wary

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan welcomed the decision to withdraw more than 30,000 American troops over the next year, calling it the 'right decision for the interest of both countries.'
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan welcomed the decision to withdraw more than 30,000 American troops over the next...
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drawdown, karzai
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23 Jun 2011

Obama Will Speed Pullout From War in Afghanistan

President Obama declared Wednesday that the United States had largely achieved its goals in Afghanistan, setting in motion a substantial withdrawal of American troops in an acknowledgment of the shifting threat in the region and the fast-changing political and economic landscape in a war-weary America.
President Obama declared Wednesday that the United States had largely achieved its goals in Afghanistan, setting in...
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drawdown, obama
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23 Jun 2011

Dissonance: Obama Wants Peace Talks And Forever War in Afghanistan

President Obama firmly committed the U.S. to peace talks with the Taliban in Wednesday night’s big Afghanistan speech. His administration, meanwhile, is rowing in the opposite direction: negotiating deals with Hamid Karzai’s government that would keep drones and commandos in Afghanistan forever and ever. See if you can spot the tension there. For the first time, [...]
President Obama firmly committed the U.S. to peace talks with the Taliban in Wednesday night’s big Afghanistan speech....
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drawdown, obama, peace, taliban, war
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21 Jun 2011

Top Advisers Split on Afghanistan Withdrawal, as Obama Finalizes Plan Ahead of Announcement

President Obama will announce the critical next steps in America's decade-long war in Afghanistan on Wednesday, outlining both a plan to start bringing thousands of U.S. troops home next month and a broader withdrawal blueprint aimed at giving Afghans control of their own security in 2014.
President Obama will announce the critical next steps in America's decade-long war in Afghanistan on Wednesday,...
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18 Jun 2011

Qaeda Woes Fuel Talk of Speeding Afghan Pullback

As the Obama administration nears a crucial decision on how rapidly to withdraw combat forces from Afghanistan, high-ranking officials say that Al Qaeda s original network in the region has been crippled, providing a rationale for an accelerated reduction of troops.
As the Obama administration nears a crucial decision on how rapidly to withdraw combat forces from Afghanistan,...
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al qaeda, drawdown
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31 May 2011

Karzai demands NATO stop bombing homes

In demanding that the U.S.-led coalition stop all airstrikes on Afghan homes, President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday drew his government closer than ever to direct opposition to the United States presence in Afghanistan, a position that could complicate President Obama s looming decision on how quickly to withdraw American troops.
In demanding that the U.S.-led coalition stop all airstrikes on Afghan homes, President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday drew his...
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civilian deaths, drawdown, karzai, nato
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17 May 2011

U.S. speeds up direct talks with Taliban

The administration has accelerated direct talks with the Taliban, initiated several months ago, that U.S. officials say they hope will enable President Obama to report progress toward a settlement of the Afghanistan war when he announces troop withdrawals in July.
The administration has accelerated direct talks with the Taliban, initiated several months ago, that U.S. officials say...
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drawdown, taliban
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11 May 2011

Don’t abandon Afghanistan after 2014 handover, plead generals

The west must state clearly that it will not abandon Afghanistan after the handover of security to local forces in 2014 or risk further fighting in the region from an emboldened Taliban, the commander of British forces in the country has warned.
The west must state clearly that it will not abandon Afghanistan after the handover of security to local forces in 2014...
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drawdown, taliban
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22 Mar 2011

Karzai Afghan troops to provide security

Afghan forces will take the lead for securing seven areas of the country, relegating NATO forces to a "supporting" role, according to a plan unveiled by Afghan president Hamid Karzai. Karzai's plan covers three full provinces: Bamiyan, Panjshir and Kabul, all of them among the most secure in Afghanistan. (One district of Kabul province, Surobi, will be excluded, and Afghan troops already handle most day-to-day security in the capital.)
Afghan forces will take the lead for securing seven areas of the country, relegating NATO forces to a "supporting" role,...
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drawdown
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22 Mar 2011

Hamid Karzai names areas to be handed to Afghan forces

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has named seven areas of the country which will pass from control by foreign troops into Afghan hands from July. They are the relatively peaceful provinces of Kabul, Panjshir and Bamiyan, the cities of Herat and Mazar-e Sharif and the town of Mehterlam.
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has named seven areas of the country which will pass from control by foreign troops...
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drawdown
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7 Mar 2011

US ‘well-positioned’ to start Afghan withdrawal – Gates

Robert Gates was speaking during an unannounced visit to the Afghan capital Kabul, where he is discussing the future of US involvement in the conflict-torn country. Mr Gates also apologised over the deaths of nine Afghan boys over the weekend in a Nato air strike.
Robert Gates was speaking during an unannounced visit to the Afghan capital Kabul, where he is discussing the future of...
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drawdown, us foreign policy
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27 Dec 2010

Afghanistan – The Top 10 Myths of 2010

A recent National Intelligence Estimate by 16 intelligence agencies found no progress. It warned that large swathes of the country were at risk of falling to the Taliban and that they still had safe havens in Pakistan, with the Pakistani government complicit. The UN says there were over 6000 civilian casualties of war in Afghanistan in the first 10 months of 2010, a 20% increase over the same period in 2009.
A recent National Intelligence Estimate by 16 intelligence agencies found no progress. It warned that large swathes of...
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drawdown, public opinion, surge, war
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17 Dec 2010

Review of President Obama’s Afghanistan Strategy Sees July Troop Withdrawals Despite Perils

A review of President Obama s strategy for the war in Afghanistan concludes that American forces can begin withdrawing on schedule in July, despite finding uneven signs of progress in the year since the president announced the deployment of an additional 30,000 troops, according to a summary made public Thursday.
A review of President Obama s strategy for the war in Afghanistan concludes that American forces can begin withdrawing...
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drawdown, us
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26 Aug 2010

US wars: People vs Generals

While the Obama administration continues to affirm its intention to withdraw US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, the US' military presence in the Muslim world is actually expanding and this is exacerbating tensions and inflaming animosities. Barack Obama's promise to open a new page with the Muslim world on the basis of mutual respect and interests - supplemented and enforced by the use of soft rather than hard power - now rings hollow. This is most evident in the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq and the corresponding surge in Afghanistan - an exercise in redeploying military forces, not extracting them.
While the Obama administration continues to affirm its intention to withdraw US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, the...
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drawdown, surge, usa
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