President George W. Bush will ensure that the beleaguered and news-starved people of Uzbekistan will be even more isolated if his administration's proposal to eliminate the Voice of America's Uzbek language service is approved by the US Congress.
The fall of Musa Qala, a small town in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province, may herald the start of an offensive by the Taliban in order to preempt NATO reinforcements that are arriving in southern portions of the country. The Taliban attack came amid a regular rotation of commanders of the NATO force, with British Gen.
War weariness is taking root among some Pashtuns in Pakistan. A recent gathering of Pashtun leaders spoke out forcefully for an end to Taliban violence in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. They also called on the Pakistani government to cut its alleged ties with the radical Islamic movement.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants to convene a jirga, or gathering of the Pashtun tribes living on both sides of the Pakistani-Afghan border, in an effort to stem Taliban violence and contain the spread of Islamic extremism.
As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) takes command of overall international military operations in Afghanistan, commanders from five NATO countries whose troops have just fought the bloodiest battle with the Taliban since 2001 have asked their governments to get tough with Pakistan for the support and sanctuary that its security services provide the Taliban in the southern province
Five years after the September 11 terrorist tragedy, unprecedented global police and intelligence cooperation has thwarted dozens of potential terrorist attacks in Western states, including the early August plot to bomb as many as 10 passenger jets flying out of London.
Five years after Western countries promised Afghans to rebuild their country, Afghanistan is on the brink, facing its worst crisis since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001.
Afghan dignitaries and Western diplomats are scathing in their criticism of President Hamid Karzai's inability to govern effectively or punish those in his administration who are corrupt, dealing in drugs or close
President Pervez Musharraf and other top Pakistani military leaders are defying the United States on key policy issues, including nuclear proliferation and pipeline construction, as relations between the two countries plummet.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's administration, backed by the United States and Britain, is pressuring Pakistan to take action to stop suicide bombings in Afghanistan. During his recent visit to Islamabad, Karzai presented evidence to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf implicating Pakistan in the recruitment, training and equipping of Islamic radical suicide bombers.
The US announcement that it will start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan is causing consternation in Kabul.
Speaking at the Pentagon on January 4, US President George Bush confirmed that American forces in Afghanistan would be reduced from 19,000 to about 16,500 during 2006. Over the same timeframe US troop levels in Iraq will decline from 17 to 15 combat brigades.
