Friday, November 30, 2012

Afghanistan War News Updates -- November 30, 2012

Members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Ghazni and Afghan national police walk up a hill after their vehicles became stuck in the mud in the Nawur District, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, Nov. 18, 2012. Members of the team visited the Nawur District to perform quality assurance quality control on a collapsed building and two comprehenisve health clinics. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Rebecca F. Corey

US Senate Votes For Faster Afghan Withdrawal -- Al Jazeera

Overwhelming majority of Senate in favour of accelerated withdrawal, while Pentagon stresses need for post-2014 mission.

The United States Senate has voted overwhelmingly for an accelerated withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan after more than a decade of fighting, reflecting the wishes of a war-weary nation.

Thursday's bipartisan vote of 62-33 sends a clear message to President Barack Obama and the military as they engage in high-stakes talks about the pace of drawing down the 66,000 US troops there.

While the senators talk about the withdrawal, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said the US needs to keep troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 because al-Qaeda is still present in the country.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

ISAF Joint Command operational update, Nov 30 -- ISAF
Combined Force Arrests District-level Taliban Leader -- US Department of Defense
Security forces arrest Afghan accused of funding the Taliban -- Reuters
Conflict continues to displace Afghans, study finds -- CNN
Germany to close two bases in northern Afghanistan -- Deutsche Welle
Immunity at issue for troops in Afghanistan -- Marine Times

Panetta: Post-2014 Afghan effort to be substantial -- Stars and Stripes
Panetta: US foresees 'enduring presence' to fight al-Qaida in Afghanistan -- NBC
Panetta: Post-2014 US military mission in Afghanistan will include targeting al-Qaida -- Washington Post/AP
Panetta Calls for Substantial Post-2014 Presence In Afghanistan -- Voice of America
Al Qaeda battle in Afghanistan to stretch for years: U.S. -- Reuters
Panetta says U.S. will maintain ‘enduring presence’ in Afghanistan -- Examiner

Majority in U.S. Senate Support Accelerated Afghanistan Transition Pace -- Defense News
Senate votes to accelerate withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan -- FOX News/AP
US Senate backs quicker Afghan withdrawal -- 9 News

Pakistan Agrees to Free More Taliban Prisoners -- ABC News/AP
Afghan FM Presses Pakistan to Free More Taliban Detainees -- Voice of America
Afghanistan pushes Pakistan for more Taliban releases -- Foreign Policy

India’s Role in Afghanistan: Past Relations and Future Prospects
-- Shreshta Balachandar, Foreign Policy Journal
Afghanistan: a human rights tragedy -- Rawa News

2 comments:

Nicholas Darkwater said...

Panetta says that we'll target al Qaeda in Afghanistan after 2014? Before the election we were told that al Qaeda was finished. Funny things, those elections.

War News Updates Editor said...

Yup .... those elections are funny. :(