Afghanistan War News Updates -- January 28, 2009

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (defenselink.mil)

Gates: Afghans, Not Just U.S. Troops, Needed
to Win War -- Washington Independent

Defense Secretary Testimony Offers Glimpse Into New Afghanistan Policy

For his first appearance before the Senate as President Obama’s defense secretary, Robert Gates did something unexpected: he offered a glimpse into the Obama administration’s forthcoming review of strategy for the precarious war in Afghanistan — balanced with stark warnings about the dangers U.S. troops face there.

Gates, a cautious advocate of bolstering U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he worries that “Afghans [will] come to see us as the problem, not the solution, and then we are lost.” He warned that increased levels of U.S. troop deaths in 2009 were “likely.”

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Gates says U.S. must set realistic goals in Afghanistan -- L.A. Times
Aides Say Obama’s Afghan Aims Elevate War -- New York Times
Afghanistan top priority for US, but goals limited: Gates -- AFp
US focus shifts to Afghanistan -- BBC
Aides say Obama to concentrate on military efforts in Afghanistan -- International Herald Tribune
Obama is learning in Afghanistan what Bush faced in Iraq -- Foreign Policy
Pentagon ready to beef up troops to Afghanistan without clear strategy -- Baltimore Sun
U.S. planning modest goals for Afghanistan -- Globe And Mail
Australia Will Not Increase Troops Unless NATO Does More -- Associated Press
Taliban Urges Obama to Withdraw Troops -- Agence France-Presse
On the Ground: U.S. Troops, Civilians Bring Goodwill to Afghanistan -- AFPS
Obama Afghan strategy to stress non-military role -- Reuters
First 100 days: Iraq, Afghanistan -- MSNBC
NATO-led troops killed around 100 civilians in Afghanistan in 2008 -- China View
US pays $40,000 after 15 Afghans die in raid -- AP
Nato Cuts Vital Afghan Road Deal -- SKY News
Afghanistan Help Restores NATO-Russia Ties -- Time Magazine
New U.S. troops set to fight Taliban around Kabul -- Reuters
Czech Senate approves foreign missions in 2009 -- International Herald Tribune

American soldiers conducted an operation along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan last month. The Obama administration says it plans to send more troops to fight in Afghanistan this year. (Danfung Dennis for The New York Times)