Afghanistan War News Updates -- August 19, 2009

An Afghan police officer stood near the bank, in the background, where the gunfight occurred. Massoud Hossaini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Afghanistan Imposes Censorship On Election Day -- New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban and the Afghan government escalated a war of attrition and propaganda on Tuesday, two days before the presidential election, with the Taliban unleashing suicide bombings and a rocket assault at the presidential palace and the government barring news organizations from reporting on election day violence.

The attacks, aimed at the heart of the capital and the workplace of President Hamid Karzai, provided yet another indication of the insurgents’ determination to keep people away from the polls and undermine Thursday’s election, which has become a critical test for the Afghan government and its foreign backers.

Early Wednesday, gunmen seized control of a bank in downtown Kabul. The police said three were killed in a shootout. Officers at the scene said it was unclear who they were, but said the intensity of the fighting indicated they were more than common robbers.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Afghan media refuse to censor election reporting -- AP
Afghan media blackout call as violence threatens vote -- CNN
Afghan govt faces criticism over media ban -- Dawn
McCain: Troop Levels in Afghanistan Should be 'Significantly Increased' -- FOX News
Afghanistan needs more foreign troops: US Senators -- AFP
Despite US troops, Taliban roam freely in south -- AP
In the field with the troops in Helmand -- The Independent
The U.S. Mission in Afghanistan Creeps Back to Nation-Building -- Time Magazine
Violence Surges Ahead of Afghan Election -- Wall Street Journal
Just before Afghans vote, a rush to prepare vs. a rush to impair -- L.A. Times
Afghan election: Taliban attacks Kabul bank on eve of poll -- The Telegraph
Gunmen Battle Police in Kabul -- New York Times
10 Killed, 55 Injured By Bomb Near Kabul -- Washington Post
In Afghanistan, a gang takes over a Kabul bank and a bomber strikes a military convoy -- L.A. Times
FACTBOX: Security developments in Afghanistan -- Reuters
UN Urges Afghans to Defy Violence, Vote -- Voice of America
U.S. Braces for Challenging Election in Afghanistan -- FOX News
4 main contenders for Afghanistan's presidency -- L.A. Times
'We Don't Have Any Alternative to Karzai' -- Washington Post
Afghans Will Vote Despite Violence, General Says -- U.S. Department of Defense
Afghan polling stations shut amid fears of voting fraud -- The Telegraph
India Befriends Afghanistan, Irking Pakistan -- Wall Street Journal
British town becomes the epicenter of mourning for the nation's war dead -- L.A. Times
Senior Officer Slams Britain's Afghan Mission -- SKY News
Afghan vote carries big risk for U.S. fight against Taliban -- McClatchy News
Why Afghans Need a Vote -- Anne Applebaum, Washington Post opinion
Afghanistan's Elections -- Vanda Felbab-Brown, Los Angeles Times opinion
History suggests we should quit Afghanistan, but should we? -- The Guardian opinion
The Afghan Vote -- Wall Street Journal editorial
US Military Deaths in Afghanistan Region at 710 -- New York Times