Afghanistan War News Updates -- January 25

Talk to the enemy: US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, left, with David Miliband in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo from The Daily Mail

NATO Commander Hopes for Peace Deal With Taliban -- Voice of America

The top NATO commander in Afghanistan, U.S. General Stanley McChrystal, says he hopes the increased number of American troops in Afghanistan will lead to a negotiated peace deal with the Taliban.

In an interview published in The Financial Times Monday, General McChrystal acknowledged his skepticism about the war, but said NATO is poised to make positive progress this year as a result of the extra 30,000 U.S. troops being sent to Afghanistan.

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More News On Afghanistan

US commander signals peace talks with Taliban -- BBC
U.S. commander sees eventual Taliban peace deal -- Reuters
McChrystal hopes for Taliban deal -- Al Jazeera
McChrystal Sees Possible Role for Taliban in Afghanistan -- Politics Daily
McChrystal focuses on peace with Taliban: report -- AFP
U.S. commander sees eventual Taliban peace deal -- Yahoo News/Reuters
US commander says troop surge has made talks possible over Afghanistan -- The Guardian
Gen. McChrystal: Taliban could be part of solution in Afghanistan -- Christian Science Monitor
FT interview transcript: Gen Stanley McChrystal -- Financial Times

Petraeus: Afghanistan Longer to Tackle than Iraq -- Times Online
General David Petraeus: full transcript of interview with The Times -- Times Online

UN: lift sanctions on Taliban to build peace in Afghanistan -- The Telegraph
U.N. Seeks to Drop Some Taliban From Terror List -- New York Times
Success May Come Only With Taleban at the Table -- Times Online

Nato forces in Afghanistan to launch Helmand offensive -- BBC
British Troops Face Five More Years in Helmand -- Times Online
British troops 'will not leave Helmand for five years' -- The Telegraph
Rocket strike at major base in southern Afghanistan wounds 4 Bulgarian, 4 Romanian troops -- Canadian Press/AP
UK soldier killed in southern Afghanistan explosion -- BBC

Afghanistan Postpones Vote -- Wall Street Journal
Afghanistan Postpones Parliamentary Vote -- Los Angeles Times
Afghanistan Postpones Elections Until September -- Washington Post
Afghanistan Postpones Parliamentary Election 4 Months -- New York Times

FACTBOX: Draft communique for London Afghanistan conference -- Reuters
London draft sees 2011 start to Afghan handover -- Reuters
Race against time for Nato strategy -- Financial Times
Security handover key for Afghan summit -- Financial Times
Afghan conference "decisive moment" - UK's Miliband -- Reuters
Asian leaders attend Afghan summit -- Al Jazeera

Afghan drug lords look West via new routes -- Reuters
AFGHANISTAN: Thirteen southern districts critical for polio eradication - WHO -- IRIN
Afghan regional solution may be too little, too late -- Reuters
Taliaban: In From the Cold? -- New York Times editorial