Afghanistan War News Updates -- March 17, 2010

U.S. Army Sgt. Arthur Troche and fellow soldiers engage in a small-arms firefight with insurgents during Operation Moshtarak in Badula Qulp in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2010. Troche is assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez

2010 Will Be A 'Difficult' Year In Afghanistan: US General -- AFP

WASHINGTON — US-led forces will face a "difficult" year in 2010 as they fight to push back Taliban militants from key areas, a top US general said on Tuesday.

The head of US forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, General David Petraeus, told lawmakers "the going is likely to get harder before it gets easier" in the Afghan war.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Petraeus: Afghan war faces difficult year ahead -- Army Times
Afghanistan war will get tougher: US general -- ABC News (Australia)
Commander says tough year ahead for U.S. military in Afghanistan -- Xinhuanet
Petraeus warns of tough year ahead on Afghanistan -- AP

Afghanistan: trio from 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment die in three days -- Times Online
Afghan bomb kills two British soldiers -- AFP
Two UK soldiers killed in Afghanistan, MoD says -- BBC
Two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan explosion -- The Guardian

2 Would-be Suicide Bombers Killed in Afghanistan -- Voice of America
Burka-clad bomb attackers shot dead in Lashkar Gah -- BBC
Burqa-clad suicide bombers killed in Afghan town -- AFP

FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, March 17 -- Reuters

Most US forces in Afghanistan to be under NATO -- Yahoo News/AP
NATO to Command US Troops in Afghanistan -- Voice of America
Most US forces in Afghanistan to be under NATO -- AP

General Stanley McChrystal reins in special forces after raids kill civilians -- Times Online
Roadside Bombs in Afghanistan Are Crude but Deadly -- AOLNews.com
U.S. fights trainer shortage, illiteracy in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Afghanistan Says It Enacted Law to Pardon War Crimes -- New York Times
Afghanistan confirms blanket pardon for war crimes -- Yahoo news/Reuters
35 killed in Afghanistan bus crash: ministry -- Yahoo News/AFP
5 myths about the war in Afghanistan -- Dallas News Editorial