Afghanistan War News Updates -- April 20, 2010

RIGHT ROUTE - U.S. Army 1st Lt. Nicholas Gregory, kneeling, and Sgt. 1st Class Robert White discuss where to move next in Bak, Khowst province, Afghanistan, April 5, 2010. Gregory and White are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's Company D, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade. The purpose of the mission was to clear safe houses and search suspected cache sites. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jeffrey Alexander

Deputy Mayor of Kandahar Gunned Down -- New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban gunned down the deputy mayor of Kandahar, perhaps the city’s most effective and admired public official, late on Monday, demonstrating their ability to kill almost anyone in a region where security continues to worsen ahead of a massive summer offensive.

And in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, a NATO convoy shot to death four unarmed civilians in a vehicle, including a police officer and 12-year-old student, according to local Afghan officials. But without offering proof, NATO described the dead as two insurgents and their “associates” — a disagreement that could prompt another dispute with the Afghan government over civilian casualties.

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More News On Afghanistan

Gunmen kill Kandahar official praying in mosque -- L.A. Times
Afghan deputy mayor shot dead at prayer in Kandahar -- BBC
Afghan deputy mayor slain as he prays in mosque -- AP
Taliban intensifies campaign in Kandahar -- Financial Times
Combined Forces Make Gains in Afghanistan -- U.S. Department of Defense
NATO troops fire on vehicle, kill 4 unarmed Afghans -- Washington Post
Four children die in Afghanistan crossfire: ministry -- Yahoo News/AFP
Donkey bomb kills three children in Afghanistan -- National Post

Next Afghan conference set for July 20 - Holbrooke -- Reuters
Afghanistan conference in Kabul on July 20: US -- Yahoo News/AFP
Obama administration says conflict with Karzai is resolved -- Washington Post
Karzai to visit US in May, Hillary to attend Kabul conference -- Times of India

American Aid Official Visits Kandahar After Attacks on Contractors -- New York Times
Britain 'hands over prisoners in Afghanistan to face torture' -- The Telegraph
Britain goes on trial over torture of suspects in Afghanistan -- The Independent
Afghanistan: BBC Claims Secret Torture Facility is Operating in Afghanistan; Amnesty International Calls for Investigation -- Amnesty International
Rising Anti-Westernism in Afghanistan -- FOX News
Huge rise in toll of seriously wounded troops in Afghanistan -- Mirror.co.uk
Iceland volcano delays evac for U.S. wounded in Afghanistan -- McClatchy News