Afghanistan War News Updates -- June 11, 2010

General McChrystal: Kandahar Operation Will Take Longer -- Washington Post

BRUSSELS -- The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is finding himself squeezed between a ticking clock and an enemy that won't go away.

On Thursday, during a visit to NATO headquarters here, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal admitted that preparations for perhaps the most critical operation of the war -- the campaign to take control of Kandahar, the Taliban's birthplace -- weren't going as planned. He said winning support from local leaders, some of whom see the Taliban fighters not as oppressors but as their Muslim brothers, was proving tougher than expected. The military side of the campaign, originally scheduled to surge in June and finish by August, is now likely to extend into the fall.

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More News On Afghanistan

U.S. Offensive Stalls in Key Afghan City -- Wall Street Journal
Nato-led Kandahar operation 'to go slower than planned' -- BBC
General Forecasts Slower Pace in Afghan War -- New York Times
Afghan surge delayed as U.S. general slows down major offensive -- Globe And Mail
McChrystal Assesses Past Year, Looks Ahead -- U.S. Department of Defense

2 US troops, 11 Afghan civilians killed in south -- AP
2 NATO troops killed in southern Afghanistan -- CNN
Bomb kills two NATO troops, two Afghan civilians -- AFP
9 Afghan civilians killed in mine blast -- AP
Roadside bombing kills 9, injures 8 in S. Afghanistan -- Xinhuanet
US counts cost of tough Afghan week -- Asia Times

Britain Reaffirms Support for Afghanistan Effort -- New York Times
We want troops out as soon as we can, says Cameron -- Times Online
This is a war of necessity, David Cameron tells troops in Afghanistan -- The Guardian
New British leader shows support for war effort in trip to Afghanistan -- L..A Times
Public should 'revere' troops, David Cameron says -- BBC
David Cameron's careful words on Afghan end game -- BBC
Afghanistan: David Cameron's flight diverted after 'assassination plot' -- The Telegraph

NATO warns Afghan success not yet assured -- Reuters
Afghanistan campaign making progress: NATO -- CBC
NATO making 'measured progress' in Afghanistan -- AFP

What Marja Tells Us of Battles Yet to Come -- New York Times
NATO battles divided by Afghan river -- AFP
Afghan Taliban hone hit-and-run tactics, assassination campaign -- Christian Science Monitor
Violence, Political Uncertainty Plague Post-Jirga Afghanistan -- Voice of America
Canadian troops tread fine line on village patrols -- Reuters
NATO chief: Developments now favour alliance war effort in Afghanistan. -- Canadian Press
Why some Afghanistan opium farmers turn from poppies to saffron -- Yahoo News/Christian Science Monitor

If Afghanistan Seems Violent Now, Just You Wait -- Newsweek
Our longest war -- Michael Honda, Washington Times opinion