Afghanistan War News Updates -- June 17, 2010

VILLAGE NEEDS - Darren Richardson, U.S. Agriculture Department employee, points to a nearby canal with U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Jeffrey Seavy and members from a local Kuchi tribe residing in the Bawka district in Farah province, Afghanistan, June 12, 2010. Seavy, the 1st Marine Expeditionary forward liaison officer to Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah, visited three villages in the district to gather information on the needs of the village residents. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Rylan Albright

In An Afghan Valley Of Death, Good News — For Now -- Time Magazine

Fifteen months ago, coalition and Afghan forces traveling the road that slices through this rugged mountain valley, less than an hour's drive from the capital Kabul, were attacked so frequently by Taliban gunmen it was nicknamed the "Valley of Death" — one of the country's many. Today, school children walk home on the pavement and apple farmers tend their orchards without fear of firefights. Afghan officials and upbeat residents credit the remarkable turnaround to a U.S.-backed militia program that has armed and trained hundreds of local men to defend what they know best: their own turf.

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More News On Afghanistan

Military backs away from importance of year-end Afghan review -- L.A. Times
Lawmakers hear different take on year-end review of Afghanistan war effort -- Washington Post
Debate grows over Afghanistan withdrawal plan -- L.A. Times
US military says Afghanistan exit strategy still on track -- The Australian/AFP
General says July 2011 is not Afghan exit date -- Washington Examiner
Pentagon Decries Bleak Views on Afghan War -- New York Times/Reuters
US General: Afghan War like a 'Roller Coaster' -- Voice of America

NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan -- AFP
6 injured in Afghan suicide bombing -- CNN
Australian troops in fierce combat with insurgents -- Sydney Morning herald
Taliban Attack Police in SE Afghanistan -- New York Times/AP
Assassination fears among Kandahar's leaders -- AFP
Outreach Key To U.S. Kandahar Mission -- NPR
Pentagon Talks Up Afghanistan Strategy -- NPR

Afghanistan says its untapped mineral wealth is at least $3 trillion _ triple US estimate -- Chicago Tribune/AP
Afghanistan’s Lithium Wealth Could Remain Elusive -- National Geographic

Obama's mixed Afghanistan messages -- L.A. Times
Barack Obama's Big Fat Afghan Dilemma -- Joe Klein, Time Magazine
The Afghan roller coaster -- Washington Post editorial
In Afghanistan, a waiting game to outlast the Obama administration -- George Will, Washington Post
Afghanistan's Most Important Natural Resource -- Wall Street Journal opinion