Afghanistan War News Updates -- September 9, 2010

CAUTIOUS APPROACH
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpls. Daniel Garner, kneeling, and Chris Ducharmeinvestigate a possible improvised explosive device while on a patrol in Marja, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 22, 2010. Garner and Ducharme are assigned to India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Crops photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde

NATO Drive on Kandahar Begins, With Mixed Results -- New York Times

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The white flags of the Taliban no longer fly from neighborhoods in Kandahar City, as they did in some areas only two weeks ago, replaced instead by the red, black and green Afghan colors.

But if the Taliban have been driven further underground, there has been no significant let-up in their campaign of terror and assassination against anyone connected with the government or foreign forces.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Surge Is Fully Deployed to Afghanistan -- Wall Street Journal
Kandahar to be secure in two months: NATO -- AFP
NATO says soldier killed by bomb in southern Afghanistan -- Asia One News/AFP
NATO Soldier Killed In Afghanistan -- RTT News
U.S. Soldiers Charged in Afghan Civilian Murders -- CBS News
US soldiers 'killed Afghan civilians for sport and collected fingers as trophies' -- The Guardian
Police Station Opens in a Disputed Afghan District -- New York Times
Study urges US to scale back Afghan troops, goals -- AFP
Taliban threat inflated: report -- The Age
Petraeus suggests Afghan troop drawdown next July might not be large -- Stars And Stripes
NATO: Afghan Forces Can Take Control Next Year -- NPR (Audio)

Full text Of Mullah Omar's remarks -- Jihadology
US losing war in Afghanistan: Taliban leader -- Yahoo News/AFP
Mullah Omar Tells Afghans Taliban Are Winning -- Time Magazine
Mullah Omar says Afghan Taliban close to victory -- BBC
Taliban chief says victory in Afghanistan "close" -- Reuters
Taliban leader: Nato is losing the war in Afghanistan -- The Telegraph
Mullah Omar says Taliban victory 'imminent,' demands U.S. withdraw -- USA Today
Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar claims Taliban is winning fight against U.S-led coalition -- Wire Update
Mullah Omar Plans His Afghan Takeover -- Mother Jones

Afghanistan seeks to dilute foreign anti-graft role -- Reuters
Karzai seeks to weaken anti-corruption investigations in Afghanistan -- The Telegraph
Karzai seeks to limit role of U.S. corruption investigators -- Washington Post
Afghan AG: West should not lead corruption fight -- AP

Amid Kabul Bank Meltdown, Afghans Question U.S.-Style Capitalism -- Washington Post
Soldiers Halt Workers at Kabul Bank -- New York Times
Afghan security forces beat angry customers to prevent run on Kabul Bank -- The Guardian
Police Beat Customers At Crisis-Hit Afghan Bank -- Radio Free Europe
Guards beat customers at crisis-hit Afghan bank -- Reuters
Mahmood Karzai profited on deal tied to Kabul Bank -- AP
Karzai's brother made $1m from Dubai deal financed by Kabul Bank -- Sydney Morning Herald
Karzai brother’s Kabul Bank villa deal revealed -- Tehran Times
Afghan elite enjoys high life in Dubai -- Financial Times
Karzai Family Ties Shielded Afghan Bank -- New York Times
Kabul Bank Too Big to Fail? -- Jed Babbin, American Spectator
Q+A-What went wrong at Kabulbank? -- Reuters

Afghan election threatened by violence, says watchdog -- AFP
Rights group: Violence threatens Afghan elections -- AP
Afghanistan: Unchecked Violence Threatens Election -- Relief Web

A Ghost in Kandahar -- New York Times
Obama must not let Taliban rule over Afghan women again -- John Hughes, Christian Science Monitor
There's another side to Obama's COIN -- Jim Lobe, Asia Times
The danger of defeatism in Afghanistan -- Con Coughlin, The telegraph
Dr. Seuss and the Afghan Military -- William Caldwell, Wall Street Journal
Afghanistan options are running out -- Julian Borger, The Guardian