Afghanistan War News Updates -- October 1, 2010

GAINING GROUND - U.S. Army soldiers gain ground security in Masamute Valley as they prepare to cordon and search the village of Bala in Laghman province, Afghanistan, Sept. 25, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to the 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, 86th Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Spc. David A. Jackson

NATO General: We Can Hand Off Some Districts To Afghan Forces Now -- Christian Science Monitor

Italian Brig. Gen. Claudio Berto says Thursday that the western metropolis of Herat, for one, is 'quite normal,' and Afghan forces could take the lead from NATO there immediately.

Though Taliban activity is on the rise in regions of western Afghanistan, a top NATO official said Thursday that some key districts near the Iranian border could potentially transition from NATO to Afghan security control “tomorrow.”

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More News On Afghanistan

NATO Leaders See Security Gains in Western Afghanistan -- U.S. Department of Defense
Afghanistan land mine kills four Georgian soldiers -- BBC
5 NATO Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan -- Voice of America
NATO says it captures Afghan insurgent leaders -- Yahoo News/AP
15 insurgents killed in Afghanistan clash -- CNN
4 Afghan civilians killed during attack -- CNN
Member of militant group killed in airstrike in Afghanistan -- CNN

Pentagon not worried about closure of Pakistani supply line - yet -- Christian Science Monitor
Dozens of NATO oil tankers attacked in Pakistan -- Yahoo News/AP
Militants Attack NATO Supply Trucks as Border Closed -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Q+A: How damaging is NATO supply halt to US-Pakistan ties? -- Reuters

Afghanistan opium production cut nearly in half by fungus -- L.A. Times
Crop Disease Cuts Afghan Opium Production -- Voice of America
U.N. Reports Mixed Results on Afghan Poppy Crops -- New York Times

NATO helicopter strike on Pakistan shows new strategy of 'hot pursuit' -- Christian Science Monitor
U.S. government funds may have gone to Taliban -- L.A. Times
Afghan Culture Lessons Help U.S. Troops in Afghanistan -- U.S. Department of Defense
Marines plan to deploy more bomb dogs -- UPI
Why is Obama sending troops to Afghanistan? -- Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Afghanistan: A war without end, or rationale -- Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Deadliest September Yet for U.S. Troops in Afghanistan; More Than One U.S. Soldier Dying Per Day on Obama’s Watch -- CNS News
US military deaths in Afghanistan at 1,207 -- AP