Afghanistan War News Updates -- November 8, 2010

U.S. and Afghan forces wait to board a CH-47 Chinook helicopter before an operation to rid insurgents from the Panjwa'i district in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, Oct. 15, 2010. The U.S. forces are assigned to the Special Operations Task Force South. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Daniel P. Shook

Some Skeptics Questioning Rosy Reports On War Zone -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — The recent reports circulating in Washington’s national security establishment about the Afghan battleground of Marja show glimmerings of progress: bazaars are open, some 1,000 children are in school, and a new (and only) restaurant even serves goat curry and kebabs.

In Kandahar, NATO officials say that American and Afghan forces continue to rout the Taliban. In new statistics offered by American commanders in Kabul, Special Operations units have killed 339 midlevel Taliban commanders and 949 of the group’s foot soldiers in the past three months alone. At the Pentagon, the draft of a war assessment to be submitted to Congress this month cites a shift in momentum in some areas of the country away from the insurgency.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

U.S. concerns grow as militants move bases along Pakistan border -- L.A. Times

NATO-Afghan operation kills 15 insurgents in south -- Yahoo News/AP
NATO-Afghan operation kills 15 insurgents in south -- Washington Post
NATO Soldier, 15 Taliban Militants Killed In Afghanistan -- RTT News
NATO and Afghan forces kill 15 insurgents, capture 13 in joint operation in south -- Canadian Press
NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan -- Sydney Morning Herald/AFP
FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, Nov 8 -- Alertnet

Pentagon chiefs: Afghans can manage by 2014 -- AP
U.S. says Afghan handover in 2014 realistic -- Yahoo News/Reuters
In Afghanistan, small-scale security handovers quietly ensue -- CNN
Parts of Afghanistan under Kabul control next year: Clinton -- AFP
Petraeus drafts map of US withdrawal from Afghanistan -- Sydney Morning Herald
Insurgent gains won't delay Afghan handover: commander -- Reuters
No timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan: NATO spokesman -- Xinhuanet
Head of Britain's military says 1,000 UK troops will be needed in Afghanistan beyond 2015 -- Winnipeg Free Press
Afghan Forces Hurt by Attrition, Leadership Gaps, NATO Finds -- Wall Street Journal

Canada Considering Staying in Afghanistan -- New York Times/AP
NATO presses Canada on forces in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Canada considers extended stay in Afghanistan -- Toronto Star
Ottawa under pressure to remain in Afghanistan -- John Ivison, National Post opinion

Analysis: Afghan Review Backs U.S. Plan Despite Violence -- New York Times/Reuters
Bragging about killing Afghan civilians was met with disbelief -- McClatchy News
Afghanistan Plans to Indict Officials -- Wall Street Journal
In Brief: Afghanistan climbs up Human Development Index -- IRIN
For Afghan Wives, a Desperate, Fiery Way Out -- New York Times
Afghan mission too vital to abandon -- Anthony Burke and Andrew Phillips, The Australian
Taliban Seek to Sway U.S. Congress With 'Open Letter' -- Wall Street Journal
Our Indian problem in Afghanistan -- David Pollock, Washington Post

Foreign military deaths in Afghanistan in 2010 hit 626 -- Yahoo News/AFP