Afghanistan War News Updates -- January 17, 2011

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, were ambushed in 2008 in the village of Wanat, set in the rugged terrain of a remote river valley in eastern Afghanistan. Courtesy of 173rd ABCT soldiers

Father Seeks Answers To Son's Role In Afghan Battle -- NPR

Dave Brostrom is trying to rewrite history. The former Army colonel is the father of 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom, who was killed in action in the Battle of Wanat on July 13, 2008.

The Army released its official history of the battle late last year, but Brostrom says the account places too much blame on his son and he's meeting Monday with top military officials at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., to try to get it changed.

"This book will be put on the shelf for students and junior officers and even senior officers to pull out to try to get lessons learned on what went wrong in Afghanistan," he says. "And I just want the Army to get it right."

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More News On Afghanistan

Army dad, senator rail against rewrite of Wanat -- Army Times

Army sergeant killed in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
17 Afghan civilians killed by roadside bombs in 24 hours -- L.A. Times
In Afghanistan 'human maps' help fight Taliban -- AFP

Support Expected for Plan to Beef Up Afghan Forces -- New York Times
Afghanistan, partners may approve 'Army-police forces' surge plan -- Sify News
Ethnic discrimination infests Afghan army, soldiers say -- Channel News Asia

Iran's fuel blockade strains relations with Afghanistan, prompts protests -- Washington Post
Iran’s Fuel Blockade Raises Food Prices, Tensions in Afghanistan -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Afghanistan Criticizes Iran For Fuel Blockade Amid Protests -- Radio Free Europe
Afghanistan condemns Iran fuel blockade amid protests -- Reuters
Afghan protesters hurl eggs, stones at Iranian consulate over fuel blockade -- Washington Post

Afghanistan's Karzai to visit Russia -- AFP
Afghan president to visit Russia Jan.20-21 -- RIA Novosti

Afghanistan's push to tax U.S. contractors could renew tensions -- Washington Post
Afghan tax effort targets U.S. firms -- Washington Post
Collateral damage costs US dearly in Kandahar -- Asia News Network
NATO forces pay Afghans $1.4 million damages in south -- Reuters
$7B to counter IEDs -- PNJ.com
Canada`s Afghan pullout 'like moving a very large village' -- Telegraph Jouornal
AFGHANISTAN: Red Crescent wants more funding but not at any price -- IRIN

The Way Out of Afghanistan: Don't Militarize Diplomacy -- David Miliband, Time Magazine
Are we Really Winning as Violence Escalates in Afghanistan? -- War On Terror News
Obama Is Losing in Afghanistan -- Jed Babbin, American Spectator