Afghanistan War News Updates -- March 17, 2011

OVAL OFFICE MEETING - President Barack Obama meets with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of NATO and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 14, 2011. White House photo by Pete Souza

Pressure Mounts On All Parties In Afghan War To Begin Talks -- New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — As American troops press the Taliban in their desert and mountain redoubts, Western diplomats, Taliban leaders and the Afghan government have begun to take a hard look at what it would take to start a negotiation to end the fighting.

Efforts to start peace talks have yielded little in the past. Nonetheless, interest in a political track is growing as pressure mounts to find a palatable way to reduce the military commitment here and as public support for the war ebbs in the United States and Europe.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Petraeus Previews Troop Drawdown In Afghanistan -- NPR/AP
Petraeus Tells Panel July Drawdown in Afghanistan May Include Some Combat Troops -- New York Times
Petraeus: First U.S. cuts will include combat forces -- Washington Times
Petraeus: Combat troops will likely be part of July drawdown -- CNN

In a test, House to vote on Afghan troop withdrawal -- L.A. Times
US lawmakers seek big Afghan withdrawal in July -- AFP
House to vote on quick drawdown from Afghanistan -- MSNBC/AP

Pressure rises to negotiate in Afghanistan -- UPI
NATO: more than 40 insurgents killed -- AP
NATO to probe killing of two Afghan teens -- Globe And Mail
US shifts Afghan tactics to target Taliban -- Financial Times
Marines recovering from training accident on howitzer in use in Afghanistan -- Stars And Stripes
Afghanistan Plans Departure of Security Firms -- New York Times
Uniforms for Afghan force as transition looms -- AFP
UN Chief Says Afghan Transition Faces Obstacles -- New York Times
UN chief says Afghan transition to controlling the country's future faces many obstacles -- Canadian Press

Petraeus Reveals Son Served in Afghanistan -- Military.com
Petraeus Reveals That Son Served In Afghanistan -- NPR/AP
Petraeus reveals that son served in Afghanistan -- CBS News
General Petraeus reveals his son served 'secret' combat tour in Afghanistan as pressure mounts for early troop withdrawal -- Daily Mail

When and How to Transition in Afghanistan? -- Ares/Aviation Week
Afghanistan, our longest war -- Doyle MaManus, L.A. Times
Afghan war's familiar terrain -- L.A. Times editorial

Afghanistan Timeline -- Yahoo News
US military deaths in Afghanistan at 1,399 -- Seattle Times/AP