Friday, March 4, 2011

Afghanistan War News Updates -- March 4, 2011



Marines Await Taliban Move In Deadly Afghan Valley -- Washington Post/AP

SANGIN, Afghanistan -- The cacophony of gunfire and bombing that dominated this southern river valley in the fall has dropped to a whisper, but U.S. Marines who have paid a heavy price battling the Taliban in Afghanistan's deadliest spot expect the insurgents to hit back hard.

Violence in Helmand province's Sangin district dropped sharply about a month ago, a development the Marines believe was driven by both the normal winter lull and significant casualties suffered by the Taliban. But the insurgents have been seeding the ground with bombs, pouring in new fighters and stepping up intimidation in preparation for a spring offensive.

Read more ....

More News on Afghanistan

U.S. expects Afghan Taliban will launch spring campaign to regain lost ground -- Washington Post
Marines Bracing for Taliban Counter-Attack in Afghanistan -- Bloomberg
Embedded in the mire of Marja -- Haaretz
From the Frontline: One day away from being with Camp Lejeune Marines -- WNCT
Afghan Air Force Gets Maintenance Instructors -- War On Terror News
Helmand Province Makes Security Gains, Commander Says -- US Department of Defense
Airstrike Kills Insurgents in Afghanistan -- US Department of Defense
ISAF Joint Command morning operational update -- Dvids
FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, March 4 -- Alertnet

Obama regrets civilian deaths in Afghanistan: Kabul -- Yahoo News/AFP
On POTUS, Petraeus, and their reaction to the Nine Afghan Boys Killed by the US on Tuesday -- ABC News
Obama holds meeting on Af-Pak situation -- Hindustan Times
Obama Talks Afghanistan Transition With Security Team, Karzai -- Bernama
Obama, Karzai agreed incident hurt anti-terrorism fight -- Jerusalem Post
Video: Top General Apologizes for Deaths of Afghan Kids -- Danger Room
Afghanistan: UN urges military review after airstrikes kill nine children -- ADNKronos
UN envoy calls for military review after air strikes kill Afghan children -- UN News Centre

MoD forced to pulp Afghanistan book it already cleared, costing taxpayers £150,000 -- The Daily Mail
Actress Jolie visits Afghanistan: UNHCR -- Yahoo News/AFP
Afghanistan's surviving treasures -- The Guardian
Impasse over Bamiyan buddhas, 10 years on -- AFP

What the U.S. Is Leaving Behind in Pech -- Neil Shea, Foreign Policy
The surge Afghanistan still needs -- Carl Levin and Jack Reed, Washington Post
Doubling down on Afghanistan -- Carl Levin and Jack Reed, Washington Post
True-Life Grit -- Interview with Bing West, National Review

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