Afghanistan War News Updates -- April 17, 2011

CLASS ACT - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Brandie Hogan speaks to girls at a school in Now Zad, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 10, 2011. Hogan, assigned to the Female Engagement Team 12, visits classes throughout the week, bringing toys and school supplies, and often sits in on classes with the children to show Marines' support for education. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Katherine M. Solano

In Afghanistan’s South, Signs Of Progress In Three Districts Signal A Shift -- Washington Post

SANGIN, AFGHANISTAN — Signs of change have sprouted this spring amid the lush fields and mud-brick villages of southern Afghanistan.

In Sangin, a riverine area that has been the deadliest part of the country for coalition troops, a journey between two bases that used to take eight hours because of scores of roadside bombs can now be completed in 18 minutes.

In Zhari district, a once-impenetrable insurgent redoubt on the western outskirts of Kandahar city, residents benefiting from U.S.-funded jobs recently hurled a volley of stones at Taliban henchmen who sought to threaten them.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

NATO: 3 service members killed in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AP
Bomb kills three NATO soldiers in Afghanistan -- News.com.au
Bomb kills three NATO soldiers in Afghanistan -- AFP
NATO: 3 More Dead in Afghanistan as Violent Summer Expected -- FOX News/AP

Afghan soldier kills 5 NATO troops and 4 Afghan comrades -- Washington Post
Suicide bomber kills 5 NATO troops, 4 Afghan soldiers -- L.A. Times
Ten die in Afghanistan army base bomb -- BBC

Hard-earned gains signal shift for U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan's south -- Stars And Stripes
Iowa National Guard going through worst week ever in Afghanistan -- CNN
Experts fear Taliban danger -- News24
Fort Hood division prepares to deploy to Afghanistan -- Statesman.com
Afghan Air Force, NATC-A complete combat resupply to Kunar Valley -- Dvids

Pakistan PM Gilani meets Afghanistan's Karzai in Kabul -- BBC
Karzai: Afghanistan, Pakistan to Boost Taliban Peace Efforts -- Voice of America
Pakistan, Afghanistan push for reconciliation as ties warm up -- Xinhuanet
Afghanistan, Pakistan upgrade peace efforts -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Pakistan, Afghanistan set up commission -- UPI

Can't guarantee safety of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan: Harper -- Vancouver Sun
Afghan training mission will carry risks, Harper says -- CTV
We can’t eliminate the danger in Afghanistan: Harper -- Toronto Star

French defence minister makes surprise visit to Afghanistan to meet troops, authorities -- Canadian Press
Impoverished Afghans shouldering burden of health care -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Iraq And Afghanistan Have Become America's Wars Without End -- Diana West, Washington Examiner