Afghanistan War News Updates -- July 19, 2011

LEADERS' STRIDE - U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John R. Allen, U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, outgoing commander of the International Security Assistance Force, and U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , arrive at ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, for Allen's promotion ceremony, July 18, 2011. Allen is succeeding Petraeus, who has been confirmed as the new CIA director. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Gen David Petraeus' Handover To Gen John Allen Heralds Change Of Gear -- The Telegraph

Gen David Petraeus' handover to Gen John Allen of the United States Marines is more than a change of personnel – it heralds a change of gear.

Gen Petraeus, saviour of America in Iraq, steps down at the high water mark of Nato's involvement in Afghanistan.

The surge of 30,000 troops sent by Barack Obama went to work in the Taliban heartlands of the south on his watch.

Sent as a last throw of the dice to try and break the back of the insurgency, it is still not clear what lasting success they have had.

But their time is soon up and rather than presiding over escalation, Gen Petraeus' successor will manage a dwindling force beginning to head home.


Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Petraeus cedes Afghan command, as uncertainty clouds strategy -- McClatchy News
Petraeus Departs Amid Afghan Violence, Transition -- Voice of America
Petraeus says Afghan forces will grow to take up slack as American troops leave Afghanistan -- Winnipeg Free Press/AP
Allen takes Afghan command -- Boston.com
Petraeus hands over command in Afghanistan -- L.A. Times
Petraeus leaves legacy of ramped-up special operations fused with intelligence in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/Canadian Press

Afghan-led Force Finds Enemy Mortars in Kandahar -- US Department of Defense
NATO gives security to Afghans in eastern capital -- Stars and Stripes/AP
Lashkar Gah transition should send 'powerful signal to insurgents'-- The Guardian
Afghan Forces Take Security Control of Provincial Capital -- Voice of America
7 Afghan Police Killed as Security Transition Begins -- Voice of America
Seven Afghan police poisoned then shot dead: govt -- AFP
Afghan Policeman Poisons, Shoots Dead Seven Fellow Officers -- Radio Free Europe
Afghanistan transition day three: Deaths of police officers shocks Lashkar Gah -- The Guardian

France honors 7 killed in Afghanistan -- AP
Sarkozy: French Troops Killed in Afghanistan Fought Taliban’s ‘Tyranny’ -- Voice of America
France honours soldiers killed in Afghanistan -- France 24
France honors seven soldiers killed in Afghanistan -- MSNBC (Photoblog)

Corruption, illiteracy hold back Afghan police -- Reuters
Militants Ship Bomb Materials in NATO Trucks -- Military.com
The wave of Afghan assassinations underscores a complicated security situation -- Christian Science Monitor
Afghanistan government under threat after second assassination in a week -- The Guardian
First picture: British soldier was 'shot dead by Afghan Army soldier' during firefight while he was on foot patrol -- Daily Mail
Soldiers ordered not to shoot Taliban as they plant mines... 'because it WAKES UP locals' -- Daily Mail
Three Cups of Meat: Special Ops Want Afghan Cooking Tips -- Danger Room
Weekly radio call-in program is a hit in eastern Afghanistan -- Stars and Stripes
As Leadership Changes, So Could Afghanistan Strategy -- Rachel Martin, NPR
Afghanistan Is Now India's Problem -- Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Policy