Afghanistan War News Updates -- July 29, 2011

CHATTING WITH CHILDREN - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Chandra Francisco talks to children in the Sangin district in Afghanistan's Helmand province, July 17, 2011. Francisco and U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Richeal, both members of Female Engagement Team 15, were supporting Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, and the Afghan National Army. U.S. Marine corps Cpl. Katherine Keleher

Talks On Long-Term Afghan-U.S. Partnership Stalled -- Washington Post

KABUL — Negotiations to set the terms of the U.S. partnership with Afghanistan in the decade after 2014 are faltering as the two countries struggle to bridge the gap between their demands, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.

After months of talks, some of the officials involved are growing increasingly pessimistic about the prospect of a substantive “strategic partnership” declaration anytime soon that would allow for a long-term U.S. troop presence in exchange for protection guarantees for Afghanistan and support for the nation’s security forces. U.S. -led NATO forces are set to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

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More News On Afghanistan

FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, July 29 -- Alertnet
ISAF Condemns Insurgent Attacks in Afghanistan -- US Department of Defense
ISAF Joint Command morning operational update -- Dvids
Civilians killed in Afghan roadside bombings -- Al Jazeera
Afghanistan bombs kill 23 civilians on bus and tractor -- The Guardian
IED kills 18 Afghan bus passengers -- UPI
19 killed in Afghanistan after civilian bus hits mine -- MSNBC
Roadside bombs kill 17 in south Afghanistan: officials -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Roadside Bomb Kills At Least 18 In Afghanistan -- Radio Free Europe
Afghanistan: Eighteen civilians killed in Helmand blast -- BBC

Suicide Bombers Attack Afghan Provincial Capital -- New York Times
Suicide bombers, gunmen attack Afghan provincial capital -- L.A. Times
7 Afghan suicide attackers kill at least 21 people -- SF Gate/McClatchy News
At Least 19 Killed In Afghanistan After Suicide Attacks -- Atlantic Wire
Taliban kill 21 during attempt to assassinate Afghan official -- Boston.com/New York Times
Taliban attack Hamid Karzai ally in southern Afghanistan -- The Guardian
Diggers help repel deadly suicide attack in Afghanistan -- Herald Sun

Coalition holds line on Taliban attacks, data show -- USA Today
Afghan police suffer worst casualties of war -- AP
Taliban declares open season on politicians -- CBS
As NATO troops withdraw, the Taliban target a fragile government -- Globe and Mail
Afghanistan’s Politics in Turmoil After String of Assassinations -- Foreign Policy Association
Taliban offer talks if US sets pullout date -- Asia Times
Report Clears Afghanistan Training Commander -- US Department of Defense
Mission offers young Army officer a lesson about life on the front lines in Afghanistan -- Stars and Stripes
Parents balk at 'suicide' schools -- Asia Times
Petraeus on Afghanistan progress (Video) -- BBC

Britain spent £18 billion on war in Afghanistan, figures show -- Daily Telegraph
MoD has no idea how much Afghan war will cost Britain, it admits as it cuts 7,000 more jobs -- Daily Mail
Costs of British military operations in Afghanistan estimated at £18bn -- The Guardian
Afghanistan campaign 'set to cost £4bn' -- Independent

Photos: The mail, a morale booster, finally arrives at remote Afghanistan outpost -- Global Post
Kandahar Mayor's Killing Another Blow to U.S. Afghanistan Effort -- Time
Kandahar's fallen hero -- National Post editorial
“The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers” -- Washington Post
A Map of the Most Dangerous Places for Journalists in Afghanistan -- Atlantic Wire