Afghanistan War News Updates -- July 7, 2011

U.S. Army soldiers enter Katalai village while on patrol in Afghanistan's Khowst province, June 15, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. The objective of the patrol is to talk with village elders to try to identify Taliban suspects in the area. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Joseph Watson

U.S. Troop Drawdown Begins This Month -- UPI

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 7 (UPI) -- The drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, announced by U.S. President Barack Obama, will begin this month, the deputy commander of the U.S. forces said.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Kabul, Army Gen. David Rodriguez, who is also the commander of NATO forces joint command in Afghanistan, said the drawdown will include both combat troops and combat support troops.

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More News On Afghanistan

U.S. Afghanistan Drawdown Begins Slowly -- New York Times/Reuters
US pullout from Afghanistan starting slowly -- AP
US drawdown in Afghanistan to start slowly: officers -- AFP
Afghan War Troop Cut Includes Combat Units Amid Rising Violence -- Bloomberg
Marines to be among first to leave Afghanistan -- CBS/AP
U.S. Afghanistan drawdown begins slowly, 800 Marines out in fall -- Reuters
Afghanistan Commander IDs 3 Units to Be Part of Drawdown This Month -- ABC News
800 Marines to Return Home from Afghanistan -- Wall Street Journal
Marines from Twentynine Palms to be among first to leave Afghanistan -- L.A. Times

ISAF Joint Command morning operational update -- Dvids
Forces Detain Haqqani Leader in Eastern Afghanistan -- US Department of Defense
Taliban hit checkpoints in remote Afghanistan -- Boston.com/AP
Afghanistan: Dozens dead after Taliban raid in Nuristan -- BBC
Clash leaves 23 Afghan police, 5 civilians dead -- Xinhuanet
Taliban attacks in Afghanistan kill 23 -- UPI
NATO Helicopter Crashes in Afghanistan -- FOX News/AP
Official: 11 Afghan civilians killed in NATO-led strike -- CNN
Thirteen Afghans killed in NATO strike -- New York Post
Up to 13 Afghan civilians killed in NATO airstrike -- AFP
NATO acknowledges killing Afghan civilians, probes more claims -- Reuters
Afghans protest alleged killing of civilians by NATO -- Xinhuanet
Hundreds Of Afghans Protest NATO Raid -- Radio Free Europe
Hundreds of Afghans protest NATO air raid deaths -- Reuters

Afghanistan, Pakistan to coordinate amid cross-border confusion -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Border strife in Afghanistan shows wider tensions -- Mercury News/AP
Why is Pakistan bombing Afghanistan? -- Global Post

Rodriguez: ‘Indisputable’ progress in Afghanistan, with some caveats -- Washington Post
Rodriguez: No unnecessary risk in Obama drawdown plan -- Stars and Stripes
General says Afghan pullout risks few for security -- Washington Times
US general says Afghanistan troop drawdown won't trigger more unrest -- The Hill
Rodriguez Outlines ISAF’s Drawdown, Transition Plan -- US Department of Defense

Canada officially transfers command of Kandahar to U.S. -- CTV
Canada's battle in Afghanistan officially over -- Toronto Sun
Canada’s war in Afghanistan is over -- National Post
Canada ends combat operations in Afghanistan, shifts focus to training -- Winnipeg Free Press

Slow Withdrawal Plan for British Troops in Afghanistan -- New York Times
Cameron announces British troop drawdown from Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Afghanistan: David Cameron announces 500 troops to come home in 2012 -- Mirror.com
Cameron Says U.K. to Cut Afghan Force by 500 Through 2012 -- Bloomberg

Taliban denies peace talks with U.S. -- McClatchy News
Afghanistan transition 'train' steaming ahead: UN -- AFP
UN Says Afghan Transition Is 'on Track' -- New York Times/AP
Government in Afghanistan Nears Collapse -- The Nation

UN: Afghanistan at Crossroads -- Voice of America
A Political Solution to the Afghan War -- Daniel Serwer, The Atlantic
Patrols in Afghanistan proceed as pullout begins -- MSNBC (Photoblog)