Afghanistan War News Updates -- March 8, 2012

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Omar Jackson, left, and U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Ross Hines greet Afghans while on a patrol near Enzarkay Pass in Afghanistan's Paktya province, March 2, 2012. Jackson and Hines are assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Epperson

Key Commanders Have Their Say On Afghanistan -- Walter Pincus, Washington Post

Two senior American military commanders spent the past two days putting into context recent negative news about the U.S. effort in Afghanistan. At the same time, they tried to get members of the Senate and House Armed Services committees to realize that U.S. units will remain in that country long after combat troops depart in 2014.

A question asked on both days: “Should the U.S. modify its Afghan strategy in the wake of those six U.S. soldiers being killed by Afghan soldiers between Feb. 23 and March 1?”

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More News On Afghanistan

Air Weapons Team Kills Several Insurgents -- US Department of Defense
ISAF Joint Command morning operational update - March 8, 2012 -- ISAF
War In Afghanistan News 8 March 2012 -- War On Terror News
US commanders: No plan to cede Afghan war to CIA -- Stars and Stripes/AP
High level meeting focuses on future of special ops in Afghanistan -- CNN
Marines to reduce by half in Afghanistan this year -- Yahoo News/AP
U.S. seeks to reopen key Pakistan supply routes -- Army Times
Intractable Afghan Graft Hampering U.S. Strategy -- New York Times

Report: US investigating Afghan Air Force for alleged drug running -- FOX News/Wall Street Journal
U.S. probes allegations Afghan Air Force involved in drug running -- Reuters
U.S. probes Afghan Air Force drug allegations -- CNN
US Investigates Afghan Air Force for Drug Trafficking -- Voice of America

Taliban 'very proud' of bomb that killed six British soldiers -- The Telegraph
So young, so brave: Faces of the six British soldiers killed by Taliban bomb... and five didn't even make it past the age of 21 -- Daily Mail
British soldiers killed in Afghanistan named by MoD -- The Guardian
Afghanistan deaths: Six dead UK soldiers named by MoD -- BBC

Afghanistan: casualties will not affect plans for pull-out by 2014, says David Cameron -- The Telegraph
'No strategy' for Afghan withdrawal -- BBC
Hamid Karzai under fire on Afghan women's rights -- The Telegraph
Health gains in Afghanistan at risk, warns Red Cross -- Yahoo News/Reuters
US says Afghanistan makes progress in fighting drugs -- AFP
U.S. Soldiers Life Among the Weeds in Afghanistan -- TMZ

The Truth About Opium Brides -- Fariba Nawa, Foreign Affairs
Afghanistan Warrior blast: Deaths throw spotlight on UK mission -- Jonathan Beale, BBC
What's the point in talking to the Taliban, David Miliband? We've nothing to say -- Dan Hodges, The Telegraph
The Taliban is always looking for chinks in our armour -- Con Coughlin, The Telegraph
Are Afghan women better off after a decade of war? -- Heather Barr, CNN

Factbox - Military deaths in Afghanistan -- Reuters