Afghanistan War News Updates -- May 8, 2012

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Straub and fellow Marines kneel while halted during a security patrol in the Durzay region of the Garmsir district in Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 30, 2012. The Marines are assigned to India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder

Panetta Notes Afghanistan Progress In Wide-Ranging Interview -- Defpro

Progress in Afghanistan was among the topics Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta discussed in a wide-ranging interview last week with Bloomberg Television’s Judy Woodruff.

The secretary told Woodruff he believes the United States is on the right path toward its goals in Afghanistan.

“In 2011, the Taliban was weakened significantly. They couldn't organize the kind of attacks to regain territory that they had lost, which is something they have done in the past,” he said.

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More News On Afghanistan

ISAF Joint Command Morning operational update - May 8, 2012 -- ISAF
Soldier from Northern California killed in Afghanistan -- L.A. Times
7 Afghan police killed in separate attacks in western, eastern Afghanistan -- Washington Post/AP
14 civilians killed in two NATO airstrikes, Afghan officials say -- L.A. Times
U.S. Confirms Afghan Airstrike Mistake -- New York Times
NATO plans apology for civilian deaths in Afghanistan airstrike -- Washington Post

Afghan leader: airstrikes could undermine US pact -- AP
Karzai says Afghan civilian deaths could hinder U.S. pact -- Reuters

Afghanistan Commander: 'My Sound Bite Is, We’re Being Successful' -- National Journal
Panetta Notes Afghanistan Progress in Wide-ranging Interview -- US Department of Defense
Taliban stronger than before U.S. troop surge: lawmakers -- Reuters
France's continued role in Afghanistan unclear after Hollande's win -- Stars and Stripes
Insurgents’ Homemade Bombs Are Increasingly Duds -- Danger Room
Afghan-US pact strains ties with Tehran -- AFP

26 dead, 100 missing in Afghanistan flood -- CNN
Extreme Tourism: Couch Surfing Arrives in Afghanistan -- Time
Afghanistan no longer worst place for mothers: report -- Reuters

The US-Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement: Nothing More Than Symbolic -- Defpro
Where lies the real enemy in Afghanistan? -- Patrick Porter, Sydney Morning Herald
Afghanistan: More questions than answers -- Richard N Haass, The Nation
Did Obama improve our position in Afghanistan? -- Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
Reading Obama on Afghanistan -- Paul Miller, Foreign Policy
Obama’s Afghanistan Strategy: Signaling Intent -- Micah Zenko, Council On Foreign Relations
Who Are America's NATO Allies in Afghanistan?—PICTURES -- National Journal