Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Afghanistan War News Updates -- December 12, 2012

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, right, talks with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James B. Cunningham, center, and U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, upon his arrival in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 12, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

U.S. Defense Chief In Kabul For Talks On Future U.S. Presence -- Reuters

(Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived on an unannounced visit to Kabul on Wednesday for talks with military commanders ahead of a decision on how large a U.S. military presence to keep in the country after the NATO mission ends in 2014.

Panetta has not disclosed how large a force he thinks will be needed, but one U.S. official has told Reuters that figures as low as 6,000 U.S. troops were under consideration.

"The size of that enduring presence is something that the president is going to be considering over these next few weeks," Panetta told troops in Kuwait before boarding his flight to Kabul.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Obama to detail Afghanistan plan soon -- USA Today
Panetta Arrives in Kabul to Thank Troops, Meet With Commanders -- US Department of Defense
Panetta in Afghanistan to meet with Karzai -- AP
U.S. defense chief in Afghanistan ahead of drawdown decision -- Reuters
Panetta, other U.S. officials in Kabul paint rosy picture of Afghan situation
-- Washington Post
Panetta Arrives in Afghanistan to Assess U.S. Troop Presence -- Wall Street Journal
Panetta makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan -- Foreign Policy
Panetta makes unannounced Afghanistan trip -- UPI
Panetta in Kabul to weigh future US troop levels -- AFP

ISAF Joint Command operational update, Dec 12 -- ISAF
Pentagon confirms violence in Afghanistan is higher now than it was in 2009 -- Examiner
U.S. force in Afghanistan may be smaller than expected after 2014 -- L.A. Times
US plans to keep 6000 to 9000 troops in Afghanistan -- Khaama Press
Pentagon comments on Taliban tactics in response to reporter's question -- Examiner
U.S. encouraged by Pakistan efforts to go after terrorists -- CNN
Afghanistan Deadline Pushes Pakistan, US Closer -- Voice of America
Afghan refugees in Pakistan resist pressure -- AFP
Afghans in Marjah prefer Taliban rule -- AP
U.S. finds Afghan anti-corruption efforts ‘deeply troubling’
-- Washington Post
Slow Gains in Justice for Afghan Women
-- New York Times
UN: Women have ‘long way to go’ in Afghanistan -- Stars and Stripes
UN: Afghan Women Better Off, but Abuse Lingers -- Voice of America
UN: Over 2 million Afghans at risk this winter -- AP
Life goes on in Afghanistan's Helmand province -- NBC
AFGHANISTAN: Working with the Taliban -- IRIN
Where War Still Echoes, Recalling Earlier Battles -- New York Times
Afghanistan’s “Crazy Lost Guys” and Time’s Force-Multiplier -- Mark Thompson, Time
What future faces Afghan women after U.S. forces depart? -- Washington Post editorial
A decade of western folly has erased hope from Afghanistan -- Jonathan Steele, The Guardian
Breaking: The US Military Can't Decide Whether to Be Nice to Afghans -- Adam Weinstein, Mother Jones

US military deaths in Afghanistan at 2,035 -- AP

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