Afghanistan War News Updates -- February 20, 2013

A coalition force member maintains security during a movement to establish a temporary patrol base with Afghan special forces in Herat province, Afghanistan, Feb. 17, 2013. Coalition force members and Afghan special forces teams conducted satellite patrols from a temporary patrol base to lure insurgents out of hiding. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau

U.S. Troop Toll In Afghanistan Falls With Strategy Shift -- CNN

For the past month, the U.S. military has experienced something not seen for five years in Afghanistan: No combat deaths.

Three U.S. troops have died from hostile fire injuries since Jan. 1, and one of them succumbed to wounds sustained in December.

The trend marks the longest period without a U.S. combat death in America's longest war since 2008, and clearly reflects a strategy shift that leaves much of the fighting to Afghan security forces, whose deaths are going up.

Afghans now lead more than 80% of combat operations and control areas covering more than three-quarters of the population, according to U.S. military officials.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

NATO and Afghan forces kill 25 insurgents -- USA Today
14 insurgents killed in Afghan raids within day: govt -- Global Times
Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill Insurgents in Logar Province -- US Department of Defense
Precision Strike Kills Insurgents in Kunar Province -- US Department of Defense
Taliban insider attack facilitator killed in Kunar -- Long War Journal
6 IEDs defused in eastern Afghanistan: coalition -- Global Times
Senior Pakistani Taliban commander captured in Afghanistan -- The Guardian
Top Member of Taliban in Pakistan Is Captured -- New York Times
Top Pakistan Taliban leader captured -- UPI
Linguist Serves Alongside U.S. Marines -- Military.com
Afghanistan Gets Safer for Civilians as U.N. Warns Taliban of ‘War Crimes’ -- Danger Room
Fragile gains: Women in Afghanistan -- The Interpreter
Interview: History Shows You Invade Afghanistan At Your Peril -- Radio Free Europe
Afghanistan's post-NATO era starts to take shape -- Chris Sands, Global Post
Balkanization of Afghanistan beckons -- Derek Henry Flood, Asia Times
New priorities for the Taliban -- Deutsche Welle
At least 2,045 US military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 -- FOX News/AP