Afghan Army Is Getting Ready For A Spring Offensive (Video)

WNU Editor: I am sure the Taliban will be ready for them. This is also telling me that 2019 is shaping up to be the bloodiest year of the war since the U.S. invasion in 2001.

Afghan Taliban Have Refused To Extend The Eid Ceasefire. Fighting Has Resumed

Al Jazeera: Afghanistan: Taliban resume fighting as Eid ceasefire ends

Taliban announce they will resume fighting on Monday as the three-day ceasefire on Eid-al-Fitr comes to an end.

On the final day of a three-day Eid al-Fitr ceasefire, the Taliban said they would resume fighting, despite President Ashraf Ghani's announcement that the government was extending its own ceasefire with the group by 10 days.

In the statement on Sunday, the Taliban repeated their preconditions for peace talks, including that they would only negotiate directly with the US and that foreign forces should leave Afghanistan.

"Our fighters will now resume their operations across the country against the foreign invaders and their internal puppets," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Al Jazeera.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: It looks like this ceasefire will only escalate the war. In the eyes of the Taliban, they now believe that the population supports them .... Eid ceasefire proved 'wide support' for Afghan Taliban, they say (Reuters).

More News On The Afghan Taliban Refusing To Extend The Truce

Taliban rules out extension of Afghanistan Eid festival ceasefire -- BBC
Taliban refuse to extend truce with Afghan forces -- The Guardian
Taliban leaders reject Afghan government's proposed cease-fire extension -- Washington Post

Afghan President Ghani Orders Ceasefire Extension With Taliban

BBC: Afghanistan extends ceasefire with Taliban

Afghanistan has extended its unilateral ceasefire with the Taliban following an initial truce observed by both sides over the Eid festival period.

President Ashraf Ghani appealed to the militants to follow the government's lead and enter peace talks.

In extraordinary scenes, militants have been embracing security force members and taking selfies with citizens.

However 25 people died in a suicide attack on one gathering of Taliban and government officials in Nangarhar.

Taliban members and local residents were among the victims of the attack, province spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told the BBC, adding that 54 people were wounded.

Read more ....

More News On Afghan President Ghani Ordering A Ceasefire Extension With The Taliban

Ghani Orders Ceasefire Extension with Taliban -- TOLO News
Afghanistan extends ceasefire after suicide attack kills 25 -- AFP
Taliban enter Afghan capital to mark Eid ceasefire, hugs and selfies elsewhere -- Times of India/Reuters
Taliban members take selfies, hug Afghan soldiers during Eid ceasefire -- RT
Eid celebrations in Afghanistan marred by deadly bombing -- CNN
Afghan bomber kills 21, mostly Taliban celebrating truce -- AP
Afghan President Prolongs Ceasefire With Taliban After Daesh Suicide Attack -- Sputnik

The Afghan Taliban Are Promising A Bright Future Once The 'U.S. Invaders' Leave

Taliban militants appear at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. Reuters

Reuters: Taliban assure Afghans of bright future once U.S. 'invaders' leave

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban told “American invaders” to leave Afghanistan in an announcement marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, assured the people of a bright future under Islamic rule and said it had already liberated “vast areas” of the country.

The Taliban, who announced a surprise three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday, except against foreign forces, also denounced the U.S. relocation of its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, which “further exposes the absolute hatred of American officials towards Islam”.

Taliban leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada said in the statement that Afghans’ salvation lay in “American and other occupying forces” leaving and repeated a call for talks with the United States.

“If the American officials truly believe in a peaceful end to the Afghan imbroglio, then they must directly present themselves at the negotiation table,” Akhunzada said.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Taliban have done nothing but caused mayhem and destruction in Afghanistan .... starting with inviting Al Qaeda to establish their bases in the country in the late 1990s. There will be no "bright future" in Afghanistan if they should ever assume power. The question that still remains unanswered is .... who will the Afghans fight for? Will they fight for a corrupt and dysfunctional Afghan government, or will they fight for the Taliban and their extremist views.

Afghan Taliban Announce A Three-Day Eid Ceasefire Starting Next Week

BBC: Afghan Taliban agree three-day ceasefire - their first

The Taliban have announced a three-day ceasefire with Afghan government forces coinciding with Eid later this month, days after a unilateral ceasefire was ordered by the government.

It is the Taliban's first ceasefire since the government they ran was toppled by the 2001 US-led invasion.

The Taliban said it would stop all offensive operations during the holiday, except against foreign forces.

Earlier, Taliban fighters killed dozens of Afghan security force members.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said the Taliban move was an opportunity for the militants to realise "their violent campaign" was "not winning them hearts and minds but further alienating the Afghan people from their cause".

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This will only give the Taliban time to plan and regroup. It has also been an incredibly "bloody" 24 hours in Afghanistan .... ANDSF, Taliban, Daesh Suffer Heavy Losses in Past 24 Hours (TOLO News)

More News On The Afghan Taliban Announcing A Three-Day Eid Ceasefire

Afghan Taliban raise hopes with surprise Eid ceasefire -- Reuters
Afghan Taliban announces 3-day cease-fire for Eid al-Fitr holiday -- CBS/AP
Taliban agrees to unprecedented Eid ceasefire with Afghan forces -- AFP
Taliban announces first cease-fire with Afghan forces since start of war -- Washington Post
Taliban announce cease-fire over Eid holiday for 1st time -- FOX News
Taliban fighters kill police hours before group calls for ceasefire with Afghan forces during Eid -- CNN
Afghan Taliban announces Eid ceasefire for first time since 2001 -- Al Jazeera
Young Afghans hope for first ceasefire after lifetime of war -- AFP

After Afghan Clerics Outlaw Suicide Bombings, They Are Attacked By A Suicide Bomber

A series of bombings in Kabul has killed dozens of people in recent months and show no sign of easing [Omar Sobhani/[Reuters]

Daily Mail: Afghanistan's top religious body issues a FATWA banning suicide attacks – and is then targeted by a suicide bomber, who kills at least seven people near their tent

* A suicide bombing targeted a gathering of Afghanistan's top clerics in Kabul
* The bomber detonated his explosives near the entrance of a compound
* It was where religious body, known as the Afghan Ulema Council, was meeting
* Shortly before the attack, the clerics issued a fatwa against suicide bombings
* No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday

Afghanistan's top religious body issued a fatwa against suicide bombings today, around an hour before its clerics were targeted by a bomber who killed at least seven people.

The bomber detonated his explosives near where the religious body, known as the Afghan Ulema Council, was meeting.

The bomber detonated at about 11.30 am at the gates of Kabul's Polytechnic University, police and officials said.

The Loya Jirga tent where thousands of clerics from across Afghanistan were meeting is on the campus.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The casualty numbers are increasing .... At Least 14 Killed by Blast Near Gathering of Afghan Clerics in Kabul – Police (Sputnik).

More News On Today's Suicide Bomber Attack In Kabul

Suicide bomber kills at least eight after Afghan clerics outlaw suicide bombings -- Reuters
Islamic clerics hit by bomber right after suicide attack "fatwa" -- CBS/AP
Muslim Clerics Bombed Hours After Declaring Fatwa on Suicide Attacks in Afghanistan -- Newsweek
Bomber attacks meeting of Islamic scholars in Afghanistan -- CNN
Kabul religious gathering hit by deadly suicide bombing -- Al Jazeera

Video Shows U.S. Drones Encircling And Blasting Attacking Taliban Fighters Near Farah

Taliban fighters on the run following Afghan-led offensive in #Farah province, #Afghanistan. Video shows U.S. airpower (MQ-9s) in support. #AFGStrong #ForAFG @ResoluteSupport @MoDAfghanistan @DeptofDefense @usairforce pic.twitter.com/NxXNJMgRkE

— USForces Afghanistan (@USFOR_A) May 16, 2018

Task & Purpose: Video Shows US Drones Blasting Attacking Taliban Fighters

As the Taliban surges in its spring offensive, it is facing relentless strikes by hovering MQ-9 Reaper drones.

This newly released video shows the encircling drones killing about 28 Taliban fighters near Farah city in the western part of the country, where the Taliban is mounting their offensive.

The U.S. military command initially claimed that U.S. A-10s hammered the Taliban near Farah on May 15 but a spokesman later clarified that the A-10s had flown “show of presence” missions instead of conducting airstrikes.

U.S. drones conducted several strikes and the Afghan air force used both their A-29 Super Tucano propeller-driven aircraft and Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters to attack the Taliban, said Army Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for Operation Resolute Support.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Apparently the battle for Farah has been very costly for the Taliban .... Afghan Forces Kill Nearly 300 Taliban Members in Farah Province – Reports (Sputnik).

US To Deploy More Drones And At Least 1,000 New Combat Advisers To Afghanistan

The Hill: Pentagon to send more drones, troops to Afghanistan: report

he Pentagon is planning to send more armed drones and roughly 1,000 new combat advisers to Afghanistan, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

U.S. and military officials told the paper the move is meant to bolster the American military presence in Afghanistan in time for spring, when the traditional fighting season begins.

As soon as February, the Pentagon will send members of an Army security-force assistance brigade from Fort Benning, Ga., to work as combat advisers to Afghan National Security Forces.

The larger fleet of drones, both armed and unarmed, will provide air support and will also be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Read more ....

Update #1: U.S. Military to Bulk Up in Afghanistan With Drones, Troops (Wall Street Journal)
Update #2: Trump's Afghanistan strategy includes deploying 1000 combat advisers, military equipment: Report (Washington Examiner)

WNU Editor: It looks like the U.S. and Afghan military are getting ready to launch a spring offensive.

U.S. Soldier Killed In Afghanistan. Others Wounded

The Hill: US service member killed in Afghanistan — 11th this year

A U.S. service member died Wednesday after suffering fatal wounds during an operation against the Afghanistan branch of ISIS, according to a U.S. Forces-Afghanistan statement.

It is the 11th death of a U.S. service member in the country in 2017.

The incident took place during a partnered operation with U.S. and Afghan Forces in Eastern Afghanistan.

Several U.S and Afghan forces were injured during the operation which was “aimed at further reducing Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan presence in Afghanistan,” according to the statement.

Read more ....

More News On A U.S. Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

American Service Member Killed and Others Wounded in Afghanistan Raid -- NYT
1 US soldier killed in combat in Afghan; others wounded -- Washington Post/AP
US Service Member Killed in Eastern Afghanistan, Pentagon Says -- Military.com
US Service Member Killed in Eastern Afghanistan -- VOA
US service member killed, others injured in Afghanistan -- Washington Examiner
US Service Member Killed, Others Wounded In Eastern Afghanistan -- Task & Purpose

Son Of Taliban Leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada Killed Carrying Out Suicide Attack

Reuters: Son of Afghan Taliban leader dies carrying out suicide attack

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The son of Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada died on Thursday carrying out a suicide attack in the province of Helmand in southern Afghanistan, one of the insurgent movement's main spokesmen said.

Abdur Rahman, 23, also known as Hafiz Khalid, died driving a vehicle laden with explosives into an Afghan military base in the town of Gereshk, north of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, the Taliban's main spokesman for southern Afghanistan, said.

He said Abdur Rahman had been a madrassa student but had wanted to carry out a suicide attack. "He succeeded in his mission last Thursday," he said.

Taliban fighters drove three captured Humvee vehicles into checkpoints during heavy fighting around Gereshk on Thursday.

Read more ....

Update: Taliban leader’s son carries out suicide attack in Helmand province (Khaama Press)

WNU editor: Another fine example of a madrassa student wanting to impress his dad. In my world .... this is beyond sick and disturbing .... in their world .... he is a martyr.

U.S. Airstrikes In Afghanistan Have Expanded Exponentially This Year

Washington Post: U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan are at levels not seen since Obama troop surge

The U.S. air war in Afghanistan has returned to a level of intensity not seen since American forces were still fanned out across the country and fighting Taliban militants in daily skirmishes in 2012, according to recently released military data.

As of June 30, U.S. and coalition aircraft had dropped or expended 1,634 munitions in Afghanistan so far this year, according to U.S. Air Force numbers. By comparison, in 2015 and 2016, that figure was 298 and 545 respectively.

The majority of this year’s strikes have been used to go after the Taliban, said Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, a spokesman for the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan. A portion of the air support, however, has also been directed at terrorist groups such as the Islamic State.

Read more ....

Update: Afghanistan civilian deaths hit record highs as US-led airstrikes reach 2012 levels (RT).

WNU editor: Air and artillery strikes proved to be decisive in the taking of Mosul back from the Islamic State,  and I expect the same strategy will be employed in Afghanistan.

Two Video Documentaries Reporting On The War Against The Taliban

Al Jazeera: This is Taliban Country

In 2014 we reported from a Taliban stronghold, where armed fighters were patrolling the streets. What has changed since?

In 2014, Fault Lines reported from the Taliban stronghold of Charkh District, just an hour outside Kabul. Charkh had become a microcosm of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

Armed Taliban were openly patrolling the streets and had built a parallel administration in Charkh, including Sharia courts and special girls' schools.

Filmmaker Nagieb Khaja took us to a Taliban-controlled town for a rare glimpse of life under Taliban rule in the midst of a civil war.

REWIND spoke to Nagieb about what, if anything, has changed in the past three years and since the planned US drawdown was scrapped.

Read more ....

Al Jazeera: Afghanistan: Taliban At The Gates

We join Afghan forces on the frontlines in Helmand, as they try to keep the Taliban from seizing a crucial capital.

Fifteen years after suffering defeat at the hands of the United States, the Taliban are retaking territory in Afghanistan at an alarming pace.

Wide swaths of the country are now under their control. But the prize for the armed group is the city of Lashkar Gah, seen as the gateway to the rest of the country. Standing in their way, is a ragtag group of Afghan soldiers and police, ill-trained, and ill-equipped.

But a newly installed governor is rallying the forces. Can the city hold the Taliban at bay?

101 East goes to the frontlines to meet the last defenders of Afghanistan.

Read more ....

Another Afghan Provincial Capital Is Being Threatened By The Taliban

Long War Journal: Taliban threatens another provincial capital in Afghan north

The Taliban has surrounded yet another provincial capital in Afghanistan and recently launched an attempt to overrun it. The Taliban is now threatening six of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals in Afghanistan, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal, and its operations are not nearly confined to one region of the country.

On Oct. 16, the Taliban assaulted Maimana, Faryab’s capital, “from three directions,” and attacked the city’s airport and an Afghan Army base, but were rebuffed by Afghan forces, according to TOLONews. Taliban fighters withdrew to “bases to Khaja Sahib Posh and Pashtun Kot districts” after failing to achieve their objectives.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is just another sign that the Taliban are winning this war.

Reuters: Taliban 'special forces' lead Helmand assault: Afghan officials

Only a few days ago, this village of mud huts in southern Afghanistan was a battlefield.

Afghan security forces beat back attacks by encroaching Taliban fighters on Chah-e-Anjir, just 10 km (6 miles) from Helmand's provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, but schools remain shuttered and many residents who fled are too scared to return.

Helmand, a Taliban stronghold and the heartland of the lucrative illicit drug trade, is seen as a strategic target for the militants who would win a major psychological victory by capturing the provincial capital.

Soldiers at the sharp end of the latest offensive described a battle that pitted increasingly well-armed and disciplined Taliban militants against Afghan special forces backed by U.S. air strikes.

"The Taliban have heavily armed, uniformed units that are equipped with night vision and modern weapons," said Sayed Murad, a special forces commander.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: What caught my eye in this report was this comment ....

.... "The Taliban have heavily armed, uniformed units that are equipped with night vision and modern weapons," said Sayed Murad, a special forces commander.

Uniforms, night vision and modern weapons .... there is more to this story than what is being told. Sighhh .... the perception is that the Taliban are winning .... as the above video disturbingly shows.

More News On The Afghan War

Taliban overruns district in Afghanistan's Baghlan -- Al Jazeera
Taliban take key district in northern Afghanistan -- UPI
Taliban takes control of Dahana-e-Ghori in North of Afghanistan -- Khaama Press
Taliban Takes Key North Afghan District as Fighting Surges -- Bloomberg
Afghanistan Forces Struggle to Hold Firm Against Taliban in South -- New York Times
At least 2 wounded in bombing near US Embassy in Afghanistan -- AP
Taliban launch coordinated attack on Want Waigal district in Nuristan -- Khaama Press
Taliban pushes toward strategic provincial capital in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Islamic State faces uphill 'branding war' in Afghanistan, Pakistan -- Reuters
Officials: No Evidence of IS Presence in Southern Afghanistan -- VOA

Update: No one else is corroborating this report .... Breaking: ISIS claims it has assassinated US military commander in Kabul (Mirror).

Taliban Storm Afghan Prison Resulting In Scores Of Imprisoned Insurgents Escaping

Daily Mail: Taliban free more than 150 insurgents after devastating suicide attack on Afghan prison takes down main gates and kills guards

* More than 400 prisoners released by suicide bomb attack on Ghazni prison
* Officials described 148 of those freed as 'a serious threat to national security'
* Three Taliban insurgents died as well as four prison guards earlier today
* It was one of 10 coordinated attacks in different parts of the city overnight

Taliban fighters have freed more than 400 prisoners including 150 insurgents with a suicide bomb attack on an Aghan jail.

The insurgents wore military uniforms for the organised attack, in which four guards were killed and another seven were injured as the bomb took down the main gates on Ghazni prison. Three Taliban were also killed.

More than 400 prisoners were freed in the attack, and officials said that at least 148 of them are considered 'a serious threat to national security,' believed to be Taliban fighters. However, 20 of the facility's most dangerous inmates had been transferred the day before.

WNU Editor: It is now safe to assume that any talks of peace and reconciliation in the foreseeable future is now dead.

More News On Today`s Massive Prison Break In Afghanistan

Hundreds of Inmates Escape as Taliban Insurgents Raid Afghan Jail -- NYT
Afghan Taliban storm jail, release hundreds of prisoners -- Reuters
Taliban free at least 350 prisoners in attack on Afghan jail -- FOX News/AP
Hundreds reportedly escape as Taliban storms Afghan prison -- Euronews
Taliban militants kill police, free hundreds of inmates in Afghan prison raid, officials say -- ABC News (Australia)
Taliban Fighters Storm Afghan Prison and Free Over 400 Inmates -- VICE News

Afghanistan's Taliban Announce That They Will Begin Their Spring Offensive This Friday

A member of the Taliban insurgent and other people stand at the site during the execution of three men in Ghazni Province April 18, 2015. Reuters/Stringer

Channel News Asia: Afghan Taliban announce 'spring offensive' to start Friday

The Afghan Taliban said their annual "spring offensive" will begin on Friday (Apr 24), vowing nationwide attacks in what is expected to be the bloodiest fighting season in a decade as NATO forces pull back from the frontlines.

KABUL: The Afghan Taliban said their annual "spring offensive" will begin on Friday (Apr 22), vowing nationwide attacks in what is expected to be the bloodiest fighting season in a decade as NATO forces pull back from the frontlines.

This year's offensive marks the first fighting season in which Afghan security forces will battle the insurgents without the full support of US-led foreign combat forces.

The militants have already stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in recent weeks, taking a heavy toll on civilians and Afghan security forces.

More News On Afghanistan's Taliban Announcing That They Will Begin Their Spring Offensive This Friday

No NATO troops on battlefield as Taliban announce spring offensive in Afghanistan -- FOX News/AP
Taliban announce plans to ramp up attacks in Afghanistan -- Reuters
Afghan Taliban announce ‘spring offensive’ to start April 24 -- AFP
Afghan Taliban announce 'spring offensive' to start Friday -- Channel News Asia
Afghan Taliban Announces Spring Offensive -- Radio Free Europe
Afghan Taliban begin annual ‘Spring Offensive’ -- Al Arabiya

The Summer Season For Fighting Has Started In Afghanistan

Reuters: Taliban overrun Afghan forces in northeast, killing 18

(Reuters) - Dozens of Taliban fighters aided by foreign militants seized Afghan government checkpoints in a previously stable northeastern province, officials said on Monday as the annual spring fighting season began in the 13-year-old war.

Afghan officials said government forces later took back the district of Jorm in Badakhshan province but said they need reinforcements from the central government in Kabul.

Fighting intensifies each spring as snows that make mountainous areas impassable melt, allowing greater movement of fighters and weapons.

Fighting this year is being closely watched after the end of NATO forces' combat mission left Afghanistan's army and police to fight the resurgent Taliban on their own.

More News On The Afghan War

Grizzly start to Afghanistan's "summer fighting season" -- CBS/AP
Taliban fighters kill 18 Afghan soldiers, beheading eight -- BBC
22 security personnel killed in N. Afghanistan -- Global Post/Xinhua
Taliban kill 18 Afghan soldiers, some beheaded -- AFP
Taliban kill, behead 18 Afghan soldiers -- News24
Police Say Fighting In Northeast Afghanistan Ended With Heavy Taliban Casualties -- Radio Free Europe
Afghanistan: 30 killed as Taliban storm army posts -- Anadolou Agency
Afghan civilian casualties from ground combat rise in 2015 - UN -- UN News Centre
Clashes with Taliban take growing toll on Afghan civilians in 2015 -- Reuters
UN finds 8 percent rise in civilian casualties from Afghanistan ground fighting -- FOX News/AP
Civilian casualties are up ahead of Afghan fighting season -- Stars and Stripes
Civilian Casualties From Rockets in Afghanistan Up 43% in 1Q2015 -- Sputnik
Afghanistan seeks help from Pakistan, China in talks with Taliban -- Asia Times
Top Pentagon lawyer: US still in ‘armed conflict’ in Afghanistan -- The Hill
Who will rule in Afghanistan, the strongmen protecting from the Taliban, or the technocrats trained by the West? -- Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post

Afghan Civilian Death Claims Bogus

Civilian Casualties In Afghanistan

Pentagon Reports U.S. Airstrike Killed 5 Afghan
Civilians, Not 90 -- Washington Post

A U.S. military review of an airstrike last week in western Afghanistan maintains that only five civilians were killed, Pentagon officials said yesterday, a finding that starkly contradicts reports by the United Nations and Afghan officials that the civilian death toll from the bombing was at least 90.

The completed review corroborates an initial assessment by the military of the operation Friday by U.S. and Afghan forces in a village in Herat province. The review determined that 25 militants, including a Taliban commander, and five civilians had been killed, the officials said.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is not the first time that inaccurate casualty figures were publicized .... nor will it be the last.

Commander: Media Reports On Afghanistan Outpost Battle Were Exaggerated

U.S. troops sweep for explosives near the Pakistan border

From Live Leak:

173rd’s fight not symbol of more violent Afghanistan, says Preysler

"The sky is not falling," Col. Charles "Chip" Preysler, commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, said Saturday from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Preysler spoke via telephone less than a week after his paratroops and their Afghan allies were involved in a fierce attack at a small post near the village of Wanat. In the July 13 battle, nine of his men were killed and 15 others wounded.

But the attack is not a sign of conditions worsening in the country, he said.

The battle occurred just after dawn at a temporary vehicle patrol base near Wanat. A platoon-sized element of Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne) soldiers and a smaller Afghan National Army force were occupying a hastily built area as they had done many times over the 15 months they’d been in country, Preysler said. The soldiers were there on a reconnaissance mission to establish a presence and find a good location to connect with the local government, populace and Afghan National Police, he said.

Read more ....

My Comment: It still was a major attack. 9 U.S. soldiers were killed, and many more wounded. The lack of details on enemy KIA is also noteworthy. But as I have mentioned in previous posts .... if this happens two or more times in the next few months, the Taliban insurgency is definitely increasing.

Afghanistan War News Updates -- July 22, 2008

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (R) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai walk at the presidential palace in Kabul July 20, 2008. REUTERS/Afghanistan Presidential Palace/Handout

How to Save Afghanistan -- Time Magazine

It is summer now in Kabul, the snow has largely melted from the 15,000-ft. (4,600 m) peaks, and I am sitting with my friends Hussein, Nabi and Zia in the garden of a 19th century fort. Nearby, 10 carpenters who work with my nongovernmental organization (NGO) are creating a library for a buyer in Tokyo. They're fitting slivers of wood into a delicate lattice and carving flowers into the walnut shutters. They work fast and smile often. But Nabi, a gentle-voiced 66-year-old cook, is not smiling. He is pessimistic about his country. "We have been promised progress by every government since 1973," he growls, "but it is getting worse and worse."

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Afghanistan's 'pristine jihad' draws in outsiders trained in Pakistan -- Times Online
MILITARY: Marine Corps increasingly eyeing Afghanistan -- North County Times
The Taleban's weapon of choice -- Times Online
Al Qaeda diverting terrorists from Iraq to Afghanistan? -- Q and O
Canadians deliver blow against Taliban -- Canada,com
Military looking at intelligence before deadly Afghan clash -- CNN
U.S. and NATO Forces Kill 13 Afghans in Strikes Said to Be Mistakes -- New York Times
Coalition air strikes kill nine Afghan policemen -- Daily Times
15 militants killed and 60 injured in Hangu operation, says military -- Daily Times
Afghan operation kills 18, wounds 25 insurgents -- China View
Jihadist agreement in Pakistan leads to surge of violence in Afghanistan -- Reliefweb
NATO: 'High-priority' Taliban leaders killed -- CNN
Taliban's so-called 'deputy governor' of Kandahar killed in coalition air strike -- Canadian Press
Kidnappers demand release of 15 Taliban -- Daily Times
Afghanistan installing security cameras along Chaman border -- Daily Times
Taliban restrict diesel smuggling to Afghanistan -- Daily Times
Border violations top Gilani’s US visit agenda: FO -- Daily Times
NATO, US forces withdraw from Pakistan border -- Daily Times
Americans' Faith in Afghan War Fades -- ABC News
Reuters: Rumsfeld More Sane Than Obama Regarding Pakistan -- Strata-Sphere

My Comment: For over half of the country, a war situation is now the normal situation.