Scenes From Afghanistan (43 Photos)

U.S. soldiers plan their next movement during Operation Viper Shake in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, April 21, 2009. The soldiers are assigned to the 1st Infantry Division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller

Recent Scenes From Afghanistan -- The Big Picture

Since he took office in January, President Barack Obama has ordered an additional 21,000 U.S. troops to be deployed to Afghanistan, which will bring the full U.S. deployment there to a total of 60,000 troops, joining 39,000 coalition troops from 43 countries. The U.S. administration plans to impose benchmarks for progress on both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, who struggle with problems tied to tribal rivalries, illegal drug production and distribution, religious factions, general instability and poverty. Collected here are photographs from the past few months of the situation in Afghanistan and the lives that continue to be affected by it. (43 photos total)

WNU Editor: These photos were taken in 2009, but looking at them .... they could have been taken yesterday. For the entire photo album, go here.

Pics From The Front…

KAJAKI, AFGHANISTAN – OCTOBER 22: U.S. Marine marksman Cpl. Jacob Hoag (L) of Bend, OR with India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment provides security for a patrol at outpost West above Forward Operating Base (FOB) Zeebrugge on October 22, 2010 in Kajaki, Afghanistan. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

WNU Editor: For more pics, go to Weasel Zippers here.

Afghanistan Photo Gallery

PETRAEUS VISIT - U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, speaks with Col. Massimo Biagini, commander of the Italian Task Force North, in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, Aug. 2, 2010. Petraeus visited Afghan and coalition troops deployed in Qal’ah-Ye Now, Moqur and Bala Morghab in Badghis province in the Regional Command West’s area of operations. International Security Assistance Force photo

Afghanistan, July, 2010 -- The Big Picture/Boston.com

This past month, much of the attention focused on Afghanistan centered on the release of thousands of classified documents from the war effort by WikiLeaks. While the consensus appears to be that nothing significantly new was revealed by the release, the picture painted by the documents remains rather bleak. NATO and the United States now have 143,000 troops in Afghanistan, set to peak at 150,000 in coming weeks as they take a counter-insurgency offensive into the insurgents' southern strongholds. Taliban control remains difficult to dislodge, and once removed from an area, Taliban forces often return once larger forces leave a region, especially in rural areas where local government presence remains small. Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. (47 photos total)

WNU Editor: To see all of the photo gallery, go here.

Photo Galleries Dedicated To The 35th Anniversary Of The End Of The War In Vietnam (22 pics)

To see more, photos are from Erooups.

Hat Tip: Extra Good Shit

Pictures Of The Georgian Russian War From A Russian Photojournalist -- WARNING Pictures Are Graphic

(WNU Editor): I have been holding onto these pictures since last week. I originally did not want to show them because of their graphic nature. But American and European columnists are already discussing their impact, and upon reflection I now realize that they do need to be seen.

These pictures were taken by Russian photojournalist Arkady Babchenko. They have been circulating among intelligence personnel because the pictures reveal far more to the West than Babchenko realized. They show Chenchens, South Ossetia militiamen (they are the men with the white armbands) and regular Russian infrantry. These pictures were taken during the course of the Russian campaign in South Ossetia and Georgia. Warning, these pictures are very graphic.

Ralph Peters from the New York Sun does an excellent commentary and explanation on why these pictures are significant.

For more pictures .... the link to Arkady Babchenko's pictures are here.