US Investigation of Airstrike Deaths ‘Deeply Flawed’ | Human Rights Watch

Afghanistan: US Investigation of Airstrike Deaths ‘Deeply Flawed’ Human Rights Watch:

"(New York, January 15, 2009) - The US military's investigation into deadly and controversial airstrikes in Azizabad in Afghanistan in August 2008 was deeply flawed, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

On October 1, 2008, the Department of Defense published a summary of a report by Brig. Gen. Michael Callan of its investigations into US airstrikes on the village of Azizabad in Herat province on August 21-22, 2008. Since that time, Human Rights Watch has conducted additional research into the events surrounding the Azizabad airstrikes, reviewed the facts presented in the summary, and analyzed the Callan investigation's methodology.

'The weaknesses in the Callan investigation call into question the Defense Department's commitment to avoid civilian casualties,' said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. 'Unless the new Obama administration urgently addresses the US military's airstrike practices in Afghanistan, more unnecessary civilian deaths and injuries will result.'.."

Pakistan in Peril - The New York Review of Books

Great piece on the larger regional context of the Afghanistan conflict...

Pakistan in Peril - The New York Review of Books:

"Pakistan in Peril
By William Dalrymple

The relative calm in Iraq in recent months, combined with the drama of the US elections, has managed to distract attention from the catastrophe that is rapidly overwhelming Western interests in the part of the world that always should have been the focus of America's response to September 11: the al-Qaeda and Taliban heartlands on either side of the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The situation here could hardly be more grim..."

Broader Approach Needed to Resolve Afghanistan Crisis - Council on Foreign Relations

Broader Approach Needed to Resolve Afghanistan Crisis - Council on Foreign Relations:

"Barnett R. Rubin, a leading expert on Afghanistan, says to spur a political settlement there the United States should reach out to other parties such as Pakistan, Russia, India, and Iran and even support dialogue with Taliban insurgents willing to cut ties with al-Qaeda.

As to dealing with the Taliban, Rubin says, 'I think what you have now is some dialogue, mostly indirect and a little bit direct, between the Afghan government, some foreign governments, and the various forms of leadership of the insurgency, which is not a negotiation.'"

EU voters oppose troop surge: poll

EU voters oppose troop surge: poll:

"Any attempt by Barack Obama to get European Union members to contribute more troops to the fight in Afghanistan is likely to face popular opposition, a new poll suggests.

Ahead of Obama's inauguration as the United States' first African-American president, the Financial Times on Tuesday published a poll suggesting the majority of people in Britain, Germany, France and Italy oppose deploying further troops.

About 60 per cent of the respondents in Germany said they would not wish their government to send more troops under any circumstances.

In Britain, the second largest contributor to NATO's mission in Afghanistan, 57 per cent said they did not want to send any more troops."

Pakistan: Suspected U.S. missile strike kills 10 in Pakistan - Los Angeles Times

Pakistan: Suspected U.S. missile strike kills 10 in Pakistan - Los Angeles Times:

"Pakistani news reports cited security officials as saying that at least five of those killed in Friday's strikes in the North and South Waziristan tribal agencies -- long known as a haven for Al Qaeda and the Taliban -- were militants. Dozens of such raids have been carried out in the last six months by the Bush administration, killing several important Al Qaeda-linked figures. But scores of Pakistani civilians, including women and children, also have died, according to local officials..."

Villagers say 22 noncombatants killed by American raid - Los Angeles Times

Afghanistan: Villagers say 22 noncombatants killed by American raid - Los Angeles Times:

"Angry Afghan villagers say raid left civilians dead
U.S. military officials say all 15 killed in the incident were Taliban fighters.

By M. Karim Faiez and Laura King
7:20 AM PST, January 24, 2009

Reporting from Kabul and Islamabad -- A fierce new dispute erupted today over civilian deaths in Afghanistan, with village elders asserting that 22 noncombatants were killed in an American-led raid and U.S. military officials insisting that all 15 dead in the incident, including a woman, were Taliban fighters..."