Afghan Commandos Emerge - Washington Post
Keeping Canada in Afghanistan - Time
US, Pakistan Say Taliban Commander Killed in Shootout - Reuters
Dutch Military Head Loses Son to Roadside Bomb - London Times
Roadside Bomb Kills Son of Dutch Defense Chief - Associated Press
Winning Hearts and Minds - National Review opinion
British to Scale Back Violence Against Taliban - The Captain's Journal
The Insurgency There and Here - Kings of War
'Use the Micro-terrain': Marines Take Drills Seriously - Military Watch

US Commanders Seeking to Widen Pakistan Attacks - New York Times

US Commanders Urge Wider Pakistan Attacks - Reuters

Bullets, Blood and Bravery in Afghanistan - London Times

Pakistan Envoy 'Held by Taleban' - BBC News

A Dutch Patriot’s Day - Forward Movement

AFGHANISTAN

US General Sees Afghans Gains in 3 Years - New York Times
Troop Pledges by Allies Fall Short - USA Today
Lawmakers Push Taliban-like Cultural Bans - Christian Science Monitor
Paras Tread Warily in Helmand Province - London Times
UK Foreign Secretary Backs Pakistani Militant Talks - Associated Press
Appeal by Captured Pakistan Envoy - The Australian
11 Taliban Killed in Clashes, Afghan Defense Ministry Says - Associated Press
Taliban Says Killed Dutch Soldiers Over Film - Reuters
International Doubts about the Afghanistan Campaign - The Captain's Journal
Afghanistan’s Commandos are Just Part of the Solution - Westhawk

Pakistanis Free Islamist Who Fought US - Khan and Gall, New York Times
UK Backs Pakistan Push for Dialogue - Bruce Loudon, The Australian
Top Pakistani Militant Released - BBC News
Britain Warns Pakistan on Peace Talks - Zahid Hussain, London Times
Kandahar Chief Was Out, Then Bernier Spoke - James McCarten, Toronto Star
Canada Confusing Political, Aid Relief Goals - Olivia Ward, Toronto Star
Militants Kill 6 Border Police - Noor Khan, Associated Press
Afghans Build an Army, and a Nation - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal opinion
Blasphemy in Pakistan - Rogers and Loconte, Weekly Standard opinion
Pakistan Releases Taliban Leader, Peace Deal - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
The Taliban, Executions and the UN - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
Are We All Pulling in the Same/Right Direction? - Faceless Bureaucrat, Kings of War

Deaths Haunt Afghanistan Mission - Paul Wiseman, USA Today
Insurgents Attacking Cell Phone System - Laura King, Los Angeles Times
Pakistan Taleban Praise Release - BBC News
10 Police Killed in Afghan Attacks - Noor Khan, Associated Press
Rehearsal in Afghanistan - David Wood, Military Watch

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Afghan Leader Criticizes US on Conduct of War - Carlotta Gall, New York Times
Luck of the Irish Saved Afghan Patrol - Michael Evans, London Times
Taliban Hamper Dam Project - Associated Press
Khalilzad: Not a Candidate for Afghan Prez - Warren Strobel, Nukes and Spooks
Talking with the Gunner - David Wood, Military Watch
Images from Afghanistan - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group

Karzai Is Safe After Fleeing Gunfire at Event - Associated Press
US Marines Deploying in South - Jason Straziuso, Associated Press

Rudd: More Afghanistan Deaths Likely - Samantha Maiden, The Australian
Taleban Breach Major Security - Richard Beeston, London Times
Karzai Escapes Attack in Kabul by Gunmen - Gall and Wafa, New York Times
Assassination Attempt Shakes Afghanistan - Faiez and Chu, Los Angeles Times
Attempts on Afghan President's Life - Associated Press
Karzai Unhurt After Parade Attack - BBC News
Karzai Escapes Assassination Bid - Matt Dupee, The Long War Journal
Digger Killed in Fight with Taliban - Mark Dodd, The Australian
Pakistan: Making Their Own Mistakes - New York Times editorial
Afghan Commandos - Warren Wilkins, Threats Watch
The Torkham Crossing - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

Brains, not brawn, in Afghanistan
The audacious attack in Kabul on Sunday on Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other dignitaries is another salvo in the Taliban's new phase of targeted missions, rather than direct confrontation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's war machine. In return, NATO, as evidenced by two important recent successes against the insurgency, is becoming smarter, rather than relying on "smart" bombs. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Apr 28, '08)

A changing war
The conflict in Afghanistan may become more like the one in Iraq

UN Envoy Sees Threats To Progress - Karen DeYoung, Washington Post
US Marines to ‘Stir Things Up’ in Helmand - Richard Beeston, London Times
Marines Flood into Taliban-held Afghanistan - Paul Wiseman, USA Today
Marines Launch Operation in Taliban Territory - Associated Press
US Marines Move to Seize Town from Taliban - Reuters
Afghanistan: Joined-up Thinking - London Times editorial
Gunning for Karzai - Boston Globe editorial
We're Not Losing Afghanistan - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal opinion
A Pro-Taliban Threat - Malou Innocent, Washington Times opinion
Putting the Afghans in the Lead - National Review Q&A
Afghan Insurgency Spreading North - Anand Gopal, Christian Science Monitor
Karzai Says Fight Should Be Taken to Pakistan - Voice of America
Top Pakistan Militant Halts Talks - BBC News
Pakistani Taliban Chief Pulls Out of Peace Talks - Zeeshan Haider, Reuters
Afghan UN Envoy Gets Strong US Backing - Eckert and Mohammed, Reuters
Afghan Troops Take to Kabul's Streets - Amir Shah, Associated Press
Australian PM in Afghan Warning - BBC News
Karzai Warned of Assassination Plot - Fisnik Abrashi, Associated Press
The Latest Attack in Kabul - Kip, Abu Muqawama
Taliban Tactics Evolve - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

US Marines Pour in to British Zone - Richard Beeston, London Times
Aussie Push for 1500 More Troops - Mark Dodd, The Australian
An Afghan Officer Leads an Assault - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor
Pakistan’s Accord With Militants Alarming - Schmitt and Mazzetti, New York Times
Suicide Bombing Kills at Least 18 - Candace Rondeaux, Washington Post
Attack on Anti-drug Forces Kills 19 - Faiez and King, Los Angeles Times
Pakistan Gambles on Militant Peace Talks - Stephen Graham, Associated Press
Marines Expand NATO's Presence in South - Jason Straziuso, Associated Press
Karzai Was Warned of Attack - Wafa and Gall, New York Times
Karzai Warned of Assassination Plot - Fisnik Abrashi, Associated Press
Suicide Bomb on Poppy Team Kills 19 - Jon Hemming, Reuters
Marines Engage Taliban in Helmand Province - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journa

Push comes to shove in Afghanistan

In his latest assessment, US President George W Bush admits it's going to be a "long struggle" in Afghanistan (this after seven years of fighting the Taliban). US Marines, fresh in the country, are venturing into uncharted territory, while more coalition troops are being deployed. For the Taliban, having made space for themselves in their strategic backyard in Pakistan through dubious peace deals, a new battle has now begun. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Apr 30, '08)

Britain's Prince William in Afghan troop visit (AFP)

US's Pakistan policy under fire
Appeals are growing in the United States for the George W Bush administration to reassess its "war on terror" and Pakistan's place in it. In particular, US policymakers are being asked to place more confidence in Islamabad's plans to make deals with tribal leaders, even though these play into the hands of the Taliban. - Jim Lobe

Not Winning
In a press conference yesterday, President Bush said, "I think we're making progress in Afghanistan" -- days after President Hamid Karzai was the subject of an attempted assassination plot. The Interior Ministry said the Taliban, nearly vanquished from the country in 2001, admitted to launching the attack. These rounds of violence are the latest in what has been an eroding situation over recent years. The United States is also struggling to gain international support for the efforts in Afghanistan. "Many of them, I think, have a problem with our involvement in Iraq and project that to Afghanistan," Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said in February. While the United States has deployed a "new 2,300-strong reserve force" of Marines to Afghanistan, the country still does not receive the necessary attention. Karzai's escape "should serve as a wakeup call to shift the focus to a new front," Center for American Progress (CAP) Senior Fellow Brian Katulis wrote yesterday. CAP has recommended a multi-pronged approach to Afghanistan, including building the governnment, increasing security, jumpstarting reconstruction, reducing opium production, and removing terrorist sanctuaries through redeployment of troops.

WORSE IN 2008?: 2007 was the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since 2001, with 6,000 killed in the country. Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, who commands U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said violence in 2008 "may well reach a higher level than it did in 2007," as insurgents pour in from Pakistan. "This year won't be different," he said. The attempted assassination of Karzai "came as the latest sign of a trend" that the insurgency in Afghanistan "is spreading from the Taliban stronghold of the south to the central and northern regions of the country," Christian Science Monitor reported this week. Furthemore, "[t]here is no security force in Afghanistan that people trust," according to member of parliament Ramazan Bashardost. He added that, after a recent attack, "the security forces fled the area before the ordinary people did." Afghanistan also has rates of illiteracy "among the highest in the world," a "weak and corruption-ridden government," and still retains the world's largest opium poppy crop.

BUSH CLAIMS WE'RE WINNING: Nevertheless, Bush remains blindly optimistic. "Do you think we're winning?" in Afghanistan, a reporter asked yesterday. "I do, I think we're making good progress. I do, yes," Bush said. But his leadership in Afghanistan has been anything but successful. The White House even "acknowledged that its strategic goals are unmet in Afghanistan in its own assessment late last year, but it has not yet implemented any major policy shifts on the Afghanistan front," Katulis noted. For example, according the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief, "Western countries have failed to deliver $10 billion of nonmilitary assistance pledged to Afghanistan over the last six years and the United States, by far the biggest donor, is responsible for half of the shortfall." Funding for Provincial Reconstruction Teams, which Bush "has called the leading edge of stabilization efforts," is "ad hoc and comes from so many sources that congressional investigators were unable to determine how much has been spent," a House Armed Service Committee report said last week. "[M]ilitary force, while necessary, is not sufficient to defeat militants in Afghanistan," Lawrence Korb and Caroline Wadhams of CAP wrote in January. Karzai has also criticized Bush's military-centric approach, which has caused heavy civilian casualties. "I am not happy with civilian casualties coming down; I want an end to civilian casualties," he said last weekend. "Overall, 42 percent of Afghans rate U.S. efforts in Afghanistan positively," down from 68 percent in 2005 and 57 percent last year, according to a December ABC News poll.

QUESTIONS FOR PETRAEUS: Bush recently tapped Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus to lead U.S. Central Command, replacing Adm. William Fallon, whose premature departure in part stemmed from policy disagreements with the Bush administration. Appearing on PBS's NewsHour in January, Fallon pointed to the Iraq war as an explanation for the deterioration in Afghanistan. "[M]y sense of looking back is that we moved focus to Iraq, which was the priority from 2003 on, and the attention and the resources focused on a different place," he said. Petraeus is strongly associated with the current Iraq policy, which has drained spending and troop deployments away from Afghanistan. He now carries the responsibility of assessing priorities in Afghanistan as well as the entire Middle East. "Confirmation hearings for General Petraeus later this year offer an important opportunity for Congress to raise questions about how America can strike the right balance and match its considerable yet strained resources to the numerous threats it faces in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq," Katulis notes. "It's time to separate out these two wars, or else we may lose both," Korb and Wadhams add.

No More Diggers for Afghanistan - Walters and Dodd, The Australian
Raid on Taliban House in Kabul Kills 7 - Faiez and Pennington, Washington Post
Kabul: 7 Killed in Raid on Militant Hideout - Faiez and Pennington, Associated Press
Link to Qaeda in Plot to Shoot Karzai - Gall and Wafa, New York Times
'Karzai Attackers' Die in Siege - BBC News
Army Targets $400mil for Afghan Emergency Funds - Luke Baker, Reuters
A Separate Peace? - Washington Post editorial
Karzai's Close Call - Toronto Star editorial
Abused Afghan Women Often End Up in Jail - Alisa Tang, Associated Press
Building Bridges in the Back of Beyond - David Ignatius, Washington Post opinion
Is Afghanistan Worth It? - Dennis Tabbernor, Globe and Mail opinion
Pakistan Key to War in Afghanistan - Greg Sheridan, The Australian opinion
Afghan Police Need More Help - Richard Beeston, London Times
In Afghanistan, the Bastion - David Wood, Military Watch
Rules of Engagement - David Wood, Military Watch
In Pictures: MEDEVAC Missions - Phil Peterson, The Long War Journal

Al Qaeda Attacks Rose in Pakistan - Josh Meyer, Los Angeles Times
Pakistani Parties Weigh Reinstating Judges - Salman Massod, New York Times
Progress on Pakistan Judges Deal - BBC News
Pakistan's Leaders Extend Talks - Munir Ahmad, Associated Press
Pakistan Coalition Parties to Hold More Talks - Webb and Haider, Reuters
Sri Lanka's Military Seizes Rebel Base - Krishan Francis, Associated Press

Afghan Police: Lynchpin in Security - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor
Elite Afghan Commando Force - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor
Blast 'Targets' Pro-Taleban Group - BBC News
Food Crisis Leaves Many Afghans Desperate - Associated Press
New American-Style War - Herscel Smith, The Captain's Journal

Pentagon Considers Adding Forces - Meyers and Shanker, New York Times
US Weighs Thousands More Troops - Reuters
The Yanks are Coming - Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney Morning Herald
Day of Skirmishing for Marines - Jason Straziuso, Associated Press
On the Border, US Troops Await the Rockets - Luke Baker, Reuters
Canada Reaches Out to Taliban - Graeme Smith, Globe and Mail
Corruption Eats Away at Afghan Government - Doug Saunders, Globe and Mail
Doing Good More Perilous Than Ever - Anna Husarska, Los Angeles Times opinion
Ban on Soap Operas Recalls Taliban Days - Harry Sterling, Toronto Star opinion
Observing 24th MEU Offensive - Galrahn, Information Dissemination

Deal Struck on Pakistan Judges - Candace Rondeaux, Washington Post
Agreement Will Restore Judges in Pakistan - Massod and Gall, New York Times
Musharraf Set to Block Judges' Return - Bruce Loudon, The Australian
30 Rebels Killed in Sri Lanka - Associated Press
US in Contact with Nepal Maoists - BBC News

Taliban claim victory from a defeat
In their first offensive since arriving last month, thousands of US Marines have captured the town of Garmsir in the southern Afghan province of Helmand from the Taliban. The Taliban are unconcerned. They claim the mass of foreign troops will now be tied down chasing shadows and battling drug cartels, while the Taliban concentrate on the east of the country. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (May 2, '08)

An Enemy on the Run - David Ignatius, Washington Post opinion
Pakistan: Taking Back The Frontier - Ahmed Rashid, Washington Post opinion
Minister Voices Afghan Opium Fear - BBC News
The Road MoreTraveled By - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Operation Azada Wosa - “Stay Free” - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
The Counterinsurgency Road to Success - Merv Benson, PrairiePundit
Profound Thanks - David Woods, Military Watch

Turkish Schools Offer Pakistan a Gentler Islam - Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times
Date for Pakistan Judges' Return - BBC News

7,000 Additional US Troops to Afghanistan - Tim Reid, London Times
Now Americans Take Up The Great Game - Richard Beeston, London Times
Pakistan's 'Ghandi' Party Takes on Taliban, al-Qaeda - Mark Sappenfield, CSM
Police and Army Officers Tied to Karzai Attempt - Carlotta Gall, New York Times
Explosions Kill 6, Wound over 20 - Associated Press
Al Qaeda Behind Attack on Karzai - Sayed Salahuddin, Reuters
Afghan Gov't Employees Nabbed over Karzai Plot - Associated Press
NATO: The Second Berlin Wall - Raymond Millen, Strategic Studies Institute opinion
An Enemy on the Run - David Ignatius, Washington Post opinion
Pakistan: Taking Back The Frontier - Ahmed Rashid, Washington Post opinion
Afghan Additions - Max Boot, Contentions
The Road MoreTraveled By - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Operation Azada Wosa - “Stay Free” - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
Losing Hearts and Minds - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
The Counterinsurgency Road to Success - Merv Benson, PrairiePundit
Shocking Encounters - Kip, Abu Muqawama
Video Blogging from Helmand - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
All Afghanistan, All the Time! - Mark Safranski, ZenPundit

Militant Calls Off Talks, Pakistan Troops Stay - Khudayar Khan, Washington Times
Out of Our Depth - Patrick Walters, The Australian
US Troops Kill Several Militants in E. Afghanistan - Associated Press
Losing is No Option - The Australian editorial
The Disaggregation of the Taliban - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
Afghanistan - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner
Combating Al Qaeda in Pakistan - James Joyner, Outside the Beltway
Images from Afghanistan #2 - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group

US trains Pakistani killing machine
United States Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, drawing on his experience in the Philippines and Nicaragua, is behind an initiative for the US to train up special Pakistani forces to go after high-level al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan's tribal areas. The move is an admission that operations by massed Pakistani troops have failed, but it gives the US further inroads into Pakistan. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (May 7, '08)

Marines Ignore Taliban Cash Crop to Not Upset Afghan Locals - Associated Press
Drugs Undermine Afghanistan's Efforts to Rebuild - Reuters
Taliban Kill Canadian Soldier - Reuters
Roadside Bomb Kills 2 Afghan Police Officers - Associated Press
Afghans Escape Poverty via Cheap US Labor - Associated Press
Canadian General Ready to Take Command - Globe and Mail
5 Dead in N. West Pakistan Attacks - Associated Press
Attacks Test Pakistan Ceasefire - BBC News
COL Thomas McGrath Roundtable - DoD Bloggers Roundtable
Change Takes Time, But I See a Lot of Progress - Jack, DoD Live

Pentagon Rejects Some Pakistan Requests - Spiegel and Miller, Los Angeles Times
Pakistan Government Strained by Election Delay Allegations - Associated Press

Pakistan Test-fires Nuclear-capable Cruise Missile - Associated Press
Police Fight Gangsters in Karachi - BBC News
Nepal King 'to Meet Top Maoist' - Rabindra Mishra, BBC News

US and NATO Battle on Uneven Afghan Patchwork - Reuters
Police say 6 Taliban Killed in Clash with Officers - Associated Press
Pakistan, Taliban and Politics of Peace Accords! - Animesh Roul, Counterterrorism
Ex-prince wants Taliban Brought into Afghan Government - Reuters

Afghan army far from fighting fit
There has been a drop in the number of troops deserting from the Afghan National Army, but that is about the only good news. The indigenous force suffers from ethnic divisions, poor logistical support, inadequate training and, crucially, it is far from being able march on its own feet without coalition air cover. (May 8, '08)

Marines in Afghanistan to Redeploy as Scheduled - Donna Miles, AFPS
Taliban 'Governor' Killed in Raid - Reuters
Suicide Bomber Wounds 3 in Kabul - Associated Press

US tightens its grip on Pakistan
It is no coincidence that US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte chose the National Endowment for Democracy to deliver a key-note speech on Pakistan. For years, the US government-funded NED has specialized as a handmaiden of US policies by funding and supporting foreign politicians. Now it is Pakistan's turn to get the full treatment, for as Negroponte says, US national security is inextricably linked to the success, security and stability of that country. - M K Bhadrakumar (May 9, '08)


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Mission Requires More NATO, International Support - Gerry Gilmore, AFPS
Cease-fire in Pakistan's Swat Valley - Associated Press
Protesters Clash with Police in East Afghanistan - Reuters
Comin' Round the Mountain - Dymphna, Gates of Vienna

Army's Chief Liaison to Pakistan Pulled - Tyson and Tate, Washington Post
Pakistan Opposes US Military Aide - BBC News
Tainted by Torture - Phillip Carter, Intel Dump
Foe of Musharraf Is Released in Pakistan - Salmon Masood, New York Times
Pakistan Coalition Fails to Break Judges Deadlock - Reuters
Pakistan PM Takes Control of Spies - Bruce Loudon, The Australian
Sri Lanka Holds Vote in Liberated East - Associated Press
Bombing on Eve of Sri Lanka Polls - BBC News
Tamil Tigers Sink Ship on Polling Day - BBC News
Sri Lanka Election Draws Complaints - Associated Press

Pentagon Considers Adding Forces in Afghanistan...
The New York Times Sat May 03 2008 04:42:28 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Militants Die in Afghanistan Clash - Associated Press
US Operation Sparks Afghan Unrest - Alastair Leithead, BBC News
Australia Launches Abuse Inquiry - BBC News
Diggers Will Be Investigated - Patrick Walters, The Australian

Pakistan Changes, Should US Policy? - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor
Attack in Kashmir Leaves 7 Dead - New York TImes
6 Killed in Clashes with Militants in Indian Kashmir - Associated Press
Suspected Rebels Kill 8 Railroad Workers in India - Associated Press
Pakistan Leaders Fail to Reach Accord on Restoring Judges - Associated Press
Pakistan Coalition Crisis Talks - BBC News
Sri Lankan Government Wins Vote - BBC News
Ruling Party Wins Sri Lanka Polls - Reuters
Nepal Police Detain More than 600 Female Tibetan Protesters - Associated Press

Key al Qaeda Member Killed in Afghanistan - Reuters
Pakistani Taliban, Iraqi al Qaeda Killed - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Taliban Spring Offensive: Pointless Bickering - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

Pakistani Party Quits Cabinet Over Justices - Pamela Constable, Washington Post
Sharif’s Party Leaves Cabinet in Pakistan - Jane Perlez, New York Times
Pakistan Plunges into Fresh Political Crisis - Zahid Hussain, London Times
Pakistan Government Set to Split - BBC News
Fighting 'Continues' in Kashmir - BBC News
Nine Dead in Indian Rebel Attack - BBC News

12 Militants Killed in Southern Afghanistan - Associated Press
Senior Afghan Officials Suspended - BBC News
Taleban Dead Returned to Pakistan - BBC News
A Counterinsurgency Grows in Khost - Ann Marlowe, Weekly Standard opinion
Pakistani Taliban, Iraqi al Qaeda Killed - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Taliban Spring Offensive: Pointless Bickering - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
Senior Afghan Officials Sacked - Matt Dupee, The Long War Journal

Bomb Blasts Kill 60 in India - Wax and Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post
Series of Blasts Leave 56 Dead in India - Somini Sengupta, New York Times
Six Bombs in 15 Minutes Leave at Least 80 Dead - Rhys Blakely, London Times
Bombings Rock Indian Tourist City - BBC News
Curfew Imposed after India Blasts - BBC News
Pakistan's Government in Turmoil - BBC News

Afghan Mission Now Top Aussie Priority - Patrick Walters, The Australian
Thousands Displaced by Fighting in Afghan South - Reuters
Afghans to Ask for $50 bln Aid at Paris Conference - Reuters
Deal on Role for Islamic Law in NW Pakistan Area - Associated Press
Following the Marines Through Helmand - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
Following the Marines Through Helmand II - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
The US Dep. of Agriculture Does COIN - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
Canada's Not On Time Logistics - Kip, Abu Muqawama

UN: Foreign Agents Behind Spate of Afghan Killings - Associated Press
Marines Stay in Afghan Town after Taliban Influx - Associated Press
Pakistan Swaps Prisoners with Taliban Militants - Associated Press
Pakistan in Taleban Prisoner Swap - BBC News
Suspected US Missile Kills 7 in Pakistan - Reuters
Missile Strike Against Taliban Safe House - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Suicide Bomber Kills 15 in Afghanistan - Associated Press
Pakistan's Military Forges Peace Deals - Jonathan Landay, Nukes and Spooks

Pakistan Defies U.S. on Halting Afghanistan Raids - Jane Perlez, New York Times
Pakistan: No Knowledge of Missile Strike - Ali and King, Los Angeles Times
Afghanistan's President Wants $50bn - Bronwen Maddox, London Times
UN Official Raises Alarms Over Killings - Carlotta Gall, New York Times
UN Official Says Foreign Agents are Killing Afghans - Associated Press
Hunger and Food Prices Push Afghanistan to Brink - Carlotta Gall, New York Times
Afghan Aid that Works - Mohammad Ehsan Zia, Christian Science Monitor opinion
Successful Marine Operations in Helmand - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

US Planning Big New Prison in Afghanistan - Schmitt and Golden, New York Times
Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan Freed - Associated Press
Kidnapped Pakistan Envoy Released by Taliban - Reuters
Young Boy Linked to Suicide Hit - Toronto Star
10 Militants, 4 Afghans Killed - Associated Press

India to Resume Pakistan Peace Talks - Reuters
Bush and Pakistan's Gilani Pledge to Fight Terror - Reuters
Sidelined Musharraf Still Exerts Influence - Constable and Wright, Washington Post
Sri Lankan Troops Capture Rebel Position, 16 Killed - Reuters
Sri Lankan Air Force Bombs Rebel Center - Associated Press
Suicide Bomb in Sri Lanka Capital - BBC News
Jaipur Serial Blasts: Investigations on... - Animesh Roul, Counterterrorism

Hopeful Signs From Ex-Taliban Hotbed - Rosie Dimanno, Toronto Star
Militants Free Pakistan Ambassador in Exchange - Jane Perlez, New York Times
Bush Tells Karzai US Will Help at Paris Donor Conference - AFPS
Gitmo's Heir? - Phillip Carter, Intel Dump
Pakistan - Baitullah Mehsud Peace Agreement - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal

Taliban 'Losing Momentum' - Rosie Dimanno, Toronto Star
Taliban Gearing Up for Spring Offensive - Katherine O'Neil, Globe and Mail
Bomber Kills 11 Near a Pakistani Army Base - Jane Perlez, New York Times
Taliban Claim Responsibility for Pakistan Bombing - Associated Press
Winning Afghans in an Australian Way - Brendan Nicholson, Sydney Morning Herald
Afghans Free Foreign Contractors - BBC News
Afghan Student in Torture Claim - BBC News
Afghanistan, Roads and Counterinsurgency - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
Taliban Suicide Bomber Kills 13 in Mardan - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Gitmo's Heir? - Phillip Carter, Intel Dump
Pakistan - Baitullah Mehsud Peace Agreement - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal

Diggers Launch Strike on Taliban - Mark Dodd, The Australian
Diggers to Evict Taliban from Key Pass - Mark Dodd, The Australian
Beyond the Khyber Pass - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Pakistan Frees Afghan Taliban Commander - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Bagram’s New Prison and What Might Have Been - Westhawk, Westhawk