BBC News, 26 September 2010 A development worker in Kandahar city vividly describes the challenges of daily life; the killings, the displacement, the operations, and the elusiveness of peace.
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New York Times, 24 September 2010 Even small, innocent-looking projects – as this one by USAID to distribute kites on ‘Peace Day’ amongst Kabul children can go wrong, in this case the kites been hijacked by local police. In contrast, see the Reuters report ‘U.S. project flies democracy message on Afghan kite’ on the same […]
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Associated Press, 23 September 2010 Recent arrests of three journalists in Afghanistan by Coalition forces reminiscent of a US military strategy used in Iraq: detaining local journalists as a way to disrupt insurgents’ propaganda networks.
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Washington Post, 21 September 2010 US military training how to talk to Afghans in Quantico base at the US east coast.
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McClatchy Newspapers, 19 September 2010 The US newspaper reports, that although the Louis Berger Group has been under investigation for ‘intentionally and systematically overbilling American taxpayers’, it was till able to pull in new contracts over 1.4 bn US dollar – so much about Afghan corruption. The article also provides background info about the company.
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Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sept. 2010 Ben Arnoldy reports about the disintegration of Dr Abdullah’s ‘new’ alliance ‘Hope and Change’ which is often – not entirely correct – called ‘the opposition’ in Afghanistan.
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Asia Times online, 17 September 2010 The two authors warn that Afghanistan ‘faces a serious food crisis, especially through the southern, eastern and central regions, which is adding to the burden for a war-ravaged nation’. The reasons are ‘a nationwide decrease in wheat output’, floods, drought and fires in neighbouring countries so that imports become […]
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Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sept. 2010 Anand Gopal reports about a series of inter-candidate violence during the election campaign across the country. He also writes about the US airstrike in Tokhar province that hit a campaign convoi.
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IWPR, 12 September 2010 Two months ago, the Taleban in Tagab district of Kapisa have imposed a new rule that bride-prices should not exceed 3,800 US dollars and it goes down well with the locals. They also banned other costly practices surrounding marriage, including one known locally as ‘takbir’ where up to 50 people visit […]
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Denver Post, 12 September 2010 In a rare show of popular resistance, residents of the Nejrab district of Kapisa province have driven the Taleban out of their area after growing tired of them interfering in reconstruction work, reports the daily based on a report by Kabul-based IWPR.
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ABC, 8 September 2010 A journalist who was embedded with US troops and took a film recalls here: ‘At one stage you can see in the film where the elder talks about the Taliban coming into the village and the fact that the villagers are helpless to do anything about it. And the translator essentially […]
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New York Times, 23 August 2010 Dexter Filkins has got ink-on-white what everyone had assumed: Pakistan wants control over developments in Afghanistan.
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