Latest Taliban Stories

STRASBOURG, France, December 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the South Asia Peace Forum of the European Parliament met at Strasbourg on 16th December 2009 to review international developments of concern to the members and to plan the future activities of the forum. The members expressed considerable concern at the possibility that Afghanistan might once again be left with elements of the Taliban in power in Kabul. The members resolved that they would urge the USA, the countries of...

See http://www.mccaffreyassociates.com/pdfs/AAR_november_2009.pdf For Full Report WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Four Star-Gen. Barry McCaffrey (Ret), a former Gulf War commander, SouthCom Commander, and U.S. National Drug Policy Director, now Adjunct Professor of International Affairs at West Point, has issued a comprehensive assessment, report, and recommendations on the situation in Afghanistan following a week long-visit. During his mission, conducted for the U.S....

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Former advisor to the Government of Afghanistan, Dr. Nadir Atash, announces the publication of his new book: TURBULENCE -- The Tumultuous Journey of One Man's Quest for Change in Afghanistan. The 300-page memoir details Atash's battle against corruption in post-9/11 Afghanistan and sheds light on what has led to the increased insurgency in the country. The story depicts the many journeys the self-made Afghan-American educator, entrepreneur, and...

COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of nations around the world finds that most publics believe that the Afghan people want NATO forces to leave Afghanistan now. On average 53 percent have this belief, while 30 percent assume that most Afghans want NATO forces to stay. Among those who believe the Afghan people want NATO forces to leave, 76 percent say that NATO forces should leave. Among those who believe the Afghan people want NATO forces to...

Insurgent groups like the Taliban can only be effectively engaged with timely and accurate military intelligence, and even good intelligence may only succeed in containing the insurgency, not defeating it, according to a new study in the current issue of Operations Research, a flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS®)."Why Defeating Insurgencies is Hard: The Effect of Intelligence in Counterinsurgency Operations "“ A Best-Case...

COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Most Pakistanis now see the Pakistani Taliban as well as al Qaeda as a critical threat to the country -- a major shift from 18 months ago -- and support the government and army in their fight in the Swat Valley against the Pakistani Taliban. An overwhelming majority think that Taliban groups who seek to overthrow the Afghan government should not be allowed to have bases in Pakistan. However, this does not bring with it a shift in...

A rare case of censorship appears to have paid off. The New York Times reported on Monday that it had collaborated with online encyclopedia Wikipedia to keep news of its kidnapped reporter in Afghanistan from going public for more than seven months.Times reporter David Rohde was taken captive by the Taliban in November 2008. The Times believed that publicity over his kidnapping would worsen negotiations to ensure Mr. Rohde's safe return.Rohde and his translator, Tahir Ludin, were able to make...

Archaeologists warn that the Cheshma-e-Shafa gorge in the northern Afghan province of Balkh, where traces of human occupation date back to the sixth century BC, is in danger of being lost due to the construction of a tar road, despite laws that heritage sites must be protected.The scenic gorge in the northern province of Balkh is just one of several important ancient sites that will be destroyed if the post-Taliban push for development continues, they say.The French Archaeological Delegation...

CAPE CORAL, Fla., June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- "The Apostate Theory" (published by AuthorHouse), the new book from Mr. Pat, takes a look at how the election of a U.S. President with Muslim heritage has given Islamic extremism the recruitment tool to expand its ranks. The activity of radical Islam has been in the American crosshairs since the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 and yet, little progress has been made in abating the threat of terrorism. Most recently, Pakistan has become the central focus...

U.S. military officials said on Monday that a Facebook page, a YouTube site and feeds on Twitter are being launched in Afghanistan as part of a new communications effort to reach readers who get their information on the Internet rather than in newspapers, The Associated Press reported.Officials said the effort is a way to counter Taliban propaganda and represents a "sea change" in how the military can communicate its message to foreign and American audiences.Col. Greg Julian, the...