Sunday, February 22, 2009

Obama’s Wars- Afghan/Pakistan, Iraq - February 22, 2009

Obama’s Wars-
Afghan/Pakistan, Iraq
Sunday
, February 22, 2009
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Hello Everyone…

Today I will start off a new round of Posts that I call:
“Obama’s Wars- Afghan/Pakistan, Iraq”
Hope you enjoy!

A U.S. Army soldier talks to Afghan elders in Bagram, Afghanistan, Feb 15th.
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Prentice C. Martin-Bowen

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I’ll start today’s post off with this short note and a photo essay:
Pentagon officials recently told President Obama that they need a minimum of $83 billion more for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of this fiscal year which ends on September 30th. If I am correct, this is on top of what Congress has already approved for this year which is around $65.9 billion in emergency wartime spending…
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AFGHANISTAN TODAY: A PHOTO ESSAY
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Let’s see what the MSM has been reporting of late…

> The SundayHerald website has the following article posted up on their website today and it starts off like this…
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In announcing the deployment of 17,000 additional soldiers to Afghanistan, Barack Obama fulfilled two campaign promises at once. The two brigades - one army, one marine - were previously headed for Iraq. Diverting them signaled that the slow withdrawal from that "dumb war" has begun. The question now must be whether it is any smarter to send them into the graveyard of empires.
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Although Obama declines to use the term "war on terror", his foreign policy manifesto has consistently identified Afghanistan's south-eastern frontier as the crucial battleground in a global conflict. Sending reinforcements made good on his word…
Read this article in full at link below…

Thousands of troops diverted to fight Taliban in Obama’s new war strategy
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> LATimes.com brings us the following report and it starts off like this… Just sending more troops can't solve such tough problems as getting militants to lay down arms and allies to send more soldiers, and eliminating extremist havens…
Read the report at link below…
Obama's biggest challenges in Afghanistan
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* Also from the Los Angeles Times we find this article…
About 10,000 more U.S. troops may be sought to counter the insurgency in the south, in addition to 17,000 ordered this week by Obama, Gen. David McKiernan says…
Click it out at link below…
More troops may be needed in Afghanistan, U.S. commander says
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> Telegraph.co.uk has the following report…
Defense chiefs believe the 8,300 troops currently serving in the south of the country need to be bolstered by an extra battle group of between 1,500 and 1,800 men within a year.
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The deployment will push the Britain's Armed Forces to the very limit of its fighting capability and will raise fears that the entire operation has now fallen victim to "mission creep".
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It is understood that the Army's top generals have given their support for the plan and are now awaiting approval from the Treasury and other areas of government.
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The so-called "mini-surge" has been ordered in a direct response to a decision by President Barack Obama to send an extra 17,000 combat troops to counter the growing threat posed by the Taliban…
Read the full report at link below…

10,000 British troops to be fighting Taliban in Afghanistan within 12 months
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> CENTCOM had the following Press Release on their website…
A recent Afghan National Army Commando mission in the Balkh province proved that Afghanistan’s military is gaining the support of the country’s communities.
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Commando’s of the Afghan National Army’s 209th Corps and Coalition Forces met with villagers near Mazar-e-Sharif Monday to provide information about the role the elite Afghan soldiers play in the defense of Afghanistan. The young men of the community showed an outpouring of interest in the Commandos.
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After seeing a Commando poster, two young men approached the elite soldiers and took it a step further by stating their intent to join the ranks…
Read the rest at link below…
Elite Afghan soldiers elicit a sense of nationalism
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> AFP put this article up on their website this afternoon and it starts off like this… The government of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province will provide 30,000 rifles to the residents of rural areas in a bid to counter Taliban militants, a statement said Sunday…
Read the rest at link below…
Pakistan's NW govt to arm people against militants
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> DoD had this news article posted on their website back on Feb 20, 2009…
Obama: Bilateral Cooperation Critical to Enduring Mission in Afghanistan

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Russian Trace in US Base Closure?

About this News Video: Some analysts say that it is no coincidence that the US airbase in Kyrgyzstan was closed after the country had received a huge assistance package from Russia. Original posting date: Feb 19, 2009
This News Video posted on YouTube by RussiaToday
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Doubts Raised over Swat Sharia Deal - 21 Feb 09

About this News Video:
Fighters with the Pakistani Taliban have agreed to a ceasefire in the Swat valley, under the condition that Islamic law be implemented in the region… Al Jazeera's Imran Khan reports from Islamabad, where many fear that the agreement could come at too high a price…
News video posted on YouTube by
AlJazeeraEnglish
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AubreyJ………

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