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Afghanistan Update

Previous editions of BASIC's Afghanistan Update are available below. To subscribe to BASIC's Email Updates, please go to the Email Updates Subscription page. Previous editions of Getting to Zero Update, Iran Update, Missile Defence Update, and NATO Update.

• NATO forces mistakenly supply arms to Taliban
• Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to resume joint peace jirga
• U.S. Commander warns of rising violence in 2008
• Tensions rise over counternarcotics in S. Afghanistan
• Solana visits Afghanistan ahead of donors conference

11 April 2008

• NATO summit generates additional troop commitments
• New U.N. envoy vows to improve coordination
• Over 20 militants killed in separate clashes in S. Afghanistan
• U.S. Army suspends supplier of munitions to Afghan soldiers
• Western aid to Afghanistan "falling short," report says

21 March 2008

• Canada votes to extend Afghanistan mission
• U.N. report cites sharp increase in militant attacks
• 41 Taliban killed during air strike in S. Afghanistan
• Air strikes raise tensions over civilian casualties
• NATO and Russia near agreement on Afghan supply routes

7 March 2008

• Canada nears compromise on Afghanistan mission
• United Nations names new special envoy to Afghanistan
• Taliban commander and 24 others killed in protracted firefight
• Opium production fuelling insurgency, State Department reports
• Canada resumes transfer of prisoners to Afghan authorities

26 February 2008

• Gates urges allies to send more troops to Afghanistan
• Canada nears compromise on Afghanistan
• Paddy Ashdown calls for overhaul of NATO strategy
• 140 killed in spate of suicide attacks in S. Afghanistan
• Pakistan envoy to Kabul missing

8 February 2008

• Independent reports paint grim portrait of progress in Afghanistan
• Pressure mounts as NATO allies weigh troop commitments
• Top Al-Qaeda commander killed during U.S. air strike
• Search continues for new U.N. envoy in Afghanistan
• Afghan-British relations sour over secret U.K. Taliban plan

25 January 2008

• United States to send 3,200 more troops to Afghanistan
• Gates' comments spark tension among NATO allies
• Canada weighs redeployment in Afghanistan
• Paddy Ashdown to become new U.N. Envoy in Afghanistan
• Eight killed in attack at luxury hotel in Kabul
• Washington considers enhanced role for U.S. forces to target Al-Qaeda in Pakistan
• Afghan "Peace Convoy" seeks negotiations with Taliban rebels

11 January 2008

• U.S. Marines open "court of inquiry" into Afghanistan shooting
• U.S. Department of Defense considers sending more troops to Afghanistan
• NATO General predicts bumper poppy crop for Afghanistan
• Complications for prison at Bagram military base
• Senior U.N. and EU officials expelled from Afghanistan
• Top U.N. envoy expresses concern over Afghan security

21 December 2007

• President Karzai believes Afghanistan will require foreign troop presence for at least a decade
• US administration still seeking more commitments from NATO
• Meeting of leaders from Regional Command South and other political developments
• 20 Taliban fighters killed in southern Afghanistan; Musa Qala retaken
• Taliban ambush convoy, kill 15 security guards

3 December 2007

• Worries about violence spreading in northern Afghanistan
• Issue of civilian casualties still dogging ISAF; survey of other violence
• Visit by NATO's Secretary General amid pessimistic reports
• Karzai holds out hope for negotiations with Taliban
• Multilateral and national developments; Dutch government extends mission

16 November 2007

• Over 70 killed in suicide attack in northeastern Afghanistan
• U.S. and Afghan soldiers ambushed and killed in Nuristan province; Fighting in Arghandab district winds down
• Increased Pakistan instability leads to U.S. contingency planning for Afghanistan
• Amnesty International report accuses NATO-led force of being complicit in torture; Polish soldiers charged by military authorities in separate case
• Germany renews Operation Enduring Freedom commitment; Other political developments

2 November 2007

• Taliban enter strategic area near Kandahar
• Significant fighting in Uruzgan, Helmand and Wardak provinces, other violence; Karzai criticizes coalition airstrikes
• United Nations reports problems with delivering food aid
• NATO Defense Ministers bring additional pledges; Japan's parliament fails to renew refueling mission
• Taliban may be ready to attend formal talks; "Paris Pact" meeting on drug trade held in Kabul
• U.S. Congressional Budget Office releases new figures on financial cost of Afghanistan and Iraq wars

19 October 2007

• More attacks kill Afghans near Pakistan border
• Afghan Defense Minister unconvinced of Iranian involvement in arms supplies
• U.S. Defense Department to alert National Guard for Afghanistan duty; German Bundestag approves mission extension even though public opinion down
• Japan 'counter-terrorism' bill supporting Afghanistan mission moves forward
• Canadian government advises stay until 2011; Prime Minister announces panel to explore future commitment
• Poll shows Afghans want negotiations with Taliban; Guardian: U.K. government supports Afghan plan to divide Taliban

12 October 2007

• Suicide bombers strike Kabul; Grim statistics on violence
• Fighting flares on Afghanistan/Pakistan border; new NATO and Afghan military operation launched
• U.S. Defense Secretary visits United Kingdom; U.S. generals request new Afghanistan deployment for Marines; other troop deployment news
• German and four Afghan hostages released
• New program for paying Afghan police forces; United States raises profile of "Most Wanted"
• Separate investigations into coalition incidents underway
• Other developments

28 September 2007

• Meetings on Afghanistan at the United Nations in New York
• Coalition and Taliban militia engage in intense firefights; Dutch General says that Taliban have become more effective
• More kidnappings; Italian soldiers rescued
• Political developments over troop contributions, war-funding

21 September 2007

• Major operations underway in Helmand province; suicide attacks and battles flare across the country
• U.N. Security Council renews authorization of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
• Dutch seek more allies; German cabinet supports extension
• Afghan President urges Canadian presence to continue; U.S. Defense Secretary puts pressure on allies
• Low prospects for negotiations between Afghan government and Taliban

14 September 2007

• Suicide attacks in Afghanistan on the rise
• Afghan President Hamid Karzai repeats calls for talks with Taliban leaders
• NATO reiterates that it will not take part in poppy eradication
• Governments under pressure to reassess their roles in Afghanistan

7 September 2007

• NATO's top generals are meeting in Canada; major focus on Afghanistan
• Updates on U.S. military death toll; ACLU files lawsuit for more information regarding civilian deaths
• Executive Director of U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime visits Brussels
• China called on to investigate Taliban-possession of Chinese-made weapons

31 August 2007

• United Nations releases grim report on opium production
• Insurgent attacks at highest level since 2001 invasion; controversy brews over incursions into Pakistan
• Taliban release South Korean hostages
• Policy decisions on Afghan police training and force deployments
• Poll results

23 August 2007

• U.S.-led forces launch attack in eastern Afghanistan
• Insurgents suffer heavy losses in south; suicide car bomb kills 15, wounds 26 in Kandahar
• United Kingdom announces troop increase while controversy brews over casualty rate
• Taliban terrorist training secrets revealed
• Korean hostage talks stall; German hostage freed
• ISAF destroys significant weapons cache

16 August 2007

• British frontline troops face 1 in 36 chance of dying on Afghan battlefield
• U.S. injects millions to tackle Afghan heroin trade
• Musharraf, Karzai meet at tribal peace jirga
• Taliban free two South Korean women in ongoing hostage situation

9 August 2007

• U.S. air strike in Helmand province reportedly wounds 18 civilians; NATO bomb to cut civilian injuries rarely used
• Bush, Karzai meeting on Afghan security
• Korean hostage rescue attempt not ruled out as Taliban requested protection for hostage negotiations
• Insurgents suffer losses in south; suicide bombers attack Kandahar

2 August 2007

• Second Korean hostage is killed as Taliban set 'final deadline'
• NATO to employ 'smaller bombs' to avoid civilian casualties; Taliban fire heat-seeking missile at U.S. aircraft
• International forces, insurgents suffer losses during combat in southern and eastern Afghanistan; suicide bombers attack Kabul, Kondoz
• Political developments and deployment updates

26 July 2007

• Negotiations continue to secure the release of South Korean missionaries; Germans kidnapped by the Taliban
• NATO launches Operation Hammer in Helmand province; insurgents sustain heavy casualties in engagements with security forces
• Mohammed Zahir Shah, former king of Afghanistan, dies aged 92
• Political developments and deployment updates

19 July 2007

• Wave of security incidents strikes Afghanistan on Wednesday
• U.K. investigation finds Afghan mission being undermined by lack of resources
• 2007 poppy crop surpasses record harvest of 2006
• Support for Afghan deployment slipping in Canada
• Political developments and deployment updates

12 July 2007

• Southern Afghanistan hit by series of road-side and suicide bombings
• Conference in Rome addresses development and reform of Afghan judicial system
• Afghan counter-narcotics minister resigns; international allies continue disagreement over counter-narcotics strategy
• German involvement in Afghanistan faces continued domestic scrutiny
• Deployment updates

28 June 2007

• Anger grows with further civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Pakistan; NATO blames Taliban, accusing insurgents of "illegal and immoral" actions
• United Nations report indentifies Helmand as world's largest drug producer, says opium crop may grow in 2007
• Political developments and deployment updates

21 June 2007

• Taliban mount multiple deadly suicide attacks, gain temporary control of southern Afghan district
• U.S. airstrikes targeting al-Qaeda hit school in Pakitka, killing seven children
• Claims of Iranian assistance to the Taliban met with skepticism
• UK Ministry of Defence criticized for equipment shortages and delays treating injured soldiers
• Deployment updates

14 June 2007

• President Karzai survives Taliban assassination attempt; police general killed
• Former Taliban leader defects to Afghan government; Jalaluddin Haqqani dead?
• Claims of Iranian support for Taliban escalate; Iran accuses Britain of supporting terrorism in Afghanistan
• United Nations demands Afghan government take stronger action against corruption; ICRC urges NATO to reduce civilian casualties
• Deployment updates

7 June 2007

• Gates says Taliban have weapons from Iran; Afghanistan and Iran remain "good friends" according to Karzai
• Dutch General describes Taliban as "defeated"
• Afghan military seeks more assistance to fight Taliban
• More details on Chinook crash in Helmand
• Political developments and deployment updates

31 May 2007

• NATO helicopter crashes in southern Afghanistan
• Operation Ambush: Taliban announce beginning of 'spring offensive'
• Prisoner-swap in March provided opportunity to target Dadullah, British defense sources reveal
• United Nations asked to take greater role; will begin tracking civilian casualties
• Political feud leads to bloodshed in Jowzjan province
• Political developments and deployment updates

24 May 2007

• British military officials say Taliban has Iranian-supplied weapons
• Roadside, suicide bombings hit cities across Afghanistan
• German casualties spark calls for withdrawal from opposition parties
• European allies continue criticism of Operation Enduring Freedom mission; Bush and de Hoop Scheffer press for more troops
• Political developments and deployment updates

17 May 2007

• Taliban's top military commander killed
• Further setbacks in Afghan-Pakistani relations with deaths at tripartite meeting, border clashes
• Backlash against international forces for civilian deaths continues, causes rift within the alliance
• Continued calls for negotiations with the Taliban
• Deployment updates