December 2008
3 posts
British troops 'need reinforcements to overcome... →
The Scotsman
By Jerome Starkey
BRITISH forces in southern Afghanistan are locked in a “stalemate” with the Taleban and need tens of thousands of reinforcements to win, the United States’ top general in the country said yesterday.
General David McKiernan, the commander of the US- and Nato-led coalitions, said most of the 20,000 extra American troops pledged to Afghanistan...
2 tags
Surge of 'phantom' female voters in Afghanistan →
The Independent
By Jerome Starkey in Gardez
Afghan women appear to be massively outnumbering male voters in one of the most conservative parts of the country, amid allegations of widespread fraud designed to re-elect President Hamid Karzai in next year’s polls.
Western officials admit the figures are “completely implausible”, given the region’s entrenched Pashtun values...
Tribal leaders to sabotage West's assault on... →
The Independent
By Jerome Starkey, in Gardez
They came in the night and shot Saeed Alam in his bed. His three-year-old son was crying at his feet and his mother had leapt on top of him to try to block the bullets. Both of them were hurled out of the way and an American soldier opened fire.
America’s plans to enlist Afghan militias in the war against the Taliban are running into...