WASHINGTON POST– Off a dusty street flanked by piles of rubble and bombed-out car skeletons, the Saleh family is rebuilding their home with American aid money they got because three family members were accidentally killed in crossfire between U.S. forces and insurgents. In another neighborhood of the battleground city of Ramadi, a new boat motor and fishing nets are tucked … Read More
AL JAZEERA– The US government has announced a major new aid package for Pakistan, with hundreds of millions of dollars to be spent on projects in Pakistan’s energy and water sectors. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, announced the $500m package at the start of a day-long “strategic dialogue” in Islamabad between American and Pakistani officials. Monday’s meeting is the … Read More
MR: This article is more of an acknowlegment from the Afghani people of what we already know to be true. In late ’09, Obama signed a supplemental war bill that included a provision allowing Taliban members to be “paid off” by the US in the hope that the money will make them “switch sides” and become loyal to the US. … Read More
USA TODAY– The monthly cost of the war in Afghanistan, driven by troop increases and fighting on difficult terrain, has topped Iraq costs for the first time since 2003 and shows no sign of letting up. Pentagon spending in February, the most recent month available, was $6.7 billion in Afghanistan compared with $5.5 billion in Iraq. As recently as fiscal … Read More
TIMES OF INDIA– US President Barack Obama has signed a $680 billion defence appropriations bill with one provision giving commanders the ability to pay Taliban members to switch sides, but some experts feel the programme may buy only temporary loyalty. The payments to Taliban would be made under a Taliban reintegration provision under the Commander’s Emergency Response Programme (CERP), which … Read More
