AMF: News About Afghanistan

Hey, folks. Here's the news.

Afghanistan

Wired Danger Room: Qaeda: Drons Suck, but Spies are Worse

UPI: Outside View: Pakistan Matters More - The two are inexorably tied because the Taliban are almost exclusively Pashtuns, and the Durand Line (which divides Afghanistan and Pakistan) runs through the middle of Pashtun territory. To beat the Taliban in Afghanistan, we must help the Pakistanis win in Pakistan. In order to help the Pakistanis keep their (nuclear-armed) country secure, we must win in Afghanistan.

AFP: Kandahar NATO base: Hockey, Discos, and Funerals

Taliban Say They're No Threat to Other Countries (AP, Guardian, AFP) - The Taliban have threatened to attack Washington, D.c., and they have tightly linked themselves to al Qaeda, to include hosting their training and operations bases. This statement lacks credibility.

Guardian: No early pull-out from Afghanistan, Tories vow

Times: US troops in Afghanistan 'losing heart'

Times: Obama seeks middle road for Afghan battle; AFP: Troop request on table as Obama weighs Afghan mission

Times: British troops in Afghanistan

Posted by Michael Yon: A month in Helmand: the soldiers' stories

I just saw an article (AP, hosted on Yahoo(!), so I'm not going to link it because Yahoo(!) pulls their links). Apparently one of the administration's spokesmen has come out and said that the Administration is de-emphasizing the fight against the Taliban, and shifting focus to a more exclusive effort against al Qaeda. Translation: the Obama Administration is looking for a way to give up. So much for all that talk about Afghanistan being the "real epicenter of the war against al Qaeda".

Everything Else

CNN: Al Qaeda tells Uyghurs to prepare for holy war - I doubt that the Uighurs will actually work with al Qaeda. This is actually a stupid move on the part of al Qaeda, because if the Uighurs join up with al Qaeda, the Chinese are more likely to join our team in the war against al Qaeda. As it stands, the Chinese are content to watch the United States fight. Many of the weapons that terrorists use are also Chinese knock-offs of Soviet equipment, so whether or not the Chinese are intentionally supporting terrorism, they're benefiting from it. Very interesting.

Times: Iran blames US for nuclear scientist 'defection' - I hope we did help him defect!

Times: Global safety net in the hands of volunteers - Apparently there are a bunch of geeks who are the first line of reporting in cases of online hacking attacks.

Posted by Michael Totten: Silicon Israel

Commentary (Michael Totten): Iran Isn't Stalinist Russia

Wired Danger Room: Russian Mercs: We'll Out-Blackwater Blackwater

Fox: How to Travel Solo for Less

UPI: Saudis consider Russian air defense system

UPI: Kalashnikov Maker Faces Bankruptcy - Apparently, all of the cheap knockoffs of Kalashnikovs are severely cutting into the business of a two hundred year-old Russian arms manufacturer. I honestly have no clue what to think about this.

Have a great weekend, folks!