KABUL, Afghanistan, July 1, 2008
More Troops Dying In Afghanistan Than Iraq
Strengthening Terror Groups Make Afghanistan Deadlier For Coalition Troops 2 Months In A Row
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Understanding Afghanistan
Katie Couric speaks with chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan about U.S. policy in Afghanistan and why, after seven years of war, terrorist strongholds have not been weakened.
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Hunting Al Qaeda
The Pentagon is being criticized for failing to dismantle Taliban and al Qaeda holdouts in Afghanistan's frontier regions, raising fears of another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. David Martin reports.
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A Look At Afghanistan And Pakistan
CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst Pam Falk discusses the latest from Afghanistan and Pakistan, including the resurgence of al-Qaeda.
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A frame grab from television footage reportedly shows Afghan militants holding weapons next to the burning wreckage of a vehicle in Wardak province, Afghanistan, on Thursday, June 26, 2008. (APTN)
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Assault On Al Qaeda
The manhunt on the Afghan-Pakistan border.
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Fast Facts
Afghanistan
Learn about the people, economy and history.
The fundamentalist militia in June staged a sophisticated jailbreak that freed 886 prisoners, then briefly infiltrated a strategic valley outside Kandahar. Last week, a Pentagon report forecast the Taliban would maintain or increase its pace of attacks, which are already up 40 percent this year from 2007 where U.S. troops operate along the Pakistan border.
Some observers say the insurgency has gained dangerous momentum. And while June also saw the international community meet in Paris to pledge $21 billion in aid, an Afghanistan expert at New York University warned there is still no strategy to turn that commitment into success.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has noted more international troops died in Afghanistan than in Iraq in May, the first time that had happened. While that trend - now two months old - is in part because of falling violence in Iraq, it also reflects rising violence in Afghanistan.
At least 45 international troops - including at least 27 U.S. forces and 13 British - died in Afghanistan in June, the deadliest month since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban, according to an Associated Press count.
In Iraq, at least 31 international soldiers died in June: 29 U.S. troops and one each from the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan. There are 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 4,000 British forces in addition to small contingents from several other nations.
The 40-nation international coalition is much broader in Afghanistan, where only about half of the 65,000 international troops are American.
That record number of international troops means that more soldiers are exposed to danger than ever before. But Taliban attacks are becoming increasingly complex, and in June, increasingly deadly.
A gun and bomb attack last week in Ghazni province blasted a U.S. Humvee into smoldering ruins, killing three U.S. soldiers and an Afghan interpreter. It was the fourth attack of the month against troops that killed four people. No single attack had killed more than three international troops since August 2007.
"I think possibly we've reached a turning point," said Mustafa Alani, the director of security and terrorism studies at the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center. "Insurgents now are more active, more organized, and the political environment, whether in Pakistan or Afghanistan, favors insurgent activities."
U.S. commanders have blamed Pakistani efforts to negotiate peace deals for the spike in cross-border attacks, though an initial deal with militants has begun to fray and security forces recently launched a limited crackdown in the semiautonomous tribal belt where the Taliban and al Qaeda operate with increasing freedom.
CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports, meanwhile, that the hunt for al Qaeda and associated militants across the border in Pakistan is failing.
The Pakistani forces' latest attempt to oust militants from their safe havens in the border area has been, according to U.S. officials, ineffective. And American officials concede there is no clear-cut plan of action to rid the lawless region of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters. (Read Martin's report.)
For a moment in mid-June, Afghanistan's future shimmered brightly. World leaders gathered in Paris to pledge more than $21 billion in aid, and Afghan officials unveiled a development strategy that envisions peace by 2020.
But the next day, the massive and flawlessly executed assault on the prison in Kandahar - the Taliban's spiritual home - drew grudging respect even from Western officials.
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Afghanistan expert, New York University
U.S. Ambassador William Wood said violence is up because Taliban fighters are increasingly using terrorist tactics that cause higher tolls, but there's no indication fighters can hold territory. He said June had "some very good news and a couple cases of bad news."We haven't been getting there, and we are not getting closer, pledges or no pledges.
Barnett Rubin,Afghanistan expert, New York University
"The very good news was Paris. There were more nations represented, contributing more than ever before," Wood told the AP.
The scramble after the jailbreak to push the Taliban back from the nearby Arghandab valley was the other big plus, Wood said. The Afghan army sent more than 1,000 troops to Kandahar in two days.
"Although Arghandab got major press for being a Taliban attack, the real news in Arghandab was that the Afghans themselves led the counterattack, deployed very rapidly and chased the Taliban away," Wood said.
In addition, the U.S.-led coalition continues to announced successful air strikes against groups of militants - most of whom are said to have come from across the border in Pakistan.
Officials said Tuesday that helicopters and a bomber attacked large groups of insurgents in eastern Afghanistan and killed more than 30 of them. A coalition statement said a reconnaissance aircraft spotted the insurgents on Monday night in Khost province, which borders Pakistan.
It said attack helicopters and a bomber engaged them and that an estimated 33 militants were killed.
The worst news, Wood said, was the prison break, and the possible involvement of al Qaeda.
"The Taliban is not known for that level of complex operation, and others who have bases in the tribal areas are," he said.
Alani agreed. "The old Taliban could not do such an operation, so we are talking about a new Taliban, possibly al Qaeda giving them the experience to carry out this operation."
Days after the prison attack, an angry President Hamid Karzai threatened to send Afghan troops after Taliban leaders in Pakistan, marking a new low in Afghan-Pakistan relations.
Contributing to the increased death toll is an increase in sophistication of attacks. U.S. Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, the top commander of U.S. forces here, said this month that militant attacks are becoming more complex - such as gunfire from multiple angles plus a roadside bomb. Insurgents are using more explosives, he said.
Mark Laity, the top NATO spokesman in Afghanistan, said troops are taking the fight to insurgents in remote areas and putting themselves in harm's way. One or two events can disproportionally affect the monthly death toll, he said.
"Sometimes it is just circumstance," Laity said. "For instance you can hit an IED and walk away or not, and what has happened this month is that there's been one or two instances that there's been multiple deaths."
The AP count found some 580 people died in insurgent violence in June, including about 440 militants, 34 civilians and 44 Afghan security forces. More than 2,100 people have died in violence this year, according to the AP count, which is based on figures from Afghan, U.S. and NATO officials.
Barnett Rubin, an expert on Afghanistan at New York University, said the Paris conference shows a strong international commitment to Afghanistan, but he said there is still no strategy for long-term success.
"Let's focus on the essentials: creating a secure environment for Afghanistan and Pakistan to address their problems and for the international community to eliminate al Qaeda's safe haven," Rubin said. "We haven't been getting there, and we are not getting closer, pledges or no pledges."
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 184 CommentsLast year was the deadliest year yet for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and U.S. casualties in Afghanistan are already up more than 50% this year.
There is nothing to be proud of about what we have done to the people and to the country of Afghanistan.
We should get out of that entire region.
We have no legitimate business there.
Getting our own cleptocratic regime members behind bars should remain our top priority.
"Introduced less than a month ago, Resolution 362, also known as the Iran War Resolution, could be passed by the House as early as next week.
The bill is the chief legislative priority of AIPAC. On its Web site, AIPAC endorses the resolutions as a way to ''''''''''''''''Stop Iran''''''''s Nuclear Program" and tells readers to lobby Congress to pass the bill. In the Senate, a sister resolution, Resolution 580, has gained co-sponsors with similar speed. The Senate measure was introduced by Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh on June 2. It has since gained 19 co-sponsors.
The bill''''''''s key section "demands that the president initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran''''''''s nuclear program."
"Imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran" can be read to mean that the president should initiate a naval blockade of Iran. A unilateral naval blockade without UN sanction is an act of war."
HUSSEIN STAFFS HIS CAMPAIGN WITM MEMBERS OF THE NEW BLACK PANTHER PARTY THAT DIVIDES US RATHER THAN UNITES US,,,
HUSSEIN STAFFS HIS CAMPAIGN WITM MEMBERS OF THE NATION OF TERRORISLAM THAT DIVIDES US RATHER THAN UNITES US,,,
HUSSEIN IS A RACIST WHICH DIVIDES US RATHER THAN UNITES US,,,
With couple of sultana resins & a mirror just 1 to 1.5" dia (On cheaving tobacco-aka. Naswar)they can get birdies attention,the little singing dancing birdy flies from tree to lala Pathan for her life long captivity.
Little birdies are know Bulbuls, ask any Lala Pathan in Afghanistan, How to catch a Bulbul?
Bulbul listen to Lala''s whistle.
Do Lala Pathan''s know to whistle for predator to listen?
Posted by tbweb at 02:59 AM : Jul 01, 2008
+ report abuse
Oh PLEASE!! It''s about OIL and PROFITS Sparky and the Fascist didnt'' have the honor or courage to TELL the American People that. THEY didn''t have the courage to say the safety of our people and the lives of our young weren''t as important as Oil and PROFITS! There IS no excuse for George W. Bush, there is NO excuse for the Republican Party. NONE!! Sieg Heil Bush
we''ll be seeing and hearing reports of
nine-foot-tall, 500 pound, two-headed,
fire-breathing, women-raping,
child-molesting, America-hating,
grenade-launching and just really really
bad terrorists in all parts of the world
trying their darndest to
get at our throats
and only , , ,
JOHN WAYNE McCAIN CAN SAVE US ! ! !
Posted by terrorislamj at 04:14 AM : Jul 01, 2008
+ report abu
Please just shut your ugly RACIST Pie Hole! You are a disgusting little creature and an embarrassment to all honest Americans! SIEG HEIL GRAND WIZARD
we''''ll be seeing and hearing reports of
nine-foot-tall, 500 pound, two-headed,
fire-breathing, women-raping,
child-molesting, America-hating,
grenade-launching and just really really
bad terrorists in all parts of the world
trying their darndest to
get at our throats
and only , , ,
JOHN WAYNE McCAIN CAN SAVE US ! ! !
Posted by ajaxtheleast at 07:24 AM : Jul 01, 2008
ROFLMAO AND without a doubt there''ll be quite a few VERY stupid Red Necks who will, even in the face of absolute and complete failure, buy it!! ROFLMAO SIEG HEIL BUSH
Maybe if the US military concentrated on defeating the Taliban instead of drug taking and raping and molesting kids they wouldn''t have ****** up as badly as they have
lars, you had to change your handle again? LOL You running out of names yet? What happened to terrorislami? CBS kicked that one off too? So now you add a j at the end? haha You are too funny lars! Just change your handle to larsTheLoserIslami ROTFLMAO!!
p.s.............the folks in the southside of Chicago never got the HOPE and CHANGE that was promised.
Instead they got more of the same HOPELESSNESS and DESPAIR.
Where am I wrong.
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Make yourself useful, go wait for the Rapture, read a Left Behind book, anything, but leave the serious discussions to the Adults son.
Posted by jamesm12341 at 07:43 AM : Jul 01, 2008
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I don''t think NASCAR is on this week. If it were you wouldn''t be here.....HAHAHAHA!
Posted by FloydZepp2 at 07:40 AM : Jul 01, 2008"
Minor technicality but ole Jim bob believes that reading is a heresy and sin .......you''d better be careful that he doesn''t report you to his pastor for suggesting that he commit a sin
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Posted by FloydZepp2 at 07:47 AM : Jul 01, 2008"
Must be the rising gas prices - maybe they should switch those cars to run on moonshine
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You''re obviously off your medications again.
No one asked those pissant paedophiles you call americans to go to Afghanistan
Get them all back to the US where they can rape and molest kids to their hearts content safe in the knowledge that the Christian church will defend them
ummm.. no..... you sure like to make things up,
most people i speak with are not upset that Terrorists were captured, most people are upset that the Geneva convention laws are being bent to near breaking. the rule of law must prevail.
$400m - whats that worth now? 0.5 Euros ???
Our troops don''t know who they are, they don''t wear uniforms.
Poor planning? HeII no--NO planning, no preparation, broken down equipment shoddy living conditions, and not enough food and water.
This government has been sitting around scratching their heads not really knowing what to do.
THEY want to accomplish something, but we don''t quite know what that is.
It started going after Bin Laden and has escalated to going after all terrorists (forget Bin Laden)--with the same worn out equipment and exhausted troops.
SOMEONE has to do something to shake up Washington, we are sick of their threats of another attack when our boarders are no more secure than they were on 911.
We need new blood in Washington in November-is that all we can do?
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Posted by shazam96 ....
give it time, the Buffet at the Piggly wiggly is just filling up.....
Posted by jamesm12341 at 08:35 AM : Jul 01, 2008
Any good points, ideas, intelligent input to the article jwind11?
Posted by jamesm12341
And you fit in nicely, at least they contribute, you on the other hand, continue to disect everyones words in a feeble attempt to bring them down to your level--that''s not possible jwind11, no one wants to be that stupid.
You''re in a class by yourself alone and insignificant.
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Posted by Nelson5719 at 08:25 AM : Jul 01, 2008
you are way off!! you are not the sharpest knife in the drawer are ya?
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Posted by jamesm12341 at 08:35 AM : Jul 01, 2008"
sorry Jimbob, I was using yesterday''s fx rate - today''s ratees would get you about $0.2 Euros with $400m
Posted by jamesm12341 at 08:47 AM :
Actually that was more like a few months ago--and truthfully, she looks crappy with makeup on-- I shutter to imagine what she looks like without it---sort of trying to visualize you with having a personality or being significant.
But more than four dozen interviews in Washington and Pakistan tell another story. American intelligence officials say that the Qaeda hunt in Pakistan, code-named Operation Cannonball by the C.I.A. in 2006, was often undermined by bitter disagreements within the Bush administration and within the C.I.A., including about whether American commandos should launch ground raids inside the tribal areas.
Inside the C.I.A., the fights included clashes between the agency%u2019s outposts in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Islamabad. There were also battles between field officers and the Counterterrorist Center at C.I.A. headquarters, whose preference for carrying out raids remotely, via Predator missile strikes, was derided by officers in the Islamabad station as the work of %u201Cboys with toys.%u201D
The article went on to explain that many of the top, experienced intelligence officers who would have been assigned to the al Qaeda hunt weren%u2019t available. As one official put it, %u201CThose people all went to Iraq. We were all hurting because of Iraq.%u201D
So the war in Iraq created an opportunity for al Qaeda to recruit more terrorists and, at the same time, made it harder to go after al Qaeda terrorists.
Posted by jamesm12341 at 08
Actually, if you had any sense of humor, you might find it a bit funny--keep disecting to make yourself look like ummmm significant (?) Oh well, there''s always some idiot out there who may agree with you on something.
Just as it had on the day before 9/11, Al Qaeda now has a band of terrorist camps from which to plan and train for attacks against Western targets, including the United States. Officials say the new camps are smaller than the ones the group used prior to 2001. However, despite dozens of American missile strikes in Pakistan since 2002, one retired C.I.A. officer estimated that the makeshift training compounds now have as many as 2,000 local and foreign militants, up from several hundred three years ago.
Publicly, senior American and Pakistani officials have said that the creation of a Qaeda haven in the tribal areas was in many ways inevitable %u2014 that the lawless badlands where ethnic Pashtun tribes have resisted government control for centuries were a natural place for a dispirited terrorism network to find refuge. The American and Pakistani officials also blame a disastrous cease-fire brokered between the Pakistani government and militants in 2006.
(cont)
By: Steve Benen @ 5:30 AM - PDT
In late 2007, Bush administration officials drafted a secret plan, giving the Defense Department%u2019s Special Operations forces greater ease to go into the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the goal of targeting al-Qaida%u2019s top leaders.
The plan sounded very encouraging on paper %u2014 it would sidestep turf wars between Washington and Islamabad, and target high-value targets where we know they are. So what happened? More than six months later, the plan has not yet been executed, and the Special Operations forces are still standing by, waiting for orders. Bureaucratic disputes within the administration have slowed the whole initiative down to a stop.
The New York Times reports that it%u2019s all part of a broader problem with Bush%u2019s counterterrorism strategy.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush committed the nation to a %u201Cwar on terrorism%u201D and made the destruction of Mr. bin Laden%u2019s network the top priority of his presidency. But it is increasingly clear that the Bush administration will leave office with Al Qaeda having successfully relocated its base from Afghanistan to Pakistan%u2019s tribal areas, where it has rebuilt much of its ability to attack from the region and broadcast its messages to militants across the world %u2026
(cont)
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