Topic: Paktia Province

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Dakota Meyer and nine others: what they did to receive the Medal of Honor

For going above and beyond the call of duty, Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer was awarded Thursday the Medal of Honor, the US government’s highest military decoration. Here is a look at him and nine other men who risked their lives to protect America.

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Afghanistan: overinterpreting the Kabul attack

A coordinated attack in the heart of Kabul - which coincided with attacks in three other provinces - isn't a good thing. But sign of imminent defeat or victory? Hardly.
Karzai blames NATO and Afghan officials for allowing Kabul attacks

Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticized 'intelligence failures' by his own government but especially faulted NATO for a series of tightly coordinated insurgent attacks that rocked Kabul.
Assault on Kabul: Taliban claim attacks as show of strength

Teams of insurgents struck within Kabul and three other cities in coordinated attacks on Sunday. A Taliban spokesman called it the opening of their spring offensive.
Dakota Meyer and nine others: what they did to receive the Medal of Honor

For going above and beyond the call of duty, Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer was awarded Thursday the Medal of Honor, the US government’s highest military decoration. Here is a look at him and nine other men who risked their lives to protect America.
Navy SEALs: Afghan helicopter crash investigation begins

Navy SEALs and Afghan troops were killed over the weekend in a helicopter crash south of Kabul. Navy SEALs, along with other US special forces, have been very involved in the war on terrorism.
NATO says it has killed a senior Haqqani militant in Afghanistan

Local journalists in the targeted Afghan province say they have no knowledge of the Haqqani leader or of an airstrike. But the quick response to the InterContinental attack has given a peek into the US approach in coming years.
Top Taliban leader quits the Pakistan Taliban

A top Taliban commander says he is quitting the Pakistan Taliban because of a spate of suicide bombings. It's the first sign of fracture in Pakistan's Taliban and could benefit both Pakistan and the US, say experts.
Medal of Honor: Ranger who grabbed grenade in Afghanistan to receive award

Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, a father of four, will be the second living veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the award.
Pentagon's quiet shift on Afghanistan war: Maybe safe havens aren't crucial

For years, the Pentagon has stressed the importance to the Afghanistan war of eradicating safe havens for the Taliban and other insurgents in Pakistan. Now, it's easing off those claims.
Afghanistan war: how a model province tumbled into violence

Khost Province had been a US success story in the Afghanistan war. But poor local leadership, an influx of insurgents fleeing US pressure elsewhere, and the proximity to Pakistan are stubborn challenges.
A changing of the guard for Afghanistan's warlords

Preliminary results from Afghanistan's parliamentary election indicate that warlords who built their reputations fighting the Soviets are being dumped for a younger generation.
Afghanistan war: What happens when a war interpreter doesn't know the language

US troops rely on local Afghan interpreters in the mission to win hearts and minds in the Afghanistan war. But many learn crucial languages on the job, resulting in deadly mishaps.
Relief in Swat Valley over reported death of Taliban Maulana Fazlullah

The reported death of Pakistani Taliban leader Mullah Maulana Fazlullah brought relief to family members of his victims in Pakistan's Swat Valley, which he once ruled with an iron hand. But the Taliban deny he's dead.
Afghanistan war: US tries to undercut Taliban at tribal level

US and Afghan officials try to persuade some of the 350 tribal leaders in Afghanistan to cooperate against the Taliban. It's not an easy task.
Afghan government: Karzai scrambles to form cabinet as deadline looms

Afghan President Hamid Karzai presented a second list of cabinet nominees over the weekend after Parliament rejected most of his initial picks. Karzai wants to lock down his cabinet before a key Jan. 28 conference in London.
CIA agents killed in Afghanistan were in Taliban's backyard

Seven CIA agents and five Canadians were killed Wednesday in two separate incidents in Khost and Kandahar. Where they were killed gives an indication of where fighting will be the toughest in Afghanistan – and why.
Will Pakistan military go after Taliban in North Waziristan?

Pakistan military officers are split. Some want to attack key North Waziristan Taliban, including the Haqqani network. Others don't want to challenge the Taliban leader who controls swaths of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Afghanistan mental health: Treatment caught between ancient and modern worlds

While Afghanistan mental health treatment has improved in cities, many rural residents still opt to send the ill to shrines, where they may be chained and poorly fed. Aid workers are trying to expand training for community health workers.
Difference Maker
Key to Afghan crisis: tea and education

Greg Mortenson, author of 'Three Cups of Tea,' says success lies in building trust and schools in rural Afghanistan.
Why South Waziristan offensive won't help US in Afghanistan

The Pakistan Army is going after terrorists who target Pakistan. All the major terrorist networks attacking US forces in Afghanistan operate from other areas of Pakistan.
Afghan elections: What's at stake?

Voting today will test the legitimacy of the government and the credibility of the international counterinsurgency strategy.
Global News Blog
Taliban suicide bombers attack two Afghan cities

The attacks are part of a spike in violence as US troops pour into the country ahead of elections next month.
As US troops move into south, Taliban strike elsewhere

NATO forces meet light resistance in Helmand Province, but Afghan insurgents hit back in other parts of the country. Are more US troops needed?
The most deadly US foe in Afghanistan

The Haqqani network, born of the Russian war and nurtured by the CIA, is behind many spectacular assaults in Afghanistan.
US fights Taliban on another front: public relations

As Afghan insurgents exploit popular anger at civilian deaths, the US is hitting back with its own message.