Topic: Stanley McChrystal

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Precedent suggests Afghanistan Taliban could win: report

A new study says the Afghanistan Taliban enjoy a slew of advantages that historically correlate with insurgent success, such as Pakistani sanctuary and a weak government in Kabul.
In Afghanistan war, a kinder, gentler night raid?

Gen. Stanley McChrystal has issued new rules designed to make night raids less invasive, as part of the broader Afghanistan war strategy to win over the population. Some soldiers say it’s hamstringing their ability to nab Taliban militants.
Afghanistan war: US leaves remote outpost of Korengal

The remote Korengal Valley has been the scene of some the most intense fighting in the Afghanistan war. US troops have pulled out as part General McChrystal's counterinsurgency strategy.
US military offers sheep in apology for Afghanistan deaths

Vice Adm. William McRaven traveled to the village of Khataba to offer personal apologies for the five Afghanistan deaths in a botched special forces raid there in February. The US military acknowledged its involvement in the killings earlier this month.
No more Burger King on Afghanistan base? Soldiers grumble.

The US military may shut down ‘nonessential’ fast food joints like Burger King at their largest air base in Afghanistan. Soldiers lament the loss: 'Do they think we have it easy in this war zone?’
Afghanistan war: NATO under fire over civilian casualties, Karzai criticism

After months of denial, NATO admitted Sunday to five civilian casualties in a February raid – a major setback in the Afghanistan war effort to 'win hearts and minds.'
Afghanistan: Taliban bomb attack targets anti-opium drive

A bomb attack in southern Afghanistan killed at least 8 people today, according to reports. It appeared aimed at a Western antidrug program targeting the world's largest opium production by encouraging farmers to plant alternative crops.
The Monitor's View: Moscow subway bombings: What now?

How Russia responds to the Moscow subway bombing terrorist attacks will say much about the direction of Russia itself -- and the power-sharing relationship between Putin and Medvedev.
Pakistan increasingly playing ball to rein in Afghanistan Taliban

Pakistan army chief Ashfaq Kayani is in Washington this week, where he will discuss his country's strides against Al Qaeda and the Afghanistan Taliban.
US wants Osama bin Laden alive, US commander in Afghanistan says

General Stanley McChrystal said Wednesday that given the opportunity, the US would like to capture Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden alive, appearing to contradict comments made Tuesday by Attorney General Eric Holder.
Afghanstan war: Are some Taliban ignoring Mullah Omar's ethics code?

Last summer, Taliban leader Mullah Omar issued a new ethics code for Taliban fighters. But two killings of Taliban hostages indicate that those moral guidelines for conducting the Afghanistan war are being ignored by some fighters.
Opinion: To win the war in Afghanistan, the US military has to beat the Taliban at the propaganda game

With effective PR, the US military could win the war in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan war: How Taliban tactics are evolving

Often portrayed as mindless fanatics, the sophistication of Taliban military tactics in the Afghanistan war have impressed US military officials.
Iran President Ahmadinejad attacks US during Afghanistan visit

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the US of playing a 'double game' during his Afghanistan visit, echoing an accusation lobbed at Tehran by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates earlier this week.
Opinion: Afghanistan war: New rules of engagement don't pit civilians vs. soldiers

New rules of engagement in Afghanistan that are designed to better protect civilians will safeguard US soldiers, too.
Afghanistan war: Fight for Kandahar won't be like fight for Marjah

In the next stage in the Afghanistan war, coalition forces are expected to build up gradually on the outskirts of the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, perhaps for months. That strategy departs from the one executed in the Marjah offensive, in which troops entered quickly.
Afghanistan war: NATO unfolds blueprint to rebuild Marjah

Western and Afghan officials have outlined ambitious plans for a new Marjah that include erecting new schools, reforming the police force, and upending the drug trade. Rebuilding Marjah and other towns is now seen as critical to NATO's Afghanistan war strategy.
After the Taliban, what do Marjah residents want?

Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal and President Hamid Karzai's deputy walked the streets of Marjah Monday. With US-led forces now in control of the former Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, US and Afghan officials told Marjah residents that the Taliban were gone - and life would improve.
The Monitor's View: The long and short of NATO

Tension among alliance members compounds the challenge of the task at hand (Afghanistan) and a larger universe of threats for which NATO must prepare -- such as a nuclear Iran.
Afghanistan war: As civilian deaths rise, NATO says, 'Sorry.'

In the Afghanistan war, NATO forces chief Gen. Stanley McChrystal publicly apologized Tuesday for 27 Afghan civilian deaths in a US airstrike. The coalition has begun saying 'sorry' more quickly to civilian deaths, as part of a new hearts and minds strategy.
Afghanistan war challenge: civilian deaths from NATO airstrike

Gen. Stanley McChrystal's nuanced Afghanistan war plan took a hit on Sunday when a convoy of suspected insurgents targeted by a coalition airstrike turned out to be civilians.
Marjah offensive: New Afghan governor takes office as battle rages

Less than two weeks into the Marjah offensive in Afghanistan, an Afghan governor flew into town on Monday and began holding meetings.
NATO airstrike kills at least 27 Afghanistan civilians

A NATO airstrike that killed at least 27 Afghanistan civilians in the south is another blow to the new US 'hearts and minds' strategy.
In Marjah, Afghanistan, allied offensive going well so far

But in many ways, the harder part is still ahead. In the 'clear-hold-build' counterinsurgency strategy under Obama and his top military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the 'hold' phase - sustaining security - is much more difficult.
Capture of Taliban No. 2 bolsters US efforts in Afghanistan

The capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was reportedly picked up in Pakistan, comes amid the largest US offensive against the Taliban insurgency since 2001.