A US Army soldier from 1-506 Infantry Division talks on his radio as an F-15 fighter jet drops flares as a show of force near the Afghan-Pakistan border. Furst/GettyFrom Voice Of America:
A delegation from the U.N. Security Council has just returned from Afghanistan, where they say there has been some progress on several fronts, giving them a sense of "cautious optimism" for the future.
Italian Ambassador Giulio Terzi led the four-day mission last week and briefed the full Security Council. His country is the fifth-largest troop contributor to the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, with about 2,300 soldiers participating in the 51,000-member force.
Ambassador Terzi said Afghanistan is facing a difficult security situation, but not a security crisis.
"This qualification is based on the acknowledgment that the insurgency is concentrated in specific regions and does not offer any alternative model of government, despite the illusion it creates of being omnipresent," he said.
Read more ....
More News On Afghanistan
US: 14 insurgents killed in southern Afghanistan -- AP
Coalition forces target al-Qaeda liaison in Paktia and disrupt terrorist network -- U.S. Central Command
Two Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AFP
FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, Dec 05 -- Reuters
Afghanistan: Governor Is Fired -- New York Times
Rice says Afghanistan policy review nearly complete -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Afghanistan looms as potential quagmire for Barack Obama administration -- New York Daily News
Commentary: How Obama should fight al Qaeda and its allies -- CNN
Difficult challenges remain for U.S. in Afghanistan -- Commentary from Kansas City Star