Taliban in Afghanistan (Photo The Daily Mail)Al Qaeda Builds A 'Shadow Army' -- Washington Times
New force bedevils U.S. efforts to pacify Afghanistan
OP-ED:
A 1998 U.S. attempt on Osama bin Laden's life failed when a targeted meeting in Afghanistan was canceled after an al Qaeda accomplice was arrested in Pakistan, according to a new book.
Al Qaeda has reorganized its notorious paramilitary formations, setting the stage for a dramatic come back. Formerly known as Brigade 055, the military unit has been rebuilt into a larger, more effective fighting unit known as the Lashkar al Zil, or the Shadow Army, a senior US intelligence official told me.
The Shadow Army is active primarily in Pakistan's tribal areas, and in eastern and southern Afghanistan, several US military and intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity. The force is well trained and equipped, and has defeated the Pakistani Army in engagements in North and South Waziristan, Bajaur, Peshawar, Khyber, and Swat. In Afghanistan, the Shadow Army has attacked Coalition and Afghan forces throughout the country.
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The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit patrolled the southern Afghanistan village of Hazarjoft on May 21. The unit is planning to move on in the next few weeks. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)British To Play Smaller Role As US Troops Fight ‘Losing Battle’ -- Times Online
Britain's military is to be handed a significantly diminished role on the front line in southern Afghanistan when President Obama completes a strategic review of a war that US officials say is in danger of being lost.
Mr Obama is preparing to make his first key deployment as US Commander-in-Chief over the next few days, with reports suggesting that he may send between 3,500 and 7,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.
The Americans are to build two huge new bases in the south. One will be one on the Helmand border with Kandahar at Maiwand - a place famous as the site of the destruction of a British army during the Second Afghan War of 1881. The other will be in Zabul, a province now largely controlled by the Taleban and criminal gangs.
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An Afghan police man guards at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009. Heavily armed government troops thronged the streets of Afghanistan's capital Thursday, stepping up security before the arrival of the new U.S. envoy to the region the day after Taliban attacks showed how easily the city's security can be breached. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)Last Russian General Warns US On Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AP
MOSCOW – Twenty years after Red Army troops pulled out of Afghanistan, the last general to command them says the Soviets' devastating experience is a dismal omen for U.S. plans to build up troops there.
On Friday, the anniversary of the Soviet departure from the Afghan capital, the Russian parliament's lower house adopted a resolution honoring the soldiers who "were faithful to the warrior's duty, who displayed heroism, bravery and patriotism."
In retired Gen. Boris Gromov's view, the valor was shown in an unwinnable battle.
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