BATTLEFIELD VIEW - A U.S. Marine MV-22 Osprey aircrew member scans the terrain during a mission supporting U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 4, 2011. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael O'ConnorThe Whack-a-Mole Endgame Begins in Afghanistan -- Time
President Obama's surge and de-surge strategy in Afghanistan has landed the United States in a strategic cul-de-sac. As America withdraws troops from remote areas of Afghanistan like the Tangi, Korangar, and Pech Valleys, insurgents are flooding back in to wreak havoc, necessitating US retaliatory raids, redeployments, and stiffening operations to kill insurgents and to protect local Afghan units and villagers, even though some of these Afghan units and villagers may on occasion be in league with insurgents. As the American withdrawal continues, the noose around the cul de sac will tighten, because fewer and fewer forces will be available to cope with the menace posed by spreading hit and run attacks by small decentralized insurgent groups operating in quick time in distant places.
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More News On Afghanistan
Barack Obama honours Afghan crash dead -- The Telegraph
President Obama meets with relatives of troops killed in an Afghanistan helicopter attack -- New York Daily News
With sadness, dignity, Obama honors the fallen -- Stars and Stripes
Combined Force Kills Insurgent, Detains Suspects -- US Department of Defense
Afghan, NATO forces keep up pressure on Taliban insurgents -- Xinhuanet
AFGHAN forces in conjunction with Australian special forces have captured a key insurgent commander in Afghanistan. -- Herald Sun
Four Afghan Police Killed in ‘Mistaken’ NATO Attack on Base -- Bloomberg
Foreign troops kill four Afghan police - government -- Reuters
Official: Afghan police clash with NATO troops -- AP
Afghan special court dissolved; 4 Afghan police die in NATO clash -- CNN
Taliban fighters plotting 'spectacular' attack on British troops -- The Telegraph
Taliban planning 'spectacular' attack in Afghanistan -- DNA
Panetta Urges Continuing Afghan Mission to Emphasize Resolve -- US Department of Defense
Nearly One-Third Afghans Face Food Shortages -- Epoch Times
US ambassador urged restraint on Afghan visas -- AP
President Karzai resolves parliamentary crisis in Afghanistan -- RIA Novosti
Hamid Karzai launches campaign to stop Afghan suicide bombers using turbans -- The Telegraph
What happened on the night of Afghanistan helicopter crash -- Reuters
Soldier's Afghan strategy: One village elder at a time -- CNN
Kandahar looks to a new strongman -- Abubakar Siddique and Mohammad Sadiq Rishtinai, Asia Times
Lesson of Afghanistan Crash Is Not to Rush for Exit -- Mark Moyar, Bloomberg
The Taliban Are Here. Does It Matter? After centuries of oppression, a village wakes up to its new masters. -- Anna Badkhen, Foreign Policy