Brown visits Kabul before unveiling new war strategy

September 7th, 2009 KABUL - An explosion, believed to be a bomb in a car driven by a suicide bomber, went off early Tuesday close to the airport of the Afghan capital Kabul, an airport official said. The official told DPA that casualties were likely, as the blast was strong enough to break his office windows some distance away, but did not give any further details.

August 19th, 2009 Gunfire reported in Kabul on election eveKABUL — Gunfire is being heard in the center of the Afghan capital Kabul on the eve of the country's presidential election. Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary tells The Associated Press that three or four armed men have taken over a branch of the Pashtani Bank in the Jadi Maiwand area of Kabul and are battling police.

August 4th, 2009 5 rockets fired on KabulKABUL — Police say five rockets have slammed into Kabul, injuring at least one child. The explosions were heard by AP reporters at daybreak Tuesday in the Afghan capital.

July 2nd, 2009 LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Thursday garlanded a recently installed statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the city of Leicester. Brown surprised shoppers in Belgrave Road, a popular Indian shopping area of Leicester, when he dropped by to view the statue - believed to be only the second of Gandhi in Europe.

May 21st, 2009 LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said tension between India and Pakistan soured particularly after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the attacks also raised difficulties for New Delhi. Addressing a regular press briefing here, Brown expressed hope that the relationship between India and Pakistan would improve in times to come.

April 29th, 2009 LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday pledged 665 million pounds over the next four years to help Pakistan with counter-terrorism operations as well as education and economic assistance. Of this amount 125 million pounds will be earmarked for supporting education projects in the border area 'in an effort to stop the spread of extremism.' One of the primary aims of UK support, he said, would be to "stop young people falling under the sway of violent extremists." Unveiling in the House of Commons what is being touted as Britain's new policy for Pakistan and Afghanistan but which mirror's US President Barack Obama's policy for the same announced in March, Brown said there was a 'chain of terror' linking the border area between the two countries to the UK.

April 27th, 2009 LONDON - Terming the lawless mountainous tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan as a 'crucible of terrorism', British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has unveiled a new strategy to counter the terror threat emanating from the region. Brown, on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, referred the region as a "breeding ground for terrorism" and said that any plan to thwart the growing threat from the Taliban must be implemented with of the local forces.

April 27th, 2009 British PM: Af-Pak border 'crucible of terrorism'KABUL — The border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan form a "crucible of terrorism" that Western powers must combat for their own safety, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Monday. Brown was on a one-day visit to Afghanistan in which he toured British bases in the south and discussed strategy with President Hamid Karzai.

April 14th, 2009 LONDON - A humiliated British Prime Minister Gordon Brown voiced "great regret" last night over his key aide Damian McBride's sick plot to smear top Tories, but refused to apologise.ith a successful G-20 summit under his belt, Brown was hoping next week's Budget would boost his dismal showing in the polls, but instead, he was engulfed by strategy chief McBride's putrid conspiracy to smear top Tories. Brown was forced to spend yesterday sending "personal" letters to the victims of this appalling plot - David Cameron, George Osborne and MP Nadine Dorries, reports The Sun.he PM also ordered tough new rules for Labour's army of spin doctors.

April 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - As the United States tries to sell Pakistan its plan of negotiating with Afghan Taliban, it will have to assure India that Washington can keep Pakistan and its militants in check, says a leading US think tank. 'For the United States to make any headway getting Pakistan on board with its plan, it needs to ensure that Islamabad does not get distracted by its primary security threat: India,' Stratfor, a global intelligence company, said in an analysis as two senior US officials headed to the region.

March 27th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Friday welcomed the new US strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan outlined by President Barack Obama. 'Pakistan has always held the Pakistan-US relations in high esteem and his announcements during speech on new strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan will further cement these ties,' Zardari said in a statement.

March 22nd, 2009 LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to launch a new counter-terrorism strategy targeting Pakistan. The new strategy is designed to be the most comprehensive approach to tackling the threat issued by any Government in the world.

March 13th, 2009 KABUL - A top Taliban commander has said his fighters are poised and ready to attack Kabul and could strike virtually anywhere in the city. It would be tempting to put this down to Taliban propaganda, except that one of Kabul's top cops is saying the same thing.

February 10th, 2009 KABUL - An explosion rocked this Afghanistan capital Kabul Wednesday morning. No officials were immediately available to make comment.

December 26th, 2008 KABUL - Two rockets hit western part of Afghan capital Kabul Saturday night, killing at least three people, witnesses said. The incident occurred at around 8.30 p.m.