International forces’ mandate in Afghanistan extended another year

October 10th, 2009 LONDON - As the US forces are fighting for stability in Afghanistan, several people have raised a vital issue whether stability in Pakistan is even more crucial. "An Afghanistan collapse will threaten the stability of this entire region - not just Pakistan, it will have a massive impact," CBS News quoted, Samina Ahmed, member of International Crisis Group, as saying.

October 1st, 2009 LONDON - The situation in Afghanistan is "serious", with victory not something that can be taken for granted, the commander of NATO forces in the country said Thursday in a speech to a London audience. "The situation is serious and I choose that word very, very carefully," said US General Stanley McChrystal, the new NATO commander for more than 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan.

September 30th, 2009 US service member killed in Afghan bomb blastKABUL — An American service member was killed Wednesday in a suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. U.S. Forces spokeswoman Capt.

September 13th, 2009 ANAKARA - Eight rebels of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) were killed by Turkish security forces in southeastern Turkey, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported Sunday. The security forces clashed with a group of the PKK militants in an operation Sunday in Kazan Valley in Cukurca town of the southeastern province of Hakkari and killed three PKK militants, bringing the number of rebels killed in the last four days to eight, said the report.

September 11th, 2009 Spain to send more troops to AfghanistanMADRID — Spain's government agreed Friday to send 220 more troops to Afghanistan, raising the total to about 1,000 and moving to help a hard-pressed allied coalition fighting the resurgent Taliban. The decision now goes to parliament, which is expected to approve it.

September 9th, 2009 ICC prosecutor eyeing war crimes in AfghanistanUNITED NATIONS — The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court says he is collecting information on possible war crimes by NATO forces and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Luis Moreno Ocampo says he also is conducting preliminary investigations on possible war crimes in Georgia, Colombia, Kenya and by Israeli forces in Gaza.

September 6th, 2009 KABUL - A US soldier was killed Sunday in a Taliban attack in eastern Afghanistan, the military said in a statement. The soldier died one day after another US soldier was killed in the same region in a militant attack, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

August 9th, 2009 British soldier on patrol killed in AfghanistanKABUL —Britain's Ministry of Defense says one of its soldiers has been killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan. The soldier died Saturday during a foot patrol in the southern province of Helmand.

July 21st, 2009 LONDON - Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups must be crushed in Afghanistan to prevent them from carrying out attacks across the world, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has said. Addressing the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank, Scheffer said the allied forces could not afford to lose the war on terror in Afghanistan, as it would then give a free run to Al-Qaeda's global terrorist ambitions.

July 6th, 2009 List of new US military guidelines in AfghanistanThe U.S. military made public new guidelines Monday for international forces in Afghanistan in an effort to reduce civilian deaths: — Airstrikes must be very limited and authorized but can be used in self-defense if troops' lives are at risk.

June 23rd, 2009 Suicide bomber kills 2 civilians in AfghanistanKABUL — A suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of international troops in central Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing two Afghan civilians, officials said. The driver of the car rammed into the convoy on a highway in Ghazni province about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) west of Ghazni city, said Ismail Jahangir, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

June 16th, 2009 Major provisions of the $106B war spending billKey provisions of the $106 billion bill to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through the remainder of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30: —$79.9 billion for defense and intelligence activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, $4.4 billion more than President Barack Obama originally requested.

May 28th, 2009 BERLIN - German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said Iran has an important role to play in Afghanistan as the global community look for ways to stabilise the worsening security situation in that country. Jung said Iran could have an "important influence" in fighting cross-border drug trafficking, which is a major source of revenue fuelling the Afghan insurgency.

May 1st, 2009 US: Afghan clash kills 5 international troopsKABUL — Officials say five international troops, including three Americans, have been killed in an attack in eastern Afghanistan. NATO forces say insurgents attacked Afghan and international forces Friday with rocket-propelled grenades and guns.

March 24th, 2009 NEW YORK - The United Nations Security Council Monday renewed the mandate of its mission in Afghanistan for another year, emphasising its 'central and impartial role' in building peace and stability in the troubled nation. The mission, with 115 international and more than 300 local staff, will lead international efforts to assist the government in Kabul, including the organisation of general elections in August.