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Obama Considers Reaching Out to Taliban

AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama said the United States is not winning the war in Afghanistan and hinted at possible talks with moderate elements of the Taliban.

Highlighting the success of the US strategy of bringing some Sunni Iraqi insurgents to the negotiating table and away from Al-Qaeda, Obama told The New York Times that “there may be some comparable opportunities in Afghanistan and the Pakistani region.”

The strategy in Iraq had been developed by General David Petraeus, then commander of US forces in the country.

“If you talk to General Petraeus, I think he would argue that part of the success in Iraq involved reaching out to people that we would consider to be Islamic fundamentalists, but who were willing to work with us because they had been completely alienated by the tactics of Al-Qaeda in Iraq,” Obama said in the interview published in the online edition of the Times.

But Obama warned that Afghanistan was not Iraq, and that reconciliation efforts could face difficulties …

March 8, 2009 Posted by newsdonkey | Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda, Barack Obama, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Iraq, Military, Obama, Obama Administration, Pakistan, People, Petraeus, Taliban | Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda, Iraq, Military, Obama, Pakistan, Petraeus, Taliban | Leave a comment

U.S. Supply Routes to Afghanistan Suffer Two Huge Blows

By Tom Lasseter and Jonathan S. Landay | McClatchy Newspapers

MOSCOW — The U.S.-led campaign against the Taliban suffered two logistical blows Tuesday as the president of Kyrgyzstan announced that he’d shut a U.S. airbase in his country and insurgents in Pakistan blew up a bridge, disrupting the main U.S. supply route into Afghanistan.

The developments were the latest reminders of the vulnerability of the long and complex transportation system on which the 60,000 U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan depend for fuel, ammunition, construction materials and a great deal more.

The announcement by Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev that he will close the Manas Air Base also gave President Barack Obama a first taste of the challenge he faces from Russia, which is trying to restore its clout in countries that were part of the former Soviet Union.

Bakiyev made his announcement in Moscow, not in his own capital, shortly after the Russian government reportedly agreed to lend Kyrgyzstan $2 billion, write off $180 million in debt and add another $150 million in aid. The timing and place of the announcement indicated the Kremlin’s involvement …

February 4, 2009 Posted by newsdonkey | Afghanistan, Foreign Affairs, Kyrgyzstan, Obama, Russia, Taliban | Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Obama, Russia, Taliban | Leave a comment

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News Donkey provides an aggregation of news reports and media coverage about the Obama administration and related current events with emphasis on controversial topics of the day. From time to time, editorial opinion may also be provided but the goal here is just really to give a snapshot of current issues in an objective fashion. As we all know, the news media in general tends to be rather biased but there are “gold nuggets” of information to be found out there. If you have suggestions for other great news articles or videos about these issues, please feel free to make comments and provide links. Thanks for visiting.

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