Washington - The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating and the country's Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgency are gaining strength, the top US commander for the region warned Wednesday as the US prepares to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan.
General David Petraeus, head of US Central Command, said in congressional testimony that insurgents had expanded their control over the southern and eastern parts of the country.
Munich - Special envoys for Afghanistan and Pakistan met Wednesday in the Bavarian city of Munich to discuss the formation of a contact group to deal with the region.
Envoys from 14 nations are taking part in the discussions, the aim of which is to improve coordination and act on the implementation of new strategies in the landlocked Asian nation.
Among those taking part are US special envoy Richard Holbrooke, Germany's Bernd Muetzelburg and EU special envoy Ettore Sequi.
Kabul - Four suicide bombers equipped with automatic rifles attacked a provincial council office in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing one policeman and seven civilians, an interior ministry spokesman said.
One attacker detonated his explosive-laden vehicle in front of the provincial council office in southern Kandahar city, capital of the Kandahar province, Wednesday morning. A policeman guarding the compound died, spokesman Zemarai Bashary said.
Ankara - The presidents of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey met for talks in the Turkish capital Ankara Wednesday, with the topic of security set to top the agenda.
Presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan are expected to commit to sharing of intelligence and further cooperation in dealing with Taliban extremists that freely cross the porous border between the two neighbours.
New York, Apr. 1 : US President Obama's strategy review for Afghanistan and Pakistan, unveiled last week, finally focuses the government's attention and resources where they are most needed, says an editorial in the New York Times.
According to Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, after years, the president has recognized that the key to US national security is defeating Al Qaeda, and that to do so we must address both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Kabul - An Afghan provincial mayor was killed in a roadside bomb blast in eastern Afghanistan, while 34 suspected Taliban militants were killed in separate clashes and blasts elsewhere in the country, officials said Tuesday.
A remote-controlled roadside bomb was detonated in the outskirts of Khost city, the capital for the province of the same name, on Tuesday afternoon when the provincial mayor was on his way home, Hamidullah Qalandarzai, the provincial governor said.
Washington - The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating and the country's Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgency are gaining strength, the top US commander for the region warned Wednesday as the US prepares to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan.
Munich - Special envoys for Afghanistan and Pakistan met Wednesday in the Bavarian city of Munich to discuss the formation of a contact group to deal with the region.
Kabul - Four suicide bombers equipped with automatic rifles attacked a provincial council office in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing one policeman and seven civilians, an interior ministry spokesman said.
Ankara - The presidents of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey met for talks in the Turkish capital Ankara Wednesday, with the topic of security set to top the agenda.
New York, Apr. 1 : US President Obama's strategy review for Afghanistan and Pakistan, unveiled last week, finally focuses the government's attention and resources where they are most needed, says an editorial in the New York Times.
Kabul - An Afghan provincial mayor was killed in a roadside bomb blast in eastern Afghanistan, while 34 suspected Taliban militants were killed in separate clashes and blasts elsewhere in the country, officials said Tuesday.
