AFGHANISTAN
20 December 2008 Mullen Stresses Need for Regional Strategy in Central Asia
The overarching strategy for success in Afghanistan must be regional in focus and include not just Afghanistan, but also Pakistan and India, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
25 November 2008 Afghan Army Becoming More Effective Force, U.S. General Says The Afghan National Army now leads about 60 percent of the operations it conducts and is proving to be an effective fighting force that is substantially enhancing the security of Afghanistan, a senior U.S. general says.
21 November 2008 Gates Optimistic Troop Surge Will Ensure Smooth Afghan Election Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates expressed confidence today that more troops being sent to Afghanistan's Regional Command South will be sufficient to shore up security for Afghanistan's elections in late September.
19 November 2008 Statement on U.S. Support to Afghan Refugees, Returnees
18 November 2008 Terror Groups Along Afghan-Pakistan Border Feel Pressure With U.S., Afghan and Pakistani forces applying pressure on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the enemy "is running out of options for places to go," a senior U.S. officer in the region said today.
03 November 2008 U.S. Not Involved in Any Taliban Negotiations The United States actively supports efforts by Afghanistan's government to reach out to militants willing to lay down their arms, but has no plans for direct negotiations with the former Taliban regime, says Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher.
27 October 2008 Alleged Opium Kingpin Charged With Financing Taliban The arrest of alleged Taliban-linked drug kingpin Haji Juma Khan marks another step forward in international efforts to break linkages between opium traffickers and violent militants that threaten Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy, say top U.S. officials.
10 October 2008 Ministers Approve Drug Network Attacks, Increasing Alliance Readiness NATO defense ministers approved a proposal that will allow the International Security Assistance Force soldiers in Afghanistan to shut down drug networks that funnel money to the Taliban.
25 September 2008 U.S.-Afghan Security Dialogue Promotes Security, Prosperity The United States is committed to a long-term strategic partnership with Afghanistan, says Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, and is dedicated to supporting its democratically elected leaders and promoting security and prosperity.
• Fact Sheet: U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership
23 September 2008 Enhancing Afghan Security Forces Seen as Significant Challenge The most significant challenge facing the United States and its allies in Afghanistan is increasing the competence and reliability of the Afghan security forces, says U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
10 September 2008 Gates Says More U.S. Troops Are Needed in Afghanistan While the U.S. is withdrawing combat forces from Iraq as the levels of violence decline and security by Iraqi forces improves, additional forces are being sent to Afghanistan to bolster security as the insurgency strengthens, say senior U.S. defense officials.
28 August 2008 State Releases Update on Counternarcotics in Afghanistan A fact sheet from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
27 August 2008 Cheney: U.S. Will Keep Afghanistan, Iraq Commitments The U.S. will maintain its commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of its offensive strategy to defeat global terrorism, Vice President Richard B. Cheney told American Legion members in Phoenix today.
29 July 2008 Team Contributes to Development of Trustworthy Afghan Police Force More than 200 students processed into the regional training center in Konduz, Afghanistan, for focused district development training, a program to create a professional and well-trained police force for Afghanistan, district by district. Afghan National Police and Afghan civilians handled the processing with help from Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan mentors.
17 July 2008 Pakistan Must Do More to Police Tribal Zone, Defense Leaders Say Pakistan must do more on its side of the border with Afghanistan to combat terrorist extremists, U.S. defense leaders said.
26 June 2008 Gates Welcomes Pakistan’s Pledge to Reassert Pressure at Afghan Border Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today praised a pledge by Pakistani officials to renew pressure along its northwestern border, where militants responsible for violence in eastern Afghanistan have taken refuge. "The challenges that we're facing in Afghanistan, … are in some measure a result of the relaxation of pressure on the Pakistani side of the border," Gates said during a Pentagon news conference.
20 June 2008 Afghan Justice, Agriculture Sectors Grow, Confront Opium Trade The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its Afghan partners shut down the powerful drug trafficking organization of Haji Baz Mohammad, a Taliban-linked narco-terrorist, in 2005, after a four-year battle that demonstrated a strengthening collaboration between the United States and the newly democratic Afghanistan.
12 June 2008 Afghan Determination Earns $20 Billion in New Aid The Afghan people have shown their determination to rebuild their country, and the international community has responded by pledging more than $20 billion in new aid to help Afghanistan continue along the road to recovery. “We all know that success will not be easy, but Afghanistan has reached a decisive moment for its future,” first lady Laura Bush told delegates from more than 80 countries and institutions at the International Conference in Support of Afghanistan in Paris.
• 12 June 2008 Fact Sheet: The Afghanistan Support Conference: Renewed U.S. and International Commitment
11 June 2008 Afghans Appeal for Aid at Paris Conference Building a nation remains an all-too-literal description of the challenges facing Afghanistan’s 32 million citizens after decades of conflict. "This was one of the poorest countries in the world in the '50s and the '60s and the '70s, and then went downhill for 20 years," says Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher. "It shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody how much there still is to do."
10 June 2008 Total U.S. Security and Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan
09 June 2008 First Lady Urges Redoubled Effort in Afghanistan Urging the world to "stand more strongly" with Afghanistan, first lady Laura Bush visited the South Asian nation to highlight signs of progress as well as continuing challenges ahead of an aid donors conference in Paris.
• Afghan Government Charts Challenges Ahead at Paris Conference
04 June 2008 Fact Sheet: U.S. Commitment to Afghan Women: The U.S.-Afghan Women's Council
23 May 2008
NATO Commander Says Afghan Illegal Drug Trade Aids Taliban The illegal narcotics business so prevalent in southern Afghanistan poses a greater threat to security in some parts of the country than do Taliban insurgents, the commander of the NATO security force says. In addition, profits from the sale of the illegal drugs are being used to fund the Taliban insurgency elsewhere in the country.
13 May 2008 Remarks by Secretary Rice with Afghanistan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta at the Signing Ceremony After Their Meeting.
14 April 2008 Remarks by Secretary Rice At Air University, Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base Secretary Rice Honored; Speaks About Afghanistan.
07 April 2008 Afghan Government Improves Consistently, General Says Afghanistan's government and national security forces have improved consistently over the past year, the outgoing commander of Regional Command East, part of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, said today.
03 April 2008 NATO Pledges Long-Term Security Commitment to Afghanistan The 26-nation NATO security alliance has pledged to provide a shared, long-term commitment to the security and economic prosperity of Afghanistan. "In helping the Afghan people build security today, we are defending our basic values we all share," an alliance communiqué says.
01 April 2008 Fact Sheet : U.S. Assists in Development Programs in Afghanistan Since 2002.
14 March 2008 Fighting the Opium Trade in Afghanistan: Myths, Facts, and Sound Policy Statement by the U.S. Department of State and the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office. "We, the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom, in conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, ISAF and international partners, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, are now engaged in a comprehensive initiative to fight the production and trafficking of opium in Afghanistan. There is significant skepticism among the public and the media regarding the counternarcotics effort. We therefore provide the following paper to correct some of the myths about the illegal drug trade in Afghanistan, and to clarify how our programs address the situation on the ground."
see also: NATO: Progress in Afghanistan (20-page PDF).
13 March 2008 Helping Afghanistan Achieve Sustainable Progress Today, President Bush received an update by video teleconference from American civilian and military leaders serving with Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) and at a Brigade Combat Team (BCT) in Afghanistan. Teams located around the country provide critical support to the Government of Afghanistan's efforts to improve security and democratic governance, to provide essential services, and to expand economic opportunity.
• President Bush Remarks After Meeting Reconstruction Leaders on Afghanistan
13 March 2008 Amb. Khalilzad’s Remarks to U.N. Security Council on Afghanistan
12 March 2008 Bush Reaffirms U.S. Support for Afghanistan, Iraq The United States remains committed to helping the people of Afghanistan and Iraq confront the forces of extremism and build effective democracies. “The effect of a free Iraq and a free Afghanistan will reach beyond the borders of those two countries,” President Bush said March 11.
12 February 2008 Senator Richard Lugar on Vital Role of NATO in Afghanistan Remarks by Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
11 February 2008 U.S. Urges Increased Aid for Afghanistan Increased development and security assistance are essential as Afghanistan works to recover from conflict and poverty, U.S. officials say. "If you look at the Afghanistan of 2001 and the Afghanistan of now, there is a remarkable difference for the better. It is our intention as partners for you and your government and for the people of Afghanistan to continue that progress and to indeed intensify that progress," said Secretary Rice.
07 February 2008 Secretary Rice Remarks With UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
07 February 2008 Secretary Rice Remarks With UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband at Kandahar Air Base
04 February 2008 Afghanistan and NATO: Why They Both Matter Remarks by Kurt Volker, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs to the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Washington, DC
01 February 2008 Ambassador Nuland on NATO Emerging in Afghanistan ... Amb. Nuland writes “It's sometimes easy to take our allies for granted or to wonder if they are up to the challenge in a place such as Afghanistan. Today, 25 NATO allies and 14 other nations contribute to the mission there alongside American and Afghan troops ... The war is tough, but without allied help it would be much tougher.”
31 January 2008 Strengthening Afghan Governance a U.S. Priority A top U.S. priority in Afghanistan in 2008 will be to help its leaders deliver essential services, security and economic opportunity to its citizens, says a senior State Department official. "People want the government to provide them with safety, with justice, with economic opportunity, with health care and education," Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "When the government provides that, the situation stabilizes. The poppy [growing] goes down. The Taliban get kicked out."
25 January 2008 NATO's Stake in Afghanistan Is High, Shortfalls Must Be Met If it takes a village to raise a child, so too will it take a significant contribution by the international community -- particularly a concerted, sustained push by NATO -- to ease Afghanistan along a path where it can meet expectations.
23 January 2008 General Rodriguez Briefs on Afghanistan at Foreign Press Center Says Afghanistan making progress in security and economic development.
17 January 2008 U.S.-Afghan Women's Council Investing in Afghanistan’s Future The U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council shows the power of public-private partnerships to transform lives and invest in the future of developing democracies. "The Council shows what individual Americans can do to aid our country's humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan," first lady Laura Bush says.
26 December 2007 Sustained NATO Effort Needed for Long-term Success in Afghanistan A moderate, stable Afghanistan is crucial to the United States, its NATO allies and the southwest region of Asia. To that end, NATO is leading some 40,000 troops from 37 nations under the umbrella of the United Nations-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
17 December 2007 Partnership To Support Afghan Justice System Launched To enhance the evolution of democracy in Afghanistan, the United States has launched a public-private partnership to help improve the fledgling Afghan justice system by funding low-cost, high-impact projects that promote women's rights, access to justice, legal aid, professional legal development and other justice-related programs.
13 December 2007 Secretary Rice on Justice Reform in Afghanistan
11 December 2007 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Peacekeeping Operations in Afghanistan Offering his assessment of the current situation, Gates told U.S. legislators "There is reason for optimism, but tempered by caution."
15 October 2007 Statement on the Report of the Secretary-General on the Situation in Afghanistan
02 October 2007 Afghanistan Carpet Industry Prepares for Global Market Afghanistan’s drive to resurrect its fabled carpet industry with U.S. assistance is a key element in the economic reconstruction of the land-locked Central Asian country, according to U.S. officials.
27 September 2007 Stable Afghanistan Vital to Central Asia, Europe, United States The security and well-being of the trans-Atlantic community depend on successfully stabilizing Afghanistan so that it will not be a source of narcotics or a haven for terrorists, U.S. and European officials say.
29 August 2007 Afghanistan-Tajikistan Bridge Links Central, South Asia They had not waited for the orchestra to play or for officials to cut the ribbon. They did not need much encouragement from their governments either. Business people in Afghanistan and Tajikistan had sensed new opportunity when they saw the 670-meter bridge rising over the Pyanj River between the two countries.
14 August 2007 Opium’s Threat to Afghanistan Second Only to Terrorism Opium production is second only to terrorism as a threat to the economic development of Afghanistan, say U.S. officials. Opium, like terror, is a dead end for the Afghan people, according to John Walters, director of the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy. At an August 9 special briefing at the State Department, Walters said that although more than 90 percent of the world’s opium is grown in Afghanistan, most Afghans never see any of the profits generated by this illicit crop.
09 August 2007 On-the-Record Briefing On the Release of a Comprehensive New U.S. Government Implementation Plan to Control Narcotics in Afghanistan Briefing transcript of the Director of National Drug Control Policy John P. Walters and Coordinator for Counternarcotics and Justice Reform in Afghanistan and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Ambassador Thomas Schweich.
07 Aug 2007 Why Not Legalize Opium in Afghanistan? Andrew Meyer and Vanessa Anderson from the US Embassy London, discuss the pros and cons of legalizing opium in Afghanistan.
For more infomation on this topic click here.
 (MP3, 06:44)
Subscribe to podcast:
 One-Click using iTunes
Manually (shows XML file)
Read transcript
06 August 2007 Presidents Bush, Karzai Committed To Rebuilding Afghanistan President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai remain committed to defeating remaining Taliban insurgents, bringing al-Qaida terrorists to justice and helping Afghanistan emerge from decades of poverty and violence.
03 August 2007 Afghanistan’s Health Outreach Grows Life expectancy is short in Afghanistan, on average about 47 years. Maternal mortality rates are one in 50 births and one of every five children dies before the age of 5, according to the World Health Organization. However, with the help of USAID-funded Afghan health programs, progress is being made in Afghanistan’s health sector.
02 August 2007 Afghanistan in Increasingly Better Position Says U.S. Official Ahead of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s meetings with President Bush, a senior State Department official says Afghans and their government have "a lot … to be proud of" in terms of their accomplishments since the 2002 overthrow of the Taliban regime.
12 July 2007 Afghan-Pakistani Border Stability Operations Focus of U.S. Aid The U.S. is working with the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to build stability along the rugged border between those two nations. The presidents of both countries recognize the importance of stabilizing the border region and the need to improve mutual relations, according to an assessment offered to members of Congress by Ambassador Richard Boucher.
28 June 2007 Remote Areas of Afghanistan Receive Coalition Assistance People living in northeastern Afghanistan are benefiting from coalition efforts to mentor local police, provide extended health care and promote good governance and economic development, officials say.
26 June 2007 Afghan Drug Trade Closely Linked to Taliban Insurgency The drug trade in southern Afghanistan is related closely to the Taliban insurgency, and the Afghan government needs increasing support from NATO and international troops to help fight opium and heroin trafficking, U.S. and British counternarcotics officials say.
25 June 2007 Afghan Women’s Struggles, Triumphs Highlighted in Documentaries Although Sahar Adish and Malalai Joya never have met, these young Afghan women both have dramatic personal histories -- and they share another distinction: each is the subject of an award-winning documentary film that examines the plight of people who live in a repressive society.
13 June 2007 Apparent Shift in Iran’s Afghanistan Policy "Troubling" The Bush administration expressed concern that Iran’s policy toward Afghanistan has changed in favor of promoting instability in the country, citing the transfer of weapons and explosives of Iranian origin to the Taliban rebels
07 June 2007 U.S. Iraq-Afghanistan Nominee Supports Local Solutions Problems in the Middle East and South Asia cannot be solved by military might alone, and an American-only solution will not succeed, says President Bush’s nominee to oversee daily coordination of government action in Iraq and Afghanistan.
05 June 2007 NATO Troops Have Upper Hand in Afghanistan, Commander Says Continued fighting in Afghanistan is due in part to the increased numbers of international troops aggressively trying to pin down Taliban insurgents while setting the conditions for development and reconstruction, senior U.S. and Afghan officials say.
16 May 2007 Bush Names Army General as Senior Advisor for Iraq, Afghanistan The White House announced May 15 that Bush had chosen Lieutenant General Douglas Lute to serve as assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan.
30 April 2007 NATO Forces Make Headway Against Taliban in Southern Afghanistan The commander of NATO multinational forces in southern Afghanistan said his 11,500-member team is making "a big difference" in challenging Taliban insurgents while helping pursue development projects that will change Afghan lives.
16 April 2007 Bush Urges Congressional Support for Iraq, Afghanistan Missions President Bush says he looks forward to an upcoming meeting with congressional Democrats to find a way to pass a crucial $100 billion defense spending package for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
16 April 2007 Afghan Official Cites Economic, Security Progress with U.S. Help Despite a nagging Taliban-backed insurgency, Afghanistan is advancing steadily to meet daunting economic and security challenges thanks to substantial help from the United States, reports Afghan Finance Minister Anwar Ul-Haq Ahady.
20 March 2007 U.S. Urges Greater International Support for Afghanistan Emphasizing that 2007 is a turning point for Afghanistan, the United States urged the international community to increase its efforts to help stabilize the country.
08 March 2007 U.S. Steps Up Economic Aid to Afghanistan As NATO forces in Afghanistan gear up to confront another Taliban spring offensive, the United States is stepping up parallel economic development efforts to undercut terrorism and drug trafficking, a senior State Department official says.
28 February 2007 Cheney, Afghan President Review Progress in War Against Taliban Afghan President Hamid Karzai, during Vice President Cheney’s recent visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, expressed increased optimism about progress in the war against the Taliban, according to a senior administration official. "Karzai was more positive and optimistic than I'd seen in my recent visits," the official told reporters February 28. "That doesn't mean that there's no threat. ... The point is a lot of work has been done."
26 February 2007 Pakistan Key Counterterrorism Ally, Says White House The U.S. considers Pakistan a vital ally in the struggle against terrorism and will look to its government for continued support as al-Qaida and the Taliban gear up to target neighboring Afghanistan in a new spring offensive, says White House spokesman Tony Snow.
15 February 2007 Bush Announces New Plan for Afghanistan President Bush announced a new six-point plan February 15 to help Afghanistan defeat Taliban forces and terrorists, and establish a stable, moderate, democratic state.
15 February 2007 White House Outlines U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan The White House recapped progress in Afghanistan and U.S. plans to help that country defeat terrorism and establish a stable democracy.
11 February 2007 Afghanistan Strategic Challenge for NATO, Pentagon Chief Says Afghanistan represents a continuing military and political test for NATO, according to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has called up alliance members to meet their commitments to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operating there under a mandate from the United Nations.
01 February 2007 U.S. House Speaker Calls for More European Aid for Afghanistan A delegation of U.S. lawmakers is calling for more international help to rebuild Afghanistan and also is criticizing the Bush administration’s new strategy for Iraq.
26 January 2007 U.S. Pledges Additional $10.6 Billion to Afghanistan Operation The U.S. intends to devote an additional $10.6 billion to security and reconstruction operations in Afghanistan, announced Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
26 January 2007 Stability Operations Draw on Efforts by 37 Nations in Afghanistan The senior U.S. military commander in Afghanistan reports quiet progress against the Taliban insurgency and an improving infrastructure as a result of a partnership among 37 nations and President Hamid Karzai’s government.
27 January 2007 Rice Says Success in Afghanistan Requires Coordinated Efforts Success in Afghanistan requires a coordinated international approach combining military, political, economic and reconstruction efforts, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says after meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium.
25 January 2007 Bush Administration Seeks $10.6 Billion in Afghan Aid The Bush administration is proposing $10.6 billion in U.S. aid to Afghanistan in conjunction with the January 26 NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, Belgium, which will focus on international support for the country.
18 January 2007 Secretary Gates Says Gains in Afghanistan Must Be Sustained Defense chief says U.S. is committed to long-term strategic partnership On his first visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, since becoming defense secretary in December 2006, Robert Gates says it is important for the United States and its allies to do whatever is necessary to sustain the success already achieved in Afghanistan.
17 January 2007 Progress Seen in Securing Pakistan-Afghanistan Border The U.S. wants to help Pakistan and Afghanistan make progress in securing their restive border region with a new plan to promote economic opportunities for area residents, says a top U.S. official.
| 
Afghanistan