Taliban carries out major attack

Taliban forces carried a bold second attack on the provincial capitial of Lashkar Gah displaying more offensive capability than in previous years.

Although the attacks were repulsed, the Taliban moves mark the first brazen attempts at open warfare against strong enemy positions, in this case even a provincial capital.

The Taliban have shown greater ability to mass groups in the hundreds for operations and the attack late Tuesday involved simultaneous attempts to breach Lashkar Gah's defenses from different points.

Recently, Afghan and allied Western officials have hinted at the possibility of negotiations with Taliban, who appear permanently entrenched in the region.

Times Online

Second Taliban Attack Strikes Major Afghan City New York Times - 14 hours ago By JOHN F. BURNS KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan government troops repulsed a fresh attack late Tuesday by Taliban fighters massed outside the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah in southwestern Afghanistan and killed at least 18 of them, the provincial ... Arabs, Pakistanis Identified Among Afghan Insurgents Killed by Air ... Voice of America Amid Low Morale, Germany Set to Extend Afghanistan Mandate Deutsche Welle Play Vietnam echoes in Afghanistan Reuters via Yahoo! News - Oct 09 3:15 PM

Pressure builds for Taliban talks

According to a Time Magazine article, Afghan President Hamid Karzai along with US and British officials agree that victory against the Taliban is not possible. The realization increases the likelihood of negotiations with the insurgent group.

The assessment comes as heavy fighting is reported in both Afghanistan and Pakistan involving Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.

Play Vietnam echoes in Afghanistan Reuters via Yahoo! News - Oct 09 3:15 PM

Play Petraeus: Open to Taliban talks Reuters via Yahoo! News - Oct 08 3:57 PM

United Press International

Momentum builds for Taliban negotiations United Press International - 2 hours ago KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai and US and British officials have concluded there can be no military victory over Taliban insurgents, Time Magazine says. As Afghanistan Slides, Chance of a Taliban Deal Increases TIME Afghanistan: A country locked in a spiral of doom Times Online

Boston Globe

Fierce battles in Pakistan, Afghanistan
Radio Australia, Australia - 16 hours ago
There has been intense fighting with Taliban and Al Qaeda militants in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghan and British forces say 100 militants were ...
Pakistanis flee as war on Taliban flares up Radio Netherlands
Clashes in Pakistani tribal region kill 24 The Associated Press
Attack by Pakistani Army on the borders of Afghanistan Avionews

Suspected US drone strike kills five in Pakistan

Suspected US drones fired two missiles into the tribal regions of Pakistan Saturday killing at least five militants.

The latest in a series of cross-border attacks carried out against the objections of the Pakistani government comes as a US report was released detailing the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

According to the report, al-Qaeda is leading a network composed of Pakistani and Kashmiri militants; Afghan Taliban, and Pakistani tribal groups. Al-Qaeda itself is composed mostly of Arabs but Central Asians including Uzbeks and Chechens are now playing a larger role.

Boston Globe

US Airstrike Said to Kill 5 in Pakistan New York Times - 28 minutes ago By REUTERS MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - Residents of a Pakistani region regarded as a haven for Al Qaeda and the Taliban said that remotely piloted American aircraft fired two missiles on Saturday, killing at least five militants. Five killed in US missile attack in Pakistan Reuters Suspected US Missile Strike Kills At Least 3 in Pakistan Voice of America File photo shows US soldiers watching the launch of a pilotless spy drone. US pilotless spy planes on Sunday flew over a Pakistani tribal town bordering Afghanistan just hours after a missile strike killed at least four people, residents said. (AFP) Tribesmen gather at the site of a missile attack in Tappi, a village 20 km (12 miles) east of Miranshah, near the Afghan border October 10, 2008. A U.S. missile attack by a pilotless drone aircraft on Thursday killed at least six people, including 3 Arabs, in a Pakistani tribal region regarded as a safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban militants, an intelligence official said. REUTERS/Haji Mujtaba (PAKISTAN) Tribesmen show parts of a missile at the site of a missile attack in the village of Tappim, 20 km (12 miles) east of Miranshah, near the Afghan border October 10, 2008. A U.S. missile attack by a pilotless drone aircraft on Thursday killed at least six people, including 3 Arabs, in a Pakistani tribal region regarded as a safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban militants, an intelligence official said. REUTERS/Haji Mujtaba (PAKISTAN) Map of Pakistan locating North Waziristan, where a missile strike by suspected US spy drone killed at least eight militants, according to security officials Wedn

British commander says can't defeat Taliban

British commander in Afghanistan, Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said the war against the Taliban cannot be won.

Noting the daily battles with insurgents, Carleton-Smith suggested negotiations with the Taliban offered the best solution for Afghanistan. He said that controlling the insurgency rather than eradicating it should be the goal.

In addition to the rising death and casualty toll, aide workers report that areas under the control of the Taliban have been growing rapidly.

Reuters

British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won Reuters - 4 hours ago LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's commander in Afghanistan has said the war against the Taliban cannot be won, the Sunday Times reported. 'Managing' the Afghan insurgency BBC News We can't defeat Taleban, says Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith Times Online

Pakistan and American forces exchange fire

Pakistani and American forces near the border of Afghanistan exchanged fire briefly Thursday in an escalation of tensions between the two nations.

According to reports, Pakistani troops fired on two U.S. helicopters flying near the border, and ground troops exchange fire shortly after the incident. No casualties were reported on either side.

Reuters South Africa

Pakistani and American Troops Exchange Fire

New York Times - 1 hour ago

By ERIC SCHMITT WASHINGTON - Pakistani and American ground troops exchanged fire along the border with Afghanistan on Thursday after the Pakistanis shot at two American helicopters, ratcheting up tensions as the United States increases its attacks ...

Pakistani troops fire at US helicopters on border Reuters
Pakistan Fires at US Helicopters on Afghan Border (Update2)



AFP

US denies copters attacked by Pakistan crossed border
CNN International - 1 hour ago
Officials with the Pentagon and NATO's International Security Assistance Force, however, said the copters never entered Pakistan. US officials also denied ...
NATO copters exchage fire and fly back Online - International News Network
AFGHANISTAN: Marine colonel says Pakistani military copter helped ... Los Angeles Times
Pakistani troops, foreign copters trade fire The Daily Advertiser



Chronology of the most serious attacks in Pakistan since January 2008. Pakistani troops fired at two helicopters from the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, causing no damage but accusing them of crossing the border amid escalating tensions across the frontier.(AFP Graphic/Er/Jfs)