British troops in Afghanistan are coming under the fiercest and most sustained assault since the start of the conflict nine years ago, with coalition forces subjected to more than 40 attacks each day in March: double the rate of a year ago. Attacks by the Taliban between September 2009 and March 2010 leapt by 83 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to a new report released this month by the US Government Accountability Office. (more)

The supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has indicated that he and his followers may be willing to hold peace talks with western politicians. In an interview with The Sunday Times, two of the movement’s senior Islamic scholars have relayed a message from the Quetta shura, the Taliban’s ruling council, that Mullah Omar no longer aims to rule Afghanistan. They said he was prepared to engage in “sincere and honest” talks. (more)

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday lashed out at the United Nations and other foreigners in the country, accusing them of intentionally undermining Afghanistan's electoral process, the parliament and his ability to be an effective leader. Karzai's comments escalated a political battle that began when he signed a presidential decree in February that revised Afghanistan's elections law to give him more power to appoint the members of what had been a U.N.-led commission that inv... (more)

Fresh off a historic and defiant passage of healthcare reform and barnstorming across the country to solicit popular support to combat Republican and Tea Party opposition, President Obama got back on the war wagon. A fter a surprise 13-hour flight, Mr. Obama made his first presidential visit to Afghanistan. While the war has not been off his radar, as evidenced by the continued drone strikes on al Qaeda and Taliban leaders and the usual military briefings, domestic issues have been center stage. (more)

President Obama's plan to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in July 2011 has emboldened terrorists and increased distrust of U.S. intentions in the region, Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Thursday. "The administration's withdrawal date was music to the ears of the militants and terrorists," Qureshi said in an exclusive interview with The Washington Examiner. "This sends the wrong signal, and you will have chaos and confusion in Afghanistan if this comes to fru... (more)

So far it’s mostly American citizens of Haitian descent, but we need to get emergency visas for some of the Haitians themselves—especially the orphans. It seems clever to send the planes to the island with supplies, and then back here with human beings who may need better medical care than can be provided there. (more)

President Obama’s troop surge has divided the American public, but in Afghanistan where those troops will be stationed a clear majority favor U.S. presence in their country. Conducted between December 11-23rd of 1,534 randomly sampled Afghan adults the survey was a joint effort between ABC News, the BBC and the Afghan Center for Socio-Economic and Opinion Research (ACSOR) in Kabul. (more)

The suicide bomber who killed seven CIA agents in Afghanistan had been courted by the US as a possible informant, US intelligence sources have said. (more)

Here is a video report on a suicide bomber in Afghanistan that has killed eight Americans today. Those killed are reportedly "not from the military": Eight Americans were killed in a suicide bombing Wednesday at a military base in eastern Afghanistan, according to a U.S. military official and a U.S. Embassy official. (more)

More on the murky aftermath of a joint U.S.-Afghan raid in Kunar province this weekend that left nine Afghans (civilians? insurgents?) dead and generated further acrimony between the Afghan government and the U.S. military. As accusations fly from Afghan politicians about inappropriate military activities, the International Security Assistance Force — NATO’s Afghanistan command, led by Gen. Stanley McChrystal — has released this statement, calling for an “immediate joint investigation to reach an imparti... (more)