War Glance
Britain is stepping up pressure for a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, a move set in sharp relief yesterday by the commander of UK troops who warned that the war against the Taliban was not going to be won.
The message is being delivered with increasing urgency by British military commanders, diplomats and intelligence officers, to Nato allies and governments in the region, the Guardian has learned.
Talks with Taliban the only way forward in Afghanistan, says UK commander
Afghan victory hopes played down
The UK's commander in Helmand has said Britain should not expect a "decisive military victory" in Afghanistan.
He said it was unrealistic to expect multinational forces would be able to wipe out armed bands of insurgents in the country. Brig Carleton-Smith is the Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade which has just completed its second tour of Afghanistan.
Govt. Uses Contractors to Probe Iraq Contractors
In an apparent violation of federal regulations, the State Department has outsourced to private contractors the responsibility to investigate possible crimes committed by security contractors in Iraq.
According to a contract obtained by ABC News, the company was hired to supplement Diplomatic Security personnel. However, the eight USIS contractors hired for the team represent the majority of the full-time team, an apparent violation of federal regulations that prohibit such work by contractors.
Company charged with fraud in Afghan war contracts
A Houston security company has been indicted on charges of defrauding the U.S. government for work done during the Afghanistan war and rebuilding efforts.
The company accused is United States Protection and Investigations. The indictment released Friday names the company and four employees: CEO Dwayne Spier; President Barbara Spier; USPI's Afghanistan operations manager, William Felix Dupre; and executive assistant Behzad Mehr.
Blackwater Machine Gun Found in Raid on Iraqi Insurgents
An M4 machine gun sent to Iraq by the Blackwater private security firm somehow disappeared from the company's storage facility in Baghdad and was later discovered during a US military operation, apparently against suspected insurgents, people familiar with the situation have told ABC News.
The incident, in 2006, has been kept secret until now but it raised more questions about Blackwater's operations in Iraq.
Allegations that Blackwater shipped weapons and silencers to Iraq without proper licensing are already under investigation by a federal grand jury in North Carolina, according to people familiar with the case.
Baghdad shaken by suicide attacks
Suicide bombers have struck near two Shia mosques in Baghdad, killing 20 people and wounding another 25, Iraqi security officials said.
The attacks came as worshippers left mosques after prayers celebrating Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan.
British Envoy Says Mission in Afghanistan is Doomed, According to Leaked Memo
The official version of the US-led campaign in Afghanistan received a blow today with a leaked report that the British Ambassador in Kabul believes that US strategy is wrong and the war is as good as lost.
The potentially explosive views were published by Le Canard Enchaîné, a respected French weekly, which said that they were direct quotations from a diplomatic cable written by François Fitou, the French Deputy Ambassador in Kabul.
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