THE BIG PICTURE – AFGHANISTAN DEC 2009 TO DEC 2010

Afghanistan, December, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/12/afghanistan_december_2010.html

2010 has been the deadliest year yet for coalition troops in Afghanistan, with 709 troops killed, 497 of those from the U.S. American officials have spoken of a fragile progress, with a possible small drawdown of troops starting next summer, keeping 2014 as the goal date for Afghans to take control. The United Nations released a report saying that more than 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed and more than 3,800 injured in the first 10 months of 2010, with 76% of these casualties being caused by “anti-government elements”. The report also shows deaths and injuries caused by “pro-government forces” (U.S. and NATO troops, Afghan army and police) accounted for 12% of civilian casualties, an 18% drop from the same time period last year. Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. (43 photos total)

Afghanistan, November, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/12/afghanistan_november_2010.html

Saturday, November 27th marked a milestone in Afghanistan – after that day passed, the United States and its allies have now been in Afghanistan longer than the Soviet Union had been when it withdrew in 1989. Recent announcements by the U.S. appear to show that it plans to remain at least another four years. In the south, U.S. forces are increasingly encountering abandoned buildings that are heavily booby-trapped as they pursue the Taliban, leading them to systematically destroy the structures. Arghandab district governor Shah Muhammed Ahmadi said “In some villages where only a few houses were contaminated by bombs, we called the owners and got their agreement to destroy them, In some villages like Khosrow that were completely empty and full of IED’s, we destroyed them without agreement because it was hard to find the people – and not just Khosrow, but many villages. We had to destroy them to make them safe.” Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. (43 photos total)

Afghanistan, October, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/11/afghanistan_october_2010.html

With the U.S. troop surge now nearing its peak in Afghanistan, more than 150,000 US and international troops are now on the ground. 64 of those troops lost their lives this month, as forces pushed hard into the southern Kandahar Province, traditionally the heartland of the Taliban. At the same time, preliminary discussions are beginning to take place between the inner circle of President Hamid Karzai and members of the Quetta shura, the leadership group that oversees the Taliban war effort inside Afghanistan. Part of the current coalition strategy is to continue applying pressure on the Taliban in the fields, and encouraging their leaders to participate in hoped-for settlement talks. Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. (48 photos total)

Afghanistan, September, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/09/afghanistan_september_2010.html

This month, Afghanistan held parliamentary elections with nearly 2,500 candidates for 249 seats. Turnout was very light under threat of violence from the Taliban, and accusations of fraud are widespread. Afghan President Karzai announced the formation of a 70-member peace council, a step towards formal discussions with the Taliban. And American and Afghan troops have now begun active combat in an offensive to drive the Taliban out of their strongholds surrounding the city of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban. With 51 more coalition troops killed this month, the total number of deaths for coalition troops in 2010 reached 541 compared with 521 for all of 2009. Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. (47 photos total)

Afghanistan, August, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/09/afghanistan_august_2010.html

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The Mandalay Gazette | Organizing for Myanmar Burma | News Network | Blog | Afghanistan, August 2010

https://myanmargazette.net/23659/education

Afghanistan, July, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/07/afghanistan_july_2010.html

Afghanistan, June, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/afghanistan_june_2010.html

Afghanistan, May, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/afghanistan_may_2010.html

Afghanistan, April, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/afghanistan_april_2010.html

Afghanistan, March, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/03/afghanistan_march_2010.html

Afghanistan, February, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/02/afghanistan_february_2010.html

Afghanistan, January, 2010 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/afghanistan_january_2010.html

Afghanistan, December, 2009 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/12/afghanistan_december_2009.html