The New York Times reported last week that the CIA has been given the green light to expand its “secret” drone attacks against Al Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan. Under the program, Hellfire missiles are fired at targets in Pakistan from Predator drones flown remotely by CIA operators in the United States. The program, […]
Tag Archives: Taliban
An upswing in violence in Afghanistan… What does this mean for Canada?
By any measure the last few months have been marked by an upswing in violence in Afghanistan–a “dreary and bloody stalemate” according to the CBC’s Brian Stewart. NATO–and the US in particular–have come to recognize this as there has been much ado about how to re-cast the mission. First of all this has meant the implementation of a new command structure […]
Canada Cautiously Supporting Afghan Peace Talks
With peace talks under way between the Afghan government and representatives of the Taliban and other insurgent groups, cautious support is emerging from Canadian officials. But despite the indicated support, any backing from Canada is tempered with the caveat that “a deal must result in a central government that is not under Taliban control.” Additionally, […]
Mixed Reactions to Proposed Taliban Negotiations
President Barack Obama’s efforts to reach out to the Taliban in Afghanistan has been met with mixed reviews. Some have expressed hope and optimism that both sides to the conflict are willing to engage in talks. Others remain skeptical, arguing that it demonstrates weakness of the U.S. military and its inability to defeat the Taliban. […]