Category: NATOSource

Afghan Government: Corruption Largely Fault of Western Contracts

By Radio Australia News

From Radio Australia News: Afghanistan says the blame for most of the corruption plaguing the country lies with its Western backers who dole out "illegitimate" contracts that have created an "economic mafia". Presidential spokesman Waheed Omer says security deals between US and NATO troops and private security companies are chief among the "corrupt contracts". Mr […]

Drone Strike in Pakistan Kills 20

By Michael Georgy, Reuters

From Michael Georgy, Reuters: Missiles fired from a U.S. pilotless drone aircraft killed 13 militants and 7 civilians in Pakistan’s North Waziristan on Monday, Pakistani intelligence officials said. They said the missiles were fired at a militant hideout. Most of the militants killed were members of the Afghan Taliban. Four women and three children were […]

Canada Turned Down NATO Request for More Troops

By Macleans.ca

From Macleans.ca: Ottawa rejected a direct plea from NATO to send more troops into southern Afghanistan in the lead-up to last year’s Afghan presidential election, according to federal documents. The briefing note, which was prepared for Defence Minister Peter MacKay, revealed that both NATO and the U.S. expected Canada to send extra troops to Kandahar […]

Why Europe fears Petraeus’s urge to surge

By Ahmed Rashid, the Financial Times

From Ahmed Rashid, the Financial Times:  For weeks there has been a spectre haunting European corridors of power. That spectre is [Gen.] David Petraeus. Since he stepped in last month as head of combined US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, many European governments have feared the US general would try and extend the time and […]

Iceland should keep its faith in NATO

By Vera Knútsdóttir, the Guardian

From Vera Knútsdóttir, the Guardian:  Formal talks on Iceland’s accession to the European Union started on 27 July, spurring heated debates between the pro-EU and anti-EU camps. Some of the more optimistic EU advocates believe that once Iceland joins the EU there will be no need for Iceland to stay in Nato. … These optimists […]

Russian sources disagree on details of spy scandal

By EurActiv.com

From EurActiv.com:  Konstantin Kosachev, president of the foreign affairs committee in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, warned Romania that a spiralling spy scandal could have political and economic repercussions, the press in Bucharest wrote yesterday (19 August). … Kosachev said the Romanian diplomat caught red-handed in Moscow had been obtaining sensitive […]

NATO to airlift aid to Pakistan

By NATO

From NATO:  In response to a request by the Government of Pakistan, the North Atlantic Council decided today to provide airlift and sealift for the delivery of aid donated by nations and humanitarian relief organizations. A NATO aircraft will conduct a humanitarian relief mission to Pakistan on Sunday 22 August 2010 in support of the […]

Macedonia Vacillates on NATO Commitment

By Slobodanka Jovanovska, BBC via Investors Business Daily: The pillar of Macedonian foreign policy over the past two decades, that is, the good relations with the United States, has begun to fall apart against the blows of the patriotic fight for the state’s name.

Bulgarian Air Force Commander moves on to NATO position

By novinite.com

From novinite.com:  Brigadier General Stefan Petrov, the current commander of Bulgaria’s helicopter air force base in Krumovo, advances to a position in the NATO air force commandment in Izmir, Turkey. He will be replaced as a commander at Krumovo by Colonel Zlatko Zlatev, the current chief of staff of the detachment. Detachment 32020 in Krumovo […]