Category: NATOSource

Controversy over BBC story: British may be ‘among last’ to leave Afghanistan

By Mark Mardell, BBC

Gen. Petraeus confirmed as new US Afghan commander

By Susan Cornwell and Phil Stewart, Reuters

From Susan Cornwell and Phil Stewart, Reuters: The U.S. Senate unanimously voted on Wednesday to confirm David Petraeus as commander of the troubled Afghan war, pinning U.S. hopes on the four-star general who helped turn around the conflict in Iraq.

NATO needs to brace for spike in casualties-Britain

By Adam Entous, Reuters

From Adam Entous, Reuters: Britain’s defense secretary warned NATO allies on Wednesday against prematurely withdrawing forces from Afghanistan and said they should prepare their war-weary publics for a spike in coalition casualties.

U.S. Official: ‘We have No Arms Embargo on Georgia’

By Civil Georgia

Christian Wulff Elected New German President

By Spiegel

Latvian Defense Minister Urges Caution on Sales to Non-NATO Members

By Julian Hale, Defense News

From Julian Hale, Defense News: Latvian Defense Minister Imants Liegis urged consultation among allied countries when NATO members consider selling power-projection equipment to non-allies.  Russia has recently been in discussions with France, the Netherlands and Spain about the purchase of an assault ship. "A Russian general said that if he had had this equipment at […]

NATO retools in a key mission: Building an Afghan police force

By Joby Warrick, the Washington Post

From Joby Warrick, the Washington Post:  The alliance is shaking up existing training programs and adding new incentives in an attempt to turn around what has been one of the biggest, most enduring disappointments of the nearly nine-year-old war: the inability to transform the country’s 90,000 police officers into a professional force capable of assuming […]

The deadliest month for NATO in nine years of conflict

By AFP

From AFP: An Afghan UN employee was killed when his vehicle came under fire in Kabul Tuesday, as the toll for foreign troops rose to 100 in June, the deadliest month for NATO in nine years of conflict.

European Union, U.S. to share banking data to fight terrorism

By Ellen Nakashima, the Washington Post

From Ellen Nakashima, the Washington Post:  The European Union has reached an agreement with the United States that will allow European bank data to continue to be shared for counterterrorism purposes, but only after liberal members of parliament secured stronger privacy guarantees.

The buildup of soldiers in Afghanistan is beginning to show results, NATO says

By Thom Shanker and Alissa Rubin, the New York Times

From Thom Shanker and Alissa Rubin, the New York Times:  Despite deepening pessimism back home and disarray in the top American military ranks, officials insist that the buildup of soldiers in Afghanistan is beginning to show results: Commando raids over the last four months have taken scores of insurgent leaders out of action, in a […]