In Afghanistan, a drive to lure Taliban with jobs, security
The aim is to persuade Taliban foot soldiers to put down arms in exchange for jobs and protection from militants. The drive will be modeled on the ‘Sons of Iraq’ initiative that helped calm Iraq. Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan – The Afghan government and the U.S. military have begun a fledgling drive to lure Taliban foot soldiers away from the battlefield by offering them job opportunities and protection, diplomats and military personnel familiar with the initiative say. (Laura King, LA Times)
O.C. Marine is called a hero at Afghanistan memorial service
Reporting from Forward Operating Base Geronimo, Afghanistan — Lance Cpl. Justin Swanson’s battalion commander thought of his own sons as he remembered the young Marine from Orange County in a solemn memorial service Saturday at this outpost in Afghanistan. (Tony Perry, LA Times)
Iraq parliament passes amended election law
Prospects of holding elections in Iraq in January have again receded after MPs amended a law without addressing the concerns of one of its vice-presidents. Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab, vetoed a previous version of the election law because he wanted more representation for millions of Iraqis living abroad. (BBC News)
US and Afghan soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Seven soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours – four of them American and three Afghan. Nato said three of the US soldiers died in southern Afghanistan on Sunday and the other in a bomb explosion on Monday in the east of the country. (BBC News)
Al-Qaeda in Iraq regaining strength
GOVERNMENT IS THE TARGET BAGHDAD — The Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq has rebounded in strength in recent months and appears to be launching a concerted effort to cripple the Iraqi government as U.S. troops withdraw, Iraqi and American officials say. (Ernesto Londono, Washington Post)
