Afghanistan's dreams of rock
Among the many repressive things the Taliban forced on Afghans was the banning of all music for being "sinful." Today, with the Taliban still an influence, and the country still very conservative, music is back … although who knows what the Taliban would make of Kabul Dreams.
They're thought to be their country's only rock band: three guys who share a love of Coldplay, Oasis and the Beatles. FULL POST
'Giving away' UK votes to Afghans
As more UK soldiers and dollars head into Afghanistan, it is a hot button foreign policy issue for the candidates in the UK election. But now some British citizens feel Afghans should have a say in British policy, giving away their votes to the Afghans as part of the group "Give Your Vote." We followed one British voter and the person she's giving her vote to who lives in Kabul.
Pakistan is 'epicenter of Islamic terrorism'
The suspect in the Times Square bombing attempt was caught as he was seeking to flee to Pakistan, a nation that analyst Fareed Zakaria calls the "epicenter of Islamic terrorism."
"It's worth noting that even the terrorism that's often attributed to the war in Afghanistan tends to come out of Pakistan, to be planned by Pakistanis, to be funded from Pakistan or in some other way to be traced to Pakistan," said Zakaria. He added that Pakistan's connection with terrorist groups goes back decades and has often been encouraged by that nation's military for strategic reasons.
Read the Q&A with Zakaria, author and host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," about the ideology that drives the terrorism, Pakistan's stance on militancy and lessons learned from the Times Square incicident
Afghan police kill 7 suicide bombers
Kabul, Afghanistan — Seven suicide bombers attempting to enter government buildings Wednesday were killed by police in Afghanistan's Nimruz province, local officials said. Authorities were searching for two other potential bombers.
A female member of the provincial council was killed in the incident and five police officers were injured, said Ghulam Dastagir Azad, governor of the province.
CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report.
House panel examines Obama strategy, troop strength
Washington (CNN) - The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday took stock of the Obama administration's new counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, and examined whether more troops could be deployed if conditions warrant.
The Obama administration has added about 30,000 troops in Afghanistan since December, bringing to about 100,000 the U.S. force there. Some 40,000 NATO troops also are deployed in the conflict.
Lt. Gen. John Paxton, director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked whether Gen. Stanley McCrystal, who is heading up operations in Afghanistan, has so far requested additional troops. FULL POST
