British troop numbers in Afghanistan could start falling as soon as next year, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday.
"But it should be based on the conditions on the ground," Cameron said in response to a BBC reporter.
"I don't want to raise expectations about that, because that transition should be based on how well the security situation is progressing," he said. FULL POST
Taliban militants beheaded six Afghan police officers during a raid in northern Baghlan province, officials said Wednesday. FULL POST
Gen. David Petraeus, the new commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan, has called for labeling the leaders of the insurgent Haqqani network as terrorists.
I've met Gen. Petraeus only briefly, and I am convinced that he is not trying to pull another McChrystal, to push the White House to become even more deeply mired in the war in Afghanistan. Hence the only way one can interpret the troubling news that he wants to brand the insurgent group with the terrorist label is that he has the support of his civilian superiors for such a move.
Read more of the opinion of Amitai Etzioni, a professor of international relations at George Washington University and the author of several books, including "Security First" and "New Common Ground."