Global News Alert - December 18, 2009
December 17, 2009 Global News Alert December 21, 2009 Global News Alert
Afghanistan
Christian Science Monitor - Marines Prep for Key Taliban Offensive in Southern Afghanistan, by Gordon Lubold
VOA News - Coalition Troops Launch Major Offensive East of Kabul
Wall Street Journal - Karzai Picks West-Friendly Cabinet, by Yaroslav Trofimov
Associated Press - Afghan Officials: Karzai to Keep Half His Cabinet, by Amir Shah
RFE/RL - US Envoy to Kabul Vows 'Long-Term Partnership'
Reuters - Fired Afghan Envoy Starts Legal Action Against U.N., by Louis Charbonnea
Department of Defense - McChystal Praises Canada's Afghanistan Contributions, by Gerry Gilmore
Department of Defense - Forces in Afghanistan Detains Suspected Militants
RFE/RL - US Spends $32 Billion On Afghan Contracts
Wall Street Journal - Training for the Civilian Surge, by Jay Solomon
Christian Science Monitor (Opinion) - In Afghanitan, NATO is Fighting for Its Life, by David Abshire
Pakistan
Associated Press - Suspected US Drone Strike Kills 3 in Pakistan, by Rasool Dawar
Reuters - Bomber, U.S. Drone Attack in Pakistan; Tension Rises, by Augustine Anthony
Washington Post - U.S. Drone strikes Kill 16 in Pakistan Region Thought to Be al-Qaeda Home Base, by Griff Witte and Haq Nawaz Khan
Associated Press - Suicide Bomber Near Pakistan Mosque Kils 10, by Munir Ahmad
Department of Defense - U.S.- Pakistan Talks Focus on Long-Term Partnership, by Donna Miles
Times Online - Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar Banned from Travel
BBC News - Pakistan Minister Court Summons
Iraq
VOA News - Iraqi PM: Security Forces Not Linked to Baghdad Bombings
LA Times - Foreign Interpreters Hurt in Battle Find U.S. Insurance Benefits Wanting, by Christian Miller
Department of Defense - Mullen Discusses Election, Logistsics in Iraq, by Jim Garamone
New York Times (Editorial) - Iraq, the Kurds and the Americans
World
Iran
Associated Press - Iran Making New Model Centrifuge for Nuke Program, by Ali Akbar Dareini
BBC News - Iran's Government 'Will Not Last,' Says Mehdi Karoubi
North Korea
LA Times - North Korean Arms Seizure Could be a Boost for Nuclear Talks, by John Glionna
Yemen
Washington Post - Yemen Forces Launch Pre-Dawn Assault on Alleged al-Qaeda Sites, by Sudarsan Raghavan
Times Online - Yemen Kills at Least 34 Militants in Fresh Raids Against al-Qaeda, by James Hider
Russia
Wall Street Journal - Obama, Medvedev to Meet on Nuclear Arms Control, by Jonathan Weisman
Associated Press - Russia Says Arms Deal with US Could Be Near
New York Times - Nearing New Arms Pact, U.S. and Russia Look Beyond It, by Peter Baker
RFE/RL - NATO Chief Looks for Afghan Help, Eases Tensions in Moscow, by Kevin O'Flynn
Mexico
LA Times - Drug Carel Chief is Dead, but Now What?, by Ken Ellingwood
New York Times - Hired by Customs, but Working for Mexican Cartels, by Randal Archibold
United States
Washington Post (Opinion) - Strengthening Our Nation's Front Line of Defense, by Dennis Blair
Wall Street Journal - Officers Warned of Flaw in U.S. Drones in 2004, by Yochi Dreazen, August Cole, and Siobhan Gorman