by William Rivers Pitt July 21, 2009 The coward wretch whose hand and heart Can bear to torture aught below, Is ever first to quail and start From the slightest pain or equal foe. - Bertrand Russell

by Mahir Ali July 21, 2009 EVEN a tentative sigh of relief would probably be premature, but the trickle of refugees back to their towns and villages in Swat is a hopeful sign. The exodus was rapid; the return, inevitably, is much slower. And it ought not to be misconstrued as a vote of confidence in official [...]

by Sonali Kolhatkar July 17, 2009 Editor’s Note (from New America Media): Just two weeks into July, the month is already the deadliest for NATO troops in Afghanistan. The high casualty count is at least partially the result of Operation Khanjar, the largest U.S. Marine Corps ground offensive in years. But NAM contributor Sonali Kolhatkar writes that [...]

versión en español abajo by William Fisher July 17, 2009 NEW YORK, Jul 17 (IPS) – A prominent human rights group is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate why the administration of former President George W. Bush blocked three different probes into war crimes in Afghanistan where as many as 2,000 surrendered Taliban fighters were [...]

By PIR ZUBAIR SHAH and ALAN COWELL Published: July 3, 2009 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — At least 13 people were killed Friday in what was suspected to be an attack by an American drone in a remote village stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, according to two residents reached by telephone.

By DEXTER FILKINS May 20, 2009 KABUL, Afghanistan — Leaders of the Taliban and other armed groups battling the Afghan government are talking to intermediaries about a potential peace agreement, with initial demands focused on a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops, according to Afghan leaders here and in Pakistan.