Medical and Hospital News  
THE STANS
2011 may see Afghan war turning point: Gates

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) April 21, 2011
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday it was possible that 2011 could see a decisive turning point in the war in Afghanistan against Taliban insurgents.

"My own view is that this year is a critical year. We have driven the Taliban out of areas they have controlled for years, including their heartland," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon.

"If we can prevent them this year from retaking the areas that we have taken away from them, and we can continue to expand the security bubble, I think it's possible that by the end of this year we'll have turned the corner, just because of the Taliban being driven out and more importantly, kept out."

The United States has about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, supported by 48,000 troops from coalition allies.

NATO commanders expect an increase in violence in the spring. For now, many insurgents are occupied by the poppy harvest, which should continue until mid-May, according to General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"So the character of the fighting right now is probably more along the lines of the individual spectacular attack, rather than groups of people," Cartwright said.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
News From Across The Stans



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


THE STANS
NZ Defence Force Deploys LAVs To Bamyan
Auckland, New Zeland (SPX) Apr 21, 2011
The New Zealand Defence Force has deployed Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) to Bamyan Province in Afghanistan to support the Provincial Reconstruction Team. "The vehicles bring us the capability we need to keep our personnel safer and operate more effectively in the north eastern area of Bamyan where the security threat is higher," says Commander of Joint Forces, Air Vice Marshal Peter Stock ... read more







THE STANS
Japan PM says country facing 'crisis within crisis'

Japan advisor says nuclear threat receding: report

World remembers Chernobyl, haunted by nuclear fears

EDF wants nuclear crisis task force

THE STANS
NAVIGON Updates iPhone Nav App

ExxonMobil Introduces Android Station Locator App

Garmin Adds Its First Touchscreen GPS Watch To Forerunner Family

Apple devices logging movements: researchers

THE STANS
Pope urges 'solidarity' with refugees from conflict

Evolution of human 'super-brain' tied to development of bipedalism, tool-making

Green environments essential for human health

Asylum seekers torch Australian center

THE STANS
Earth Day? In Texas, it's for the birds

Nepal's rhino numbers recovering after war: study

Life Among A Hundred Thousand Cousins

Change Strategy To Save Diversity Of Species

THE STANS
At least 10 years to eradicate bird flu: UN health agency

Haitians turn to waste to combat cholera, deforestation

Safer Treatment Could Be Realized For Millions Suffering From Parasite Infection

WHO announces deal on sharing flu virus samples

THE STANS
Two die in Tibetan monastery crackdown: rights group

US, China to hold human rights talks

Chinese Christians held at Easter service: church

Elite Chinese student gets death for "cruel" crime

THE STANS
Australian navy rescues Somali pirate hostages

Spanish navy delivers suspected pirates to Seychelles

Spanish navy arrests 11 suspected Somali pirates

Indian navy captures pirates, rescues crew

THE STANS
China could loosen Taiwan banking restrictions: report

Bank of Japan to halve growth forecast: report

Eurozone may see more bailouts

Macau to give residents cash to battle inflation


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement