Posted: March 14, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Honour & Tribute, NZPacific, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: (L), 10, 2010, 3rd Battalion The Rifles (3 RIFLES), 4th Battalion The Rifles, afghan, afghanistan, Ahmadinejad, aimed, Army Soldier, arrives, british culture, british soldiers killed in afghanistan, carrying, city street, conflict, Corporal Richard Green, Corporal Stephen Thompson, death, defence, does, eight, ending, england, foreign, from 1st Battalion The Rifles, hamid, hamlet, Hearse, his, horizontal, human body, Human Interest, interest, investigation, Iran, iranian, Kabul, karzai, Lance Corporal Tom Keogh, look, Mahmoud, march, military, Mourner, nato, overlaps, palace, ParsPix/ABACAPRESSCOM, People, Politics, presence, president, Presidential, React, receives, review, Rifleman Jonathon Allott, Rifleman Liam Maughan, Robert, said, secretary, shakes, solution, surge, the, touring, troop, troops, UK, us, US Marine Corps, van, visit, visiting, war, Wootton Bassett, year'S |
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WOOTTON BASSETT, ENGLAND, MARCH 11, 2010: Mourners react as the hearses carrying the bodies of five British soldiers killed in Afghanistan are driven along the High Street on March 11, 2010 in Wootton Bassett, England. Corporal Richard Green, Rifleman Jonathon Allott and Rifleman Liam Maughan, all from 3rd Battalion The Rifles (3 RIFLES) and Lance Corporal Tom Keogh, from 4th Battalion The Rifles, and Corporal Stephen Thompson, from 1st Battalion The Rifles, both serving as part of the 3 RIFLES Battle Group were flown into nearby RAF Lyneham this morning. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images).
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KHAN NESHIN, AFGHANISTAN – MARCH 11, 2010: Afghans look on as US Marines search their van March 11, 2010 in a hamlet near Khan Neshin in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Marines in the area have been assigned to help gather census data for planned Afghan government in the area, and are making visits to rural compounds to get the demographic information in their area of operations. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images).
Posted: March 14, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, NZPacific, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: (L), 10, 2010, afghan, afghanistan, Ahmadinejad, aimed, Angela Merkel, audience, Ban Ki-Moon, berlin, Bestof, british culture, capital cities, Chancellery, Concepts & Topics, conference, conflict, consider, country, defense, Diplomacy, does, eight, ending, england, foreign, gates, german, germany, Gordon Brown, government, hamid, hamid karzai, hillary clinton, his, horizontal, hotel, Iran, iranian, john mccain, joint, Joseph Lieberman, Kabul, karzai, Lancaster House, leadership, leaving, Mahmoud, march, meeting, munich, nato, overlaps, palace, ParsPix/ABACAPRESSCOM, peace, photo, Photograph:, Politics, Portrait, presence, president, Presidential, press, Prime Minister, receives, review, Robert, said, secretary, secretary of state, Secretary-General, security, solution, speaks, speech, surge, talking, The Media, topics, Topix, touring, troop, troops, UK, united nations, us, usa, vertical, visit, visiting, Waist Up, war, year'S |
Photos aplenty showing Afghan President all over the democratic world hobnobbing with world leaders from Iran, Germany and British.
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai (L) shakes hands with visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he arrives at The Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 10, 2010. Ahmadinejad said Iran does not consider the presence of foreign troops a solution for peace in Afghanistan. His visit overlaps with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates touring the country for a review of the US and NATO troop surge aimed at ending eight years of war. Photo by Parspix/ABACAPRESS.COM
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Visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) speaks at a joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 10, 2010. Photo by Parspix/ABACAPRESS.COM
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai addresses the audience during the 46th Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich on February 7, 2010 in Munich, Germany. The 46th Munich conference on security policy ends today.
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German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (R) welcomes Afghan President Hamid Karzai during the first day of the 46th Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich on February 5, 2010 in Munich, Germany.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Afghan President Hamid Karzai depart after speaking to the media after talks at the Chancellery on January 27, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. Merkel has pledged an additional 500 German ISAF troops for Afghanistan as well as a program to help intice Taliban fighters who are willing to lay down their arms. Karzai is in Berlin ahead of the upcoming international conference on Afghanistan in London. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images).
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U.S. Senators Joseph Lieberman (C) and John McCain (R) talk to Afghan President Hamid Karzai (L) during the 46th Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich on February 7, 2010 in Munich, Germany.
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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (R) shakes hands with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan in Downing Street after a breakfast meeting on January 28, 2010 in London, England. Foreign ministers from over 70 countries attended the conference, co-hosted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Talks aims to tackle key issues on the future of Afghanistan and the gradual withdrawal of international troops from the country. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images).
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 28: Delegates including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (C), Afghan President Hamid Karzai (CL) and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (CR) and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (Second Row, CL) pose for a photograph ahead of the Afghanistan London Conference at Lancaster House on January 28, 2010 in London, England.
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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks with Spain’s Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaube before posing for a photograph ahead of the Afghanistan London Conference at Lancaster House on January 28, 2010 in London, England.
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British Foreign Secretary David Miliband waits to greet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Afghanistan London Conference at Lancaster House on January 28, 2010 in London, England.
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (L) meets with President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai at the London Conference on Afghanistan in London on January 28, 2010. UPI/Embassy Photo.
Posted: February 20, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Community, Current, Honour & Tribute, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: afghanistan, Army Soldier, Bestof, bomb, british culture, carrying, case, casualty list samoa, city street, conflict, Corporal Johnathan Moore and Warrant Officer Class 2 David Markland, death, dover, Dover - Delaware, Dover Air Force Base, england, exchanging, expertise, family, Hearse, horizontal, human body, Human Interest, Kingsman Sean Dawson, Lance Corporal Darren Hicks, Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, majestic, Mourner, moving, passing, preparation, Private Sean McDonald, React, recycling, Rifleman Mark Marshall, Sapper Guy Mellors, Sean Caughman, team, topics, Topix, UK, US Marine Corps, us navy, usa, war, Wootton Bassett |
German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a government declaration on ISAF military deployment to increase the number of German troops in Afghanistan from the current 4,500 to 5,350.
Meanwhile, at least 8 British soldiers have lost their lives in February in Afghanistan. American soldiers are also numbered here.
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Mourners react as the hearses carrying the bodies of five British soldiers killed in Afghanistan are driven along the High Street on February 18, 2010 in Wotton Bassett, England. The bodies of Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, Lance Corporal Darren Hicks from 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, Kingsman Sean Dawson of 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (2 LANCS), Rifleman Mark Marshall from 6th Battalion The Rifles and Sapper Guy Mellors from 36 Engineer Regiment were flown into RAF Lyneham from Afghanistan this morning.
Lance Corporal Hicks, 29, was killed in an explosion on February 11. Lance Sgt Greenhalgh, 25, died when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device on February 13. Rifleman Marshall, 29, was killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol on February 14. And on the same day, Kingsman Dawson, 19, was shot during a gunfight with insurgents but early indications suggest he was killed from suspected ‘friendly fire’. Sapper Mellors, 20, from Coventry, was killed while he was engaged in bomb clearance, on February 15.
A total of 261 British service personnel have now died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images).
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WOOTTON BASSETT, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 12: The family of Corporal Johnathan Moore react as the hearses carrying the bodies of Private Sean McDonald, Corporal Johnathan Moore and Warrant Officer Class 2 David Markland – a bomb disposal expert – pass on the High Street on February 12 2009, in Wootton Bassett, England. Cpl Moore, 22, and Pte McDonald, 26, of The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were killed in an explosion near Sangin on February 7. Their deaths pushed the numbers of soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001, past that of the 255 killed in the Falklands War in 1982. WO2 Markland, 36, was killed in another IED blast the following day. The repatriation came as a 15,000-strong force of coalition and Afghan troops made final preparations for a major offensive against the Taliban in Helmand Province. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images).
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American Troops Killed in Afghanistan
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A U.S. Marine carry team moves the transfer case of Marine Pfc. Jason H. Estopinal during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base on February 17, 2010 in Dover, Delaware. Estopinal who was from Dallas, Georgia was killed in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images).
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A U.S. Navy carry team prepares to move the transfer case of Navy Internet Technician 1st Class Sean Caughman during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base on February 17, 2010 in Dover, Delaware. Caughman was killed in Iraq while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Posted: January 22, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, NZPacific, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: 18, 2010, 40, afghan, afghanistan, at, attacks, capital, clash, Clashes, death, did, Diplomacy, Fatemi, fighting, five, forces, four, government, hamid, health, hours, include, january, Kabul, karzai, key, killed, kiwi, lasted, launched, market, militants, Ministry, multiple, Nearly, new zealand, news, People, Politics, position, president, public, restored, said, security, soldiers, stated, suicide, Taliban, Talibanlinked, targets, the, three, toll, UPI/Hossein, war, wounded |
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Afghan soldiers take position in a public market during clashes between Taliban-linked militants and security forces on January 18, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Taliban militants launched multiple suicide attacks at key government targets.
At least five people were killed and nearly 40 others wounded in fighting between Taliban militants and security forces, the public health ministry said. The death toll did not include four militants who were also killed during the attacks, which lasted more than three hours. President Hamid Karzai had stated that security had been restored to the capital. UPI/Hossein Fatemi
At War: Notes From the Front Lines – At War Blog – NYTimes.com.
Source: New York Times writer Dexter Filkins who is embedded with troops in Kabul, Afghanistan. Filkins is the journalist who broke the story earlier this week revealing NZ SAS soldiers were fighting with Afghan soldiers against the Taliban earlier this week.
KABUL, Afghanistan — The attack on the Central Bank in downtown Kabul this week revealed many things about Afghanistan. But one of the more surprising things it brought to light was that New Zealand is at war.
New Zealand? At war?
Who knew?
Not a lot of New Zealanders, apparently. The news — first reported in my story—that a team of commandos from New Zealand had joined Afghan soldiers at the scene caused a sensation in the little country off the coast of Australia.
I spotted the team of New Zealanders as they moved into Pashtunistan Square, the site of the Taliban attack, which killed five people and wounded at least 70. All seven militants died or killed themselves. The city was paralyzed for hours.
“Get out of here,” one of the New Zealanders said to me. I saw the patch on his arm announcing his country.
Others were more friendly.
“Can’t talk now, mate,” another said with a smile.
Posted: January 19, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: 18, 2010, 38, afghan, afghanistan, at, attack, attacks, battles, boom, building, buildings, capital, capital cities, car, Centre, centres, civilians, clash, Clashes, commandos, commercial, death, Descriptive Position, did, Diplomacy, erupted, Fatemi, FatemiUPI/Hossein, fighting, five, following, force, forces, forcesUPI/Hossein, four, government, gun, health, heart, horizontal, hours, human body, include, january, Kabul, killed, lasted, launched, lies, look, market, Militant Groups, militants, Ministry, news, People, policemen, political, Politics, position, public, ruined, said, second, secure, security, shopping, site, spokesman, street, string, suicide, taking, Taliban, Talibanlinked, the, three, toll, triggering, UPI/Hossein, war, wounded |
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KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: Afghan commandos take position on a building during clashes between Taliban-linked militants and security forces in Kabul on January 18, 2010. Taliban militants launched multiple suicide attacks at key government targets.Five people were killed and 38 others wounded in fighting between Taliban militants and security forces, the public health ministry said. The death toll did not include four militants who were also killed during the attacks, which lasted more than three hours. UPI/Hossein Fatemi.
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Posted: January 18, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: afghanistan, breaking, explosion, hamid, Kabul, karzai, militant, new zealand troops in Afghanistan, Taliban, war |
about 30 minutes ago with Taliban saying it is conducting a militant operation.
Update: New Zealand commandos were reportedly the only Western troops on the scene, no American troops were present. Source: New York Times Dexter Filkins
Within minutes, hundreds of Afghan commandos, soldiers and police surrounded Pashtunistan Square and attacked. Some of the Afghan fighters were part of specially formed antiterrorism squads. Monday’s gun battle was notable for the absence of American soldiers: a small group of commandos from New Zealand were the only Western soldiers on the scene.
One group of Afghan commandos said they had come straight from a training class.
“We were going through drills when we got the word,” said Bawahuddin, a young member of an antiterrorism squad, standing behind a wall as he prepared to join the fight. Bawahuddin flashed a thumbs up sign. “We’re ready — we’re ready.”
And then his unit got the word — “Go now, go now!” — and the men began to run. And Bawahuddin’s eyes flashed with fear.
“Either we are going to kill them, or they are going to kill us,” said Saifullah Sarhadi, a commando on the edge of the fight.
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — At least two explosions and gunfire shook downtown Kabul on Monday morning, with the Taliban saying it was conducting a militant operation.
The attack started as 14 members of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s Cabinet were to be sworn in, said Parliament member Fawzia Koofi.
About 20 Taliban insurgents entered the presidential palace; the ministries of finance, mines and justice; and the Serena Hotel, said spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. The militants claimed responsibility for one explosion, which was later followed by at least one another.
To read more
Posted: December 17, 2009 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, NZPacific, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: afghanistan, asking, attending, berlin, Bestof, bombing, Bundestag, capital cities, competition, conflict, debate, Diplomacy, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, gasoline, german, German Left Party, German Social Democratic Party, germany, government, horizontal, Juergen Trittin, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Kunduz, leader, left-wing, party, politician, Politics, refueling, Taliban, talking, topics, Topix, vertical, Waist Up, war |
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BERLIN : German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg speaks during debates at the Bundestag over the German-ordered bombing of Taliban-hijacked gasoline transporters near Kunduz in Afghanistan on December 16, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. Scores of civilians, in addition to many Taliban fighters, were killed in the bombing, and the subsequent political fallout cost both a German Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff their jobs.
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Zu Guttenberg is under growing pressure following his statements that the German-ordered bombing of Taliban-hijacked gasoline transporters near Kunduz in Afghanistan was appropriate, and a later statement that it was not, as well as allegations of a cover-up over what he knew about the incident and when. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
The subsequent political fallout cost both a German Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff their jobs. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 11, 2009 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, NZPacific, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs, US Presidential Elections 2008 | Tags: (Christophe, 10, 2009, Actor, adult, afghanistan, Army Soldier, arriving, Arts Culture and Entertainment, award, balcony, barack, barack obama, Bestof, bullet, capital cities, Celebrities, ceremony, CeremonyOslo, city, communication, crowd, daughter, December, defense, evidence, first, glasses, group, Guibbaud/Abaca, Guibbaud/ABACAPRESSCOM, Haakon, hall, Harald, Head of State, horizontal, hotel, Human Interest, Ingrid, International organization, Jada, Jens, king, krt2009, krtedonly, lady, leaves, Looking At Camera, Magnus, mct, MetteMarit, Michelle, michelle obama, minister, new york city, Newscom, Nobel, nobel peace prize, norway, norwegian, ny, obama, Oslo, parade, peace, People, photo, Pinkett, pol, Politics, president, prime, prince, princess, prize, protest, Protestor, queen, receiving, Schulerudwith, Smiling, Smith, Sonja, Stoltenberg, surge, topics, Topix, town, Traditional Culture, us, usa, Waist Up, war, wave, waving, wife, will, willow, women |
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[tweetmeme] New York photos by Chris Hondros/Getty Images.
NEW YORK – Protesters from the group The World Can’t Wait demonstrate during a ‘coffin march’ against U.S. President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize after his announcement of a troop surge in Afghanistan December 10, 2009 in New York. Obama accepted the controversial prize in Oslo, Norway today.
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OSLO, NORWAY: U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wave from behind bullet proof glass on the balcony of the Grand Hotel to the crowds who had gathered outside for the traditional torchlight procession today in Oslo, Norway. Obama today accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he is humbled by the award and receives it with an ‘acute sense’ of the cost of war. Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 9, 2009 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: afghanistan, capital cities, government, greeting, hearing, hold, horizontal, International Security Assistance Force, officer, peace, Politics, Protestor, Stanley A. McChrystal, support, US Senate Armed Services Committee, usa, war, washington dc |
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Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and commander of United States Forces Afghanistan U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal (C) greets supporters before testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee about the war in Afghanistan. Although they previously disagreed on the way forward in Afghanistan, McCrystal and Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry said they fully agree with President Barack Obama’s plans for increasing U.S. forces in the war-torn country. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images).
[tweetmeme]United State’s top Commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry are right now testifying before the Senate Armed Services Cmte. to defend the military buildup and 2011 transition strategy in Afghanistan. Earlier, they appeared before the House Armed Services Cmte.( C-SPAN)
Click here to watch ( note: this is a live stream so if you click on this outside of this time period, it may not show the same Senate Hearing.)
Briefly, right now, Senate Armed Services Committee has pointed out that it is well known that the major sources of funding within Afghanistan come from:
- narcotics funding and
- external funding from NGOS, and wealthy individuals in Gulf States.
US Ambassador to Afghanistan made a distinction that it was “Taliban” funding amd included taxation as another form of funding for the Taliiban.
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A demonstrator from Code Pink for Peace holds up a sign before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing about the war. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images).
Posted: December 3, 2009 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Opinion & Commentary, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: (L), (not, 1, 2009, 30000, a, academy, Admiral, adult, advances, afghan, afghanistan, al qaida, army, Arrival, arrive, arrives, arriving, barack, Bestof, Blackfoot, buffer, buildup, c, Cadet, capital cities, Capitol Hill, center, chairman, Chairperson, Chiefs, climbs, Close To, conflict, country, December, decision, defense, exit, fingerprint, gates, Glenn, government, hearing, hillary clinton, horizontal, house, increase, Infantry, Iran, iraq, john mccain, joint, Joint Chiefs of Staff, law, lawn, levels, men, Michael, Michael Mullen, military, Mullen, national, new, news, Newscom, obama, Operatio, outlines, parachute, photo, photographs, photography, pictured), Planned, plans, point, police, police officer, Politics, POTUS, president, regiment, reverse, Robert, Robert M. Gates, secretary, secretary of state, soldiers, south, South Lawn, speaking, speech, spoke, staff, strategy, Syracuse, Taliban, targeted, terrorism, testimony, the, topics, Topix, train, traveled, troop, troops, UPI/Alexis, UPI/Roger, us, US Senate Armed Services Committee, usa, Village, walk, walks, war, washington, washington dc, West, white, White House, Wollenberg, york, zone |
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WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 02: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L)and Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L) arrive at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, December 2, 2009 in Washington, DC. The committee is hearing testimony on President Barack Obama’s plan to send more troops to Afghanistan. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images. Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with an aide
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen (L) talks with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) before the start ofa Senate Armed Services Committee hearing
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WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 02: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C), U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen (R) and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (L) testify before the House Foreign Relations Committee.(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
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US SOLDIERS IN AFGHANISTAN
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SARHOWZA, AFGHANISTAN – DECEMBER 02: SGT Joseph Delair of Syracuse, NY with the Army’s Blackfoot Company 1st Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment trains Afghan National Policemen at the Sarhowza District Center near Sarhowza, Afghanistan. The U.S Army is attempting to train the ANP to become self sufficient in the district. Today President Obama said he wants to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, bring the total number to nearly 100,000. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=obama&iid=7183042″ src=”a/9/e/4/Soldiers_Patrol_Sarhowza_a8fe.jpg?adImageId=7991660&imageId=7183042″ width=”500″ height=”333″ /]
SGT Joseph Delair of Syracuse, NY fingerprints and photographs men from a nearby village at the Sahowza District Center near Sarhowza, Afghanistan. The men are registered and checked in the system to make sure they are not wanted as an enemy combatant.
BACK AT THE WHITE HOUSE
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen walk across the South Lawn after arriving at the White House with U.S. President Barack Obama (not pictured) in Washington on December 1, 2009. President Obama traveled to West Point Military Academy in New York and spoke on a planned increase of troops and exit strategy for the war in Afghanistan. The buildup is targeted to reverse the Taliban advances in the country and to train Afghan soldiers and police. UPI/Alexis C. Glenn Photo via Newscom. Content © 2009 Newscom All rights reserved.
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U.S. President Barack Obama walks across the South Lawn after arriving at the White House in Washington on December 1, 2009. President Obama traveled to West Point Military Academy in New York and spoke on a planned increase of troops and exit strategy for the war in Afghanistan.UPI/Alexis C. Glenn Photo via Newscom. Content © 2009 Newscom All rights reserved.
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U.S. President Barack Obama disembarks Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington after travelling to West Point, New York, to deliver his address to the nation in which he outlines why more troops will be sent to Afghanistan.
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U.S President Barack Obama waves at the end of his address to nation at West Point.
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A cadet climbs into the buffer zone for a photo with U.S. President Barack Obama after he spoke about his decision to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan by about 30,000 during a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, on December 1, 2009.
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U.S. President Barack Obama walks off of the stage after his speech.
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U.S. President Barack Obama waves at the conclusion of his speech
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Gen. David Petraeus (standing) chats with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gen. Eric Shinseki , Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (L to to R) as they wait for U.S. President Barack Obama to speak
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Army Cadets wait for U.S. President Barack Obama to speak
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U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to speak about his decision
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Cadets bow their heads in prayer before a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama
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A cadet listens as President Obama speaks about plans to send more troops to Afghanistan.
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Members of CodePink, (L-R) Michael Viers, Medea Benjamin and Joan Stallard protest against ‘escalation of the war in Afghanistan’ in front of the White House December 1, 2009 in Washington.
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Archives to March 2010 - PEW 
Photos: Obama, Secretary of State, Afghanistan, West Point Cadets
Posted: December 3, 2009 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Opinion & Commentary, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: (L), (not, 1, 2009, 30000, a, academy, Admiral, adult, advances, afghan, afghanistan, al qaida, army, Arrival, arrive, arrives, arriving, barack, Bestof, Blackfoot, buffer, buildup, c, Cadet, capital cities, Capitol Hill, center, chairman, Chairperson, Chiefs, climbs, Close To, conflict, country, December, decision, defense, exit, fingerprint, gates, Glenn, government, hearing, hillary clinton, horizontal, house, increase, Infantry, Iran, iraq, john mccain, joint, Joint Chiefs of Staff, law, lawn, levels, men, Michael, Michael Mullen, military, Mullen, national, new, news, Newscom, obama, Operatio, outlines, parachute, photo, photographs, photography, pictured), Planned, plans, point, police, police officer, Politics, POTUS, president, regiment, reverse, Robert, Robert M. Gates, secretary, secretary of state, soldiers, south, South Lawn, speaking, speech, spoke, staff, strategy, Syracuse, Taliban, targeted, terrorism, testimony, the, topics, Topix, train, traveled, troop, troops, UPI/Alexis, UPI/Roger, us, US Senate Armed Services Committee, usa, Village, walk, walks, war, washington, washington dc, West, white, White House, Wollenberg, york, zone | 1 Comment[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=obama&iid=7198461″ src=”2/0/f/4/Clinton_Gates_And_0a7d.jpg?adImageId=7991415&imageId=7198461″ width=”500″ height=”351″ /]
WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 02: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L)and Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L) arrive at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, December 2, 2009 in Washington, DC. The committee is hearing testimony on President Barack Obama’s plan to send more troops to Afghanistan. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images. Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with an aide
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen (L) talks with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) before the start ofa Senate Armed Services Committee hearing
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WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 02: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C), U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen (R) and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (L) testify before the House Foreign Relations Committee.(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=obama&iid=7200283″ src=”6/9/e/b/Clinton_Gates_And_799b.jpg?adImageId=7991556&imageId=7200283″ width=”500″ height=”340″ /]
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US SOLDIERS IN AFGHANISTAN
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=obama&iid=7195175″ src=”6/d/4/9/Soldiers_Patrol_Sarhowza_015f.jpg?adImageId=7991633&imageId=7195175″ width=”500″ height=”338″ /]
SARHOWZA, AFGHANISTAN – DECEMBER 02: SGT Joseph Delair of Syracuse, NY with the Army’s Blackfoot Company 1st Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment trains Afghan National Policemen at the Sarhowza District Center near Sarhowza, Afghanistan. The U.S Army is attempting to train the ANP to become self sufficient in the district. Today President Obama said he wants to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, bring the total number to nearly 100,000. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=obama&iid=7183042″ src=”a/9/e/4/Soldiers_Patrol_Sarhowza_a8fe.jpg?adImageId=7991660&imageId=7183042″ width=”500″ height=”333″ /]
SGT Joseph Delair of Syracuse, NY fingerprints and photographs men from a nearby village at the Sahowza District Center near Sarhowza, Afghanistan. The men are registered and checked in the system to make sure they are not wanted as an enemy combatant.
BACK AT THE WHITE HOUSE
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen walk across the South Lawn after arriving at the White House with U.S. President Barack Obama (not pictured) in Washington on December 1, 2009. President Obama traveled to West Point Military Academy in New York and spoke on a planned increase of troops and exit strategy for the war in Afghanistan. The buildup is targeted to reverse the Taliban advances in the country and to train Afghan soldiers and police. UPI/Alexis C. Glenn Photo via Newscom. Content © 2009 Newscom All rights reserved.
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U.S. President Barack Obama walks across the South Lawn after arriving at the White House in Washington on December 1, 2009. President Obama traveled to West Point Military Academy in New York and spoke on a planned increase of troops and exit strategy for the war in Afghanistan.UPI/Alexis C. Glenn Photo via Newscom. Content © 2009 Newscom All rights reserved.
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U.S. President Barack Obama disembarks Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington after travelling to West Point, New York, to deliver his address to the nation in which he outlines why more troops will be sent to Afghanistan.
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U.S President Barack Obama waves at the end of his address to nation at West Point.
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A cadet climbs into the buffer zone for a photo with U.S. President Barack Obama after he spoke about his decision to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan by about 30,000 during a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, on December 1, 2009.
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U.S. President Barack Obama walks off of the stage after his speech.
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U.S. President Barack Obama waves at the conclusion of his speech
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Gen. David Petraeus (standing) chats with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gen. Eric Shinseki , Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (L to to R) as they wait for U.S. President Barack Obama to speak
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Army Cadets wait for U.S. President Barack Obama to speak
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U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to speak about his decision
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Cadets bow their heads in prayer before a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama
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A cadet listens as President Obama speaks about plans to send more troops to Afghanistan.
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Members of CodePink, (L-R) Michael Viers, Medea Benjamin and Joan Stallard protest against ‘escalation of the war in Afghanistan’ in front of the White House December 1, 2009 in Washington.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=obama&iid=7172908″ src=”2/b/2/e/Activist_Group_CodePink_5fce.jpg?adImageId=7992132&imageId=7172908″ width=”500″ height=”335″ /]
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