Afghanistan War News Updates -- September 9, 2011

U.S. Air Force Capt. Jon Polston, right, inspects the Jugi bridge while a bus squeezes through the narrow roadway in Mehtar Lam in Laghman province, Afghanistan, Sept. 7, 2011. Polston is the lead engineer assigned to the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

On The Afghan Frontline, U.S. Soldiers See Longer War Ahead -- New York Times/Reuters

KUNAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - U.S. soldiers deployed on the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan say the war isn't going away for another ten years, even after Washington pulls troops from a country locked in a deadly Islamist insurgency.

With failing public support for the war, U.S. President Barack Obama has announced a plan to gradually draw down the 100,000 troops in Afghanistan and hand over all security responsibilities to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

But ten years after the September 11, 2011 attacks, which brought U.S. forces to Afghanistan, the country still faces a Taliban insurgency that the world's formidable military has been unable to quell.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, Sept 9 -- Alertnet
Combined Forces Detain Multiple Insurgents -- US Department of Defense
Taliban claim new missiles downing aircraft -- Asia Times
Program Aims to Reintegrate Former Insurgents in Afghanistan -- US Department of Defense
ISAF: Reporter killed in Afghanistan in case of mistaken identity -- CNN
Nato-led forces killed BBC reporter in Afghanistan -- BBC
US soldier killed BBC reporter in Afghanistan: coalition -- Yahoo News/AFP
Taliban must face 'more pain' to talk: US envoy -- Yahoo News/AFP
Strategies have shifted, but soldier committed to Afghanistan -- MSNBC
Afghans: Still hoping 'peace and stability come' -- MSNBC
How 9/11 changed Afghanistan: Before and after photos show how the invasion transformed the country -- Daily Mail
Kabul To Jalalabad: A Postcard From The Road -- NPR

Clinton meets Afghan national security advisor -- AFP
Afghan national security adviser in Washington for talks -- Stars and Stripes
Afghan Delegation In U.S. For Strategic Partnership Discussions -- RTT News
US not seeking permanent military base in Afghanistan -- Times of India

Report: Billions spent in Afghanistan with little knowledge of costs -- CNN
Afghan Funds Oversight Isn’t Adequate, State Department IG Says -- Bloomberg
Audit finds boost in US civilians to Afghanistan cost nearly $2 billion since 2009 -- Washington Post
Cost of civilian ‘surge’ in Afghanistan: $1.7 billion -- Washington Post
U.S. spends $2B on Afghan nation building -- Politico
Civilian experts in Afghanistan are costly: Report -- Global Post
U.S. civilian surge to Afghanistan cost $2 billion: report -- Reuters
Cost Of Deploying One Civilian To Afghanistan: Up To 570,000 USD Per Year -- RAWA News
Afghanistan's civilian surge comes with enormous price tag and uncertain results -- Government Executive

What If Ahmad Shah Masud, Afghanistan's 'Lion Of Panjshir,' Hadn't Been Killed? -- Radio Free Europe
Talking peace to the Taliban, and other fairy stories -- Terry Glavin, National Post
Talking With the Taliban Is Not Diplomacy, It's Deadly -- Michael Rubin, FOX News
Analysis: 10 years on, Afghanistan isn't far from where it started -- Global Post
How we can win in Afghanistan: Ten years after 9/11, we need a smarter strategy against the Taliban -- Melissa Skorka, New York Daily News
Afghanistan: The Bottom Of The Barrel Is In Sight -- Strategy Page
Growing Violence Clouds Afghanistan's Future -- NPR