Archive - Dec 2, 2009

Before we end today, a correction to last Wednesday's story about landmines and the US refusal to join the Mine Ban Treaty. In citing statistics about landmines, we said "Landmines killed more than 5,200 people worldwide last year." That figure actually includes both deaths and injuries. In 2008, some 1200 people were killed, and more than 2800 injured, according to Landmine Monitor. FSRN regrets the error.

• White House officials come under sharp questions from Congress over Afghanistan plan
• Obama focuses on threat of Al Qaeda to justify increase of troops
• Afghans respond to Obama’s speech to increase troops in region
• Israeli settlers continue construction efforts despite freeze in West Bank
• Abortion issue threatens to stall health care bill in Senate

• House committee passes financial regulatory legislation
• Kasim Reed leading in Atlanta mayoral run-off
• Honduran Congress debates whether to restore Zelaya to power
• Powerful Philippines political boss charged in massacre
• Testimony reveals secret 1970s Okinawa pact between US and Japan
• Thousands of unmarked graves found in Kashmir, suspected victims of conflict with India

One day after President Obama laid out his plan to expand the war in Afghanistan, members of his cabinet were dispatched to Capitol Hill to sell the war to lawmakers. The plan includes sending 30,000 more US troops to the country. Lawmakers were assured that the proposed timeline to begin a withdraw, July of 2011, will be not be a quick retreat and an American presence could remain for years to come. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

In outlining his plan for Afghanistan last night, Obama narrowed the goal of the military operation to focus on Al Qaeda.

“Our overarching goal remains the same: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to prevent its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future. To meet that goal, we will pursue the following objectives within Afghanistan. We must deny al Qaeda a safe haven. We must reverse the Taliban's momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government. And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan's security forces and government so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan's future.”

To reach that goal, Obama ordered an additional 30,000 US troops to be deployed beginning in 2010. Yet, while the goal has been defined, the strategy to achieve a stable and safe Afghanistan remains contested.

We're joined by Erik Leaver, he's a research fellow with the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think-tank based in Washington, DC.

In Afghanistan today, many woke up before dawn to watch President Obama's anticipated speech - which aired at 5:30 AM local time. Just two hours after the speech ended, General Stanley McChrystal spoke to reporters about what the additional troops will be doing.

"There are some who are coming just to train and they will operate on some of the training bases. There are also some forces that we call enablers, roto wing aviation, intelligence elements and what not. But the vast majority of the force, the combat or maneuver forces are gonna partner. It’s our goal to have every coalition force partnered with an Afghan force and to have every Afghan force partnered with a coalition force.”

So far, we've heard from military leaders, the President and administration officials on the troop surge. But what do Afghans think? FSRN's Kabul-based reporter Mujahid Jawad spoke to residents in the capitol about their response to more US troops in their country.

Included in this report are the voices of Kabul residents Saeedullah Rishteen, a law Faculty Graduate Student; Ahmad Zia, an IT engineer; Fahima Brishna, a computer engineer; Afghan political expert Ahmad Saeedi; and Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, the head of the Islamic research center and the former deputy of Jihadi Leader, Ostad Abdul Rab Rasool Sayaf. FSRN's Mujahid Jawad recorded and produced this segment.

The international community is expressing growing concern about Israeli policies in East Jerusalem. A new report by an Israeli rights group says Israel revoked residency status for more than 4,500 residents of East Jerusalem in 2008 – by far the largest number in the last 40 years.

Meanwhile, a classified report from European consuls obtained by the Israeli paper Haaretz criticizes Israel for deliberately altering the demographics of East Jerusalem and working to cut it off from the West Bank.

The annual report, which has never been made public, urges EU officials to act to protect Palestinians, including issuing sanctions. In recent days, Israeli settlers have also attempted to install building foundations in the West Bank, to bypass a government freeze on new construction. FSRN’s Ghassan Bannoura has the details.