AFGHANISTAN: Finding a Way Out of the Crossfire

The people of Afghanistan are increasingly caught in the cross-fire between a violent insurgency and a violent counter insurgency but does this mean the entire country is unravelling?

PAKISTAN: U.S. to Aid Civilians Fleeing Embattled Swat Valley

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the provision Tuesday of 110 million dollars in humanitarian aid to assist the mounting number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Pakistan.

POLITICS: What Happened to the Afghan Elections?

After a series of well-known Afghan politicians announced their candidacy, the up-coming presidential election was widely believed to be a turning-point in the country’s history. But most of the big names declined to register, leaving what critics allege is a weak opposition to President Hamid Karzai.

POLITICS-US: Rights Groups Slam Bid to Suppress Abuse Pics

President Barack Obama’s decision Wednesday to object to the planned release of photos showing abuse of prisoners in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan has drawn quiet praise from the military and some in Congress – and outspoken scorn from human rights advocates, a number of legal scholars and religious leaders, and many on the left of his Democratic Party.

DEVELOPMENT-AFGHANISTAN: ‘We Need a Fundamental Change Here’

The U.S. administration has pledged to increase aid and reconstruction as a central part of President Barack Obama’s new strategy. But critics charge that the new policy contains very little specifics on how to bring development and jobs to the country.

AFGHANISTAN-US: More Troops, Humvees, and Dollars

Life in the quaint, muddied town of Maydan Shahr appears to be going on as it has for years. Wrinkled, wizened men manage under-stocked shops in the sleepy central bazaar, while jobless youths idle nearby.

PAKISTAN: Exodus From Swat as 'War' Breaks Out

"It’s an all out war now," said 45-year old Zubair Khan. He was talking to IPS over the phone from Swat Valley, in the North West Frontier Province on May 6, the day after the Pakistan military began its operation to weed out militants.

U.S.: McChrystal Choice Suggests Special Ops Strikes to Continue

The choice of Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal to become the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan has been hailed by Defence Secretary Robert Gates and national news media as ushering in a new unconventional approach to counterinsurgency.

U.S.: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Greatest Threat of All?

A potentially major clash appears to be developing between powerful factions inside and outside the U.S. government, pitting those who see the Afghanistan/Pakistan ("AfPak") theatre as the greatest potential threat to U.S. national security against those who believe that the danger posed by a nuclear Iran must be given priority.

Q&A: ‘We will not leave you alone’

U.S. President Barack Obama has made Afghanistan and Pakistan his number one foreign policy priority. As acting U.S. Ambassador, Francis J. Ricciardone, outlined his country's strategy for long-term peace, justice and prosperity in the region in an exclusive hour-long interview. Excerpts:

PAKISTAN: Taliban Stop Civilians From Leaving

Thousands of people are stranded in violence-wracked Swat and Buner districts in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) because the Pakistan Taliban have refused to allow them passage to safer places.

POLITICS-US: Officials Admit Pakistanis Reject U.S. Priorities

The advances of the Taliban insurgents beyond the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in recent weeks and the failure of the Pakistani military to counter them have brought a rare moment of truth for top national security officials of the Barack Obama administration.

POLITICS-US: Af-Pak Troubles Coming to a Head

Despite an overhaul of policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, it appears that the U.S. strategy there is running into obstacles as varied as the U.S. Congress and the leaders of those countries, who are both visiting Washington this week.

PAKISTAN: Entering a “Bloody Phase”

Alarm bells are ringing in Washington, with the U.S. fretting over what could happen if the "worst, the unthinkable" were to happen and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), toppled the country's year-old democratic government and got hold of its nuclear arsenal.

PAKISTAN: Military Crackdown on Taliban Uproots Civilians

Thousands of civilians are continuing to migrate to safer places from Upper Dir and Buner districts - the new theatres of an internal war between Pakistan’s Taliban and the military in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

U.S.: Major Foreign Tests Likely Over Next 100 Days

While Barack Obama has clearly improved Washington's image abroad during his first 100 days in office, the next 100 will almost certainly prove much more challenging for the new president's foreign policy.

US: Culture of Unpunished Sexual Assault in Military

Sexual assault of women serving in the U.S. military, while brought to light in recent reports, has a long tradition in that institution.

RIGHTS: Recruiters of Child Soldiers Defy U.N. Pressure

The United Nations remains virtually helpless as an increasing number of armed groups - described as "non-state actors" - continue to exploit, abuse and deliberately harm children in battle zones in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

RIGHTS-US: Bracing for New Prisoner Abuse Photos

This Tuesday, Apr. 28, will mark five years since the world got its first look at the sickening photographs from Abu Ghraib on the U.S. television programme "60 Minutes."

RIGHTS-PAKISTAN: Back to School in Swat, But for How Long?

Tiny Sheema is happy to be back in school in Swat, a volatile northern district in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

RIGHTS-US: Senate Report Casts Grim Light on Bush Era

Pentagon interrogators continuously ramped up their abusive techniques against prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and in Iraq and Afghanistan in a vain attempt to establish a link between the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the al Qaeda attacks on the U.S. on Sep. 11, 2001.