US: Troops may remain in Afghanistan after 2016
The United States is reconsidering plans to remove nearly all its troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, saying it #39;s part of an effort to ensure that Afghan forces can maintain security...
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US: Troops may remain in Afghanistan after 2016 - Video
Ceremonies mark the end of Australia #39;s campaign in Afghanistan
Welcome Home: Parades and ceremonies across the country mark the official end of Australia #39;s longest campaign and commemorate the 41 Diggers who died in Afghanistan Prime Minister...
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Ceremonies mark the end of Australia's campaign in Afghanistan - Video
FIRING M203 GRENADE LAUNCHER IN AFGHANISTAN HD
Daily Military News Combat Footage at FUNKER530.com - http://vid.io/xGB Firing from a Canadian Combat outpost.
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FIRING M203 GRENADE LAUNCHER IN AFGHANISTAN HD - Video
KABUL Afghan President Ashraf Ghani faces a delicate task Sunday when he arrives in Washington on his first official visit since taking office. Convincing U.S. lawmakers that Afghanistan is on the right track but still requires monetary aid and military support will not be easy.
The Obama administration will also try to put a positive face on Afghanistans new power-sharing government, which it brokered and has nurtured since its inauguration in September. That, too, wont be easy.
Six months into Ghanis tenure, Afghanistan still does not have a full cabinet of ministers or new governorships, their selection mired by political frictions. Peace talks with the Taliban Islamist insurgency, which Afghan officials predicted would begin early this month, are still in an embryonic stage, unclear if they will ever take place.
Security across the country remains precarious, as civilian, army and police casualties reached unprecedented levels last year. Afghanistans U.S.- trained security forces are struggling to fill the void left by the departure of most U.S. and international troops in December.
[Ghani and Abdullah: The importance of the U.S.-Afghanistan alliance]
Internal disputes between Ghanis camp and that of his chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, who shares power with Ghani, continue to penetrate many areas of the political system, according to Afghan officials and analysts. Abdullah is accompanying Ghani to Washington, creating a potential diplomatic challenge for the Obama administration as it engages this week in talks with both Afghan leaders over Afghanistans future, including a session at Camp David hosted by Secretary of State John F. Kerry.
Afghans still lack a united government, said Musa Fariwar, a Kabul based political analyst. The peace talks have made no progress. It means both leaders are going to the United States with empty hands.
On Saturday, hours before he was scheduled to leave for Washington, Ghani told international reporters at the presidential palace that cabinet ministers have been nominated, including four women.
But their appointments still require approval from Afghanistans fractious parliament. In January, the body rejected more than half of Ghanis and Abdullahs original nominees, including the key defense minister post. A new electoral reform commission was also appointed Saturday, said Ghani, who once lived in Bethesda, Md.
The visit marks the first time President Obama will meet Ghani and Abdullah since the government was created, following a disputed presidential election that threatened to plunge the nation into chaos. At Camp David and in Washington, the leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues, focusing largely on security, economic development, and U.S. support for the Afghan-led reconciliation process, according to State Department officials.
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Afghanistan president faces a delicate task on first official Washington visit