Afghan americasnews Videos and Clips

Silver Star Recipients Americas News HQ FNC Fox News 27 Dec 08
Nineteen Soldiers from 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) were awarded the Silver Star Medal for their actions in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. The valor award ceremony took place on Dec. 12 in the John F. Kennedy Auditorium adjacent to the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School building. Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland, USASOC commanding general presented the awards. The following Soldiers received the Silver Star: Capt. Kyle M. Walton Capt. Kent G. Solheim Capt. Brandon Griffin Master Sgt. Fredrick L. Davenport Master Sgt. Paul D. Fiesel Master Sgt. Scott Ford Sgt. 1st Class Jacob E. Allison Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin J. Konrad Sgt. 1st Class Larry Hawks Staff Sgt. Robert J. Hammons Staff Sgt. Seth E. Howard Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer Staff Sgt. John W. Walding Staff Sgt. Luis Morales Staff Sgt. Dillon Behr Staff Sgt. David J. Sanders Staff Sgt. Matthew O. Williams Sgt. Gabriel A. Reynolds Spc. Michael D. Carter The Silver Star is the Armys third highest award for combat valor and is awarded for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States during military operations.

tags: News, Special Forces, 3rd Special Forces Group, Afghanistan, Iraq, Combat, Valor, Silver Star, Purple Heart

Obama fires US commander of war in Afghanistan
Barack Obama, the US president, has dismissed General Stanley McChrystal, the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, over disparaging comments about the president's staff in a Rolling Stone magazine interview. Obama said he would not tolerate any act that could undermine civilian control of the US military. The president was quick, however, to say that the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan would continue -- though without its chief architect. Afghan officials expressed disappointment over McChrystal's dismissal, but Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, said he accepted the decision. Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer reports. (June 24, 2010)

tags: News, americasnews, afghan, mission, barack, obama, sacks, general, stanley, mcchrystal, rolling, stone, article, nick, spicer, aljazeera

McChrystal's boss takes over as US commander in Afghanistan
General David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, has replaced General Stanley McChrystal as commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, following the latter's removal. Petraeus is widely seen as being instrumental in turning around US fortunes in the Iraq war, and many are waiting to see if he can he do the same in Afghanistan. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports. (June 24, 2010)

tags: News, americasnews, afghan, mission, commander, general, david, petraeus, patty, culhane, aljazeera

US soldier pleads guilty to Afghan killings
A US soldier has pleaded guilty to the murders of three unarmed Afghan civilians. Jeremy Morlock faces more than 20 years in prison for his part in a series of incidents that targeted civilians in Afghanistan. He has admitted using illegally obtained Afghan weapons to make it appear that the victims were enemy combatants. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports.

tags: News, americasnews, aljazeera, jazeera, Jeremy, Morlock, patty, culhane, afghanistan, afghan, civilians

US criticises Wikileaks release of Afghan war documents
The White House has condemned the leaks of more than 90000 classified documents on the war in Afghanistan posted by the whistleblower website, Wikileaks. The Pentagon earlier called the release "criminal", and said it could take weeks to assess any damage that the leaks may have caused. Rosiland Jordan reports on Washington's reaction to what is now being called the Afghan war logs. (July 27, 2010)

tags: News, americasnews, asianews, reaction, wikileaks, afghan, war, logs, pentagon, classified, material, rosiland, jordan, aljazeera

'Honour killings' trial continues in Canada
An Afghan immigrant accused of killing his former wife and three daughters has appeared in court in Canada. Prosecutors say Mohammad Shafia's alleged acts were motivated by anger against what he deemed as his daughters' inappropriate conduct. But in the trial taking place in Kingston, Ontario, Shafia has portrayed himself as a caring father, and family members are expected to testify in his favour. Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports.

tags: News, americasnews, canada, honour, killing, afghan

US state department speaks to Al Jazeera about leaked Afghan logs
PJ Crowley, a US state department spokesman, tells Al Jazeera that most of the documents leaked by whistleblower website Wikileaks are "years old", offering a "particular snapshot" of the situation at the time. He says the released material "does not necessarily represent" the latest perspective of what is happening in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And he asserts that Pakistan has done a reversal in its relationship with the Taliban, which its spy agency helped set up. (July 27, 2010)

tags: News, americasnews, asianews, reaction, wikileaks, classified, documents, afghan, war, logs, crowley, aljazeera

Afghanistan to top NATO agenda
Delegations from around 60 countries will gather in Chicago on Sunday for the start of a two-day NATO summit. Top of the agenda will be the war in Afghanistan and the European missile defence system. Another crucial issue is NATO's budget. The US has complained for decades that it pays too much. Patty Culhane reports.

tags: News, clip, americasnews, al Jazeera, afghanistan, youtube, patty culhane, NATO, aljazeera

US officials identify marines in Afghan abuse video
US military sources have confirmed the identity of some the marines allegedly responsible for a video which shows them urinating on the bodies of three dead Afghans. Defence officials accepted the authenticity of the video, which emerged on the internet this week. The Pentagon has been scrambling to contain the fallout from the damaging footage, and senior government members, including secretary of state Hillary Clinton, have condemned the incident as deplorable. Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports from Washington DC.

tags: News, americasnews, aljazeera, jazeera, abuse, marines, military, Afghanistan, Taliban, Rosiland, Jordan

Soldier accused of killing Afghan civilians named
US officials say the American soldier who is accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar province last Sunday is Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports.

tags: News, clip, americasnews, al Jazeera, Robert Bales, kandahar, afghanistan, youtube, aljazeera

US says Afghan Taliban not the enemy
The US government has said in a statement that the Afghan Taliban are not neccessarily an enemy, a move that is part of a new policy to open talks with the group. Reports say Washington will hold secret meetings with the Taliban next year. As Barack Obama's campaign for re-election gathers pace, his advisors are well aware that opinion polls show that two out of every three Americans now oppose the Afghanistan war. But some say it could hurt Obama on the road to re-election. Al Jazeera's Tom Ackerman reports from Washington.

tags: News, americasnews, United States, Taliban, America

Soldier in Afghan shooting to face US court
The lawyer defending a US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghans says that there is little hard evidence against his client. John Henry Browne says that staff Sergeant Robert Bales cannot remember much about the night of the shooting, and that there is little evidence that could stand up in court against him. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from Washington, DC, the US capital.

tags: News, americasnews, united states, kabul, afghanistan, war, military, soldier, shooting, robert bales, alan fisher, john henry browne, aljazeera, al jazeera

Former British ambassador criticises US commander
Britain's former ambassador to Afghanistan, Sherard Cowper-Coles, harshly criticised America's top military commander, General David Petraeus. Sherard Cowper-Coles said in an interview with the Guardian that Petraeus should be "ashamed of himself" for citing Taliban deaths as a sign of progress in the country. Cowper-Cole's was speaking in response to Petraeus' statement, "In a typical 90-day period, in fact, precision operations by US special mission units and their Afghan partners alone kill or capture some 360 targeted insurgent leaders". Petraeus' approach diverges from that of his predecessor, Stanley McChrystal, who prioritised the protection of Afghanistan civilians over military gains -- a strategy Cowper-Coles says is more in line with the US counter-insurgency manual that the two men wrote together. Petraeus moves to a new post in September as head of the CIA. Al Jazeera's Adam Raney reports.

tags: News, clip, americasnews, al Jazeera, david petraeus, afghanistan, youtube, aljazeera, General David Petraeus, Sherard Cowper-Coles, britain

US remains committed to Afghan exit in 2014
Military chiefs in te US say the country's commitment to Afghanistan has not changed after an earlier suggestion that their combat role might end earlier than previously thought. Intelligence officials were trying to clarify remarks from Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, who said that combat operations could end in 2013, a year early. Speaking before a Congressional Committee, CIA director David Petraeus, once the commander of ISAF and US forces in Afghanistan, said: "The conversation Secretary Panetta had with some press on his plan was more than a bit over analyzed shall we say. "The policy adopted by the leaders of the coalition, of the ISAF coalition with Afghan President Karzai was that by the end of 2014 ISAF will have transitioned all security tasks to Afghan forces." Last month, a leaked National Intelligence estimate said the situation in Afghanistan was mired in stalemate. It reported that the Taliban was not in retreat, and was more resilient and determined than ever to wait out the US withdrawal timeline. Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, says the mixed messages being sent by senior members of the Obama administration are not new.

tags: News, americasnews

The Afghan War Diary, 2004-2010: How to read the video tutorial
David Leigh, the Guardian's investigations editor, explains the online tools we have created to help you understand the secret US military files on the war in Afghanistan Afghan War Diary, 2004-2010 wikileaks.org www.guardian.co.uk Summary 25th July 2010 5:00 PM EST WikiLeaks has released a document set called the Afghan War Diary (AWD), an extraordinary compendium of over 91000 reports covering the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010. The reports, while written by soldiers and intelligence officers mainly describing lethal military actions involving the United States military, also include intelligence information, reports of meetings with political figures, and related detail. The document collection will shortly be available on a dedicated webpage. The reports cover most units from the US Army with the exception of most US Special Forces' activities. The reports do not generally cover top-secret operations or European and other ISAF Forces operations. We have delayed the release of some 15000 reports from the total archive as part of a harm minimization process demanded by our source. After further review, these reports will be released, with occasional redactions, and eventually, in full, as the security situation in Afghanistan permits. The data is provided in CSV and SQL formats, sorted by months, and also was rendered into KML mapping data. All entries, CSV format All entries, SQL format All entries, KML format All NATO entries, KML format Entries by month, KML <b>...</b>

tags: News, 000 reports

US senators urge for clarity on Afghan war
US senators have expressed concern over the progress of the war in Afghanistan and cast doubt about President Obama's exit strategy. At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday, the senators said the US people were "confused" and called for clarity on what needs to be achieved. But Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, says abandoning the conflict soon would be catastrophic. Rosiland Jordan reports from Washington DC. [July 15, 2010]

tags: News, jazeera, english, richard, holbrooke, afghanistan, pakistan, americasnews, asianews

US combat medics face tough choices in Afghanistan - 21 Dec 09
For injured combatants in Afghanistan, the quality of medical care is often the difference between life and death. That's a decision American medics have to make almost every day. Al Jazeera's Clayton Swisher spent time with one combat medical team in Khandahar province and found out that the hospital a person is sent to often depends on what country that person is from.

tags: News, afghnaistan, war, united, states, military, army, medical, care, health, aljazeera, clayton, swisher, americasnews

Officer breaks ranks to condemn US action in Afghanistan
A US military officer has sparked fresh debate about his country's mission in Afghanistan. Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett reports from Washington.

tags: News, Kimberly Halkett, colonel, americasnews, Washington, daniel davis, intervention, afghanistan, youtube, Military

Afghan war agenda tops US-UK talks
David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, is on his way to Washington DC to meet Barack Obama, the US president, for talks aimed at improving ties between the two countries. The visit will mark the first time Cameron meets Obama as a prime minister. The war in Afghanistan and the timescale for foreign troop withdrawals from the country is expected to be at the centre of the UK-US discussions. But as Alan Fisher reports from London, there are a few other delicate issues for the two leaders to talk about. [jULY 19, 2010]

tags: News, jazeera, english, United, states, kingdom, americasnews, europenews, afghanistan, talks, david, cameron, obama, barack, president, prime, minister

Taliban's 'welcome message' to new US commander in Afghanistan
The Taliban said an attack that killed at least four people in the city of Kunduz on Friday was their "welcome message" to the new US commander in Afghanistan. Six suicide bombers stormed the office of an aid organisation working with the US government the same day General David Petraeus arrived in Kabul to take charge of the US war effort. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports. (July 03, 2010)

tags: News, americasnews, afghanistan, war, taliban, message, general, david, petraeus, zeina, khodr, aljazeera

Former UNAMA worker on impact of grisly US Army photos in Afghanistan
Christine Fair served with the UN Assistance mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA). She says the photos from 2010, and other incidents like it, are indications of a breakdown in leadership.

tags: News, Al Jazeera, UNAMA, Afghanistan, americasnews

US commander in Afghanistan in hot water over article
General Stanley McChrystal, the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, has been rebuked by Barack Obama, the US president, and summoned to Washington to explain comments he made about senior administration officials, including his commander-in-chief. There are reports in the US media that McChrystal has offered to resign but Obama has said he wants to speak directly with the general before making any decision. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports on the reaction in the US. (June 23, 2010)

tags: News, americasnews, nato, commander, stanley, mcchrystal, rolling, stone, article, criticisms, patty, culhane, aljazeera

US troops begin Afghanistan pullout
Up to 10000 US troops get ready to leave Afghanistan by the end of the year. In some US towns, families have already started welcoming their loved ones back home as a drawdown of armed forces concludes a 10 year war. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports from Johnston, Iowa.

tags: News, americasnews

General Petraeus 'considers changes' to Afghan war strategy
The US general set to take over command of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan said there may yet be 'significant changes' to the US war strategy in the country. At his confirmation hearing in Washington, General David Petraeus also warned that fighting is likely to get more intense in the coming months. Petraeus' nomination was approved and will move to a full Senate vote later this week. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane report from Washington DC. [June 30, 2010]

tags: News, jazeera, english, patty, culhane, washington, patraeus, americasnews, asianews, afghanistan, united, states, war, strategy

US-backed Taliban payout could prove unpopular
The US is endorsing a plan to provide financial incentives to Afghan Taliban fighters to lay down their weapons. Barack Obama, the US president, wants to begin drawing down troops by next year and the proposal could help him achieve that goal. But, while many Americans want the war to end, the idea of paying the Taliban could turn out to be unpopular. Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports. (29 Jan 2010)

tags: News, americasnews, aljazeera, Jazeera, taliban, afghanistan, payout