23rd June 2011-US President Barack Obama has made a televised address announcing plans to pull out 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, followed by 23,000 in 2012. In a speech outlining a shift in US policy, the US President said after the initial reduction, more troops will be pulled out at a steady pace as Afghans take over their own security by 2014. Mr Obama declared the beginning of the end of the ... Read More

The Iraqi journalist jailed after hurling his shoes at former President George W. Bush, will be released next month after his sentence was reduced for good behaviour. Muntadhar al-Zeidi’s act during Bush’s last visit to Iraq as President turned the 30-year-old reporter into a folk hero across the Arab world, amid growing anger at the 2003 invasion. He did not use a weapon nor did he try to kill Mr Bush still he was sent to prison. He should get a ... Read More

WASHINGTON, April 24: Two days of continuous congressional hearings on the Obama administration’s foreign policy brought a rare concession from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who acknowledged that the United States too had a share in creating the problem that plagues Pakistan today. In an appearance before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, Mrs Clinton explained how the militancy in Pakistan was linked to the US-backed proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. “We can point ... Read More

Has America gone mad? Dissenting note Friday, April 10, 2009 What an idea: joint US-Pakistan military operations in the tribal belt. If the "war on terror" policies pursued in Pakistan under the Bush administration have not already succeeded in making a complete mess of Pakistan, it seems that the action plan being evolved by the Obama administration will. The idea that joint operations in the tribal areas can help eliminate militancy in the tribal belt represents such a flight of imagination that ... Read More

Prince Harry was tonight preparing to pull out of Afghanistan as the Taliban threatened more attacks in the face of what it has described as "aggression against Muslims".According to a Taliban spokesman, the prince's presence in Helmand province is a direct sign of the British Royal Family's stance against Muslims and warned it would merely encourage further insurgent attacks against British soldiers. Zabihullah Mujahid said: "Prince Harry's presence in Afghanistan encourages our fighters to launch more attacks on British forces. "The Royal ... Read More