Afghanistan designated as major US ally

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton announced that Afghanistan is now considered a major U.S. ally. Margaret Brennan reports.

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Local Marine reflects on 4th of July from Afghanistan

While many of us are celebrating the 4th of July with picnics and fireworks, one Northern Michigan Marine is spending it miles away from home in a dangerous war zone.

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'War of diminishing returns': Jon Soltz offers a veteran's perspective on Obama's Afghanistan pact

Iraq War veteran Jon Soltz, co-founder and chairman of VoteVets.org, shares his perspective on President Obama's strategic partnership agreement with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and expresses skepticism about the counterinsurgency tactics being used by the U.S. military against the Taliban. "The president's got guys out there right now exposed to combat where we don't really have a guarantee that this foreign government is our partner," Soltz says.
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Obama in Afghanistan on bin Laden Anniversary

President Obama has paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan on the anniversary of the killing of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden and signed an agreement cementing U.S. ties with the nation that once harbored the al-Qaida chief. (May 1)

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End The Afghanistan War - New Poll

Via The New York Times: "After a series of violent episodes and setbacks, support for the war in Afghanistan has dropped sharply among both Republicans and Democrats, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The survey found that more than two-thirds of those polled — 69 percent — thought that the United States should not be at war in Afghanistan. Just four months ago, 53 percent said that Americans should no longer be fighting in the conflict, more than a decade old...".* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

* http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/world/asia/support-for-afghan-war-falls-in-us-poll-finds.html

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US Rep. asked to stay out of Afghanistan

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher was asked by Sec. Clinton to stay out of Afghanistan to avoid a "mini-crisis" with Pres. Karzai.

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CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley - 2 US officers killed in Afghanistan shooting

The U.S. is stepping up security in Afghanistan after the killing of two American military officers by an unknown gunman. Mandy Clark reports on the shooting and the speculation as to who is responsible.

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End The Afghanistan War - New Poll

Via The New York Times: "After a series of violent episodes and setbacks, support for the war in Afghanistan has dropped sharply among both Republicans and Democrats, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The survey found that more than two-thirds of those polled — 69 percent — thought that the United States should not be at war in Afghanistan. Just four months ago, 53 percent said that Americans should no longer be fighting in the conflict, more than a decade old...".* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

* http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/world/asia/support-for-afghan-war-falls-in-us-poll-finds.html

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News Wrap: Taliban Kill at Least 12 in Afghanistan Attacks

In other news Thursday, the Taliban mounted new attacks in Afghanistan in a bid to reassert control as gunmen killed at least 10 members of a pro-government militia in the west. Also, the U.S. and Great Britain warned there's a "high risk" of a terror attack in Nigeria over the Easter holiday.

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End The Afghanistan War - New Poll

Via The New York Times: "After a series of violent episodes and setbacks, support for the war in Afghanistan has dropped sharply among both Republicans and Democrats, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The survey found that more than two-thirds of those polled — 69 percent — thought that the United States should not be at war in Afghanistan. Just four months ago, 53 percent said that Americans should no longer be fighting in the conflict, more than a decade old...".* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

* http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/world/asia/support-for-afghan-war-falls-in-us-poll-finds.html

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CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley - Massacre puts focus on Afghanistan withdrawal date

The massacre of civilians in Afghanistan has suddenly made the battlefield more dangerous for troops stationed there, as U.S. officials debate over the planned 2014 withdrawal date. Whit Johnson reports.

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Ethan Casey situates US soldier's killing rampage in Afghanistan

Keith and Ethan Casey, author of "Overtaken by Events: A Pakistan Road Trip," discuss the repercussions of a U.S. soldier's murder spree in Afghanistan and how American aggression affects our credibility there. "People in the Muslim world, in this case, but people all over the world need to believe genuinely that Americans know them to be human beings, and I really don't think a lot of people in the world are confident of that at this point," says Casey.

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CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley - Gingrich calls for US withdrawal from Afghanistan

President Obama extended his condolences to the people of Afghanistan after a U.S. soldier opened fire on civilians, killing sixteen people. Whit Johnson reports the incident has provoked strong reactions from GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, who called for the immediate removal of U.S. troops.

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CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley - 2 US officers killed in Afghanistan shooting

The U.S. is stepping up security in Afghanistan after the killing of two American military officers by an unknown gunman. Mandy Clark reports on the shooting and the speculation as to who is responsible.

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Fresh debate over US mission in Afghanistan

A US army officer has accused the American military of painting a misleading picture of progress in the war in Afghanistan while glossing over the Afghan government's many failings.

The accusations have sparked fresh debate about the US mission in Afghanistan.

"What I saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by US military leaders about conditions on the ground," Colonel Davis wrote in an article published in Armed Forces Journal, a private newspaper not affiliated with the Pentagon.

"Instead, I witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level," he wrote under the headline, "Truth, Lies And Afghanistan: How military leaders have let us down".

"How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding ...?"

Troop commanders and politicians say the handover to Afghan troops is going well, but Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Davis, who has just returned from the country, is challenging those statements in congress.

He says that conditions on the ground are ruinous - a conclusion deeply at odds with the picture of progress put forth by the top US military brass.

It is a rare instance of a US officer openly contradicting his superiors, and Davis' insights, first published in a military journal on Sunday, have been picked up by several members of congress.

At a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday, the US military's number-two commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Curtis Scaparrotti, answered Davis' criticism, saying it was only one person's opinion of the general situation.

"I am confident, in my personal view, that our outlook is accurate," he said.

Scaparrotti says he does not doubt some of what Davis wrote, and he believes US forces have work to do in training Afghan forces.

Last week, Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, said US forces would transition next year from a combat role to training Afghan soldiers and police.

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US Marines Urinating On Taliban Martyred Bodies In Afghanistan

Washington (CNN) -- A number of websites including TMZ and YouTube posted a video Wednesday showing four men dressed in U.S. Marine Corps combat gear urinating on the apparently Martyred bodies of three men sprawled on the ground in front of them.

One of the men says, "Have a great day, buddy." A voice asks, "You got it on the video?" to which another voice responds, "Yeah." Another jokes, "Golden, like a shower."

It was not clear who shot or posted the 39-second video, who the people pictured in it were, or where it was shot.

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US Marines Urinating On Taliban Martyred Bodies In Afghanistan

Washington (CNN) -- A number of websites including TMZ and YouTube posted a video Wednesday showing four men dressed in U.S. Marine Corps combat gear urinating on the apparently Martyred bodies of three men sprawled on the ground in front of them.

One of the men says, "Have a great day, buddy." A voice asks, "You got it on the video?" to which another voice responds, "Yeah." Another jokes, "Golden, like a shower."

It was not clear who shot or posted the 39-second video, who the people pictured in it were, or where it was shot.

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The Early Show - US troops celebrate Christmas in Afghanistan

Tens of thousands of U.S. troops celebrated Christmas as best they could on the frontlines of Afghanistan. CBS News foreign correspondent Clarissa Ward reports.

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