KABUL, Afghanistan — Even as more American troops flow into the country, Afghanistan is more dangerous than it has ever been during this war, with security deteriorating in recent months, according to international organizations and humanitarian groups. Large parts of the country that were once completely safe, like most of the northern provinces, now have a substantial Taliban presence — even in areas where there are few Pashtuns, who previously were the Taliban’s only supporters. As NATO forces poured in and shifted to the south to battle the Taliban in their stronghold, the Taliban responded with a surge of their own, greatly increasing their activities in the north and parts of the east. The worsening security comes as the Obama administration is under increasing pressure to show results to maintain public support for the war, and raises serious concerns about whether the country can hold legitimate nationwide elections for Parliament next Saturday. Unarmed government employe...
Saibal Dasgupta, TNN, Sep 2, 2010, 08.12pm IST BEIJING: China on Thursday denied a report that it has deployed 11,000 soldiers in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. But the Chinese foreign ministry described the disputed area as "northern part of Pakistan". It refrained calling it PoK while describing India's Jammu & Kashmir as " India controlled Kashmir". "The story that China has deployed its military in northern part of Pakistan is totally groundless and out of ulterior purpose. Some people are fabricating reports to destroy relations between China, Pakistan and India. But their efforts will get nowhere," Jiang Yu , Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Thursday. She was replying to questions about a New York Times report saying that China has sent 11,000 soldiers to Gilgit-Baltistan region. Jiang also made it clear Beijing will stick to its policy about stapled visas for Indians living ...