100 Killed in Afghanistan; Security Deteriorating

Anand Gopal at Tomdispatch.com on 'Who rules Afghanistan'?

NATO is planning a crackdown on narcotics traffickers in Afghanistan.

Pushtun guerrillas in Helmand Province attacked police positions near the capital, Lashkargah, provoking a land attack from the AFghan military with close air support from NATO, which left about 100 Afghans dead, who are being labled 'Taliban.'

The US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff warns that the security situation in Afghanistan will likely get worse in 2009

Aljazeera International reports on the difficulties girls in the south of Afghanistan have in getting an education, given the resurgence of the Taliban (who have destroyed some girls' schools). The report also says that health services are not as well provided as the government maintains: