“War in Afghanistan” on The Daily Caller

A group of retired military officers and civilians who worked in government have composed an open letter in support of embattled Lt. Gen. William Caldwell. (more)

The Times of London is reporting the General David Petraeus will leave his position as the commander of coalition troops in Afghanistan by the end of the year. (more)

Gen. David Petraeus, the most celebrated American soldier of his generation, is to leave his post as commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, The (London) Times reported Tuesday. (more)

Former President George W. Bush was forced to cancel a planned trip to Switzerland this week over concerns of protests linked to the Bush adminstration’s treatment of detainees. (more)

The Obama administration has not shown us it cares about the persecution of Christians. This is obvious. At a time of rising persecution of Christians throughout Muslim lands, the president has nominated Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook — a “motivational speaker” with questionable qualifications — to hold the critical position of U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. (more)

The U.S. Armed Forces are on the verge of allowing women to serve in ground combat units beneath the brigade level. Women already are serving and dying (over 110 in Iraq and Afghanistan) in many hazardous military jobs. They serve as fighter, bomber and helicopters pilots; and they serve in ground combat-support units that put them in harm’s way. Why shouldn’t they serve in front-line combat units? (more)

Earlier this month came word that the White House would send an additional 1,400 Marine combat forces to Afghanistan. Yet the announcement was met with a shrug from the antiwar movement. Why? Perhaps it’s because the figure represents a tiny uptick from the additional 30,000 troops the president committed to the region more than a year ago. Or perhaps it’s because the president who approved both escalations is named Obama, not Bush. It turns out that much of the antiwar movement is little more than an anti-George W. Bush movement. (more)

A draft report by the Military Leadership Diversity Commission recommends that the military take action to lift the longstanding restriction on women serving in combat roles in the military. (more)

WASHINGTON – The U.S. official in charge of overseeing the billions of dollars being spent to rebuild Afghanistan announced his resignation Monday, just a week after he fired two of his top deputies in a major shake-up of the organization. (more)

WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decided to send an additional 1,400 Marine combat forces to Afghanistan, officials said, in a surprise move ahead of the spring fighting season to try to cement tentative security gains before White House-mandated troop reductions begin in July. (more)

The United States lost an exceptional public servant last month with the passing of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and I lost a friend and mentor. I came to know Holbrooke during the negotiations that ended the war in Bosnia and brought a diplomatic solution to a war-torn people. He masterfully directed a peace agreement that demonstrated the true importance of civilian-military cooperation with a team that included me, General Wesley Clark, and Ambassadors Chris Hill and James Pardew. (more)

Internal United Nations maps show a marked deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan during this year’s fighting season, countering the Obama administration’s optimistic assessments of military progress since the surge of additional American forces began a year ago. (more)

Christmas is a time of year for celebration; a time to return home and spend time with family and friends, to give gifts, and enjoy home-cooked meals and sweets. It is a joyous time of year but we cannot forget that we are celebrating the coming of One who came to be the servant of all. (more)

WASHINGTON — Senior American military commanders in Afghanistan are pushing for an expanded campaign of Special Operations ground raids across the border into Pakistan’s tribal areas, a risky strategy reflecting the growing frustration with Pakistan’s efforts to root out militants there. (more)

The unspoken reality underlying President Obama’s update for the nation on the war in Afghanistan Thursday was that U.S. troops will likely be fighting for many years to come in a conflict that has already gone on for almost a decade. (more)

The Senate should reject any stand-alone amendment overturning the 1996 congressional law preventing gays from serving in the military. Why? (more)

As President Obama prepares to give the nation a status update on the war in Afghanistan Thursday, some in Washington are calling on him to “own” the conflict in a way they say he has not, and to articulate a clearer long-term commitment to the region than he has so far. (more)

As I reported earlier today at FrumForum, Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration’s special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has died. (more)

Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is in the intensive care unit at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, according to a hospital official who asked not to be identified. (more)

More than 500 suspected Taliban fighters detained by U.S. forces have been released from custody at the urging of Afghan government officials, angering both American troops and some Afghans who oppose the policy on the grounds that many of those released return to the battlefield to kill NATO soldiers and Afghan civilians. (more)