Elite Australian soldiers are involved in covert operations for the Americans in the “war on terror”, co-ordinated through the top-secret, Paris-based centre Alliance Base.
Afghanistan
What did America think about our Afghan debate?
Plenty of Australians were skeptical of the “furious agreement” espoused by both major parties during parliament’s debate on the war in Afghanistan, but United States Ambassador to Australia Jeff Bleich was glued to the screen and chuffed with the results, writes Leo Shanahan.
M*A*S*H, public sentiment and the war Afghanistan
On the subject of the war in Afghanistan the Australian public seem to be echoing the same old testaments espoused in M*A*S*H - that war is futile and childish - but it is harder to imagine a better war to be a part of, writes David Burchell.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: If we continue to tread water on Afghanistan, we’ll drown
Crikey readers have their say.
Abbott delivered a more effective case on Afghanistan
This Parliamentary debate on Afghanistan will do nothing to change voters’ views — particularly when the Government can’t provide voters with a compelling case.
Political snippets: Why just Afghanistan?
There is no evidence I have seen that suggests that fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan has lessened the danger of terrorism.
Crikey Says: Meanwhile, in Afghanistan…
Just to put things in context…
must read 
US troops + Afghan police: not exactly a match made in heaven
Politicians keep talking up the important of training Afghanistan’s police force, but as Christopher Beam learns, the ANP and US Troops encounter cultural misunderstandings, Taliban infiltration of the cooking department and arguments about whether the Afghanistan police are lazy.
Why Powell can save Obama
David Petraeus has bet his career on counterinsurgency strategies in Afghanistan, so there’s a good chance he will resign and turn on Obama if the President pulls the plug. Only one man can protect Obama from that kind of threat and his name is Colin Powell, writes Peter Beinart.
Debating Afghanistan: furious agreement
Crikey media wrap: Yesterday heralded the opening day of Australia’s first parliamentary debate into the war in Afghanistan, including PM Gillard’s surprise admission that Aussie troops may not leave Afghanistan for a decade.
Downer: We need to negotiate with the Taliban
Let’s face it: the Taliban is a strong part of the political environment in Afghanistan and therefore we must engage with them to achieve stability. It’s just like how peace only arrived in Northern Ireland once the IRA joined the negotiation process, says former foreign minister Alexander Downer.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Afghanistan and the elephant in the room
Crikey readers have their say.
Our moral duty to stay in Afghanistan
Everyone knows that much of Afghanistan’s current misery can be traced back to the willingness of the Soviets and the US to fund various groups of cut-throats during the cold war. We’re doing exactly the same today.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: The Afghanistan quagmire
Crikey readers have their say.
The Coalition’s long journey on Afghanistan
Tony Abbott has had a number of positions on Afghanistan. And the Coalition should reconsider its own history on military justice before butting into the prosecution of ADF personnel.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: A Senatorial correction, all the way from the USA
Crikey readers have their say.
Essential: health, economy more important than asylum seekers
Today’s Essential Report looks at what issues voters rate most important in influencing how they vote — and how they feel about our involvement in Afghanistan.
Hartcher: Angry Abbott in Afghanistan
Tony Abbott sprayed Julia Gillard for her “act of low bastardy” in politicising his missed visit to Afghanistan last week. For nearly ten years the Afghanistan War has been a bipartisan issue. Not any more, declares Peter Hartcher.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Crikey is becoming part of the problem
Crikey readers have their say.
Abbott’s real Afghan problem: his minister
The real Afghanistan problem for Tony Abbott lies with his Defence shadow, and a crumbling consensus on what we should be doing in Afghanistan.
A reality check on Afghanistan
Transition of power in Afghanistan won’t just run on some pre-determined calendar schedule arranged by outside forces. This is a messy and difficult battle and Afghans still need training, writes Russell Robinson.
Killing civilians then keeping their fingers as momentos
Chilling new video of a US solider being interviewed, talking about Afghanistan civilians being killed for sport and then dismembering their corpses, emerged in the US this week. What will happen now to the war in Afghanistan?
The perils of filming in Afghanistan
Filmmaker Sonia Nassery Cole achieved a rare feat simply by shooting her feature The Black Tulip on location in Afghanistan. Cole grasped the severity of the challenge when militants tracked down her original leading lady and cut off both her feet.
