NATO commander says troops needed
NATO’s top military commander said Thursday that he needs more troops to fight the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, where a widening insurgency has left hundreds dead, including 21 militants in the alliance’s latest air and ground attacks.
U.S. Gen. James L. Jones acknowledged NATO had been surprised by the “level of intensity” of Taliban attacks since the alliance took over from American-led coalition forces in the south in August.
NATO officials say current troop levels are high enough to combat militants in southern deserts and mountain ranges or crossing from neighboring Pakistan. But the vast battlefield in the south provides ample cover for insurgents familiar with the terrain and the region’s tribes. Additional air support and as many as 2,500 new, highly mobile reserve troops would help finish the conflict faster, the officials said.
There are now about 20,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Jerusalem
Air blockade of Lebanon lifted
Israel lifted its air blockade of Lebanon on Thursday after eight weeks, but it maintained its sea cordon after determining that too few international forces had taken up position along the coast to enforce an arms embargo against the Shiite militia Hezbollah.
Israel began allowing commercial flights to land early Thursday evening at Beirut’s Rafik al-Hariri International Airport, following Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s pledge to do so the previous day.
An airliner of Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines, coming in on a direct flight from Paris, circled Beirut in a celebratory gesture before landing shortly after the blockade was lifted at 6 p.m. The pilot waved a Lebanese flag from the cockpit as the plane rolled up to the terminal.
Jiddah, Saudi Arabia
Officials may ban women near shrine
Officials are considering an unprecedented proposal to ban women from performing the five Muslim prayers in the immediate vicinity of Islam’s most sacred shrine in Mecca. Some say women are already being kept away.
The issue has raised a storm of protest across the kingdom, with some women saying they fear the move is meant to restrict women’s roles in Saudi society even further. But the religious authorities behind the proposal insist its real purpose is to lessen the chronic problem of overcrowding, which has led to deadly riots during pilgrimages at Mecca in the past.
It was unclear why the step was being considered now, but officials say they have growing concerns about overcrowding, particularly at Mecca’s Grand Mosque. The mosque contains the Kaaba, a large stone structure that Muslims around the world face during their daily prayers.