Forces spare Afghan civilians: Coalition forces in Afghanistan are being trained to avoid civilian casualties even if that means sometimes refusing to respond to direct attacks, a senior officer said. The careful approach is part of a broad counterinsurgency program, which U.S. commanders said has begun to yield information from a fearful population about the locations of Taliban forces and improvised explosive devices. “My guys have been shot at right

From the Washington Post: The U.S. military believes it has dealt devastating and perhaps irreversible blows to al-Qaeda in Iraq in recent months, leading some generals to advocate a declaration of victory over the group, which the Bush administration has long described as the most lethal U.S. adversary in Iraq. But as the White House and its military commanders plan the next phase of the war, other officials have cautioned

Yeah, I realize I’m several days behind on this, but just in case you hadn’t seen it, here’s some rain for the Al Gore Nobel Peace Prize parade — courtesy of the West Australian. And, like, carbon blankets, probably: A conservative think-tank in New Zealand has written to the president of the America’s Academy Awards asking that the Oscar awarded to the director of an Inconvenient Truth be taken back.

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